Day 3 of My Favorite Things

Chai Tea!  Like lip gloss, I'm picky about my chai.  My goto chai will always be David Rio's Orca Spice Chai .  It's sugar free which is a bonus.  This product is a powder form and you just mix with water or milk.  I do mostly water with a touch of non-fat milk.

My next favorite...for when I have some time to really enjoy the tea ritual is Masala Chai from Adagio Teas.  Loose leaf teas are an entity all their own.  I've gotten it down and love enjoying a cup.

And my last favorite is Oregon Chai...this one is a liquid concentrate and I enjoy it most iced.  I drink this one mostly in the summer.  Problem is the way I like to make it, it's about 400 calories! 

If you have a favorite chai, please let me know in the comments! Always into trying a new one. 

My Adventures into Tea

I don't drink coffee, wine or beer.  I want to, I have just never acquired the taste for them.  I also gave up diet sodas and I refrain from drinking anything high in calories or anything that uses artificial sweeteners.  I drink water.  And I'm bored.  (Disclaimer: I do drink David Rio SF Chai every morning but I do have concerns about it-specifically the partially hydrogenated stuff in it.).  I read on Cathy Zielske's blog that she was introduced to an online tea company that she highly praised....not only for the tea but for the packaging and service of that tea.  I LOVE GOOD PACKAGING. 

Even though I've dabbled in tea before with not the best of results, I decided to get an intro package to this Adagio Tea - Gourmet Loose Leaf Tea and see what happens.  First of all my order came within 36 hours of my ordering it on a Sunday evening.  Love that.  After watching the 'how-to' video on how to brew a cup of loose leaf tea, I was on my way.  My reaction to my first cup of tea?  Uh, it tastes like weeds.  And like tea.  Aaron says, "Uh, duh."  (The chai I drink daily tastes nothing like tea to me.  It's practically more like cocoa then tea.) He then helped me make about 5 more cups with varying levels of tea vs. water vs. brew time vs. sweeteners.  None thrilled me.  After being disappointed, calling my Mom for tea tips and even typing into Google: "I want to like tea, but I just don't, what do I do?"  I decided not to give up and persevere.  I WILL LIKE TEA.  I went back to the cup that had been sitting on the counter and tasted it again.  Hey, it's actually not bad.  Turns out I don't like hot tea!  I like lukewarm tea much better....add some soy milk, and mmmm....this stuff is tasty! 

The next day I went one step further...I brewed a cup of really strong tea, added some honey and poured it into a tall glass filled with ice. I added some vanilla soy milk....I'm in heaven.  I'm back in the tea business!  Now I'm experimenting with different sweeteners...currently I'm using the amber sugar crystals that they sell. 

I'm eager to try the other flavors of tea offered at Adagio.  I can't wait until their chai sampler is back in stock.  Chai how it's supposed to taste...without partially hydrogenated crap!  (Don't get me wrong....I do love me some David Rio...I buy it 3 pounds at a time!)

If you are intrigued and want to try it too....Here is a $5 gift certificate to Adagio Teas: 3587330875!! http://www.adagio.com  It's a great deal because for $14 you get the Starter System as well as 4 sampler tins...which equals up to 40 cups of tea!  (Click here for the Starter System.)

And when I'm not drinking some freshly brewed, doctored up tea...I'll be drinking my vodka water out of my beautiful new wine glass given to me by my Dad.  Making water a little less boring!