Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Coffee, Tea, and Me

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       Although I have never been a fan of hot tea, I would like to be.  I envision those who do as having relaxed personalities before they drink it, thereby forgoing the need for more caffeine and additional revving. Tea drinkers seem perpetually serene and sophisticated.

       Having said that this beautiful teacup, the gift of two dear friends, encourages me to try it. Finding these little ‘extras’ sealed the deal.

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        It’s all about the accessories for me-  which leads me down one of the many side roads in my thinking these days.    

        I wonder if I could find a tea cup adorned with cabochon pieces of turquoise?  I could really be a tea drinker if I had one of those.

        When I found this tea infuser and a box of loose tea all on the same aisle, I couldn’t resist.  I really couldn’t resist when I saw that the infuser was topped with a bee.

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        The bee (and the low price on all of these items) sealed the deal. For me bees are ranked right up there with my current laser focus on birds and acorns (especially if the acorns are mercury glass).  It is all serendipitous, isn’t it? There is a bird on my tea cup.

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        What do I usually drink?  In the morning when I wake up, usually around 5:00 am these days, I head to my Bunn coffee pot and make a pot of coffee. 

        My favorite coffee?  Starbucks Breakfast Blend. It is an indulgence I can not justify. The interesting thing is I do not like coffee at Starbucks’ locations. I alternate Breakfast Blend with Dunkin Donuts Original Blend or Community Club from Louisiana.

        Within about thirty minutes of my first two cups, I am ready to plow a field, roof the house, or give my advice to anyone who will listen. 

        I have not tried the first two,  but I have tried giving revved up advice/opinions to my husband, and I have made early morning phone calls to my daughters. After those conversations , I need another cup of coffee. They do too.

        When I was teaching, I needed my icy cold Diet Coke of the day around 10:30 am.  It was the perfect accompaniment to saying,

“Take out paper and pen.”  Thinking back I imagine some of my students may have thought, “uh-oh, she has that look in her eye.” I need a Diet Coke has been part of my personal language for a long time.

          When the teachers went out to lunch , I ordered regular iced tea with a lot of ice. 

        I do not care for flavored iced tea. For me it is a contradiction in terms that often tastes like cough medicine. Having said that, Celestial Blends has several cold brew teas that I have bought and enjoyed.

        In the late afternoon and evenings, I now have Lipton’s Cold Brew iced tea (decaffeinated) until bedtime.

        What do you like?

16 comments:

Nancy said...

I am into tea. Loose leaf, brewed for the exact amount of time specified for each blend. I found a place to order wonderful tea, and it has become my afternoon treat. I don't have a beautiful cup, however, and this one is stunning. I do like the Lipton cold brew, and was really surprised how good it was made with cold water. I also like that it is an indidvidual glass and not a big bag for large quantities, as I'm the only cold tea drinker.

Debra@CommonGround said...

You know the British, they have elevated tea to an art form, so YOU should also enjoy the ceremony of a beautiful cup and infuser. I'm a hazelnut coffee drinker, with a lot of sugar free "creamer" (hhhmmm. I think we discussed our need for early morning caffeine.ha ha) And I love an icy peach flavored tea in the afternoons. A Diet Dr. Pepper or Coke Zero will also fill the bill. Starbucks straight at their store is WAY too strong for me. Hence the naughty indulgence of the Pumpkin Lattes! Just not after a dinner out. Then I'm wide-eyed till 3am!!
Debra

donna baker said...

Hi Laura, I am into the new Starbucks ground expresso instant Via packs. Being miles from nowhere, it is the closest I can get to a neighborhood Starbucks. They come out with a Via decaffeinated this week I think. I've never been a hot tea drinker either except when I am sickly. I too get out the paraphernalia; little spoons with a hard honey to stir it with and lemon and the perfect teacup. I think yours is the ultimate.

Lee said...

I like black current tea, ice cold. I would like to be a hot tea drinker too. I would have to find something though that didn't stain your teeth. Red wine is bad enough.
Beautiful post.
Lee

Karen said...

Laura, if I had some $$$ I would buy a newspaper just so you could have a column. I love your posting!

As for hot tea... I like it on a cold, rainy, dreary sort of day.
What I know about drinking hot tea in England: If you add the milk to your cup before adding the tea and hot water you will be called a "mif"... a "milk in first" person. And in England this is frowned upon. This was probably all tongue in cheek. I learned this little tidbit from television in Mexico. lol

trash talk said...

Love the flow blue teacup and the bee-utiful infuser! I'm a spicy tea lover. There's a blend that a friend buys me that is killer! Love it in the winter right before bed. Now my coffee I want so strong it pours itself and gets up on hind legs and barks. What does that say about me...that I need a strong kick in the pants to get going? Yep!
Debbie

Kat said...

I'm a coffee drinker more than anything, my favorite being a really good Cuban coffee. And I'm with trash talk, my coffee needs to stand up and bark! But I do enjoy a nice cup of hot tea in the evening when it gets cold, or at least as cold as it gets here. If I had that tea cup, I'd probably drink alot more of it, it's gorgeous! Have a wonderful week. Kathy

Maree said...

Wow your blog went BIG time...love it!

Hip, hip hurray on three weeks!!;-)

I'm sipping some oolong right now!

Gypsy Heart said...

I just found your blog...and I think we may be sisters! :-) I'm not a hot tea drinker, except when I'm not feeling well. I love the idea of being a tea drinker, esp with all the beautiful acoutrements. I'm in immediate need of coffee when I wake up in the mornings and I enjoy it later in the day when it's darker and cold outside. I do love my iced tea...no sugar.

Gypsy Heart said...

P.S. I'm in Texas too...another commonality.

Debra@CommonGround said...

Laura dear, you have a standing, open invitation. Any time you feel the need to be crazy and go shop, or if you just want to run away from home for awhile (in a good way)...just let me know. I promise I will serve coffee AND tea!
Debra

Ladybird World Mother said...

Just found your blog and LOVE the pictures... about to buy a new camera so will take your tip about which one to get....
Am a Brit so love love love my tea!! Just had a cup. (Except it was a mug. Blue and white striped.) LOVE your cup. THAT's the way to have tea, I reckon.

Barb said...

Hi Laura, such a lovely post. I adore hot tea....one of the true pleasures of life.

Barb ♥

Simple Home said...

I'm definitely a tea drinker but I'm not too sophisticated and my kids would love to tell you that I'm not perpetually serene, although one of my daughter's is named Serena :-) I've never even drank a whole cup of coffee. I think my love of tea started when I was a little girl and my mom would make hot tea for us to drink out of her mom's old teacups. I thought I was sophisticated then! Your teacup is beautiful, and I loved the post.
Blessings,
Marcia

Karen at Nittany Inspirations said...

Hot spiced chai tea with Splenda and a splash of French Vanilla creamer.

prashant said...

I love an icy peach flavored tea in the afternoons.


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