Tag Archive for 'tea'

Coastline Chocolate and Other New Favorites

river mill barMy aunt, Beans, got me some chocolate from a recent trip to New Hampshire/Maine and I finally tried it. It’s called Coastline Confections and it’s really quite good. I have tried the River Mill with Maine Sea Salt and Morning Loon with Espresso, both are good, but I prefer River Mill. I’m sure it’s just made out of some guy’s basement with its generic “May contain any of the following” label (with every type of chocolate and inclusion the company makes listed) on the back of each bar, but good is good. I won’t question it. (It is also labeled “all natural,” goodie!!)

My Poppy and Fran just got back from a German vacation and they brought me back some chocolate (I love that people see chocolate and think of me!!) They chose a milk chocolate by Feodora, which is fatty and European and heavenly. They add butterfat to it, which makes it smooth, soft and luxurious in the mouth and the flavor is that sort of cheesy dairy note typical of European chocolates (I also detect a hint of hazelnut, but that could be they way it was stored). Nice work, ‘rentals!

TahitianVanillaSpiceMy last new love is Yogi Tea, I know I wrote about it before with the “Uplift St. John’s Wort” flavor. I’ve now tried about 4 other kinds (4 of about 85 million) and they are all delicious. My favorite so far is Tahitian Vanilla Hazelnut, which I have been brewing at night and dipping ginger snaps in as a bedtime snack. To be more accurate, I’ve been dipping Sweetzels Spiced Wafers into my Yogi Tea, which can only mean one thing; it’s fall in the greater Philadelphia area. Go Eagles!

Yogi Tea: Uplift

I just tried Yogi Tea for the first time today, specifically their “Uplift” flavor with St. John’s Wort.  Even though it’s caffeine free, I feel a little buzzed from it.  And by “a little” I mean “quite.”  I like the flavor because it reminds me of the tea Marianna would prepare for breakfast every day when I would visit her (this is when I lived on Crete), except that this has licorice in it, which has been stuck in the back of my throat all day.  It’s all organic and I like the spices (cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, fennel seed, etc) in it, but the “uplift” is almost too much for me, I feel a touch shaky, but that could be a different issue altogether.  I’d say “Uplift” is pretty good, not great, but I’ll probably keep drinking it.

Back to Marianna for a second; she makes the most amazing teas and tonics from herbs she harvests from the Greek mountainside.  If you’re ever in Crete, you should absolutely stop by her workshop, which is located in the stunning village, Maroulas, only a little ways from Rethymno.  Definitely worth a trip.