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How is it, after decades of tea drinking, I haven’t tried this grocery store staple? (Or how is it that I’m so senile I forgot?)

At any rate, this was another pay-it-forward contribution at work. Flavors perform as advertised, but on its own, it was too sweet for my taste. However, paired with a bag of plain old plebian Red Rose to temper the honey, it was a decent afternoon hand warmer!

An experiment from the pay-it-forward table at work. Bigelow’s flavored teas often go “chemical” pretty quickly as they age, but this box is still fresh. Leads with sweet coconut, for sure, and the base serves as an undetectable holding mechanism for the flavor. A coworker took a sniff and said, “Smells like Almond Joy!” Not bad for staving off mid-morning sugar cravings. Bet it would be good with milk.

Swiss Miss hot cocoa mix + a half teaspoon of chai masala spice = :)

…and since the molasses jar was located, and since it’s downright chilly this afternoon, a generous spoonful nicely complemented this gingerbread tea (orange peel, anise being the slightly out-of-the-ordinary additions). Good for the day and for the season. I like the notion of “seasonally curated” teas—it sounds much classier than “I’ve got leftovers from last year that need to be used up!”

I didn’t intend to clean out the kitchen cabinets this afternoon, but a quest for a quarter jar of molasses turned into a petrified-ingredient-pitching odyssey.

The molasses hunt was specifically to try a glob in a cup of my favorite congou, which has been characterized in reviews (probably some of my own) as having molasses and apple peel appeal. It’s a perfect fit.

I made a special stop at Natural Grocers to snag a new box of French Roast—they carry a limited number of flavors (not, unfortunately, Dark Chocolate). But it was perfect for a damp, chilly evening—this time, accompanied by milk and an itty bit of maple flavored syrup. (Ooh…next cup…Hershey’s!)

I still have a generous half-bag of Sweater Weather left from last season, and I’m glad, because it’s providing exactly the level of cozy I need right now. There’s not really much new anyone can do with chai (What has been is what will be,and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun; Ecclesiastes 1:9) … but Savoy has definitely given it a lovely minty twist that beats the cardamom into submission. Nice solid Assam base, too.

I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for Ginger Snappish. Over the years, it has warmed and soothed me through some rough patches, but as the cliche advises, familiarity breeds contempt and I’m getting a little bored with it. To remedy that, we milked it up this evening and added a dollop of honey. Makes it taste more like a cookie and less like straight-up lemon and ginger.

First 24-hour stretch of weather that could accurately be labeled “cold.” Lightweight, twinkly herbal blends just wouldn’t chase the chill last night, so I rummaged around and found a leftover bag of French Roast. I love it when the weather is raw. It would not fool a real coffee drinker, but as I am a fake coffee drinker, in it just for the scent, this was perfect. With milk.