Black tea blend: Baker Street (caffeinated)

Sherlock and Moriarty take tea at Baker Street  ©BBC

Yesterday's tea was Upton's Baker Street blend, a lovely mix of Lapsang Souchong, Keemun, and Darjeeling. "Perfect for an afternoon uplift," says Upton of this lightly smoky tea, "another special whole-leaf blend from our London source of fine teas."

I haven't had a cup of caffeinated tea for a few days, but I threw caution to the wind. I have been Netflixing the BBC's excellent new "Sherlock Holmes" with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, so had 221B Baker Street on the brain. I drank just six ounces of this tea yesterday afternoon but paid for it that night, sleeping poorly, even though I tried to override the caffeine with a big roast chicken dinner and a wee glass of ruby port.

Or maybe it was just the intrigue of the tea prodding my brain to stay awake and figure out some mysteries. It really was a nice cup of tea, and the picture above captures quite a few of the impressions it left on me -- antique book pages, and a wisp of smoke from the cooling fireplace. This would be a good tea to serve during a chess game.