Golden Moon Tea- Masala Chai Lavender Latte

https://www.goldenmoontea.com/products/masala-chai-tea?_pos=1&_sid=174f64fc8&_ss=r

Organic Black Tea, Organic Cinnamon, Organic Ginger, Organic Cardamom Pods, Organic Clove Buds, Organic Pepper

I am a big fan of this Masala Chai.  The spices are on point and the notes of cardamon and cinnamon are great.

I like a little lavender in my chai tea.  So, I made this a latte.

I put the oat milk in my frother and then added a little lavender to it.

I added the frothed milk to the Masala Chai.

I made a cup for myself and a cup for a friend.

The black tea in this chai is great and supports the spicy notes of pepper and cardamon.  

From the website, "One of the keys to a good Masala Chai is to have a strong tea base. That is why we chose a small cut leaf from the Doomni Farm in the Baksa District of Assam, India. This particular Assam is grown along the Brahmaputra River and has a pronounced, rich, malty body with notes of tobacco and caraway seeds. We then add whole Indian cardamom seeds, Sri Lankan cloves, Vietnamese peppercorn, Sri Lankan cinnamon, and Chinese ginger."

This is great hot or iced. Today I made it iced.

I am a big fan of this tea.  I give it 5 tea cups out of 5.  The flavors are spicy and so flavorful.   This is a great Assam tea from India with equally great chai flavors.

Harney & Sons Gift Card Fun and Osmanthus Oolong

I was gifted a $100 Harney & Sons gift card.  I was thrilled.  Harney & Sons is one of my top 5 tea companies.

I had so much fun looking at all the tea and choosing teas.  

https://www.harney.com/products/gift-card

Check out all this tea!!!  I am so happy!  Tea heaven for sure!

I got this super fun shirt!  It makes me smile!

The first tea I tried was Osmanthus Oolong  I bought it because it sounds fun and it is Oolong which is my favorite. 

From the website, "Fujian Province produces some of China's most exquisite teas, and this exquisite oolong is no exception. A traditional tea well-known for its role in Taiwanese weddings, Osmanthus Oolong features dark notes of fruit and hints of flowers throughout. Smooth and elegant, this tea is light and fragrant—a perfect choice for a sophisticated afternoon teatray. Re-steep the leaves to reveal further beautiful flavors and heavenly aromas."

I googled Osmanthus- as I had never heard of it before. 

For oolong I do not heat the water too hot.  I don't like to bruise the leaves.  I usually make the temp around 180.  Then I steep for 3-4 minutes.

The optimal water temperature depends on the oxidation level of the oolong tea leaves. For lighter, greener oolongs, stay on the lower temperature side. For darker, blacker oolongs, you can bring the water temperature higher.

(Using my Rudy Whistle Mug)

I enjoyed this tea.  I loved the rolled leaves and the oolong flavor that comes out.  The floral notes were subtle, but there.  I also got a bit of citrus in the flavor too.  I liked it, I liked that the oolong was the star of the drink and the Osmanthus herb was just had a supporting role.

Recently I had a tea tasting at my house and I served some of the Iced Teas that I purchased from Harney & Sons.  The iced teas are great and the people enjoyed them too.  I think the Tropical Mango was my favorite.

August Uncommon Tea, Passage- Rich black tea with hazelnut and chocolate Latte

https://august.la/collections/black-teas/products/passage?variant=1039995140

From the website, "Tastes Like: nutella, french chocolate, roasted chestnuts, dark rum
Feels Like: secret pleasures from the streets of paris

Early morning in Paris rewards you with rich aromas from winding cobblestone streets. A steamy gust of croissants and sugared brioche hits your nose. Moments later, you smell molten chocolate from the chocolatier being dripped into fantastical shapes. The dense, chocolaty flavor of this tea will engulf your senses. Another sip brings a thick blast of roasting nuts. Milk takes this tea into decadent territory. Prepare for a luxurious breakfast experience."

This is a great tea.  The flavors are fantastic!!!  I love that August sells packets of tea almost like test packets.  You can buy a 4 cup bag for $3.49.  It is a great way to try their tea and see if it is for you.  And this one is for me!!!

This tea is great on its own, but I love to enhance it with some oat milk.  I only use oat or almond for all my teas now.  My stomach is so much happier with me too. 

I found this oat milk at a scratch and dent store.  I have never used this brand before, but I have seen cafe shops use this company- so I figured it was a good company.  And I was pleased with the oat flavors. 

This is a winning cup of  tea.  It is hands down 5 tea cups out of 5 tea cups.  The strong base of the black tea is great and then the notes of hazelnut and chocolate are incredible.  I love it.

SureHouse Autumn Spice Chai

https://www.surehousecoffee.com/

Girls outing, lol!  A sneak out of the office trip for Autumn Spice Lattes.  The day after the fall drinks were starting to be served at SureHouse we were there.  It had been on our calendar for about two weeks.

SureHouse is a great place to get your tea (or coffee).  They have recently started carrying Ohio Tea Company  tea too. I am super excited for Ohio Tea.  I had recommended Ohio Tea to my friend Rachael, so I like to think I hand in them being there.  Not sure if that has anything to do with it or not, either way I am thrilled for Ohio Tea!

We were all big fans!  The fall spices were so good!!!  They are warming and cozy.

The Autumn Spice Chai gets 4 out of 5 tea cups.  The prices are good, the staff is friendly and the chai is great.  I don't think there is any pumpkin in this drink.  But I get the notes of cinnamon and nutmeg in the chai.

Kombucha In the Dominican - Super Pola Grocery Store

DR afternoon outing.  It was so fun to go into town with my friends.  We checked out a mall and some grocery store shopping. I was in the hunt to find tea.

While in the grocery store I was not able to find an "local" tea.  But, I did see some unique tea I had not tried before.  So, I did pick up some to try.

I was then SUPER EXCITED to find Kombucha.  

If you are in the area, look for the giant fish!  The grocery store  and Jumbo store are there.  Jumbo is like a Walmart/Target store.

While I did not find bagged or loose tea from the DR.  I did find kombucha that was made there.  I bought Lavender and a floral one. The flavors were really good.

I can't read the ingredients, but I can see there are only 60 calories per bottle, which is excellent.  The flavors were on point too. I loved the notes of lavender.

This Dominican Republic kombucha was really great.  The notes of lavender came through, but they were not overpowering or perfumey.  I was really pleased.  I thought the price was good too.  I wish I had bought more.  I give it 5 of 5 tea cups.

The DR was great.  Once you get past the heat it was nice.  The people are beautiful and super friendly.  While there working with the youth- I took them to swim with the dolphins.  It was a great and very memorable trip.  God is so good, I learned a lot during this trip. It is never a bad idea to trust God completely.  Seeing Him work is a powerful thing.