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This was a nice twist on seasonal chai with the addition of orange and chocolate. It reminded me of eating a Hershey bar while drinking a cup of Constant Comment.

Spice Quest Episode XII: A long time ago in a tasting note far away…

…a wizened-up, weary Jedi clerical worker was freezing in her hundred-year-old office, buried under a pile of second semester paperwork and 1099 proof forms, barely breathing out of only one nostril, and was delighted to dig through the rubble and find one tiny packet of Turmeric Amber Sun imported from the spice mines of the far West…

OK, enough. Sorry.

Courtesy of Michelle, this was a nice, warming afternoon change of pace, although I agree with previous reviews. It isn’t what you expect. It doesn’t lead with the heat, it’s significantly more savory than you’d think, and is much improved with the contents of a honey straw. However, it warmed the bones and opened the throat. Mission accomplished.

Normally, by the first week in January I am absolutely done with chai, mint, and spiced concoctions and crave just plain strong black tea—but after four days of clogged nasal plumbing, I can’t seem to get enough. I killed off multiple bags of Twinings Gingerbread Joy at work, and have settled down for a nighty-night with this loose leaf blend from TeaMaze.

As I mentioned in a previous review, I’m still not getting a lot of ginger bread vibes, but I’ve discovered that with the leaves in a DIY paper teabag, the longer you leave it, it starts tasting like a cookie with a little ginger in it. The citrus hasn’t gone bitter, and there’s enough spice to open the sinuses and burn out the throat gunk. Without the Christmas-y label on the packet and more accurately renamed Ginger Citrus Rooibos, I think this would still sell well.

The right tea at the right time is a blessing. Due to change of schedule, more running around over the holidays than usual, and probably some general sloppiness and inattentiveness on my part, I’ve caught myself a good old fashioned head cold—the kind you wouldn’t have had to apologize for, pre-plague ;)

So I taught kids from a distance and behind a mask this morning (we’re blessed with awesome adult volunteers who kindly do any legwork needed…today they were scorekeepers and measuring judges for the Forest Park Junior Olympic Fake Ski Jumping Competition). I’m home now spending the afternoon feigning invalidism and pampering myself with a beautiful mugful of wintergreen steam, RX courtesy of Dr. derk!

These were big, flat leaves straight off the plant, and I gave them ten minutes over a warming candle. In retrospect, I should’ve thrown a towel over my head and the mug for the duration. Even though the final product is so pale I can see to the bottom of my pottery mug, the flavor itself is warming and gently mentholly (no burn) and sweetly medicinal.

Quiet house, fragrant tea, one sleeping cat in each corner of the living room, sunshine on my toes…if one has to be under the weather, this is the way to do it.

Well, friends, it’s winter. Clammy gray sky, temperature 30 degrees with 20 to go before we bottom out tonight, we are de-treed, de-decorated, and de-flated at the prospect of returning to work Monday.

A little spice sounded just like what the afternoon needs. TeaMaze’s take on gingerbread fits the spice category, but I’m not sure it conveys “baked goods” very strongly. The ingredient list on the website says that there’s lemon peel, but what’s in my packet looks like orange. So instead of gingerbread with a little lemon zest, we’ve got a pleasantly juicy citrus-and-spice melange to take the chill off.

I’m thinking the results might be a little different with milk and sweetener, but now that I just got warm, I’m reluctant to throw off the blanket to make another cup. Can you take care of that for me?

One of my favorite things about this lengthy Christmas break from work has been the time to have tea in the afternoon. Just have tea. Not tea and the afternoon’s load of desk work, not tea and a meeting, not tea left to get cold while I scramble around doing housework, just tea. And for these pleasant, non-multitasking breaks, I’ve been trying to choose teas that have been shared, swapped, gifted, or hand-selected so that I can appreciate them.

And I did appreciate this one! (Especially to calm down after a crazy run to Walmart—not only New Year’s Eve shopping, but frigid weather on the way—the bread and milk crowd was out, too.)

The mojito scent jumped right out of the bag, and carried forward nicely when it steeped. As far as the pomegranate: From childhood, I have never been a very good fruit or vegetable eater. Thus, my quality time with real pomegranates has been limited to “pomegranate flavor,” which always comes through to me as vaguely fruity and artificial. In this blend, I got fruity but not artificial—a nice change of pace.

I think this was a sample from Lexie Aleah, and if I’ve mixed up my donors, I apologize! May you all finish the year well, content, and at peace.

This was my second cup from the Palais Des Thes sampler. The notes that accompanied it mentioned some chocolatey notes—I caught a few, but they were pianissimo. What caught my attention was light, sweet, bread-crusty, and malty. Definitely an afternooner—wouldn’t be heavy enough to open my eyes on a winter morning. But still very, very nice.

One of my Christmas treats from my son was a beautifully boxed tasting set from Palais des Thes—all single-origin teas in little metal tubes that scratch the itch to fidget and play with toys. All of these are ones I want to pay attention to, so I took a little attention break after a morning of post-holiday pitching and organizing.

The dry leaves were a delicious, deep pine green and the fresh scent reminded me of the big bowls of peas and green beans Mom would bring in for us to snap and shell. (Shelling peas is the most satisfying sensory experience—you really need to try it once.) Tasted almost exactly the same as its scent, with the addition of a little sweet, woody aftertaste on the tip of the tongue.

I keep forgetting that un-tampered, fresh, unflavored green teas can be really fine. I think I’ll hang on to the rest for a gloomy, freezing winter day when I need a reminder that spring is out there somewhere.

This is the second sample from the Nashville Tea trio sent by my Tennessee friend. It isn’t complex, but it delivers as advertised. Blackberry and maple, both natural tasting and smooth. The recommended leaf ratio was a full tablespoon to a 12-oz mug, and I think may have been a little heavy…it started to get a little bitter as it cooled. Fortunately, that only accounted for a couple of sips. I liked it so well it didn’t last long!

We were gifted with a sunshiny Christmas with temps in the upper 60’s—windows are open and my husband used part of our quiet day to clean out the backyard shed (a gift almost as as good as the ones I opened)! The surprisingly springy weather, however, made heavier, sweeter, spicier Christmas teas a bit less appealing—plenty of winter ahead to enjoy them!

TeaMaze’s light, Christmasy green tea with coconut and walnuts fit the bill precisely. A crisp, light base balances offsets the heavier flavors and were perfect for sitting in my sunny spot and feeling grateful. Comfort and joy to all of you today!