Happy Grandparent’s Day! Today the prompt is to drink a tea that reminds you of a grandparent.
While none of my nuclear family are tea drinkers, both of my grandmothers drank tea. My grandmother who passed in 2020 was a firm English/Irish Breakfast drinker. As a child I strongly associated the smell of black breakfast blends as being the “smell of tea” and still remember it fondly when I drink one of those teas.
My other grandmother (still alive, but in a care facility with severe Alzheimers/Dementia) was a fan of Orange Spice tea. I don’t have any teas specifically branding as orange spice blends in my stash, but this particular chai is very heavy on orange peel, making it more of an orange spice tea in my eyes. Brewed up a pot to drink during K-drama watching with Todd.
Has a nice aroma of vanilla cream, clove, and ginger. The citrus comes out on the sip more than the nose. It’s not as strong of a note as a proper orange spice tea would be, but there is an undertone of tart and pithy orange, a strong mix of clove and vanilla mid-sip, and a warming sensation of ginger against the back of my throat at the end of the sip. The ginger is strong with this one; normally I prepare this tea as a latte to take some of the heat off, but in the spirit of making it closer to the Orange Spice I remember drinking with my grandma, I am taking it plain today. I have a mild headache and the ginger feels nice on my head and stomach, despite being a little warmer than I tend to prefer.
Flavors: Clove, Cream, Ginger, Orange Zest, Spices, Spicy, Tangy, Vanilla
Preparation
People who liked this
Comments
I’m loving the grandparent stories your prompt has prompted! I was running around like a chicken with its head cut off yesterday, so I missed the opportunity to sip on time, but when I do, it’ll be Pappy’s Sassafrass (or whatever they call it now) in honor of Grandpa Jenkins. He drank his real-from-the bark version from a disreputable old Rubbermaid tumbler while he sat on the front porch watching the squirrels and the neighborhood kids skitter by.
What a nice memory!
Oh, I like Ginger Spice. Pappy’s Sassafrass sounds good too! I have vague memories of my grandparents, but I don’t remember what they liked to drink.
I guess Ozark Mountain terminology has fallen out of favor … the brand name has changed to Ancient Infusions now. It’s a concentrate that’s lovely on its own or fun to mix with other fruit teas.
I’m loving the grandparent stories your prompt has prompted! I was running around like a chicken with its head cut off yesterday, so I missed the opportunity to sip on time, but when I do, it’ll be Pappy’s Sassafrass (or whatever they call it now) in honor of Grandpa Jenkins. He drank his real-from-the bark version from a disreputable old Rubbermaid tumbler while he sat on the front porch watching the squirrels and the neighborhood kids skitter by.
What a nice memory!
Oh, I like Ginger Spice. Pappy’s Sassafrass sounds good too! I have vague memories of my grandparents, but I don’t remember what they liked to drink.
I guess Ozark Mountain terminology has fallen out of favor … the brand name has changed to Ancient Infusions now. It’s a concentrate that’s lovely on its own or fun to mix with other fruit teas.