The Floral Teapot

I was in Teavana on Saturday and wanted to pick up the new Oprah Chai Herbal blend to try.  I love the original Oprah Chai, that is perhaps one of my favorite chai teas of all time.  I bought 2 ounces of the tea, or rather I asked for 2 ounces but you know the tricks that Teavana plays.  "Is 2.5 ounces ok?"  I went ahead and said it was OK since I wanted to really try the tea.  I made a pot on Sunday.  The tea tastes identical to the original version.  I mean IDENTICAL.  The herbal blend has Cinnamon, Apple Pieces, Ginger, Carob Pieces, Lemongrass, Chicory Root, Natural Flavor, Blackberry Leaves, Cardamon, Basil, Puffed Amaranth Grain, Cloves and Black Pepper.  I thought at first the Lemongrass would be strong, as it tends to be in other tea blends such as Chamomile, however, the lemongrass is very mellow.  The spiciness takes over and that is what you taste.  This is amazing.  Such a good alternative to the original if you are...

Lately I have been trying to reduce my caffeine intake in order to sleep better and not feel so much of a crash in the afternoon.  I ordered several decaf teas from Harney and Sons to try.  I like that they offer sample bags.  These bags are just the perfect amount make one large pot of tea in my Breville Perfect Tea Maker.  Their shipping was fast, and, they had a special offer for free shipping over $25.  I tried the Decaf Darjeeling yesterday and it was good.  It didn't have that rich depth that I typically like from a Darjeeling but it was pretty good.  I steeped it once but felt it was too weak (steeped for 3 minutes) so I steeped it again and it came out perfectly.  I added a bit of rock sugar and soy milk to it, it really was tasty!  I like knowing that I can drink this tea all day long and not worry about the caffeine. In addition to the Darjeeling I also got the Decaf Paris, Decaf Orange Pekoe and then the Decaf Vanilla Comoro. ...

Once the weather starts to warm up I swap out my hot tea during the day for iced tea.  I still like my hot tea at breakfast, but, I just enjoy iced tea during the day.  I have made iced tea with various brands and with various types of tea.  I like fruity iced teas when it is very hot, but, for a normal day to day iced tea I love black iced tea.  I have made this with everything from english breakfast tea to lipton tea bags to find the perfect one.  I have to say, my favorite iced tea is Luzianne tea bags.  I know, the cheapest tea bags out there!  And, as a tea connoisseur I should scoff at the idea of using these types of bags.  I do make iced tea with loose-leafed tea, but, nothing beats good old Luzianne.  It is so refreshing with lemon (I don't add sugar to mine).  What do you like to use for your iced tea?

Todays Tea of the Day was Passion Tango Herbal Tea.  I have had this tea in the cabinet for a while, this is the first time I have brewed it!  According to Teavana's website, " Bright tropical notes of papaya and mango with bright citrus lemongrass with a hint of cinnamon."  The ingredient list is:  Hibiscus  flowers,  cinnamon , candied  papaya  pieces (papaya, sugar), rose hips, apple pieces, lemongrass, natural and artificial flavoring, blackberry leaves, candied   mango  pieces (mango, sugar), rose petals.  I prepared this in my Brevill Tea Maker according to herbal tea  preparations:  208 degrees for 5 minutes.  I put some Sugar in the Raw in it for the first cup but it was way too sweet.  Subsequent cups didn't have any sugar in them.  This tea is sweet and tart, I love it!  It is very reminiscent of Starbucks' Passon Tea.  This will be fantastic iced in the summer.  ...

As my love of tea has grown so has my love of pretty things to serve my tea in.  I have had my eye on the Yedi Housewares Inside Out Hearts tea set for some time.   I was late to the game on this one.  It was featured several years ago as one of Oprahs favorite things.  And, like most of Oprahs favorite things it sold out fairly quickly.  YediHouseware.com sells the set, however, I didn't want to pay that price.  I finally found the set at a site called WholeLatteLove.com.  This site had free shipping over $50 and I found a coupon as well.  I ordered this on a Thursday and it as here on Saturday!  Talk about fast shipping! The set came in a very pretty hat box and was well wrapped.  You get six cups and six heart-shaped saucers.  You can mix and match the colors.      A look inside the box that the set came packaged in After I got the set I then wished I had purchased the matching heart-shaped t...

It is a very snow day outside.  I for one am sick and tired of the snow.  We live in a pretty rural area and thus it is difficult to get in and out when it snows.  My husband does a fantastic job of keeping our drive clear but it inhibits Mr. Brown Pants (AKA the UPS man) from making deliveries.  Living out in the middle of nowhere I have to order most things online.  The funny thing is we are just an hour and a half train ride to downtown Chicago.  It is such a contrasting dynamic to live here in rural America and then be in the heart of one of the biggest cities in the U.S. in no time. At any rate, rural living and being a Stay at Home Mom does create certain challenges.  The nearest city large enough to do anything is 15 minutes away.  The city that I do my shopping in is 30 minutes away.  Needless to say, when I am cooking and forget an ingredient I am out of luck!  This takes a great deal of planning on my part to be prepared at a...