ineeka Himalayan Black

Today, I have been working at the Swim Cafe. I like this place. It's a good spot for working and for writing and, on days like today, for seeing the sunshine and the blue sky. Yes, we're having a rare day of mid-December sunshine here today--how glorious it is!

I've been listening to an interesting mix of Christmas music that they're playing here. The fine folks at the Swim Cafe have treated us to some charming Cajun Christmas music: joyful bayou arrangements of the familiar carols and a few original songs for Christmas. I've also heard some of Vince Guaraldi's classic jazz tunes (think Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, and the rest of the Peanuts gang). It's a pleasant place to work and to sip some tea.

Speaking of tea, I am enjoying some ineeka Himalayan Black. It's a whole leaf tea with a bright flavor and just a hint of spice in the flavor, but hardly noticeable in the aroma. This is a pleasant tea. The tin containing the tea pouches says "Intensity." That might be overstating this tea's flavor a bit. I'd call it more "smoothness" than "intensity," but reasonable minds can, of course, differ on matters of taste. Also, referring to this tea's smoothness is a compliment; I don't intend to disparage it by labeling it as something other than "intense."

A brief word about packaging. The ineeka Himalayan Black tea comes in pouches that look like a cross between a tea bag and a paper sack--the kind you might carry your lunch in. Surrounding the pouch is an interesting cardboard mechanism that allows you to pull the bag open and hold it expanded in the cup (or whatever container you are using to steep the tea) by stretching cardboard handles across the cup and anchoring them on opposite sides of the cup. This arrangement allows the tea to expand and drink up more of the hot water. It's still not the same as entirely loose tea, but I am learning that even the degree of looseness in the tea can be something that affects its flavor when brewed, and one can appreciate differences in the degrees of that flavor, too.

More to follow, of course. Drink up!