Just for Fun: From the ancient abbeys of Europe to the more recently established congregations of the New World, monks have been producing food and drink for commercial purposes for millennia. Over the centuries, beer, cheese, pies, chocolates, fudge, sausage, bread, just about anything you can imagine has been made commercially in a monastery somewhere whether in Wisconsin, Belgium, Japan, just about any corner of the globe. The general concept for the seemingly odd arrangement that sees holy men commercially processing foodstuffs, has its roots in the very codes by which monks live their daily lives. The strict codes, written in ancient treatises, emphasize the holiness to be found in a good honest day's work. (Think of the phrase, idle hands do the devil's work.) In order to keep from idleness, the monks, who generally lived in the countryside without day jobs, began selling their produce in local markets and fairs throughout Europe. Over the centuries, many of these monastic products, in particular the beers brewed by the Belgian Trappiste monks, have come to enjoy international recognition for their exceptional quality and attention to flavor. Monks Blend, one of our more popular blended teas, serves as a salute to these ancient traditions. Similar to the work ethic of the monks, our dedication to producing a high quality product is almost religious. Like a head monk dictating the quality and standards that must be applied to the day's production, our Master Taster insists that all teas pass his rigorous inspection. (If you've ever been to one of our holiday parties you'd see that this is where any similarities between the two end!) For those of you familiar with our Monk's Blend, you'll appreciate this new organic variation. For those of you who aren't, prepare yourself for an incredible cup that blends the sweetness of pomegranate with the exotic scent of Vanilla. Using the finest organic black tea we could source as our base, we've created a cup to rise in the name of keeping busy!