Thank You For The Sun, The One That Shines On Everyone…

June 19, 2018Ideen Barimani Tea 1 Comment

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This is a continuation of what I wrote about last week, and the story gets that much brighter. And the sun surely had a hand in that…

Maybe it took some life changes, and a late May day for one of the most beautiful displays of sun and serenity that I can recall. Until recently, we’ve been lacking in days like this. Lack is never good. It implies, well lack and missing something. The sun is vital to our lives, for many reasons.

Happiness seems to be number one.

The sun makes people more motivated to do things, whether it’s doing nothing or something life changing. Sometimes those two things aren’t mutually exclusive.

A good night’s rest after anything is welcome, and I don’t do it enough. I imagine the same goes for many of you. When it becomes 6-7 hours, it just only feels like ‘enough’, but barely.

Maybe it was the anticipation of trying a new tea, taking some new pictures in a different setting than I’m accustomed to, and giving the gift that keeps on giving.

This gift was a souvenir from my dear friends who visited Sunny California months back, and I held on to this tea, because I was waiting for the right moment.

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And what better way to share the Angels in the Mist from Point Loma Tea, then with my friends who brought it to me…

Here’s their catalog (which is available for purchase online), more about them, and their contact information.

You know packaging and presentation goes a long way. First impressions can be misleading and deceiving, but they’re still first impressions. And I was impressed.

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We didn’t realize that the packing carried more than one tea. Which makes this all the more exciting. More for later! This blend of oranges, apples, hibiscus, and rose just projects all the good things about Spring and Summer. It’s a simple, yet powerful blend of all the good in the world.

And it tastes good too!

The brewing process was seamless, and since I had some of my favorite animal friends with me, this was the perfect cup for it.

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The vanilla tea cookies were also a gift, and paired just right with our tea. The dichotomy of the flavors of my sweets versus the other sweets in the tea may throw some off a bit, but I love it. It’s sunny out, the days are getting longer, and you only live, well you know. All those sayings…

Just as I take my time writing this, I took my time appreciating, savoring, and photographing this tea. You can see the photogenic colors from onset of steeping. I love this tea so much.

And I love when I’m introduced to a new tea company, that I had never known existed. If it wasn’t for my friends, who knows if I would ever found out about, and be introduced to something so exquisite. It makes me think how many teas are out there that I have yet to discover, and may never discover.

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That’s what makes this journey so wonderful. While we have all these major brands, who have earned their reputation and earned their place in grocery and retail aisles, positions of prominence, and on the minds of many; I’m always about something new, something local, and something inspiring.

I’m feeling inspired, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.

Happy Spring into Summer!

Peace Be With You,

Ideen

1, 2, What You Doing?

May 1, 2018Ideen Barimani Tea 3 Comments

CosmicRoseTeaScone

I had something else planned for today, but my heart wasn’t feeling it. That story will have to be told another day. And like always, it’ll sort itself out and be better in the long run.

Wilmington, DE has a charm and aura about it that is bestowed upon many a small, yet growing and flourishing towns. Not far from Philadelphia, and just a little north of Baltimore, it finds itself in its own world, a separate entity from anything else. At least that’s how I look at it.

My last visit uncovered one gem (story can be found here), but this one tells a story that’s a little more relaxed, and one where I hope has at least a part two.

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First things first, Brew Haha!, aside from having a clever name, has such a warm and inviting energy, that you can’t help but find yourself inside. Whenever I’m anywhere, if I think to, I will research a place nearby for tea. I had heard and seen of Brew Haha! as it’s a growing coffee shop chain in our first state (locations can be found here), here is and I see them continuing their skyrocketing success. Their story says it all.

The not-so-challenging aspect of a coffee shop, for tea lovers like you and me, are whether they have a tea list to begin with. Then, is that list on your standard side, or a is that list a bit for expansive? Here’s their menu.

Then when the manager mentions they have a couple of loose teas, my eyes light up and I’m reminded and bless of why I write about and love tea so much.

I love tea so much.

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The recommendation was the Cosmic Rose from Brandywine Coffee Roasters, which is beautiful on all sorts of levels. It’s a local business, so local supporting local, and being supported by patrons and visitors like me is what makes this world so wonderful.

Here is Brandywine Coffee Roasters tea list available for purchase online.and their contact information.

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This tea is wonderful. Just the visual alone in seeing the bag steep in an original Brew Haha! mug made me happy.

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Aside from the color there’s much to love about this; organic hibiscus, organic rosehips, organic rooibos, orange peel, rose petals, organic everything and everything that’s good in the universe.

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I enjoyed this with a vegan ginger scone, that if you weren’t told it was vegan, you may not know the difference. It tasted lighter, healthier, and the ginger was the perfect complement to my tea. A tea that would be perfect iced by the way.

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As always, I took a few pictures and then I relaxed for a good 45 minutes. It might have been longer, but when I’m on a mini vacation or anywhere far away from home, time tends to operate on a different frequency. And while I’m alone, and don’t know anyone, there’s a comfort in that alone time. There’s a difference between being alone and being lonely.

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In regards to that, I felt like a part of a community right away. And Lydia, the ever-so friendly manager, made me feel like I was at home. That’s immediately going to make my tea and food taste even that much better. I noticed she knew many of the patrons by name, and how would that not make you feel good? It’s always nice to be made to feel special and that you have meaning to someone’s life. It’s a big thing, that we call the a little thing, but it’s all of the above.

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They had two of their teas available for serving, and for purchase. I went with the in house suggestion, but ended up buying the Cosmic Rose and one for later, the Dreamers Sympathy, which has so many metaphorical and metaphysical implications to my life, and maybe yours, that I hope to get to this soon. I’ll know when…

But for now I want to thank Lydia at Brew Haha! for making me feel like a regular on my initial visit. I’ll be back and if you’re in the area I highly recommend you do the same. There’s just something right about the neighborhood too.

Every story means something, and some are meant to be revisited sooner rather than later. Some are meant to be a one time thing. Only time will tell what this one will dictate. In my heart I know how this will go.

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To be continued…

Peace Be With You,

Ideen

Love of Tea, and Other Fun Things

February 7, 2017Ideen Barimani Tea 5 Comments

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I had never done a Valentine’s Day themed post, and it really didn’t cross my mind to do one this year. But after consulting my mentor, and realizing that next Tuesday is that day, which means there will continue to be tea posts every Tuesday, I figured it’s meant to be.

Now I’m not the biggest fan nor am I really opposed to this man-made holiday. Well if you read the latter part, you might think I sway towards the negative. You might be correct.

Love should be spontaneous, celebrated throughout the year, and displayed as much as possible. What’s even more important is that love doesn’t necessarily mean between you and your significant other, or spouse, but in all forms.

I love my cat. I love our animal friends. I love my family. I love my friends. And I love my cat. Oh wait…

I love tea. This is a tea blog. So yes, I love tea. And I love tea so much. It brings me joy that is hard to put into words. It shouldn’t be put into words. I let the sipping and the reactions do the talking.

Yes, and I think many of us know we don’t need a special day to do just that. But in honor of such an occasion, I will make the most of it.

Per my tea guru’s suggestion, I’m changing it up this week in a big way.

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If you’ve been to your local shopping district, then by now you know of Teavana. They have taken tea, and essentially loose-leaf tea to unprecedented and transcendent levels.

I’ve been here many times before every writing about it, and many times since. To say the store is still a bit overwhelming after all this time would be correct. But overwhelming doesn’t necessarily mean bad. There’s a lot going on and there’s so many new teas and instruments to discover and learn about. There will never be enough time to learn about everything, and to try and do so would defeat the purpose of this journey. But…

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I obviously don’t have time to write about it all here. What I will say is that I’m happy that this is my inaugural post for Teavana, and this will not be the last.

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For this first go around it needed to be done big and done special. Actually getting teas here is an experience. So without further adieu, I present by suggestion from my muse, the Strawberry Blush Rose and Peach Tranquility Blend.

Yes, it couldn’t be just one. And it had to be big for this time of year. Ingredients and instructions for brewing are listed within the page. I’ll let you research that on your own, or otherwise this post would go on till tomorrow.

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And it wasn’t even one. It was actually three. The staff member got me a festive tin, and along with getting the blend of the two teas, I also got them separate. So I was already getting ahead of myself assuming the two were kindred spirits that could not be separated. Wait what? Yes, all the love references are deliberate but are also flowing naturally.

Pictures of the tin standing and taken apart are shown here, as well as up-close shots of the tea. Quite impressive right? The process was truly exciting. I’ll get to more about that shortly.

What I will say is that I’m in love. This is masterful concoction of flavors that you would think might be impossible. But no. There’s heart, there’s soul, and there’s a true spirit behind this tea.

The brewing process was an absolutely joy. The aromas from the tea were already getting me jazzed up for what I hoped to be a stimulating and inspiring cup. And how about that tint? I know I know. The tea was a win. The flavors of both worked together perfectly. I could see why so many folks have regarded this so highly. The after taste of rose hips was truly a highlight. There’s also just about every fruit known to man and woman. If you can discover them all then you’re a rock star. I’m happy with it nevertheless. And it paired nicely with some thin lemon cookies.

And if you notice, I show you what makes me happy, brings me joy, and truly brings out the love. Yes, a miniature rubber ducky! Ha. well that and my love for animals in all shapes and sizes. And I obtained a certain special teacup to celebrate even more love. I would be lying if I said the tea didn’t taste just a little bit better because of the props. But I digress. This tea would be awesome under any circumstance. But hopefully it’s a joyous one.

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I did get a bit carried away. Maybe I should have tried one of the flavors on its own first. Well there’s a first and second time for everything.

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Even though I’m working backwards, I’m actually going in the order of the teas that were brewed. Next up was Strawberry Blush by itself.

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I think I liked this even just a little more. Maybe because it was the simplicity of it. It was sipped in its own sans the blend, and even more flavors were able to be discovered on its own. I would be lying if I said one was truly better than the other. But for a personal thing, I give this the slightest edge. And that color is just as beautiful.

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I got another teacup for this one too!

Maybe it was the simplistic aspect of it, or maybe it was the chocolate truffles that paired with this chocolate did the trick. See I guess I’m a sucker for this holiday after all. Well.

For me, this was a gift to myself, to the universe, from the universe, and hopefully someone reading will find this as a plausible gift alternative to the standard flowers, candy, and chocolates. Well chocolates are good. I just told you I had some!

And when I was done steeping I had a few pieces of strawberry and other random fruits. Yes you can do that. That’s an added bonus I don’t think you’ll find on the website.

I want to mention that Teavana is on the higher end of teas. This is significantly higher than your budget friendly teas at your local supermarket or neighborhood store. But if you feel like splurging and buying a gift for a loved one, this is going to be different and I think it’s going to be a pleasant surprise to many. And if your loved one is a tea lover, even better.

Because of the price level of these, it’s good to savor teas and brew in small doses and for special occasions.

Prices will vary based on weight, container, and the tea themselves.

I did not purposely leave out the Peach Tranquility Tea. This is where I will push the pause button and resume at a later date. I thin this is one I will have for the Spring or Summer. I will remember this and promise you I will get back to it. I wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t. More importantly, my sense is that this would make an excellent iced tea during the warmer months.

It also gives me something to look forward too. I also feel that Valentine’s Day is good because for many it’s a day of joy but also another sign that warm weather is right around the corner. So I feel that the Peach Tranquility is the perfect segue to talk about down the road.