What’s In My Cup: Orange & Cinnamon Spice

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#whatsinmycup, food, tea, tea addict, tea cups, tea lover, tea photography, tea quotes, tea time, whatsinmycup

The shift between Summer and Fall seemed to happen overnight. One day I was wearing cotton sundresses and the next, flannel shirts and leggings. This sudden shift in season reminds me that pretty soon I’ll be “denning up” inside, and while each season has things that make it special, summer will live always in my heart.

Thank goodness some things never change – like my love of a good cup of hot tea!

It was gray and dreary most of last week. It rained…a lot! I no longer craved Summer’s fruits, but Autumn’s spices, and what better spice than cinnamon. I paired my homemade cinnamon waffle with fresh apple, and poured myself a cup of Twinings Orange & Cinnamon Spice tea.

This tea has only 3 ingredients: rooisbos leaves, vietnamese cinnamon, and orange peel. There are different types of cinnamon and vietnamese cinnamon is a stronger, spicy/sweet cinnamon, usually used to add warmth and depth of flavour. Cinnamon has some health benefits, but like any number of things, should be consumed in moderation. Since this Twinings tea is a rooibos-based tea, it is naturally caffeine-free.

I found the cinnamon warming on this chilly afternoon, but I think the orange peel tricked my brain into thinking it was orange pekoe, and as a result, I was disappointed that it wasn’t more robust. But it is an herbal and they are often more delicate than a black-based tea. Even so, it had an inviting aroma and a pleasant citrusy taste.

I have also tried Tetley’s Warmth: Cinnamon Spice tea, which is also a rooibos-base, and contains cinnamon, sweet blackberry leaves, orange peel, licorice root, cardamom, cloves, orange blossom and star anise. Pregnant women should avoid licorice root. I found it had a much stronger spice flavour and reminded me more of chai or a holiday blend. Certainly, in terms of availability and cost, Tetley wins!

While I usually think of pairing apple with cinnamon, the orange was a charming change. Hopefully it will help me to ease into the Fall season gently, and encourage me to embrace the changes.

Live each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit,
and resign yourself to the influences of each.

Henry David Thoreau

Happy Monday!

My Iced Tea Hack

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#whatsinmycup, food, iced tea, lifehack, tea, tea addict, tea lover, tea time, whatsinmycup

Even the weather has been weird. It was well into the 30s (celsius) on May 22, the day we decided to shovel and spread a million pounds of dirt and grass seed on our front lawn. We had to take frequent breaks to avoid heat exhaustion. Less than a week later, we were pulling on our slippers and watching the snow falling on our lilac blooms! And now, we’re back to sweating.

Weird!

Regardless of the weather, I never lose my taste for tea. Just sometimes the temperature of the tea varies. When it’s cold, I want it hot. When it’s hot, I want it…hot or cold. It depends on what I’m doing. First thing in the morning, hot! If I’m sitting outside on the backporch with a good book, like this past Saturday, cold. And the best way to keep something cold is ice cubes. But ice cubes dilute the tea…no good!

So what if there was a way to keep it cold without diluting the tea, or a way to add flavour to your morning pot that’s already cooled on the counter? There is! It’s called an ice cube tray. It’s not that hard to boil some extra water when you’re making hot tea and use it to steep an extra mug or two. Or a few flavours in a few mugs. Once cooled, pour it into an ice cube tray and pop it in the freezer. Feel like peach? Drop in a peach tea cube. Chocolate chai? Drop in a cube! Peach and chocolate chai? Why not?!? It’s a great addition to your iced tea.

Sundress-check
Flip-flops – check
Book – check
Iced tea – check!!
Let summer begin…

For a really hot day on the porch, with a really good book, I need a really big cup of iced tea, so I make ahead and use iced tea pop molds. I got these from David’s tea, but I’ve seen the same thing in grocery stores and dollar stores. It works great.

Just like ice cubes, don’t forget to make some iced tea ahead too, using the hot or cold brew method and prepare to sip the summer days away!

One benefit of summer was that each day we had more light to read by.

Jeanette Wells, The Glass House

The “Mikado” Tea Cup

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#whatsinmycup, food, tea, tea cups, tea time, whatsinmycup

The Derby Crown Porcelain Company was established in 1876, and was granted permission to use the title ‘Royal’ and the Royal Arms by Queen Victoria in 1890.

The Mikado pattern was inspired by rice paper drawings. It was designed in 1894 by Thomas Amos Reid, the art director at the Royal Crown Derby Porcelain Company. Each piece in the set depicts different chapters of the famous Mikado Opera, which opened at the London Savoy Theatre on March 14, 1885. Gilbert & Sullivan ‘s satirical musical ran 672 times at the Savoy. By the end of 1885, an esitmated 150 European and American theatre companies were performing the opera.

This cup is a cobalt blue pattern on white fine bone china; the edges are scalloped and edged in 24kt gold trim. While this pattern was crafted in various colours, the cobalt blue was particularly popular in North America. It’s vintage falls between 1921 and 1940.

The theatre is not the place for the musician. When the curtain is up the music interrupts the actor, and when it is down the music interrupts the audience.

Arthur Sullivan

Happy Monday!

What’s in my Cup: Holiday Tea

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#whatsinmycup, Christmas, holiday, tea, tea addict, whatsinmycup

Good friends don’t let you do stupid things…alone.

Last week, my friend and I each purchased a box of Stash tea, and then we traded, half and half. It’s a great way to try two new flavours without the expense!

One of those teas was Holiday Chai. It’s is an aromatic blend of assam and darjeeling tea, with cinnamon, all-spice, clove, ginger root, natural gingerbread and run flavours, and nutmeg oil. It’s a spicy chai with a bit of heat. I found the clove was the strongest flavour and tended to overpowered the other spices. The nutmeg oil also leaves a strange film on the surface. It has a warm rosy colour and a strong spice bouquet conducive to dreaming of sugarplums.

It’s lovely with homemade orange-cranberry scones too!

Until one feels the spirit of Christmas, there is no Christmas. All else is outward display–so much tinsel and decorations. For it isn’t the holly, it isn’t the snow. It isn’t the tree not the firelight’s glow. It’s the warmth that comes to the hearts of men when the Christmas spirit returns again.

Author Unknown

Merry Christmas!

What’s In My Cup: Canadian Breakfast

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#whatsinmycup, canadian, foodphotography, tea, teaaddict, teacup, what's in my cup, whatsinmycup

English, Irish, Scottish, or Canadian. Regardless of which country has it’s name in the title, “Breakfast teas” are a robust blend of tea with a higher caffeine level meant to help you kick-start your day. Breakfast teas are usually a blend made with Assam tea, which is from where the high caffeine content comes.

Canadian Breakfast tea is made by Nourish Tea Co., a company that believes in providing organic (as much as possible) and supports estates that are sustainable, ethical and abide by fair labour practices. In this case, it is an orange pekoe Canadian Breakfast tea is more like an orange pekoe tea but it’s Kosher, Organic, and Fair Trade Certified. The tea leaves come from a single estate in from Sri Lanka. I couldn’t find it on their website, oddly enough, but it is available on Well.ca.

It had the robustness expected of a “breakfast” tea, with it’s own unique warming, malty flavour. Plus the caffeine kick I need on a Monday morning.

Warning: Going to sleep on Sunday night will cause Monday morning. Please note that staying awake all night Sunday night does not prevent Monday. There is no cure!

Happy Monday!

What’s in My Cup: Monster Mash

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#whatsinmycup, halloween, tea, what's in my cup, whatsinmycup

Thanks to Covid-19, we won’t have any little ghosts or ghouls (or when I was a kid, fairy princess ballerinas)! But that doesn’t mean we can’t still have a party – a tea party. Well…for one!

Monster Mash, from David’s tea is a spook-tacular. This caffeine-free rooibos tea contains pumpkin, cinnamon, apple, sugar, carrots, ginger, cardamom, clove buds, and nutmeg. Purple moon and pink witch hat sugar sprinkles (pumpkin pie & butter flavour) make it delightfully “festive”!

This tea has received mixed reviews. Some found it too sweet, and it appears sugar and sprinkles were not originally in the blend. Reviewers comments also included phrases like “fresh & fruity”, “Chai & Spicy” or “Herbal & Arromatic”. I didn’t know what to expect!

After steeping for 4-5 minutes, I was ready to sip this burnt orange cuppa. The aroma reminded me more of an apple dessert than pumpkin. Still…yum! This tisane really delivered a warming apple cider flavour with a touch of heat from the ginger. I could also taste carrot, but pumpkin, not so much. It was on the sweeter side, but sometimes I crave something a little sweet, especially after dinner. It’s a great way to avoid a sugary dessert. Overall, I was very happy. But if I had to choose a “pumpkin-y” tea, I would choose Pumpkin Chai over this!

Now everything’s cool, Drac’s a part of the band
And my Monster Mash is the hit of the land
For you, the living this mash was meant too
When you get to my door, tell them Boris sent you

Leonard Capizzi / Bob Pickett, The Monster Mash

Let’s party!

Thanksgiving Blessing

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#whatsinmycup, blessing, Fall, nature, picnic, tea, thanksgiving, whatsinmycup

Lord, make us truly thankful all your blessings,
and bless those who sip tea with me today.

Amen

Happy Thanksgiving!