Simple, Tranquil, Peaceful

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You know there’s the simple joy of heating up that tea kettle, seeing all that steam, and hearing it whistle.   You pour the hot water into a cup, with a bag, loose tea, or however you do your tea already in place; and then you sip.   That’s simple, it’s joyful, and it’s one of those things I never want to take for granted.

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Then there’s the simplicity and happiness in adding a few extra ingredients, to take tea to another level of all those wonderful things I’ve alluded too.  And while winter is winding down, and the temperatures start to rise, there’s still time to appreciate a cozy drink in a pleasant, safe, and just as cozy environment.  Of course I’ve talking about a latte.

This was a suggestion from a dear friend to try, sip, and relax with this latte, over the course of a day of doing nothing, or as some might say, professional chilling.  That’s an official term by the way.

I take no credit for this beverage.  My friend did all the work, even though she suggested we try it together.  I knew I would not be involved in the prepping.  It’s just one of those things.  I’ll leave it to the experts, and I’ll do my best to write about it.

The Chamomile Lavender Latte is immediate peace, immediate harmony, and immediate (fill in the blank).   I’ve mentioned in the past how lavender is such a calming scent, that the affects are immediate, and are more than a placebo.  When it hits your nose, your lips, your tongue, and all other parts, the feelings are transforming.

Life has become too hectic in many instances.  And we allowed this.  But as I say that, we can also allow ourselves all the easy going experiences available to as well.   Life is meant to be enjoyed, to be awesome, and to be extraordinary, not ordinary.

This late is extraordinary.  And while you see the ingredients used, of course you can use your own creativity.

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Yes, that’s lavender.  This is what puts the latte over the top, when it’s already pretty great to begin with.

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What I didn’t realize at the time is my friend used syrup over honey.  That’s a pleasant change, as I’ve grown accustomed to using honey (if I am to ever use anything) in my tea.  So this makes me even happier.

Non-dairy milk, and in this instance coconut almond was milk, is also a positive attribute, that I think using regular milk may not bring.   You see where the Chamomile tea is from, and I’ve had this tea on its own, and it’s fantastic.  But to see if mixed in with all these simple, and fantastic ingredients is a testament to the tea, and to all the components.

The whole does equal the sum of all parts.

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But the lavender flowers are the true highlight.   I mean look how gorgeous that is?  I look at these photos with such a heightened feeling of nostalgia and happiness, that I knew existed.

There’s those moments at the time where you know you will look back with such fondness that it will be forever etched in your mind, and within your spirit.   I felt this at the time, but then I feel it even more as I write this.  I can’t explain why, and some things don’t need that explanation.  It just feels good, it feels abundant, and all feels right.

We took our time sipping this.  And even when there might have been a rush to go to the next thing, is there really a rush?

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Those lavender flowers were almost too pretty to take in.  But I took them in, we took them in, and yes there’s multiple meanings to take in.

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This was incredible.  I’m grateful this is was my first experience with such a different take on tea, chai, or blend of so many wonders of nature, and the universe.  This was tremendous.

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This moment will never be forgotten.

Here’s to many more…

Ideen

 

Fly On…

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Oh man.  So yeah, Paromi Tea was a late Christmas gift from some dear friends I hadn’t seen in some time.   It’s one of the more unique tea packages you’ll find.  And if you like what you see on the outside, just wait…

I love Sachet’s, I love all kinds of way that tea is presented.  But Sachets are something else.  The pyramid or triangle shape gives a glimpse of all the amazing herbs, spices, fruits, and other amazing entities from this planet, and it’s all there for you to see, in all its glory.  It’s much different than you standard steeping tea bag.  This is an event.  And the way the bag opens up while it steeps is all part of this fantastic journey.

What else is does is you get a lot of beautiful colors rather quickly.  And the Chamomile Lavender Rooibos brings all the amazing things I just wrote about, and so much more.  Oh there’s more.

I’ve come across lavender a lot lately.  There’s so many things lavender, from scented trash bags (yes that’s correct), air fresheners, incense, oils, soaps, lotions and all that good stuff that keeps popping up into my life.   So it makes sense that I’m gifted this amazing tea, as my mind is drawn to and focused on lavender.  The universe works just like that.  Ask and you will receive.  Some things may take longer than others.   And yet not everything needs or has to be rushed.

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And after writing about one beautiful lavender flavored tea two weeks ago (which was no accident by the way, either), we come to this one.  So no more build up, but as I’ve said Paromi is doing something tremendous.

The ingredients, which are Fair Trade, organic, and from something much bigger than all of us, is just tremendous.  It’s a stellar blend of the aforementioned ingredient and a little vanilla flavor which is just understated enough to make this a meteoric and world class tea.

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And when the description says no more than five minutes of steeping, they’re not kidding.  This has some power to it.

I might be caught up in the fact that this was a gift.  But yes, I will get caught up in the fact that this was a gift. I’m grateful.  I would love this tea if I discovered it on my own, but I wasn’t supposed to.  I hadn’t heard of this until it was presented to me, in present form.   And that’s living in the present folks.  Yes, that was intentional.

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The days are getting longer.  Spring is rapidly approaching.  I’m contradicting what I just said about being in the moment, and present.   Yet, I do have a few Spring like pieces in these displays, just to get the happiness going.   We should always be happy, but sometimes the winter and the short days, will do something to people.

For me, it’s been strange.  I could go back and look at all my previous stories, and likely find positives in all of them.  Maybe so much.   Lately, it’s easy to find all the positives but with a more realistic tone.   Life has been funny for me.  It’s been funny for a many of my peers, our peers, and people we’ve yet to meet.   It can be chaotic, stressful, and sometimes overwhelming.   One day it’s great, the next day it’s an experience.  And we go to bed with those feelings and wake up hoping each day is better, is great, and is going to transform into something good.

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But to ease the stress, a little help might be needed.  This tea did something to me today.  Lavender has its calming tendencies.  And that easily could be it.  Yet I had some moments standing outside, where the synopsis even says, a lot of things just faded and melted away.

This feeling, among other things, inspired the title for this post.

I stood outside, took my photos, but then I just kept standing there.  There was still lots of daylight, maybe no sunlight, but lots of time to still appreciate what I’m looking at, and feeling.  I saw beautiful animal friends, grass, I saw trees, nature, thing maybe not so natural, but everything felt fine.

Something hit me.  It may fleeting, because feelings tend to do that, if you let them.  Feelings can be fickle.  But, for a few minutes I felt comfortable with me, in my own skin, and the universe.  It felt good.  I want that feeling all the time.  I have this tea to thank, my friends to thank, and I always owe it something much bigger than us.  I’m going to say that a lot.  It just comes to me, naturally….

For more on Paromi , here is their story, where you can find their teas, and to purchase online.

At $10 a bottle, that may seen steep (ha) to some.  But trust me, it’s well worth the investment.

And I know I’ll be making another investment soon.

Peace Be With You.

Ideen

Your “I Love You”

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So we got to February rather quickly.  Actually in a way it feels like time has always been moving at the rate, or at a faster or slower place, depending on your situation or how you’re feeling.   All I know is this month means a lot of things to a lot of people.  I know there’s some holidays that depending on your beliefs and situation’ you either embrace, don’t care about, or don’t even think about.   Maybe it’s a combination of all of the above, or none of this at all.

This past Sunday I was at one of my local grocery stores’, without realizing that it’s one of the busier, and more hectic days to be at such a place.  I was oblivious to that fact until I walked in.   Instead of feeling despondent and disheartened (which I initially felt at first), I embraced it.  Everyone is there for the same and different reasons.  People want to get there stuff and get the heck out of there.  For others it’s a highlight to their weekend.  So who am I to question that?

Little did I know that I would make a wonderful discovery.   This is one of those weeks where I didn’t actually know what tea or what tea related story I would write about.  I didn’t sweat it, I didn’t force the issue, and I just let it come to me.  In this case, it found me.  And I’m so grateful it did.

We’re only about a week away from Valentine’s Day.  For some it’s a something to celebrate and embrace.  For others it’s not to take seriously.  It’s just another day.  And to another segment it may breed contempt and dissatisfaction.   I tend to fall into all of those categories, or have been over the years.

But love comes in many forms.  It’s not just a love for a person, romantically.  It’s a love for your friends, family, your pets, the universe; but most of all, yourself.  When you love yourself its easier to love others.   And I do think its easier to love others over ones self many a time.  I might be guilty.

But with all this talk of love, leads to one of the better teas you’re going to find.   How I’m just getting to writing about Pukka and one of their fine teas is one of those things I just can’t explain.  Maybe I’ve had a cup and not realized.  Maybe it was worth before I start writing.  Whatever the case, it has led me here and has led me to the exquisite Love Tea.  I love that it’s called Love.  There’s no pun there, I promise you.

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But this is just as beautiful as the name implies.  The flavors of chamomile, lavender, and elderflower are as lovely as a blend as you’re going to find.  Oh my goodness.  This is meant to be drank hot and I think I heated this just a little more than I intended, and I think it came out that much better.

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That color illuminates and it paired perfectly with some sweet treats.  But you could easily have it withing nothing at all.  I prefer most of cups of tea to be savored in all their glory by itself, but a little cookie or pastry never hurt anybody.

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So in my own way, I celebrated this forthcoming holiday with a display of things that might make you happy, and some that make me happy.

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I’ve always had a love for our animal friends, and any depiction or illustration makes me happy and feel good as well.  It’s the timeless images that will last with us forever.  And to me that’s love.  It’s not meant to be reserved for a single day or a single event.

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There’s more than enough good, more than enough love, and more than enough love to go around.

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This tea brought me so much joy and I felt love, and I’m not sure from exactly where.  I don’t need to know nor do I have to know.  I just know it was there.

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And after reading this story, it’s beautiful to know that there’s a story of true love that inspired this tea.

To find out more about Pukka Herbs, here is a list of all their teas (including Love which is in the Relax grouping of teas), their mission,  a section on our well being, and  something inspirational.

To get in touch you can find them here. And I’ve seen their teas in many grocery stores and retailers so it should be easy to find.

I took way to long to write about Pukka.  I’m just getting started, I’m just getting warmed up, and I’m feeling even more love in the air as I keep writing this out to you.   That’s love.

I loved this tea and everything it symbolizes.  It resonates in me something beautiful.

I wish you a most wonderful day of love, not just on the 14th, but all days possible.  If I’m in a harmonious place, I will continue this love of love next week, and beyond.

Let’s do it again sometime.

Peace Be With You.

Ideen

 

This IS Living Tea.

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I didn’t know when or how I would write about Mother Kombucha, but it needed to happen now and the universe told me that today was the day.  Actually I had intended this after my kombucha post last week. So you can call this a segue or a continuation but I just call this a celebration of some of the best beverages Mother Nature has ever provided.  That wording was intentional by the way.

Nearly two months after visiting the great city of St. Petersburg, FL. I recall fondly how gorgeous, spacious, and welcoming Central Avenue was.  While visiting a friend who lived on that street, and meeting with friends throughout the week, I still had plenty of time to myself and to do my own thing.

There were hardly any plans (here is my tea history in the sunshine state thus far), other than knowing that I would love to try some tea, try something new, and try something fun, and then try some more tea.  I love going in blind and going in open-minded and seeing where life takes me.

I can’t say it enough, the tea culture and lifestyle on the Gulf Coast give me goose bumps.  It’s something truly special that I only hope to experience either back in Florida or somewhere just as breathtaking.

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Well what would you know, that this amazing coffee shop (which does have great coffee by the way) Intermezzo, which is footsteps away from where one of my closest friends now resides, would be where I discovered the Mother of all kombuchas.  Yes I could do this all day…

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I walked in on a gorgeous and supremely sunny day to this cozy and charming space not knowing what to expect.  When I walk into a coffee shop my curious mind always wonders about the tea list.  Now many also have their own loose leaf tea, or might carry a few standard label tea bags (which are perfectly fine by the way), maybe some more lavish brands of tea, or in this case the Lavender Mojito, which to say is incredible is a severe understatement.

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Before I could even let my the friendly server behind the counter finish her suggestions, like a boisterous child ordered the Lavender Mojito without any hesitation.

Thanks to my new friend (I humbly apologize for not remembering her name) she allowed me to take pictures of the inside, and enjoy my this iconic beverage outside on a peaceful day. While many others are working, I’m on vacation, so it was an early afternoon, it was a tad lonely, but in the same way it was needed peace and time to reflect.  If it weren’t for this blog I would hardly share this with anyone.

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There were no check-ins, no pictures, and no hints at the time that I was here.  And that’s just the way I wanted it.   I took my few pictures (or so I thought), and then I stopped. Because sipping something like this, being in your own universe, being around the sun, around random people saying hello, and enjoying my own company lies a feeling that everything is going to be ok.  It’s not just one of those things you have to believe, it’s one of those things you should believe.

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The thoughts going through my head were different than what I would feel at home.  I can’t explain it, I can hardly remember even what I was thinking about.  I did recall my tea was unbelievable.  It’s one of the easier ones I’ve ever had, and I would be saying this even if I had this on a regular basis at home.  But I rather make this larger-than-life, because it was.

The ingredients and information are presented to you below but all I can say is that if you live in a place nearby that sells this, do yourself a favor and grab yourself as much as you can.  That flavor, that color, that bottle, that label, oh my god.  What else needs to be said?  It’s ecstasy in a bottle.

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And the funny thing about being in your own ecstasy, I was the only one outside so for a while it felt like I was the only person on Earth.  After a while I noticed while taking photos a group of people drawing closer and closer to my location.   Then I noticed they all wore the same attire.  I don’t even remember who they were with or what they were about.  I hope someone can remind me.   But as they came near, if this were a bad movie or tv show the first thought would be to run.  However, this group was about spreading love, kindness, and hugs all around.  I got a bunch of hugs from people I’ve never met in my life and who knows if I will ever see again.  But it didn’t matter.  I was alone but I wasn’t, then I was alone again.  But I wasn’t lonely.  I felt good.   I took enough pictures that it may look like a flip-book or slide show for your enjoyment.

To say this made my Lavender Mojto Kombucha that much better would be one of those fabled understatements.

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After a little while I felt like it was the right time to go.  I’m grateful to Intermezzo for everything, and for letting me keep the bottle.

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I’m grateful for this experience, which will never happen this organically again.  It’ll have to be something else.  And that’s what makes this so beautiful.  This will continue next week, as this was not my only encounter with the Mother.

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Where I was staying was minutes from their headquarters, but they’re not open to the public for tours, as far as I know.  But I did get a picture anyways.  This is how I play tourist.

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But what I’ll get into next week is how a day after this awe-inspiring experience, was one at the Saturday Morning Market in Williams Park that I’ll only say is comparable in stature but how it comes out in my words will convey if it was just as awesome, or magical for other reasons.  I can’t wait to reminisce.  I had another dynamic flavor that I’ll leave as a teaser for you below.

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For more on Mother Kombucha, here is their story, where you can find their product, and their contact information.

This was beautiful.  More next week.  Thank you so much.

Ideen

The Perfect Pairing

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Just in time for Spring, I really needed this one.  This most incredible pairing of tea and sweet treats was a gift from somewhere beyond.

I found myself strolling in the beautiful and enchanting town of Havre de Grace, with some intent of a tea sipping and corresponding review.  Those reviews will I had come eventually and will be posted in time.  What I’m about to talk about is a cosmic and genuine experience that I will attempt to put into words.

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A chance visit to Les Petits Bisous not only re-introduced me to delicious macarons but also the most amazing tea from Simpson & Vail.

I had a few moments of hesitation.  I wasn’t sure I even wanted to talk into the shoppe. Have you ever had that battle with yourself?  It’s like a tennis match with the universe. There’s nothing to be afraid of.  The unknown is a good thing.  I think a lot of this has to do with getting out of my comfort zone.   Alright, enough of the dramatics.

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Wanda could not have been nicer.  Before I could even ask what the store had available, I saw this iconic display of tea and other wonders.  I mentioned I had a blog and she allowed me to take pictures.  I’m grateful for that.

So to return the favor, I was all aboard getting some macarons and a tea to pair it with. Her suggestions were an organic lemon & white chocolate, Belgian chocolate with peppermint, among others.  Beautiful right?

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For the tea, Lavender Lace was recommended without a second thought.  I took a sniff of the samples on display and I was floored.  The lavender and spearmint hit the nose like a ton of bricks. I was floored. I was blown away.  I was sold.

Wanda recommended I freeze the macarons if I wasn’t going to have them that day.  But 3-4 days is when they should be eaten.  Sage advice.

The experience brewing this was a joy.  After the charming visit to the shoppe, the energy is going to resonate.  I wanted this to be great.  I know it would be.  And thankfully it exceeded all my expectations. Wanda will never steer you wrong.

Upon opening the canister, I was reminded how beautiful this loose tea was. This is fine craftsmanship.    The ingredients are shown below but the pictures should tell the story.

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The cup itself was a gem.  It rejuvenated me.  And this is a tea that contains no caffeine. I’ve been feeling blah all week and this was what I needed.  It’s an upper when necessary and at the same time, a cup to end the evening with. The lavender, cinnamon, and spearmint notes shined through during steeping as well as sipping.  The consistency throughout was remarkable.

This was life transforming.  This was a multiple step operation.  If I never set foot into Les Petits Bisous; this post may never happen, these macarons may never be nibbled on, and it may take another not-so-probable sequence of events for this to transpire.

Life is so fascinating like that.

For more on Simpson & Vail and to purchase their teas, click here.

And for more on Les Petits Bisous, go all the way over here!

This will be revisited again.  I  feel enlightened and a better person after this one.

Stay healthy,

Ideen

With Ease

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With all the stresses in our lives, sometimes you just need a tea to bring you back to a harmonious and peaceful place.   So I go with the aptly titled, Calming, from the wonderful Yogi Tea.

I’ll admit, I haven’t been my usual relaxed self and after I had a cup, I started feeling inner peace and joy. It might be a placebo or it might be the natural ingredients.

Nevertheless,  I feel good and I am much more comfortable typing this out as opposed to a little while ago.  I can feel the stress fading away.  If I drank this all the time, would I always be this content?    I’d like to think so.

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The flavors have been presented to you, and they all bring something to the table.  In reading the synopsis of this tea, I didn’t know Lemongrass and Gotu Kola (which I had not heard of until trying this tea) had such a powerful effect on our nervous system.   The Licorice really gives it a flavor.  And I’m not usually a fan of Licorice, in tea or candy form, but it works to perfection here.  And the lavender feels so good on my tongue and taste buds.

This is one of the higher tannin teas I’ve had in a while, and that comes as no surprise.  Yogi has some of the best and most popular teas in the world today.   If you’d like to see a previous tea of theirs I reviewed, click here.

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It’s more than the hot goodness that Yogi provides – it’s also the spiritual aspect displayed on each and every box.  Most of the big tea companies don’t do this (nor do they have to) and this spiritual message is what sets Yogi apart.  It just makes the tea drinking experience that much more meaningful.

Each bag has a message of love, hope, compassion, and other superlatives that are all full of goodness and positivity.   How can you not love this?  In this moment, it makes me want to better myself as a person and bring love to everyone around me.  These guys have done their job!  And a masterful one of that to boot.

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What can’t be forgotten is how amazing this tea is. How beautiful are the leaves inside?  I just had to get a close up.

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The finished product leaves an impressive color that is too beautiful for words.   The pictures and my writing won’t do it justice.   I strongly recommend this tea to anyone who wants to relax, feel good, or just drink something wonderful.  I promise you that you won’t be disappointed.

Stay awesome.

Best,

Ideen