Manistee Moonrise

The Manistee River is a river running 190 miles through the northern lower peninsula of Michigan. This beautifully peaceful river is home to very abundant wildlife and is a sanctuary for an endangered bird, the Kirtlands Warbler. A river fringed with flora and fauna — not much can give a person a deeper feeling of tranquility. This beautiful wilderness is so pure that the river otters swim alongside your canoe. In the autumn of 2008, I was on a canoe trip down the Manistee River. It was getting late and the sun was setting. I could catch the scent of a pine and cedarwood campfire upstream and was picking blackberries from the edge of the river. I turned the corner and the river was suddenly perfectly straight for about a half mile in front of me. With the sunset behind me and a straight pine-fringed river in front of me, I watched the huge full moon rise right between the trees before setting up camp. Manistee Moonrise weaves a wild bramble of blackberries through a pine-fringed river scattered with fresh grasses and fallen trees, full of wildlife in the air and water. The base of this blend is Pine Peak Keemun, blended with elderberries, lemongrass, and a touch of spearmint. The opening taste is petrichor and pinewood with juicy berries and riverside grasses. The middle of the sip brings in a hint of toasted marshmallow, cedarwood, and flowers. Manistee Moonrise finishes with just a touch of the cool breeze - spearmint. The spearmint is there only enough to provide a cooling sensation reminiscent of the chill of a springtime nightfall. The Kirtlands Warbler sings for freedom and the river otter sips from the heart of the Manistee. Eddy up to a cup of Manistee Moonrise.  Namaste.