That morning mug - Green Kukicha Organic

I'm dealing with some issues at work, and we have what we call a SWAT team going. Conference calls first thing in the morning have become the norm. Fortunately, I'm lucky enough to be able to work remotely when needed,so most mornings my portion of that conference call takes place from the comfy chair while I'm in my jammies, accompanied by a kitty and a mug of tea.

This morning, the mug was Green Kukicha Organic from Deckan Coffee Company.

The tea itself is traditionally a "farmer's tea", and it's made up of the stem and twig pieces, as well as some leaves, which is very different from most other teas as it has the parts that you normally don't see in your tea. Usually, you just get the leaves. After doing a little more research, this tea is generally lower in caffeine, so perhaps not the best tea for in the morning, but it would be nice as an afternoon or evening tea.

One thing I like about this tea is how clear it brews up, although it doesn't look it today. My mug looks smeary to me. It's nice and light, yellowy in color. The flavor is almost creamy, but very green and vegetable. It isn't astringent at all, which is very nice. It's easy drinking, fresh flavored. If you can find a version of this tea, I highly suggest at least trying it.

No Caffeine and a Mitten Sort of Feel - Torch Lake Berry Organic Herbal Blend

My husband, the best ever, has been doing a lot of work in the house reorganizing everything in our bedroom, which is stirring up a lot of dust and whatnot. Of course, it's sent my allergies and asthma into overdrive. After multiple spats of bronchospasms, my throat is feeling a little scratchy.

Of course, this calls for some tea; however, I really need to not have any more caffeine tonight.

Into my cupboard I dove, looking for something that would hit the spot. I found a great local herbal blend, Torch Lake Berry Organic. Torch Lake, in the northern Lower Peninsula, is Michigan's largest inland lake. It's a beautiful area. This tea is actually a rooibos blend with lots of fruit to it. It's pleasantly tart from cranberry, but still just a touch sweet. The online description does not list strawberries as being among its ingredients, but I am fairly certain they are in it. It's actually almost too tart tonight, but I hesitate to add any sugar to it.

It's a beautiful deep reddish color in my mug, although I'm sorry to say I won't be posting a picture. I'm enjoying it in a dimly lit room that is not being photograph friendly. Maybe I'll update this post a different time with a picture.

I actually would like to try this one as an iced tea, but that's not happening tonight, either.

Cold Steeped Iced Tea - Deckan Coffee Company Jasmine # 4 [Fair Trade] Organic

So another cool new item I bought for myself recently is a ForLife Mist Ice Tea Jug. I have been debating on this pitcher for a while now. I think I added it to my Amazon wishlist for the first time last summer. I bought it for myself a couple of weeks ago. It is money well spent, and I know it will be even more utilized as the weather warms.

(photo from ForLife)

So I've played with it a few times, tried a couple of different teas. I've decided so far that I like jasmines in it a lot. I did some jasmine pearls first, and now this is the second time I've done just the loose leaf non-pearl style.

The way this jug is designed the leaves stay in all the time. I would not want that in a hot brew at all, but doing this as a totally cold steep it's working pretty well. The filter keeps the loose leaves in and it sure looks pretty.

The leaves that are currently in my pitcher are Jasmine #4 Fair Trade Organic from Deckan Coffee Company. Deckan is a local coffee company that also has started carrying tea. My local, family-owned grocery store carries these in bulk at great prices, so I've got a lot of the Deckan teas in my cupboard. I don't know how they compare to other companies since I haven't had many other teas yet, but I like their teas pretty well. This jasmine, for example, has a great scent. I like the fact that it's fair trade, too.

Iced or cold steeping is a really easy process. Some people rinse their leaves first in hot water for a very brief steep of 30 seconds or less, some don't. I didn't. I just poured a bunch of loose leaf in the bottom of my pitcher, added cold water, and put it in the fridge. It's a good idea to start checking your tea after about 3 hours to see if it's at the level you want. I actually enjoy starting with about 3 hours and having some, but leaving it in the fridge and trying again a few hours later, and then a few hours after that, to try the different levels.

I put these leaves in on Wednesday and drank a good half of the pitcher. Since I'd put in more leaves than I should probably have to start, I just added more water and figured I'd see how it went. Then I didn't drink it later. Oops. Yeah, perhaps this has been in the fridge a little too long, but it still tastes pretty good. My wonderful husband decided he wanted to try it tonight. I warned him that the leaves might have steeped a little too long, but he said it tastes good and he likes it. Since he normally doesn't drink any of my teas, this is a huge step for him. (He then also asked me if they could be re-steeped again, and told me to add more water and we could see what happens. So I did, and we'll find out.)

The jasmine scent and flavor on this is very nice. It's a little oversteeped, so just starting to get a touch bitter. I'm surprised it's not more bitter now, actually. It has a beautiful, just barely grassy green color.