Gathering Grounds, Coconut Latte, Huron OH

This little cottage was my piece of heaven for the week.  I loved it.  The view was amazing too.

I was up at my church camp, Beulah Beach, for the missions conference that was taking place.

One afternoon off, my friend, Abby and I went on a tea run.  We started in Huron at Gathering Grounds. According to Google Maps there should have been three tea places in Huron, but it appears that they were all out of business.  I am glad Gathering Grounds was still there!

https://www.gatheringgroundscoffeehouse.com/menu-1/

I enjoyed this coconut latte.  It was sweet and had nice notes of coconut.  The atmosphere is super quaint in this cafe too.

Abby and I had a fun conversation with a lady there about finding other tea places.  She was a real character and we got a chuckle out of chatting with her.  I enjoy meeting new people when I am out.  You never know what you can learn from people and how you can impact others too.  Don't ever be too busy to talk to people and share joy with them.

We were looking for lunch, but we did this place did not have a lot of options, so we just stuck with our lattes.  

While we were here, we just typed in tea places near us to discover where to head next.  I love to travel like this.  Google Maps is great for this- type in what  you are looking for and wait and watch to see what comes up.

The flavors were on point, the price was decent and the staff was friendly.  It did not "wow" me, but it was very good.  I would go here again.  This was in fact my second time here, I had been here about two years ago for some bubble tea.

"To Go" Vahdam Turmeric Classic

I love Beulah Beach! You will hear me say any chance I get that Beulah Beach is my favorite place.  It helped form the person that I am.

I have been going to the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church camp with my parents since I was a baby.  Then at eight years old I started going to summer camp.  I went to camp from age 8-18.  Then I was a camp counselor from 18 until I was over 30.  

I also felt called to missions here when I was 10.  I always wanted to be a dorm parent in either Penang or Quito.  God had other plans, but I still feel the call to serve.

I think it is so important for people to know that God loves them.  God came to earth through the birth of a virgin, died on a cross for our sins, and then rose again on the third day.  God is our Savior, Sanctifier, Healer and Coming King.

If you don't have a personal relationship with Jesus and want to know more, please contact me.  I would love to share with you about Him.  He is my peace and joy.  He gives mercy, grace, and forgiveness to all who ask.  There is nothing you have done that He will not forgive.

For a week I was blessed with this little cabin.  I loved it.  I had a relaxing, inspiring, and encouraging week. We had great speakers who shared their testimonies and how God was working in their lives.  We had pastors and missionaries who shared from God's word too.

 In my little kitchen I made tea for myself.  I love turmeric tea lattes right now.  That is my go too.

While at one of the camp meetings a friend asked if I made any tea deliveries at camp.  I laughed and he said he was serious.  He said he saw that during quarantine I has been making tea for people.  I said that was true and I would be happy to make him some tea.  I would even deliver it to his house.

We talked about the teas he may like and decided that the Golden Milk latte would be a perfect tea for him.

I dropped off the latte and then some extra tea so that he could make some later if he did like it.

This latte was a big hit!!  I just love sharing tea...even while I am on vacation.  Tea can bring people together.

I love this tea.  I hate stevia, but this is the one tea that I don't notice it in.  It is turmeric, black pepper and stevia.  I honestly do not taste the stevia at all.

I like to froth and heat my oat milk or almond milk and then add the latte mix.  It really is that simple.

Even though I don't taste the Stevia, I don't like that it is in the tea...so that is why they get 4 tea cups out of 5.

https://www.vahdamteas.com/products/turmeric-classic-latte-mix?variant=16523146330155

Ball Ball Waffle, Matcha Waffle and Hong Kong Milk Tea- Cleveland OH

#WednesdayWanderings  My friend, Heidi, and I like to try ethnic foods during the summer.  She has off school and I have my Wednesdays off.

We headed an hour North to Cleveland's, Asiantown for some dim sum and tea.  We were pleasantly surprised to find the restaurant we were headed too was in this fun plaza.

Right around the corner from Li Wah Dim Sum, was Ball Ball Waffle.  They had Hong Kong Milk Tea and Matcha waffles.

https://www.facebook.com/BallBallWaffle

https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/ohio/cleveland/ball-ball-waffle-cle/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=cleveland&utm_campaign=newsletter&utm_content=nlbuttonB1&fbclid=IwAR0EJF7YUByoqi1ai2YusNmD-uZahWw9WCBdzOWQ-1fv7F_uwVFkMWM5VvY

I've had bubble waffles once before in CO.  I thought it would be fun to try these Matcha Waffles as a dessert after the dim sum.

Also called an egg waffle, bubble waffles are a common street food in Hong Kong. In Cantonese, these treats are called gai daan jai (雞蛋仔). Here in the U.S., these bubble waffles can often be found in ethnic neighborhoods like AsiaTown.

It was fun to be able to watch them make these waffles. There were a lot of steps in the process.

These were really good and surprisingly sweet tasting.  I enjoyed them.  They had an addicting flavor to them.  There is were hints of Matcha, but it was not overwhelming or grassy tasting. 

Hong Kong-style milk tea is a tea drink made from black tea and milk. It is usually part of lunch in Hong Kong tea culture. Hong Kongers consume approximately a total of 900 million glasses/cups a year.

I enjoyed this milk tea. It was not overly sweet- which I have found some milk teas to be.  My big frustration with teas from shops/cafes and bottled drinks is all the sugar that is added.  The staff was super friendly, the place was clean and prices were good.  I gave them 4 tea cups out of 5.  This was a fun and unique place to try.

After dim sum and my drink and treat we walked around the plaza and checked out the shops.  It was like being in Asia.  I guess I should not be surprised since we were in Asiatown, lol.  I love shopping for ethnic things and learning about their cultures. 

I loved this tea pot, but I think it was over $200- so I left it in the store.

I found some fun new teas to try too.  They had a lot of fun options.  I could have spent a lot of more time looking over all the tea.

I also bought this adorable fishing man that I want to add to potted plant.

While I was in Malaysia I discovered Chrysanthemum tea.  I was super excited to find some different kinds.  The instant tea has a lot of sugar, so it is not one I will make often, but it is a fun one to share with people.  I also look forward to trying the date tea.  I learned to really love dates when I was in France.  I bought these tea more for memories of trips I have taken than for any other reason.

Health- Ade Booch Pop, Ginger Fizz and Pom-Berry

https://health-ade.com/collections/health-ade-pop

I found this bottled kombucha on sale.  So, I was excited to try it.  I have to say I really enjoyed it.

This kombucha has prebiotics.  From the website, "What are prebiotics?

Prebiotics are like food for the native bacteria that live in your gut—bacteria need to eat too! Prebiotics are found in many fruits and vegetables—especially those that are high in fiber and starch. Pop has two different kinds of prebiotics: proanthocyanidins (PACs) found in cranberries and plant fiber from agave.  Prebiotics are living bacteria that are known to improve gut health. When consumed, they contribute to a diverse microbiome which helps the rest of your body stay balanced."

The flavors are fruity and tasty.  I love the kombucha zing that comes with this pop.

I really enjoy ginger in kombucha.  I tend to add ginger to almost every kombucha I make.  There is something warming about ginger to me.  I would say that the Ginger Fizz was my favorite of the two pops.  But, there were both good.

I like that there are no fake flavors, colors, or sweeteners—just real fruit, real sugar, and a touch of monkfruit.  I can't stand stevia in my tea.   The flavors are really good too.  This pop is getting a 4 instead of a 5 is because of the cost, it seemed pricey for 12 oz.