Category Archives: Teatime

Teatime Tuesday #6

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Another quick post for Teatime Tuesday! I shared a pot of tea with my sister today. We used her new tea set, which she purchased a few weeks ago from Modcloth. It’s small and shiny and completely adorable.

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For our tea, we shared a flavored black tea called Hua Ki, which was blended by a Japanese tea company called Lupicia. They make delicious teas, especially the fruit-flavored ones. This particular tea is a Hawaiian-inspired blend, and it’s flavored with apple, mango, papaya, pineapple, and cranberry—among other things! Despite the complexity of this tea, it has a really satisfying and balanced tropical taste.

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And now I will leave you with a photo of the reason my sister was so drawn to her new tea set… Her sweetheart of a cat, Julian. (Who, I am honored to say, was named after her favorite character from one of my stories.)

Julian, my sister's cat!

Thanks for joining us for tea!

Teatime Tuesday #5

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It’s teatime again! Today I’m drinking an herbal tea, Honeybush Apricot, from one of my favorite companies, Adagio Teas. (One of my generous followers on Steepster sent me a sample of this during our recent swap!)

Honeybush Apricot & Ginger Molasses Cookie!

Honeybush is a close cousin to rooibos, which is sometimes called “red tea”–though it’s not technically tea. (That’s why herbals are often called infusions or tisanes instead.) Like all herbals, honeybush is caffeine-free. It’s lighter and sweeter than rooibos, but it still has a peppery, medicinal sort of taste. The apricot flavor in this one makes it sweeter, and to me, more drinkable.

I paired it with a ginger molasses cookie from Paradise Bakery, because they’re in season and also my favorite.

Thanks for joining me for tea!

Teatime Tuesday #4

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Short post today! It’s been a busy week, but I wanted to make sure to post the photos from teatime this afternoon.

Teavana roasted oolong

Today I steeped an old favorite, a roasted oolong from Teavana. This particular tea has been discontinued, but I heartily recommend oolong teas in general. Some are greener and more floral, and some are roasted and dark. I especially like to drink the roasted ones during this time of year. (Speaking of which, the weather here in Phoenix is finally cooling down! Huzzah!)

Tea and cupcake!

I also had a dark chocolate cupcake, courtesy of my sister. It spent a few nights in the fridge, so the frosting wasn’t as creamy as the first time I had one, but it was still darn tasty.

Tea and cupcake again!

That’s it for teatime! More posts coming soon.

Teatime Tuesday #3

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About a week ago, I purchased a bunch of new teas. The last of them to arrive was my order from Tealeaves. I was first introduced to the company during afternoon tea at the Grand Floridian Resort in Disney World (which I definitely recommend). I enjoyed the teas there, so I went on a hunt to find where I could purchase them. Turns out, Tealeaves is a luxury tea supplier for fancy hotels, but you can also order their teas online.

Today I’m sampling their Ginger Peach black tea. I’ve been searching for a nice tea with this flavor combination, so I’m looking forward to it.

Ginger Peach tea!

I really like their tins! I’m also trying out the teacup for the first time. (Oddly enough, I also got it at Disney World, in the Japanese department store at EPCOT. I thought the owl was cute, and the colors seem appropriate for the season.)

Owl Teacup

Just for fun, a shot of the cup next to the owl-shaped candleholder on my kitchen table. As you can see, I have a bit of an obsession with owls… Which reminds me, I haven’t talked about that on the blog yet! Maybe that will be my next post? (It’s a long-ish story, about writing and inspiration and the occasional weird coincidence.)

Anyway, to get back to the tea, this Ginger Peach is delicious! The peach flavor is soft and fuzzy, and the ginger is subtle, adding a spicy tingle to the brew. I love the taste of ginger in tea. It’s soothing and warms your whole mouth, which is great for cooler weather. (Also, I don’t know why, but it seems this particular flavor of tea goes extra well with food! Good news for people like me, who enjoy having the occasional cup of tea with dinner.) I’m glad I got a whole tin of this, instead of the smaller sample size.

Thanks for joining me!

Teatime Tuesday #2

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It’s that time again! This weekend I received some samples from Upton Tea Imports, so I’ve been going through them one by one, writing tasting notes as I go. (The notes are posted here on my Steepster account.)

Chocolate Earl Grey!

So today’s tea is Upton’s Chocolate Earl Grey! This one smells very nice in the bag, lots of bergamot citrus—the classic Earl Grey aroma. There’s also a hint of chocolate, but it’s not as noticeable as the bergamot.

Elsa Mug, Chocolates

I decided I would pair this tea with some chocolates, to match the flavors. Then it occurred to me that my new Elsa mug would go perfectly with this tea! (Both Elsa and her sister Anna love chocolate, as fans of Frozen know well.) I purchased this mug on a recent trip to Disney World with my family.

Elsa Mug, Other Side

And here’s a shot of the mug’s other side. Pretty, isn’t it?

I enjoyed this tea. It was a nice Earl Grey, with subtle chocolate flavor. It was even better when I added sugar. (I find sugar helps highlight dessert flavors like chocolate.) I’d like to find an Earl Grey with even more chocolate sometime, but I’ll enjoy the rest of the sample.

Thanks for joining me for tea!