Vanilla Nut Creme Tea by Stash

Speaking of tea, one of my all time favorite teas is vanilla nut creme tea by Stash.  Stash is one of my favorite brands of tea.  This vanilla nut creme tea is very aromatic and smells delicious.  A lot of teas out there tend to have fruity flavors, which I also like, but it is nice to have a tea that is not fruity and is more like drinking a latte.  The flavor of this tea is smooth and nutty with just the right hint of vanilla.  It is suggested that you add milk and sugar but I have not done that yet.  I love drinking it straight just the way it is without adding anything to it.  A few people gave this tea really horrible reviews on amazon.  I cannot even remotely understand their conclusions about this tea, but I guess it is a matter of different strokes for different folks.  I love this tea!  This tea is great with dessert as well.  

All of the teas that I purchase are decaf.  I never drink tea unless it is decaffeinated.

   

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A cheerful salute to all of my fellow lovers of tea.

Brunch at The Tailored Tea

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Yesterday I had brunch with my friend and neighbor Marie at this lovely tea room The Tailored Tea.  I was so excited when this tea room opened because I am a big fan of tea and drink several cups of it every day.  The Tailored Tea is also a lot closer to home than another tea room that I also enjoy going to in Ballston Spa called The Whistling Kettle.  

The Tailored Tea is housed inside of a restored farmhouse that was built in 1785.  What is interesting is that The Tailored Tea sits right in the back of the runway of the Albany International Airport.  It is not noisy though and is actually very quiet and serene.  The view is also really quite beautiful.

The cups that we had tea in were lovely blue and white transferware.   We were seated at a table with a warm view of the outdoor scenery.  The atmosphere inside is cozy old farmhouse charm and cheerful.  

Marie brought me some fresh herbs from her garden since she knows that I enjoy cooking from scratch.

Both of us ordered a half a pot of tea.  I had chamomile and Marie had earl grey tea.
 

Brunch looked extremely appetizing and was delicious.
 

 
If you are ever in my neck of the woods remember to visit The Tailored Tea.

The Whistling Kettle Tea Lounge

As you found out from my last post, I am a lover of tea.  North of where I live is a tea room by the name of The Whistling Kettle.  The tea room is located at 24 Front Street in Ballston Spa.  I have had lunch several times at The Whistling Kettle with friends and the experience has always been very lovely.  Everything that I have had on the menu so far has been tasty.  I have not been back there though since I became vegan.  There are foods on the menu that vegans can enjoy.      

 

 Tea and meals are served in this lovely arrangement.

 The Whistling Kettle occupies space in an old historic building.

There are literally dozens of teas to choose from.  It is almost overwhelming.  You can purchase loose tea to enjoy at home, filters and tea gadgets.   Their online store makes it easy for people all over the world to order specialty teas.

If you are ever in Ballston Spa be sure to stop by The Whistling Kettle for lunch or dinner.  Let them know that Collar City Brownstone sent you.  The area surrounding the tea lounge offers antique and other specialty stores.  You can make a day trip of it.

   

Photos are from The Whistling Kettle.

I Love Tea

As the title of this post says, I love tea.  I have been a tea drinker my whole life.  I love hot tea and iced tea.  Every Sunday I make a jug of iced tea with fresh lemon juice and sugar.  It lasts me for most of the week.  

I enjoy fruity teas, nut flavored teas, chocolate teas and chai tea.  Some of my favorite brands of teas are Heath & Heather, Stash and Small Farmers Big Change.

Heath & Heather is a company based in the United Kingdom and established in 1920.  Their teas are 100% kosher.  Heath & Heather also has a range of teas that are certified organic.
 The teas that I enjoy by Heath & Heather are Pomegranate, Lemon & Ginger and Rosehip.

Heath & Heather teas come in many other flavors.

   

   
Stash Tea is based in America in the state of Oregon.  Stash was founded in 1972 and is one of the largest specialty tea companies in the USA.  One of Stash's core beliefs is creating top quality teas that are 100% natural ingredients that are healthy and great tasting. 
Stash Teas are very flavorful and delicious.  Some of my favorite include wild raspberry hibiscus, white peach oolong, vanilla nut creme, mango passionfruit, chocolate hazelnut, lemon giner, peach, pomerganate raspberry and pumpkin spice.  

 

Small Farmers Big Change is a coop of small farmers dedicated to producing organic teas, coffee, chocolate and other foods.  So far I have only tried their organic chai tea.  SFBC has other organic teas such as green teas, darjeerling, rooibos, black tea, earl grey, peppermint, and chamomile.  You can purchase SFBC teas and other products at

 Shop Equal Exchange. 

When it comes to plain decaffeinated green tea I stick to Salada brand.  Purchasing the Salada 40 tea bag box is very economical since green tea is mostly what I use to make iced tea every week.  I do not hestitate to make iced tea using specialty tea flavors such as peach, pumpkin spice and orange spice.  You can use just about any specialty tea flavor to make iced tea.  If you are a lover of tea like I am I encourage you to try your favorite flavors for iced tea. 

Here is a great You Tube video by Julia.