As much as I love coffee, I also have a soft spot in my heart for tea. In the summertime, I drink my 2-3 mugs of coffee in the morning and then switch to iced tea for the rest of the day.
Come winter, I still drink my 2-3 morning mugs of the good stuff, and then I switch to hot tea.
I’ve also got a bit of a mug problem, but that is a topic for another therapy session time.
I’ve got far too many kinds of tea to list and I keep myself well-stocked at home and in my office.
That’s not to say that I don’t have my favorites though. Or that I love all tea equally. No, no, no. I happen to passionately dislike white tea and black tea. And don’t even get me started on fruity teas. Blech.
Egyptian Licorice Mint…..come to Katie….
No seriously. I have been drinking this stuff for years and I can’t tell you how many times I have walked into a room carrying a mug of this steeping and had someone ask me what it was that smelled so good. It is FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC.
It’s also not the cheapest tea there is. So, I have been buying it in bulk from Amazon.
Until last weekend.
Last weekend I was perusing the bulk spices at my local coop and noticed the top shelf of bulk teas and found…..LICORICE MINT! Being the resourceful (read: cheap) person that I am, it didn’t take me long to figure out that $4 per pound of bulk tea was a much better deal than the $5 per box of 20 tea sachets.
But the Yogi tea has a lot of other spices in it that really put it over the top.
So, clearly, I went to the tea aisle, grabbed a box, and proceeded to buy small quantities of all the other spices in the mix using the Yogi tea ingredient list.
It isn’t an exact replica, but for a grand total of $7.50 I MADE MY OWN TEA!!! I think I can handle the little difference in taste.
It’s got clove seeds, cardamom seeds, orange peel, cinnamon stick, ginger, anise seeds, and the licorice mint blend. I added a bit of extra licorice root and some anise flavored stevia drops to sweeten the deal.
I drink at least 2 cups a day.
The one exception I make to my no black tea rule is Harney and Sons’ Hot Cinnamon Spice tea.
The cinnamon spice flavor is so strong (in a really good way!) that you can’t even taste the black tea. This is also quite an expensive tea though, so I am rationing it. I’ve tried the roobois herbal cinnamon spice tea by the same company and it is good, but not nearly as good as this.
And while we’re on the subject of expensive tea….
My birthday is at the end of May, and if you are wondering what to get me, this little tin of…get this…roasted and crushed PURE cocoa seeds is…well, let’s just say that I’ve gotten worse birthday gifts.
Of course, at $20 for a 4 ounce tin, this stuff is not to be shared. This is a selfish person’s MINE ALL MINE tea.
I’m teasing. Mostly. I mean I have shared it, but only grudgingly.
I know I’ve talked about this before.
But it bears repeating in these days of strife and anger and fighting: there is no tea VERSUS coffee. There is tea and there is coffee and they both have special little places in my heart.
What is your favorite tea? Have you ever mixed your own tea blend? Any recommendations for me?
So ironic to see this post…I have been trying hard lately to reduce coffee and increase tea. I do like tea and there are some good ones and this “clove seeds, cardamom seeds, orange peel, cinnamon stick, ginger..” crazy that I have a post in my drafts for probably next week that involves all of this…great minds think alike!
That Harney & Sons looks amazing, btw!
I grew chocolate mint and orange mint last summer. I then dried them and made teas from it – so so so good
Oh- the most wonderful tea…. I will agree with you… is the Egyptian Licorice Mint. Although I do have a special place in my heart for the flavor of Earl Grey and Chai. I don’t drink tea that often, it makes me feel weird in the kidneys, but I love it.
(Maybe too much with the coffee!)
That is so cool that you made your own blend!
We have a co-op here in town and I used to buy tea loose and blend it, but it never tasted good very long… (humidity I think.)
Chocolate tea! coool!!!
I am also a fan of the H&Sons cinnamon. It’s one that I get about 3 cups out of 1 tea bag since I think it’s pretty strong.
I’m a big peppermint fan – I know you don’t like fruity, but Rishi Blueberry Rooibos is a good one.
i’ve been waiting for this post! i know you said you aren’t a white tea fan but ‘secret weapon’ by david’s would totally convert you i swear! i was the same way but i am a lover of that blend! anything licorice, mint, or ‘exotically’ spiced i have to get my paws on. like yesterday.
You know how I feel about tea, and if Tony wasn’t here to stop me, I’d have an out of control collection of mugs.
I’ve been in a fickle mood lately, but you reminded me how great that cacao tea is. The Good Earth Sweet ‘n Spicy tea is a little much for me lately, but I have a shipment of Yogi coming, which I’m excited about – a few flavors, I don’t remember which ones. Haven’t made my own tea, but do get both loose tea and bagged. I use 3 to 5 bags a day, so the supplies go fast
I used to drink coffee but then I started getting sick from it (headaches, nausea, jitters) and decided to stop. It was a sad sad day because I drank it more b/c I love the taste of thick rich black coffee instead than for the kick. Good thing I love tea as well. I was just looking at the Yogi Egyptian Mint (I love the Yogi anti-aging but I think they changed the name blend) but the Licorice part threw me. Does it taste more like licorice or mint. My favorite tea in all the world is Zhene Gypsy raspberry earl grew. It was actually started near my old home in Ventura. Add a little cream and honey and it’s HEAVEN! I also love rooibus (sp? I’m too lazy to google), vanilla chamomile, the spicy Good Earth one, blueberry, and plain old black tea. Now that I think think about it as long as it’s not some weird make me gag Chinese herbal medicinal tea that I use to drink for stupid cleanses or doesn’t have orange peel I pretty much love all teas. Now tell me about that licorice flavor…
http://zhenas.com/raspberry-earl-black-tea-bags.html This is the tea I consider divine…