Sweet and Spicy Makes Everything Nice

You know what, it sucks when you are so engrossed in a story and you think it's going to end well but then, BAM! Tragedy. And then you think, "What the--!" Yes, I know not all stories end in happiness and bliss. But when two characters finally realize they love each other, or other characters deal with unimaginable horror, their tales should end well for them. They deserve that, don't they? But what did I have to get me through the heart-wrenching tales of woe? A good cuppa tea.

It's been an odd week and you know what makes that better? Tea! I've had a lot of Strawberry Ginger tea. When I first saw it I thought, "Strawberry and ginger? Does that go together?" But I thought I'd give it a try. And you know what? It actually does work! The sweetness of the strawberry balances out the spiciness of the ginger. I would totally drink this as an afternoon pick me up, when I really shouldn't have caffeine or I'll be up all night but need a little kick. The bit of ginger will surely boost your brain with its awesomeness and the strawberry will satisfy your sweet tooth. You know what else adds to the sweetness? There's apple and blackberry, two more of my favorite fruits. 

I just checked out the David's Tea website and saw that they have an interesting chai called Bollywood Chai. It has chai spices (included peppercorns!) but also has candy covered fennel seeds. Indian restaurants usually have these by the door as a breath freshener. I will have to try this and report back! 

Towards the end of April, Jay and I are heading to NYC for a weekend. I have a whole list of tea establishments we will have to go to. Seriously. Like 8 places. I'm looking forward to it! Not to mention our hotel is 5 minutes walk from Babycakes.

What is your favorite tea of the moment?

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!

Hooray, tea!

Favorites

I love tea. I enjoy coffee too but there is usually a lot of sugar involved. Tea is wonderful all on it's own. Or, if you're feeling feisty, it's great with a dash of cream and sugar. In my case it's usually hemp milk and honey. For a person with food allergies and such tea is generally a one size fits all deal. There are a few exceptions but from what I've learned tea rarely has gluten involved and if the label says "cream flavoring" it's not coming from any animal. And most tea merchants proudly display whether their teas are gluten free, vegan, nut free, etc. But we'll get to that later. What I want to talk about is how great tea is.

Mint Chocolate Rooibos - David's Tea

Tea is great when you come home from work and it's been a particularly busy day. Like a non-stop "why-don't-you-have-tax-forms-I-need-this-book-for-a-school-project-due-tomorrow" kind of day. (What up, librarians!)

It's chilly out side and yet you feel a bit guilty for turning up the thermostat, so you don't. So instead you turn on the kettle and fill a tea strainer with your favorite guilty pleasure tea. Mine is Mint Chocolate Rooibos from David's Tea. You have all the fabulous antioxidants plus yummy chocolate plus refreshing mint.

Tea magic begins as soon as you put the spoonful in your strainer and pour the hot water over. Finally, after the requisite 4-7 minutes of steeping, you sit in the most comfy worn in part of the couch, mug in hand, and take a sip. Even if the first sip scalds your tongue and throat on the way down it's so worth it. All that matters is that Andes mint hot goodness-- and the dog nudging you to go out. Really, you should have taken him out first but oh well.

For five minutes you sit there sipping, and eventually you stop internally nagging the high school kid that waited until the day before to get To Kill a Mockingbird.

Tea can have a calming, restorative affect when taken at the end of a busy day. And that's one of the reasons I love tea.

Mint Chocolate Rooibos is a naturally caffeine-free tea with the added bonus of mini chocolate chips, peppermint, vanilla and chocolate mint flavoring. Rooibos (say it with me, ROY-boss) comes from the Aspalathus Linearis shrub that grows in South Africa. It's got more antioxidants than green tea, high in Vitamin C and low in tannins which apparently are the little buggers that can upset a person's stomach. Ultimately, it's a super tea. I just had a vision of a canister of tea with a big red "R" on it, wearing a red cape. Yes.

Thanks for hanging out with me in this first post. I hope you'll come back because I have loads more tea goodness in store-- recipes, tea reviews, window shopping tea related stuff, and random geekery that may or may not have to do with tea. If you can do it while drinking a cuppa it's probably fair game.

I leave you with today's tea drinking soundtrack: Pitch Perfect. The movie, the soundtrack, or both. Nothing like collegiate style a cappella.