Tea for the Soul

The eventual topic of this post: Elderberry Apricot Tea

Yesterday was a major coffee day. I go to coffee when I'm feeling frazzled. If I do drink coffee it has to be good coffee. Or full of sugary syrups. We have maybe 4 types of coffee in the cupboard at work but I had to go to the local coffee shop, The Big Bean, to get a pound of their Big Bean Blend. And actually, their coffee is quite tasty. (They also have some yummy teas!) But you know what happens when I drink coffee? I start feeling physically what I'm feeling mentally. Or maybe it makes my mental crap even more out there. Or maybe it's my imagination.

Anyway, by the time I got home I still felt out of sorts and I realized all of what I just said about coffee. Yes a nice cup of coffee now and then is great-- but personally I shouldn't be pounding it, especially when I already feel funky. Now let's get to the good part: soul rejuvenation via tea.

Over the weekend a friend and I went to Lancaster, PA for the American Quilt Society Quilt Show. I'd never been to Lancaster before but I definitely want to go back. It's so artsy! So much history! Midway through checking out all the booths and quilts on display we needed to recharge. My friend knows about all my food allergies/alternative eating style so she had done a bit of research beforehand and found the Lancaster Central Market. Apparently this market is the oldest continuously running farmers' market in the country. The building was old and gorgeous (and of course I didn't take pictures)-- all brick and super high ceilings. The stalls made each of their spaces feel like you were walking into a tiny shop not part of a large market. It felt intimate but also like a communal gathering place as well. There are these funky triangular tables and stools at the front for people to sit and eat the goods they just purchased. Side note: we sat with quilt world "royalty" in my friends words. My mom and grandma were equally excited.

There's a booth called PureBlend tea. They sell loose leaf tea and fancy tea beverages. Remember my rant about finding the perfect chai tea? Well, this chai tea came pretty close to perfection. It was a caramel chocolate chai I'm pretty sure, and she made it vegan for me. I have a feeling that it included their Dark Chocolate Chai. It was a bit spicy but rich, and not over the top. It was the craziest combo but it worked. So while she was making my amazing chai I looked at what other teas I could get loose leaf to try. I've been a big fan of elderberry for a few years, mostly thanks to St Germain liqueur. Then I started taking elderberry syrup for colds. It's the tastiest "medicine" ever. When I saw Elderberry Apricot Tea I had to get some. Then I saw Earl Grey Symphony (I must try every Earl Grey. It's my fave.). And then the girl told me I'd get a discount so... I also got Exotic Black tea.

Remember I said that it's been a hardcore coffee week? Well I've been trying to relax with a nice cup of herbal tea in the evening to wind down. Elderberry Apricot Tea is the perfect wind down tea. It smells floral and fruity. Just smelling it could calm me down. I've had some really fruity teas and they end up being overwhelmingly fruity. This tea is a nice balance of fruity and floral. It has a base of honeybush tea which is a relative of rooibos. It's still caffeine free and, to me, is slightly milder in flavor. Sometimes I think the taste of rooibos overpowers the other bits in a blended tea so the honeybush was a great choice. The fruitiness makes for a great wind down tea after a long day but I have a feeling it will make a delicious iced tea once it starts getting warmer. Another benefit of this tea is the healthy goodness coming from the elderberry. It's got loads of Vitamin C. I found an ultra researched write up on elderberry by USDA which talks about historic uses of the entire plant-- quite interesting. Also, if you're sick of this cold weather check out The Herb Companion's article on hot beverages to warm out inside and out.

I sent some to my mom-- we like to share tea-- and she also loved it. I'm running out of my little two ounce packet so I may have to buy more very soon!