Tea Time with Brandy: Argo Tea Garden Direct Collection

"There's nothing a good cup of tea can't fix," is one of the many mottos upon which Brandy has staked her life, and now more so than ever, she's been drinking quite a lot of tea. In fact, every time she turns on a television or dares to venture into the depths of Twitter, she suddenly has the urge to drink copious amounts of tea. "My cabinets are almost bare!" she exclaimed recently when she went to make herself a strong pot of oolong after a particularly trying online conversation. "Well, this has to be remedied immediately. I don't want to think about what would happen to me if I ran out of tea! How on earth would I be able to read the morning news?"

That was when Brandy remembered that Argo Tea, her favorite purveyors of delicious tea-based cafe beverages, had recently launched a brand new line of loose leaf teas called the Garden District Collection. The collection includes 24 single estate teas that are sourced from the world’s premier tea growing regions and represent a variety of traditional flavors and blends, from comforting chamomile and delicious darjeeling to exotic jasmine and mysterious hibiscus.

Thinking back to a summer she spent in Morocco long ago, Brandy went with the Armenian Mint. Originating from the Ararat Valley, the tea is naturally caffeine free. When steeping, the leaves turn a vibrant green and an incredible aroma of fresh mint fills the air. The tea has a golden brown hue and a vibrant minty flavor that does well with a touch of sugar added. Though Brandy had brewed the tea hot, she suspected that it would also work rather well iced, making for an especially refreshing summertime drink. "This does take me back to that beautiful time long ago when I used to drink mint tea and wander the tourist street bazaars," Brandy sighed with pleasure. "Ah, those were simpler times. Though I do have to say, the tea has only gotten better."

The Garden District Collection teas are priced from $10.95 - $39.95 and are available for purchase online at and at most Argo Tea Cafés in Chicago and New York.

The writers of this blog were sent products free of charge in order to facilitate the writing of this post.