Maddy Barone Send Message

My goal for the summer is to drink up as much of my tea as I can by September so I can buy more in the fall. Cold brewing—or any method of making iced tea in general—uses more tea. I think I can do it!

I cold brewed a jug of this. I wanted to try a straight black tea iced. It was tasty. I think I prefer a fruity tea iced, but I had no problem drinking the whole 1.5 liters. I did not add any sweetener but it wasn’t bitter. I think this tea is so smooth it’s hard to turn bitter.

I went through my tea stash and transferred it to a new case. Hard to believe I fit it all in a box that is 14″ × 14″ × 8″! While doing that I found a teensy bit of this left, just enough for a cup. It is hot out there today, with winds gusting up to 45 mph. Not exactly autumn tea weather, but I decided to finish this off. I still really like it. A person can’t go wrong with one of the 52Teas rooibos/honeybush blends. I will miss you, autumn tea. But fruity summery blends are high on my list now.

It was a bit chilly and very windy here today. I made a pot of this. Such an excellent straight black breakfast tea! I always enjoy this one.

I have had a challenging fortnight. I got the flu about two weeks ago, and after four days I felt better. Whew! I thought I got off pretty light that time. Then a few days later my temp climbed again and I started coughing. Badly. Everytime I took a deep breath I felt like I was stabbed in the back. Off to the doc I went on Wednesday and found out it is pneumonia.

Hey, didn’t that JUST happen back in December? Yep. So I have augmentin and some cough syrup and strict orders to REST. I really, really would have loved to, but …

Today I finally had the inspection and handed the keys over to the old apartment. I spent the last three days cleaning, and hauling things down the three flights of stairs to the dumpster and the car. I pushed myself to get everything cleaned, but my energy level just wasn’t there. The oven was cleaned, but not scoured. The windows weren’t washed. I didn’t pull out the fridge or stove to clean behind them. Between $150 and $175 will be deducted from my deposit. Ask me if I care. It’s done.

I’m taking the rest of the weekend to sleep. Knit. Watch TV. And, of course, drink tea. It’s supposed to be quite warm this weekend. MIght be the perfect time to try some teas iced. Good night!

No one has rated this yet???

I’m moving my furniture, books, dishes, etc to the storage unit on Saturday. That is April 14th. And the forecast is for a snow storm. On April 14th. A snow storm. It’s snowing right now. And it is expected to snow and Wednesday and Friday too. Have you seen that meme of a cardinal bundled in a hat and coat, holding holding a cup of coffee as he clings to a snowy branch? He says. “Spring forward? How fricking far did you move it?” That’s how I feel. I don’t even like summer, but I’m wishing for it!

On to the tea. It is yummy. I’m tired from sorting through my stuff, sorting and packing. I wanted something soothing and caffeine free. I dithered between a few different honeybush blends, and settled on this one. Such lovely cardamom, such a nice, warm glow. Traditionally, chai should be black tea with milk, but the chai spice blend here works really well with the honeybush. I accidently let this one steep for 18 minutes and I was afraid it would be bitter. But it wasn’t. I’m glad I got a larger pack of this. I think I’m going to be drinking more of it soon.

I have only a few bags of this left. Since I’ve moved home to mom’s I’ve had little tea. But I have found a small narrow glass tea pitcher that will fit in my mini fridge. I’m looking forward to trying it out. But not right now. We’re expecting a few inches (that is to say, 4 to 7 inches) of snow over the weeknd, with possible blizzard conditions on Saturday. So this weekend calls for hot tea. Tonight I wanted something mellow and familiar. So I bewed a cup of this.

Maybe it’s getting a little old. Or maybe I steeped it too long. It had an astringent edge, which ruined the creamy goodness for me. I’m not giving up. I know I’ve loved this in the past. Next time I will cut the steeping time.

Last night it was 79 degrees in my room and it was 77 when I woke up. I had the blessed window open, so I don’t know why it was so hot. I didn’t sleep much so I got up late for church, feeling slimy with sweat. I ran around all day today packing up stuff at the old place to bring to my room at mom’s. Pretty soon I won’t be able to move in here! My brother gallantly watched me parading in and out with multiple loads, and he never offered to help. Ggrrrrr. Of course, I never asked for help. Maybe he thought I could handle it.

Anyway, a few more loads to bring home and then I get to start packing for putting stuff in storage.

Last night was hotter than blazes but tonight it is comfortable. I decided to have a cup of hot tea. I thought this one was done a while ago, but I was digging around in the tea box for an evening cup and this one floated up to the top. Nummy. I will miss you, delicious tea, but I have lots more to sip down before fall, and I’m sure Anne and Amethyst will come up with more teas to entice me to break my No Tea Buying vow.

It was not a warm day but it was sunny, which seems to drive the temperature up in my room. Right now it is 75 in here, which is about 7 degrees warmer than I prefer. So today I brewed this one and poured it over ice.

This is one of the best iced teas in the world. That is all.

With two fans blowing, I feel quite cool, so I decided to brew a cup of this tea. I chose this tea because it was on the top of the bag I currently keep my tea stash in. I will need to address that soon and find a proper home for my tea here at mom’s.

The move to mom’s is almost complete. I think two pickup truck loads ought to do it. Then it will be time to pack the stuff that is going to storage. I canNOT wait for this to be over.

I like this tea. Definitely in the top three DAVID’s Teas for me. It is certainly minty, but there is an underlying creamy sweetness that I really like. I have a whole bunch of it left, like maybe 75 grams. I wonder how it would be iced. Anyone tried that? What did you think?

The first cup I brewed since moving to mom’s. Still delicious. Mild, naturally slightly sweet.

Since my mom insists on having the place at 80 degrees, I will probably be brewing more iced tea than hot tea. I still have all my craft stuff at my old place. Ws hoping to move that home this weekend, but we’re expecting a big, rain/ice/snow storm and my brother has said no. That’s fine. I have no time to sew right now anyway. Basically I am exhausted and not looking forward to moving the rest. Sigh. No rest for the weary.