Gunner's Tea

This one is interesting. It is called Gunner's Tea, made by the Eastern Shore Tea Co. It is a loose-leaf tea, and the bag has a picture of a man with a rifle and his faithful retriever.

Flavor: It is a black tea, somewhat heavy in the tannins. The aftertaste is of apple and indeterminate spices. It has a quite unusual metallic smell. The bag describes the tea like this: "For the essence of fall in portable form, take along a thermal container of Gunner's Tea. The rich, orchard blend emphasizing the evocative scents of fall, [...]. An extraordinary cup, warming fragrance, delicious. On the water, in the field, or beside the fire."

Suggested Additions: Lemon and sweetener are recommended by the company. I chose a teaspoon of raw sugar; since raw sugar tends to have a bit of a spiciness to it, I thought that might pair nicely with the ingredients. Also for some reason I use raw sugar more often in the fall, so there's that theme going on as well.

Ingredients: Fine Indian and China teas, Flavor, Cinnamon, Spices.

Purpose: I am mostly drinking this tea for the caffeine, and because while going through my teas this morning, I couldn't remember why I hadn't had any of this tea in a while. I now remember that I was only mildly impressed with it. The flavor is not unpleasant, but it is definitely unusual. I would like to drink it again sometime, and try brewing it with whole spices, such as clove buds, cardamom pods, or a cinnamon stick. In other words, mostly for experimentation.