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January 29, 2020
Lovely Friends, Lovely Tea from Hooked on Quilting

Aren’t friends wonderful?! I think so, and I’m very grateful to have some lovely friends who understand and indulge, some even facilitate, my passion for tea. Case in point – the tea I’m going to share with you today was a gift from a very dear friend, Beverly, who was actually my matron of honour when Rick and I married back in 1988.

Beverly has family in Florida and while on vacation picked up a couple of teas for me to try. It was a pleasant surprise to say the least. Knowing someone is thinking of you while ...

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January 28, 2020
A Coconut Nut Here… from Hooked on Quilting

I’ve not been drinking enough green tea lately. I used to have a cup first thing every morning, but once I started babysitting I stopped. Mainly, because I barely function at 5:30 a.m., so making and drinking tea at that too-early-for-me time just doesn’t happen. Only occasionally have I made green tea on a weekend morning because weekend mornings are for relaxing and having a good pot of breakfast tea.
Pic-HH-Green w Coconut
Sunday morning though found me trying a new-to-me green tea that I’d picked up at HomeGoods last week. While I’ve purchased other Heath & Heather ...

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January 26, 2020
A Bit of Luxury from Hooked on Quilting

If I were a betting kinda person, I’d bet that everyone likes a bit of luxury. Of Pic-MS Luxury Gold Frtcourse, while luxury is viewed differently by each individual, it usually makes one think of something that’s a cut above the normal – something that isn’t run of the mill – something that makes any given point in time feel more special than usual. With those parameters in mind, I can safely say that Marks & Spencer’s Luxury Gold tea definitely lives up to its name.

Sealed in a gold foil bag, the round teabags contain fairtrade Pic-MS Luxury Gold Pktstea picked from the best ...

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Not Mint for Me from Hooked on Quilting

In keeping with last year’s monthly review of Christmas teas on the 25th of the month, I would like to present Christmas in Paris by Stash Tea Co. This herbal tea contains cocoa shells, peppermint, lavender, natural chocolate flavour, and vanilla extract. While I don’t like the taste of mint, the promise of chocolate was enough to tempt me into trying this blend. I was very thankful that it only contains trace amounts of caffeine since I ended up drinking it at almost 8:00 p.m.

The teabags are individually wrapped, a plus in my opinion as ...

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January 24, 2020
Here We Go Again… from Hooked on Quilting

When I decide which tea I’m going to review I look to see if the site from which I ordered it still stocks it. That way it will be easy for you to purchase the tea brand/blend and try it for yourself. The tea I reviewed yesterday, Ringtons Kenyan Gold, wasn’t to be found on the site from which I had purchased it several times. It seems that I’m in the same boat with today’s tea choice, Yata Watte by Dilmah.

I purchased this tea at least twice that I can recall from teadog. It ...

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January 23, 2020
Good as Gold from Hooked on Quilting

Have you ever participated in a treasure hunt? Most of us have at one time or another. Sometimes they’re called scavenger hunts, but the end result is pretty much the same. You look for something that is valuable, and if you find it you win a prize. Hunting for treasure will be what I’ll be doing once I run out of Ringtons Kenyan Gold tea. I purchased this tea on several occasions from teadog. Unfortunately, Ringtons is no longer available on their site. What am I going to do when I run out?!WP-Kenyan Gold-TD

I’ve done a search ...

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January 20, 2020
Winter Tea from Hooked on Quilting

I reviewed a tea from Basilur on the 15th and mentioned that I did have other selections from this vendor to try and to review for you. One of my most recent purchases was a box of individually sealed teabags with the moniker Four Seasons on the box. Since I like to listen to the Four Seasons by Vivaldi I couldn’t pass up this box now could I? Absolutely not. It was a sign that this box of tea needed to come live at my house. While I would have loved for it to be in one of their ...

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I Do Love a Good Mystery from Hooked on Quilting

As mentioned before, I greatly enjoy reading mysteries. It has something to do with the need to have my brain in constant motion in order to keep myself from becoming bored. Yes, I do read the occasional romance novel, but they’re almost always so hokey and unrealistic that slogging through a whole one is quite an effort. No, give me a good who-dun-it, and I’m happy. What has this to do with tea, you’re wondering? Well, on one of my orders to Plum Deluxe I decided to add their Blender’s Choice option to my cart. I ...

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January 17, 2020
WP-500 Mile Chai Loose from Hooked on Quilting

As the weekend nears we sometimes need a bit of a boost to make it through Friday or WP-500 Mile Chaiaccomplish all that’s had to wait on getting done until Saturday. If you find yourself in that position, allow me to recommend 500 Mile Chai by The Tao of Tea. It is a wonderful Chai tea, high in caffeine and full of flavour. It’s one of the teas that I try to keep on hand at all times. When I run out, I buy more.

The story behind this tea is interesting. It is said to have come about because ...

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January 16, 2020
A Magical Night from Hooked on Quilting

Can you believe that we’re already halfway through the month of January?! Have you been enjoying lots of hot tea, preferably varying varieties thereof? I must admit that it’s been somewhat of a challenge to carve out time each evening to make posts, but it’s also been nice to have an excuse to make a pot, or in tonight’s case a cup, of tea with the objective of it being different than the day before. You see, for all the varieties I have at my disposal, I tend to be a bit of a predictable drinker ...

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January 15, 2020
Spicy Chocolate Tea – Yum! from Hooked on Quilting

Many years ago I decided to take two years of French in high school. I would have taken a third year but my mom, who was a teacher, wanted me to graduate a year early, so I did. My choice to take French rather than Spanish or Latin was cut and dry as far as I was concerned back then. I had no desire to go to Mexico, and I wasn’t going to be in the medical profession, therefore neither Spanish nor Latin would do me any good (ah, the ignorance of youth). However, I had a great desire ...

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January 14, 2020
Serengetea – A Love Story from Hooked on Quilting

As a loving and oh-so-helpful wife, I go the extra mile and buy my own Christmas presents. The really big plus to doing this is that I’m never disappointed in what I get for Christmas . I do this thoughtful act so Rick doesn’t have to trouble himself with going into stores, which he hates, dealing with crowds of people, he’s been known to “mooo” standing in the middle of a crowd, and wondering what on earth to get his wife who has everything she could ever need, and then some. He was at such a loss as ...

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January 13, 2020
Out With The Old... from From the Strawberry Patch...

... in with its replacement! This photo is of my hand-warmer mug, it's as much a part of my morning routine as brushing my teeth and taking a shower. I received it for Christmas a few years ago from our daughter and her family. As someone who's perpetually cold, this mug offers as much hand-soothing therapy as it does a perfect cup of tea to start the day; I couldn't imagine my mornings without

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Out With The Old... from From the Strawberry Patch...

... in with its replacement! This photo is of my hand-warmer mug, it's as much a part of my morning routine as brushing my teeth and taking a shower. I received it for Christmas a few years ago from our daughter and her family. As someone who's perpetually cold, this mug offers as much hand-soothing therapy as it does a perfect cup of tea to start the day; I couldn't imagine my mornings without

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A Peach of a Tea with a Bit of Ginger from Hooked on Quilting

We southerners love our peaches in every possible configuration be it in cobblers, preserves, ice cream, fried pies, regular pies, with cream or sliced up straight off the tree. Of course the best time for peaches is in the summer, which it isn’t right now. So, what’s a body to do when you have a hankerin’ for juicy peaches in the middle of winter? Why, pull out the peach tea of course. In my case it’s peach tea that has been paired with ginger. Talk about a match made in heaven… This combination definitely is just that ...

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January 12, 2020
forwards and backwards . . . from Count it *all* JOY!

Because this post covers a lot of time, current and past!  
I finally finished up Ellie's bicycle embroidery, which was a good thing ... her (8th) birthday was Friday and we celebrated last night! It's a simple finish because I didn't want the fabric or the quilting to take away from the piece it was showcasing.  Mission accomplished!  *smirk*  Ellie had her first slumber party on Friday night, so we did family dinner at a Japanese restaurant called Edo's.  Her choice!
I love the complexity of this sweet girl.  For all that she loves girlie things (check ...

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Rainy Days Get Me Down from Hooked on Quilting

Today was a very wet, cloudy, and windy day. The weather was absolutely awful until late afternoon when it turned to just yucky and uninspiring. I’ve decided that the reason why gray has never been a colour I liked is because of days like this.

Between thunderstorms, tornado watches and warnings, and an excess of rain, which 998F330D-0EF9-4B99-82D7-95489BCF9508caused flooding in many low-lying areas, my nerves were a bit on the frayed side. Thankfully, I had the perfect tea blend from Plum Deluxe in my stash – Rainy Day Puerh. What better way to correct the gloomies than with a hot ...

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January 11, 2020
Swiss Hot Chocolate Flavoured Tea from Hooked on Quilting

An e-mail from the English Tea Store yesterday reminded me of their Swiss Hot Chocolate Flavoured Tea. Being a chocoholic from childhood, this tea caught my eye last year around Christmas time. When I say “last year” I’m really referring to the end of 2018. Not only do I love chocolate, but I also love hot chocolate. By the way, I make mine with half-and-half. It’s delicious!

The English Tea Store has managed to combine two loves into one drink. How awesome is that?! This blend comes in a loose leaf format, so you can adjust the strength ...

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January 9, 2020
Afternoon Tea with Wittard from Hooked on Quilting

After a nine hour plus day of taking care of a two year old, sweetheart though she is, it’s nice to come home and have a good cup of tea. Such was the case this afternoon when I came home and made a pot of Afternoon Tea by Wittard. They gave this particular blend the number four (04) designation since 4:00 is the perfect time to enjoy this blend. And enjoy it I did.

This blend of black tea (70%), jasmine-scented green tea (29%), and bergamot flavouring was just what I needed to make the shift from silly-acting ...

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January 8, 2020
Red Bush Chai from Hooked on Quilting

Back in 2005, a fellow quilter told me that she loved Chai tea. I’d not heard of it before then and doubted that I’d like it. I just wasn’t as adventuresome then as I am now. So, I never bothered pursuing her suggestion to get myself a cup at the local coffee shop which, by the way, is no longer in business.

About four or five years ago another quilting friend made a cup of tea for me at a Christmas party. I loved it but thought it was a very spicy hot chocolate to begin with ...

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