National Hot Tea Month -where was I?

So, January was National Hot Tea Month. Who knew?

Certainly not I! Whoops!

I've been two-timing Tea again, with a hot new date. Thesis.

...Actually, Tea, Thesis, and I have some pretty nice threesomes.

But sometimes Thesis gets a little out of hand and he and I have to take a short break from each other.

Like tonight, with our friend Donut who came over to visit Twinings (Naturally Decaffeinated) English Breakfast Tea. Not the most exciting black tea (far from it- please look forward to a post about a very wonderful black tea, coming soon!), but at least there's no bite. Plus the slight bitterness canceled out the slightly-too-sweetness of the donut. I don't usually eat donuts, but this one was so small and cute...I could not resist the temptation to dunk it, Clark Gable style!

Central New York: TAZO, Awake

This combination is warming and refreshing at the same time. The milk helps to round out the flavour of the Awake tea, which I honestly find a bit hollow on its own. The blend of black teas is nice in theory, but I think the balance is somewhat off. There doesn't seem to be anything binding them together and I feel a little disjointed whenever I drink it plain (plus it doesn't wake me up at all!). Adding milk helps Awake actualize its depth potential and the touch of spice from Silk's fantastic Pumpkin Spice flavor is a really nice added touch. This combination is, as I said, refreshing since it's not heavy on the spices and you don't need sweetener.

Boulder, CO: Sadaf Special Blend Tea with Cardamom Flavor

I purchased this 5-pack for a dollar this summer in my hometown of Boulder, CO. Walking in to the Caspian Mediterranean Market and Deli just off Pearl street, I was amazed at the huge selection of teas they offer, among lots of other items. This small place is packed full with great things! Next time I'm back I'll have to try their gyros, I hear they're great. I'll pick up another pack of tea as well. Almost all of the teas are a variety of ceylon, which is less "different" than I was expecting, and since I can't read the packaging on many of them, it is hard to figure out if what I'm buying is something special or something very similar to teas I've had before.

That's why I chose this Sadaf Special Blend Tea with Cardamom Flavor. I've never had cardamom tea before and it comes in this handy small package, which makes it very affordable to try something new! There's two "pluses" right off the bat!

And here's another one:

The spicy cardamom scent hits you as soon as you open the box. Mmm!

But once you pour on the water, all you smell is that astringent scent typical of ceylon tea. Not that this is a bad thing, but I was expecting to taste that cardamom!

Actually, you do sort of taste it in the back of your throat right after swallowing and in your whole mouth post-swallow when you are close to finishing the drink.

Over all, nothing too special, but definitely worth trying. And if you're a black tea drinker and you're running out of your supply, you might consider switching to a one with this subtle cardamom flavor. According to numerous sites, such as http://naturalremediesbase.com

cardamom is a great wellness aid. The spicy, uplifting aroma seems to help aleviate depression, improve lung circulation, reduce chest congestion, soothe acidic stomachs, and is an antispasmodic, which makes it helpful for stopping hiccups or easing menstrual pains and pregnancy-induced nausea. Though since you shouldn't drink caffeine while pregnant, so you might want to just add cardamom to your foods or make an herbal blend ;)

I'm glad to have found out about the possible health benefits of cardamom through drinking this tea!