I wasn’t planning to write about tea today, but I’ve done a terrible thing and let my post queue run dry. I normally have at least several posts written and ready to go, but the past few weeks have been so busy. In the past week, I finished editing the big novel and sent it off to beta readers, saw a dear friend publish her first book, wrote most of an outline for my next writing project, photographed and listed a lot of things for my odd Crafts to Riches project, finished putting in the front garden, and spent the weekend with my parents while they visited from out of state. Phew! I think a little break for tea is well deserved, we’ll explore everything else I did another time… when I’m not so exhausted.
The wild orange blossom tea I decided to kick back with isn’t technically a tea, it’s an herbal infusion. Like the last tea I looked at, it’s from Teavana, since their location 4 miles from my house makes it super-convenient to grab something new to try. In all honesty, I find Teavana to be pretty price-prohibitive. This is a particularly heavy mix, with large pieces of fruit in it, which means you don’t get a lot for the weight. It’s one of their cheaper options at $6.98 per two ounces, but good luck getting that close to the two ounce mark. I had the sweet lady re-weigh it four times before it was close enough to suit me, and even then, if I hadn’t had “fun” money left over from my trip to ASTL, I wouldn’t have been able to get it at all.
That said, I’m glad I was able to bring it home, because it’s absolutely delightful! While it’s not bad straight, it does have a little bit of a sharp citrus bite. Since I’m a fan of sweets, I added a bit of sugar, which made it taste deliciously like candied oranges. It’s a great mix of the mellow floral taste of petals and fruity kick, and while it’s good warm, I found it tasted even better cold.
My favorite part of this herbal infusion is how well it mixes with other flavors. It’s a great addition to iced tea, in particular, giving it a smooth and refreshing taste that makes for an excellent afternoon treat this summer.
Next week I’ll probably blog about the gardening work we’ve done. Of course, I’d also love to review a tea each week, especially since I received some great varieties as a Mother’s Day gift and can’t wait to talk about them all.
That’s it for this week, though!