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Sometimes things just make too much sense, right? I had free time tonight and knew for sure I wanted to make a wonderful post for the site, but .. what about? Trying to stay calm, but focus up, I brewed myself a nice hot cup of tea. Duh! Tea ♥ Let's ignore the fact that it was actually 90 degrees in Minnesota today and talk about the coziest cool-weather drink: Hot Tea.
Antique Japanese Tea Set from Mark's Mom
I've always loved tea, but it seemed like last winter I became obsessed again. I had a commute to work that was an hour both ways -- I'll admit, I was too lazy to brew coffee before I left in the morning, (I give myself the smallest amount of time to get ready and out the door), so tea was a perfect solution. It was equally as hot, easier on my tummy, and I could microwave a cup, pour it into my travel mug, throw in a tea bag, and scoot! And then I started to buy more and more and more types of tea! I wanted to find my favorite!
Herbal Tea Sampler, Tazo Green Ginger, Tuscan Lemon, Echinacea Complete Care, Sleepytime Extra.
Here's my secret: I guess I don't really care for green tea? I always think I do, but whenever I drink it, I'm bored. So I will go ahead and say that I won't get the Green Ginger again. To be honest, I think I picked it up just for the ginger part. The Echinacea Complete Care lends itself to my minor addiction of ingesting echinacea when I think I'm getting sick? I love to load that up with honey, honey, honey, and throw about 4 bags in one cup. Yum! Sleepytime Extra made me sick, so buyer beware. Also, it's full of stuff that is like catnip times 100, so I wasn't so sleepytime with Chester running laps around the living room. The Herbal Tea sampler is what you'd expect; my favorite was the Honey Vanilla Chamomile.
Hot Cinnamon Spice, Green Tea, Chai Rooibos, Gypsy Cold Care, Mint Medley Herbal Tea, KOMBUCHA
Ok, ignore that Green Tea. I liked the dragon but I had like one of the teas. I have no idea why I bought it. Honestly, I think because of the dragon. The Yogi Chai Rooibos is alright .. I suggest making it with milk, not water! And use two bags, instead. The Gypsy Cold Care is full of echinacea, which is sweet, but it tastes like drinking grass. That's where the honey comes back in! It does have some lemongrass, though, and that helps with the grassiness of it all. The Target brand Mint Medley Herbal was very mild, not strong enough for my mint tastes. Caribou's Hot Cinnamon Spice is probably in my top 5 favorite teas. It's like big red in a cup; it's so strong, that if it's been steeping too long, it burns my mouth. Yum! Like honestly, my favorite. That tin is empty and that is NOT my favorite. Ignore that green thing in the middle, Kombucha is gross no matter what form.
Teavana Golden Monkey and Teavana Cacao Mint Black
Yay, my fancy tea! These are loose teas. The Cacao Mint Black, another top five favorite tea, was very affordable, but I can't say the same for the Golden Monkey. If you have never been shopping at Teavana, it is pretty intimidating. At least at the Mall of America one, there isn't really any way to "browse" the tea; all the tins are behind the counter, and you have to ask the workers for help. It's always busy at the Mall of America, so I never want to ask to smell or look at more than one or two teas and go with the first one they offer. And such was Golden Monkey. It IS really nice, (I think it is the tea served at the White House? IDK.), but it is very mild, and I like my tea a little more .. noticeable? Does that make sense? ANYWAY, the chocolate mint one is like beyond amazing, and you can steep it more than once. I need to buy some more!
NOT PICTURED BECAUSE I NEED TO RESTOCK: some of my more favorite teas! Tazo Focus, Archer Farms Chocolate Berry Earl Grey, and Yogi Refreshing Mint "Revitalize."
My three favorite mugs! From Target, Japan and the Ren Fest!
CUTE! It really is a tea cup! It flips upside, but I've never used it.
Tea Infuser from Teavana. Awesome! Works super fast & tastes delicious.
What are your favorite teas? Do you drink a lot of it? I haven't for a while, but am getting back into the swing of it now that I'm in a chilly office all day long! I just bought some Vanilla Caramel Truffle, Lipton brand, but I'm still on the fence about it. Too sweet, maybe. I like the vanilla parts, not so much the caramel. Do you prefer loose tea? Black or herbal, (my favorites!), or white and green. I want to see your favorite mugs, too! That Hello Kitty one from Japan is pretty sweet - I got it from the Sengakuji temple in the Shinagawa temple, where 47 ronin are buried. The mug has kitty dressed up as each of the 47, which is pretty silly, especially since there was a pretty ugly battle that those ronin participated in. The green mug from the Renaissance is cool, too; the shop that sold it was from another state, but the decal on the front is of a building in my home town! It was meant to be..
Let me know in the comments all your favorite things about tea! Happy drinking. Toodles!
from MeMaDonna.com