It’s Day 16 of this Advent Calendar/Holiday Countdown with Teanzo 1856. There are eight days left to shop! Every year, I tell myself that I’ll start my shopping early, but every year, I end up waiting until the last minute. (Sigh!)
For today’s artistic inspiration, I am turning to another piece that I received in a 12 Days of Christmas mail art swap. The artist I’m featuring today is Gwynn Thoma, and she made this beautiful rustic heart ornament for my tree.
This is another one of those ornaments that’s just FUN to discover every year when I start “unwrapping” all my ornaments for the tree. It’s so cute and there are so many neat little details about it that I seem to keep finding something new about it every year. I also like the bit of rustic whimsy it adds to my tree.
Another thing that really stood out to me about this particular ornament was the packaging. Gwynn stitched together little “envelopes out of Kraft paper and adorned them with bits of aged sheet music and a swatch of the burlap that she used to create the heart ornament. It’s a very clever and lovely package and I love how it “matches” the gift that was tucked inside.
I hope that you guys are enjoying my art “roundup” as well as the countdown to Christmas with teas from Teanzo this year!
Seasonal Relief Herbal Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Tulsi
Where to Buy: Teanzo 1856
Tea Description:
In India, licorice root is used to soothe sore throats, and the tulsi plant is revered for its many health benefits. In this delicious herbal wellness tea, we’ve combined licorice root and tulsi with a powerhouse of helpers: peppermint, hibiscus, honey bee pollen, and eucalyptus. Not only is the tea delicious, but it is soothing too. Enjoy this tea hot or iced.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I suffer from seasonal allergies that seem to last all year long now. I never used to! Before moving to the Pacific Northwest, I didn’t have allergies. But I guess with all the pollen in this area, I soon started feeling unwell in the spring with allergy symptoms, but because I never had allergies before, I thought maybe it was something else.
Then I started taking allergy medication and my symptoms disappeared. At first, I only needed these toward the end of winter, through spring and at the very start of summer. Then I started needing it through summer. Now, I need the medication year round or I start sneezing, eyes start watering and I’m just really uncomfortable with my symptoms.
So, I am always looking for a tisane that I enjoy that might help me alleviate my symptoms so that I don’t have to take so much allergy medication. So when I saw that this was a Seasonal Relief blend, I was excited to try it.
Unfortunately, I’m just not enjoying this one very much. Perhaps it’s the eucalyptus, but I feel like I’m sipping on liquefied VapoRub.
At first, I enjoyed the peppermint and licorice-y notes, and I could taste notes of tulsi that I enjoyed. But after drinking about 1/4th of the cup, the flavor of the eucalyptus seemed to build and it got to the point where all I could taste was the eucalyptus and this does not create a very pleasant cup for me.
On the plus side, the hibiscus is not a heavy flavor or texture. I think that this could be much nicer if maybe there was less eucalyptus, and maybe a little more peppermint and tulsi.
Overall, this just wasn’t my cup of tea. They can’t all be, though. Teanzo has had some real winners with this Advent Calender, this just didn’t do it for me, so hopefully tomorrow, we’ll have something yummy!
24 Days of Tea Holiday Countdown – Day 14 from Teanzo 1856
Today is Day 14 in this lovely holiday countdown. I love counting down with tea. I’m sure I’ve probably mentioned that already. But … tea is one of my very favorite things about life itself so I’ll probably end up saying it again before this countdown is over!
For today’s artistic inspiration, I chose one of my very favorite ornaments from what I believe is one of the very earliest 12 Days of Christmas mail art swaps that I was involved in and if I remember correctly, this is one that I actually hosted.
The artist’s name is Betsey. I wish I could remember her last name. (I’m so sorry Betsey!) I do remember that she lives somewhere in Washington State, I just don’t recall her name.
Anyway, Betsey made this amazing little metal bird for our 12 Days of Christmas Swap. Isn’t it adorable? It adds a little charm and whimsy to my tree, and I’m always happy to see it as I’m unwrapping all the ornaments to put on the tree each year (I wrap all my ornaments in tissue paper because most are delicate. This one isn’t so much delicate as I just don’t want it to shift to the bottom of the box and possibly get lost, so it’s better to have it tucked in a bit of tissue paper with the other ornies!
Breakfast Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Teanzo 1856
Tea Description:
You will love this loose leaf breakfast tea! It has a rich aroma and bold flavor with a smooth finish. The young leaf tea buds also known as golden tips in this Assam, add to the complex flavors of the leaf tea, with a hint of maltiness. Drink this iced or hot to get going with your day, or as a quick perk up throughout the day. Buy this loose leaf breakfast tea online today!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I was excited to flip over packet #14 and find that today’s tea would be Teanzo’s Breakfast Tea. I am always eager to try a rich, delicious breakfast tea – whether it be a blend or just one type of tea like this one (this is an Assam tea with golden tips), the term “breakfast tea” to me means a robust cup of tea with plenty of that go-get-’em kind of gusto that I need to energize me.
That’s something that I love about tea: there is such a rich, diverse world of tea that you can find teas that will invigorate you as well as other teas that will soothe and relax you. There’s always something out there in the world of tea to help you with whatever you’re going through.
And I wanted something strong and bold today – and this tea filled the bill … to a TEA! (Ha ha … punny. OK, maybe not.)
This Breakfast Tea is wonderful! I had finished about half the cup before I started writing this because I was enjoying it so much that I almost forgot that I needed to write about the tea!
It’s everything I want in a “breakfast tea.” The gold tipped Assam leaves produced a delightful cup that’s rich and full-flavored. It’s energizing, yes. Malty, check! It’s got an amazing, caramel-y undertone, yep! And there are even notes of chocolate in the layers of flavor.
I’ve consumed a lot of Assam over the years, and while I’ve enjoyed many (perhaps most!) of what I’ve tried. It would be difficult for me to say this one or that one is the best that I’ve ever tried because I’ve tried a lot! So, what I can tell you is that this one is really good. And what stands out about me most about this particular Assam is the sweetness. It’s really delightfully sweet.
It’s got a flavor to it that keeps me sipping and not wanting to put the cup down long enough to start typing. That’s the sign of a good tea to me. And this one is good, because I finished the cup before I finished writing! Bonus points!
Craighead Single Estate Black Tea from P.M.David Silva & Sons
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: PMD (P.M.David Silva & Sons)
Tea Description:
Craighead Estate is stationed 1,100 metres above sea level in the picturesque Gampola valley within the Kandy district. The Kandy district saw the success of the first commercially planted tea in Sri Lanka. This triumph led to the conception of the Ceylon Tea industry and in due course the establishment of Craighead Estate..
The combination of the western quality season and the skills of the resident tea maker create a truly regal mid-grown tea. Craighead possesses intense malty characteristics whilst embodying a brisk finish. It is ideally drunk with milk during the late morning or early afternoon.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I was very excited when I got a package from the UK! From P.M.David Silva & Sons … a new to me company! Double excitement from one package! Woo hoo!
This Craighead Kintyre Oya Seasonal Single Estate Ceylon Tea is the first tea that I’m sampling from them, and it’s a really lovely Ceylon!
When I think of Ceylon, I often think of the smooth, medium-bodied, even tempered, easy going black tea that has a moderate flavor that seems to take to adding flavor to quite well, which is why it’s one of the often utilized teas when it comes to selecting a base to create flavored teas. However, there are a lot of different Ceylon teas out there, and some have really surprised me. Like this Craighead, for example!
This is a rich and malty Ceylon, and if I had to compare it to another tea, I’d say that this is very Assam-like! It has that rich, bold flavor of an Assam, with a sweet, caramel-y undertone and a wonderful malty note. It isn’t quite as hefty as a typical Assam, I don’t think that I would turn to this tea for my first cup of the day. It doesn’t have that “shake me awake,” invigorating quality to it that I get from Assam tea.
But, it does have a very robust character, and it’s a tea that I’d want as my second cup of the day, and it would make a lovely afternoon tea as well. Because it does have a strong, assertive flavor, it would take well to the addition of milk and honey, if you’d like to add those. It would also make a great tea to serve to guests at a tea party, because usually, people like to add tea cubes and a splash of milk to their tea at tea parties. (This is based on my observation of the behaviors of guests at my favorite tea room.)
This is slightly tannic, but not overly so. I find that the tannins here seem to keep the sweeter notes of the tea in balance, so I get a nice, well-rounded taste with every sip.
I like that this tea makes me rethink “Ceylon.” This is not at all what I expected from a Ceylon, and I’m loving that!
Cranberry Tea from Adagio Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Adagio Teas
Tea Description:
Premium black tea from Sri Lanka flavored with sweet, tangy cranberries. Clean, bright flavor with a juicy sweetness. This delicious autumn delight is a great complement to your next turkey feast, which your guests are sure to gobble down. Please give this limited-time tea a try– your teacups will give thanks!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This tea is one of Adagio’s seasonal teas, but, it is one that I think I would be happy to enjoy all year round!
I am usually hesitant with Adagio’s black teas, because I often find that the black tea base is too harsh. However, in this particular blend, I am not finding the black tea base to be disagreeable; in fact, it’s really quite pleasant.
The black tea is a strong Ceylon tea with a fair amount of astringency, but it doesn’t taste course or bitter. It’s actually rather smooth, a very pleasant surprise given my experience with Adagio!
The cranberry flavor is more of a subtle hint of flavor – this tea doesn’t scream out “hey! I’m cranberry flavored!” Instead, it is a pleasant black tea with a note of cranberry flavor that is a little sweet and a little tart. I like that the tartness here is not a profound note; just a barely-there hint of tartness that reveals itself in the aftertaste with a tingly tart sensation. Even then, it is not an overtly tart taste; it is quite enjoyable.
While it does have a certain seasonal flair to it, it is one that I would find enjoyable all year round!