Tag Archives: Virginia

Oh Christmas Tea

Tea 3 Comments

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I’m sad Christmas is officially over. From my perspective it felt like it went at a steady and solid pace.  With all the parties with family and friends, the food, the shopping, errands, and everything in between, it felt just right.  For me it felt like time stood still at times. And I’m all for that.  Time is always relative and for the most part it’s been moving at such a rapid pace, we often forget where the time goes.

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I envision that for at least the next few weeks the tea discussion will pertain to the holidays, and at the very least winter.  But for now I feel I can safely talk about the Christmas Tea from one of my new favorite tea shops, Old Town Coffee, Tea, and Spice.

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Yes indeed my travels bring me back to the town where I was born, Alexandria, VA.  And usually I get the opportunity to be here during the holidays, and even though this was post-Christmas, I feel that the universe had a different plan for me.

Some months ago a good friend of mine had wanted to bring me to this shoppe, which was at another location, only to see that it was closed.  The timeline could not have been more bizarre.  I came to find out that it was literally within their transition to their new shoppe. And the new location is literally footsteps from the old location.   How these things work out is something else.   I was not meant to experience this store until now.  Call it one of those Christmas Miracles or whatever, but I will always remember this holiday season for many things, but my time here (albeit brief) is one I will always treasure.

Even if other folks don’t find the sentimentality with this place, I can.

What I mean is, the place was busy.  Customers wanted their cups of tea and coffee in a hurry.   Maybe they’re regulars or just people shopping nearby looking for a quick pick me up.  If I wanted a coffee at a coffee shop I may be inclined to temper my excitement as well. But the teas and all the tea gifts, gadgets, and gizmos in stock made me feel like a kid in a tea shoppe.  Did you expect me to say candy?  I’ve had more than my share this Christmas.

You can’t help but be in awe of all the loose teas in house.   I mean we’re talking hundreds. I wanted a holiday or Christmas themed tea, and just when I thought I was going to give up, I see near the top their Holiday Tea.  Unfortunately it was sold out.  However, the gentleman working the counter, countered (see what I did there?) with an idea of mixing chocolate, peppermint, and raspberry teas, and calling it a holiday a tea.  That’s quick thinking and a man who is a master at his craft.   He said he can call it anything he wanted. I’m wowed by everything this happening right now.  He thought I wanted a bag.  For now, I was going to just get a cup.

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And just when I was going to get this blend, I see the Christmas Tea Blend, and of course I went with that.

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How he brewed this tea I will never know.  It felt like a millisecond between opening the tea and heating that I never saw how he brewed this cup.  And I wish I got a picture of this, but he held the tea back with a toothpick.   He said the steeping time needed to be two minutes max or the hibiscus would become muddled.  This was all such a fascinating experience.

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I didn’t get a chance to ask what was in it but I suspect orange peel and cinnamon upon viewing and sniffing.   And with a sweet treat it only came out to a couple dollars and change.  I was just amazed by what I just witnessed that I almost didn’t want to share this. It’s a constant reminder that my love of a tea is also a forever learning process.

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It also made gave me a little closure on Christmas.  When one door closes, another one opens.  And I’ve opened quite the door.  This was my first, but nowhere close to the last time I visit this tea shoppe.

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If you’re in the area, and have never been here, I strongly suggest you visit.  It’s got this cozy and unpretentious vibe that reminds me why I love Old Town Alexandria so much.

And I don’t know how long their Christmas Tea blend will be available, but as you can see they had more than enough to go around.

There’s photos from the shoppe all across this post.  In addition, I’ll leave you with some photos of the surrounding area and some of the fun Christmas decor this city bestowed upon its citizens.

I love this town.  I love this shoppe.  And I love Christmas.

Hopefully your Christmas was awesome as well!

P.S. I loved this tea.

Merry and Happy to you!

Ideen

This Was A Good One

Tea 5 Comments

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But they all can be and should be.  However, this was more about the experience than anything else.   Otherwise I don’t know how good the Chamomile Tea from Stash truly is or isn’t.

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I can’t believe it’s September already.  Well yes I can as well.  Time just keeps on going. Yet for this post I’m going to take this back to June, when it wasn’t even officially Summer on the calendar year yet, but as you can tell by these pictures, the Sun was on our side.

This is one of those stories that might be too good to share, but also too good not to. I’m glad I waited this long to talk about it.  It’s gotten better with time.

The tentative plan was to grab some lunch nearby in Baltimore before I took a dear friend to the airport, in the Washington, DC area.   We gave ourselves ample time. However, there were signs all over that we should just drive closer to the final destination  and see where the wind takes us.

I had been to historic Herndon, VA a year prior on another random encounter, and saw nothing but happy and folksy people.  Like most historic locales you have your farmers market, museums, mom and pop shops, community centers, and independent restaurants. It was real and I soaked it all in.  It was with the understanding that right outside this epicenter is nothing but big buildings and gigantic companies that have infiltrated major cities.

One year later as we’re driving, that light bulb went off in my head.  I had investigated happy places to grab a bit to eat, in a cozy area beforehand, but realized that happy town was minutes away.

We found a great place to eat with outdoor dining, and took our time.  The town called for it.  It felt like we were the only people on Earth.  I don’t mean to overstate how amazing the Sun was on this day. Actually the heck with it, the Sun is our friend. The more I expound on this special trip, I realize how perfect everything was.

No rush, no running around, no beating the clock.  It was as close to Zen as you can get.

After a little walking around, a little tea and coffee seemed necessary.  Green Lizard Cycling, (yes a cycling place) came through in the clutch.  Yes I wrote that on purpose. Maybe it was one of those moments where I felt random, but after a hearty meal a hot tea was a must.  And my inspired thought was that Chamomile.

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Looking back at these pictures I realize how much that tea matches the color of the sun. The signs and the positive energy are all around us.  It just freaks me out, in a good way, how good this day was.  And all the intricacies and details that I overlooked have been presented to me months later.  This is what we call endearing.

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But like I said, on another day, I’m not sure how great this tea would be.  Chamomile has not always been my favorite flavor, but this might be a change of heart.

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Circumstances allowed this to be a lot better than I think tea might be.   But Stash has been one of those brands that I feel is overlooked versus some of the more household brands you see at the store.  This is not a dig but more of an observation.

I need to review more Stash teas.  They’ve always been good to me.  Here is the one time I did a recap of one of my favorite and inspiring teas by them.  Talk about a dichotomy. Again,  nothing but signs and serendipitous situations.

The specifics of this day are not necessary and sometimes your best memories should be kept from within, and I’ll leave some details out.  But I did add a couple of pictures of the town and outside the cycling shop to give you a feel for how peaceful and inspiring this day was.  I might be overstating how tremendous all this was but I don’t care.  This was awesome and yet all so simple.

The future is looking bright and full of hope.  A good cup of tea always brings hope. And joy!

Here’s to many more unplanned and inspiring events to come!

Kindest,

Ideen

Pure Ambrosia

Tea 6 Comments

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Some time ago I walked into  Greenberry’s Coffee, in Charlottesville, VA to be exact.  It’s been a few years, but I most likely grabbed a cup of coffee and a snack to go.   It wasn’t the most memorable experience simply for the fact that how many times do we get grab some java and go on our merry way.

Knowing now, what I didn’t know then, I would have appreciated the small town charm of the cafe. Maybe I did for a moment, but I was in a rush. Why was in a rush?

This brings me to a visit to one of my favorite Virginia communities, Mclean.  And when I’m in a place I don’t frequent enough, it’s time to discover something fun.  To my pleasant surprise, they had shop minutes up the road from where I was.  I had no idea Greenberry’s had multiple locations, mainly in VA and DC, until yesterday.  Charlottesville was the original store, which in hindsight was what I would like to be writing about.  All in good time.

My idealism could be naive but I always thought of McLean as one of those parts of Northern Virginia, that still had most of their historic buildings and character in tact. When I was younger and living nearby, I would go out of my way to drive through this and similar areas, to get a more scenic and down-to-earth vibe.. As I’ve gotten older that sentiment grows.  I like big cities but the charm of a smaller community just feels right.

The Mclean location has that feel, but I can sense a change is coming, not so much with the store, but with the town itself.  The energy and happy feeling I got from when I parked to walked in, remained.

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It’s August, that means more iced tea.  Anything else would be a slap in the face to my favorite season.   The Ambrosia tea stuck out.  A lot of them did, but that name with its positive connotations, is what I was feeling.  I’m glad I did.

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This is traditionally drank hot, and I’m all for tradition, but lets toss that aside. It’s once again time to break out of my comfort zone, and  I went ahead and ordered the tallest glass they had.

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Black currant, apricot, and mango flavors makes this a crowd pleaser.  I was pleased for sue.  It didn’t start off strongly for me but this was a grower.  I realized I was sipping just a little more than the previous one each time.   It was getting better by the minute.  I sat for a good 30 appreciating my glass and the community feel around me.

I’m not an iced tea drinker by nature.  It’s not me but for the time frame, it’s only appropriate.  But I truly enjoyed this. The tastes expanded over the course of my time there and I was highly satisfied at the end.   I bet this tastes even better hot.  I hope to get the opportunity to have a cup in traditional fashion.

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They made me so much, they had to give me the rest in another cup.  I find that very endearing.  The staff could not have been nicer by the way, even in the midst of being overwhelmed with patrons.

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My teacake was hard to finish.  This had more to do with the weather.  It was an ambitious choice.  Again, when the timing presents itself, I bet I enjoy this much more.   But how charming are those owls?  Where can I get those plates?

I didn’t see the Ambrosia listed but here’s a list of their teas if you’re interested in purchasing.

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There were a lot of people that seemed to know each other.  I got the sense this is one of those places where you run into someone, catch up for a few minutes, then the next time you’d see ’em would be right back here, if not before.  I dig that.

As neighborhoods rapidly expand development, I get mixed feelings.  Some things are inevitable but the community businesses have a place and deserve to have a place.  From talking to folks Greenberry’s has kept up with the times.  And as you can see here, they’re growing in stores.  As long as they (and stores likes them) can maintain their integrity and charm, that’s ok.   But there’s something to be said about the local business culture.   I’m drawn to it.  I don’t like to speak for everyone else, but I suspect many share that sentiment.

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I look forward to coming back again.  I love local.  Lets do it again soon.

Best,

Ideen