I grew up in a family of tea drinkers; and although I now tend to have a lot of coffee while I'm at work, I still drink almost exclusively tea when I'm at home. I generally prefer loose leaf teas - that way I know I'll get "the real thing," whereas tea bags tend to contain merely the leftovers of a harvest; little crumbs too poor in aromatic and other content to otherwise pass quality control standards.
The exception are Bigelow teas: and first and foremost among those their flagship, Ruth Bigelow's original "Constant Comment" with its recipe of black tea, orange grind and holiday spices (primarily cinnamon). Created by Mrs. Bigelow on the basis of an old colonial recipe over half a century ago, the blend soon became so popular among her friends that their "constant comments" of approval prompted Ruth and husband David Bigelow to found their own tea company. Since then, "Constant Comment" has long become a true classic ... and if you love tea, it is indeed the perfect refreshment; whether or not it's Christmas time. (E.g., it also makes for great iced tea in summer; particularly if you add a bit of lemon.)
If you're making more than a single cup of tea, and unless you like your tea *very* weak, you may want to rethink the company's measuring directions - based on the the "one bag per cup" ratio, you'll likely need two or more bags for an entire pot (depending on size), even when steeping an extra minute or two. That said, though ... wanna come over for a cuppa?
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