We ran out of Bubly (which is just flavored seltzer water, like La Croix, but I feel less like a hipster drinking it), which means in attempt to avoid drinking plain water, I decided to drink a cup or two more tea than I usually do.
Teas tasted in this vlog:
Twinings Earl Grey – I might write a lot about loose leaf teas, but most mornings, I tuck in to a cup of Twinings Earl Grey tea. It’s a quick, easy, and consistent cup of caffeine to get me going in the morning. Plus, it’s inexpensive and I can pick it up at my grocery store whenever I’m running low
Mint Verbena from Harney and Sons – This tea is a blend of mint and lemon verbena. I personally did not pick up the lemony aroma from the verbena, but the mint was bold and refreshing. It was a great caffeine-free tea to drink to improve alertness.
Rooibos Mango from Adagio – This tea is a blend of rooibos tea, natural mango flavor, apple pieces, mango pieces, and marigold flowers. This particular rooibos blend from Adagio did not work for me, and I was unable to pick up the mango notes. That’s not to say this tea is bad, but there are just other rooibos blends by Adagio that I’m over the moon about.
Caribbean Crush from DavidsTea – This tea is a blend of apple, pineapple, papaya, hibiscus, cranberry, and artificial flavoring. I cold brewed this tea, and even though my sample size was not the ideal amount of tea for a cold brew, I still thought this fruit, herbal blend tasted amazing. When I’m finally done with my tea buying ban, I definitely want to get more of the Caribbean Crush.
Just Chamomile from T2 – This chamomile night-cap was absolutely dreamy. The flavor was very honey-like, and overall it was a very soothing tea for the evening.
How appropriate that I should upload a video and publish a blog post about a delicious tea that resonates Springtime on the first day of Spring? I didn’t even plan this. I don’t even think I’m that clever anymore. Of course, it’s only March, which means Michiganders are still weeks away from consistently pleasant weather and pink and white blossoms budding on trees, but at least the sun has started to poke through Winter’s cloudy days. That’s a start. In the meantime, there is Made of Tea’s Chunmee Green Tea to sip on while we wait. It has an aroma that reminds me of freshly cut hay, which makes me antsy for warmer weather so I can spend some time outdoors.
I don’t think I’ve looked forward to Springtime so fiercely before. Between working from home and having a little guy all cooped up indoors, I can’t wait for weather warm enough for strolls at the park. Here are 6 other things I want to do this Spring:
Re-do the kitchen; liven it up with fresh paint, replace light fixtures, buy a kitchen table finally…
Try my hand at growing a little tea garden in my backyard, again
Learn how to mow the lawn so Jon and I don’t battle over the yard anymore
Clean up and re-mulch the flower beds in the front yard, so our house has a little more curb appeal
Get back in to shape. I’m basically a loaf of Brioche at this point
Giving my home the Marie Kondo treatment. Seriously, when did I accumulate so much stuff?
What is springtime like in your neck of the woods, and what are you looking forward to doing?
Looking for more teas to sip this Springtime? Check out these:
Tis the season! Well, almost. And Adagio Teas has something to make your holiday season more jolly– their 2018 tea advent calendar.
Their advent calendar has 24 doors hiding individually wrapped, loose leaf quality tea bags. Some of the teas are Adagio’s most popular blends, and some are their cozy, holiday favorites. All are 100% delicious, and I can hardly keep myself from poking through all of the doors in one sitting. I’ll give you a sneak peek behind door #1, at least.
Gingerbread tea
Adagio’s Gingerbread tea is a blend of black tea, natural gingerbread flavor, cinnamon bark, orange peels, and ginger root. When served with sugar, this tea is as delicious as a Christmastime dessert, but it doesn’t taste as spicy and gingery as the tea’s namesake suggests. The blend of spices seems muted, so the flavor doesn’t overpower the tongue, but it’s still perfect for a morning baking cookies or decorating the tree. The addition of the sugar draws out an unexpected warmth and creaminess that transforms this cup of tea into a truly cozy experience. This holiday tea can’t be missed.
If I thought life moved fast before, adding a child into the mix makes life move in hyper speed. I can’t believe Oliver turns one month in just a few days. Parenthood is by far the hardest thing I’ve ever done, and I haven’t even gotten to the challenging part yet (which I assume is adolescence). I mean, look at him. He’s giving me so much side-eye. It’s like he knows I’m incompetent at this parenthood thing.
What I’ve learned so far:
I knew nothing of anxiety before. Those times when I had to talk myself up just to take the laundry down to the laundry unit at the apartment or those times when I had to write out a script before making a phone call seem laughable to me now. That’s nothing compared to the time Oliver spit up so much that milk cake out his nose, and he started choking. Or the first time I had to drive him to a doctor’s appointment by myself. Or you know, bringing him home for the first time.
Similarly, I don’t think I’ve been so aware of human mortality. I can’t keep track of how many times I check him just to make sure he’s still breathing.
The advice “sleep when baby sleeps” is good advice assuming baby sleeps anywhere other than your arms. That being said, the stars have aligned these last two days, and I was able to take THREE three-hour naps. I’m handling the exhaustion better (and with almost no caffeine aside from a fun sized candy bar or two). That being said, in the throes of sleep deprivation, I became really frustrated while changing his diaper because he wouldn’t stop wailing, so I said to him, “I’m really mad at you”. I still feel guilty about it even though I know he didn’t hear me on account of his screams were as loud as a space shuttle launching into space.
Speaking of diapers, I thought I’d be more grossed out by the various bodily fluids my son expels. On to me. Now it’s just mostly annoying because I have to do so much laundry.
I remember during the first week, I cried during one of Oliver’s five-hour cluster feeding sessions because I had gone from full-time accountant to full-time food bag. Now I realize how hard returning to work will be. I planned to return after six weeks, but I pushed my return date back two weeks. Even that doesn’t seem like a sufficient amount of time, and I can’t help but dwell on how purposeless accounting seems now compared to being a food bag.
#currentlyreading
The one perk that comes with sleep deprivation (aside from bonding with baby) is I’m spending a lot more time reading. The books that are keeping me company right now are:
Fascism: a Warning by Madeleine Albright: This book isn’t easy to read in the wee hours of the morning, so I wait until my eyelids aren’t drooping to dive in to this non-fiction novel. Albright explores fascism in the early 20th century and draws parallels with contemporary world leaders.
Grave Mercyby Robin LaFevers: I bought this book probably two years ago, and I just sat down to start reading it the other night. I wish I would have read this book sooner. So far, I’m loving the blend of fantasy and historical fiction. It reminds me of Skyrim’s Dark Brotherhood if it existed in the high court of Brittany instead.
October Teaviews
I’ve also started to work my way through my extensive tea collection hoard. Seriously, I have over 100 different types of tea in my cupboards/pantry/just sitting on my kitchen floor.
Teaster Marshmallow Tea from Adagio: green rooibos tea, apple pieces, candy sprinkles, vanilla creme flavor, marigold flowers, and apricots. My greatest impulse purchase (this year) occurred around Easter. I had a promotional email from Adagio that prompted me to go on a scavenger hunt on their website for a chance to win a free bag of their Teaster Marshmallow tea. Not only do I not usually drink rooibos tea, but I also did not need any of the other teas I purchased that day (because you know…free shipping). But, OMG this tea! From it’s colorful Easter sprinkles to its vanilla creme flavor— I might be obsessed. A spoonful of sugar takes it to a whole new level. It really is like a marshmallow peep, except there is less self-loathing after finishing a bag of the Teaster Marshmallow tea.
Dawn Tea from Turmeric Tea: Assam Black Tea, Cinnamon, Ginger, Turmeric Root, Cardamom, Black and Pink Pepper Corns. I had high hopes for this tea. Just look at that beautiful blend! I expected it to be spicy and for flavors of cinnamon and ginger to explode on my tongue, but it ended up being a rather mild spiced chai. The dominant flavor was cinnamon, which I can’t complain about though.
Books on my Radar
There is just one book I added to my TBR list this month, which is the Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton. I’ve seen this book on just about everyone’s instagram feed lately.
From Goodreads: In the summer of 1862, a group of young artists led by the passionate and talented Edward Radcliffe descends upon Birchwood Manor on the banks of the Upper Thames. Their plan: to spend a secluded summer month in a haze of inspiration and creativity. But by the time their stay is over, one woman has been shot dead while another has disappeared; a priceless heirloom is missing; and Edward Radcliffe’s life is in ruins.
Over one hundred and fifty years later, Elodie Winslow, a young archivist in London, uncovers a leather satchel containing two seemingly unrelated items: a sepia photograph of an arresting-looking woman in Victorian clothing, and an artist’s sketchbook containing the drawing of a twin-gabled house on the bend of a river.
Told by multiple voices across time, The Clockmaker’s Daughter is a story of murder, mystery, and thievery, of art, love and loss. And flowing through its pages like a river, is the voice of a woman who stands outside time, whose name has been forgotten by history, but who has watched it all unfold: Birdie Bell, the clockmaker’s daughter.
How was your October? What are you currently reading, and what books did you add to your wishlist this month?
Let me preface this by saying, it isn’t my fault Harney & Sons, Adagio Teas, T2, and DavidsTea all had amazing sales and/or sent me amazing coupon codes the week of my birthday. It is my fault that I purchased so much tea that I ran out of room in my tea cupboard and my pantry, so now I have a large box of tea just sitting on the floor in the corner of my kitchen. Technically, I’m supposed to be on a tea-buying ban, but I kept hearing about this enticing subscription box from Sips by, and before I knew it, my irrational, pregnant brain convinced me it was a good idea to subscribe. Seriously though, how could I say no to four premium teas selected just for me based on a personalized tea profile for just $15 a month?
My first Sips By box arrived by the time Jon and I returned home from the hospital with Oliver. My October Sips included a minty, herbal blend from Dryad Teas, a green tea from Golden Tips Tea, an herbal tea with guarana from Tea Pigs, and a spiced chai from Turmeric Teas.
One of the first teas I tried came from Dryad Tea, who hand blends small batches of tea inspired by music, mythology, literature, and general geekery. Dryad Tea also offers different sweeteners, custom blends, silicone tea infusers, and metal tea infusers decorated with D20 dice.
I tasted their Faerie Garden tea, which is a caffeine-free blend of spearmint, peppermint, lavender, heather, cornflower petals, and cinnamon, and it was a perfect, soothing nightcap. The scent of the dried leaves reminded me of a stick of Wrigley’s Double Mint gum, but the flavors ended up being more complex than that. I love mint teas, so I knew I was going to appreciate this, but what I thought was going to be a blend that was overpowered by minty flavors ended up being subtly spicy from the cinnamon, too. The cinnamon was an exciting addition that caught me on the back of the tongue as a finishing note. The lavender, however, was lost on me during this steep. I still have a little bit of the sample left, which I plan to steep and then re-steep to see if I can draw some of the floral aromas more. If you love mint teas, make sure you check out this unique blend.
I’m peeling myself away from the Dryad Tea website. There are so many tempting blends like Come to the Labyrinth, which is a black tea blend with apple, vanilla, and cinnamon flavors or like Pixie Can’t Sleep, which is a black tea blend with vanilla, honey, and lavender flavors.
Do you subscribe to any subscription boxes, and which ones?
There is something overwhelming about Springtime. I’m sure I bring it on myself after six months of hibernation, but the rate at which tasks are added to my To Do List makes me withdraw from the world. Thankfully, family came for a visit, and I was wrenched from my comfort zone (lately known as “the couch”) and thrown into the yard. Up until this, our house had been an embarrassment with overgrown bushes and trees and weeds in the flower bed that reached my knees (okay, really it was mid-thigh). Yesterday we spent 12 hours pulling weeds, mulching the flower bed, potting herbs (for tea! such as spearmint, lemon balm, and bee balm) and tomatoes and planting hastas, cutting back bushes and trees, mowing the lawn, whipping the weeds, and cleaning and replacing gutters. Today, my muscles are sore and my skin is sunburned, and I feel proud of what was accomplished yesterday.
Today I’m taking things much more slowly. I read out on the deck to catch some morning sun; although apparently 67 degrees is “scorching hot” to me, so I only lasted about an hour. Now I’m appreciating the view of my front window– of mammoth trees, petunias, and a snoozing kitty, while sipping green tea and waiting for the afternoon’s impending thunderstorms. (Yes, I know my curtains are ugly. They came with the house, and I haven’t replaced them yet).
Today’s tea comes from Japanese Green Tea IN, a tea seller specializing in green tea from Japan’s Shizuoka prefecture (which I understand has an incredible view of Mount Fuji!). I tried their Fukamushi Sencha, first crop, which is unlike any tea I’ve ever experienced before. The appearance of the tea leaves was the first surprise. The forest green leaves varied in size including long thin leaves, small fragments, and even powder. The fragments and the powder first led me to believe that this was a reflection of the quality of the tea– that it was no different from a bag of Lipton tea dust, but I was mistaken. This appearance is a result of how the tea is processed– the tea is deep steamed, and while the leaves become more delicate (hence the breakage), the astringency is reduced and the flavor becomes more rich.
The next surprising characteristic about this tea was the color. Most of the green teas I’ve steeped produce a pale yellow liquid, but the Fukamushi Sencha produced a cloudy, Chartreuse green color. I was intimidated at first, thinking I over-steeped my tea, but again, I learned this is just another characteristic of this kind of tea. It’s also common to have tea sediment collect at the bottom of the mug– go ahead and drink that up though because they are nutrient-rich!
As for the flavor of the tea, I was under the impression it was supposed to be naturally sweet, but it tasted more savory to me. The first steep was vegetal and lightly astringent, and the finishing notes were buttery and slightly like blanched or grilled asparagus. Because it’s a savory tea, and also because it is lightly caffeinated, I think it makes for a perfect early afternoon treat. The tea also begs for multiple infusions. So far, I’ve brewed four cups of tea with the same batch of tea leaves, and the flavor (although lacking the buttery finishing note) was just as rich and flavorful as the first cup, and I’m confident I can steep at least one or two more cups.
The final notable characteristic of this tea is how it is farmed. Japanese Green Tea IN sells tea that is cultivated using the Chagusaba Method. The tea farmers in the Shizuoka prefecture put sustainability first, and as a result, the region has been named 1 of the 26 sites in all of Asia and the Pacific Islands as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The Chagusaba Method uses deliberately grown, surrounding grasslands to mulch fields of tea shrubs. The grass mulch prevents weeds, keeps the tea fertilized, prevents run-off into surrounding ecosystems, and maintains biodiversity. The Chagusaba Method is a labor-intensive process, which means it is a dying art in a business world that is becoming increasingly mechanized to remain competitive in a global market.
Japanese Green Tea IN’s Fukamushi Sencha is probably one of the more expensive teas I’ve featured on Books & Tea; it’s a little bit of a splurge at $45 for 3.5oz (that’s about 30-40 cups). That breaks down to about $1.12 per cup (compared to Adagio’s 78 cents/cup and Twinings 20 cents/cup). But the quality of this tea though… the flavor, the multiple infusions, the sustainability… is a worthwhile luxury for novice to seasoned tea drinkers alike.
A sample of this tea was provided for free in exchange for an honest review.
Yesterday was an ideal day off– simultaneously relaxing and productive. The kitchen is spotless and lemon-scented, all of the laundry is washed, the groceries have been purchased and put away, and I still had time to finish an enthralling cozy mystery, check out novels from the library, draft five whole blog posts, and sip a few mugs of Adagio Tea’s White Eternal Spring tea while appreciating the springtime breeze that danced through open windows.
Adagio Tea’s White Eternal Spring tea is a blend of white tea, rose hips, pineapple pieces, mango pieces, cranberries, rose petals, apple pieces, hibiscus, blueberries, natural mango flavor, and natural pineapple flavor.
When I open the bag, the dried tea leaves smell sweet, juicy, tart, and sticky (yes, sticky is now a scent). It makes me feel nostalgic, and I think of slurping on melting, fruity popsicles on a hot and sunny day. The flavor of the tea is very understated in comparison though, and while I appreciated that when sipping their lemon meringue green tea, this time I was disappointed that my tastebud’s were not bombarded with fragrant florals and juicy fruits. This is not to say the tea is bad, not at all. I still ended up brewing multiple cups and using up my entire sample. But, it didn’t live up to what I thought it would taste like, either. Drinking the White Eternal Spring tea plain is fine, but the flavors seem very middled. I suggest adding some honey, which actually helps to draw out the tartness of the pineapple flavor.
A sample of this tea was provided by Adagio in exchange for an honest review.
You probably won’t believe me when I say I’m not that keen on lemon-flavored anything. Not after I baked that delicious Lemon Loaf Cake inspired by the Memory of Lemon by Judith Fertig. And definitely not after I raved about Lemon Soleil Tea from Adagio Tea. I’m not even sure I believe it myself, especially not after sipping Adagio Tea’s Lemon Meringue Green Tea. In fact, I can say with a certain degree of confidence that I am most definitely in denial about my love for lemon-flavored treats.
Adagio’s Lemon Meringue Green Tea is a blend of green tea, apple pieces, orange peels, natural lemon flavor, marigold flowers, natural vanilla flavor, and natural creme flavor. Upon opening the pouch, I’m greeted by the zesty and sugary-sweet scent of the blend, which reminds me of both a box of Lemonheads and a box of Fruit Loops. But don’t let that intimidate you because the flavor of the tea is actually quite mellow compared to the scent of the dry leaves.
I first enjoyed this tea hot and plain. I did not really taste the green tea as much as I would have expected, and yet I’m not actually disappointed by this. Instead, I taste bright citrus flavors with a subtle, undercurrent of creaminess (my spell check is trying to tell me that I meant to type “dreaminess”, which is kind of the same thing, right?). It’s the kind of tea I want to drink in February to remind me that world isn’t always freezing and dark as I stare mournfully out the window at mounds of snow and a sidewalk that was technically supposed to shoveled already according to the village ordinance.
When this tea really shines though is iced and sweetened. Preferably sipped outside while reading a book on a perfect day like today– 77 degrees with a breeze, sunny, not a cloud in the sky. (Somebody pinch me! I must be dreaming!) It’s just like eating lemon meringue pie without the risk of over-indulging on too many slices. Plus, nobody judges you for going back for a second cup of tea, right?
A dense fog has sunk into mid-Michigan this week. It’s made my new, 30-mile commute dreadful and the woods across the street from my house particularly spooky. Perhaps the ominous atmosphere is what drove me to pluck Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris from the library shelf on Saturday. Or, perhaps it was the glitter on the book cover. Regardless the reason, now that I’ve sat down to read the novel, I find myself nervous to open the book. This is what I know about the Sookie Stackhouse series:
It’s wildly popular. They even turned it into a TV show.
It’s a pretty steamy series.
There is a vampire in it (multiple vampires?), which immediately increases the probability that I will loathe the book.
So, here I am procrastinating by blogging and drinking tea that tastes more like the sweet clovers I tasted in late Springtime in Ohio when I was a child than something that should accompany a novel about vampires. Even if said novel has glitter on the front cover.
Today I drink Doomni Summer Oolong from Teabox Tea, which is from the Assam region, an area known for its malty, black tea rather than its Oolong. The dry leaves are a beautiful blend of dark green, rusty-brown, and taupe, and they smell creamy, sweet, and soft. The flavor of the tea is reminiscent of the red clover flowers that I used to taste growing up in Ohio– slightly vegetal and slightly honeyed sweet. I also pick up a very subtle floral flavor– jasmine, maybe? The package mentions there should also be some minty notes, but I do not taste it. Basically, Doomni Summer Oolong tastes like Springtime, and it seems to cut through the fog wrapped around soggy tree trunks. This tea is best sipped hot, but if you’re going to nurse it, you can add some honey to cut the bitterness that surfaces as it cools.
Have you ever been so nervous to start a new book that you found yourself procrastinating?
Michigan has enjoyed a warm Autumn this year– “warm” being a relative term; although, temperatures did peak at a toasty 70 degrees on Friday. Of course, they also plummeted to the 30s on Saturday, and we experienced our first snowfall of the season. But that’s the north for ya’.
Most of my co-workers are grumbling about the weather, but I’m a bit of an odd duck; I actually look forward to the cold season. Admittedly, I’ll probably spend the next five months white-knuckling it as I drive my tiny Ford Fiesta amongst maniac SUV drivers along poorly plowed, snowy roads. Still, there is a lot to look forward to when the cold settles in…
Like Thanksgiving, for example! It’s my favorite holiday because it involves one of my favorite pastimes– feasting. And, the world gets a little quieter this time of year because people stay indoors and blankets of snow muffle noise pollution; as an introvert, I appreciate this. It’s also an ideal time of year for soups and stews and roasts and mugs of hot tea or hot cocoa. Perhaps best of all, it’s my favorite kind of reading weather! I love spending the weekend afternoons cozying up in blankets with a mug of hot tea and a good book, and I recently found a most appropriate tea for afternoons just like this– the Reading Nook Blend by Plum Deluxe Tea.
The Reading Nook Blend is a black tea blended with rosebuds, lavender, chamomile, love, gratitude, and natural flavor, and when served with a drizzle of honey, it has the power to whisk you away to warmer and sunnier days. It’s like liquid Springtime. The Book Nook Blend is as fragrant and floral as the ingredients would lead you to believe, but it doesn’t overpower the palate. The label indicates this tea “pairs with creativity, reading, and writing”, which I most definitely agree, but I’d also like to add that it pairs with cozy mystery novels and the TV series Rosemary and Thyme.
A sample of the Reading Nook Blend was provided for free in exchange for an honest review. And honestly, it was delicious.
By Golly, Ollie! 