My current favorite teas in the Deli are the Golden Yunnan, a Chinese black tea, and the new harvest of 2nd flush Darjeeling from Castleton Estate, an Indian black tea.
I love how the strong, full-bodied flavor of the Yunnan perks me up in the morning. It has a great balance of tannins, with a hint of sweetness in the finish, and it has been really consistent throughout the past few seasons. I haven’t gotten a second opinion on this, so I’m being entirely subjective when I say that it tastes great with a red grapefruit (but I’m partial to both things).
Castleton Estate’s ’09 2nd flush Darjeeling is on my list because this harvest is just really beautiful. It’s an elegant balance of fruity bass notes and hints fall leaves, and I find that it’s strong enough to brighten me up when I need it, but delicate enough to not overwhelm my palate in the later part of the day.
We have numerous amazing vinegars at Zingerman’s and I’d be hard pressed to tell you which would be my desert island pick. But lately I’ve been really enjoying Gegenbauer Paprika vinegar. I love all things spicy and this vinegar really hits the spot. 
At the Deli, I love proudly pointing to the entire row of cheese that’s made by Zingerman’s Creamery, in Ann Arbor, from Michigan milk. Lately, the Manchester has been my favorite. It’s a mold ripened cows‚ milk double cream cheese, so it’s really rich and it has a perfect tang to complement the creaminess. It comes in an adorable round and is pretty firm textured, so in the summer I can slice it into little pie pieces and drizzle it with honey for a lazy afternoon snack. Now that it’s getting colder, I like to bake it in the oven at 350, for about 20 minutes. It maintains it’s shape, but gets just oozy goozy (yes, a technical term) enough to spread on toasted slices of baguette. The crunch of baguette and the smoothness of the cheese is a great texture combination. It can be the perfect appetizer for a dinner party or the perfect late night snack for sitting in front of the TV.
