Five in September: Freebies to plastic teabags

September, I hardly knew ye!

This month, I scored two free cups of tea.

1) Freebie #1

Bai Hao Yin Zhen is one of the priciest teas at Davids' Tea ($21.99/50g). This white tea had a light and sweet flavour.

2) Freebie #2

Tea at the White House offered free takeaway teas as a September promo. I had the Quangzhou Milk Oolong, while my mom had the Hawaiian Sunset herbal tea.

3) Chatime Bubble Tea (minus the tapioca pearls)

I visited the Chatime Innovation Bar in Yorkdale Mall where we ordered (left to right): 

a) Blue Crystal Coconut - I don't think it actually contained tea, but it looked and tasted good!

b) Royal Blue Tea Latte (blue = blueberry flavour)

c) London Fog - an Earl Grey tea with vanilla and charcoal (!). I guess the charcoal made the beverage looked grey. I enjoyed it.

4) September Sipdown

My tea empties for this month. My co-workers are VERY supportive of this challenge. HA!

5) New Study on Plastic Teabags

Photo by Anshu A on Unsplash

Silky pyramid sachets have grown in popularity because their shapes give tea leaves room to expand. Some sachets are made of plant-based materials (e.g., corn) and biodegradable. But many sachets are made of plastic compounds (e.g., nylon).

Last week, this Canadian study from McGill University was published: Plastic Teabags Release Billions of Microparticles and Nanoparticles into Tea. The full scientific article is behind a paywall, but McGill's news release summarizes the study's methods and findings for the general public. The scientists are also interviewed in the CBC article.

Approximately 75% of my tea collection is loose leaf tea. The remaining 25% are either traditional teabags or the pyramid sachets. Fortunately, the majority of the sachets in my collection use plant-based technology. Phew! I can't bear the thought of throwing good tea away so for the sachets that I'm not sure about, maybe I'll remove the tea from their teabag and steep them in a metal infuser.

The BBC article quoted Researcher & First Author Laura Hernandez: "The consumer should avoid plastic packaging, not a specific brand, and definitely not the tea that comes inside," ... "We encourage consumers to choose loose teas that is sold without packaging or other teas that come in paper teabags."

Bubble teas with a twist

A new bubble tea shop, OneZo Tapioca, opened up in town a few months ago and I've been obsessed with trying their different drinks.

This is the Jasmine Macchiato topped with cheese foam*.

*Not made of actual cheese; it was just frothed cream.

My favourite: the Brown Sugar Dirty Oolong Latte

My least favourite: the Totaro Rice Milk Tea 

(purple = taro)

From the Yukiguni Izakay Japanese cuisine and bar: 

Messy Tea with Tapioca

Have you tried bubble tea?

Discovery Walks

If you're reading this, it means that I survived my work's 4-week challenge to "get moving." Since I'm allergic to gym workouts, walking was my main form of exercise. These outdoor strolls led to some fun discoveries...

The bibliophile in me geeked out over this super cute Little Free Library.

Kuma's Candy store specializes in Japanese candy...

...and bubble tea!

Because I'm a purist, I ordered papaya milk tea.
It's important to stay hydrated during a workout, right?!?

I also brought home these tasty (but pricey!) matcha candies with condensed milk inside.

The flags at McMaster University were flown at half-mast to mark:

1) National Mourning Day for the Canadian workers killed or injured at the workplace;

2) the passing of Peter George, the University's longest-serving President. 

Rest in peace, Peter George.

A cross outside St. Paul's Anglican Church.

The physical activity challenge is over, but I hope to continue these walking workouts!

I'm joining the following parties this week:

Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Tea in the Garden

Berto's Cuisine

Last Saturday, I had brunch at Berto's Cuisine (Mississauga, Ontario), a family-run restaurant that serves Filipino food.

The wooden spoon and fork hanging on the wall is a Filipino household tradition that symbolizes health and prosperity. The spoon and fork are usually oversized, but Berto's utensils were about the size of a spatula.

Puto Pao is a steamed rice bun with meat filling.

My Tapisolog consisted of beef, fried rice, egg, tomato and atsara (papaya relish).

The Filipino version of bubble tea: Special Sago at Gulaman.

A refreshing beverage made of tapioca beads, jelly. brown sugar syrup and water.

Berto's reasonably-priced food was delicious, and their service was excellent!

Berto's Cuisine is a wonderful addition to the restaurant scene in the greater Toronto area.

I'm joining the following parties this week:

Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Tea with Friends

Victoria Day Long Weekend

Happy Victoria Day to my fellow Canucks!

Sandi from Rose Chintz Cottage provided a nice summary of why Canada celebrates Victoria Day here.

2010 Mother's Day Tea with Queen Victoria

Back in 2010, we attended a Mother's Day Tea at the Ireland House in Burlington, Ontario.

Queen Victoria (right) graced us with her presence.

 I took last Friday off from work so I enjoyed a super long weekend!

I treated myself to a delicious brunch of  Eggs Benedict and raspberry tea at Jax Sweet Shoppe.

In the afternoon, I dropped by the Hazel Tea & Dessert House, a newly opened internet cafe specializing in bubble tea.

I tried one of the signature milk teas (iced): Hazel's Brown Sugar Milk Green. 

The creamy green tea was sweetened with brown sugar, but I could still detect a slight bitterness from the green tea's tannins. I used to like tapioca beads when I was younger, but now I prefer my bubble tea minus the bubbles! 

 My sweet tooth very much enjoyed Hazel's signature milk waffle.

My yummy "Very Matcha" waffle was served with green matcha ice cream, red bean paste, and cheesecake bits (unlike the traditional cheesecake, the Japanese-style cheesecake is light and fluffy).

I'll definitely go back to Hazel Tea and Dessert House to try the other milk teas and enjoy the "Very Matcha" waffle again!

I'm joining the following parties this week:

  Bernideen's Tea Time, Collage, and Garden Blog Party

  No Place Like Home

Tea Cup Tuesday 

Tuesday Cuppa Tea