I've lived in the United Kingdom twice, and in the Middle East once. The United Kingdom introduced me to tea, and refined my taste in alcohol. The Middle East was basically devoid of alcohol - Kuwait being a dry country, and my travels elsewhere in the region being fairly limited - but further ingrained tea culture into my system. A year in Scotland left me with a taste for a dram of twelve-year-old Highland Park Scotch whisky, and time spent in West Sussex and Kuwait eventually led me to prefer Ahmad Tea's loose leaf Earl Grey - oh, and Rakkasan Tea's Himalayan Black Dragon oolong.
Recently, I've had occasion to discover a new variety of grain alcohol that I've been enjoying, and a new tea that I'm trying out. So, I figured I'd share.
On a recent trip to Portland, I visited the Oregon Afghan Halal Market, and purchased a bag of Afghan style Saffroni Dholla green tea. I've had a few cups of it, typically with a couple of teaspoons of sugar in an attempt to replicate the Afghan style. Quite honestly, I find it fascinating that only a single website on the Internet shows any indication that this stuff exists, but whatever, right? By the way, the only reason I knew to look for a special Afghan green tea was because of a Veterans Day marketing E-mail from Rakkasan Tea.
On a side note: if you're in Portland, you should swing by the Oregon Afghan Halal Market and buy something. If you're anywhere where you can support Afghan refugees in America, you should do what you can.
Anyway, at some point in either February or early March, I had occasion to grab a bottle at my local liquor store to take to a buddy. I found a cheap bottle of huckleberry whiskey, and gave it to him almost as a gag gift. We both decided to sample it, and it was actually really good. I don't know how available it is nationwide, but it's Porter's Huckleberry Whiskey from the locale that's known for its bourbon purveyances... Ogden, Utah? Okay, so that doesn't make a ton of sense, but trust me, the stuff is good, smooth, easy to drink. I definitely recommend it.
Am I bailing on Highland Park or Ahmad's Earl Grey? Of course not, but as they say, variety is the spice of life.
