Archives for 2017

Harney and Sons Teas on Amazon: Gorgeous AND Delicious

November 21, 2017 by Joi Leave a Comment

I often say that the experience of drinking tea is as delicious as the tea, itself. There’s something calming, relaxing, and almost magical about the whole process – especially when you surround yourself with beautiful teas and tea-related lovelies. I have a strong appreciation for tea companies that take this experience seriously. You can always tell the ones who do because their packaging (and often their websites) are extra special.

This is certainly the case when it comes to Harney and Sons Teas. The packaging is stunning – without costing an outrageous price. I don’t mind paying extra for great tea, mind you, but some of these companies seem to be out of their minds… that or they think I have an orchard of money trees.

If only!

Harney and Sons is available on Amazon, which to an Amazon addict like myself, is as valuable as two orchards of money trees. The Tower of London Blend pictured here would be a great tea to start with.

Tower of London Blend

A Complex Black Tea with flavors similar to Earl Grey, Vanilla and Black Currant and a nice touch of honey.
A wonderfully refreshing tea with fruity aromas, vanilla, and undertones of honey
Caffeinated, with a medium to strong body
Chinese black tea with pieces of dried stone fruit, then finish the blend with oil of bergamot and honey flavor
Smooth and Complex Blend of Black Tea

Find more Harney and Sons Teas on Amazon.

Gorgeous Tea Tray with Sides: Perfect for Tea in Bed or in Front of the TV

October 18, 2017 by Joi Leave a Comment

I’m totally crazy about the Wooden Tea Serving Tray pictured here. Not only is it impossibly handsome, it’s SO USEFUL. When my husband and I have tea (or hot chocolate, coffee, or cider, as far as that goes) with cookies or biscotti in any room other than the kitchen or dining room, the entire process can be a pain in the neck. Not only is transporting the goodness tricky (requiring multiple trips), the process of finding a place to sit our mugs and snacks can also prove to be a nightmare.

I’ve often been tempted to buy a tea tray but never found one that I could envision “sitting” nicely between us on the sofa or bed. This particular, deliciously rustic Wooden Tea Serving Tray is, basically, a dream come true.

I love the hexagon shape as well as the fact that it’s oak (a personal favorite). I also love the fact that there are sides – combined with the shape, this makes the tray much sturdier and trustworthy.

I’m including this beautiful tray in the Christmas Gift Guide because it would make an absolutely perfect gift idea for any tea lover (or coffee lover or foodie who loves to eat in front of the tv… I am soooo guilty).

See Wooden Tea Serving Tray for more pictures and information.

Jigsaw Puzzle That Makes a Great Gift Idea for Tea Lovers

September 27, 2017 by Joi Leave a Comment

I have a confession to make – I am a TOTAL jigsaw puzzle fanatic. I love to be at the beginning, in the middle, or close to the end of a great jigsaw puzzle and would keep one going at all times if I had a card table.

Come to think of it, why haven’t I bought one yet???

The gorgeous Tea Lovers Jigsaw Puzzle above is undoubtedly the next one I’m ordering from Amazon. When a puzzle had many different objects (like the gorgeous tea cups and pots) and various words, the puzzle is instantly funner… to the tune of being addictively fun!

Artist Charlie Girard is the creator of fantastic collage puzzles that are fun and unique
Every White Mountain Puzzle is proudly manufactured in America with a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee
All our puzzles contain unique interlocking pieces that are made of sturdy blue chipboard on recycled paper
550 piece puzzles measure 18″x24″ – larger pieces for easy handling

The Tea Lovers Jigsaw Puzzle makes a great gift idea for any tea lover in your world… especially if you’re the tea lover in question!

Fast-Boiling Cordless Electric Tea Kettle: As Beautiful as It Is Ingenious

September 12, 2017 by Joi Leave a Comment

The beautiful Royal Electric Tea Kettle is a Number One best-seller on Amazon and it isn’t hard to see why. Not only is it downright gorgeous, it’s cordless, has a stainless steel finish, is equipped with a bright LED light to let you know the kettle is heating, and an automatic shut-off mechanism.

But that’s not all…. it also features a heat-resistant handle to keep you from burning your paws, is easy to clean, AND is notoriously fast.

Features

Made with high quality test glass from Taiwan, our kettle is like no other. Complimented by stainless steel accents, this kettle is built to withstand any minor drops while preserving natural flavors and preventing taste contaminations.
Equipped with bright LED lights to indicate when the kettle is heating. At maximum capacity (1.7L), the water comes to a full boil (lots of bubble and steam) within 5-6 minutes and will be ready to use for tea, oatmeal, coffee, pasta and more. The automatic shut-off mechanism activates within 30 seconds after the water is fully boiling. Perfect for maximum safety.
Cordless Technology allows for hassle-free pouring. Also built with 360° Rotational Glass Body! Perfect for precise measurements.
Built with a Anti-Slip Grip and Heat-Resistant Handle, you won’t have to worry about this kettle sliding out of your hands or getting burned with. Designed with Food-Grade Silicon, the Royal Electric Kettle is 100% BPA Free and will not contaminate liquids
With no steam tube needed, you can easily clean this kettle thoroughly after each use.

See Royal Electric Tea Kettle for a closer look. What a beauty!

10 Benefits of Green Tea (Infographic)

August 31, 2017 by Joi 1 Comment

What is green tea good for? Read this infographic to discover green tea’s most powerful benefits. Use the embed code to share it on your website.

<img src="http://media.mercola.com/assets/images/infographic/green-tea-benefits.jpg" alt="Health Benefits of Green Tea" border="0" style="max-width:100%; min-width:300px; margin: 0 auto 20px auto; display:block;"><p style="max-width:800px; min-width:300px; margin:0 auto; text-align:center;">What is green tea good for? Read this <a href="http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/04/23/green-tea-dementia.aspx">infographic</a> to discover green tea's most powerful benefits.</p>

Porcelain Butterfly, Ladybug, and Dragonfly Teapot

August 31, 2017 by Joi Leave a Comment

If the gorgeous Porcelain Butterfly and Dragonfly Teapot, pictured here, isn’t the most elegant teapot I’ve ever seen, it’s certainly a front-runner. The butterfly, ladybug, and dragonfly lover in me is ready to crown it the grand champion, truth be told.

This gorgeous teapot (with its stunning gold trim) would make a perfect gift idea for any tea drinker and one they’d treasure a lifetime.

Porcelain teapot accented with butterflies and dragonflies
Gold Trim
Holds 32 ounces and measures 7 3/4″H
Comes in satin lined gift box
FDA approved/Hand washing recommended

See Porcelain Butterfly and Dragonfly Teapot for more information. Wow, what a beauty.

Review: Kent & Sussex Summer Raspberry Green Tea… Wonderful!

August 28, 2017 by Joi Leave a Comment

Kent & Sussex Summer Raspberry Green Tea

I was recently sent three wonderful loose tea samples to review on the tea blog from Kent & Sussex. They’ve each knocked my socks off and I’m anxious to tell you about each one. However, I want each tea to have its own spotlight, so I’m going to take them one at a time.

First up: Summer Raspberry Green Tea. Don’t let the word “summer” in the title fool you – this beautiful tea would be perfection any month of the year. It’s equally delicious iced as it is hot, meaning it will be one of your favorite teas regardless of the weather outside.

One of my first thoughts after tasting this beauty was actually about Christmas – this would be an extra special tea to serve during the holidays. After all, what better time to be extra special?

Description:

Summer Raspberry Green Tea. A lovely early summer Green Tea blend to welcome warm sunny afternoons. A fine quality Chinese Sencha Green loose leaf tea which is scented with Raspberry and is enlivened with Rosebuds Strawberries and petals. A Green Tea with a great fruity taste explosion! Ingredients: Green Tea, Rose Buds, Strawberry pieces, Mallow Sunflower petals and Natural flavouring.

Brewing instructions: Brew for 2 – 3 minutes for a delicious summer time tea.

Summer Raspberry Green Tea

If you or anyone you know has been trying to “fall in love” with green tea but can’t quite get out of the friend zone, flavored green tea, such as this one, might be just the thing you need to kick things up a notch. The wonderful raspberry flavor will acclimate your taste buds to green tea – trust me, years ago it was exactly what it took for me to fall in love with green tea.

We’ve been in a committed relationship ever since.

Flavored tea is also the absolute best way to give up sweetened tea. The lovely hint of flavor keeps you from missing the sugar, artificial sweetener, or honey at all.

This is seriously a wonderful tea and you are going to love it as much as I do. This is one you’ll want to have on hand at all times.

See Summer Raspberry Green Tea for more information about this extra special and beautifully delicious tea.

Christmas in July: Spode Christmas Tree Pitcher, Glasses, and Mugs (Yes to ALL!)

July 19, 2017 by Joi Leave a Comment

I’ll just go ahead and admit it – I’m one of “those” people. The ones who think about, talk about, and plan for Thanksgiving and Christmas all year. In fact, I plan to start testing out a few new dressing recipes this week.

I don’t think my husband will mind!

The gorgeous glasses, mugs, and pitcher pictured in this post have me ready to do some serious shopping for the Christmas season. These are just so beautiful I can’t stand it. The Spode Christmas designs are deliciously warm and wonderful throwbacks to good old-fashioned Christmases. Look at the ornaments on the tree on the pitcher & mug below – they’re just wonderfully vintage-looking.

The Spode Christmas Tree Glass Pitcher is the first thing I plan to order. This 96-ounce glass pitcher was introduced in 2006 and would make a gorgeous gift (for keeping or giving). It comes gift-boxed in Spode’s signature red packaging. In addition to being ridiculously beautiful, this pitcher is dishwasher safe – meaning I love it even more.

The Spode Christmas Tree Red Stem Glasses (above) were introduced in 2015. Each goblet has a 18 oz. capacity. They’re a little more exquisite, so they require hand-washing… they’re worth it though!

The Spode Christmas Tree Glasses (above) also come with a recommendation for “Hand Washing” and they, too, are very much worth it. These beauties are crafted of clear glass and have 22-karat gold trims. Gorgeous!

Last, but far from least, is the Spode Christmas Tree Mug (set of 4). I love these mugs – not only is the Christmas image on the front absolutely precious, there’s even a little extra loveliness inside the mug. This extra touch just sends it over the top for me. I love it. The high-quality porcelain earthenware is dishwasher and even microwave safe.

I’m picturing a lot of hot tea, cocoa, and coffee served in these gorgeous mugs.

Mr. Coffee Hot Tea Maker: Perfect Gift for Tea Lovers (and You!)

June 21, 2017 by Joi 1 Comment

I hate when I have moments of indecision – especially when shopping. I mean, the faster I can decide, the faster I have the object of my desire. And yet…

Sometimes, there is no clear cut choice. This is one of those times. I absolutely love each color of the Mr. Coffee Hot Tea Maker: Black, White, and Stainless Steel. When I first found it on Amazon, I was all set and ready to order the beautiful white version, and then “it” happened – I noticed there were two other versions and that they were equally beautiful.

Premium quality German SCHOTT DURAN glass
Custom steeping time: steep fresh tea with any flavor tea bags or tea leaves
Convenient BOIL and KEEP WARM controls
Audible ready signal to let you know when tea is ready to drink
Boil dry protection
Height:10.12″ x Width:5.66″ x Depth:8.5″, Weight:3.18 lbs.
Cord length:36″
Watts: 1200

Years ago, before my husband began making all of our coffee with a “pour over” method or in an antique brewer, we had a much-used Mr. Coffee Coffee Maker. I didn’t just use it for coffee, either – I used it to brew tea. I loved how convenient it was and loved how it kept it hot. I mean, let’s be honest, I’m no more of a “one cup of tea” gal anymore than I’m a “one cup of coffee” gal.

The only problem was, you guessed it, the tea would often taste (and even smell) more like coffee than it or I desired.

This beauty is the answer to my tea dreams… if I can just decide on the color!

My appliances are black, so that would seem to suggest the black – and it is a handsome thing.
There’s something so crisp and pretty about the white – also a handsome thing.
And, yet… the stainless steel – how beautiful is she?? The color pops on the buttons.

It’s almost funny how torn (three-ways) I am. Click through any link for a closer look. And good luck deciding!

Not only would this Tea Maker be a great addition to your own kitchen, it would make an EXCELLENT gift for any tea lover in your family.

Microwave Sun Tea Maker

May 3, 2017 by Joi Leave a Comment

Like all self-respecting Crazy Tea Chicks and Crazy Tea Chucks, I pretty much HAVE to try every new tea product, teapot, tea, and tea gadget that comes down the pike.

The great-looking Microwave Sun Tea Maker, shown here is certainly NO exception.

There’s just something kind of cool about being the first one in your circle to have something, right? They’re like, “Well, of course YOU found this… YOU would have one…”

I’m here for the hype.

This unique Sun Tea Maker allows you to easily enjoy “sun” tea all year long. You can have delicious tea in just eight minutes with this great-looking Catamount glass microwave sun tea maker from Walter Drake.

What’s more, the glass sun tea pitcher works great when set in direct sunlight too.

Cool-touch
Easy-grip handle
Dishwasher safe.

Take a closer look at the Microwave Sun Tea Maker on Amazon. I absolutely love this!