Dunkin Donuts free birthday treat- Frozen Vanilla Chai

For my 47th birthday I had the day off, and I went out and about finding free things ....

My sister has a blog, http://myfabulousdeals.blogspot.com/, and she shares all the fun things you can get for free on your special day!  A free Dunkin Donuts drink is one of them.  

This is from my sisters blog-

Birthday Freebies 2018

• Baja West Coast Kitchen - $5 from the app

• Old Carolina - $5 from the app

• Coldstone Creamery - B1G1 free ice cream

• Arby's - free shake with any purchase

• Macaroni Grill - free dessert (all you have to do it ask)

• Melting Pot - Chocolate Covered Strawberries

• Dairy Queen - B1G1 Blizzard

• Baskin Robbins - free cone

• Starbucks - any menu item free on your card if you have a gift card registered

• Dunkin Donuts - free drink your registered card

• Red Lobster - $5 off of 2 entrees

• Applebee's - free dessert at restaurant. They also have a kids club to sign up in the restaurant.

• Panera - if you have a gift card registered, they'll add a freebie to it

• DSW - $5 certificate

• Disney Rewards - 50 points

• Kellogg's Reward - 500 points

• Speedy Rewards - 200 points

• Menchies - $5 credit on my Smile card

• Auntie Anne's (from the app) - Free Pretzel

• Carrabba's - freebie

• Qdoba - freebie

• Red Robin - free burger  & ice cream sundae - I had a $10 lettuce burger & salad

• Denny's - free Grand Slam on your birthday.  You have to show driver's license

• Michael's - 20% off

• Best Buy - 10% off

• Joann's - 20% off

We also have the kids registered for:

• Bob Evans - free kids meal with meal for adult. These certificates don't expire.

• Red Robin - free burger

• Cold Stone - free ice cream

• Toys R Us - it's either $3 or $5 off . They have each gotten coupons for a free Thomas train around 3 years old

• Burger King - free kids meal

• Rockne's - free kids meal

If any of these places interest you, just go their website & register for their "clubs". Obviously we don't use all of these. Many of them are only good for 2 weeks. It's just fun to have the option.

https://news.dunkindonuts.com/news/happy-birthdday-to-you:-dunkin-donuts-unwraps-new-birthday-perk-a-free-beverage-on-your-special-day

I got the frozen vanilla chai drink. I have to say it was WAY WAY to sweet.  I did not enjoy it.  I had 2-3 sips of it that day.  I put it in the freezer and thought I would try it the next day...I tried it the following day and I just could not drink it. I felt it was such a waste, but there was no way to drink this pile of sugar.

Tunglok Teahouse, Singapore Airport, HK Milk Tea

I was flying home from Penang Malaysia.  I decided to fly home thru Singapore, since I never had flown through that airport...and I thought I could try more tea that way too.

It is a beautiful airport!  It might be my favorite airport ever.  It was clean, huge, and beautiful. 

http://www.tunglokteahouse.com/

I stopped in for a quick drink of HK Style Milk tea.  It was very good and refreshing.

Here is an interesting fact about Hong Kong Style Milk Tea- Hong Kong milk tea is also known as “pantyhose tea” or “silk stocking tea” because it is often brewed in a large tea sock that resembles pantyhose.  Who knew!!!

Beautiful artwork on the wall.

In my efforts to try as many teas as I could while on layover, I only drank tea and then headed to another fun tea to try.

I loved the fun jug the tea was in, it added to the experience.

This tea reminds me a lot of the tea I had in Thailand.  It is black tea, water, and condensed milk.  It is sweet and smooth.

If you have the chance, try it!!!!  It is not like any tea you will find in the states.

Muggswigz Tropical Tisane with Pukka Three Mint and Ohio tea Company Lavender with Plantation Mint

I love making iced tea and playing with flavors.  These flavors did not disappoint.  I love mint and lavender together.  They pair wonderfully.

As I say, you need to play with your tea.

 Plantation Mint and Ohio Tea Lavender made a great iced tea.

http://www.ohioteaco.com/

https://www.bigelowtea.com/Teas/Flavors/Mint

From the Website: 

"Extra Info:

Lavender is one of the world's most ancient, and commonly used herbs. The first recorded use of the sweet smelling herb appeared in ancient Phoenician inscriptions dating back to 1000 BC. The ancient Romans were also very fond of the herb and used it as a fragrant bath scent in their public bathhouses. In fact, it is believed that the genus name Lavendula stems from the Latin word lavare meaning "to wash." Modern botanical science indicates that there are at least 28 known species of Lavender - some of these are wild and some are commercially cultivated - the plant grows everywhere from parts of Africa to China. The version that we offer here is a wonderfully fresh smelling organic variety that comes from Eastern Tibet - no chemicals or pesticides were used in its cultivation.

Ingredients:

Organic Lavender,

Origin:

France"  

https://muggswigz.com/

https://www.pukkaherbs.com/teas-supplements/pukka-organic-teas/three-mint/

I mixed Tropical Tisane and Pukka Three Mint and it was great too.

Take your teas and mix and match them.  Every time you make tea you can have something different.  Keep playing!!!

Charleston Plantation Tea- Plantation Peach

My boss and his wife went to Charleston and visited the tea plantation. I have to admit I was admit a bit jealous.  He was kind enough to bring me this peach tea.

https://www.charlestonteaplantation.com/

Did you know that Charleston South Carolina is the only state in the US that has the conditions to grow tea?  It is true!!

This tea looks beautiful, smells beautiful and tastes wonderful.

This is a black tea so you want your water to boil.  You steep the tea 4-5 minutes for maximum flavor and intensity. 

This weekend 1/19-20/2019 was called Snowmagden. They were saying we could have 5-18" of snow.  

I was able to make this tea three times before I tossed the leaves.  Because this is a black tea it pairs nicely with milk.  I do no always add milk to flavored black teas, but I had almond milk and it paired great with the peach tea.

I stayed home this weekend. I made lots of tea and played in the snow.  I love winter and the snow.

I made a snow friend.  We enjoyed tea together , lol!!

So true!  God loves you and wants a relationship with you.

Ohio Tea Co - trip to the shop in Canton

https://www.ohioteaco.com/myaccount.asp

After Christmas my mom, sisters, and niece went shopping.  When asked where I wanted to go, the only place I wanted to stop was the Ohio Tea Co.

I am a huge fan of these tea shop.  I love their teas and supplies.

Here I am with my favorite niece!!!  I just love her and her heart for others.  She is such a delight!!!

You need to stop in to the Ohio Tea Co if you are in the area.  The staff are really helpful and friendly.

Every month you can get a free 1/2 oz of any tea...if you are on their mailing list.  I got Peach Oolong.  I can't wait to try it.

I also purchased this vanilla mint chai.  I am a huge huge fan of this tea.  I made it the other day at work for my co-workers.  I made it with water and I have to say I was not  fan.  But when I make it with almond milk it is delicious!!!

That is why I say to play with your tea. Check and be sure your water temperature is correct, your steeping time is accurate.  And now I say try milk instead of water.  I like my black tea with milk, but now maybe try no water and use entire milk instead.

When I make chai I use milk and sometimes even sugar.  This is not one of the chai teas that need sugar.

Tea of life , Christmas Tea Collection

Enjoying tea and scones at work.

My coworker gave me Tea of Life- the Christmas Collection for Christmas.

So fun to get tea and trying other brands and flavors!!!

http://www.teapacksusa.com/product-category/brand/tea-of-life/

And someone brought in Quince scones.  Those are my favorite scones- made in Kidron Ohio.

https://www.quincebakeryandcafe.com/

In the evening I also enjoyed some tea with Macarons.  My cousins finance makes these amazing European macarons.

These hand made macarons were delicious!  Each one with  different flavor and a different decoration.  If you need some amazing cookies- check them out!!

https://www.instagram.com/tres_chic_macarons_and_sweets/?hl=en

🎄Grinch-Peppermint Bark
🎄 Peppermint White Mocha
🎄 Orange Cranberry
🎄 S’mores ...
🎄 Coal-Chocolate
🎄 Salted Caramel Eggnog
🎄 Gingerbread
🎄 Creme Brûlée
🎄 Orange Cinnamon Roll
🎄 White Chocolate Strawberry
🎄 Mimosa
🎄 Chocolate & PB Covered Pretzel

Panera Chai, making my mom a believer....

https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/menu-categories/drinks.html

A couple of days after Christmas, my mom, sisters and niece went shopping.  I introduced my mom to Panera chai.  She is now a fan too!!!

I let her know that it was the only store chai around that I really like.  In our town we have Heartland and Sure House and neither have great chai.  There are Starbucks all over, but their chai's are not good either.  Dunkin Donuts have chai too, but I am not a fan of theirs either.

Yes, I am a tea snob and an even bigger chai tea snob.  Especially when you go to a shop and they think that charging $3.25 or even more for chai is okay.   I think that those drinks are over priced, so if I am going to buy their chai they better be better darn good.

The pastries here are so good looking too.

I was good and did not buy a pastry. 

Starbucks Passion Iced Tea and Tazo Iced Tea

The only drink I buy and enjoy at Starbucks is the Passion Iced tea- half the sugar.  I am able to make it at home too.

https://www.tazo.com/us/en/products/tea-bags/passion-20ct.html

I found this tea for the best price at Walmart.  This tea is a wonderful hibiscus tea!!  It is tart but sweet.

One bag of tea makes one gallon of iced tea.  It is perfect way to have your favorite tea at home....and for less money.

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

Story of my tea- blind tea tasting

https://storyofmytea.com/

I did my first kick starter.  Blind tea tasting.  I was super excited about the concept!!
I am a taste tester in my hometown, for Smuckers.  (yes- THAT Smuckers!)  This was not as easy.  I thought I would be a lot better at figuring out the flavors than it was.  But, the memories and laughter were worth ever penny!!!

I received 4 bags of unlabeled tea.  All the bags told you was how to prepare the tea.  (That was a small hint on the kind of tea. Knowing the heat and steep time can narrow things down)  There was also a number on the bag- but that was it!  There was no information on kind of tea, nothing...you had to guess it!  How fun is that?!!
  There was a seperate envelope with the "answer cards" in it that had a corresponding number to the bag of tea.  The card in the envelope gave you the information on your specific tea.  You don't look at the card until you have fully discussed and tried the tea.

This was nice tea!!

Here is your tea bag.  This was all the information you are given.

There was also a taste testing card- to help you talk about the tasting notes and flavors.  We had a blast with this!!!!

When I signed up for the tea, I put down that Oolong was my favorite tea and I loved the flavors of Coconut, Jasmine, and Hibiscus and that I didn't like Chamomile and Rooibos teas.  I hope that means that they will not send me chamomile and Rooibos teas!!  And in what they sent this time, 3 of them were Oolong- which was so fun.

Christmas evening my 3 nephews, my niece, my 2 sisters, my mom, and my aunt and I did the taste testing. I have to say it as a highlight for me for the day.  It was a blast.
My nephews keep asking, even 3 weeks later, when the next envelopes of tea will come.

We smelled the tea prior to steeping, trying to guess the flavor. Then after steeping I poured the tea and we all tied the tea and talked about it some more.

This was not one of our favorite.  We did not pick up on any of the flavors or tasting notes.  It cracked me up how many different things we guessed.  We guessed fruity to floral to earthy.

My older sister had my younger sister laughing and she almost spit her tea out.  We had so much fun, it was a time for great memories.

This might have been our favorite.  I think we all picked up a coconut scent.  Although we did not guess banana, we thought it was a tropical scent.

Ryan is trying to guess the scents.

Reading the directions for steeping.

This was another tea we enjoyed.  Not sure we guessed orange, it was harder than we thought to figure out the flavors.  Someone would suggest a scent and then we would send the bag around the room and all see if we thought they were right.  SO MUCH FUN!!

I am writing this a month after the tasting - but if I recall this was not a huge favorite.  I believe we guessed floral notes, not fruity.
I don't remember much about the tea, I remember the fun we had.  I can not stress enough that when you tea taste grab friends!!  Make the most of the experience. 

I told my niece and nephew that they could take labels off tea and send it to me and we could play our own tea game!!!

Not so sure about the smell of this tea!!  We were hoping that none of teas had mold in them.  We cracking up that "mold" was listed on the tasting wheel.

This was my first blind taste testing shipment and I can not wait for the next shipment!!  The nephews that live in my home town will definitely be involved- they listed several other people/friends of mine that they thought should come to the tasting.

This is something ever tea lover should try!!!