Eleven references that surprise at the first sip, for very different reasons.

Some for the process: Tarry Lapsang dried over pine smoke, Pu'er fermented with undergrowth notes, the yellow tea Huang Da Cha and its toasted bread flavor, the frankly bitter Argentine mate.

Others for the combination: the puffed rice in Genmaicha, the gingerbread in Witch's House, the raspberry pepper in Rivière de Feu, the stevia in Au cœur du vignoble.

None of them are everyday teas. All deserve to be tasted once.