In reality it was too awesome! If you like gingerbread you need to try this tea. Spicy, gingery, definitely chai, Zhena Tea Gingerbread Chai is a great way to get some down time on one of those shop ’til you drop afternoons. Sip it and you can just about hear Christmas carols and sleigh bells in the background.

Gingerbead Chai is organic, fair trade, and I may be thoroughly addicted. Add some steamed half and half and sugar for a gingerbread chai latte and I suspect you will be addicted too.  This is a great tea to tuck into a stocking for you favorite tea freak or keep it just for yourself  on that high shelf that noone else knows about. Yeah…that one.

image:amazon

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Here is my dilemma, of course. I prefer loose tea but the nearest tea shop is Teavana at Northpark and that is a good 30 minutes away. Not far but my days are not so leisurely that I can head to the mall very often. I could order online but I forget..so most times it is choosing something while  I am at the grocers.

Thing is, I think that my life isn’t so different from anyone else’s so I try to bring you reviews of teas that are easily procured.

Tazo Chai is very much a black tea first. Some chai is so spicy that you don’t get the black tea flavor; not so with Tazo. The smoky, tannic, black tea bite is there followed by the spices. After a sip you feel like you have drunk a cup of tea and not a cup of spicy liquid. I must admit to having mine black this morning because I can’t take my medicine within a couple of hours of milk products. I think the flavor would have been gentler with milk.

It is organic which makes me very happy. I prefer organics, as you know. I like to support organic…and I like my tea strong and hold the toxins, thank you.

I liked this. It is honestly hard to hand me a chai that I don’t like. This one was more tea than spice and I liked that for morning.  Give it a try – it is a little different from other chai but that isn’t a bad thing. If you don’t care for black tea you probably won’t like this.

image:maryeaudet

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This morning we tore into the bag of French Konnexion.

French Konnexion is a Peruvian coffee (I just typed Koffee ), French roasted and the site describes it as chocolate-caramel-hazelnut. Hmmm.

As usual, I am tasting something totally different. Geez y’all, I hope my taste hasn’t been affected by the surgery! I just thought of that. Naaah….

I liked French Konnexion but not as well as the Morning Mayhem.. Here’s what I thought:

Very smooth, slightly smoky. Not burnt, mind you, but a nice smokiness like if you were drinking coffee in front of a campfire in the early morning, with a couple of trout fryin’ in the pan along with your bacon. That kind of smoky.

A little more acidic than the Mayhem and not as sweet or rich. Cumin, Cinnamon,Herbs, and Anise make this seem more Aztec than French! Bright finish flavor reminds your tongue you have been drinking coffee. I liked it alot and I am giving it a 4/5. Point lost because it was a little too acidic for my idea of perfect coffee.

While I found Morning Mayhem to be elegant and complex, I found French Konnexion to be straightforward and obvious. Plaid flannel, canoes, and hiking boots, with a day’s worth of beard stubble. My money says that Mike at Daily Shot of Coffee is going to like Konnexion better than Mayhem…

I am going to be ordering coffee at Kinetic Koffee. Although Mayhem will ALWAYS be in that order I am interested in trying some of the other coffees. Added bonus? Organic, and they donate to excellent causes. The price is amazingly reasonable.

image:Kinetic Koffee

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Apparently that rich, volcanic soil that grows such awesome beans also grows tea leaves and the Department of Agriculture is encouraging the producers to grow! grow! grow! I first read aout Hawaiian teas on the New York Times site and then did a quick search to see what I could find out.

Apparently the flavor of Hawaiian grown tea is unique. That makes sense since the climate and soil play a big role in the finished flavor. I found the Hawaiian

I am interested for sure. Here are some producers that I found, everything I see seems to stress sustainable, organic farming and hand picked tea leaves:

Hawaiian Natural flavored teas

Mauna Kea green and oolong

Noone has offered me any yet..when my surgery is over, and I am back on my feet I will try to get some for review. Isn’t it cool though? So, Bigelow has a tea plantation in South Carolina and tea is being grown in Hawaii… not quite local..but still close!

Sustainable, organic, artisan hand crafted…I think they are playing my song.

image:Marye Audet

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Millstone Coffee is owned by Smuckers. I say that only because I much prefer independent roasters, local if possible. However, it is good to know where to go in a pinch, right? Millstone is pretty decent coffee for what it is. I have gotten it before and enjoyed it the way you enjoy being bored on a summer day. Pleasant but you wish you had something more exciting.

In other words…I was not expecting to blog about Millstone Organic Mayan Black Onyx.

First of all, the word “organic” got me. I like that word. I like it even more when it applies to something I am going to ingest. And then, the whole Mayan Black Onyx thing. It captured my imagination, it promised me of adventure and intrigue, romance in exotic places…yes, I have no real life.

Anyway. I like this coffee. Alot. I like it better than most of Starbucks coffees, other than some of their $16 a pound seasonals. It is as dark and smoky as the back corner table in  a seedy tavern. It is smooth with a faint tobacco flavor followed by cherry. It reminds me of my uncle’s pipe tobacco in a way.

When you add cream and sugar the coffee changes its character quite a bit and exudes honey, almond and vanilla notes.

Either this is the most two faced coffee ever…or the most flexible.   Great morning coffee to go with a pancake-egg-bacon type breakfast as you gaze at the fog lifting from over the lake.

So if you run out of your favorite indy blend…never fear. You can pick this up at any grocers that carries Millstone.

images:MaryeAudet

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I like coffee. I like using coffee. I like smelling coffee…I was always sad the Dr. Suess did not write a book about coffee, although he did do some on the edge World War II propaganda movies for the US Army.

Anyway. I like coffee, I like organic coffee, and I like when people figure out how to do awesome things with everyday objects. Soy fabric is incredible, I would not eat soy based products but wear them?  Ah…so soft. Bamboo, same thing. Awesome! But coffee?

Well a company is making fabric from coffee. In fact the company that perfected it has made two shirts from the amount of grounds it takes to make a cup of coffee. GROUNDS mind you, not beans. The after product of your morning ritual.  If the fabric goes viral those of us that drink a lot of coffee could have a brand new income stream.

The fabric is also “quick-drying, odor controlling,  and uv-protective.” Totally organic and produced in an environmentally responsible fashion the only other thing you could possibly want would be to drink the water it is rinsed in…but alas..technology has not yet come that far.

You can read more at the  SCafe site.

Still. It will be interesting to see how this markets, what the cost will be..and most important of all…..will your sweat smell like coffee?

image:marye audet (those vintage magazines and books have to be good for something)

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The flavors they are offering are:

Organic Green Tea Acai White Cranberry : Regarded as a miracle fruit by many, the acai berry’s tantalizing tropical flavor blends exquisitely with white cranberry to create a uniquely flavorful green tea.

·          Organic Green Tea Original Green: The pure, clean flavor of perfectly brewed, all natural green tea … light, refreshing and rich in nutritional benefits.

·          Organic Green Tea Lemon Ginger : Delightfully subtle yet tart, its delicate, lemony flavor is balanced with the gentle spice of ginger.

·          Organic Green Tea Mango Lychee : Fantastically fruity! Juicy mango and exotic lychee combine for a unique and delectable taste of refreshment.

They are made with organic sugar cane and sound like they might be a nice change from cokes and other heavily sweetened drinks when you want something besides water or plain sweet tea.

I wish that when companies send out press releases they would also send samples because it is really hard for me to talk about something I haven’t tried. I like Bigelow Teas, and I like that they are increasingly becoming more involved with organics. Arizona has always made really good stuff so I expect this will be good as well.  How could you go wrong with Green Tea, Mango, Lychee? YUM! Anyway, if they offer me a sample I will let you know what I think. If you happen to try it, let me know what you think…deal?

image: courtesy of Bigelow, used by permission.

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Teatulia Green tea was a nice surprise for me because….ummm..I don’t care for green tea. Well, o…I haven’t in the past.

I may have changed my mind.

The liquor is honey gold with a nice bright cream swirled over the top.  The aroma is fresh and clean and grassy, like fresh, clean hay.  That is definitly better than it smelling like old not clean hay, right?

The tea is flavorful, and maintains the fresh, herbal quality.  The only way I can explain it is to say that when I ws a child I spent summers on my aunt and uncle’s farm in Michigan. In the early morning a breezer would blow across the hay and alfalfa fields and wake me up with the freshness of that scent.  I would invariably scramble into my clothes and head for the hayloft in the barn to have a few moments of thought.  The combination of the smell of the fresh hay and the green growing grasses are captured perfectly in the taste of this tea.

If that is too verbose for you then : I liked it alot.

I don’t think that Teatulia knows how to make a bad tea.

image:marye audet

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I will say right off that of the coffees I got from Terra Nova, the Columbian is my favorite.  It is smooth, rich and has a velvety mouth feel.

The flavor is distinctly winey and fruity, very full bodied and perfect as an all purpose coffee.  The aftertaste is slightly arid…but in a pleasant way, it does not leave you with camel (or coffee) breath.

This is the last coffee that I bought but John Brewster, the roaster, sent me two blends to try…I will be reviewing them BOTH tomorrow so check back.  And, toward the end of October I will be interviewing John, so if you have anything you would like to know about the company leave your questions with me so I can be sure to ask him!

Surprise!

This is a sponsored post for BLOGTOBERFEST.  The prize is a secret and it doesn’t have anything to do with the post.

Now, to win you need to just leave a comment.  I will be drawing the winner within the week!  Keep checking back..I could announce the winner tomorrow…or next Thursday, or ANYTIME in between!

For more blogtoberfest posts check the following blogs:

A Child Chosen, All Holiday Cafe, Babylune, Blog Fabulous, Career and Kids, Cooking Gadgets, Declutter it, Foodie Obsessed, Jewelry and Beading,  One Book Two Book, Quilting and Patchword, SuperNanny Rules, Weary Parent.

Image:MaryeAudet

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I got the coffee package from Terra Nova today, complete with the three coffees I had ordered and two for me to review.

I was impressed.  They said that they would roast and send out immediately and they were not kidding.

The box smelled wonderful!  Within five minutes the kitchen smelled wonderful and I felt forced to make a pot of coffee.  I know..usually I have Marc do it but I had dropped him off at work earlier so I had to do it myself.  The coffee could, technically speaking, be much better than I say because he is my personal  barista. remember..

I started with a blend called Southern Cross.

It is very aromatic both before brewing and after.  The coffee color is a medium caramel.

It has a bite of an astringent bite to it, very pleasant. Tart and sparkly on the tongue, not heavy.  There is a light almond aroma which made me expect a more delicate flavor in the coffee.  I was surprised that the flavor was anything but delicate.  Malty, with a lingering winey aftertaste that fades into a spicy memory. Afterwards my mouth was dry..which is one of the reasons I do not like lighter roasts! Keep the breath mints handy.

This coffee reminds me of autumn.  Leaves changing colors, acorns, pumpkins…It is a coffee to eat a piece of dutch apple pie with …a coffee shop coffee.  It handles milk and stevia with aplomb…settling down into a velvety smooth cup.

This is a good all purpose coffee.  I don’t think I would like it in the evening, or with a rich dessert..remember that I am partial to the espresso an very dark roasts..This is similar to Starbuck’s Pikes Peak Blend in some ways, but I like it better.

It is a fair trade organic coffee. Gotta love it.

Images:Marye Audet

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