Tea Bird Fig Festival Tea from the Carolina Parakeet

While at the Carolina Parakeet in Anderson, S.C., over the weekend, I did't spend nearly as much as time as I would have liked checking out the tea selections, but one that caught my eye immediately was this Fig Festival blend. I tried a fig tea once years ago and loved it, but I've never seen a fig tea since. As soon as I sniffed this one, I could tell it would be one I would enjoy, and oh, did I!

Because these teas are blended there at the shop, Carolina Parakeet can tell you right on the package that their tea consists of "Black Tea (66%), Date Pieces (Dates, Rice Flower), Sultanas, Planed Almonds, and Freeze-Dried Fig Pieces." And my goodness, this is some delicious tea! It's got that "dessert tea" taste I so love because it (sometimes) keeps me from reaching for sweets. I've learned that I like most any tea with almond flavor, and I'm assuming the extra natural sweetness in this tea comes from the dates, figs, and sultanas. I've heard it said that good loose tea is a "cheap luxury," and I quite agree.

I also wanted to mention the unique tea display cabinet there at the Carolina Parakeet, which I think is both attractive and ingenious. Owner Donna Siemen told me that her husband, Wolfgang, built it to her specifications. See those colored circles underneath the bags of tea?

That would be the "sniffer" bottles, quite a few of which I slid out and sniffed while I had a few moments at the shop. (And if this fig tea sounds good to you, don't forget to enter the giveaway in Monday's post.) To learn more about the Carolina Parakeet's tea selections, which are available by mail, click here. And I look forward to trying a few more teas I purchased at the shop, so look for more reviews soon!