Thursday, August 27, 2009

Product Placement, Iconic Midwest Style

I know I'm running the risk of sounding like The Anchoress hawking Mystic Monk Coffee, but I've been meaning to give folks a quick review of the Canary Street Tea Company, which I've been featuring on the site for awhile now.

Canary Street was started by a former student of mine over a year ago. She was kind enough to ask me for some advice as I had run a small business for a few years around the turn of the century, so I'm a little emotionally invested in the success of this tea enterprise.

That being said, I'd still put Canary Street tea up against any tea you could find out there. I'm partial to black teas as a rule, but here is my take on what I've had so far.

Earl's Excursion: The Canary Street take on Earl Grey. It is more floral and less citrusy on the nose, due mostly to the inclusion of corn flowers along with the traditional bergamot. It is almost too floral on the nose. But in the cup, the flavors are nicely balanced. It probably won't satisfy those looking for a straight Eral Grey experience, but it is a nice cuppa on its own. IMW Grade: B

Vanilla Oasis: This is, for my money, the best vanilla bean black tea out there. (And I've tried all of those I could get my hands on.) The vanilla is pronounced on the nose, but the finish is all black tea. Yummy. IMW Grade: A+

Cinnamon bark: I originally tried this one instead of ordering the Canary Street Chirpin' Chai. I've enjoyed this so much I've never gone back to try to Chai. This is a perfect cold weather tea. IMW Grade: A-

In addition to those three, I have also bought a Peach tea (great for ice tea making) and a tea called Apricot Adventure. Those are not available right now, so you won't see them on the website. They may become available later (I've been reliably informed,) so you might want to keep an eye out for those.

If you are in the market for tea, you cannot really do much better than Canary Street. Tell them The Iconic Midwest sent ya!

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