Tea comment - I tried the Peets Holiday Breakfast Blend. did not strike me as anything special. It is pretty full bodied, sweet, no astringent / tannin qualities. The website says it is a blend of second flush Darjeeling (more body, rougher), some tea from Sikkim that is supposed to give it a flowery aroma (I don't really pick it up), and two Chinese teas that give it the sweetness and most of the body (a "toasty and well-seasoned Keemun" and a "syrupy, cedary Yunnan"). If you are familiar with tippy Yunnans, the aroma of the blend is not as distinct a maple or pine when brewed, nor could I pick up the smokey scent of good Keemuns. My first guess was that it was a different chinese black tea than either Keemun or Yunnan because the aroma was not strong. I also guessed Guranse (Nepal) (you can get that at Teaism) for Himilayan tea. Visually, it brews pretty dark and the dry leaves have lots of golden tips.
The blend kind of washes out the interesting characteristics of the Yunnan, Keemun, and Darjeeling. It was disappointing, but if you find the Chinese teas too heavy or to have too strong smoke or wood aromas, then the blend is worth trying. For comparison, it is like a lighter "Pride of the Port" from Peets.
