" Come sit by my side and over a cup of tea, speak to me of the goodness of life."
Lady Evelyn Fitzgerald Dodson

Monday, September 5, 2016

Beekman 1802 Rise and Shine Morning Blend

In the morning, we look for a brisk, strong, flavorful tea to get our selves on track for the day. Recently a friend who is very much into all things trendy shared Beekman 1802 Rise and Shine Morning Blend tea. This is a blend which actual ingredients we haven't been able to track down. However, it's very mild so we suspect it is largely orange pekoe with maybe some green tea. While we love fair trade and organic teas here in the parlor, we also prize taste, and for us, this is just too mild and meek a tea. However, this may be a suitable tea for a new tea drinker or a youngster. 

We served it with homemade blueberry pancakes topped with fresh blueberries and turkey bacon.   


Saturday, May 28, 2016

Crossroads Coffee Company

No, you read that right; today I am reviewing a small coffee house that serves tea. Most coffee shops make a half hearted effort to provide tea for the erstwhile tea drinker who wanders in, but selection is usually limited. A certain huge chain has gotten my tea order wrong 4 times out of 5, so hot water plus teabag, which seems pretty easy when compared to lattes and espressos and made up foreign-sounding names, is perhaps more difficult than this tea drinker suspected.

Yesterday I met my friend for a 2.5-mile exercise walk, and then we went to The Crossroads Coffee Company for a light refreshment (we deserved it, don't you think, after 2.5 miles?). They serve Mighty Leaf teas, one of my bagged favorites. Mighty Leaf teas are strong and flavorful, and The Crossroads Coffee Company provided both black and herbal tea choices. Honey as well as raw sugar, but only skim milk (half and half is available, but tea drinkers never use half and half) were provided. I had a bacon and cheddar scone with my tea that was slightly on the dry side, but savory scones can be hard to keep both savory and moist, so I am not faulting them that. My friend had a feta and spinach item that looked delicious and which she said was very rich.

The ambiance was nice, with a few comfy chairs and a small sofa, a small patio, a gelato bar, and a vape lounge. (We did not know this was a thing.) We found it enjoyable and now have a place where we can safely order a hot tea and not receive an iced coffee instead (ahem, large chain coffee provider).

Monday, April 11, 2016

Stash Chai Spice

This week we are serving Stash Chai Spice black tea and homemade zucchini bread in the parlor. Spicy with a pronounced clove flavor, it has a strong taste, and makes a nice change. We are going to try it iced, too.


Thursday, April 7, 2016

Teavana Royal English Breakfast

Teavana Royal English Breakfast is a very mild tea, perfect for a new tea drinker. No astringency, very smooth, and it handles milk and sugar well. We're serving it with fruit and yogurt and cinnamon cakes. 


Monday, March 7, 2016

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Keep Calm and Carry On Tea


Our neighbor gave us a tin of Keep Calm and Carry On tea for Christmas. This very mild, blended tea is very suitable for new tea drinkers as it is not tannic or astringent, and takes milk and sweetener very well. Plus, we dearly need to follow the advice on the tin. So keep calm and enjoy. 

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Lipton English Breakfast

Lipton has introduced new tea blends, and we had to try our favorite, English breakfast. It has a very mild taste, and roaring and daring it is not. It's just too mild to stand up to other English Breakfasrs. But it's a widely available ootion for those prefer this blend to orange pekoe. We served it with cheese blintzes and turkey bacon.