Monday, April 25, 2016

Pieces of April

April 10th-16th was National Volunteer Week so our local community services hosted a tea for their volunteers. I started volunteering in the Friendly Caller Program in 2013 and have been making weekly phone calls to the same community senior.

The theme of the Volunteer Tea was "Burst into Spring!"

The volunteers were gifted the floral centerpieces. 
Naturally, I selected a purple flower! The hyacinth had a lovely scent.

Last week, we had another social tea at the office.
I brought the Blue Willow tea sets that I acquired recently from the local thrift store.

One of the my co-workers brought this awesome cookie dough dip. 
I could have devoured this ball of yumminess by myself!

Another delicious discovery this month was this London Fog ice cream by Foundry Ice Cream which contains and tastes just like Earl Grey tea! 

The gourmet ice cream is made in small batches in Hamilton using local ingredients.
 I better stock up on my new favourite flavour before they run out!  


Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Teacup Exchange Down Under

It's that time of year again! Springtime has brought us The Enchanting Rose's 8th Teacup Exchange--a biannual event that I look forward to each year. Our brilliant organizer, Stephanie, did a phenomenal job of running another successful exchange for 167 participants. Thank you, Stephanie!

I selected a teacup from my collection to send to Elizabeth in Florida. 
I received this pretty tea-themed thank you card from Elizabeth and we've exchanged a few more "happy mails" since! Please visit Elizabeth at her blog, Simple Pleasures, to see what I sent her.

My teacup arrived in early April and I was thrilled to discover that it came from Australia!
International shipping is notoriously sloooooooow so I was impressed that it only took my package 2 weeks to make its safe voyage across the Pacific Ocean. 

The amazing goodies that Lyn thoughtfully picked out based on my interests.

 The gorgeous "Kimono" teacup by Maxwell Williams was a trifecta of my favourite things: 
teacups, purple, and exotic travels!

I adore the teacup's pretty lilac hue and Japanese-inspired design of chrysanthemums and cherry blossoms.

The fine bone china teacup is larger than the standard teacup and has a generous capacity of 250 mL.

I'm also loving this unique strainer.

Koalas and kangaroos, OH MY!
A sip of Twinings Australian Afternoon Tea transports me to the Outback. 
A million thanks for the wonderful package from Oz, Lyn!!!

Teacups from past exchanges
Now we are five!


Please visit The Enchanting Rose to see the other fun teacup and mug swaps!

Monday, April 18, 2016

Let's Go Dutch!

This past weekend, I visited a friend and met her adorable new baby girl. We enjoyed a delicious lunch at The Dutch Shop in Grimsby.

My Hawaiian grilled cheese sandwich--a yummy combination of mozzarella cheese, Black Forest Ham, and pineapple. My grilled cheese was accompanied by a cup of Pickwick Black Currant herbal tea.

After we finished our lunch, we browsed the Dutch merchandise.

Dutch cosy

The Dutch Shop's impressive tea selections.  
This is just 1 of the 3 tea displays! I wanted to try them all but I restrained myself to just a couple of fruity teas which I'll share in a future post.

I will definitely be returning to The Dutch Shop!


Monday, April 11, 2016

Go Fish!

Last month, a friend brought to my attention the Goldfish tea bags created by a Taiwanese company called Charm Villa. As luck would have it, another friend was in Taipei at the time so I asked her please try to bring back some Goldfish tea bags for me if she came across them during her travels. I knew this was a loooooooong shot so I didn't want to get my hopes up...

...but look what my friend brought all the way back to Canada! 
One of her hubby's friends happened to live just minutes away from the Charm Villa shop so he picked up the box of Goldfish tea bags for her. THANK YOU, CY!!! 

The Goldfish tea bag has won numerous awards for its creative, handcrafted design and is currently patented in 34 countries.
 
The tea bag acquired its Goldfish form as it steeped in the water.

It really does look like a Goldfish! Very cool!

My Goldfish swimming around my tea cup. Look at the movement of the fish tail!

The Goldfish tea bag was filled with White Tipped Oolong, aka Champagne Oolong or "Oriental Beauty". 

Taiwan is famous for its oolongs and this high-quality tea is cultivated organically in a pesticide-free and pollution-free environment so that the Jacobiasca formosana insects will feed on the tea leaves--the White Tipped Oolong's unique flavour is the product of these "insect bites".

After 5 minutes of brewing, the White Tipped Oolong had an amber hue and tropical aroma. The tea had a smooth and sweet flavour with a hint of peach.

As delicious works of art, the Goldfish tea bags will make your wallet weep.

You can purchase a single White Tipped Oolong Goldfish tea bag for $25 USD here (too rich for my blood!).

In Taiwan, a box of 12 Goldfish tea bags costs 1620 TWD ($50 USD or $65 CDN) which translates to about $4 USD per tea bag. I got 7 cups (300 mL/cup) from 1 Goldfish tea bag so I definitely got my money's worth!

"Pure, authentic Taiwanese tea in a goldfish brings wonder to your table."
From: Charm Villa's Creative Philosophy


Monday, April 4, 2016

This Little Piggy

I first spotted teapigs. at my local grocery store last year. This UK-based tea company was started in 2006 so it took nearly a decade for teapigs to fly across the pond to my little corner of the world!

The unusual name and whimsical graphic designs with e.e. cummings-like decapitalization intrigued me. So I was delighted when a woman at work gifted me the Rooibos Creme Caramel!

The rooibos tea leaves and caramel pieces are combined in a biodegradable "tea temple".

This dessert tea will definitely satisfy your sweet tooth!
I always drank it plain, but I'm sure it'll also go well with milk to make a rich, creamy drink.


***Sadler Sugar and Creamer Update***

I went back to the antique shop last week...
Photo courtesy of Valley Antiques

...and the sugar and creamer were still there!!!
I wanted to jump up and down on the vintage couches for joy!

Reunited and it feels so good!

Mugs (2012); Teapot (2013); Sugar and Creamer (2016)
You complete me.