Tea

I have been drinking tea since I was little, the child of an English parent. I love English and Irish breakfast teas (the black teas), Earl Grey teas, and Indian chai formulations (unsweetened, unless a Tazo-brand concentrate). I typically drink black tea with milk and sugar.

I am not a fan of caffeine-free and herbal teas, except Lemon Zinger, an old favorite from Celestial Seasonings. I enjoy some flavored teas received as gifts, etc., but won't purchase them for myself.

I am a stickler about how to make tea. I use a pot, and a cozy, and the bags are never left in the boiling water for longer than 5 minutes.

Then there's Stash licorice spice. The package says it contains licorice root, cinnamon, orange peel, star anise, vanilla, sarsaparilla, orange oil, clove oil, and cardamom oil. The object in making this tea is to let the bags sit for as long as you can stand not to pour yourself a cup. Let all those aromatic oils permeate the brew. Wow, this is good stuff.

*Thanks to Gamalia for the mag Eating Well (my backdrop, above).