Today is Day 15, it hardly seems REAL to me that it would be December 15th already. Just ten days until Christmas. Just 14 shopping days before the day. This year vanished way too quickly!
Today, I decided to feature something that I made several years ago, and I had not intended on making it for the tree, but it has since become an ornament for the tree. This is an altered toy sheriff’s badge. I covered it with polymer clay and then I embellished it with more polymer clay accents, glitter, paint and some metal embellishments.
When I created this piece, I did so because I was working on an art ‘zine and the main topic of that issue was my favorite artist of all time, Vincent Van Gogh. His painting, “Starry Night” is my favorite work of art of all time and this altered badge is an interpretation of that work.
In case you’re wondering what an art ‘zine is, it’s a handmade ‘magazine’ – there are many different types of ‘zines out there, but the ones that have always appealed to me and the kind that I focused on were altered art ‘zines. In these ‘zines I would talk about art and also tea (my two obsessions) and I’d include short stories, journaling, “how to” tutorials, and little art sample inclusions (like little bits of ephemera and stuff). They were fun.
Still curious? This book might give you an idea of what I’m talking about.
Let’s get to today’s tea, shall we?
Simply Rooibos
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Teanzo 1856
Tea Description:
This high quality organic rooibos iced tea from South Africa is a great source of antioxidants and trace minerals. Simplicity at its best, rooibos is naturally caffeine free. Also great as a hot tea and takes milk well.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
OK, yeah, I was less than enthusiastic when I saw that today’s tea is pure rooibos. But, I was happy to find that it’s organic rooibos (I am not all that crazy about plain, pure rooibos. But the organic rooibos is pretty good. And yes, there is a difference, I did a side-by-side comparison to them at one point, and there is a distinct difference in flavor between the two.)
But really, there’s not a lot to say about this organic rooibos that I haven’t said about organic rooibos in the past. It’s sweet with honeyed notes and a flavor that is somewhere between warm nutty flavors and woodsy tones.
To brew it, I recommend going slightly lower than most vendors of tea will suggest. Most suggest using boiling water. I don’t. I lower the temperature to 195°F.
Here’s why: A lot of tea drinkers, myself included, often complain about a “sour wood” taste to rooibos. I didn’t call it “sour wood” though, I called it a “funky, weird taste” because I didn’t think of putting the words sour and wood together. Yeah, I got the wood flavor, but it didn’t taste like “sour wood” to me, it tasted funky and weird. So that’s what I called it.
After tasting that funky, weird, sour wood taste (or whatever you want to call it!) more often than I wanted to taste it when drinking something that is supposed to be a pleasure to sip (ie: tea/tisane), I decided to play around with how I brew the stuff. And I lowered the temperature of the water that I steep rooibos in and I found NO funky, weird taste. No sour wood. That’s my secret to avoid that strange flavor.
Simple!
I steeped the rooibos for 10 minutes and it’s a very enjoyable cup. Nutty, a little woody (but more like a nutty flavor than a woodsy one) with notes of honey-like sweetness. Hints of a toasty, smoky note in the distance. Quite pleasant, really. Simple, organic, pleasant and naturally caffeine free. A nice tea to sip later in the evening when you’d rather not overstimulate yourself with caffeine.
Organic Simply Strawberry Green Tea from Kally Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Kally Tea
Tea Description:
Here is an elegant green tea blended with sweet succulent strawberries creating a light balanced flavored tea. The sweet strawberry aroma arrives as you first add the water to your cup. When you take the first sip, you will relish the delicate green tea flavor with the background flavor of the strawberries. Seems like spring in a cup! Wonderful!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
It is cold outside, and while I DO prefer this weather over warm weather (hot tea tastes so much better when it’s cold outside, don’t you agree?) that doesn’t mean that I don’t appreciate a journey of the mind that takes me outside the scope of the reality that it’s cold outside. Take this Simply Strawberry Green Tea from Kally Tea, for example. The delicious, bright flavor of strawberry combined with the fresh, lush green tea taste takes me on a seasonal voyage to the days in spring when we start to see the first fresh strawberries at the local produce stand.
And while I do prefer cold weather to the warmer days of spring, that doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy the thought of the warmth of spring and the fresh juicy strawberries it brings! So sweet and luscious!
This tea also has pineapple in it, and the pineapple offers a very compelling element to the cup. The two flavors – strawberry and pineapple – are both sweet-tart kinds of fruit, and they meld together very well. Some of the acidic nature of the pineapple brings out the berry tartness, and that tartness lingers into the aftertaste. But as tart is not always my favorite flavor, I like that there is a balance between the two contrasting characteristics. I find that the sweet flavor of both fruit complement each other nicely here.
And the sweet, creamy taste of the green tea base is not missed in the sip, either. It has a very pleasing, smooth taste that is not grassy or bitter, and has very little astringency. It’s just sweet … and smooth and gives the overall cup a nice round taste.
A very nice cup – one that has me thinking of the coming months and looking forward to strawberry season!
Simply Earl Grey from Village Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Village Tea Company
Company Description:
Named for Charles Grey, a 19th century British statesman and prime minister, our deeply satisfying, aromatic tea is laced with the fragrant oil of the bergamot orange to bring you an incredible blend of traditional tea with a hint of modern spirit. We invite you to see what Charles Grey made such a fuss about when he found his escape in a delicious black tea.
This blend comes to you in 100% recycled and recyclable packaging.
Taster’s Review:
I am sure you’ve heard me declare this before, but, I love Earl Grey tea. There is just something about the bergamot orange that makes it just seem to be made for flavoring the tea leaf.
This is an excellent variety of Earl Grey from the Village Tea Company. Having not tried any of their teas before, I must say that I was rather excited to receive one of their nifty little “teaser” packages – a small cardboard cylinder “tin” that is just about the same size as a lipstick tube.
This packaging is quite impressive – I mean, really, how clever! This little tube fits comfortably in a pocket, purse or briefcase, giving a whole new level of portability to tea time! This is something that can easily be stashed in the desk drawer at work, or into a suitcase so that you can travel with your favorite teas rather than having to settle for the lackluster hotel “courtesy” teabags. All this convenience, the tea stays fresh and dry… and these portable tubes are eco-friendly! What more can you ask from tea containment?
Here’s more about the teaser packaging from The Village Tea Company’s website:
Travel Sized Tea to Go!
Our Simply Early Grey Teaser is our best blend of Indian black teas with bergamot orange essence packaged for a convenient sampling experience or for Village Tea on-the-go.
My gushing over the cool packaging of the Village Tea Company’s teasers aside, I am really enjoying this cup of Simply Earl Grey! The bergamot flavor here is a bit lighter than many Earl Grey teas that I’ve encountered – and although I really like a strong bergamot aroma and flavor – I must admit that there is a very pleasing balance between tea flavor and bergamot taste here.
The black tea base is mellow and smooth – I certainly wouldn’t categorize it as robust. This is not a tea that I would consider a breakfast or morning tea because it doesn’t have that verve that I look for in a morning tea. However, this IS a truly excellent afternoon tea and would make a perfect choice to serve to guests. There is no bitterness to the black tea and only a light astringency to it. It is just … rather simply … a delicious, medium-bodied black tea base.
The bergamot follows suit by being a softer, smoother bergamot. This is not the perfume-y tasting Earl Grey that you might remember when drinking tea at your great-aunt’s house when you were younger. It has a deliciously juicy, citrus taste to it with hints of the signature “floral” taste that I so often attribute to Earl Grey teas. But – please note – that these are only hints of those floral notes. The bergamot here is very light and refreshing.
This really is “Simply” Earl Grey… and, simply delicious.