Seasons Greetings on Day 7!  There are just eighteen days left until the big day and just seventeen shopping days left until that day!

Yesterday, I shared with you a holiday ornament that I made by decoupaging papers onto a paperboard coaster and attaching a cool fringe-y element.  The highlight of that particular project was the paisley design, because as I’ve mentioned already, I love paisley.  I go wild when I see something paisley.

So, I thought I’d share something that I made for another year’s 12 Day of Christmas gift swap.  I was Day 1 in this swap, a fact I remember mostly because the project that I made turned out to be very “pear-like” – unintentionally – but it was still really cool because I was day 1 (Partridge in a Pear Tree.)

For this project, I upcycled a few burned out light bulbs.  Then I used a resin clay and covered the threading of the bulb.  This served two purposes, one, it covered up the metal threading, plus it enabled me to attach a wire loop to the ornament and seal it in with the resin clay.  After the resin clay had set, I started decoupaging different papers.  After each of the layers had dried, I finished the decoupage with a paisley napkin, and then after that was dry, I painted the bulb using shimmery paints and added rhinestones and sparkly fibers.  I finished it off with a pretty purple ribbon.

I was quite proud of this project.  I tend to be a bit of a pack rat (I think that most artists are) and at that point, I had accumulated a lot of burned out light bulbs and my husband was quite annoyed that I had a box full of burned out light bulbs.  He would ask, “What are you going to do with them?”  This!  This is what I did with them.

Let’s see what tea Teanzo sent me for Day Seven!

Moroccan Mint Green Tea

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Green

Where to Buy:  Teanzo 1856

Tea Description:

Whisk away to the culturally diverse Kingdom of Morocco.  Slightly larger than California, Morocco is known as “an oasis for the senses”, with its rich culture, mesmerizing natural landscapes and magnificent architecture. 

Moroccan Mint tea is Morocco’s drink of hospitality, and is served throughout the day to welcome guests at home and in business.  Moroccan Mint Tea is a refreshing combination of gunpowder green tea with mint.  Serve it hot or over ice, or mixed with a little lemonade.  

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

Ah!  I was happy to find a Moroccan Mint in this Advent Calendar box, and even happier to see that it was a Moroccan Mint with a gunpowder green tea base.  Yeah, I’ve had Moroccan Mint teas with other tea bases:  black teas, other green teas, and I’ve even had at least one Moroccan Mint that was just mint.  No Camellia Sinensis.   Still tasty, yes.  But, it didn’t need the fancy “Moroccan Mint” title.  It could have just had the “mint”  because that was what it was.

But this one tastes like the Moroccan Mint teas that I originally fell in love with – a refreshing burst of mint with the complex flavors of a Chinese gunpowder green tea.  These two elements seem so well suited for one another.

To brew this sample pouch, I again reached for my Kati tumbler and poured the contents of the pouch directly into the basket.  Then I added 12 ounces of hot water (I heated it to 175°F) and let it steep for 2 minutes.

The gunpowder is sweet, earthy and just a wee bit vegetal.  I find those vegetal tones to be very complementary with the herbaceous quality of the mint.  There is a hint of smoky quality to the gunpowder – a distant smoky note – a compelling contrast to the fresh notes of the mint.

The mint isn’t overdone in this blend.  This doesn’t taste overly minty.  It’s not mouthwash-y.  It adds a delightful fresh note without overpowering the palate with minty vibes.  It’s a touch of crispness to the earthy gunpowder green tea.

This tea resteeps well.  The flavors taste a little more unified when resteeped and I like that seamless taste.  A very enjoyable cup!