Tuesday December 10, 2013

Good Afternoon everyone,

Did you know how many superstitions there are with the act of pouring tea? It is very entertaining to read up on the many different faux pas and bad luck actions one can make when at a tea party (goody, one more way for me to make an arse of myself.) In fact, I break most of these unwritten do not’s of tea, constantly. I give myself bad luck by stirring the leaves in the pot before pouring. I will pour myself a cup of tea even if I am at a guest at someone's home (and risk having red-headed twins (HELLO!)). I use a wooden stir stick rather than a tea spoon to mix my milk in, another bad luck action. And sometimes I am nice enough to offer to stir someone else’s tea with my spoon of they’ve misplaced theirs – bad bad bad!  Actually, most of the bad luck with pouring tea results in twins of some sort. Unless you have a guest of the opposite sex who pours themselves a cup, then you are destined to knock boots. (And my brothers wonder why I never invite them for tea.)

But there is good luck too – like if bubbles form when you pour yourself a cup. This means you will come into money – a great deal of money if they float in the centre of the cup.

And here is a secret, sugar cubes are often responsible for creating these bubbles in your brew. So add sugar to your next cup…like today’s Peppercorn and Cinnamon Black Chai! Spiced teas (Chai’s) benefit from a bit of sugar and milk anyways, so you are really doing yourself two favours here.

(and why people think red headed people are bad luck will always be a mystery to me...)

Monday, December 9, 2013

Good afternoon everyone,

It certainly seems like winter outside – and the cold temperatures seems to have inspired a little holiday cooking around here. There has been ginger cookies passed around, and there is currently a plate of gingerbread men resting on the counter in front of me – and I’m not complaining (shut up muffin top, no one asked you).  Appropriately enough  the ginger spice flavours, along with the snow, reminds me of the Black Forest in Germany. There the fabled gingerbread house stood to be eaten by Hansel and Gretel, or at least this is what the Brothers Grimm have collected and written down in their fables. Also in their collection is the dark story of Blood Red, Snow White – the name of the Princess that Disney has transformed into simply Snow White. Why Blood Red, Snow White? She had skin as white as snow, and lips as red as blood, and reminded her parents of a drop of blood on winter's first snow fall. Brings quite the vivid imagery to mind, doesn’t it?

So, inspired by this, I’ve brewed a Red Velvet Cake tea – a black tea with chocolate bits (white and dark), sprinkles (red and white), and a bit of beetroot powder to give it a bit of sweet and a startling red colour. A perfect drink to have on such a cold snowy day, perhaps with a gingerbread man in hand.

Tea is currently hot under the tea cozy!

Friday, December 6, 2013

Good afternoon everyone,

You know I care about you, right? I have your well being in mind, I truly do. And with the weekend nearly here, I want to make sure you enjoy it. There isn’t too much worse than waking up on a Saturday morning with a cold or flu – it ruins your two precious days off. So with that in mind, I’ve blended a tea that will BEAT potential sickness INTO THE GROUND. Like pummel the snot out of it. Two fists and a knee.

I’ve called it The Chuck Norris brew.

Its core strength is a Pu’erh, and it has cinnamon and ginger as it’s right and left hook. It finishes with a swift and potent peppercorn knock-out that goes down surprisingly smoothly. And, because this –is- called The Chuck Norris, we have two stone fruit flavours in there, pear and plum, just to rub in the point.

Currently hot and bellicose under the tea cozy.

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Good afternoon everyone,

Today’s tea comes from Ken’s cupboard – a non-caffeinated rooibos that has dashes of papaya, pineapple, apple, and oranges. This tea, on a deep inhale, reminds me of a tropical fruit bowl. Or maybe like a tropical gift basket, the kind received when you are feeling a little down and out. When you are at home, miserable, and to your door comes this wonderful, fruity surprise that reminds you that there are many people who are thinking of you, and are sending well wishes.

This is the grand thing about tea, it can take you down memory roads, reminding you of warm moments and feelings of serenity.
What sort of road does this cup take you down?

Tea is currently hot and ready under the tea cozy.

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Good afternoon everyone,

Do you ever have a time, where you know something is probably going to be a bad idea, but you do it anyways? Like hey, I should buy that 1lb bag of chocolate chips for “baking.” Well my porridge this morning had about a cup of baking chocolate chips in it. It was mostly…just chocolate and some oat flakes. Which reminds me, I’ve run out of chocolate chips to bake with, and I need to pick some more up.

Or how about deciding that it is sunny outside, so you are going for a run, and running spandex is definitely going to be warm enough in -3 Celsius.

Which brings me to the tea, which I might add, is a always a good idea. I am still hung up on the chocolate, and still very cold… so today’s tea is Chocolate Chili Chai.

So have a non guilty tea and warm up your hands.

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Hello everyone,

Today’s Black Tea is crammed packed with as much stuff as I’ve ever seen in a tea. The ingredient list is a borderline novella… so much so…one might want to sit down with a cup of tea and enjoy some light reading of it…

The introduction is a familiar setting, a CTC black Assam tea, malty and bold. Then we are introduced to the main cast of characters, cocoa kernel, cinnamon, carob and coconut. My own review of the tea would claim the carob was a little over bearing in the brew, but in this pot I took out a scene or two and he’s not as noticeable. The supporting characters, brittle and vanilla, are a little lacking, but they have been paired off well with the comic relief – the nuts: macadamia, hazelnut and the almond. But the real star of the tea was the guest appearance made by a flavour wholly unexpected, Scotch whiskey. Of course this is a daytime tea, so all content is fine and not actually alcoholic. Still, when the whiskey makes his appearance, and peppers the scene with a bit of oak extract, it turns this tea into a classic.  

Fittingly, this Black Flavoured tea is called “Golden Globe” and is currently hot and ready under the tea cozy.

Monday, December 2, 2013

Good Afternoon everyone!

Today, well you might have noticed, is the start of the holly jolly merry month of December. The censors are off, it is full blown holidays out there. Christmas cards have whispered into the mail slots, and peppermint has crept its way into a myriad of things.
Like tea.
Today’s tea for instance! A black tea with peppermint, little candy canes (I kid you not) and the spices that make up the holiday flavour: clove, orange peel and cinnamon.

As for myself…well I’ve lasted until December. I made it. It is December 2^nd, and so now I can officially put on my indie Christmas playlist. No regrets, no guilt. It is on. My indie, morose carols are playing, and I have my hipster black beanie on, personalized buttons aplenty. I’m never too cool for yule.

Tea is hot and ready under the tea cozy!