Tag Archives: tea

Teatime Tuesday #16

Posted on by
Reply

Welcome back to Teatime Tuesday!

teatime16a

Today’s tea selection is an old favorite, and pretty fitting for February. Aquarius from Adagio Teas is primarily a black tea blend, with flavors of vanilla and hazelnut. It’s a tasty everyday sort of tea. And since all the Aquarians out there are having their birthdays right now, it seemed like it’d be a fun tea to feature on my blog.

I’m a Virgo myself–a triple Virgo, with the sun, moon, and Mercury all in that sign in my birth chart–and possibly the most Virgo-ish person you’ll ever meet, with one complication: my rising sign is Aquarius. I do seem to feel an affinity for Aquarians and for that Zodiac sign in general, the utopian nature it represents. I’ll be honest, though, I mostly bought this tea because the flavors sounded like a delicious combination. You can find all the Zodiac teas from Adagio here.

I recommend Adagio Teas for two reasons: their prices and their customer-made blends, which are especially delightful if you’re into fandoms of any kind. (Seriously, if you like a particular show or movie or book, the odds are very good you can find a tea inspired by your favorite character on their website. And then you can buy it! And think happy fandom thoughts while you sip your cuppa.)

teatime16b

I paired this tea with some cute little shortbread cookies in the shape of Scottie dogs, which were delicious as well. (Also, adorable.)

Thanks for joining me for tea!

Teatime Tuesday #15

Posted on by
Reply

Hello again! My teatime was on the simple side today, since I spent most of the day working. I didn’t have any pastries this time around, but I did drink several cups of Verdant’s Autumn Harvest Laoshan Green.

teatime15a

This is quite possibly my favorite green tea ever. It’s rich and flavorful, but still has that light taste that makes green tea so great (especially when you’re not in the mood for a strong black tea). If you want to read a delicious description of it, be sure to check out the page on Verdant’s website. (It’s temporarily sold out, but should be back in stock soon.)

As you can see, I purchased a whole tin of this one, so I would definitely recommend it to any green tea fans out there.

teatime15b

Thanks for joining me for tea!

Teatime Tuesday #13

Posted on by
Reply

Welcome back to teatime! Today I was lucky enough to be able to sample my sister’s homemade buttermilk scones, which are fluffy and sweet and oh-so-delicious. (As you may have noticed, dear reader, I like scones. A lot.)

teatime13b

I paired the scones with some berry preserves and one of my all-time favorite teas, the Premium Taiwanese Assam from Butiki. Butiki Teas is a small company with lots of great teas, including straight blends and some really original flavors. (As you can imagine, it’s really popular on Steepster.) Sadly, it’s in the process of closing, so I stocked up on all my favorites a few months ago.

Their Premium Taiwenese Assam is a straight tea with huge dark leaves. When steeped, it smells like berries—so much so that my friends all assumed it was a flavored tea when they smelled it! It’s also a black tea, but so sweet and smooth that it has no astringency at all. There’s even a note of cocoa in it, which just adds to the deliciousness.

teatime13a

Thanks for joining me for tea!

Teatime Tuesday #10

Posted on by
Reply

Hello again! I’m pleased to say I survived the cold/flu/plague I contracted during Christmas, in the grand tradition of getting sick on holidays. And I’ve come out no worse for the wear, save for a chapped nose. With that said, onward to teatime!

Today I’m doing it up old school, with some jam-filled shortbread cookies from Wolferman’s, and tea from Harney & Sons.

teatime10b

Harney & Sons is a pretty famous tea company—so famous that they provide tea for the Historic Royal Palaces of England, with blends inspired by imperial English history. Which brings us to Tower of London, today’s tea blend. It’s a black tea mixed with stone fruit, bergamot, and honey flavors. Very English, very Elizabethan, and a fitting tribute to the Tower. Plus the sweet jam notes go well with the buttery shortbread cookies.

teatime10c

Incidentally, if you’re ever in London, make sure you take a day to visit the Tower. It’s spooky and old and beautiful. The first time I visited England, I spent two whole days there, climbing up and down stairs and taking photographs in the vain hope that a few ghosts would show up on my film. (This was back in the ancient days before camera phones.) And where else can you find so many stories about princesses, traitors, and tortured spirits? It’s the very definition of Romantic. (Which admittedly is kind of my thing, but still. Ravens! Prisoners! Beheadings! What’s not to like? And did I mention the supreme bling that is the Crown Jewels?)

teatime10a

Well, that’s it for today’s ultra-English teatime. Thanks for joining me!

Teatime Tuesday #9

Posted on by
Reply

Apologies for last week’s hiatus, dear readers! I took a few days off while a friend visited from Tucson. We had a lot to catch up on, and we saw The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies together. (Probably not my favorite Peter Jackson movie, I admit. But it was worth seeing, just for the sheer joy that is Martin Freeman and Richard Armitage on screen. Sweet Tolkien, those two know how to play on a fan’s heartstrings.)

My friend gave me a thumbs-up on my latest story premise, though, and left with a copy of my latest manuscript to read (once I’d hooked her with the first chapter). So I’m prepared to call that a win, even where writing is concerned.

In any case, I’m back with another Teatime Tuesday! My grandmother who lives in Chicago was kind enough to send my family some English muffins from Wolferman’s for Christmas, as well as some strawberry preserves.

Naturally, I sampled them right away, like the carb fanatic I am.

English muffins! Also preserves.

For my tea selection, I chose Verdant’s Black Laoshan Chocolate Genmaicha. Genmaicha is a type of tea (usually green, though not in this case) mixed with toasted rice. Verdant also added cocoa bits to this particular blend. The taste is incredibly cozy, with lots of roasted chocolate notes.

English muffins, with the preserves!

Thanks for joining me for tea, and have a wonderful week. I plan to post a brief entry on Christmas Day, about why it’s my favorite holiday in fiction. In case I don’t post it on time, though, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!