Christmas Teas and Memories

I made a cake for a party and as I was putting away a dollop of left over frosting, I suddenly had a childhood memory of my mother always using that leftover bit to make graham cracker sandwiches.  My younger cousins remember them with saltines and frosting as well.  I'm not sure which was better, the frosting sandwiches or the frosted cake.  I guess it is the time of year for special memories.

One of the Christmas ones I cherish was the opening of "the orange store" after Thanksgiving.  Citrus fruits of every kind, plus some holly and mistletoe were all they carried.  It was so enchanting to see huge stocking stuffer oranges, lemons and limes, red grapefruit and best of all, the tiny kumquats, which I always begged to get.  My grandmother would indulge me and buy one sprig with 3-4 fruit on them.  One day, the dog started to eat one - it was hilarious, because he really didn't know whether to eat it or spit it out, so he kept chewing, with the strangest look on his face.  He was sure this was a trick.  We finally gave him a treat and he was a happier pup.

Today I thought I would try one of the Christmas teas from Lupicia, Caramel and Rum.  It came in a quite roomy tea bag and the tea was fairly large cut.  I brewed it with boiling water for 2.5 minutes.  This was not enough time and the next time I try it, I will use at least 3 minutes or more.  It gave off a lovely sweet aroma of caramel, but I couldn't detect any rum.  The drink was indeed caramel with a very faint swipe of rum.  I was grateful for the latter, as I don't like rum flavoring, although I do like rum.  I tried it with some cream and sugar, but they seemed to overwhelm it, which is why I will let it brew longer.   Of course, it may just be a delicate tea.  We'll see.   I had a thought that perhaps a strong cup of this would make an excellent base for hot buttered rum, with a pinch of nutmeg on top, one of my favorite winter drinks.