It's like Louis XIV Cognac - You know it tastes great because it is so expensive. (or Cancer, Blindness, and Dodging the Fuzz)

SUN! GLORIOUS SUN! After nearly 2 weeks of drizzle, the skies turn blue and the sun shines through. There can be only one way to celebrate: A good long walk and a nice cup of tea.

I have walked past a shop up at Yonge and St. Claire every weekend after catching the Liverpool matches at Scalliwags, so I figured I would wander up and see if House of Tea is any good. At first I was disappointed. This was neither a house, nor was it made of tea. Mmm... House made of tea. Hot summers rain, perfect cup of tea fresh out of the gutters. Although cleaning the leaves out of those gutters would be a perpetual job.

I love the smell of a good tea shop, but this is something else. It is like a humidor, but without all the cancer. There is a tiny woman standing behind the counter. She is very nice, but informs me that they don't steep the tea on site, and while you can buy an electric kettle while you are there, they won't let you fill it up and boil it in the shop. Something to do with insurance or some such nonsense. She shows me a selection of black teas and I decide to go with the East Frisian Blend.

I was FLOORED by the price. I'm sure it is great, but 'struth that's absurd. She very kindly picked my eyeballs up from the counter and handed them back to me after she rung up my selection. As if having my eyes pop out of the sockets wasn't enough to let her know I was shocked, the look on my face when I put them back must have clued her in. She went on to explain that this was very rare tea and the importation and blah blah blah... She had lost me at $52.00/100g. So confident in her product though, she offered me a sample and strict instructions to only use warm milk, or the world would end on Saturday. I slipped the dime-bag of tea into my breast pocket and slipped out the door, hoping the rozzers weren't standing outside.

After the long walk home I'm eager to bust out my score and see if it really was the good stuff. I heed the prophetic warning and warm up the milk, and good LORD this is some excellent tea. I can't describe it other than to say this is absolutely amazing.

If you are a black tea fan, you absolutely must go and try to score a free sample. If you aren't a black tea fan please PLEASE go and try to score a free sample, and then give it to me.  If you have money coming out the wazzoo, buy me a bag; and a bottle of Louis XIV, that stuff is class.