What’s In My Cup: Emerald Green Tea

Tags

food, green tea, tea, tea addict, tea lover, tea pots, tea time

Green tea is one of the most popular types of tea consumed in North America. For centuries it was used for medicinal purposes, from headaches to depression. It is lower in caffeine than black or oolong tea. Some studies have shown that green tea can increase the metabolic rate, short term, and it may kill bacteria and inhibit some viruses, improving health overall. Green tea is also high in the amino acid, theonine, which can have a calming effect. 

Normally, I am not a green tea drinker, but there have been a few exceptions: Tetley’s Citrus Kiss, Stash’s Pomegranate Raspberry, and Tetley’s Lychee Pear. All were hits in my books!

Quite awhile back, Big Guy shared a pot of Emerald Green Tea with me, from a boxed set he was given. This particular tea was imported from South Africa, but the “story” on the box that went with it was centered in the mountainous region in the Zhe province in China. Hmm….

The old expression, “buyer beware” applied here. Often boxed sets of specialty teas are sold in box stores, especially around the holidays. They look nice, but the quality of the tea can be questionable. I don’t know if that was the case here, or if we steeped it too long. Green tea, if steeped for more than minute, it can become quite bitter. It was…unpleasant.

Or maybe I was created to just not like most green teas.

The lemon cookies, however, were delicious. 😉

Happy Monday!

“What about desserts?” I asked. “If the world comes to an end, I’m going to want cookies.”

Susan Beth Pfeffer, Life As We Knew It

Dear Quarantine Diary – Week #17

Tags

covid-19 diary, covid-19 humour, dear diary, disappointment, disasters, food, groceries, humour

Dear Diary – Stop the world – I want to get off!

This week read like bad sitcom script…or just a never-ending Monday!

I hate Mondays!

Garfield

Last Thursday was a day of disappointment. The grocery store didn’t sell purple food colouring for next week’s birthday cake, and we discovered the restaurant I chose for my birthday dinner…is permanently closed. Despite being lactose intolerant, I’ve had my mouth fixed for 9 cheese ravioli (because anything less than 9 is just foolishness) for 2 years! I’m aware of the consequences of dairy, and I was prepared to deal with them, even if my family was not! Neither disappointment should be reason to mope, but with the long absences from family and with what should be a special occasion looming, it hit like a ton of bricks.

Friday began as a day of hope. My friend made some phonecalls and found purple food colouring at the Bulk Barn. I called them right away. Not only did I get my colour, I also replaced my star icing tip and restocked my spice cupboard. It’s the little things! When I went to pay in person, their debit machine was attached to a hockey stick. What a Canadian thing to do!

Friday evening, Hubby had his astrozenica vaccination. He felt lousy for the weekend and had a migraine Sunday night. Otherwise, he seemed fine.

Monday began with a jolt! Hubby woke me early with a very suspicious mark on his arm. I made him coffee, gave him my cell phone, because his was, of course, completely dead, and dropped him at the E.R. at 8.

Traffic was deliciously light. I made tea and a couple phone calls when I got home. I didn’t want my friend texting Hubby and getting mad at me because I wasn’t replying. I was supposed to pick up groceries for her and for my family at 10. Hubby was in and out quickly, and he’s ok! But when he called me to pick him up, our phone was busy (sorry), and his phone, we later discovered, turns off when it charges. By the time we connected, he was almost home. It was a long, cold walk…

While he was walking, he missed a text from Big Guy telling us he was not having a good day. His transmission blew up and he only made it halfway home from work. He was stuck on the side of the road, waiting for a tow truck!

I never did get my groceries. My grocery reservation magically “disappeared” and all the other time slots were full. I reserved for Tuesday. Turkey leftovers!

2021 got a lot crappier Monday night. I was supposed to shower Monday morning, but I’d had an early, uncaffeinated morning hospital trip…so I decided to stink all day and treat myself to a long, hot shower Monday night. Instead, I discovered that every time we flushed, did laundry or washed dishes, sewage was backing up in the laundry room. I called the town at 8 and after investigating, they connected me to a plumber. Even though we’d like to return the favour and make noise to irritate wake our neighbours, we arranged for them to come Tuesday morning. We could stink for the night and cross our legs for the next 12 hours. There’s always the tree out back! It’s just like camping, but without the lake.

Typical teen was “annoyed” Tuesday morning because he had to attend virtual school upstairs instead of his batcave. He immediately blocked out all the daylight. I wonder if coffee would’ve helped. He thought a “little water” was no reason to change routines. I had to point out it was “poo water”.

We managed to get through our morning ablutions before the plumbers arrived. I tossed our bowl of “washing water” out the back door like a true hick. But I don’t want to talk about the bucket.

The universe continued to conspire against me. First, my grocery reservation was lost, again. Second, the bank cancelled my credit card, for fraudulent activity in the amount of $4.16. The IT guy at Loblaws assured me my reservation for Wednesday was solid. I could pick food up after my physio torture therapy appointment. Maybe the third time is the charm?

I had stale mini marshmallows and toast for lunch.

Someone offered to uber me alcohol! It was very tempting!

Tonight is my second humour class. Our homework was to make note of humorous anecdotes in our week.

My whole life is anecdotal!

Good-bye “Monday”!

Monday is like a math problem. Add the irritation, subtract the sleep, multiply the problems, divide the happiness.

Unknown

Dear Diary – I woke up this morning optimistic that today I would feed my family. My grocery pick-up would go off without a hitch. I would bake my birthday cake without the usual disaster. And I would enjoy “Halo night” with Big Guy.

I drove to the grocery store in a blinding thunderstorm right after my physio torture therapy appointment, and parked in Space #5. I called to let them know I had arrived and settled in to play my Word game on my phone. I immediately got stuck.

While rain had cleared when I notified them of my arrival, it was a torrential downpour when the rather sodden clerk arrived with my baskets. Small talk was impossible over the white noise of nature. With the ineffectual wipers on full, I merrily headed home.

The rain slowed to a steady dribble as I began unpacking the jumble of wet plastic bags in the trunk. But under the jumble, was a haphazard layer of unbagged items. Someone had carefully tied my bags of milk in bags and knotted the handles, but didn’t bag 1 can of pasta sauce, 1 carton of apple sauce, 2 blocks of cheese, 2 blocks of butter, 2 cartons of eggs, 2 bags of hamburger buns, 4 loaves of bread, and 2 chocolate bars. The receipt was a soggy wad of paper. All the bags I had transported thus far had been full so those items had not slipped out on the slow trip home. There were simply no bags.

By this time, I had taken most of the bags inside so I had carry the odds and ends in my arms. I nearly dropped the eggs…twice. My bread was squished. My cheese was dented. I have no idea how the eggs survived.

Worse, I was missing 2 chocolate bars. I had ordered 4. One for the 3 of us (and one for my emergency stash)! After all this trouble, most normal people would cut their losses, but…chocolate!

With my vision darkening around the edges, I abandoned the bags at the door and called the head office number. The estimated weight time was 30 minutes. I wasn’t willing to listen to 30 minutes of covid announcements, so I called the store. Something in my voice made them send me straight to the manager. I kept my tale light-hearted, with a barely distinguishable quiver in my voice. I could feel myself finally slipping over the edge.

A shaft of light broke through the clouds, angels began to sing, and this lovely growly-voiced man refunded half of my grocery bill.

I’m still short 2 chocolate bars.

Dear Diary – It’s my birthday!

The purple cake is baked. I had a great evening playing Overwatch online with Big Guy and his friend.

My parent’s gift is waiting for me at a store nearby.

And Big Guy just texted that he ordered me breakfast. It’s arriving in 10 minutes.

I’d better get dressed…

Oh, yes I can make it now the pain is gone
All of the bad feelings have disappeared
Here is that rainbow I’ve been praying for

It’s gonna be a bright, bright sunshiny day!

Jonny Nash, I Can See Clearly Now

Pinky: In or Out

Tags

food, humour, tea, tea addict, tea lover, tea time, teacup

Just imagine…by some miracle, you have been invited to afternoon tea with the Queen. You have donned your best dress, coiffed your hair, and applied your “paint” (aka make-up). You are breath-taking! After accepting your dainty tea cup and finding a comfortable place to retire, it’s time for your first sip. Pinky in or out?

Have you ever wondered from where this affectation came, and is it really the “queenly” thing to do?

I’ll give you a hint…

http://www.giphy.com

Harley Quinn, the Queen of bat-crap crazy and girlfriend to Joker in the Batman franchise, (also a member of Suicide Squad), lifts her pinky!

So does this handsome fellow, Mako Rutledge, aka Roadhog!

tumblr.com

American author, novelist, and socialite, Emily Post, who was famous for writing about etiquette, was adamant that pinkies out was ill-mannered.

American columnist and etiquette expert, Judith Martin or Miss Manners, thinks it began around the 17th Century, when tea was first introduced in Europe. The hot beverage was sipped from cups without handles and naturally, fewer fingers were used to prevent burns. How does one balance a hot cup with one handle? Since tea was an imported luxury, the gesture was adopted by the elite and remained even after handles were added to tea cups.

A less popular theory is that finger sandwiches and dainties served with Afternoon Tea would be eaten with 3 fingers, not 4 or 5 fingers, like a common person. In order to distinguish themselves from the riff-raff, socialites adopted the pinky affectation. This might account for the attitude that this is a posh statement by the “elite”, and why it is often used as a parody for social climbers.

Tsk! Tsk! Pinky in darling!

The proper way to hold a tea cup with your thumb and index finger meeting in the handle. Your pinky may be used to balance the cup on the underside of the teacup. If seated at a table, the saucer should remain on the table. If you standing, hold the saucer with your left hand at chest level. Finally, if you are not seated at a table, hold the saucer in your left hand, balanced on your knee. Raise the saucer to chest level, holding the handle of the cup with the opposite hand to prevent spills, before lifting the cup to drink. You tea cup should always be on the saucer when you are not drinking.

Always Pinky IN.

A cup of tea would restore my normality.

Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Happy Easter!

Tags

baking, cookies, Easter, food, tea, tea addict, tea cups, tea lover

Every clever bunny knows
That tea refreshes – top to toes
So put the kettle on and brew
a lovely cup for me and you

Unknown

Happy Easter!

What’s In My Cup: Apple Cinnamon & Tumeric

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#whatsinmycup, food, food photography, spices, tea, tea addict, tea cups, tea lover, tea photography, tea time, what's in my cup

Tumeric is a spice that is acclaimed for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. So it’s not wonder that Tetley has included it in it’s line of “super herbal teas”.

Tumeric is a perennial, flowering plant in the ginger family, most commonly used in Southern Asia and Middle Eastern cooking. When it is dried and ground,  it can also be used to dye fabric a rich, golden colour.

Tumeric is a perennial, flowering plant in the ginger family, most commonly used in Southern Asia and Middle Eastern cooking. Dried tumeric packs three times the flavour over fresh. Also, when it is dried and ground, it can be used to dye fabric a rich, golden colour.

Tetley’s Antiox tea is a rooibos base and includes cinnamon, white hibiscus, tumeric (of course), licorice root, rose hips, chicory root, orange peel, and apple. It also lists vitamin C, a nautral diuretic and antioxidan. Vitamin C helps protects cells against heart disease, cancer and other diseases, as well as helping your body absorb and store iron. It’s necessary for the formation of blood vessels, cartilage, muscle and collagen in bones.

As you can see, this herbal tea has a lovely, deep golden colour. The tea bag smells rather medicinal, but mellows once it is steeped. I could taste both the cinnamon and apple, but it was subtle, as it was also paired with earthy and gingery notes from the tumeric. Some people describe tumeric as bitter, mustard-y or horseradish-y. I found there was a slight tingle or heat from the tumeric, but it wasn’t unpleasant or overpowering. It’s definitely on the savoury scale

Tea is the magic key to the vault where my brain is kept.

Frances Hardinge

Happy Monday!

The Quintessential Tea Time Treat Pt. 2

Tags

baking, food, scones, tea, tea addict, tea time

Scone /skōn (noun) a small, round cake that is like bread, made from flour, milk, and a little fat.

Miriam-Webster Dictionary

When you break it down in words, it somehow fails to capture the deliciousness of buttery biscuit-pastries smothered in jam and pillowy cream, or the essence of a tea party. You don’t even want to know what it means in slang!

Tea and scones go together like peanut butter and jam. A perfect match. And when they’re fresh and warm from the oven, it’s a glorious thing!

(are you starting to drool too?)

I am hardly a master baker!! My crime scene photos attest to just how bad it can be! But I can bake a few passable, edible things, which include scones. Plus there’s that old expression:

You can teach an old dog new tricks!

Well…maybe it’s can’t teach, but this old dog has discovered a few tricks for baking light, fluffy scones. Let’s start with a couple of the key ingredients…

Julia Child said, “With enough butter, anything is good.” I haven’t kept up with the argument about which is better: butter or margarine. Like all lovely tasting things, the answer is probably neither. When it comes to scones, butter is the perfect fat because it adds a richer flavour to scones.

Julia Child also said, “If you’re afraid of butter, use cream”. The best scones use both. Cream is the higher-fat that rises to the top of unhomogenized milk. But cream can be substitited with milk, buttermilk, yougurt, sour cream, or my personal favourite, sour milk. Buttermilk will produce a lighter, more bread-like texture, while I’ve found scones made with milk may not rise as well. I have gotten into the habit of adding a drop of vinegar to my milk and letting it sit for 3-5 minutes to let the milk thicken. One baking blog suggested that the natural acidity of sour milk (whether forced by vinegar or naturally neglected in the fridge) counteracts any “fizzy” taste from the raising agent, baking powder. It may look gross but the end result is delicious!

Here are 5 tips for making stupendous scones:

1. Rub in cold butter. Warm or room temperature butter will start to melt as you work with it. But if it’s cold, it won’t melt until it’s in the oven, which releases steam and creates the flaky texture of the scone. Cut your butter into 1″ cubes (or in my case, smaller pieces). Rubbing in involves literally rubbing the butter in your dry ingredients with your finger tips, and lifting and dropping the powder in your bowl, to incorporate air. (does it incorporate air? I don’t know, but it feels good!) When it’s incorporated, your dry ingredients should resemble fluffy sand, not heavy clumps. Yes, your fingers get messy, so remove your jewellery beforehand. Some bakers choose to use frozen butter and grate it into the dry ingredients. Others use a pastry cutter because they don’t like messy fingers. Both will work, but I think part of the pleasure of creating, even in baking, is tactile.

2. Watch your liquids. I’ve discovered the hard way that a lot of recipes overestimate just how much liquid you need. If the dough is too dry, you will end up with tough, dry scones. Too wet and it’s impossible to cut out or transfer neat shapes to a cooking tray, not to mention the dough will ooze, resulting in flat scones. I read that biscuits and scones should have a 3-1-2 ratio: 3 parts flour, 1 part fat, and 2 parts liquid. I’m a bit too lazy overconfident and I don’t consider the math. Instead of slopping it all in the first time I try a recipe, I slop most of it in to see how it starts to come together. I’d call it “baker intuition” but I suspect if I had any intuition it would be, stop baking! What are you looking for? As you combine your wet ingredients, your dough should be soft and slightly sticky, with a short, crumbly texture. In fact, when I turn it out onto my floured counter to shape, it’s still a bit soft and slightly sticky. I know the dough will absorb some of that flour and I don’t want it to be too tough. As if that piece of the puzzle isn’t tricky enough, step 3…

3. Don’t overwork your dough. The more you stir it and handle it, the more you will develop the gluten. You’ll end up with a bread-like scone, or worse, a hard, tough scone.

4. Don’t knead your scones. You may want to give it 4 or 5 gentle rolls to reduce a bit of the stickiness so the dough doesn’t stick to the countertop when you cut your shapes and transfer it to a pan, but that’s it! Pat your dough into a simple circle and cut into wedges, or cut with a cookie cutter. But don’t flatten it too much. Some recipes recommend rolling the dough with a rolling pin, but I’ve found I end up with a flat, dense scones. It’s hard to slice and butter a flat scone. Another mistake I’ve made is cutting too many wedges. I wanted more scones (duh), but because they were so small, I ended up with more tiny hard scones. Just use your common sense. Stop laughing! If you’ve eaten a proper scone, you know what to do!

5. Bake in a hot oven to form a crisp crust on the outside. Brush with cream or milk on the outside (adding sugar is an additional option) to add crispness, sweetness, and colour. Some bakers chill their scones in the fridge or freezer for up to 30 minutes before baking to ensure the butter is cold, but I’m too impatient. Keep an eye on your scones so they don’t overbake (but use the oven light). Opening the door releases the hot air, which impacts your bake. Plus some ovens run hotter than others, and the size of your scones may differ from the person who created the recipe. So, I usually knock 5 minutes off the time given in the recipe because if they’re underbaked, I can give them more time.

Scones should be cooled and stored at room temperature in an airtight container (or popped in the freezer), and eaten within 1-2 days. Reheat in the oven, not the microwave…or better yet! Enjoy them fresh from the oven. Yum!

Lemon Ginger Scones

Feel free to pass on your favourite recipes or pics of your bake and I’ll post them.

Better yet….pass on some scones.

This was why she enjoyed baking. A good dessert could make her feel like she’d created joy at the tips of her fingers.

Marissa Meyer, Heartless

Happy Monday!

The Quintessential Tea Time Treat Pt. 1

Tags

baking, food, tea, tea addict, tea time

They are considered the quintessential addition to a proper and fashionable afternoon tea: the humble scone.

Scones are first mentioned in a Scottish poem in 1513, but became fashionable, so the story goes, after Anna, Duchess of Bedford asked for tea and sweetbreads late in the afternoon. She liked them so much, she insisted on them every day thereafter, and they gained popularity in the uppercrust social circles.

For the uninitiated, scones are a biscuit-like pastry or a quickbread made with wheat, oats or barley. Fruits, spices, herbs, even vegetables can be added to create a wide variety of sweet or savoury flavours. Historical evidence shows that the tradition of eating bread with cream and jam existed in Tavistock Abbey in Devon, England, during the 11th century. Scones were originally baked on a griddle and served plain, but now they’re usually served with jam and clotted cream (I’ll take the lower class equivalent with whipped cream, thanks!).

Great debate has raged for centuries on 3 issues related to scones:

1. how do you say “scone”;
2. should butter be included; and,
3. Finally, what comes first: the cream or the jam.

FIrst, pronounciation varies depending on where you live, but to quote the Queen, it’s skon (like long), not skone (like lone). Second, the general consensus is that butter may be included only when cream is not being served (and even then, some purists would disagree). FInally, if you want to take tea like the Queen, jam first, then cream…and the jam is strawberry!

Next week, I’m going to share some baking tips for the perfect scone!

Right now, I’m going to enjoy one of these homemade pumpkin scones with chai spices, while they’re still warm. Happy Monday!

Life is a kitchen! Put on your prettiest apron, and whip up something incredible!

Unknown

March & All You Need

Tags

food, food photography, photography, Spring, tea, tea addict, tea photography, tea time, teacup, winter

It’s only 12 days until the first day of Spring and we are quite ready for it!

We are sick of bulky winter clothing that smells damp and mouldy. We are sick of clomping along in heavy boots with curled toes to keep our feet from sliding. We’re sick of tripping over snow shovels on the front porch, and tip-toeing across icy patches on the walkways.

But winter struggles to maintain its hold. The sun wrestles with cloud cover, and from time to time, we wake to frosty fence posts or powdered rooftops. Icy winds whip from the north, tossing debris and scattering leaves. March feels like a month of brown and beige, and blah. Gray skies and matted brown earth.

The days of March creeping gustily on like something that man couldn’t hinder and God wouldn’t hurry.

Enid Bagnold

Already, I have heard little birds talking about it. I know that soon, soon my friends, little green things will start to peek from the frozen ground.The ice will melt and the wind will lap it up and whisk it away. And we will emerge from our slumber into the warmth of the sun, and let all nature embrace our weary souls.

Well, that may be a little melodramatic, but did you feel hope stirring? Spring is coming… and until it arrives, grab hold of 3 things.

And hope. Never let go of hope!

Hop ise the thing with feathers that perches in the soul –
And sings the tune without the words and never stops – at all –

Emily Dickinson

Happy Monday!

Now for Something Sweet…

Tags

food, sweets, tea, tea addict

I love sweets and I cannot lie.

But when it comes to tea, I’m more of a purist. Some people can’t live without sugar or some form of sweetener in their tea or coffee. I would be tempted to call them freaks, but that would just be me in my glass house throwing stones. To each their own!

Life is like a cup of tea. The sugar is all at the bottom

Julia Ward Howe

There are a number of options on the market, both natural and artificial. Some natural sweeteners, of course, would be stevia, honey, or maple syrup. More commonly, refined white sugar, brown sugar (with or without molasses) or cane sugar/syrup are used. But have you heard of German Rock Sugar?

German Rock Sugar is anatural sugar substitute. It is unrefined, unprocessed, and crystallized sugar made from beets, not sugar cane. These amber-coloured sugar pebbles contain slightly fewer calories than white refined sugar. It’s also devoid of saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. Some say they are the best way to enhance sweetness in your loose leaf tea without actually modifying the flavour of the tea.

Approximately 1 tsp rock sugar = 25 calories. When using it in your tea, they recommend dissolving 1 rock per cup. For extra sweetness or to use in an iced tea, dissolve a rock in a bit of hot water, before adding the tea. In baking, substitue 1 rock per 1 tbsp. of sugar (again dissolve it in a tiny amount of water).

It’s purported to have a number of health benefits, including a less intense effect on blood sugar levels. Some of the websites I reviewed tried to convince me that German Rock sugar could be used as a form of therapy for depression, as a stimulant for fatigue, and as a booster for cognitive function and concentration. While I agree that a small, sugary treat can do all of those things in the short term, I’m not sure this candy-like pebble has such great “magical” healing powers. Also, sugar is still sugar, so if sugar in your diet is a major health concern, talk to a doctor. Just because someone said so on the internet, does not make it so!

Friends are the sugar in my tea!

I hope your Monday is sweeter than your tea!

Keep it Fresh

Tags

food, tea, tea addict

How are you doing with your New Year’s resolutions? Were they “getting organized” or “downsizing”? When it comes to tea, I am probably not the person to ask for advice.

I confess, not only do I have an entire drawer filled with tea, I also have a tea box in the basement, an assortment of odd tins in the cupboard, 9 tins on a special rack, and 2 tins on the counter. Even though I tend to drink at least 1-2 large cups of specialty tea a day, it would take me over a year to finish all this. And with the cost of my most decadent delights (albeit still not the most expensive options out there), I tend to hoard for special occasions or very sad days.

But I’m actually doing myself a disservice. Tea is meant to be savoured at its best, and like our female figures, it doesn’t stay the same forever!

Time may be a great healer, but it’s a lousy beautician.

Doronty Parker

Black tea is meant to last a reasonably long time, generally up to 2 years from when it is opened. Sure, it will lose some flavour over that time, but significantly less so if it’s stored properly. There are three exceptions: pu’erh tea, oolong tea, and green tea. Green tea is fired for less time, and therefore should be used in less than 1 year. Pu’erh and oolnog are best enjoyed fresh!

Tins, boxes, foil bags, paper or plastic sachets. Tea comes in all sorts of containers, but not all containers are equal.

First, tea should be stored in a dark area. My kitchen counter may not be the best option! Sunlight and the warmth it brings can damage tea leaves, altering both its taste, colour and texture. Clear glass jars in particular are the worst choice because even inside a cupboard, tea leaves can be exposed to light.

Second, tea should be stored where it’scool and dry. Humidity and moisture can encourage the growth of bacteria, so storing tea near your cooking element isn’t the best option. Don’t forget heat rises and can be trapped along the ceiling, so an upper shelf is at higher risk of warmer temperatures. And if you’re someone who cooks or bakes a lot, you may want to consider storing completely out of your kitchen. If you suspect your tea has been compromised (and usually you can smell mold), it’s better to toss it than risk tossing your digestion.

Third, and probably most importantly, is an airtight container. This elimates both issues of humidity and loss of flavour. Airflow, over time, literally steals flavour from tea, coffee and those spices in your cupboard. Always squeeze out as much air as possible when you are resealing your container. A double layer provides more protection. For example, if your sachets are individually sealed, store them in the cardboard box or carton they came in. Metal tins often have 2 layers on the lid or a rubber seal around the edges. And those cartons with a foil seal – don’t toss the seal. Instead, press it down on top of the tea bags for extra protection. Metal tins are your best bet!

It’s a given, but don’t store different flavours in the same container. I know it saves space, but do you really want to risk compromising the flavours. Some spices, like cinnamon and clove, are especially overpowering. I wouldn’t want a delicate floral tea to be overpowered by cinnamon! Tea leaves are meant to absorb the perfumes with which they are combined, like jasmine pearls, or cinnamon bark. Keep in mind, therefore, that they can absorb other flavours too – like cedar from the wooden box you are storing them in, or the deep fryer you keep next to the box. Strong flavours can also imprint the container they are stored in, even tin ones, so it’s important to use the same container always, or wash and allow plenty of time to air out before adding something else.

Here’s another pickle. Buying large amounts means tea may sit around longer and start to lose flavour. Buying in small amounts means it’s in small company, so it may start to lose flavour. Use your discretion when purchasing. I tend to purchase small amounts of a new flavour so that I’m not wasting any if it’s not to my satisfaction, while I keep a larger stash of my favourites because I know I will use them.

Consider sharing! Two years ago, Big Guy’s friend and I exchanged a few teas. Not only did we each get to try something new, but it was a good opportunity to organize our stash and toss out a few teas that were way past their prime!

You never know what you have….until you clean your room!