What’s In My Cup: Cinnamon Vanilla

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food, tea, tea addict, tea cups, tea lover, tea photography, tea review, tea time, vanilla

Yesterday, I was sitting by the worship leader waiting for the pre-service meeting to start, when she started apologizing to me for her “stinky” hand lotion.

To be honest, I hadn’t noticed. I was lost in my own thoughts; it had been a particular discouraging morning!

But sure enough, sweet vanilla whispered in my nose.

It reminded me that I had recently discovered one lonely Cinnamon Vanilla sachet in my tea drawer at home. So this morning, I rooted around like a pig in mud, until I found it.

This morning’s tea comes from Stash Tea, a company that was founded in 1972 in Oregon, and is a subsidiary of Yamamotoyama Tea Company.

This particular blend is made of up cinnamon, chamomile, rooibos, sarsaparilla, and vanilla extract. The colour was an inviting honey brown and the aroma, intoxicating. Even Youngest Son, with little sense of smell, was drawn to it! Vanilla was the predominant scent but there was also something floral that lingered.

I couldn’t wait to start sipping.

The best way to really describe the flavour is “warmth”. Bright vanilla washed over my tongue, followed by a hint of spicyness at the back of the tongue and in my nose. Finally, there was a faint grassy note from the chamomile and a slight numbness on my tongue, as if I had just eaten a piece of black licorice.

That isn’t so surprising. Sarsaparilla is an herb that tastes like a mixture of licorice, wintergreen and vanilla. It’s the same herb used to make root beer! Sarsparilla vines produce starchy, edible roots and small berries. In the 1800’s, Sarsparilla was also soda!

Vanilla is also an edible fruit, the only one in the orchid family, the largest family of flowering plants in the world. Every vanilla bean has a unique colour, flavour and aroma.

Cinnamon and vanilla fit together like warm socks on snowy days. At first glance, it’s not really a logical pairing but it does make sense to combine 2 great flavours. I’m glad the tea sommelier’s at Stash made this match. It’s also an herbal tea, so perfect for a evening cup.

Might as well go for a soda
Nobody hurts and nobody cries

Kim Mitchell

Happy Monday!

What’s in My Cup: Baked Apple Chai

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

It would seem I’m not the only one enjoying apples these days.

Yeah, I see you. And I’d appreciate it if you didn’t leave your half-eaten apples in a row on the fence!

My little friend has been enjoying apples for breakfast nearly every morning this week, and today I thought I’d follow his example.

I reviewed David’s Tea Baked Apple Chai (formerly Spiced Apple) back in the Fall of 2019, and since then it has become a staple in my stash. Apple and cinnamon is a common pairing because, quite frankly, they’re made for each other. They work well in sweets, in savouries, and in tea! And they definitely work in this tea. The flavour is piquant – intense, sweet, tangy and spicy. I called it a “potpourri for all the senses” and I still stand by that statement. From the intense aroma of cinnamon, chicory, cardamom and star anise to the warm and spicy notes that dance and play on the tongue, it’s probably the best apple cinnamon tea I’ve tasted.

It’s a caffeine-free fruit infusion with at least a 5 minute steeping time and requires a generous amount. Since it’s comprised of chunky pieces, it will swell and fill the infuser quickly. A word of advice, use an infuser that will allow the fruit to expand as it steeps in order to extract the most flavour!

Or you can follow the example of my little friend here and squat in the snow and eat it raw. I just hope he cleans up after himself!

Love is a fruit in season at all times, and within reach of every hand.

– Mother Theresa

Repurposed

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#whatsinmycup, food, hope, repurposed, tea, tea addict, tea cups, tea lover, tea photography, tea time

Creativity is making marvelous out of the discarded.

Unknown

I’ve spent the last 2 weeks working on some projects, always with tea close at hand. I turned Youngest Son’s “hole-y” jeans into a purse.

Slide the Arrows to see the front and back!!!

And like any good crafter, I see potential in everything. Especially if it’s free because, let’s face it, “retiring” so early means I don’t have an extensive budget. There’s also something magical about repurposing an item to create something new. I have a pair of perfectly good cable knit slipper socks (minus the heels) that are about to reborn as a pair of gnomes! I hope.

There are a lot cool ideas for teaware as well, and I thought I’d share 3 garden ideas today. It’s never too early to start planning for Spring!

My creative |Auntie M used an old, unremarkable tea cup to create birdfeeder for my garden.

With a little heavy-duty glue, old mugs and spoons can also be repurposed to feed our feathered friends.

And finally, old teapots and metal kettles can become vessels for herbs or flowers. These succulents will share my office desk until Spring, when they can once again grace my front porch!

I love older things that people have used and charished. They have personality, character, and soul.

Anne Hillegasse

What’s In My Cup: Maple Rooibos

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

As the days turn colder (though we’ve really enjoyed an extended warm spell), I find my tea tastes change from the bright, fruity flavours of summer to something richer and spicier. This tea is a wonderful transition between the two.

Rooibos or Red Bush is a shrub from the legume family that grows in the mountainous regions of South Africa. Guess what colour it is? 🙂 Though prepared in the same way as black tea, it also has a sweet and earthy flavour. On its own or paired with other flavours, like vanilla or maple, it’s almost as satisfying as a cup of black tea, which is essential for a die-hard tea granny! There is no caffeine and the fresh leaves are high in Vitamin C. Not all red teas are Rooibos teas, so remember to check the label.

I wasn’t sure about this Maple Rooibos when I first opened the satchet. The aroma was very strong and sickly sweet. It reminded me of burnt sugar. Once steeped, the aroma was much lighter, but still had that sweet, burnt quality. The flavour, however, was well-balanced. Yes, sweet, but with an earthy, roasty undertone from cocoa shells and licorice root. It had the warmth and depth, and velvetiness I was anticipating. The colour was more of a golden red, rather than a deep red, but in the end, it’s all about flavour!

This President’s Choice tea also didn’t cost me my firstborn. I’ve said this before…just because a box of tea has a high price tag does not necessarily mean that it’s high quality. And just because something isn’t “the best of the best” doesn’t mean it’s not good.

It’s also calorie-free. I think Maple Rooibos will be perfect on rainy autumn afternoons, chilly winter nights, or anytime I’m craving something sweet! (Even now, I hear cookies calling my name…)

Today we will live in the moment…unless it’s unplesant, in which case we will eat a cookie.

Cookie Monster

Welcome October

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autumn, Fall, food, nature, tea, tea addict, tea cups, tea lover, tea photography, tea quotes, tea time, teacup

Pale amber sunlight falls across
The reddening October trees,
That hardly sway before a breeze
As soft as summer: summer’s loss
Seems little, dear! on days like these.

Autumnal by Ernest Dowson

Cheers

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monarchy, photography, tea, tea addict, tea cups, tea lover, tea photography, tea time

Cheers to a great Lady on her final journey, Queen Elizabeth II.

Coronation Tea Cup

God save the King!

CMMC: White

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#whatsinmycup, food, Photo Challenge, tea, tea addict, tea cups, tea lover, tea photography, tea time, teacup

You may have noticed that I use a white tea cup in a lot of my tea photographs. It’s because my “good china” is all white. We thought it was the best way to never get sick of our good dishes or see them become dated. They work in every season. We’ve been married 26 years and I’m still in love with them.

This is my post for Cee Neuner’s Mid-Week Madness Photo Challenge: White

What’s In My Cup: Ginger Peach

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

Peaches are coming into season soon, and I love the sweetness, tartness…and juiciness of a fresh, sun-ripened peach. Peach pairs well with ginger, so this morning as I prepared to put the finishing touches on my Dad’s wood-working project for my kitchen, I poured myself a cup of President’s Choice Ginger Peach tea.

Don’t let the brand fool you. Not all less expensive teas are “ less than”. This little sachet was flavourful – sweet and a little spicy (like yours truly)! The colour is an inviting rosy shade and the fragrance made my mouth water. The ginger was tempered so it provided heat without overwhelming the palate. True, it has a slight acidic and artificial flavour to it, but most peach teas do, and this was not obnoxiously so.

Peach is one of those fruits that don’t dehydrate well and the leaves aren’t peach flavoured. This tea is an herbal infusion, so no caffeine. It’s comprised of apple, blackberry leaves, citric acid, ginger root, hibiscus petals, rose hips, roasted chicory root, and natural flavours. It is definitely higher on the list of other peach teas I’ve tried, and like many others, I think it would make a fantastic iced tea for hot summer afternoons.

Especially with a good book or after a nap!

Summer afternoon- Summer afternoon. To me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.

Henry James

Sorry, Hoover…

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

Sorry Hoover…unlike last time, the tea cup is empty!

Keep calm and go nuts!

What’s In My Cup: Strawberry Kiwi

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food, photography, tea, tea addict, tea cups, tea lover, tea photography, tea review

June has arrived and with it, strawberry season! Luscious, sweet, juicy red berries that pop in your mouth. Even sweeter when plucked by hand and eaten still warm from the sun.

T.Kettle’s Strawberry & Kiwi looseleaf tea smells like fresh strawberries. It is a fruit infusion blend of apple, hibiscus, rosehip, papaya, strawberry leaves, strawberry, kiwi, and red plum petals is caffeine-free and vegan.

I really thought the colours of the looseleaf tea was inviting…soft purples and pinks. The tea itself was a soft and delicate rosy pink, which promised sweetness.

I once described strawberry tea as “elusive as a great summer blockbuster. Both have their are high points, but in the end, they just don’t deliver”. This delivered. Even though it had some of the all-too familiar “fruity punch” flavour found in fruit infusions, it also had sweet and slightly tart notes, and a strong strawberry aftertaste. I wasn’t sure how I would feel about kiwi fruit in tea. It’s a very tart, citrus-y berry from New Zealand, and not loved by everyone, but it was a successful pairing. While I didn’t particuarly taste the kiwi fruit, I still think it provided some sourness which only served to enhance the sweetness of the strawberry.

I think this would be a delight as an iced tea as well. I’m definitely adding this to my summer repertoire!

Strawberries are full of love & happiness.

Anthony T. Hincks