current teas and other tasty beverage treats

This week, I've divided my tea time between 2008 Emperor Long Jing from Teaspring on the hyper-fresh end, through the spectrum to include some Phoenix Bird Oolong from Mighty Leaf (which I enjoyed more than most oolongs I've tried over the last several months). But I've also dipped into staples like genmai cha and (this morning) Citron Green from Adagio.

Tea is not my only tasty beverage, but it's really my default beverage of choice for daily activities. It's caffeinated, but tends not to be ridiculously so. (Oh, but the exceptions! Some sleepless nights can result from unwary overconsumption of sencha too late in the day.)

I like to delve into the different when I can, which is one of the treats of the local Vietnamese restaurant. There one can find many cool things to sip, including durian, lychee, mango/avocado (not to be missed, that one), papaya, or even what I had last night: a milk egg soda. (It was what it sounds like, but I enjoyed it quite a bit.)

With a few exceptions, like the iced tea we drink here in Mississippi and Thai tea, I don't take sweeteners in my tea. I find the stuff sweet enough, as a rule. Same for yerba mate.

Now, coffee's a different story. Unless I can find something like a nice Hawaiian kona, I generally like to turn my coffee into a dessert. Adding contrasting flavors can help highlight that which is enjoyable in a mediocre coffee, and mediocrity is abundant in the coffee world.

I guess there's plenty of tea mediocrity, as well. It's just so easy to find superior tea that I don't bother with the crappy stuff much any more.