An elite new tea: Deberah's Tea

 

Last week, I had the pleasure of meeting my friend Deberah for lunch. While we've certainly been in touch over the past year and even worked on some book projects together, it was the first time we've met for lunch in more than a year, and it was so fun just to catch up with her. It was also fun when she handed me a gift bag containing several goodies, including this tea she grew and processed herself!

I am so impressed! I have a camellia sinensis plant, too, but I've never plucked my leaves and actually made tea with them. Deberah said it is a black tea, and she advised me to use more than I usually do, so that's what I did.

And I must say that this was an exceptionally smooth tea with no astringency. If "Deberah's Tea" were available commercially, I'd absolutely be a customer. It leans a little toward an oolong taste, and I savored every delightful sip. I suspect, however, that this tea was made with love and friendship, and I'll bet it will be hard to find anything comparable. It occurred to me that this is the very definition of a "small-batch" tea, and I'm so thrilled my friend shared some with me.