gmathis Send Message

Know how little sample packets sent by friends get woodged down in the bottom of a container? I un-woodged this morning! I am a roo lover and this mix of sugary, boozy flavors blends in nicely. A previous note from Michelle mentions that this resembles butterscotch. Absolutely.

Tried a sample of this little Adagio custom blend: half decalf orange and half honeybush chocolate. As much as I love chocolate and orange together, I expected something swoon-worthy. No swooning, but I was a distracted sipper; multitasking, so it may not have gotten the attention it deserved. Got the orange, got the honeybush, but the chocolate didn’t hold up its leg of the tripod.

There’s been some of this in my office stash for what seems like forever…at work, I tend to go for heavy caffeine to prop me up or herbal/decaf when I just need something to warm my hands. I grabbed a neglected but handy bag today and was reminded why I do keep it around. No nonsense; not finicky or flowery; doesn’t shrivel your tongue; just a little toasty goodness that reminds me a bit of Rice Chex.

When ashmanra sent me a little sample of Lost Malawi, I had to look twice at the note she enclosed: 1-2 minutes at 185? For a breakfast tea? “You’ve got to be kidding me,” said the little sloppy stewed tea cartoon angel on my shoulder, “Ignore that and give it four minutes like any self-respecting builder’s brew.”

“Halt and desist,” said the precise and gentle tea angel on my other shoulder. “Look at it. It’s CTC nearly ground to powder. It will be plenty strong as directed. Ashmanra knows what she’s doing. Do what she says.”

The gentle angel won this round (he doesn’t very often). But wowzers! That’s all this stuff needed. It’s deep, malty, fruity, and fragrant like good Christmas fruitcake. I need a candle that smells like this. There will be tea like this in Heaven.

Sydney is a 9-year-old (coworker’s daughter) who oozes with energy and affection. She trick or treated my office a few weeks ago and walked out with a bundle of my tea bags after a lovely chat about favorite varieties. She has recently been inducted as an Official Taste Tester for the Turkey Creek Tea and Cocoa Society. I made her a certificate and everything.

Today, her mom brought me a handmade-by-Sydney card and a box of these really nice tea bags from their last visit to family in Kenya. All bass notes, no brass or tenor, with dark malt and something vaguely fruity hiding at the bottom of the cup. Just what I need to keep me focused on a morning when no fannying about is allowed.

How is it, after decades of tea drinking, I haven’t tried this grocery store staple? (Or how is it that I’m so senile I forgot?)

At any rate, this was another pay-it-forward contribution at work. Flavors perform as advertised, but on its own, it was too sweet for my taste. However, paired with a bag of plain old plebian Red Rose to temper the honey, it was a decent afternoon hand warmer!

An experiment from the pay-it-forward table at work. Bigelow’s flavored teas often go “chemical” pretty quickly as they age, but this box is still fresh. Leads with sweet coconut, for sure, and the base serves as an undetectable holding mechanism for the flavor. A coworker took a sniff and said, “Smells like Almond Joy!” Not bad for staving off mid-morning sugar cravings. Bet it would be good with milk.

Swiss Miss hot cocoa mix + a half teaspoon of chai masala spice = :)

…and since the molasses jar was located, and since it’s downright chilly this afternoon, a generous spoonful nicely complemented this gingerbread tea (orange peel, anise being the slightly out-of-the-ordinary additions). Good for the day and for the season. I like the notion of “seasonally curated” teas—it sounds much classier than “I’ve got leftovers from last year that need to be used up!”

I didn’t intend to clean out the kitchen cabinets this afternoon, but a quest for a quarter jar of molasses turned into a petrified-ingredient-pitching odyssey.

The molasses hunt was specifically to try a glob in a cup of my favorite congou, which has been characterized in reviews (probably some of my own) as having molasses and apple peel appeal. It’s a perfect fit.