We've moved!

WE'VE MOVED!

I decided that Tumblr provides a better format for stand-alone pictures and pictures with short & sweet captions rather than longer stories or commentary.  Please see the new Tumblr blog, complete with original posts from this blog!  Cheers!

Too Much Tulsi Tea?

Item: Stacks of Tulsi Tea boxes.

Location: My Apartment in Santiago

Comments: Here is a lovely picture of my better half with a stack of Tulsi Tea that I had sent/brought to me in Chile.  I was drinking Tulsi Tea pretty exclusively for awhile, mostly the caffeine-free "Original" flavor.  I drank so much of it (and served/gave away so much to friends and acquaintances) that I had to have a huge stash in my apartment.  It also came in handy for my multiple birthday Tea Parties.  Seriously.  What can I say?  I am an unapologetic tea addict enthusiast, and I love it!

Teaism Teacups

Item: Large teacup and lid.

Location: Teaism in Washington, DC

Comments: One of my favorite places to get tea (and food) in DC is at Teaism, and one of my favorite things about their tea is their huge teacups and the lid they use to cover it.  Teaism steeps your tea completely and removes the tea leaves before serving it to you in what I would guess is a 12 oz. mug, and provides you with a lid to cover the mug so that your tea stays relatively warm for all 12 ounces.  Fantastic.

Teacups At New Horizon

Item: White teacups with pink (hibiscus?) flowers with green stems and leaves.

Location: New Horizon Indian Restaurant, Bellas Artes, Santiago, Chile

Comments: These were the teacups and saucers they used at an Indian restaurant I used to frequent in Santiago.  White with pretty flowers; pretty straightforward, but they made me so happy whenever I would order tea there.  :)

Assam Tea

Item: Assam tea.

Location: My Apartment in DC (Bought at Planta Maestra in Santiago)

Comments: While I was in Santiago, it was recommended to me that I try a type of black tea called Assam (named for the Indian region it comes from, similar to other teas like Darjeeling), specifically for its grounding properties.  I had never heard of Assam but I found it pretty easily at a great little vegan market called Planta Maestra.  The first time I tried it, I was amazed.  It was definitely a black tea but quite different from your typical English Breakfast variety.  In addition to the obviously physical, it has a very warming effect, emotionally and spiritually.  I generally steep it for about four minutes.  (With my old tea bottle, I knew it was fully steeped and ready to be deliciously sipped when I could feel the just-hot-enough temperature from the outside of the bottle with my hand.)  I haven't been drinking as much black tea in the last few months (though that has been changing lately) but I plan to add more Assam back into my rou-tea-n!  (Sorry, I couldn't resist!)

Ecoferia Part Two: Infusions And My 'Tea Bottle'

It has been a crazy year, but I am officially reviving my tea blog! Yay!

There are a few partly-written drafts about things I've seen or done over the last fourteen months that have been hanging out in my Blogger "posts" section, so I am going to be posting a mix of those and new things.

Enjoy!

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In addition to taking photos of pretty teapots at the Ecoferia, I made a couple of purchases.

          

Item: Double-cup, BPA-free portable bottle suitable for hot and cold liquids, with filter for loose-leaf tea infusions.*

Location: My apartment in Santiago (bought at Ecoferia)

Comments: I have fallen head-over-heels in love with this thing. It is green in more ways than one! Obviously it encompasses various hues of the color green, but although it is plastic it is also BPA-free, so I don't have to worry about ingesting unappetizing chemicals with my delicious tea. I can use it for anything -- cold water, prepared tea, teabag tea, loose-leaf tea, you name it! Unlike metal mugs it is clear and lightweight, and it has an inner cup that fits inside the outer shell, so the tea will warm your hands without burning them! It even has its own removable strainer so you can put your loose leaves right there in the inner cup, fill with hot water, put in the strainer, and you're ready to go. The one drawback is that the lid tends to leak a little, even when it seems to be screwed on tight and straight. Other than that, this might be my favorite tea accessory! (I swear, even water tastes better when I drink it from this thing.)

*Update: I actually lost my beautiful tea bottle last fall, which made me very sad. However, I have found a new "Tea Traveler," which is fantastic and shall be featured in an upcoming post!

Item: Fruity herbal infusions (cherry, blueberry, apple)

Location: My apartment in Santiago (bought at Ecoferia)

Comments: These are fruity three herbal infusions with the brand name "TE Cuida," which translates to "Tea Cares (For)" and also "Cares For You," which I love. I never actually got to try these guys because I moved shortly after I bought them and they must have gotten lost in the shuffle. But look at that gorgeous packaging! I'm sure they would have been delicious.

Item: Herbal infusion - rosehip.

Location: My apartment in Santiago (bought at Ecoferia)

Comments: This one I actually did get to try before it got lost, and it was delicious. Mmm rosehip. :)

Item: Grey ceramic teapot and cup with blue flowers.

Location: My apartment in Santiago

Comments: So this isn't the exact same one from before, but my better half ended up buying me pretty flowery teapot very similar to the one we saw at the Ecoferia, and an adorably tiny teacup to go with it!

Ecoferia at El Observatorio

A few weeks ago I went to an Ecoferia (eco-fair) that had all sorts of fun green things, including tea things.  Here are a few that caught my attention.

Item: Glass teapot being heated over a tealight.

Location: El Observatorio Café, Lastarria, Santiago, Chile

Comments: I am generally a fan of glass teapots (I actually had one myself until it met its untimely demise several weeks ago), so I thought I'd take a snapshot of the one they were using to make tea to give out as samples at the tea booth.

Item: White ceramic teapot with blue flowers and matching teacup.

Location: El Observatorio Café, Lastarria, Santiago, Chile

Comments: This was a cute matching teapot and teacup hanging out in a box at the booth.  Pretty flowers!

Item: White ceramic teapot with blue flowers.

Location: El Observatorio Café, Lastarria, Santiago, Chile

Comments: This teapot is similar in design to the one above, but with bigger flowers spaced further apart.  I am sensing a theme in this company's tea-ware.

Item: Red and white striped ceramic teapot.

Location: El Observatorio Café, Lastarria, Santiago, Chile

Comments: This one was from the cafe itself downstairs, not the fair going on that day upstairs.  I saw a similar red-and-white ceramic teapot floating around, but it was red with white polka dots.  So pretty!  Maybe one day I will be lucky to get a shot of that one, or the two of them side by side.  I like mixing and matching things like stripes and polkadots, which you shall see more evidence of in an upcoming post!