Teacup Terrorist

I received my free sample from Folgers’s new collection of gourmet coffees the other day. I must say that I was rather pleased by the packaging. It invites you to have a taste. Don’t inhale too deeply when you open it, though. The aroma leaves much to be desired. I almost didn’t want to drink it. It didn’t smell as fresh and bold as I thought it would being “lively” and all.

Once brewed and the first sip taken, the taste will bowl you over. I was totally shocked at the uninhibited flavor. I was in love from first sip. I am not usually a Folgers gal, but this one made me want to try more of the flavors they offer, specifically the chocolate and caramel varieties. I found that they are sold in a local store, so I will be checking them out there and online for a good deal. It was bold, but not overbearing with a light finish that you don’t mind having in your mouth after you are done drinking. I hope to be able to check out the other flavors soon.

Five out of five cups from me.

Technorati Tags: free sample, gourmet coffee, Folgers, chocolate, caramel

Here is our first featured tip from our guest blogger, my Mom, Iris.

I have discovered a good way to brew green tea. Use a glass lined *not plastic lined* thermos to steep your green tea in. I have an Oster ThermoCarafe. Boil your water, put the water in the carafe, put your tea bags in that and close it. Then let it set. It comes out so good.

It makes such a difference. The taste is more robust. The tea comes out darker. It’s a better way to infuse your tea. You don’t even need to sweeten it. If you do need a bit of sugar, add a little apple juice. It’s a beautiful thing.

Also, you will have piping hot tea for at least a day. The tea doesn’t go bad. I left it over night and went to get some the next day…it was still too hot to drink. I left it another day and it was still warm.

My sister Janet says that it tastes funny in the coffee pot, but in the thermos it comes out better than the store.

Technorati Tags: green tea, tea

I received three new teas in the mail the other day, but have only sampled one thus far. I will tell you that the smell just opening the box took me to another place. Papaya permeated the air. I can smell it by just walking past my tea cabinet. It smells like heaven. You must understand that most teas don’t live up to their smells. The better smelling teas always taste just a bit less appealing than their aromas. The not-so-great smelling teas tend to have more robust flavors. Being as the papaya was mixed with green tea, you got the robust green mixing rather well with the mild papaya. The fruit doesn’t take over the cup, but you do get a nice blended flavor. The taste doesn’t land very far from the beautiful aroma of the leaves and fruit before being brewed. I was rather pleasantly surprised. I didn’t order this one, it came as a thank you sample from the seller. I must say that it would be well worth the money if I decided to buy a 1/4 pound outright.

4 out of 5 cups:

Technorati Tags: Papaya, tea, green tea

I was just introduced by my newfound friend to the TeaSwap blog. It’s a great place to read up on different teas and such. Bookmark it for reading after you read mine .

I have spoken to my mother about being a guest blogger here. It would be a weekly or monthly feature of her discoveries and ideas about tea. If you read my comments on various posts here, you can see that she is quite knowledgeable in the language of tea. I hope that we can begin this venture within the next month.

I don’t like chamomile tea. As a matter of fact, I only drink it when I am sick. Maybe I don’t like the sickly sweet taste of it even without honey. My taste really doesn’t matter as long as the tea does what it should. I can’t write objectively about it, so I will let my friend do the talking for me Retta outlines the joys and benefits of drinking Chamomile. Make sure you read about it and take it all in. It really is a wonder tea, just not one that I personally can gush about.

Technorati Tags: chamomile tea, Chamomile

I thought it would be gross…even not work after all the bitter taste.. but it does work and I am amazed at the flavor. Chrysanthemum tea is a fantastic natural solution for migraine pain. I have some that I got loose from Ebay. I just freeze whatever is left over so I can use it again in a subsequent migraine attack. It only takes one cup for my head to begin to feel better. There is a sort of menthol quality to the finish of the tea on your tongue, but other than it it is pleasant to the taste buds.

wiki on the tea

Technorati Tags: Chrysanthemum tea

I was talking about tea on my other blog today. I tell you what, I really need to get some more Jasmine green tea. I love it. It’s fully body well being! Jasmine has the same calming and soothing properties as lavender. The green tea, of course, is full of anti-oxidants and health benefits that it’s inevitable that you will feel the good that even just one cup does.