Rituals

I find the name of this tea amusing “Hint of Mint”, pretty sure it’s nothing but mint. Had a few cups of this at Boyd and Wurthmann in Berlin, OH http://www.boydandwurthmann.com/ It’s a neat bustling seat yourself restaurant filled with locals and tourists alike.

It was much more enjoyable than all the bland “Amish” kitchen/buffets (we only went to one this trip, but I’ve been to a few). I find it amusing that all the reviews for those places said the staff and cooks were clearly not amish, despite their uniforms, but honestly what do you expect? Amish women have better things to do, it’s all the other people in the area that need jobs.

I had the trail bologna and swiss sandwich with potato salad. Trail bologna is pretty awesome, it’s made in Trail, Ohio and we brought some back with us. The husband and son actually made me a trail bologna and cheese omelet yesterday brought to me in bed (Rowan actually sent me back to bed), unfortunately I could’t eat it.

Sick story follows:

The moment I smelled the bologna frying I knew I was going to be sick, I actually had the husband run out to get me a pregnancy test, negative (which I’m grateful for, I have an IUD in but you never know). They also made me oatmeal with raspberries that I opted for, but couldn’t keep down. Yesterday was just awful flu + migraine is my personal idea of hell, complete with fever and hallucinating that my body was made up on things it is not. The only way I was able to regain stability was by just focusing on just my breathing for over an hour. Feeling significantly better today, but not without issues that need not be spoken over tea.

End sick story, resume travel/food log, still not tea related but there is wine:

Next time we’re in Holmes County I want to have breakfast at Boyd and Wurthmann, The Wreck sounds fantastic! Third favorite place to eat was the Chalet in Valley, owned by Guggisberg Cheese in Charm, OH. We ordered way too much food as we wanted to try their fondue, which was delicious, we took most of our entrees home and split an apple dumpling.

We also went wine and cheese tasting around Sugar Creek, the Little Switzerland of Ohio, elderberry wine, strawberry-rhubarb, dandelion wine, ice wine, sherry, tawny port, fun! We brought home Apricot, Peach and a Watermelon Wine (which is surprisingly boozey), sage derby, smoked bacon cheddar, salami cheese and butter cheese.

Our last stop was just down the road from Chalet in the Valley, Hershberger’s Farm and Bakery. It’s really a pie shop the sells other goods like bread, apple butter, jams, cider, condiments and other dried and jarred foods with petting farm (with Holmes County’s biggest horse who looked very sad and lots of goats, momma and baby goats inside and billy goats on the roof that you can send treats up to), a hamburger stand, kettle corn and a wooden toy store and pet shop cringe. Elderberry, Strawberry-rhubarb and dandelion fry pies were fantastic and now I know what a fry pie is, or rather what the packaged things the husband picks up from the gas station are, so much better fresh.

On the way home we stopped at the Toyota dealership and traded in the husband’s leased Corolla for a new small, very orange (habanero) Prius. We bought this time, because with his commute to work it made no sense to lease. My credit is even more solid than it was before, husband’s is not great but it’s getting better. None of the picture online due that orange justice. Husband got made fun of at work for it, someone asked if he was a “fairy”, yeah… they didn’t know him when he had a yellow beetle, but then again neither did I.

i got a decaf. i like how smooth it is.

not bad. but nothing to write home about either. it could use some more flavor. but i wouldn’t mind having it again :)

This cracks me up! I just was reading that The DJBooth AND Calochurtus both had this tea in a hospital and/or medical facility…guess what…that’s where I had it too!

It’s not strong but it’s better than Liptons. It did the job while I was stuck in ODS for several hours waiting for DH.

Having this at the hospital. Seems to be a trend for this tea. I’m having the decaf version, I didn’t see a reason to create a new listing for this one. Don’t worry I’m not sick. I’m here with my wife getting ready to give birth. So while she’s sleeping waiting for the petocin to kick in I might as well write about some tea :) I have to tell you this is just a nice, smooth, no frills black bagged tea. I would say it’s rather delightful. I think this is better than the other option of lipton in the courtesy room. I like this one a lot…it could be a long day.

A light, fresh tea. The aftertaste is kind of minty, although according to the list of ingredients, the tea doesn’t contains anything beside green tea and jasmine. I brewed this by accident in lukewarm water, but the taste was nevertheless quite enjoyable.

I drink this tea nightly nowadays. It’s super awesome. And free. And I’m going to take a few with me. It works with anything else you want to put with it. It’s a nice medium-depth black tea. I just want to know where it’s from.

Two cups after a very stressful day. I’m not sure why, but the first cup tasted a bit like honey. Perhaps it’s just me? This tea is good for morning breakfasts and evening nightcaps. I think I would call that a successful blend, whatever it is…

The more I have this tea, the better it gets. It’s great for really lame mornings. There are a few low fronts coming into Southern Alaska, and my knees are hurting due to the weather (I really am getting old). It’s currently snowing here in Anchorage, and nothing could be better than sleeping in and drinking this tea.

Had this again. Still amazing. My mum told me to put lemon juice in it — that wasn’t a good idea. Mint and lemon may smell good together, but the mix just tastes horrible. Just don’t do it.

This tea is also served in the cafeteria/4 North in Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage. I’m actually really surprised with this tea — I usually find Earl Grey teas to be rather unbalanced and tend to be too cloying and “sticky,” but this tea is really mild and refreshing. The black tea is strong enough that it’s quenching, but the bergamot isn’t over-the-top. My preference will always be a regular black tea over Earl Grey, but I wouldn’t mind having this again — but only in a ceramic mug (all I can use here in the med/surg unit is styrofoam, and it’s lame).

This tea is served in the cafeteria and med/surgery unit of Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage. It’s some powerful stuff. I was warned that 3 minutes was too long, and I’m glad I tasted it around 1.5 minutes into the steeping. It’s… really red. And really fakey. It tastes ok, but the color and fakiness remind me of potpourri/candles/home decor from the 90’s. It’s better than some other apple cinnamon teas I’ve have, which are like taking a bite out of a Yankee candle, but it’s not that far off. Pretty much, I’d drink it if there was nothing else, but the fake stuff in there is a bit… disconcerting.

Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage also serves this tea in their cafeteria and 4 North. I’m not exactly sure why it’s called ‘Hint of Mint,’ since it’s really minty. Really, really minty. You can smell it through the metallic sealed tea bag cover. It smells a bit skunky at first (perhaps that’s from the styrofoam cup it’s in….), but once it steeps, it becomes explicatively fragrant and Lamiaceous. After three minutes of steeping, it’s wonderfully strong and even the steam has a therapeutic peppermint quality to it. There isn’t an ingredient list on the tea bag, but it looks/tastes like there’s only peppermint there — and oh, what good peppermint it is. This is all I need for sore throat/stuffed sinus season. I usually take my minty teas with milk, but this doesn’t need it. It just needs a ceramic mug.

Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage serves this tea in the cafeteria and the med/surg unit (4 North) also has it in their kitchen. It’s ok — especially during these cold fall evenings. It’s definitely drinkable, unlike some other green teas I’ve had. Light and pretty smooth, it’s just green tea, so I’m not sure why Rituals stuck the ‘Oriental’ in there. It would probably be better in a mug rather than the styrofoam cup I have right now.

Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage serves this tea in their cafeteria and the adjoined Hickel House hostel. I know personally, since I have been there for the last two weeks. It’s a decent black tea that doesn’t really stand out too much — but it’s better than the coffee they serve. It’s like a weak Red Rose/Lipton blend. However, I’m glad they have it, since it’s been keeping me happy. It tastes better in ceramic mugs than styrofoam, but I’ll take what I can get (especially with milk instead of half and half).

Have I ever told anyone I hate hospitals? Well, I do (though PAMC is a very nice hospital).

A sort of subtle everything-but-the-kitchen sink. I expected some sort of delicate Lapsang Souchong, but in reality composition is:
China Black Tea, Bergamot, Darjeeling, Jasmine Flowers
all slightly smoked. It is all quite delicate and even nice, but after a number of cups, the combination still does not quite convince my palate.

Got a cup of tea while waiting for my flight at the Detroit Airport. I was surprised this tea came from Columbia, MD (my mom’s house is near there). Not a bad tea. Not great. I would not go out of my way to get it again unless it was my only choice of tea.