My Favorite Things: Coffee & Tea

My mugs. I've only purchsed 2 out of the 6.

I love coffee. I adore it. Absolutely adore it. *sigh* Thinking about it makes me want a cup right now. But at the time (almost 8pm), I shouldn’t have any. Or at least regular. For me, though, what’s the point of drinking decaf? My mom found some sticky notes for me that say: “I do not see the point of decaffeinated coffee.” Obviously, I totally agree with that sentiment!

My coffee habit started when I was quite young. My mom would let me sip the wee bit that was left at the bottom of her cup. And no, it did not stunt my growth. I have always loved the scent of coffee, whether it was in the air or on someone’s breath. Mom let me know that I (at a young age) once told her she “smelled like Grandma,” because she had coffee-breath. I associate coffee with my grandparents on both sides, as well as my mom. As we grew, my brother and sister joined in the coffee loving. Of course, my sister is like my hubby in the fact that she needs to seriously sweeten hers up in order to drink it. If my hubby were to drink coffee every day, he’d go through his 32 oz. French vanilla creamer in a week. Seriously. He cannot, unlike me, drink it black. I do like creamer, though. I like to try out different ones, but a constant like is chocolate raspberry. Now I just need to find chocolate raspberry coffee to go with it!

All the coffee I currently have in my kitchen.

The Kahlua Truffle is from my brother and sis-in-law. I believe they found it/made it (by combining flavors) at Horrock’s. The Maxwell House is for everyday use. The two little ones are from the $1.00 section at Target and a gift to my hubby last Christmas…as you can see, they aren’t opened yet. The Meijer one is delicious: Chocolate-covered Cherry. Mmmm. And it has a tantalizing aroma. The Higher Grounds is a fair trade coffee that I purchased at their store/cafe in Traverse City, MI. This particular one is the Water Carrier blend.

At night I will have a cup of tea, since I don’t want the caffeine. I like herbal teas, especially chammomile. There is something soothing and calming about holding a cup of tea. I have some antique tea cups, but they are still packed from when I moved. No room in the cupboards for the delicates.

Tea...lots of it. And a strainer!

I don’t remember where I found the glass tea jar. I believe it was at the Allegan Antique Market (which is held the last Sunday of the month, May through October). I definitely like a variety, as you can see. Word of caution: just because it’s on sale doesn’t mean that it tastes good. I’m not too crazy about the one on the far left, the pomegranate raspberry green tea. In theory, sounds good. In reality, doesn’t taste good. The Indian Spiced Chai is luscious. Delectable. I have enjoyed trying out the loose leaf teas, such as White Ginger. I notice a bit more “floaties” or “grit” at the end of my cup, but the flavor is a bit more intense than the regular tea bags.

For other tea and mystery lovers out there, here’s a book series to try out: The Tea Shop Mysteries. Each book takes its name from a variety of tea, and includes scrumptious recipes at the end, as well as tea tips. You can find the website here.