Pinky Up, Coconut Creme

The first real snow of the season.  I am so excited, snow and cold is my favorite.  i decided it was time to break out the snowflake cup.

If you follow me at all you know one of my favorite flavors in tea is coconut.  I picked this Pinky's Up tea at Jungle Jim's in Cincinnati.

https://pinkyuptea.com/

This is a white tea, it is more delicate them other teas.  You do not want to have your water temp over 175 degrees.  This container, actually has the water temp wrong.  So be careful if you buy this one.  If you have it too hot you will bruise the tea leaves and it will make the tea bitter.  You also only want to steep for 2-3 minutes.

My sister also made these delicious homemade crumpets.  This was a fabulous breakfast.  (I am hoping to get some of these crumpets as a Christmas gift,lol)

This tea is fantastic!  The coconut flavor really comes through.  I also get notes of vanilla.  I am a fan!  This tea gets 5 tea cups.

Rudy Whistle Pottery

Yes, I am bragging on my friends pottery studio again!

Each piece is special and unique.  The colors and shapes are gorgeous.  She does a great job.  I am so proud of her, she is living her dream and her best life.  She is a wife and a mom of 5 and she is rocking it!

I went an visited her studio to get some Christmas gifts.  And I bought my first mug for myself.  I love it!!!

https://www.facebook.com/RudyWhistlePotteryStudio/

I love this mug!

Here is my collection of Rudy Whistle Mugs..yes, I have a small problem.

You will need to check out her social media pages.  Need a gift for someone or looking for a new mug for yourself see what she has.  She even does personalized pieces.  And she ships!

Special Tea, Back Porch Blend

Love my iced tea!!!!!  I drink a few gallons a week, but the key is to drink them unsweetened or with just about 1/4 cup per gallon.

This is a great iced tea.  I purchased this tea in Wooster at the discount store.  They had all their teas half off.  This tea was normally $5.  then on sale for $1., I purchased it for .50 during the sale.  I bought all they had and I wish they had lots more.  I went on line and looked at this tea, because I wanted to buy more and I was surprised to see how much it was.  I mean, it is great tea, but it was a little pricey for me.  So, I will enjoy the stuff I bought on sale and will continue to look for it in discount shops.

Ingredients: Black tea, orange peel, strawberry (glucose syrup, strawberries, fructose, modified starch (potato), thickening agent E401), blackberry leaves, natural and artificial flavors.

https://specialteacompany.com/product/back-porch-blend-black-tea/

The flavors blend really well together.  There are so many nice sweet fruity notes that come through.  I don't taste the orange, but I do get the strawberry notes.  I give this iced tea 4 out of 5 cups.  I am very pleased and would recommend this tea.  I would give it 5 stars, but it is pricey.

New Grounds, Iced Chai Latte, Walnut Creek Ohio

https://newgroundscafe.wixsite.com/mysite

I won a Mother's Day Contest.  I was given a nights stay at the Carlise Inn in Sugar Creek.  This included the night stay, dinner the night before and breakfast. 

I was so excited and I took my parents.  We have so much fun together.  The Inn is only about 45 minutes away.  I took the Friday off and we played in Amish County together....eating, antiquing and finding fun teas.

We found, New Grounds Cafe, and were excited to try this place.

From the website, "Established in 2003, we are a non-profit pizzeria, cafe, and coffee shop committed to serving the community by providing a safe environment for people to connect. We strive to provide an encouraging and engaging atmosphere for everyone to enjoy. Our place is also a meeting place for local churches, ministries, and small groups."

Next time I am coming back for the Raspberry Oolong.  Oolong is my favorite kind of tea. However, today I went for the iced Chai.

This is a really great cafe.  I love a place that is mission minded-reaching out and helping others and pointing people to Jesus.  My parents and I had a nice time checking out the cafe and all the extra rooms they have. 

They have 4 rooms- the Cooler Room, The Game Room, the Prayer Room, and the Fireplace Room.  The Fireplace Room and Cooler Room can be rented out for groups.

The Iced Chai Latte was really good. It was refreshing and had great spice notes.  The blend was really nice.

I gave this iced chai 5 tea cups.  The flavor is really good the spices are on point.  The prices are good and I love the ministry aspect of the cafe.

Smith, Hibiscus Mango Iced Tea

I am a big fan of Smith Tea.  I am also a huge fan of Hibiscus and Mango.  So, when I saw this iced tea I was super excited.  Smith was offer a sale, so I purchased this tea.  I should have read ALL of the ingredients first.  I missed that it had Rooibos in it.  Big bummer, I wasn't able to finish the pitcher of tea.  And I ended up giving the entire package to my sister since she loves Rooibos. 

https://www.smithtea.com/products/hibiscus-mango-iced-tea?variant=34237612359815

From the website, "A bright mango forward infusion of juicy hibiscus flowers, orange peel and smooth rooibos. Caffeine-free for enjoyment any time of day. One sip and everything’s rosy."

 For me, I just could not get past the Rooibos notes.  I wanted to love this tea, but I just couldn't,  For me, this was a 1 tea cup rating.  So, sorry Smith tea.

Miss Amy's Bakery Spiced Chai

I was excited to try the new hot coco bombs that I kept seeing on social media. It appeared every time I was on the computer these cocoa bombs were popping up.  They looked so great and I thought they might make great gifts too.

https://www.facebook.com/missamysbakery/

I did some searching to find them.  The first store I went to was out, they said that they were flying off the shelves.  So, then I went to Miss Amy's in Wooster Ohio and they had a few left.

Miss Amy's has all kinds of great looking treats!

I decided to get a few for gifts, and this spiced chai for myself.

These bombs were $5 each, which I thought was pricey.   They are big and packaged nicely, but I would have bought more if they had not been as expensive.  The price did not seem to stop others, as they were selling so quickly in the shop.

I made my spiced chai with heated and frothed milk.

Once the milk was heated,  I poured it over the cocoa bomb.  I could see the bomb starting to melt and gradually open.

Inside the bomb was spiced chai and marshmallows.  There was a lot of spiced chai inside, I wish I used a bigger cup, I think I could have made twice as much chai.  

The spiced chai flavor was really nice. It was super rich.  There was also a gold coloring in it that was fun too.

I gave this 4 teacups.  The flavor was really good, but the bombs were really big and a bit pricey.   There was so much inside this bomb, that I could have almost made two cups.  I would think that if the bomb was a little smaller and a little cheaper that they may actually sell more and the flavor would be just as good.