Clari Tea

My third tea of the day. I have a cough that brings up yuck … Sorry. TMI. I have a cough and a sore throat, so I thought I’d try this one again. It’s still pretty good, maybe better than the last cup I brewed because I was careful to not let it steep over 4 minutes. I think I;’ll do a 2dn steep and add maple syrup to it. I bought a teeny tiny bottle of maple syrup (3 ounces, approx 100 ml) and I keep forgetting that it would probably be marvelous in tea!

I was saving this for when I’m actually sick, but… couldn’t wait, apparently. :) I was craving something with ginger, because my stomach is a bit off. And I just found out the nurse I had as a roommate last week did in fact have influenza, so I figure my immune system can use all the help it can get! The dry tisane is colourful and cool-looking, with the all the elderberries and safflower petals. Brewed it smells… kind of medicinal, but not in an artificial way. The flavour is actually really nice – lots of flavour ane warmth from the ginger, which I was hoping for, but also some sweetness and acidity from the berries, and just a hint of eucalyptus in the aroma. I’m planning to try for another infusion, and add honey to that one, though it’s perfectly pleasant to drink with nothing added. And it’s probably placebo effect, but my stomach feels better already. :)

Update: yeah, it’s really yummy with a generous spoonful of honey added. :)

Picked this one tonight because it is caffeine free, I’m not actually sick. This is an interesting tea, tasting strongly of ginger and spices as well as honey. I added honey so I am not sure how much of what I taste is the tea. The spices give it a zesty flavor.

I brewed this once in an 18oz teapot with 3 tsp leaf and boiling water for 5 min.

First sip…. ahhh, comfort. Notes of honey, and a spice that while mild feels like it would relieve congestion. It has some flavor I can’t place but reminds me of something familiar… I could see myself drinking this all day when I’m not feeling well. A perfect tea for a gloomy, rainy day in the District.

I am writing this from bed, happily soothed by this unbelievably beautiful tea.

I am seriously astonished by this tea. It really floored me. I mix a lot of my own herbals, and to get the kind of depth that this tea brings to the table, I usually have to do a 4-8 hour infusion. Even though the tasting notes say sweet, I got a very deep savoriness from this. It reminds me of my slow-simmered bone broth. This is a very good thing: it has the same kind of feel and healing weight of a rich stock.

I brewed this tea, and decided to drink it out in my backyard. It is a cool, gloomy afternoon, I think fall is finally at the doorstep – the clouds have taken that deeper tone of grey that comes with encroaching autumn. The crows, too, call a little more urgently and harshly, which seems to happen as they sense the air shifting. This day feels perfect for this tea, this deep, rich tea. Elderberries always evoke autumn for me, too.

Anyway. I plan on drinking a number of cups of this over the next few days, to try to kick out whatever virus has taken up full residence in my body for the last few weeks. Rest, tea, and some netflix binge-watching should set me up right.

I kept this from the herbal tea box, because I thought it might be useful someday. I don’t feel sick, I just feel sinus-y from all of the rain and yuck. When I smelled this in the pouch, it was so super strong, like a cough drop in tea form. I thought I would be drinking a “necessary evil” type thing. But I actually really like it. I think it’s the ginger. So if it helps unstuff me, great. I am enjoying it either way.

In other news, I am watching Ken Burns’ Civil War documentary. All of his stuff is disappearing from Netflix after June so I am racing the calendar. It is sort of driving me crazy though, there are a lot of celebrity voice overs, and I swear this guy’s voice is one of them http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001137/?ref_=tt_cl_t6 (his voice is distinctive) but he isn’t on the list.

goodness…i’m sloshy. missB sent this my way and it might be the first whispering pines tea that i really like. I blame the ginger, which seems to be my weakness in teas. I love that spiciness that it brings to the table. Always leaves me wanting more! more! I chose this one as my final cup for the evening in the hopes that it would relax me a little and help clear my head before bed. I’ve been fighting off getting sick for a few days now and i’m really trying to NOT get sick. This is making for a great evening cup though. Thanks MissB!

Final Count: 190 (sooo 6 sipdowns a day = reaching my goal for the end of the month…likely not going to happen..but maaaaybe if i work from home a couple days…maybe… heh)