#TodaysTea: #Eternitea#Masala Chai. Sep 2018; var. Assamica; Hittakkal Post, Kotagiri, #TheNilgiris, Tamil Nadu, India; CTC (cut, twist, curl/crush) black tea blended with cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, vanilla, and other spices; 1500-1800m.

Tasting Notes: Dry leaf: dusty, cardamon, clove, faintly honey like
Wet leaf: clove, cinnamon, fading spicy hints.
Tea liquor: at first light, hints of cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla, followed by clove, ginger, the bite of black pepper?
Finish: a mild bite and astringency on the side of the tongue and up into the cheeks. Ad the tea cools the spices and vanilla become much more pronounced.
Retronasal: lingers like Christmas cake and biscuits.

About the Pot: It is an aluminum,  #Swan Brand #Teapot, Made in England, and is “The Carlton” model. The hand scratched inscription seems to read, “ From S. Bott 1968” I was born in 1966. As long as I can remember, my #grandmother used this teapot to make herself a cup of tea each day. It ended up in my Mum’s b&b and I eventually took it over (the teapot) some 20 years or so ago. In some way, this is the first ever teapot I noticed, or deliberately took into my collection. I still use it to this day.