OK, I can’t believe that it’s already the 10th of December! Sheesh! It seemed like this year disappeared way too fast.
For today’s artistic inspiration, I decided to show you a piece crafted by artist Sherri Auld. Like several of the other pieces I’ve shown you thus far, this ornament was part of a 12 Days of Christmas mail art swap I was involved in a couple of years ago.
The photo doesn’t really do this adorable little ornament justice. What Sherri has done is backed a metal cookie cutter with decorative holiday paper and she’s strung the cutter to make an ornament out of it. Then she finished the piece with a little snowflake embellishment.
I love the dimension of this piece. I also love the sparkle that the silver metal adds to my tree! It’s a fun ornament – something that would be awesome to make for that “little extra touch” to top someone’s gift under the tree.
Today’s tea is one that when I started exploring Teanzo’s website, I hoped that they’d include it! It’s YUMMY!
Signature Coconut Chai Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Teanzo 1856
Tea Description:
Our Signature Chai has the spices of a traditional Indian Chai, with a tropical twist. With flavors of coconut and vanilla, this Chai is a real treat without all the calories!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
When I pulled the sampler pouch marked with it’s “10” label from my Advent Calendar box from Teanzo and flipped over the pouch to read the tea for today, I was excited! Coconut Chai! Oh yeah!
The dry leaf aroma is yummy. Strong notes of coconut with notes of cinnamon and ginger. It smelled warm and exotic. It smelled delicious!
The brewed tea doesn’t have quite as delectable an aroma as the dry leaf. The brewing process has brought these essences together and they’ve become more melded. I still smell a strong coconut note, but the ginger and cinnamon seem to have become more of a background note. The black tea notes have more prominence in the aroma of the brewed tea.
This is really tasty. I can see why Teanzo have chosen to call this their ‘signature’ blend.
Although they call this a chai, I would categorize this as more of a warmly spiced coconut tea rather than a “chai.” Sure, chai = tea but, when I say the word “chai,” I’m talking about a blend of spices that may or may not have been blended with a tea base (or possibly a base of rooibos or other tisane-type base). I’m talking about a heavily spiced drink.
If I were to blindly taste this, I don’t know that I would have declared it a chai by taste. It tastes like a spiced coconut blend.
But I’m just arguing semantics here, if Teanzo wants to call this a chai – they can! It’s a really tasty blend of black tea, coconut and spice. If you like coconut – it’s a tea that you should try!
The black tea is a prominent flavor – it’s a bold black tea! It has notes of malt. it’s a substantial tasting black tea. It’s got a strong flavor with notes of malt. It’s a powerful presence in this cup and it has some real gusto to it – this would be a great tea to start the day with, especially if you’re looking for a tea with some flavors other than your typical breakfast blend. The warmth of the spices and the sweet coconut notes will add just that change of pace you’re looking for.
The coconut is sweet and creamy. I like how I feel that slick coconut feel in my mouth when I take a sip, however there isn’t that oily taste to it the way some coconut teas can taste. It’s very pleasant. I like the way the coconut is accented by the warm, zesty ginger and the spicy-sweet cinnamon. These spices are not too spicy, as I eluded to before. Instead, they’re a warm, cozy note to the cup that reminds me a little bit of being at gramma’s house while she’s baking cookies. You know, that delicious smell that keeps you going back into the kitchen wondering what’s in the oven? Yeah, that’s what the taste here reminds me of.
It’s really a yummy combination of flavors and one that I’m really thrilled that I got to try. I’m really happy that Teanzo included this in the box! YUM!
