Ringing in the New

I’m starting the new year out right.  Tea on the couch with a sleeping dog and a warm heater at my feet.

We stayed up just late enough to ring in the new year in style.  And by style, I mean in our PJs, in bed, and half asleep.  I fell asleep to the sound of small fireworks going off in the neighborhoods around us and slept in until nearly 10am.  My darling husband brought me coffee and breakfast in bed to top everything off.

I’ve puttered around a bit this morning, adding shelves to part of the new storage cupboard (more on that later).  I know you’re not supposed to wash or clean anything on New Year’s Day (superstition and whatnot), but I’m not one for those sorts of things.  If I get up the energy later on, I’m going to tidy the kitchen, put clean sheets on the bed, and maybe even make sure I have clean clothes for work tomorrow.  But for now, I’m just enjoying sitting in my warm house, admiring the new laminate floors (more on that later, too), and drinking tea.  Even a cat butt in the face can’t ruin this moment for me.

See?

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Homemade Chai Concentrate

A kit from Goddess Teas, this stuff is awesome.  The best part about it is you can customize it.  You could add more or less sugar and vanilla.  Personally, I think the amount of sugar that Dani packs with it is perfect.  But say you wanted to sub in stevia?  Go ahead!  I find my own homemade to be a lot less harsh than most commercial chais.  It took me about 15 minutes to make and most of that was spent waiting for water to boil and for tea to steep.  Plus, it makes your kitchen smell amazing while it steeps.

What do you do with chai concentrate, you ask.  My personal favorite is putting it in hot chocolate.  Mmm…  (The amazing Dani also includes a few recipes for using your chai in her kit.  Isn’t she fantastic?)

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A Haiku About Tea

Oh, Bastet you are…

A green tea to rule them all.

I shall drink you up.

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Tea Tips with Dani

Excellent video from the Tea Goddess herself.  Check out these tea tips from Dani!

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Goddess Tea Club – March

Warning! SPOILER ALERT!  If you  haven’t received your Goddess Tea Club yet and want to be surprised, LOOK AWAY NOW!

Random pet picture to distract you

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Tea Diving

I have the best husband in the world.  Don’t agree?  Let me prove it with Exhibit A.

That, my friends, is a tea submarine.  Like a tea ball, but waaaaay better.

It is available only from Israel and takes several weeks to get here.

He ordered me one for my birthday. That is *my* tea sub.  See, told you he was the greatest.

P.S.

Besides looking cute, it brews great tea, too!

P.P.S.

The tea is Inanna Rooibos from Goddess Tea.  It is an amazing chai rooibos that is caffeine free and just right.  You should definitely try it.  It’s one of my new favorites.

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Tea of the Month Club: February

Spoiler alert!  If you haven’t yet received your Tea of the Month Club package from Goddess Tea and you want to be surprised, then take a look at Chloe and then close this window.  Nothing to see here, move along.

I received my TOTM package on Saturday.  When I opened the envelope, this is what greeted me.

This month’s tea is Brigit Black.  A bright blend of spices with an Earl Grey base.  A delicious morning tea, especially with a splash of milk (or cream) and a little bit of your favorite sweetener.  (Dani suggests vanilla creamer, which I think would also be delicious.)

(Forgive my  blurry photo.  It was early…)

The sample this month was a Roobios Chai.  I have not yet tried this one, but I can’t wait!  I like Chai, I like Roobios, it’s gotta be good, right?

And lastly, homemade cinnamon biscotti!  It arrived mainly in tact with just a few delicious crumbs broken off.  (Score one for the post office for not completely destroying it!)

This was all accompanied by a well thought out newsletter.  Now wipe the drool off your screen and go sign up for the club.  I can’t wait for next month!

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Mmm… Tea

I have a new favorite tea.  Or rather, two new favorites teas.  Thanks to my darling hubby, I received two bags of tea in the mail last week.  And now I’m addicted.  Ever since I gave up coffee (mostly), I have been searching for delicious teas.  Enter, Danido Crafty.

Mumbai at Dusk, brewed three minutes.

The one pictured above is Mumbai at Dusk and is a delicious blend of magic (or maybe tea, there’s ingredients on the site, go read them).

This is a lovely decaf tea with floral notes.  It is delicious enough to drink unsweetened.  For an extra little treat, I sometimes throw in a bit of agave nectar.  This is my new “night tea” and is very relaxing.

My new “morning tea”, Belly Warmer, is a spicy black tea blend.

This one is delicious to wake up to.  It brews up nice and dark and really does warm your belly. (I’ve found I have a hard time deciding between the two teas.  Often I end up drinking both in one day.  Hence the morning and night tea distinctions)

Some things to note.  Not only do you get delicious hand blended teas when you order from Danido.  You also get reusable tea bags (lovelovelove these!).  Also, did you see the new hot chocolate blends?  When I run out of tea (in a few days because I can’t stop drinking it…) I’m going to add some of her delicious looking chocolate blends to my tea order.  Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I need to go brew another cup.

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