China Mist Iced Tea

We've had a very mild winter in the desert this year. We've already taken tea several times on the patio. It's no surprise that we have already served iced tea on these spring-like days, when it really feels like April and not January. China Mist  iced tea appeared in the grocery store this fall, and we love it.

It's a very strong, brisk tea, with a rich body, perfect for every dish we've served with it. It required brewing and mixing with cold water, but that takes no time and is very much worth the effort. Today, we ate a tuna salad under a very bright winter noontime sun with the China Mist iced tea, and enjoyed every delicious sip.

Tea Trivia

The first recorded mention in Western history of taking a cup of tea is in Samuel Pepys' diary from 1660.

"At Home: A Short History of Private Life" by Bill Bryson (Anchor Press, 2011)

Tea in the Parlor Shawl

Look, we have a shawl named after us. Well, all right, probably not named after us per se, but a shawl named Tea in the Parlor will definitely be knitted by us as we drink tea in our parlor this winter.

Wednesday Tea Quote

"There isn't enough chamomile tea in the world to quell the rage in my heart."

The character Sheldon Cooper on the television show The Big bang Theory.

Simply Balanced Organic Black Tea Breakfast Blend

We love how organic, fair trade foods are going mainstream. Simply Balanced is a organic brand at Target chain stores that might surprise the average tea drinker. The Black Tea Breakfast Blend is a very affordable black tea blend (although the box doesn't identify the blends, we'd guess a little bit ceylon with a large dash of orange pekoe). No tricks, no surprises--this is a smooth tea that, while a bit mild for our personal tastes, brews up the same smooth cup, time after time. It would make a nice introductory tea for a novice tea drinker; a calming, soothing cup for those too-sick-to-get-out-of-bed days; and a great way to earn some karma points by helping protect Mother Earth and support fair trade practices.

We tried it with a slice of the delicious chocolate truffle babka from Panera and were quite pleased with its creamy, silky texture. Oh, and the babka--delicious. Some chocolate babkas are bitter, but not the Panera babka. (We'll confess we really love the pecan braid that just appeared in the bakery case--yum yum yum.)

Teatulia Black Tea

Organic teas and fair trade teas are our preference here in the parlor, and lately we have been drinking Teatulia's Black Tea (in the eco canister). We love that it's organic, we love the compostable 'tin,' we love that we're helping people in a very poor country earn a living.

That's why we are saddened that we don't absolutely love the tea. The tea itself is a bit bland; maybe it's too smooth. There is not signature note of a Ceylon or an Assam that stays behind, which we were expecting from a single estate tea. We prefer a strong tea that says something. But Teatulia wins hands down over any supermarket teas, which are equally bland and aren't trying to save the world, so it will find a place in our tea caddy nonetheless.

We've been drinking Teatulia Black Tea while eating a delicious almond coffee cake on the patio. The autumn weather makes al fresco breakfasts a delight. The black tea is very smooth and muted, and compliments the sweet almond cake very well.

Harney and Sons English Breakfast

Harney and Sons English Breakfast has just become available in local store. This blend of Ceylon Kenilworth and Milima Kenyan black is a lovely, smooth tea perfect for morning or afternoon. The creamy Ceylon Kenilworth matches the robust Milima to create a much more mellow tea than Harney and Sons Classic English Breakfast, which is far more tannic and astringent (although equally delicious). Cheese blintzes were the perfect food to capitalize on the delicious tea, but a special note was the peach lavender bread from one of our favorite local bakeries, Ghini's.