Tag Archives: teatime

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!

Teatime Tuesday!

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So, I drink a lot of tea. My Steepster account shows how bad the obsession is. (Steepster is sort of like Facebook for tea people.) Spoiler: It’s bad. I hoard tea like Ebneezer Scrooge hoards gold. I compare flavors and varietals. I adjust water temperature and steep time according to tea type. I know the difference between gyokuro, sencha, matcha, hojicha, and genmaicha. I’ve tasted all of them.

I know what rooibos is.

Okay, so that’s not much of an accomplishment in the age of the Internet. But it’s safe to say that I’m a tea nerd. (An amateur one, but still!) I couldn’t survive as a writer without it. Tea keeps me calm, boosts my energy, and inspires me. My characters drink it as well. Many of them live in nineteenth-century England, or enjoy it for other reasons. I use tea as a way to experience a part of their lives.

In that spirit, I thought I would take afternoon tea today, and share a few photos.

Teatime!

It seems appropriate to start with the most obvious tea possible. So today I’m drinking David’s Organic English Breakfast blend. (David’sTEA is a Canadian company with a number of stores in the U.S. They have a lot of interesting flavors, and you can check out their teas here.)

Mug!

Behold my tea mug! Fitting for a writer’s blog, isn’t it?

Organic English Breakfast

English Breakfast is a mixture of different types of black tea. The exact blend varies by company. It’s strong and malty, and goes well with milk and sugar. It also has a lot of caffeine. (Less than coffee, but more than most other teas.) Traditionally, you drink it for breakfast—but people have it all the time now. When I visited England this summer, one of the tour guides said that a lot of modern Brits only drink English Breakfast, even at teatime. The strong taste makes it a good choice to pair with food. Speaking of which…

Tea with Ginger Biscuits

Ginger biscuits! I found these in the gift shop at Highclere Castle during my trip. Highclere Castle, as in, the place where they film Downtown Abbey. I’ll have to write a post about it sometime. (If only to talk about what’s in their basement!)

Me at Highclere Castle

Well, that’s it for teatime! Have a lovely afternoon.