Stash Retail Store, Tigard OR, Tea Flight

Mt Hood

https://www.stashtea.com/pages/stash-tea-retail-store-tigard

Sisters day... we headed to visit the Stash store, just outside of Portland.  I wanted to see the Stash store when I saw that they also sold seasonal drinks.  Plus, it is a tea shop, why would I not want to stop in here!!

Out front!!!!  So excited to go inside....

We were able to view their warehouse from inside the retail store.

The had a little discount area too.

There were shelves and shelves of tea and tea supplies.

Lots of tea...loose leaf and bagged tea.

We had fun looking at all the products!!

When you came in there were sample teas too try as well.

The Organic Sunny Dandelion Root was actually pretty good. It had a chocolate taste to it.

                      

They was an area where they could make teas.  I was surprised to see they did tea flights.  Since we had the time, I decided to get a flight and try some of the Stash teas I was not familiar with.

There were two pages of teas that I could choose from to pick for the tea flight.

Did a flight of for teas for $17.00  Double Grey Portland Fog, Ruby Orange Ginger , Ruby Mist, and  Asian Pear Dragonwell (the three of us shared the drinks)

Sisters enjoying some fun tea together.  We have not had a girls weekend since around 1999 when my sister and her husband lived in Charlotte!  We have been together a lot since then, just not a girls weekend. 

The Double Grey Portland Portland Fog was my favorite I think.  I would add milk to that tea to make it a bit better.

                                       

We all made a few purchases...

Stash has so many flavors I had no idea about!!!

How fun are these????

Lion Heart Kombucha, Hero's Blend

 I was in Vancouver WA visiting family and I wanted to try some different kombuchas.  I found these at Chucks.  This kombucha is made in Portland.

http://www.lionheartkombucha.com/

From the website, 

"What is Dry Kombucha? 

*Lion Heart Dry Kombucha has the least grams of sugar per serving on the market.  
*We use only enough sugar in brewing to ensure a healthy culture
*Simply the healthiest kombucha on the market"

I tried two of the Lions Heart Kombucha while in Vancouver and while I liked them both, this one was my favorite.  I am a huge fan of hibiscus.  The tartness of the hibiscus plays out great with the bubbles of kombucha.  That may sound odd, but the fizz almost brings down the tart flavor.  It is hard to explain, but I like the tart hibiscus mixed in a kombucha.

I love that this kombucha is dry- I had never heard of dry kombucha before.  But, I absolutely love that it has less sugar...and 30 calories for the bottle is AWESOME!!!  I need to check with my local grocery store about carrying this kombucha.  If I am going to buy kombucha, I want the one with less sugar!!

Homemade Lemon Blueberry Scones

 Lemon Blueberry Drop Scones

1C whole wheat pastry flour
... 1C flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp grated lemon peel
1/4 tsp salt
1C Vanilla yogurt
1 T lemon juice
1 egg
1/4 C butter, melted
1 C fresh or frozen blueberries

glaze
1/2 C confectioner's sugar
1T lemon juice
1/2 tsp grated lemon peel

in a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. In another bowl, combine yogurt, egg, and butter. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in blueberries. Drop by heaping tablespoons 2 inches apart onto a greased baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until lightly browned. Combine glaze ingredients; drizzle over warm scones.

Man, I love these scones!!!  My sister makes them when I come visit her in Vancouver.  They are delicious!!!  They are moist and full of flavor!!  The lemon glaze hits the spot and goes so well with the fresh blueberries inside.

TAZO Cocoa Mint Mate Tea

https://www.tazo.com/us/en/products/tea-bags/cocoa-mint-mate.html

I tried a new tea today that I really liked.  Normally I am not a fan of chocolate tea...or so I thought. Lately I have been trying some chocolate teas that I like.  This is one of them.  This would be perfect as a dessert tea.  The mint was really good in it.  But, beware that Mate tea has higher caffeine than black tea.  You may not want to have this late in the day.

 I added some Torani salted caramel syrup to the milk and that didn't hurt the flavor either, hahaha.  It was terrific tasting!  I also use a 2% or higher milk- the higher the fat the more froth that you get.

I frothed some milk to go in this tea and it was wonderful!!  This is a really yummy tea, especially with the milk.

You want to heat the water to a boil and steep the tea for around 5 minutes.

Cocoa peel, yerba maté, peppermint, honeybush, natural flavors, spearmint, licorice root, vanilla extract

Seattle's Best Coffee, Iced caramel Chai, Salt Lake City Utah

Flying into Utah was really beautiful.  I don't think I have ever been here before.  I enjoyed the ever changing landscape as we got closer to the airport.

Once we landed I was excited to scout the airport for a tea I had not tried before.  I found Seattle's Best Coffee and I sure I have never been there before.  So I stopped in for a iced chai.

I purchased a medium iced Chai Latte with Caramel, but wish I had bought a large.  It was really good.  And the caramel in there was a nice touch.

I looked on line to find the ingredients of the chai and I could not find anything. I did find that Starbucks is the parent company and that this coffee place started out as Wet Whiskers- an ice cream and coffee shop.  Interesting facts.

https://seattlesbest.com/

First time to Utah, that I can remember. 

Cleveland, Starbucks, Passion Iced Tea

Traveling out to see my sister and her family in Washington State, I start my vacation with an Iced Passion Tea (1/2 the syrup) and some of their little egg bites.  Those egg bites are so yummy.

To me this tea is a perfect blend of sweet and tart.  I love this Iced Passion Tea.  Have you tried it yet?  What do you think?  Let me know what your favorite tea is at Starbucks....

https://www.starbucks.com/menu/drinks/iced-tea/teavana-shaken-iced-passion-tea?foodZone=9999

https://www.starbucks.com/menu/food/hot-breakfast/sous-vide-egg-bites-bacon-gruyere?foodZone=9999

I was excited to sit by this cute little service dog on my flight to Salt Lake City.  I wasn't allowed to pet her since she was a service dog- we we made eye contact and I knew she knew I was her friend.

The trip was quick and easy.  Just the way I like it.

Harney & Sons Apricot Cold Brewed Tea

https://www.harney.com/products/apricot

I was visiting my sister for a few days out in Vancouver and I decided to raid her pantry for teas to try.  I wasn't surprised to find an apricot tea, she loves apricot tea.  

We were heading out to do some shopping so, I decided to make it a cold brew tea.  Have you tried your tea cold brewed yet?  You really need too!  I discovered it a few years ago and it is a go to for me!  I love it, it is quick and easy, and the flavors really come through.

Cold brew is a great way to drink tea.  By not heating it, you are not releasing the tannins and you can add cold water over and over again. Also you retain more antioxidants than hot brew and also it releases only half the caffeine.  I usually can add water 2-3 more times to my glass.

If I have bagged tea I do one bag per 8 oz of water.  When I do the loose leaf in a pitcher, I generally eye ball it, but if you want something more specific go with 4 Tbsp per 1 quart.

 

I enjoyed this tea all day.  I added more cold water when I finished all of this and the second round was just as great as the first.  The apricot flavor was delicious.

You can cold brew any tea- try it and let me know what you think!