Holding Back the Fall

On the plains of southern Austria, suddenly, there's a wall of rock!

Fall is beginning to let us know that it is coming. A few maples are
starting to have bits of red and gold and early morning can be quite chilly. I've detected a certain smell in the air you only get when autumn is in sight. I will be happy to have cooler weather, but not dark at 4 o'clock or all the cloudiness and gray.

I can hold on to the good parts of summer a while longer by having some Fruity Apricot tea from the Assam Tea Company. I must say, of the seven or eight samples I ordered, only one has not been all that good. The apricot is not one of them. What a treat to open the packet and be greeted with the deepest apricot scent, with hints of bubble gum. Almost as if the fruit were roasted. As it brewed - for just three minutes according to directions - the scent was mostly that of fresh tea with a nice blend of apricot. Sadly, no more bubblegum, though.

The brew tasted primarily of very fresh Assam tea, with a gentle accompaniment of apricot. Your taste buds won't get smacked around with this one, which is how I prefer any flavorings. I tried some iced and it was very nice that way, as the fruit lightened the tea somewhat. It struck me as a good drink to while away the afternoon, sitting on the porch, in the shade. My husband, of course, used sweetener and I have to say, this brought out the apricot very nicely. This would probably be really good with a dollop of apricot nectar, but I don't have any. I think I'll get some and try it.