"Is There Any Tea on This Spaceship?"

So early today I had the Night of the Iguana Chocolate Chai from +The Whistling Kettle.  It's a blend of chocolate and masala spices that really makes a nice addition to the base of black tea. I like my chai with milk and sugar, so I had that added and it was DELICIOUS.

Usually chai is made with "lesser" black tea but Whistling Kettle uses a good high Ceylon for their mix and I agree with their intent to make it a better blend overall.  I really loved the taste.  I absolutely love the taste of chai and the spice mix is perfect for any time of day.  Though obviously as it has caffeine, probably not a sleepy time tea.

So my next cuppa was White Champagne Raspberry, also from The Whistling Kettle.  It is a white tea with an infusion of champagne and raspberry bits.  I always love this tea, and sadly that means my supply is running low.  It is light and sweet with the delicious tart qualities of raspberry.

After I had my own mix of Hibiscus and Strawberry black tea.  It is a mix of Ceylon and Hibiscus flowers with Strawberry infusion and pieces added in.  It is very tasty, if I do say so myself, and I am going to have a lot more pots of that blend when I need a fruity pick-me-up.

After those, I decided to make some purchases of additional teas and a few new pieces of teaware.

I always like buying local, so I checked out a local shop in Hallam, PA (York area) called The Front Porch Tea Room.  The flavors I picked up were:

Apple Strudel tea
Pomegranate tea
Very Berry tea
Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake tea
Strawberry Cream tea
Polar Fire tea

Additionally, I grabbed the following from +Amazon.com:

+Harney and Sons Fine Teas - Hot Cinnamon Spice tea
+Tea Forte Pugg Ceramic Teapot
Tea Spot Ceramic Tea Mug with Infuser
Tea Spot Loose Leaf Teas Gift Set

Tea Leaf Therapy Hosts An Event: LOCAL TEA EXCHANGE

Local Tea Exchange

Tuesday, March 3

Everywhere

I decided to put together an event.  My plan is to all come together and buy local! In addition to purchasing locally and supporting your home tea shops it will be a way to share the love of tea with fellow tea lovers.

Here's the idea: we can get 2 local tea blends and make an exchange! If you confirm your "attendance' I will assign you a number and, then on 3/3/15, I'll pair you up with another tea lover. You each can exchange 2 selections of local blends or your favor blends from your local shop.

*I'd like to thank +Kelly Allard for the idea!*

Follow the below link to view the event and RSVP:

Tea Leaf Therapy: Local Tea Exchange Event

Did You Notice? I Think I Noticed You Noticing...

So Tea Leaf Therapy is active on Facebook with a Page and followers!  And then I am going insane with posts on Twitter under my "alias" Em, Tea Leaf Fairy, though not all of the Twitter posts are always pertinent to Tea...I did say Tea Leaf Therapy was a blog about Life and the Universe too, so I am still sticking to my model.  Then I have an account on Pinterest with four boards already!

I am making sure to keep the widgets and add-ons up to date and keep this page active and engaging.  I am so excited to keep getting involved in tea and life blogging.  I am thinking that I will blog whenever David and I travel, maybe scouting out potential "Tea Encounters" along the way.

OH!  Good note and I thought I would share - I posted about how to get "free samples" from companies for review and word-of-mouth adverts, well +Tea Hugger contacted me and will be sending some samples!  I had to tell my housemates I was so happy.  And now I am telling you!  I checked out their business site and I cannot rave enough about their mission statement:

"Drink what makes you happy!"

"Tea Hugger is an eco-savy company making hand blended, twisted-traditional, loose-leaf teas.  Founded in Greensboro NC in 2005, Tea Hugger operates under the philosophy, "love yourself, love the earth, drink what makes you happy."  Be it an ice cold peppermint tea with a chili pepper kick or black tea cocktail with a lavender lemon twist, we think you should drink what you love and be happy doing it." - per the Tree Hugger site.

Anyway - I wanted to add all of these updates and keep everyone posted.  So I have now accomplished my task AND posted about an awesome Tea Company & site!  YAY!  Good night everyone!  I have now spent all of my reserve spoons being excited, so I think I am going to settle down with some +Celestial Seasonings Tension Tamer and +Amanda Palmer's book "The Art of Asking" and maybe fall asleep to happy thoughts and tea.

*Peace and hugs*

What Are The Semantic Components to Summon Spring?

OK - so my body HATES sub-zero temperatures.  I am sure everyone's does but this absolutely sucks!  I lost any and all ability to manage spoons when sitting in a heated car wasn't even warm enough at one point.  My office is usually the hot side of the fiery pits of Tartarus and I'm pretty sure Hades normally has to wade naked in the river Styx to not be hot...that kinda balls-the-fuck hot.  So today, I was able to wear my Boston hoodie and not sweat to death.  OH!  And I drank hot tea all day and still - no sweat.  I would normally be concerned that I had not been drinking enough fluids but since I drink an equal share of herbal tisane and tea, I know that I am not having an issue with fluid intake.  Also none of the usual complications with the starts of dehydration on my body.

Yes, I am getting to the point, slowly...What are the semantic components to summon Springtime?  I have the berry tea sampler pack and because of the light and delicious tastes I am sure they are the magical components necessary to entice Springtime to my circle, but what the fuck is the incantation?  I failed wizarding school!

I had a blueberry black tea from +Adagio Teas today.  YUM!!  After one pot, I made another...because I wanted to and had the ability. So there!  But after two pots I decided to switch things up a bit so I had a +Virtuous Tea tea mix, "The League of Superfruits" and mixed that in half with the blueberry tea.  I was instantly transported to the Elysian Fields (yes I am overusing mythos) where I frolicked with Nymphs and Satyrs in the Springtime...(see the theme today?)  OK, I might not have joined Pan and his lovely band of tramps but I did have some wicked tasty pots of tea and enjoyed the blissful existence of a tea drinker for at least as long as it took me to sip each drop.

Seriously - this good.

Tea Leaf Therapy is On Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/TeaLeafTherapyBlog

Mental Health and the Body's Reactions

So, like I told you last night, I had a crap day yesterday.  Nothing really bad happened today and that was a blessing, what did happen though is that I feel like I got hit by a freight train.  I even warned my boss that I wasn't all together there, he understood (another blessing).  I dealt with the usual Supervisory requirements and tried to sort through the stacks of paperwork and decision-making issues.  All told, I did not do too badly and I got through the day.  David was having a bit of a roller-coaster day, so he wore himself out by early afternoon.

During the morning I started out with Adagio Teas English Breakfast.  I very much wish I could have had the full English Breakfast, but I settled for a banana and tea.  I don't normally eat a lot during the morning on workweeks, mostly some fruit and tea or coffee.  If you're not used to the taste of English Breakfast tea, it is a blend of Assam, Ceylon, and Kenya tea.  English Breakfast is the quintessential English tea, black with a robust flavor and without a lot of flare.  But don't let that description sell it short, you really cannot go wrong with this blend.  You can have sugar and milk or black and it will give you a pep.

About midday I decided to try another of the blends I got from Kelly and Dustin, the White Cab.  It was like drinking a delicious cup of white wine, with light and airy qualities, but with the delicious hints of a red wine Cabernet Savignon.  The blend is a white tea with a Cab Sav infusion, so it is a very special tea.  I don't know if I can really explain but it is delightful and I would recommend it to anyone.

After the Thursday Meeting, I went back to my desk and I had a cup of Blue Cloud from Short & Stout Tea Company (in Albany, NY).  The blend is a green Sencha with blueberries, vanilla, and lavender.  If you're not familiar with Sencha, it refers to Japanese ryokucha (or green tea); it is the most popular tea in Japan.  Senchado refers to the Way of Sencha, which is its own formal art of tea and ceremony.  Anyway, the taste of Blue Cloud is very smooth and while I am not usually a fan of tasting lavender, it was not overpowering or unpleasant.  The vanilla gave the tea a light taste and the Sencha did not have an overly earthy or seaweed taste, which is good because I like seaweed but I don't want it in my tea regularly.

So David and I thought it would be best, especially since I had spent all my spoons getting through the normal day, that we should spend a quiet night in.  I had purchased some special snacks at Wegmans the other day and so we're cloistered in our room just relaxing, playing video games, eating prosciutto and drinking tea.  A perfect evening if you ask me.

Teas, Twitter, and Tears

So today was difficult.  It was a mix of ups and downs.  Some wonderful high points and some dreadful lows.  My fibro was less intense pain and more mental fog and confusion, which always makes for an interesting adventure while working.  I am proud of myself for going to work today, but sadly I was only as useful as the immediate issue required and tasks took me longer than normal.

 So the morning was full of tasty Double Green Matcha Tea and Twitter.  I filled out a Winter Interview for Drink Militia (you can see my answers here).  I was so excited as there were several people now following my Twitter account and the world of tea blogging was opening up before me.  It was so very exciting and I am so happy to be getting some more exposure.  I also was working on getting more information on Tea Blogging internationally and Tea Reviewing.  I am so very excited for the coming awesomeness.  SO that was a lot of happy.

Several supervisory duties took place today, all with some form of added stress or other, though the day wasn't so bad that I couldn't just push through it.  Well, that was until the end of the day.  Actually right near close, to be specific.  I got a supervisor call, basically when someone is done listening to the sound advice or statement from my agent and requires me to parrot back the same information just with a modicum of authority more.  No details but the call turned into being cried to and a horrible bunch of information that just made my heart hit my stomach.  It ended with me not having a single way to help the person and being beyond myself with how to get them to see a mote of hope at least.  I tried my hardest to hold it together but unfortunately I was in tears as the call ended.  I was very low.

I went to Pilates and Pilates Reformer today, even though I wasn't feeling well.  The boys were sure that it would help me feel better after the horrible end of the workday.  So I went in and worked and sweat my guilt and sadness away for 2 full hours of hard workout.  It was good to get involved in something that brings me comfort while also benefiting my body and mind.  I was able to keep concentration most of the time, though several times the fibro-fog made me lose track.  Lots of spoons spent, but needed to be spent today on getting healthy.

After Pilates, the boys picked me up and we decided to go out and get something to eat.  So we went to Mulligans East and had some seafood steam pots and FROG LEGS!  I had a Guinness and some Peachy beer.  All of it was tasty.  A bit pricey but it was worth it overall.

So all in all, a good early tea day, so more will need to follow tomorrow!  See you tomorrow, kids.  I'll scale a mountain or drink a ton of tea tomorrow (more likely the last option).

Brand New Tea Mug!!!

So today was kinda insane and so no tea at work. Rich and went to Wegmans before David got home to pick up dinner and some goodies. I picked up a new mug and two teas. I grabbed a Republic of Tea Matcha cannister and Celestial Seasonings Tension Tamer (one of my absolute mass-market favorites).

I made dinner when I got home and then made myself a nice cup of Matcha. YUMMY!!!

Sorry for the lack of a post today but I'm too thrilled that I get to spend time with my husband. Love you all. More tomorrow.

President's Day Holiday - 1 Day Post Stomach Flu

Thankfully today was a holiday, otherwise I would have had to call out of work sick.  I wasn't as bad as previous days but I wasn't my normal "chipper" self. Sadly some of my favorite teas tasted horrible to me today.  The Yunnan Noir blend tasted too earthy and almost made me ill, so that pot got washed down the drain.  Pu-Erh Tahiti, always a favorite, was not today.  So it was Strawberry Black Tea and Ginger Tea today for my main cups.  About an hour prior to sleep I had my personal blend, "I Command You to Sleep" and then another pot of "Sleepytime".

I also made several blends for the Barrani Potion/Elixir teas I have made through Adagio Teas:

Draught of Purification

Pu-Erh Tahiti (Pu-Erh with papaya and coconut) cranberry & mango in Ceylon, hibiscus and ginger inclusions.

LARP based tea. So the following is based on that: This potion will 'remove harmful effects from the spirit' but it won't heal you. Should be enjoyed but one taste will make all the ick fall away.

\

Blessings Draught

With a mix of springtime we are blessed, this Ceylon has strawberry, hibiscus, and summer rose infusions and two inclusions of strawberry pieces and rose hips.

LARP based tea, will not give you real life super powers: With this potion you'll be granted 'the power of a bless', giving you just a little bit more physical ability to take hits.

Two Days Sick...Ginger Tea To The Rescue

So, I have obviously been absent from blogging for two days, all thanks to a bout of the stomach flu.  After two days of next to no food and only watered down juice, I have been being careful.  I couldn't keep tea down all yesterday, so that also sucked.

On Friday, I got two wonderful gifts of tea.  The first was from Kelly and Dustin.  It was a signed! Neil Gaiman book "The Ocean at the End of the Lane" and tea from Short & Stout Tea Company.  The flavors are Creme Brulee, White Cab, Caramel Toffee Pu-Erh, & Blue Cloud.  I am excited to try them all, and definitely while drinking the teas I will be enjoying the awesome book by "the British guy" that also signed it. (love you guys tons!)

The other gift was from my best friend, Rich.  We were at my favorite new age/spiritual shop, Heaven & Nature, and they always offer their customers tea so I was looking through their teas to see what they had to offer.  I found these teas from Dryad Tea.  The company is out of Denver Colorado and they have an Etsy shop (you should check them out).  I am looking forward to trying them.  We got small samples for now so I can try them, review them, and pass them on.  Anyway, I had fully intended on buying them myself but Rich got them to the counter and paid, saying "Happy Valentine's Day".  What a sweet gift :)

Ok, the picture below was shared to my FB page but I really wanted to share it.  I mostly drink loose leaf teas but some times I enjoy a good bagged tea.  I don't know how I feel honestly.  I think it is so cool and very cute but I don't know if I would be ok having a "goldfish" in my tea.  I don't know if it would be a tea that you could keep the bag in while you drank, but I also don't think I could take it looking at me while I drank.  So..what do you think?  Could you do it?  If so, here's a link for a set of 12.