Maddy Barone Send Message

Day 1 of the 3 day winter storm is over. I think we have about 5 inches so far. The wind is supposed to pick up tonight and then we’ll get two more days of snow. Church is already cancelled for tomorrow, which is good, because there is no way I could get out of my parking lot. Maybe 16 inches of snow in total for this storm by 3pm Monday. Welcome to North Dakota.

It was really pretty earlier. The snow was big fat flakes falling straight down. Snow falling vertically is pretty rare up here. Most often it comes down at a slant, or even purely horizontally. I sat in my chair with my knitting and tea this afternoon and watched it. It was very relaxing. As long as I didn’t think about having to unbury the car, it was relaxing. I don’t drink, really, so this tea (Mistletoe and WINE) is as close as I get.

The tea is a pretty, wine color from the hibiscus. The last cup I had the hibby wasn’t as prominent. This cup was quite a bit more sour. So sour I didn’t finish it. I shall try another of my B & B subscription teas tomorrow afternoon, when I will watch the snow driven along by the wind and listen to it howl. Fun times.

Bird & Blend Tea Advent Calendar Day 22:

I liked this one. I cannot say whether is smelled or tasted of banana. The old sniffer is dead and gone. But this one was smooth and mellow and a bit sweet. After a coiuple of misses, I was glad to enjoy the whole cup and even re steep. The second cup was as good as the first.

Bird & Blend Advent Tea Calendar Day ?? (*Either the 17th or the 18. Opened the teas for both days at the same time this evening and forgot to note which was which. I decided to have this now because it was non caffeinated.

Like just about all rooibos teas this one brewed up very dark. The flavor was pleasant both hot and warm. It’s darned cold in my place tonight so the tea cooled very quickly, When it was cool I tasted the rooibos more strongly. So I enjoyed this one better hot. Not tremendously memorable for me, but a nice cup for before bed. I’d be happy to drink it again, altho I don’t see myself placing an order for it.

This was one of last week’s samples from the B&B advent calendar. I was really interested by the name. I have had a few smoky teas that I really enjoyed (Winter Cabin Chai by 52Teas, for one ) and I expected this to be like those. However, I didn’t really get the smokiness I expected. In fact, I didnt’ get much of anything. I bet if I had a sense of smell I would have picked up on the toffee and other scents and flavors. But I don’t, so I didn’t. All in all, a bit of a disappointment for me. Still glad I got to try it though.

This came in my B&B subscription package. The first ingredient listed is hibiscus. I truly dislike hibiscus, so I wasn’t really expecting to like this tea. However, although it may not ever be a favorite, I found it very drinkable. The hibiscus was definitely present, but not so overpowering that I couldn’t bear it. It was rather a pleasant zing to a slightly sweet cup. I remember I was dubious about Fruit Chai Pie at first too, but I finished all 20 grams of it very easily. This blend may be the same.

Bird & Blend Tea Advent Calendar Day 11:

This one didn’t work for me. The first sip I could almost taste the chocolate, but it was edged with a bitter bite. The sip ended on an astringent note. I didn’t even finish the cup. So for me, this one is a pass.

Another from the Bird & Blend Tea Advent Calendar.

I wasn’t sure if I would like this one or not. Oolongs can be a little too grassy for me. This one brewed up green. I mean, emerald green shading on forest green. I don’t remember ever having such a green tea before.

When it was hot I didn’t enjoy it very much, But as it cooled, the mint came out and I found myself liking it quite a bit. I re-steeped and it was pretty good then too. I probably would never have tried this. The Moroccan Mint green teas are not favorites. But this one wqs good.

I’ve had the stomach flu the last few days. It was thoroughly unpleasant, and even drinking tea was highly unappealing. So I am quite behind on my tea advent calendar from Bird & Blend. I can’t remember which day this was. It is a very pretty pink tea. I loved the sound of it. However, the hibiscus was a little much for me. It wasn’t a bad tea. Someone who enjoys the zing of hibiscus would very likely love this one.

This was the Bird & Blend Advent Calendar tea for Day 5. I actually liked it. I usually like to have some David’s Tea Cold 911 on hand for when I’m under the weather, but this one was good too. It didn’t taste medicine-ish. I mean., it was definitely a minty/eucalyptus-y tea, but that wasn’t unpleasant. When I run out of Cold 911 I might need to get 50 grams or so of this one.

Bird & Blend Advent calendar Day 4:

Pleasant. A bit more sour than I like from the hibiscus, but not nearly as sour as some others. Some teas taste best ;piping hot, Some teas taste best cold or iced. This one was best for me when it was warm. Still not one I would like to have a lot of, but if a friend served this I could drink it.