Tea Party!

[Medusa]

I love coconut chai's too Dressy!
I find them to be especially nice after our dinner meal with a tiny lemon cookie or something else with just a bit of tartness to it.

I have a coconut chai (I almost typed "chair" here! *snort*) that is just one of those Celestial Seasons boxes and its still pretty good. Pretty yummy for less than $3

[femmennoir]

I wish I were coming to the reunion just to have tea with all the Femmes! How fun would that be to expand from our New York group! July Tea was a very small gathering (three of us!), three people having had to cancel at the last moment. But Merrick, Amy and I had a lovely tea at a favourite place, Cha-An, which is Japanese with a chef trained in France so the best of two worlds! I had the decadent all dessert tea, and loved it! We gave Amy our contributions to the Tea Basket, and I also, Medusa, have wanted to win that basket without success ! Good luck for this year! Merrick contributed her special apple jelly with rose geranium, some tea and a hand-knit tea cozy, and I some tea, a crocheted pot holder in the shape of a cream jug, a book about tea, and a packaged scone mix! I can't wait to see photos of the basket(s)!

Elle*

[BarbaraRyan]

Hi Dressy. I bought the Coconut Chai for my Mom as she loves pina colada's. I thought she might like it and she loves it. I haven't tried it yet. I really like Zhena's Berry Bellini. It's the perfect light fruity drink. I like chai, but I'm allergic to milk, so I have to be really careful with it. I do like spiced chai, as it usually doesn't have milk in it.

Oh wow. Your maker sounds a bit like the Coureg my Mom got. It doesn't have the multiple settings, which I would want too. I like my tea strong. My favorite black tea is English Breakfast with a bit of sugar or honey. I like how bold it is.

Thanks for the link. I can't afford it now, but I certainly can droll over it.

Hugs!

Originally Posted by DressyFemme

I love Zhena's Gypsy Coconut Chai. Lovely flavor, plus I enjoy coconut flavored teas and spice teas.

Yes, using a maker is much easier. All you do is plug it in, fill the carafe with 1200 ml of water, use the scoop provided with the maker to measure out 5 scoops of loose tea into the basket and put the cover on the basket, put the basket onto the magnetized post, put the cover on top of the carafe, press the buttons for type of tea (black, white, oolong, herbal, etc.) and desired strength, and then press the TEA button. It does the rest! and keeps it warm for an hour. Plus it has a timer feature.

It also has a Basket feature which allows you to steep the tea longer if you want an even stronger flavor. Easy to clean, too.

Here's the link to the product's website:

http://www.brevilleusa.com/tea/one-touch-tea-maker.html

It can be purchased at

http://www1.bloomingdales.com/catalo...xx.esn_results

It's expensive... $315.00... (look on ebay or other websites first, these are selling out fast) but if you have the money, it's a very worthwhile investment.
I haven't had it make one type of tea I haven't liked yet.

Happy Tea Time!

Dressy

[femmennoir]

Last Sunday a friend and I decided to have a tea outing, and we went to Warwick, upstate New York, an old 1700's town, for a British tea experience. The town (or village) is lovely, and we had fun in a couple of antique stores and at the important green market, after which we proceeded to Charlotte's Tea Rooms, located in an old Victorian house on Main Street, a short walk from the town square. In a quaint atmosphere, surrounded by tea pots and tea cups in bright colours, we had a most satisfying tea: plates of sandwiches (six different kinds), a large black currant scone with honeyed butter and strawberry jam, and the dessert of our choice (we both chose the Key lime pie, a large slice of creamy dreamy delight). The tea was from Harneys, we chose "Paris", a very fragrant tea. The whole experience only set us back $28 for two, which would be the price of tea for one in New York City! We were delighted by the experience and plan to discover more tea salons outside of the city! The next tea outing will be with New York City Scooter Chicks, at Tarrytown. More about that later!

Elle*, who would love to hear about tea salons everywhere!

[WolfyOne]

My tea came in the mail today....got 9 or 10 bags for the raffle. I haven't really unpacked the box.
Will be bringing along catalogs from Todd & Holland.
Looking forward to seeing all the the tea items, so we can mix/blend a few baskets.
The procrastinator that I am will be going this weekend to look at tea pots.

[MsMerrick]

So ? What happened at the Reunion ? Are their photos of the stuff we sent ? Did Medusa like her surprise gift ? I looked for some comments but haven't seen any besides a report one person got a Tea Basket, not sure which one it was.. and where all the stuff we sent ended up
Photos by any chance would be much appreciated...

[WolfyOne]

A tea freebie for those that want to try it
This is for little tea packs you pour into a water bottle and shake
Limited to the first 200 that respond

Besides, gives me a reason to bump this thread

http://www.greenteahawaii.com/free-sample-request.cfm

[WolfyOne]

I came across an interesting site while looking through my freebies and wanted to share it

It's a tea site that uses tea for cooking and you could earn items by creating recipes

http://www.teachef.com/request_sample.html

[WolfyOne]

Time to bump this thread with another free tea offer

http://free-stuff-finder.com/general...en-tea-sample/

[Medusa]

I'm about to enjoy some wonderful orange chamomile from Teavana

Anyone trying any new teas lately?

[Arwen]

Blood Orange from http://www.zhitea.com which makes a truly fabulous iced tea.

[Dean Thoreau]

I love tea and just came across a wonderful tea called:
No Tea Party Tea.....................the packaging alone is great...and just cause teas (that's where i got it) gives 20% of their profits on this tea to change.org which i thought was pretty cool.

Oh and the tea is yummy...... it is organic, kosher,,,and it is the most delicious black tea...it is actually this tea brick...that u kind of break.saw/chop a small piece off and make tea (similar to pureh cakes but in a brick)
Well anyway I love it..its yummy and i feel like i am doing some political good when i drink it which make me feel less guilty about the carbon imprint from the import of it.

I just planted some tea plants this year,,.i got them fro this farm in virginia, since i am near philly i have to container them and bring them in the fall till spring....but thats ok..(I built giant pots and put wheels on them)
later folks

[MsMerrick]

I am getting ready for a Femme Tea , that I am hosting at my place.. Here's the 3 Teas, I will be setting out to start
- Royal Wedding Tea from Harney and Sons - Chinese mutan white tea buds, with almond, coconut and vanilla to taste, and a floral abundance of pink rosebuds and petals.
- a caffeine free Rooibos based Tea from Germany, I can't translate all the ingredients but it is delicious
- I ma still wavering between a Valentines Day blend ( chocolate and Rosebuds) or a simple Lychee or maybe a Rose ..for the black Tea...!
There's a an Oat Berry Tart, gluten free, cooking in the oven, with Cranberry Scones ( not gluten free) to follow, tons of Rice Crackers with Matcha Cream cheese ( a dairy free alternate) to be topped with either Smoked Salmon or Cucumber.
And people are bringing all kinds of wonderful things ! Its a grand day to be a Femme

[Venus007]

I just discovered a source for PG Tips and Yorkshire Gold, oh so yummy. I like my teas sturdy and robust and both of these varieties do the job. The Yorkshire Gold is a little malty and the PG Tips is just pure plain good tea. It is fantastic with a little splash of milk.

[1QuirkyKiwi]

I love drinking herbal teas….my favourite is Jasmine flowers (Sambac) with Lemon balm. I have various other herbal teas; some for my Moontime, others for general health and well being. I have a collection of Chinese and Japanese teas for after dinner.

Last year a group of my fellow stitchers and I went for afternoon tea at the Dorchester Hotel in London….the most expensive pot of tea I’ve ever had! LOL! We booked 3 months in advance and all pitched in together. The service was excellent as you’d expect from such a posh hotel. The sandwiches and cakes (some specially made for us due to food allergies and dietary requirements) were good, but, not what you’d expect from a high class establishment. A good selection of teas and a pot of hot water to refill your tea pot were provided. It was enjoyable, but, at £60 ahead, it’s definitely one of those ‘once in a lifetime’ experiences, lol!

Glasgow has the Macintosh tea rooms….the first floor (above ground level) are decorated in his art work style. The 2nd floor is decorated in Chinese style. Tea is served all day and it’s so popular with tourists and locals alike. I really miss the Macintosh tea rooms for their friendly and relaxed atmosphere. Macintosh souvenirs are also on sale, too! I need another apron….should have got one over New Year, alas I forgot, lol!

[MsMerrick]

Our Femme Tea group, has been to a couple posh places for Tea And I agree, fun for a once in ..well blue moon.. but not what we do every month ! Luckily we have a fair amount of choices , although we usually end with a non English kid of Tea.. An Indian Tea Room called Tamarind, is where we are going next month. We have been before and its quite nice although not at al what anyone would call a traditional English Tea. On the other hand, I gather it is run by the owner, who loves the same kind of Tea room, back in India !
Tamarind Tea Menu

[1QuirkyKiwi]

Originally Posted by MsMerrick

Our Femme Tea group, has been to a couple posh places for Tea And I agree, fun for a once in ..well blue moon.. but not what we do every month ! Luckily we have a fair amount of choices , although we usually end with a non English kid of Tea.. An Indian Tea Room called Tamarind, is where we are going next month. We have been before and its quite nice although not at al what anyone would call a traditional English Tea. On the other hand, I gather it is run by the owner, who loves the same kind of Tea room, back in India !
Tamarind Tea Menu

The Tamarind Tea Room reminds me of the Yum-cha rooms in China and Hong Kong….they serve a non-English style tea with Dim-sum, steamed buns (sweet and savoury) and Congee (one of my favourites). You pay by how many bowls/steamers/plates you’ve ordered.

Having tea in Russia was a fun experience, if you don’t mind Jam in your tea! LOL! The usual sugar, lemon and honey are offered and it’s all down to the drinkers tastes….I don’t like sweet tea, yet, I was always offered the sweeteners. Some of the older Russians and those in rural areas drink their tea with a sugar cube between their teeth.

[Dean Thoreau]

down the street from where I live they are having the annual valentines tea...it is high tea..and so delightful...tea is so much more fun than coffee....only ceremony i have seen regarding coffee is the...pile of disposable coffee cups people empty out of their car when they are in line for a car wash.

[Lady_Di]

My current favourite tea is a lemon rose hip combination that is simply lovely.

I have always loved tea time. Takes me back to the days with my grandparents, who did tea each and everyday.

My ex, the original GI Jane, was simply mad about tea and I learned a lot about the various tea rituals the world over from her. I am a little jealous that she is living in Japan and Hawaii right now and enjoying tea, though in much smaller quantities as we did way back then.

We did nothing in moderation, or so it seemed. Today I am enjoying everything in moderation, even moderation!

Sipping a ginger lemon combo right now as I write this and I am not sure I like it to terribly much. But I know ginger is good for me, so I am trying to acquire a taste for it~

Stubbornly,
Di

[Talon]

I wondered if someone could suggest a high-quality brand of imported English or Irish black tea. I've tried several, but wondered if I could get some new suggestions.

Thanks.