Tag Archives: spice

Harney & Such

Tea 10 Comments

HarneyTeas

It’s almost Spring. I feel it took a lot longer to get here than usual.    Finally, the days are getting longer and temperatures are getting higher.   However, while we’re still in the winter I’d like to write about some teas that are custom-made for this season.

I throw it back to one of mine (along with many others) favorites, Harney & Sons. Their hot cinnamon spice is one of their most popular and beloved flavors.  I can understand why.  This one hits the spot in a multitude of ways.

Most importantly, the health benefits of cinnamon have been documented.  And there’s so much to celebrate.

Secondly, it just tastes good.  Yet I wonder if the artificial flavors are what’s adding to the amazing taste.  Was it necessary?  I’m questioning out of curiosity.   I expect this to be stellar with our without the additives.   The orange and especially the cloves add a lot to an already masterful tea.

I got the largest cup I could, so I could savor each sip by the moment.  And I took my time.   Because cinnamon is so flavorful I felt one bag was enough.  That’s how I took my  tea initially.   Yet I can’t help myself.   Common sense dictates the largest size gets you double.  So I threw in the second and felt like I got hit with a bomb.  It opened up some tastes buds and senses that may not always get exposure.

This is where the artificial flavors might be justified.  A major positive is there are no sugars.   I purposely waited till later in this post to mention that.  I wasn’t trying to be ironic.

I’ve always preferred my teas with nothing added unless it’s natural.   For me, the whole point of drinking tea has been to enjoy it with nothing else thrown it to undermine its health benefits.    Yet throwing some cinnamon, honey, or other natural joys is something I’ve down from time-to-time.

I’m grateful to try a tea that has already included the appropriate additions like so many of the tremendous brands do.

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I enjoyed my cup with a not-so-healthy bagel sandwich.  Well it was a power sandwich. Since my sandwich was loaded with vegetables, and my favorite pesto spread. I tell myself everything is fine.  It’s still winter so I still love my comfort food.  Who am I kidding? Comfort is a year-round thing.

HarneyBagels

It’s nowhere near as bad as ordering a super-sized meal with a diet cola.  Well that’s how I justify it.  Whoops.

I think I’m as crazy as this winter has been.  It’s a year with a leap month, so the goofiness ensued.  Another reason I’m thankful Spring is coming.  It’s been a season to remember but I’m ready for some sunnier skies and enjoyable outdoor activities.

The teas will represent the changes in weather and the lifting of our spirits.

For more on this amazing company, here is my inaugural recap.

Along with their site, you can go to these familiar links to procure their teas.

Happy first day of meteorological spring!

Best,

Ideen

Fall Favorites

Tea 7 Comments

BaltTeas

Well it’s Thanksgiving this week and why would I not continue the pumpkin panel! That panel only includes me and sometimes the universe. But it’s good to believe.

This week I take it even more local with a return visit to Baltimore Coffee and Tea Company and an in-person review of the Pumpkin Spice Tea from Eastern Shore Tea Company.

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I was just there a few hours ago so it’s fresh in my mind.  I wasn’t thrilled with it. Without looking I could tell it was black tea.  The taste is too obvious not to notice.  The ingredients included are cinnamon, clove, and something called pumpkin.

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I didn’t get much of anything.  I don’t expect every tea to be succulent and mesmerizing.  But I do want some flavor.  If you had told me this was a black tea with bergamot I would have believed it and not thought anything else of it.  It tasted that basic.

As you can see in the photos, the visual looks amazing.  The steeped bag evokes a lot of color and made me feel cozy being indoors.   For a moment I was fine with the cold weather.

I could definitely smell something separate from a usual black tea.  Maybe it’s the smell of fall and the holidays rapidly approaching.

I really wanted to like this tea but it’s just there.  I do think a lot of people are going to love it and add it to their tea collection.   I wish I could say the same.

This tea along with so many others are always on sale, not just during the final months of the year, so you can enjoy it any time.   Hopefully your experience will be a joyous one.

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I had my cup with a delicious pumpkin muffin.  As you can see the muffin never had a chance while the tea was not going down as quick.

I’ve had many teas from that I’ve adored and stashed in my collection.   And I look forward to many of those occasions happening again.  Even though this wasn’t the best, I know some spectacular teas will be delighted on down the line.

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Thanksgiving is just two days away so I’m not sure if this is the end of the pumpkin talk or not.  I sure hope not.   But as we approach that other major holiday, those types of teas will be talked about.

For my previous posts on this fantastic store, you can go here and here.

I’m thankful, grateful, and fortunate to be able to write about such a wonderful topic.  I love tea and I love the people who have been a part of this experience. That includes the assistance from the wonderful folks at their various locations.

I wish all of a you a safe, blessed, and joyous Thanksgiving.   And I look forward to doing this again.

Take good care.

Ideen

 

 

 

Pumpkin Parade

Tea, Virginia 1 Comment

It seems like the only thing I’ve been writing about is pumpkins.  I’m going to enjoy these moments because as nauseating as it may be for some, I’m sentimental to it.  And I know many others that are too.

It’s November, the holidays are approaching, and it’s good to find the positives in this time.  As the weather gets colder, our drinking and eating habits will slowly adapt to those changes.   My tea sipping habits will be going through a transformation as well.  I made this more dramatic than it needed to be.  But I’m having fun here.

Spice&TeaAlexandria

This week takes us back to one of my favorite tea companies, The Spice & Tea Exchange.

I was lucky to find myself at the Alexandria location last month and the timing couldn’t have been better.

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They had their fall display set-up and loaded with all kinds of fun teas, spices, and other various provisions for the season. When I walked into that I was sold.  But I also want to give a formal thank you to Jerome.  He was very helpful in showing me around the store and recommending season teas along with sugars to purchase.

There will be at least one follow-up post next week, and maybe the week after depending on how the rest of this month goes.  But I want to give credit where credit is due.  This was a fantastic experience.  Jerome and a couple of the other folks working were so friendly and let me feel like a kid in a candy store.

This week, from their Fall FesTEAvities collection, I will be talking about the Pumpkin Chai Latte Tea.

I had fun brewing it, sniffing it, but I didn’t love it.  I don’t know if it was how I brewed it or something in the atmosphere, but something didn’t click.

It smells amazing.  And I’m salivating at the thought of it now.  This has happened before.   The aroma doesn’t always translate to a winning taste.  It might be my tastes have changed.  I’ve had some good chai’s so that isn’t it.  I’ve had some that have let me dismayed too.  I’d put this somewhere in between.

I do have one thought.  Maybe the ingredients are all-natural that it tastes exactly how it should.  There’s no harmful additives or artificial flavors to augment the taste.  That part I love.  The ingredients are listed above. Like I said, it smells great it just doesn’t compute in my eyes.   Maybe it’s too much of a good thing?   I’m not sure about less is more.  I’ve had teas with a dozen plus ingredients that have been a staple in my life for years.

They all can’t be winners and by no means will this discourage me from purchasing teas and other items from here.  This store has been so good to me and my friends.   I can’t wait to come back and look forward to doing more positive write ups in the future.  And one will likely take place next week.

For your viewing pleasure I’ve photographed the brewing and steeping experience.

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Can you see the steam in the last few pictures above? Pretty awesome!

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The pumpkin pancakes totally complemented the tea and definitely heightened the flavors of my cup but it wasn’t the best I’ve had.   Maybe next time.

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And more next week!

Unfortunately these items are sold out online.  If there’s a location near you I’d highly recommend grabbing this and the other seasonal teas.  Just because I didn’t enjoy it as much as I hoped doesn’t mean you won’t.

For previous posts on this great company click here, here, and also here!

Best,

Ideen

It’s Still Summer

Tea 4 Comments

And we have until tomorrow to enjoy that.   I love the Summer, I love the heat, and I love the sun.  And I’m sad its winding down.

However, there is much in the fall season to look forward to.   The weather is still great and there’s plenty of more opportunities for outdoor events, festivals, parties, and whatever else makes us feel good.

With that in mind I wanted to do a review a tea that could embody the beautiful months we’ve recently enjoyed and a segue into what’s to come.

As promised I’ll be doing another tea from the marvelous Spice & Tea Exchange.  For last weeks post you can click here!

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The Coconut Oolong Tea reminds me of many things. I wouldn’t think popcorn would be one of them.  I’m not saying that’s a bad thing.  I enjoyed the scent.

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When I opened the package it felt like a movie theater. That’s the buttery aroma or note that cannot be ignored.  Oolong has never been a favorite of mine,but that could change. It’s just not a tea that I think to drink or seek out.   That’s the enjoyment of doing this. I’m trying tea I don’t always have in my sipping repertoire and experiencing new flavors I didn’t know existed.

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This tea was a grower.  I didn’t love it a first.  As you can see, artificial coconut flavor is added.  I can’t say if that adds or takes away from the tea.  Maybe the flavor is necessary.  Maybe I should have added some sugar or flavoring but that’s not my style.

I’ve always preferred my hot teas with nothing.  In the few exceptions I’ve needed to add something, either out of experimenting or because it was necessary, the results have been mixed. Next time I would like to see how this tea could be chilled or with some sweetener incorporated.  Milk or creamer would go well with this too.  This would be a great alternative to coffee.

With all that being said I did enjoy drinking this tea and will gladly have it again.  It’s not on the top of my favorites, but it’s a cup I would look forward to having again.

That emerald color is visually stunning.   I took my time with my first cup just so I could enjoy how beautiful the tint was.

This cup reminded me that there’s so much fun that can come with tea drinking.   When the feeling and instinct is there, I may add some of the things that have been mentioned in this post.  It’s all about experimenting and expanding scents and flavors.  As we head into Autumn that will be happening.

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In the meantime, I will enjoy my cup with some chocolates and candies!   Now that is fall-like!  Uh oh…

Thanks so much.

Best,

Ideen

Decaf Spice

Louisiana, Maryland, Tea 5 Comments

DecafWithAlmonds

How did I get to this beautiful image you see above?

The Spice & Tea Exchange has been bringing it with their teas.

This will be another in the long line of positive posts.   There’s been so many great teas that have come into my life, the bad ones have been few and far between. So another mixed-to-bad review will have to wait.

Nevertheless, their Decaf Earl Grey was effortless to drink and immensely fun to prepare.

I haven’t done a lot of decaffeinated teas for my blog, if any, so I felt the time was right.  I’m not sure if it’s the tea, my state of mind, or the weather slowly turning cooler, but I am a bit tired.  It’s more of a relaxed feeling.  I’m more focused than usual.

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The tea smelled so natural.  The ingredients are shown to you here.  The aroma of the tea leaves and orange peels permeated throughout, as soon as I opened the package.  I will admit, I cheated before and already knew how it smelled when this was given to me as a birthday gift.   The initial Spice & Tea post can be found here.

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The Tovolo Tea Infuser also makes its long-awaited return!  I’m in love with this thing.  As it gets cooler I’ll be prepping more loose teas, so you’ll be seeing more of one of my favorite gadgets!

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What I love about the infuser is you get enough time to see the color literally evolve from beginning to end.  And I have enough time to see this in front of my eyes.  It may only be a matter of moments but the way the beauteous color of this tea is manifested is a sight to behold.   And I want everyone to see it as well, hence the clear glass.

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I savored every sip with a small plate of almonds.  And the sips were savory.

Like I was saying, this tea was a gift from dear friends of mine, from the Ocean City, MD store.  I have been to OC  few times this summer, but the store was never open when I was in the area.  Maybe the timing was not right.  But I hope to check the shop out soon.  Yes we’re still technically in the Summer!

Where was shop alluded me, another did not.  I had the honor of privilege to visit New Orleans a couple of months ago, and maybe it was fate, but I got to visit their NOLA store!  The staff member there was kind of enough to ask me any questions while realizing I was acting like a complete tourist.   I literally stumbled upon this store while walking around the French Quarter.

And in touristy fashion, there will be plenty of photos for your viewing pleasure.

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There will plenty of posts to come from this great company!  And I will continue so next week…

Thanks so much.

Best,

Ideen

My Maryland

Baltimore, Canton, chocolate, coffee, fun, spices, Tea 4 Comments

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I’ve been meaning to write about Baltimore Coffee And Tea Company for a very long time.  I am grateful to have the opportunity now.   If you’ve ever been there, you know it’s a happy place, with a welcoming aura, and a great energy.

In a future post, I will talk about the Timonium location and all the fun that takes place there.   They have four stores,  but I will start with where’s closest.

What you see at the top of this post, is the Maryland Tea Sampler via the Eastern Shore Tea Company, and how awesome is that packaging?  I wish I could write about all of them, but as seeing I’ve only had one thus far.  One (or two) at a time folks.

Here’s the back, with the basic ingredients listed, and other fun information :

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What I sampled as the Canton Spice, and on a cold evening such as last night, it was the perfect remedy.   And everything about the wrapping is beautiful :

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Even though Spring is around the corner, it’s nice to enjoy a tea that warms me up in another way.   And with the combination of cinnamon, ginger, clove, lemon added to the black tea, it represents everything that is good in the world.   I would recommend this to anyone.  Based on the flavors, it can be drank at all times of the year.  I enjoyed it with a few dark chocolates.

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If you look closely, you can see the steam rising above.  Wonderful stuff.

Now there is one last ingredient I wanted to list separately.  I had never heard of Star Anise, until I looked at this package. I have included some links, to help you and I.  This will be an ongoing learning process, which is a good thing.

I could dedicate an entire blog to the store itself, and there will be many posts coming about their many choices, as they have an incredible selection.

I have always been a supporter of local establishments and what better representative can you have then Baltimore Coffee & Tea.

When you combine the joy of tea drinking to the joys of supporting local shoppes, it’s a win-win for everyone.   To be continued. And soon.

Thanks so much.

Best,

Ideen