I am ecstatic about this purchase, of this tea; you could fairly call me devoTea-ed. I love this tea. More than love it, I am addicted to it. Between us, my husband and I own a collection of no less than thirty different kinds of tea, but this is my default brew for myself, and when make a general offer of a cuppa to visitors.
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A bit of history (feel free to skip); I first discovered it years ago, when it was still consistently available in local supermarkets, and from the very first sniff of a bag while the kettle was boiling, I became addicted. It smelled like potpourri and it tasted like Heaven.
I began drinking it constantly. I served it to friends, just as my standard daytime tea offer (with T2's French Earl Grey, as my evening one), and everyone else loved it, too! I was always being asked where I got it, to expressions of surprise when I told them it was just a supermarket brand, and very cheap to buy - and then I would see it in those same friends pantries when I visited. It's simply gorgeous - and the perfect afternoon tea, taken with a spot of milk. The creaminess really helps to highlight the smooth vanilla edge in the tea.
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One dark day, the local supermarkets didn't have it. Nor did the other ones in my City, when I went searching, though they maddeningly had *other* Dilmah Exceptional varieties. I hunted high and low. I asked friends in other Cities to look, for me. Nothing. Eventually, a couple of years later, it came back, and I was overjoyed. I returned to being a consistent consumer; a new box on every grocery shopping trip.
And then, some time later, it disappeared, again. This time, I didn't mess around; I went straight to the Dilmah site, and, greatly relieved to see that it was indeed still in production, I placed a massive order of 20 boxes for myself, plus requested quantities from the other people I had gotten hooked. It took a couple of weeks to arrive, but when it did, we actually had an impromptu tea party - sitting on the floor, amidst the torn ruins of all that postal packaging - at my house, to celebrate.
I did this for a while; whenever I was within 3 boxes of running out, I would place an order. It always took a while to arrive, and the shipping was quite expensive. And I had to order in such bulk, to spread out that freight expense and the hassle, that it seemed likely that by the time I got to the last few boxes, they probably weren't as fresh as they could be, but still. It was worth it.
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Then Amazon told me in a sidebar advert one day that it now was stocking the stuff...I clicked right in and jumped on a monthly subscription faster than you can say Jack Robinson. Now my shipping is minimal, my tea is always timely, and always fresh. It's incredibly well-priced - it's almost like having it back at the supermarket.
I'm just about ready to kiss the seller's feet.
Five big shiny stars, and I wish I could give it six.
Serving suggestion; exquisite with Victoria Sponge, strawberry macarons/cupcakes, or scones with jam and cream. *Perfect* with Turkish Delight.
For additional perfume and a dusky emphasis to the flavour, steep long in a pot accompanied by a few buds of T2 Simply Rose. Resist adding sugar.
- Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 9 x 9 cm ; 40.8 g
- Boxed-product Weight: 59 g
- Item Model Number: 610615
- ASIN: B005LBBB7Y
- Date first available at Amazon.com.au: 25 September 2018
- Average Customer Review: 37 customer reviews
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
35 in Pantry Food & Drinks (See Top 100 in Pantry Food & Drinks)
- #1 in Black Tea
