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.

SureHouse, Apple Cider Chai

The Chai-der was on the menu today.  It was really good.  The notes of chai mixed with the spiced of chai.  It hit the spot.

https://www.surehousecoffee.com/

I am a fan of the Chai-der.  The cider is not overpowering and the chai is able to come through.  I got one for myself, the cold one.  And one for a co-worker, the hot one.  We both really enjoyed the flavors.  The staff at SureHouse is always super friendly and kind.  They are knowledgeable to the drinks and what is in them.

The Chai-der gets 4 tea cups out of 5 tea cups for me.

My friends and I have discovered the delicious delights of Sure House.   We have been taking turns buying drinks for each other.

There is only one place in Orrville to coffee and tea drinks in Orrville.  This place is great and I am a fan.  I hear a Dunkin' Donuts is coming to Orrville...but Surehouse is the place for me.  I do prefer to make my own drinks, but I do splurge from time to time...and this is the place I go most often.

Inca Tea, Iced Turmeric Latte, CLE

4:15 am and I am heading to the Dominican Republic for a mission trip.  I am super excited to see some old time friends and the kids I will be working with.  I love people and have a passion for the lost.  I hope you have seen that in my posts.  I love tea but I do love Jesus more!  As much as I want to share tea with you, I want to share Jesus more!!

https://incatea.com/pages/inca-tea-cafe

My gate was almost right across from Inca...I figured it was meant to be.

There is a nice selection of drinks here. 

I bought the Turmeric Latte.  I appreciate a great cup of tea for a good price.  It is not often you get 16 oz of tea for under $5.  But, here you can!!  $4.50 for a 16oz drink, I appreciate not being gouged at the airport.

I like this little shop. I like the raw wood and industrial feel.  The staff here was really nice, and friendly- even as they had just opened up.  I was the second customer.

This reminded me of a golden milk latte.  I am not sure if it was just turmeric and none of the extra things, like black pepper and ginger,  since it was called a turmeric latte and not a golden milk latte. This was not marked as a tea, so I am not sure if there was any tea in this latte. However, it could be an herb tea.   But, if it did have tea,  I  assume that there was purple corn in it.

I did like this tea and I am giving it four tea cups out of five.  The flavors were good, the price was nice, and the staff was pleasant. 

And from Cleveland I head to Charlotte and then the DR.