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Terrible, awful, no good, very bad day. But, good tea, thankfully!

I tried this iced today – just as I suspected it would be, it is delicious! I think I almost prefer it iced.

I bought a box of this to keep at work, since it seems to steep so well with water from the hot water dispenser (not quite boiling, but it works). Having it today as an afternoon pick-me-up! :)

This has been my go-to breakfast tea for a while. It is great on its own or with milk. I’m also enjoying a 2nd steep in the afternoon/evening – sometimes I’ll add a little vanilla and sugar to make it more dessert-like.

Feeling a bit “meh” about this. In all fairness, I’m not really sure I’m a big fan of oolongs. This seems like a pretty good tea, I’m just not all that excited about it. I’ll give it another shot for sure though.

Just trying this for the first time – this is my first hojicha too. I’m on the fence. In a way, it just tastes like plain green tea, but it is smoother which I really like. I thought it might taste roasted, but it doesn’t at all. I just read that hojicha has reduced caffeine..maybe not the best choice for first thing in the morning! :)

I cooked up a big batch of chai – here’s my recipe (approximately):

For 4 cups water plus 2 cups soy milk:
8 black peppercorns
18 cloves
18 cardamom pods
2 pieces dried ginger
1 1/2 cinnamon sticks

I smashed up all the spices with a mortar a pestle, and simmered them for about 45 minutes. Then I added 6 tsp Lipton Darjeeling tea and simmered for 7 minutes more. I added a generous spoonful of sugar to my cup, and I refrigerated the rest to heat up later. It came out delicious! A good balance of spices.

Had this again last night – I steeped it twice, and it was lovely both times. This is growing on me – I think it will be my go-to tea when I want something floral (but not as perfume-y as jasmine).

I just picked up some fresh spices at the Indian grocery, so I decided to make chai with rooibos last night. For a 12 oz mug I used:

1/2 cinnamon stick
1 small piece dried ginger
3 black peppercorns
6 cloves
6 green cardamom pods
half a piece of star anise
2 teaspoons rooibos (Cameron’s)

I coarsely crushed all the spices with a mortar and pestle and simmered them with water and soymilk for 8 minutes. Then I strained the mixture into my mug with a couple spoonfuls of sugar. Delicious!

I haven’t had a lot of oolong, so I might not be the best critic, but I like this very much. I was expecting it to be more floral; although there is a floral flavor there, it is more subtle and not in your face. I think it would be delicious iced. I look forward to having more of this, and trying some more oolongs!