It’s a beautiful morning! I just looked outside and it’s really bright! When you live at a higher altitude, the Winter sunshine warms everything up even though the temperature might read 55 degrees. People wear shorts and a light sweater. The heater stays off in the house during the day because the house is heated by the sun.
When I first moved to Fort Collins, I was so surprised at how warm it was in this dry climate in the Fall and Winter. The jackets come out at night, and the boots when it snows (which isn’t often and melts quickly).
From the beginning of Fall through Winter, Old Town is transformed into a Fairyland of glittering lights, street performers (I love the tuba bands), and free carriage rides. There’s a small ice rink for the wee skaters. http://flic.kr/p/dtcfsy http://flic.kr/p/dtcfQA
‘Tis the Season’ for Thanksgiving in the U.S. next week and the day after is ‘Black Friday’ (a mega huge, shopping frenzy day). I don’t know about the rest of the World, but this is fun in many communities. Some cities, if you wear black you get discounts or goodies from merchants.
In Fort Collins we don’t have "Black Friday’, we have ‘PLAID’ Friday. If you wear plaid you get free tea, cookies, prizes and discounts all around Old Town.
With the glittering lights, street performers, free tea at my Pub and Waffle Hut sandwiches, it sounds like I’ll have fun and I’m going to be there! Wish you could all join me!
Tea:
I brewed a small pot of Chocolate Chai Pu-Erh this morning hoping that this tea sample would be a redemption after the sour chocolate sample I reviewed last evening.
I do love chocolate but I don’t like too much artificial flavoring.
Thankfully This tea has no artificial flavoring listed on the package! Phew!
My steep time was 4 minutes and the scent of the wet leaves with cinnamon and mini chocolate pieces was amazing. The wafting aroma was like warm chocolate, cinnamon streusel straight from the oven.
I poured a cup of tea and was relieved that the flavor was yummy cocoa with a good amount of cinnamon pop and a bite that must have come from the clove (which you can’t taste, just feel).
The list of ingredients mentioned cardamom but I didn’t taste that spice, and the orange was very light but delicious. I don’t prefer overly orange flavored tea.
If you want Pu-erh flavor, you won’t find it in this tea. The only thing it contributes is a richness. The health benefit is important though. Too many people have a horrible fear of Pu-erh and could easily drink this and never know the Pu-erh is there at all.
My first Pu-erh tea was Davids Tea Chocolate Orange which now tastes a bit off to me because of the artificial flavoring. This Della Terra Chocolate Chai Pu-erh is a step up and away from that sour artificial taste.
This is one of the best flavored Pu-erh’s blends for people who don’t want to taste the actual Pu-erh tea.
BTW Is Black Friday just something here in the U.S. or are there versions of the same thing in Canada and Paris and the UK and Denmark and Ecuador and so on?
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great ! this means I can try this one for a beginning :)
Sounds deeeeeelish!
an indulging tea to be sure :P
Hey, that sounds like the old I-bloom!
I liked it too!
I read that you wanted some ginger, which I thing would make it more Chai-like.
Black friday is really a US thing, at least in comparision with canada. We have our thanksgiving in October, but sales aren’t really a “thing.” I think we tend to just piggy back on the US’s black friday sales :)
Agreed with Sil – Boxing day is more our sales day, but I never feel like I’m going to get trampled on Boxing day haha.
Big cities trample I think, small towns support small merchants. Here the feeling is festive. If you look at the pictures you get the idea, and there’s a whole downtown of antique looking buildings and no fast food restaurants or big box stores!!! We have a Mall elsewhere but I’ve never seen it crowded. There are 3 huge Walmarts for a population of 150,000 so that’s no issue. I wouldn’t go there on black friday! People like the old town.
Bonnie, you are truly lucky to live in such a place! I try to make my pilgrimage out there every late July to catch the Green Drake hatch on the Poudre. A great river with great bugs and eager trout.
I love hearing your stories, please continue!
You know the Poudre River?! Pronounced Poo der…like Pu-er with a d in it. Strange but true. The bugs aren’t such a good thing. Hopefully the fish will be waiting for you again, and some good bear in our famous breweries. If you get a chance, stop by Happy Lucky’s Tea House in Fort Collins and tell them I sent you from Steepster!
It’s just you. Remember, we don’t have anything such as Thanksgiving here, so Thursday and Friday = completely ordinary work days.
The closest we get here is the sales that start after Christmas which can be pretty packed, mostly because a lot of people will be swapping Christmas presents. And still, that’s not that different from any other sale apart from the fact that everywhere is always busy around Christmas.
I know you have other Holidays though Angrboda and traditions that are celebrated in your Country and throughout Europe. Next week is St. Andrews day with the Blessing of the Tartans. Then Dec.6th is St. Nicholas Day…and there’s lots more..Hanukkah begins Dec. 8th. and so on. I love this time of year!
.
Completely off topic, but I have a friend of mine in Fort Collins. We went to the New Belgium Brewery, and what I think was probably what you refer to as Old Town (was the inspiration for Main Street USA at Disney, or something like it), and the Swettsville Zoo (fascinating but creepy place at the same time).
great ! this means I can try this one for a beginning :)
Sounds deeeeeelish!
an indulging tea to be sure :P
Hey, that sounds like the old I-bloom!
I liked it too!
I read that you wanted some ginger, which I thing would make it more Chai-like.
Black friday is really a US thing, at least in comparision with canada. We have our thanksgiving in October, but sales aren’t really a “thing.” I think we tend to just piggy back on the US’s black friday sales :)
Agreed with Sil – Boxing day is more our sales day, but I never feel like I’m going to get trampled on Boxing day haha.
Big cities trample I think, small towns support small merchants. Here the feeling is festive. If you look at the pictures you get the idea, and there’s a whole downtown of antique looking buildings and no fast food restaurants or big box stores!!! We have a Mall elsewhere but I’ve never seen it crowded. There are 3 huge Walmarts for a population of 150,000 so that’s no issue. I wouldn’t go there on black friday! People like the old town.
Bonnie, you are truly lucky to live in such a place! I try to make my pilgrimage out there every late July to catch the Green Drake hatch on the Poudre. A great river with great bugs and eager trout.
I love hearing your stories, please continue!
You know the Poudre River?! Pronounced Poo der…like Pu-er with a d in it. Strange but true. The bugs aren’t such a good thing. Hopefully the fish will be waiting for you again, and some good bear in our famous breweries. If you get a chance, stop by Happy Lucky’s Tea House in Fort Collins and tell them I sent you from Steepster!
It’s just you. Remember, we don’t have anything such as Thanksgiving here, so Thursday and Friday = completely ordinary work days.
The closest we get here is the sales that start after Christmas which can be pretty packed, mostly because a lot of people will be swapping Christmas presents. And still, that’s not that different from any other sale apart from the fact that everywhere is always busy around Christmas.
I know you have other Holidays though Angrboda and traditions that are celebrated in your Country and throughout Europe. Next week is St. Andrews day with the Blessing of the Tartans. Then Dec.6th is St. Nicholas Day…and there’s lots more..Hanukkah begins Dec. 8th. and so on. I love this time of year!
.
Completely off topic, but I have a friend of mine in Fort Collins. We went to the New Belgium Brewery, and what I think was probably what you refer to as Old Town (was the inspiration for Main Street USA at Disney, or something like it), and the Swettsville Zoo (fascinating but creepy place at the same time).