Every time I start to think I'm get a hold on things, getting my finances in order, the house cleaned up, health problems kicked to the curb--something always decides to swoop in out of the aether and knock my down a step or two. Or a whole flight.
The last couple of days have been like that. This weekend was rough. More than a little. Nothing life threatening or permanently damaging, just one of those weekends where crap just kept happening and I couldn't catch a break. Things are starting to even out, but it's going to be a while before we're back to "normal" and in the mean time I'm frazzled, exhausted, and pretty much at the end of my rope.
On the bright side, as I'm writing this, our house is cool enough that I've turned off two of our fans for the first time in ages. I'm enjoying the (relative) quiet (there are still at least three running, plus the dryer). I'm celebrating...by drinking my favorite English tea. I'm nothing if not contrary.
Today, I needed some comfort. How about you?
Showing posts with label tea. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tea. Show all posts
Monday, July 22, 2013
Monday, April 29, 2013
Steampunk Week: Tea for Two
A while back, I did a post all about my favorite teas. Since then we've moved from our little apartment into a nice house, and the tea stash has also expanded. I won't tell you how many varieties of tea are in the tea cupboard now (yes, we have an entire cupboard dedicated just to tea. Oh, and there's some hot chocolate in there, too).
Here are a few favorites from the current stash:
Celestial Seasonings Country Peach Passion I'm usually not a fan of fruit flavored teas, but I make an exception for peach. This is one of my favorites, though it has to battle The Republic of Tea's Ginger Peach. We don't have any of the latter in the house right now, but it's my special treat when we go to Panara Bread.
Of course, we still have the Ahmad, which is our go-to tea around here. The first box ran out long ago, and I was desperately searching online. The manufacturer's website offers it for £17.50, plus international shipping to the US. Whew! No thanks. That is one expensive cuppa! Thankfully, I ventured into a local Middle Eastern/Mediterranean market that we have about a mile or two from the house, and lo and behold, an entire shelf of Ahmad teas, all different varieties, was right by the front door! I think I wound up paying $4.50 for a box of 100 tea bags, which is much more my speed.
The Ahmad English Tea No. 1 is our standard, but I also found a tin of loose leaf Darjeeling, though I haven't tried that one yet. I should. You know, for science.
Shockingly, one of the best black teas I've found came from HomeGoods. I bought it mostly because of the tins, which are adorable, but the tea itself is fantastic--no cream or sugar required. Not bad, considering I paid $3.99 for three little containers!
The brand is "New English Teas," though generally you won't find it on the box. This is an example of some of their packaging. Each tin is a different flavor (we have Breakfast, Afternoon, English, and London varieties--all very similar). Some packages include one or two of the small tins, plus a longer one. The long ones have bagged tea, and I like to keep that in my locker at work, since loose leaf is not very practical on a 15 minute break in a shared kitchen.
It's not tea, but my last, favorite thing in the tea cupboard is actually a can of hot cocoa mix. When the weather was really cold and I was feeling down, I'd mix myself up the following concoction to get myself going in the morning. It tastes just like my mom's signature cake, and it's very comforting on a bad day.
-fill a mug with milk (I like whole milk but whatever you prefer). Heat in the microwave for 2-3 minutes (less, if your microwave is more powerful than our cheap-o one).
-stir in 3 scoops of Archer Farms mint hot chocolate mix (found at Target. 'Cuz I'm high class like that).
-Add 1/2 packet of instant coffee crystals (I use Foldgers, because it's what we have, but there might be other kinds out there. I don't know. I'm more of a tea/chocolate person).
And that's it. That right there is my absolute favorite thing to have in the morning. By using the whole milk, it's a little more filling than using water or skim milk or whatever other percentage, so I'll just have a cup of that with some banana bread or something and that's a decent breakfast.
Maybe another day, I'll share Missouri's recipe for Italian-style hot chocolate. It's a little more work, but oh my god. You haven't lived until you've had the southern European version of hot chocolate. It kicks the instant kind's ass.
Here are a few favorites from the current stash:
Celestial Seasonings Country Peach Passion I'm usually not a fan of fruit flavored teas, but I make an exception for peach. This is one of my favorites, though it has to battle The Republic of Tea's Ginger Peach. We don't have any of the latter in the house right now, but it's my special treat when we go to Panara Bread.
Of course, we still have the Ahmad, which is our go-to tea around here. The first box ran out long ago, and I was desperately searching online. The manufacturer's website offers it for £17.50, plus international shipping to the US. Whew! No thanks. That is one expensive cuppa! Thankfully, I ventured into a local Middle Eastern/Mediterranean market that we have about a mile or two from the house, and lo and behold, an entire shelf of Ahmad teas, all different varieties, was right by the front door! I think I wound up paying $4.50 for a box of 100 tea bags, which is much more my speed.
The Ahmad English Tea No. 1 is our standard, but I also found a tin of loose leaf Darjeeling, though I haven't tried that one yet. I should. You know, for science.
Shockingly, one of the best black teas I've found came from HomeGoods. I bought it mostly because of the tins, which are adorable, but the tea itself is fantastic--no cream or sugar required. Not bad, considering I paid $3.99 for three little containers!
The brand is "New English Teas," though generally you won't find it on the box. This is an example of some of their packaging. Each tin is a different flavor (we have Breakfast, Afternoon, English, and London varieties--all very similar). Some packages include one or two of the small tins, plus a longer one. The long ones have bagged tea, and I like to keep that in my locker at work, since loose leaf is not very practical on a 15 minute break in a shared kitchen.
It's not tea, but my last, favorite thing in the tea cupboard is actually a can of hot cocoa mix. When the weather was really cold and I was feeling down, I'd mix myself up the following concoction to get myself going in the morning. It tastes just like my mom's signature cake, and it's very comforting on a bad day.
-fill a mug with milk (I like whole milk but whatever you prefer). Heat in the microwave for 2-3 minutes (less, if your microwave is more powerful than our cheap-o one).
-stir in 3 scoops of Archer Farms mint hot chocolate mix (found at Target. 'Cuz I'm high class like that).
-Add 1/2 packet of instant coffee crystals (I use Foldgers, because it's what we have, but there might be other kinds out there. I don't know. I'm more of a tea/chocolate person).
And that's it. That right there is my absolute favorite thing to have in the morning. By using the whole milk, it's a little more filling than using water or skim milk or whatever other percentage, so I'll just have a cup of that with some banana bread or something and that's a decent breakfast.
Maybe another day, I'll share Missouri's recipe for Italian-style hot chocolate. It's a little more work, but oh my god. You haven't lived until you've had the southern European version of hot chocolate. It kicks the instant kind's ass.
Friday, October 5, 2012
A Cozy endeavor
I never used to understand tea cozies. I started drinking tea in high
school, but like most of my friends I prepared it one mug at a time in
the microwave, or, later, used the hot tap on the bottled water cooler.
That cooler--and the influence of a tea-obsessed roommate--are what got me using a stovetop kettle. There's something in the ritual of kettle made tea versus the microwave--not unlike the difference between a typewriter and a word processor.
Then there's this:
My tetsubin has been getting a bigger workout in the past year than it has since I bought it back in high school. This one is rather small, but surprisingly holds 3-4 cups of tea, and keeps it hot until I get to that forth cup.
If you like tea, then I highly recommend getting one of these. They can be a bit pricy. I usually see this size go for between $30-45 at the local Japanese market, but I got mine from Marshalls for $20 or $25 (they don't show up there very often, however). They're sturdy, compact, pretty to look at, keep the water hotter for longer than a traditional teapot, and last for ages.
Since mine is lined with enamel (which technically makes it a kyusu, or teapot, rather than a kettle) it can't be heated over direct flame. That's fine by me, since I like my whistling kettle just as well and would probably burn myself on this one. I nearly do that anyway, since it absorbs heat so well.
Which brings me to my next knitting project: A tea cozy.
Up until about six months ago, I didn't get tea cozies. Why would someone go through all of the trouble of knitting a fancy sweater for a teapot that, in all likelihood, is already quite decorative? It called to mind tacky toiled roll covers and those crocheted Barbie dresses, or the dolls that are essentially an empty crocheted dress with a plastic head and arms sticking out.
This Hobbit Hole tea cozy (you may need a Ravelry account to view that) started to warm me up to the idea, just because it was so different, but it still wasn't a project I'd want to take on myself. You see, I don't like most of the elaborate cozies I've seen. They're kitschy, knitting for knit's sake, impractical, and quite frankly bring to mind all of those awful handmade gifts that get foisted on you as a child--itchy sweaters, ponchos in colors from the 70s, and the aforementioned toilet roll covers. Tacky, in other words.
But...after nearly burning myself every time I poured a cup of tea, I started to sing a different tune.
I still don't know what pattern or style I'm going to use. It will most likely be plain, in simple colors to match my kitchen. With one project off the needles though, I can now spare the time to start drafting up some ideas.
And perhaps pour a cup of tea while I work.
That cooler--and the influence of a tea-obsessed roommate--are what got me using a stovetop kettle. There's something in the ritual of kettle made tea versus the microwave--not unlike the difference between a typewriter and a word processor.
Then there's this:
My tetsubin has been getting a bigger workout in the past year than it has since I bought it back in high school. This one is rather small, but surprisingly holds 3-4 cups of tea, and keeps it hot until I get to that forth cup.
If you like tea, then I highly recommend getting one of these. They can be a bit pricy. I usually see this size go for between $30-45 at the local Japanese market, but I got mine from Marshalls for $20 or $25 (they don't show up there very often, however). They're sturdy, compact, pretty to look at, keep the water hotter for longer than a traditional teapot, and last for ages.
Since mine is lined with enamel (which technically makes it a kyusu, or teapot, rather than a kettle) it can't be heated over direct flame. That's fine by me, since I like my whistling kettle just as well and would probably burn myself on this one. I nearly do that anyway, since it absorbs heat so well.
Which brings me to my next knitting project: A tea cozy.
Up until about six months ago, I didn't get tea cozies. Why would someone go through all of the trouble of knitting a fancy sweater for a teapot that, in all likelihood, is already quite decorative? It called to mind tacky toiled roll covers and those crocheted Barbie dresses, or the dolls that are essentially an empty crocheted dress with a plastic head and arms sticking out.
This Hobbit Hole tea cozy (you may need a Ravelry account to view that) started to warm me up to the idea, just because it was so different, but it still wasn't a project I'd want to take on myself. You see, I don't like most of the elaborate cozies I've seen. They're kitschy, knitting for knit's sake, impractical, and quite frankly bring to mind all of those awful handmade gifts that get foisted on you as a child--itchy sweaters, ponchos in colors from the 70s, and the aforementioned toilet roll covers. Tacky, in other words.
But...after nearly burning myself every time I poured a cup of tea, I started to sing a different tune.
I still don't know what pattern or style I'm going to use. It will most likely be plain, in simple colors to match my kitchen. With one project off the needles though, I can now spare the time to start drafting up some ideas.
And perhaps pour a cup of tea while I work.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Out Sick, or, Fueling the Writerbeast
Other than writing, there is one thing that writers frequently excel at: procrastination.
Case in point: I should be working on one of my ongoing projects (two of which need written and two need editing), or one of my knitting projects (two of which are so far past the deadline it's not even funny anymore), or finishing the library book that I've exhausted the renewals on and am still less than half done with, or refreshing my memory on The Hanged Man's Ghost so I can write that review I promised Missouri ages ago, or working on the next "How do you write" blog post that should have gone in this space instead.
But instead, I thought I'd talk to you all about tea.
This is partially because I have only left my bed to go to work this week, having been laid up with a fever and sore throat that necessitated a lot of tea and ice water drinking. I've spent most of this week writing and knitting and need a bit of a break--a tea break, if you will. I'm also in the middle of sampling a new tea I picked up at work, and, well, I thought I might warn you all.
This is the tea corner of our little apartment:
Into that cramped, awkward space we have no less than fourteen varieties of tea, plus three different kinds of hot chocolate (this is what comes of having two writers/anglophiles in the house).
One might argue that this is an awful lot of hot beverage options. After all, don't most people just buy a bag or a can of their favorite coffee and leave it at that?
Like a woman and her shoes, never come between a writer and her tea, unless you want to hear a justification of every single one (but I'll be nice and just give you the highlights):
One of my favorites is this vanilla creme spice I bought at work and have not seen since. It's very sweet and just perfect on it's own. I like to have a cup before bed sometimes, or when I want something sweet without resorting to junk food.
Around that same time I bought a can of pumpkin spice. This one I drink mostly in the fall for obvious reasons, and with a little cream and sugar it tastes like pumpkin pie.
Inside that blue tin is a selection of green teas, my favorite of which is the mint green. These were a gift, and I don't drink them often. There is a packet of oolong in there though, that I've been wanting to try.
Most of what is left is the result of our Never Ending Quest for True British Tea, which is difficult to find in our corner of the world. For the uninitiated, let me explain:
While traveling the UK and Ireland in college, Missouri and I developed the habit of stopping every day for a cup of tea at various cafes around London, Bath, Dublin, and Edinburgh. It's a wonderful tradition that we happily took up, sampling the various treats that afternoon tea entails. On our return to the States, we were devastated to find that none of the teas available in the grocery store were up to par, coming out bitter when allowed to steep, and too weak when the bag was removed early. Thus began our quest.
Thankfully, I work for a retailer that gets a lot of imported snack food, and that allowed us a chance to sample several varieties. For a while the favorite was Oxbridge Afternoon Tea (for which I cannot find an online purveyor), until Missouri was gifted with a box of Ahmed by a client, and it is amazing. Our one remaining concession to American black tea is the Luzienne, which is reserved only for iced tea. (Missouri's recipe, which is WONDERFUL: 1 kettle boiling water, poured over 2 trays of ice, 4 tea bags, and 1.5 cups of sugar. Stir until everything melts/dissolves. Slice 2 clementines in half, squeeze the juice into the pitcher and drop the halves in. Put in the fridge, and serve chilled).
Whatever you do, don't let that box of London Cuppa fool you. It does not taste like the English tea a know, and has the bitter aftertaste of teas from this side of the pond.
My favorite way to drink tea? Black tea with two sugars with cream, if you please, or just honey for an herbal or green tea out of one of these cups. They're imitation, but the pattern matches an heirloom set of my mother's almost exactly. I found the set of six, plus two creamers and sugar bowl at a local thrift store for $10.
Case in point: I should be working on one of my ongoing projects (two of which need written and two need editing), or one of my knitting projects (two of which are so far past the deadline it's not even funny anymore), or finishing the library book that I've exhausted the renewals on and am still less than half done with, or refreshing my memory on The Hanged Man's Ghost so I can write that review I promised Missouri ages ago, or working on the next "How do you write" blog post that should have gone in this space instead.
But instead, I thought I'd talk to you all about tea.
This is partially because I have only left my bed to go to work this week, having been laid up with a fever and sore throat that necessitated a lot of tea and ice water drinking. I've spent most of this week writing and knitting and need a bit of a break--a tea break, if you will. I'm also in the middle of sampling a new tea I picked up at work, and, well, I thought I might warn you all.
This is the tea corner of our little apartment:
Into that cramped, awkward space we have no less than fourteen varieties of tea, plus three different kinds of hot chocolate (this is what comes of having two writers/anglophiles in the house).
One might argue that this is an awful lot of hot beverage options. After all, don't most people just buy a bag or a can of their favorite coffee and leave it at that?
Like a woman and her shoes, never come between a writer and her tea, unless you want to hear a justification of every single one (but I'll be nice and just give you the highlights):
One of my favorites is this vanilla creme spice I bought at work and have not seen since. It's very sweet and just perfect on it's own. I like to have a cup before bed sometimes, or when I want something sweet without resorting to junk food.
Around that same time I bought a can of pumpkin spice. This one I drink mostly in the fall for obvious reasons, and with a little cream and sugar it tastes like pumpkin pie.
Inside that blue tin is a selection of green teas, my favorite of which is the mint green. These were a gift, and I don't drink them often. There is a packet of oolong in there though, that I've been wanting to try.
Most of what is left is the result of our Never Ending Quest for True British Tea, which is difficult to find in our corner of the world. For the uninitiated, let me explain:
While traveling the UK and Ireland in college, Missouri and I developed the habit of stopping every day for a cup of tea at various cafes around London, Bath, Dublin, and Edinburgh. It's a wonderful tradition that we happily took up, sampling the various treats that afternoon tea entails. On our return to the States, we were devastated to find that none of the teas available in the grocery store were up to par, coming out bitter when allowed to steep, and too weak when the bag was removed early. Thus began our quest.
Thankfully, I work for a retailer that gets a lot of imported snack food, and that allowed us a chance to sample several varieties. For a while the favorite was Oxbridge Afternoon Tea (for which I cannot find an online purveyor), until Missouri was gifted with a box of Ahmed by a client, and it is amazing. Our one remaining concession to American black tea is the Luzienne, which is reserved only for iced tea. (Missouri's recipe, which is WONDERFUL: 1 kettle boiling water, poured over 2 trays of ice, 4 tea bags, and 1.5 cups of sugar. Stir until everything melts/dissolves. Slice 2 clementines in half, squeeze the juice into the pitcher and drop the halves in. Put in the fridge, and serve chilled).
Whatever you do, don't let that box of London Cuppa fool you. It does not taste like the English tea a know, and has the bitter aftertaste of teas from this side of the pond.
My favorite way to drink tea? Black tea with two sugars with cream, if you please, or just honey for an herbal or green tea out of one of these cups. They're imitation, but the pattern matches an heirloom set of my mother's almost exactly. I found the set of six, plus two creamers and sugar bowl at a local thrift store for $10.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Tea Break
When last I visited London, we had a daily ritual of restoring ourselves with a pot of tea in true English fashion (okay, so it usually came from Costa and was an excuse to sit down someplace for a half hour or so out of the elements and rest for reasonably cheap, but the point stands). Upon our return to the states, we lamented the poor state of American tea at length to each other every time we wanted something hot to drink.
For those unfamiliar with the differences between American and English tea, American tea is bitter, even with sugar, a problem which gets worse the longer you let it steep. It's English counterpart however, tends to be sweeter, even without sugar. I've even noticed this difference within the same brand, depending on which side of the pond it was purchased (Twinnings is a good example of this; we had a lovely cup of their breakfast tea in London, but when I bought a box of it here in the states it was horrible).
This latest obsession with tea is probably rooted in my choice of listening material on my recently trebled commute to work. For long drives, I've discovered that talking is preferable to music because then I avoid the temptation to fiddle with the radio or my ipod every four and a half minutes. My latest selection is the London-based knitting podcast, Electric Sheep (can be found in itunes). Before you non-knitters dismiss it based on fiber content, the hostess is quite funny and I highly encourage everyone to listen to episode 16, Tea and Sympathy, before passing judgment (episode 13, Heroes and Legends, is also quite good and nearly caused a traffic accident because I was laughing so hard).
The podcast, combined with my natural wanderlust, has produced a burning desire in the past two weeks to visit London again. I even looked up some flights and found several for very reasonable, and one I was loath to pass up ($791 flying via KLM--in my opinion, one of the best airlines out there as far as customer service. If you can, always fly with a European line. They'll treat you a hundred times better than an American one). Alas, I must pinch my pennies too tightly right now to permit a trans-atlantic vacation. I haven't even been to a yarn shop in I don't know how long, forget Europe.
Thus, I must content myself with tea. My current favorite is Oxbridge's Afternoon Tea, which is the closest I've been able to find to what we had in London, and is just lovely with a bit of milk or cream and some sugar. There's also a variety of Yorkshire tea I've seen at work that I want to try, but every time I go looking for it I can't find it. We'll likely be overloaded on it come Christmas, if this year is anything like last, and I might grab a box or two then.
Anyone else want to join me for a tea break and some knitting? Bring your typewriter, too, and we can make an afternoon of it.
For those unfamiliar with the differences between American and English tea, American tea is bitter, even with sugar, a problem which gets worse the longer you let it steep. It's English counterpart however, tends to be sweeter, even without sugar. I've even noticed this difference within the same brand, depending on which side of the pond it was purchased (Twinnings is a good example of this; we had a lovely cup of their breakfast tea in London, but when I bought a box of it here in the states it was horrible).
This latest obsession with tea is probably rooted in my choice of listening material on my recently trebled commute to work. For long drives, I've discovered that talking is preferable to music because then I avoid the temptation to fiddle with the radio or my ipod every four and a half minutes. My latest selection is the London-based knitting podcast, Electric Sheep (can be found in itunes). Before you non-knitters dismiss it based on fiber content, the hostess is quite funny and I highly encourage everyone to listen to episode 16, Tea and Sympathy, before passing judgment (episode 13, Heroes and Legends, is also quite good and nearly caused a traffic accident because I was laughing so hard).
The podcast, combined with my natural wanderlust, has produced a burning desire in the past two weeks to visit London again. I even looked up some flights and found several for very reasonable, and one I was loath to pass up ($791 flying via KLM--in my opinion, one of the best airlines out there as far as customer service. If you can, always fly with a European line. They'll treat you a hundred times better than an American one). Alas, I must pinch my pennies too tightly right now to permit a trans-atlantic vacation. I haven't even been to a yarn shop in I don't know how long, forget Europe.
Thus, I must content myself with tea. My current favorite is Oxbridge's Afternoon Tea, which is the closest I've been able to find to what we had in London, and is just lovely with a bit of milk or cream and some sugar. There's also a variety of Yorkshire tea I've seen at work that I want to try, but every time I go looking for it I can't find it. We'll likely be overloaded on it come Christmas, if this year is anything like last, and I might grab a box or two then.
Anyone else want to join me for a tea break and some knitting? Bring your typewriter, too, and we can make an afternoon of it.
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