A Pox On Flavored Tea Bags!

This is a picture of the church in Dickshied, Germany, where many of my

 ancestors were christened.  It is sided in part with small sheets of stone,

about half the size of my palm, that is about 2 inches by 4 inches. 

There are very few windows and they are very small. 

 I would love to know when it was built.  I can trace my ancestors there

back to about 1560.

I had a meeting today at a friend's house and had the opportunity to try 2 new teas.  She even had a kettle, so I could have cooler or hotter water.  Only teabags, but you take what you get when you forget to bring your own,

The first was Lipton's Island Mango and Peach White Tea.  The tea came in a nice large bag, big leaves and additions.  I brewed it around 150 degrees, for about 3 minutes.  It was a delicate pinkish yellow - peach or mango color, surprise, surprise.  It had a vaguely fruity taste, pleasant for what it was.  However, I considered it basically tasteless and surely a waste of money.  I am not a great fan of white tea, being more a black tea person, but I can easily appreciate their delicate flavors.  I really do not understand adding any flavoring to it - there is no possible way you could discern the gentle flavors and aromas of white tea.

The second was a tad more successful.  It was Stash Tea's Ginger Breakfast Black Tea.    I used boiling water, 3 minutes and was rewarded with a fairly decent cup.  The tea was strong enough to have some flavor and the ginger was not overwhelming.

Much as I appreciate my friend's efforts to have tea for her non-coffee friends, (and I really do) this was just another nail in the coffin of tea bag teas, as far as I am concerned.  Maybe I should say flavored tea bags, because I do find PG Tips and Typhoo to be pretty good.  In fact, I got some Typhoo Decaf from another friend and I must say, for having 2 strikes against it, it was quite decent.

Yippee! - Spring is really going to come - the sun is finally shining in my kitchen window.  As it makes it swing through the seasons, I hate to see it disappear from there and rejoice when it is once again dancing across my counters.

Patience, Patience

The dark rich purple lilacs by the back deck are getting ready to bloom! I look at them several times a day thinking – maybe now they'll unfold, surely they are ready to let that wonderful smell pour out. I am so anxious for them to bloom – to take in their rich beautiful scent. Sometimes I feel like that about tea, if it's name or smell or appearance are particularly intriguing. I just can't wait to try it, to see if the taste lives up to the fanfare that name or aroma gives out. The brewing time seems to be eons, letting it cool enough to taste, almost as long. Sometimes I cheat and pour a bit in a saucer, so I can know right now, if it will be wonderful.

I found this really cute tea strainer on the Tea and Company blog at xx-teo-strainer.jpg. I wouldn't mind having one of these cheerful little people on my mug.

We went to/from Albany today and the only tea I've had was Lipton's Iced Green tea with citrus, in a big jug from the grocery store. Lots of sugar. Tasted a little better than green Kool-Aid, but not much. No, it actually tasted worse. If people think this is reaping the benefits of green tea, I think they are sadly deluded.

We went to the Indian store to stock up and I found some chai tea bags. Stop back in tomorrow for the review. The only other tea I came near was at the supermarket where we had stopped for coffee. It was all K cups from Green Mountain coffee and it was excellent! They had K cups for tea, but there was only one machine and I have had tea from coffee pots and while it is an experience, it is not one I care to repeat.

PS – the lilacs have started to bloom and I am a happy sniffer!