Monthly Archives: August 2018

I Wish I Could Review Them All…

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DocsIcedTeaDisplay

…And in time I will, but Doc’s Tea is giving me that feeling of joy, that I not only discovered something new, but something legitimately healthy, and still tastes great, tastes sweet, and tastes like summer.

I choose to acknowledge that we’re still in August.  Because we are. I’m going to focus on as many iced and cold beverages as I can, in this limited window of time, before we head to the next batch of drinks.  I’m already seeing signs of it and I can say it’s disheartening, it’s what it is, or it’s what it is…

It’s beautiful out.  Life is beautiful.  I look back on this particular day as one of discovery and I wasn’t really looking.   Isn’t that the best?  But if you do want to look and to find Doc’s, here is a list of locations.  My discovery was at a nearby Whole Foods.

With all the choices to make, I went with the two that seemed the most fitting to me, and for summertime.  Yes I’m all about summer and as I tend to keep saying, where did it go?  Where did the time go?  Seriously.  It’s all relative and has been moving at a constant, but this felt so bad.  Life is moving too fast.  Let me slow down before I forget about my thoughts on these incredible teas.

DocsTeas

The Pomegranate Acai and the Island Coconut are loaded with so much good, so much soul, spirit, and feeling that you can’t believe that this is good for you.  Well it’s good for you.

DocsInfo

Both these teas, along with all, are made with Rooibos Tea (which I love so much) and Monk Fruit (which I now love so much).  This is knowingly my first time experiencing something this amazing fruit from Asia, that makes me asks a lot of questions.  But I don’t want to ask too many.  I should just appreciate it for what it is in that moment, and as I write about it now.  How could something so sweet be out of my radar for so long?  Have we only started using Monk Fruit as a sugar alternative?  Whatever the case, this makes this iced tea stand out among the endless of amount of choices.

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I love Acai, and pomegranate, and to have this be so real, so natural, and so easy to drink is something to behold with all the senses.  Phenomenal.

DocsIslandCoconut

The same goes for the Island Coconut.  How is this possible?  Coconut water has become popular in at least the last decade, but not like this.  This is the best tasting coconut water I can remember.  Mixed in with Rooibos and it’s an absolute delight.  I can’t put even into words how amazing this is.  Even though I just said some words, I’m still speechless.  The store is closed as I write this, so I can’t have any right now, and that makes me sad.  But there’s always tomorrow!

DocsIcedTeaSunflower

But drinking these gems of iced teas won’t make anyone sad.  This is some of the best bottled tea I’ve ever had.  And I’ve had a lot.  We all have.  I might be overstating things and overly excited but that’s the point of this.  I feel good and grateful to be writing about something so beautiful.  All of this is beautiful.

As is their story…

DocsAbout

The amazing folks behind this comprise of dentists and a dental hygienist.  It’s a family, it’s a team of marvels, it’s a group of geniuses.  This is genius, and the story behind this makes me want to do something this awesome.  There’s fruits and other entities of the earth that are untouched, or barely touched that are just waiting to be discovered, explored, and created, like these amazing teas have been.

I’m inspired, and so will you.

If and when I write about them, the words may be slightly different, but the sentiments will remain the same.

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First class and world class…

Stay healthy and peace be with you…

Ideen

 

Matcha The Year

Tea 2 Comments

MatchLoveIcedTeaDisplay

Everything has a reason, has its place, and has its well something.  I think I’ve said this before and said it in these exact words in this universe or another.  I can’t say for sure.  But what I do know is it feels good to be noticed, and it feels good to be acknowledged, and then it feels good to noticed.  I know I just said that.

I had my eyes set on writing about iced tea today, and this may go on for a while.  I make no promises or guarantee, but that’s what my heart is telling me.  So there may be more than just the weekly post at some points.  I can only hope.

But today just felt right and felt so good.. At my local supermarket the choices are endless, the possibilities might make you freeze a little (if you let it), and overthinking may lead to the wrong, or sometimes the best decision of you life.

Yes that was meant to be as dramatic as it sounded.

Someone noticed how intense I was with my bottled tea search. I mean I could not make up my mind.  This is where the multiple posts may come in.  I love what I ended up with.

And it was this suggestion that made the answer easier for me.  I’m all for ideas.  Sometimes they come to me, sometimes I do flip a coin, and sometimes it’s the outside world that say just go with it.  Here we go…

So this person, who requests they remain anonymous, was intrigued by the bottled teas from ITO EN (which I did write about in a different place and time nearly three years ago, but the article seems to have lost something, literally).

I love how things work out like how they should.  I have a love for many things Japan, I love Matcha, I love this brand, and per everything that’s been going on the past few weeks, I hope someone gets the not-so-obscure reference of my title.  If you’re curious, don’t hesitate to ask.  No, I mean you can really ask me! 🙂

MatchaLoveIcedTea

The two drinks I’ll discuss are the Matcha Love Japanese Matcha & Ginger,  and then the Ice-Steeped Cold Brew Slightly Sweet Lemon Matcha & Green Tea.

All the ingredients and information has been presented to you in the links above and in pictures.

MatchaLoveIcedTeaMatcha&Ginger

I do think that if you aren’t a fan of matcha and ginger, you aren’t going to love the former.  This is best served iced, and served cold.  I’m overstating the obvious but it can only help if you are looking to try something else.  I enjoy it but understand this is an acquired taste, and if you can’t drink it then I wouldn’t force the issues.

I don’t know what else to compare it too. I like it, but that’s because I love matcha and all the properties and benefits that come with it.  That harsh taste comes with so much goodness on the other side.  And I’ve grown to adore it.  No sugars necessary. The best ingredients in the world (purified water, organic green tea, organic matcha, and ginger root) will do anyone a world of favors.  So if you want to try, you’ll be doing yourself a huge favor.

Yet at $2.50 it may be steep for some, but it’s worth a little extra investment.

MatchaLoveIcedTeaColdBrewSlightlySweet

Same can be said for the slightly sweet. The cane sugar and organic lemon make this perfect for the spring, summer, and yes right now.  I say that a lot, but it’s true.  This is for the moment.  The sugar content is low enough, yet just sweet enough that this will make any sweet tooth happy.

Both these drink are to be savored, appreciated, and should be consumed in a way that makes you feel good, otherwise there’s no point.

There’s a soul and magic to this that I want to explore further.  And as you can see, there’s no shortage of products from this charming company.

To find them at another store near you, click here. 

Additionally, you can order everything online.

Beautiful. All of this is beautiful.  Five stars and above.  This is a matcha and would be a main eventer at any party or gathering in the world.

Take good care.

Love,

Ideen

 

 

I’m So Grateful For This

Tea 1 Comment

KombuchaDisplay

There are days where I feel lost, and have no idea what I’m going to write about.  In some instances I’ll start to worry that maybe it’s not meant to be this week.   That has only happened sparingly.  Worrying doesn’t accomplish anything.  I still do it knowing it has no benefits.  If that’s part of what keeps me going and motivating then that’s what I’ve created and is what I’m used to.

The positive contrary is relaxing, letting things come to you, being at peace, and being on with the universe, with myself, and everything.  I think I just repeated myself.

Leave it to Trader Joe’s to help with that peace.  The store that has brought me to so much joy way before writing about all this always comes through when needed, and when I’m not looking.

A few days ago another random visit (sometimes that’s how it is) brought me to my beloved store, and while scanning the tea section, I noticed something….

I’ve written a lot about them and for a split second felt like there was nothing left at this time.  At least in terms of the season.

But I didn’t sweat it.  What is the point in sweating any of this?  It’s not that serious even though I tend to make it as such.   The stories and my love of tea (and your love of anything) is about enjoying life and enjoying everything possible.    Putting yourself out there, while allowing entities to find you is the most beautiful thing.  And it happened again seconds later.

TraderJoesKombucha

Their seasonal kombucha aisle is perfect right now and perfect so many other right nows, and thens, and futures too.  The timing was perfect because I’m not sure how much longer the Organic Mango or the Pomegranate Hibiscus will be at a store near you.

Just like I feel I got in those holiday themed kombuchas down to the wire, I’m grateful to be sharing my thoughts with you on two that just echo what makes this Summer so great.

And some sweet treats never hurt either.

MangoKombuchaGlass

The Organic Mango is so beautiful in all the beautiful ways.  It’s easy to drink, easy to look at, and easy to appreciate.  That color is gorgeous.  I sincerely mean easy to drink because some kombucha beverages may be too much for some.   The cultures, the probiotics, and the fermentation may be a combination that might be too harsh.

MangoKombucha

This is anything but harsh, even though I haven’t had many I didn’t like.  I will say that at least for me, it takes time to drink this.  A bottle can last me a few days.  And it can last you a while too.  That’s the beaut of this.

PomegranateHibiscusKombuchaGlass

I seemed to get more of the mango taste then I did of the pomegranate but that’s reaching for a complain where they really shouldn’t be. The latter also radiates with such a beautiful color that you really can’t go wrong with either.  You can only do right by both.

PomegranateHibiscusKombucha

I had some fun here, pouring them into fancy teacups.  That was about all I needed for today, based on what I was saying earlier.  This is to be savored.

Savoring is what I did with charming cookies that don’t necessarily pair with said beverages, but it doesn’t matter.  Like I was saying earlier, this is fun, this is joyful, and it’s blissful.

Drinking savory tea and kombucha is one of those simple and heartwarming things that almost shields me from things.  It’s a source of protection, comfort, and a feeling of home.  I love happiness and this makes me happy.

At under $3, this is as affordable as you’re going to find, when comparing to similar beverages.

I’m so grateful about all of this.  All it took was a little faith, some trust in myself, the universe, and to feel good about things.   This means a lot now but as time goes by, the stories I first share with myself but then with close friends and an audience is going to feel timeless.

Yes I get sentimental while in the moment, but I can’t think of a better way to appreciate the moment.  I’m overstating the obvious but it’s one of many instances I must tell myself that things are ok.

It’s more than ok…

Stay healthy,

Ideen