PRIMO ICED TEA strives to clear the air on "premium iced teas". To often these are driven by leaf appearance and are too often "all hat and no cattle."

We designed this blend around a BOP (Broken Orange Pekoe) grade of black tea produced by the Glentilt garden in the heart of the Dimbula region of Sri Lanka. Located on the western slopes of Adam's Peak, teas from this region are the undisputed kings of iced tea. Full, round and jammy, this is the center and finish of this refreshing iced tea.

We added a small amount of Keemun Hao Ya for a touch of sweetness and a healthy hand of a floral black tea from the area south of the lower Yangtze River in China. The result is bright, crisp, refreshing and tight. With notes of honeysuckle and clover that slide right into a nostalgic iced tea flavor.

OFFSHORE is a surfing term for when the wind blows from land towards the sea, making for calm waters. This felt like a good name for this island inspired hibiscus iced tea.

We started with North African hibiscus, which is darker, fuller and more tart than other varieties. Those-in-the-know call it the cabernet of hibiscus.

To open up this dense flavor, and as a nod to Kona, we added coffee cherry, imparting nuances of fruit leather and hints of cherry. Cardamom husk gives point, aromatics, and a tighter, racier mouthfeel. A touch of citrus peel and a hint of orange oil ties the two worlds together.

But cinnamon is the key. Just enough to balance the tart hibiscus and add a lingering finish.

Inspired and made for the good folks at CHEFS & TABLE in Kona Hawaii.

VITALY PALEY is an award winning chef, a PNW icon and just a freaking great man. The first time I tasted his food was when Steve took me to dinner at PALEY'S PLACE after a long day in the office. A memorable evening for this Iowan boy, the start of my career in tea, and damn fine dinner.

I worked with Vitaly some 15 years later, after Steve passed away, and he put his name on the line to make a bespoke tea alongside a greenhorn trying to fill a giants shoes.

The tea we made together, as well as the hucklberry jam inspired by stories from his mother, is one of my favorite projects. His attention to every detail and focus on execution, and the meatballs he made for a NYC media event, makes him one of my heros.

Today he is basking in the sun and ocean breeze of Hawaii and bringing his tastes and tallent to CHEFS & TABLE. And when he called upon us for bespoke tea, we dropped everything, geeked out, stessed out and tasted and tasted and tasted until we crafted teas to make him proud.

CAPTION: Vitaly Paley and I staring at wild huckleberry jam cooking in a steam jacket kettle. Jam was made to be stirred into a russian caravan style tea we made together back in the day.

The newest addition to our family, Taco is a shepherd blend of Boarder Collie and Bernese Moutain dog, at least that is what google thinks.

My youngest son wanted a puppy, and I wanted a friend for Molly to play with. We both got what we wanted. We adopted him through the Oregon Humane Society and couldn't be happier.

We expect he'll be hurding us all very soon.