Upton Tea Imports

Hmmm.. I think this is what I had yesterday morning. The flavors got a little muddled since I had a tea bag of this in my purse that was sitting with an Earl Grey. I mostly recognized it as Frissy but it had just an extra hint of bergamot that shouldn’t have been there.

Hmmm.. I think this is what I had yesterday morning. The flavors got a little muddled since I had a tea bag of this in my purse that was sitting with an Earl Grey. I mostly recognized it as Frissy but it had just an extra hint of bergamot that shouldn’t have been there.Doesn’t matter – it was still really good. I don’t know that I can do anything to mess this guy up, though. Hence my perfect rating for it.

Backlog from Sunday.

Had this with some peach pie for breakfast (I’m on a pie making kick lately because I’ve decided not being able to make a decent crust is unacceptable – this means a lot of pies are in my future and that is okay with me. Also – tell me your favorite pies, if you have them! I don’t want to be repetitive with my fillings.)

Anyway, the tea was beautiful, as always. Creamy and caramelly and kick in the pants strong. We’d almost run out so I’d been hoarding it, but our stash is replenished so I imagine I’ll be drinking this plenty for my breakfast beverage. :)

The best thing about working the night shift (I think I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating) is that I no longer hate mornings. If I haven’t worked the night before I’m usually in bed early and up by 6:30 or so. It’s madness – do you know how much you can get done if you are up by 6:30?!

Today I hopped out of bed and decided I wanted a hearty breakfast so I made bacon, eggs, toast (in the oven, since our toaster broke and we’re slacking on getting a new one) and put this lovely tea on in the Breville.

Weekend breakfasts are one of the best things ever!

The boyfriend and I made breakfast for dinner before starting the season finale of “The Hour” and at the last moment he asked for Frissy. It is his favorite, hands down, so of course I couldn’t refuse.

Perfect as always.

My most amazing tea mug has arrived! To christen it I went with my old faithful – milk and sugar, same old parameters. It’s practically my Breville’s default setting. :)

Has anyone else noticed that underneath the teacup/tasting note icon you can see the first time you’ve ever drank a particular tea? It’s written as “last logged” but I know that’s not right, because that would mean I haven’t had this since September 2011…which just isn’t possible.

Anyway – tonight I’m enjoying not being at work, relaxing and watching Top Gear. Yay for time off!

You know that thread on the discussion page about what your all time favorite, last tea on earth would be?

This one’s mine.

I had some this morning when I had to wake up early for a staff meeting. This was before I got in the stupid minor fender bender that kind of screwed up my mood for the rest of the day. But at least while I had it, I was happy and relaxed.

Ugh. Other people on the road and rainy dark mornings. If ever that was a sign I should have just stayed in bed….

Last night was a full moon at the hospital. Guess how it went?

Eh, I at least came home and slept for like 7 straight hours. So, in effect, it’s breakfast time and I could think of nothing that would simultaneously wake me up and relax me like this one would. Especially with milk and sugar – it’s like coming home!

One more night shift and I’m off ’til the new year!

Woo hoo! Last day of day shift! Last day of waking up at 5 AM! Now when I see 5 AM it will be at the end of a shift and I’ll be heading into sleep!

To celebrate (and try to get myself switched over into nocturnal living ASAP) I went ahead and had 2 cups of this with some milk. We started watching Cloud Atlas but the language messed up halfway through. Too bad because it was engrossing and now I have to wait to see how it ends.

But at least I got to curl up under a heavy blanket with my thermal mug and enjoy feeling warm and cozy. Sometimes I wish my life were always that awesome – blankets and tea. Ah well – at least I appreciate the rare times I get it!

Ahh, Frissy.

Better than coffee in the morning, you are.

One day (when I’m really up for cold weather – that won’t be soon) I will go up to Frisia and drink this the way it is supposed to be: rock sugar, heavy cream and all. If I had a bucket list, that would be on it.

It’s considerably more doable than the boyfriends goal – which is to buy and pick up a BMW from the factory in Europe, and “break it in” on the Autobahn before bringing it back home. But no harm in dreaming big, I suppose!

Drank some before work this morning.

Something about this tea just works as an everyday blend. Whether it’s on a lazy weekend day or in the dark when I’m centering myself before a 12 hour shift. Love in a cup. :)

Weird – this had a scratchy throat effect tonight. That never happens, and I don’t like it. Especially because I’m just coming off a cold and got rid of my sore throat – I don’t feel like having it back already. Maybe it was the coconut milk? Whatever it was I had to add some honey and that didn’t even really calm the irritation.

Meh. Further research is needed. My old faithful let me down tonight :(.

It’s lovely to start feeling better enough to drink this. I still can’t hack it without milk, but man, once that’s added it’s absolutely perfect. My lovely Frissy.

When I drink it I love imagining where it came from – I do this more than with any other tea I’ve tried. I know I’m romanticizing it but it makes me think of winter by the sea – gray clouds, wind and salted driftwood. It’s probably nostalgia more than anything else since I lived by the beach growing up. Still, something in the flavor is caramel and wood/earth. And shelter from the storm -cozy and comforting no matter what.

It makes the idea of winter almost tolerable.

Backlog from this morning.

2 heaping tsp. of tea to 500 ml. water in my Breville.

Shared this with the bf – as always. He perks up every time I mention making tea in the morning, and suggests this.

Today was the first time I just added milk, with no sweetener. And I think my tastebuds are FINALLY learning that they can sense things other than saccharine, because that little bit of milk smoothed out any rough edges and left me with that lovely, sturdy and hearty black tea taste. The kind that gets you through a morning with a hint of chill in the air.

It was so very cozy. That’s why it’s among our favorites, though!

ACK! It’s been so long since I’ve been on Steepster!

In my defense, I’ve been drinking tea – just a lot of iced Lipton stuff (sorry) that tends to be my staple when it gets warm out. This is the first hot tea I’ve had in almost a month. Crazy.

And it’s my old standby, of course. The one that pairs so well with biscuits and that I’m starting to run low on. I’ve reached the point in my tea drinking where I’m wanting to just have a handful of my favorites as my stash, and this is in my top 5 for sure.

I must start waking up early to have tea in the mornings again!

Yeah, I’m pretty sure I’ve said everything that can be said about this tea. But I love it bunches, and it continues to be one of my favorite weekend morning teas. Perfect, as always.

26 degrees this morning. Bleh. I know there are others who have it worse, and to those who are even colder, my deepest sympathies. Winter is no fun when you have things to go and do.

But at least its cold enough to really want to drink a good hot tea. And this, with some oatmeal, was that tea. Lovely as always, even though I went a little overboard on the sweetener today. Now its off to study for a big test tomorrow!

My Sunday standard – biscuits and this tea with some milk and sugar. Almond milk gives it an even nuttier caramel flavor which is, if possible, even better than when using cow’s milk. And since I’ve had this more times than I can count, I’ll go ahead and raise the rating to 100. It’s the perfect lazy morning tea for my tastebuds.

Another breakfast spent with this tea – a tea made for this time of day.
Steeped and prepared the usual way – it never gets old.

My favorite standby for any morning, but especially a cold one that started earlier than I would have liked.

It always gets (and keeps!) me going….

Without a doubt I think this is the tea that I drink on weekend mornings more than any other. The more I have it, the more I love it!

It is perfect for breakfast because it is so very strong and stands up so well to milk and sugar. I’ve been in the process lately of trying to figure out a list of Tea Staples for my cupboard, and this will 100% for sure be on there.

Some days, especially days that start with cold mornings, you want a stout black tea to convince you to get (and stay) out of bed.

I’ve found that this one will always do the trick. Especially if milk and sugar are involved.

1 tsp. per 8 oz. always produces a strong cup that stands up well to milk and sugar. Yum!