Redbud Blossom tea from local trees

I posted pictures of these beautiful Redbud trees at work.  Then someone messaged me and told me that I could make tea out of the blossoms.

At first I thought it was a joke, then I researched it and found it to be true.  It is crazy to me who discovers these things.  Do people just make tea out of anything and then if they die others know it is poisonous??  I guess that is probably how it started!




I grabbed a vase from my desk and filled it up with about 4 cups of Redbud blossoms.  


I let the blossoms sit in water for about 20 minutes and rinsed them several times to be sure I did not have any unwanted creatures.



I made a gallon of tea:

4 Cups of redbud blossoms

1 gallon water

1/3 C sugar

2 T lavender honey

200 degree water, steep for 20 minutes


I wasn't sure what to put the blossoms in I tried several things.  Every thing seemed to be too small.



I then added the blossoms to a blender to steep.  I was amazed that the blossoms almost turned white, but the tea did not turn pink.

I took 200 degree water and steeped for 20 minutes.


I then strained the blossoms and the water.  I have this large strainer that worked great.  I just poured the tea into the strainer and it filtered it all for me.





I added my sugar and honey and added some ice.  I thought it was really very tasty.  It had a bit of an earthy taste- like it came from a plant, but also nice floral notes.

I will make it again next year for sure!!



Psalm 96:3
Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all the peoples!

June 29, 20024 BOOK SIGNING at Ohio Tea in Canton

It is official, I am having a book signing at Ohio Tea in Canton. 


5154 Fulton Dr NW Canton, Ohio 44718 



The book is full of colored photos and areas for you to journal about your own tea experiences.



A book all about tea- Black Tea, Oolong Tea, Pu-erh Tea, Green Tea, White Tea, Yellow Tea, and Purple Tea.  And those other drinks people call “tea” (that do not have the Camellia Senesis plant) - Herbal Tea, Tisane Tea, Honeybush, Rooibos Tea, and Mate Tea. Ever wonder what the difference is between tea in China and tea in India?  What is Darjeeling and what is Orange Pekoe? What is the difference between High Tea, Afternoon Tea, Royal Tea, and Cream Tea?  What is the difference between a cup plate and a saucer?  Find out these definitions and many more. All while journaling about your tea along the way.  There are over 140 tea related definitions and 19 tea customs in this book along with fun color photos. Enjoy the ABCs of Tea. This book is meant to be a fun and easy way to learn about tea. 



Come see me on June 29 from 11 am - 2 pm.  I will be selling and signing books and also giving away samples of my Purple Palmer Tea.


Purple Palmer is a butterfly pea tea that I make.  I have a recipe that I will be sharing using all Ohio Tea tea and some lemonade.
This tea is delicious and refreshing, along with being a beautiful purple color!


Come and try and get the recipe so that you can make this tea as well.


Books are $20...and I will sign them as well.

Come to Ohio Tea and get your book in June and also check out the new location for the tea shop if you have not already done so.  It is fantastic!


Kerrie with Kurt and Terry.  I am super excited for you all to see and read my book!!


Kerrie E. Kaufmann is an author of five published Christian romance books.  She has had a tea blog, Kerrie's Cup of Tea since 2013.  A home tea party business, Kerrie's Cup of Tea, Cuppa and Kettle Cafe, LLC, that she started in 2022.  She has two cats- Orange Pekoe and Chai.  She just celebrated 20 years at the insurance company she works at.  She loves spending time with family and friends- being an aunt is the best thing in life.  She loves to travel, go on mission trips, kayak, fish, paint, try new teas, read, craft, play board/card games, Ohio State and Cleveland Browns Football, and geocaching.  She also loves to go to secondhand shops and flea markets looking for tea related items. 


(On the corner diagonal from Fisher Foods in Canton, on Fulton Rd)

5154 Fulton Dr NW Canton, Ohio 44718 



Psalm 96:3
Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all the peoples!

 

Goji Berry Oolong from Ohio Tea

I tried a new oolong tea.  Oolong is my favorite kind of tea.  Oolong is not as caffeinated as black tea, but more caffeinated that green tea.

Check out those beautiful rolled tea leaves!!!


oolong tea, goji berries, calendula, marigold, sunflowers and natural flavors

I made goji berry oolong tea hot and cold.  When I made the cold iced tea, I put 7 tsp of oolong in my giant tea ball.  I made sure the water temperature was not more than 180 degrees- I did not want to bruise the leaves and make the tea bitter.  I then added 1/3 C sugar and steeped for 10 minutes.



The iced tea is wonderful.  You get the fruitiness of the goji berries and the unique oolong tea notes.


I also made it as a hot tea.  It was just as nice.  I think I may prefer it cold, but it is really nice hot too.  It is interesting that you get different stronger notes when it is done different ways.




This is a really nice and refreshing tea.  Notes of fruit and oolong come through really nicely.
I really like this light oolong blend.  You are not overwhelmed by any of the flavors. 




Psalm 96:3
Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all the peoples!


Candy Cloud, Willoughby OH. Bubble Tea and other fun tea drinks


I saw this fun bubble tea place on line, so I thought I would try it out.  

My friend and I headed to Willoughby on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.   

36299 Euclid Avenue
Willoughby OH 44094

It was busy when we got there, we were about 10th in line, but the line moved fairly quickly.  When you go to order it is contactless ordering.  You order all on your own at a kiosk and the workers were in the back making the drinks.

When they make the drinks in the back they are made custom to your order and then they seal them with a pop top.

They have tea, coffee, lemonades, energy drinks, and milk shakes.

The shakes that looked good to me- Banana Pudding Shake -Banana, vanilla pudding, and vanilla wafer bits.
and the
PB Cup -Reese's PB and Reese's chunks blended with soft serve.
But, shakes are close to $7 and I wanted to stick with tea, lol.


The drink bases run around $5-$6, which I didn't think was too horrible.  But, if you add things to the drinks, that is when the price goes up.  I didn't add anything extra to my drinks and I paid about $21. for 4 drinks.

I got the matcha, which was very nice.  I was able to pick the sweetness,  I chose no sweetness added.  You could pick ice or blended, I went with iced.  And then I could pick from oat milk or regular milk, I went with oat milk.

Organic Matcha with your choice of milk, syrups and drizzles. Available Iced, Hot, or Blended- this one was $5.89



Then I went with the Apple Pie Chai to share with some of the gals at work.  You could select hot, ice, or blended.  I went with iced.  You could pick from unsweet, a half sweet, or sweet- I decided on half sweet.
Chai latte with caramel drizzle and apple butter pie- this was an April special for $6.25

I shared this drink the next day with some co-workers. This one was okay. It was still pretty sweet. Although the apple pie flavor was spot on!


I also ordered a lavender honey latte- I went iced, unsweetened, oat milk, and a single shot of espresso.  Again there were other options you could add for a price.  I went with the "base" drink.

Latte with honey drizzle and topped with a lavender cold foam- this one was $6.65



I enjoyed this drink Monday morning.  It was very tasty!!  I would have liked a little more lavender flavor, but it was very nice.


We then headed to Edge Water Park, our goal was to find the script sign.  We tried for almost 30 minutes, but I could not find the correct road to take us there.  We just went to one of the parks then to see the Lake.



You can see the Cleveland Sky Line in the distance.



Lastly, we headed to Cleveland and John Carrol University for Boaz.
I had been to the Ohio City location for Boaz and it was outstanding.  This one was just as good.

You can build a Lebanese bowl.
The base I had was brown rice and lentils, then baba (pureed eggplant), with falafels, pickled radish, yellow peppers, salata, feta and sumac onions, and then a tahini dressing on the side.  And it came with a pita too. 
 


On the drive home I enjoyed the Butterfly Lemonade...it was super sweet, but really refreshing.

Lavender Lemonade topped with a butterfly pea tea- this one was $5.15



Candy Cloud gets 5 Tea Cups from me!!  The drinks are really fun and creative.  I thought the place was clean and nice.  The staff seemed friendly, but I had no real interaction with them- which was fine.  The prices for the base teas were reasonable.  I liked the experience a lot.  I also like that they have pop tops on them, so you can buy a few and save them for later.
 


Psalm 96:3
Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all the peoples!