"Quoth the Raven"

Last night I was reading on the back porch and noticed how quiet it was. There was no wind, the trees were absolutely still. There were no lawn mowers, only a soft sound of conversation somewhere and the birds' chirpings fading as they readied themselves for the night. One small goldfinch feeding and the last rosy rays of sundown were all the activity to be seen. A moment to savor.

I see that Ajiri Tea, which I have reviewed before has again won an award for its lovely packaging. This company is a cooperative of farmers in Kenya and its profits go to provide schooling for orphans. Their tea is good, too. Please check them out at http://www.ajiritea.com/
Their tea is inexpensive at $9 for about a quarter pound.

Not too long ago, I reviewed some teas from Blue Raven Tea Company. Today I am moving on to Black Raven, from the Eastern Shore Tea Company. This is a black currant flavored tea, "darkly delicious", in honor of Edgar Allen Poe, who penned those famous words,"quoth the raven, nevermore". The package receives high marks for uniqueness and attractiveness, as does all their line. This one has, of course, a raven on the front and is tied with a purple ribbon. The teabags are individually wrapped in metallic plastic. They are filled with small bits of tea and smell (rats!) like cat spray, which seems to be an unfortunate scent many black currant teas have.

However, I am determined to try the tea and proceed, following directions to brew for 5 minutes. The aroma has settled down considerably, so I am encouraged. Actually, in spite of my fears, this does taste good, nice and fruity, with a bit of a bite at the end, which is black currant. It doesn't come close to Tea Forte's black currant, but it's quite drinkable. This is pretty high marks from one who is very critical of most offerings of this type.

Speaking of currants, we had 14 of these berries this year. Hopefully, next year, when they are in their permanent home, we will have more. The roses are blooming and theJapanese beetles are eating them. The deer have eaten more of my new little tree so I put a bag over it last night to thwart them and I'll continue to do that until I can put a fence around it. I enjoy our wildlife, but they can be destructive.