Maddy Barone Send Message

I am sick to death of being sick. I thought I was getting a cold, but after several days of ickiness, my ear started to really hurt. Went to the walk in clinic and found out it is an ear infection and a sinus infection. They didnt’ give me antibiotics!! They said it should resolve itself in 5-7 days. I could take Tylenol and apply warm compresses. Well, I woke up yesterday with gunk on my pillow and a crusty ear. The ear hurts less. The fever is gone. I still feel like crap.

All that was to whine and cry “Poor me!” I had this tea last night. I had to open a new box. Sure glad I picked up another box when my friend was here. I enjoyed it as usual. I think I am bringing out the Cold 911 next. Excuse me while I carry my kleenex box over to my TV watching chair and drink more tea.

No one has rated this tea yet????

I ordered this several months ago but just now opened the packet. Fujian teas are a favorite in general, and Golden Monkey is my top choice. This one from Whispering Pines is right up there. It has a smooth mouthfeel, and a slightly more complex flavor than I am used to. There were some distinct notes there that with my stupid dead nose I could not identify. Maybe raisin? As the tea cooled it gained a slightly astringent note at the end of the sip. I usually never add sweetener to my tea (I’m diabetic) but I added just a couple of drops of honey and that was lovely. Glad I have more of this one to enjoy.

I got 12 bags of this as part of a Holiday Combo. It is VERY dessert-y. When it was hot it had a cooling, creamy chocolate mint flavor and I really enjoyed it. As it cooled, though, it became cloyingly sweet. Some teas are enjoyable hot or cold, This isn’t one. But when it was hot it was very tasty. I won’t have any trouble drinking 12 cups of it. I just need to be sure to drink it right away instead of letting it linger.

I ordered this tea from the Republic of Tea. Peppermint tea is one of my faves for quiet evenings before bed. Between the cancer progressing to Stage 4, and my baby brother dying of a heart attack at age 53, and that rotten day job, I have been under a LOT of stress these last few weeks. So I liked the sound of this one.

But I didn’t love it. I could barely make out the mint flavor and there was something odd in the sip. Maybe the KSM-66 Ashwagandha Root Extract? I am giving it a rating of 70 for now. When I had it last night my nose was completely clogged. Even without a sense of smell, I can usually detect the cooling sensation of mint. So I will try it again in a few days and see if my opinion changes. I hope it does. Otherwise I have 35 more tea bags of this!

I ordered a set of Christmas teas from the Republic of Tea, and they sent a sample of this. Since I enjoy peppermint tea in the evenings I decided to brew it last night. It was a nice cup. Mild, with just a hint of astringency at the end of the sip. It doesn’t stand out from other peppermint teas I’ve enjoyed. I won’t add this to a future order, but I would gladly drink it again. So I am giving it a decent rating of 73.

This is almost gone! :(

It was pretty cold this morning, cold enough for a little wet snow that didn’t stick around. So this evening I decided to dig out a ‘winter’ tea, and this is the first one that came up. It’s getting pretty old, but it still has a nice flavor. It has a creamy sort of flavor along with the mint that I really enjoy.

I’d like to have a little more fall before winter comes to stay. We’ll see what the weather does this year!

Still an absolute fave. An old friend (we’ve known each other since 1977!) came to stay last weekend. She doesn’t drink caffeine so I introduced her to this tea. She loved it. We went shopping and she bought 3 boxes! I really enjoy it too, and the weather was cold and rainy last weekend. Fall in North Dakota is not especially pretty without trees to turn color, but I still love it. This weekend will be warmer, but we all know what happens on the border of Minnesota and North Dakota after September. Soon it will be true hot tea drinking weather. I can’t wait!

I have not been on Steepster much for the past few months. I found out in June that my cancer has returned and spread to my liver and kidney. I have been and will continue to be in and out of various treatments, scans and doctor visits. The most recent treatment I had was an Ablation of the tumor on my liver. It appears to have been successful so nothing more until December, when I’ll get another scan and see how the liver is doing and see what the three spots on my kidney are up to. All things considered, I am doing really well. I am very much looking forward to enjoying my tea stash this winter.

It’s hot here today in eastern North Dakota. At 101 (38-39 Celsius) we won’t break the 90 year old record, but it is the hottest day in a couple of years. Well, actually we had a 100 degree day last year too. But triple digit days don’t come around every year. So this weather calls for a cold brew.

This tea may be excellent hot, but I love it iced. What makes it so wonderful as an iced tea is the lightness of it. I am not sure how to explain it. Coke over ice is nice and cold too, but somehow it feels heavy to me, as if laden down by the sugar and chemicals. This tea is mildly sweet on its own, with bright, mild flavor that is amazingly refreshing. My favorite for these dreadfully hot days.

I will mention that I went on my annual trip to the Reader and Author Get Together. It’s been cancelled for the past two years because of Covid. I came back with a ton of great books to read. I also came home with covid. :( Luckily I don’t feel too awful, just very tired. Something like this tea feels good on my sore throat. Love this tea!

I picked up a bottle of this during my road trip to Kentucky. I am not really a huge fan of bottled tea, but I was drawn by the ‘Sicilian Lemon’. I liked it. It was refreshing. A far better choice than the Mountain Dew I was going to have.

The weather has turned officially summer-ish. Highs in the mid 80s. I drove over the church to clean up my little raised bed garden and plant my cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers and onions. I was a sweaty dirty mess by the time I finished. I had brought a bottle of water and a thermos of this to drink. I finished the water early and then drank this. The water was lukewarm, but boy, even after sitting in the sun for 3 hours the ice cubes were still floating happily in the tea! Love those insulated cups.