gmathis Send Message

Added extra time and milk. Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride, you’ve got competition this season!

I’ve sampled this before, and courtesy of Michelle, I’m enjoying second helpings! Today’s steep seems sweeter than I recall it, although that may be because my taste buds expected strong unflavored unleaded first thing in the a.m. I can find all the expected elements: a little mineral from the pu-erh, sweet without being too cloying, and a sprinkle of nuttiness on top. Might not open your eyes in the morning, but it’s a good lo-cal alternative to a pecan danish from the donut shop.

Oh, y’all…remember the buckwheat tea with cocoa grist many of us were raving about because it tasted like chocolate chip cookies? I found its BFF rounding out an Amazon order to get free shipping.

Rewind to the 70’s in the church fellowship hall at snack time between choir and Mission Friends. “Grandma” Bacon (kool-aid and cookies were her love language) would have our cups and napkins lined up, and on the napkins were crispy packaged coconut-sugar cookies. I can’t remember the brand for the life of me. This tea is those cookies and her smile. If I’d let it go an extra minute (4 instead of the recommended 3) and added milk, this tea would be those cookies and her hugs.

Lemon loaf isn’t the only thing that’s glazed over…my eyes are following suit after a labor-of-love afternoon herding preteens as they lifted and loaded nearly 400 bags of Thanksgiving groceries onto carts, then into vehicles. Squirrely, all of them, but give them a grown-up way to serve and they knock our socks off every time.

However, it is a treat to be in a quiet house listening to rain on the leaves (hallelujah, it held off until we were finished) and treating myself a cuppa with milk. With that addition, reminds me of those packaged lemon cookies rolled in powdered sugar that sticks to your thumbs. Tazo has done a beautiful job mimicking pastry.

A year or so ago, we stumbled across a nice carrot cake rooibos at a nearby Amish market, and once it disappeared from the shelves, it just disappeared. I think we’ve found it again, this time in a nice tin instead of a bulk bag. Side by side, the two look identical. Roo, carrot, raisin, pineapple, a little calendula. It leans toward the lighter, fruitier end of the spectrum instead of the dark spice cake end, but it’s a lovely fall-into-winter nightcap.

With milk this morning. It did push some of the subtleties to the forefront. Dark fruit with (yep, found it!) a little peppercorn. Not quite strong enough for morning wake-up calls, but I’m enjoying exploring something a little different with every cup.

I’ve tried this variety before, and thanks to Michelle, I’m enjoying a rerun. Here’s what Upton has to say about it: Longer steepings yield a robust cup with notes of rose and peppery hints. At briefer steepings, the liquor is sweeter and more delicate.

So far, I’ve just tried the two minute variation, which has a very dark cherry vibe. Not sure there are any roses blooming in my cup. However, it builds up a lot of muscle the longer it sits, so I’m looking forward to a longer steep with milk next time to see what happens.

I am terrible about keeping up with ashmanra’s sippy-prompts, but this definitely qualifies as “tea that makes you feel cozy.” I was elated to find it on the shelves at our Walmart Neighborhood Market. Not so spicy that it clobbers you in the face, just a little mild cider with a dusting of cinnamon to noodge you toward bedtime.

I have a quart of real cider in the fridge and have plans to test this as a gentle mulling spice.

So when the bottom of your worn wicker basket that holds miscellaneous herbal samples falls out (in my winky-wonky filing system, most of the baskets are miscellaneous) , sometimes you find bags you forgot you had. Like this one, a really pleasant mint/lavender combo in a silky sachet. It’s helping me un-kink a little after an adrenaline day—a week’s vacation from work comes at a price when you return to the piles in your office :)