Starting a new Royal Albert collection

I've always been a fan of the Royal Albert Flower of the Month Series and have been hunting for the January (my birth month) set for years!

So I was beyond thrilled when I FINALLY found the January (Snowdrop) teacup and saucer at a local thrift store for only $7.99!
 

The matching plates (January, February, March) were also available for only $9.99!

 Then I spotted the February teacup and saucer (also only $7.99)!

 Reader, they all went home with me!

Now, I have to find the March tea set...

 The teas that I finished in October (with my co-workers' help!).

Gotta make room for all those holiday teas!

Autumn Colours

The autumn colours are in full bloom in my little corner of the world.

This beautiful tree was close to my work.

My mom found this tablecloth; its pretty colours scream fall!

This cute pumpkin teapot was a gift from a friend.

The teapot and sugar were a gift from my boss.

 

The yellow teapot with matching creamer and sugar used to belong to my friend's mom. I was touched when she gave it to me after her mom passed away.

October is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Some of the local fire services are raising cancer awareness with their pink trucks, or selling pink tees or socks to raise funds for cancer research. The Burlington Fire Department (BFD) is supporting the firefighters, admiring the survivors, honouring the taken. The BFD concluded its Pink Campaign on Oct 26th by inviting cancer survivors to sign the truck in memory or support.

A Baby Shower Tea: Book Edition

One of my colleagues is expecting her first bay in November. So of course, we hosted a  baby shower tea social with a book theme!

A baby is brewing!

We enjoyed Blueberries for Sal Maple Black Tea in my Blue Willow teacups.

It's a boy!

Left: Deviled eggs

Right: The Stinky Cheese Man and crackers.

Top: If you give a mouse a cookie platter

Bottom: The Velveteen Rabbit Carrot Nut Cake (this was a hit!)

The bunny representation was strong!

This wasn't the first book-themed baby shower that I organized. 

Click here to see pics from the 2015 shower.

Pumpkin Juice Chai by Geek+Tea

Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian friends!

My family celebrated Thanksgiving a week early when my brother (who lives in a different province) was in town. So the actual holiday long weekend was pretty low-key.

Geek+Tea is a local tea company that sells organic tea with fun names inspired by fandom of sci-fi shows or movies. I was excited to try their pumpkin juice chai because the blend contains real pumpkin pieces and seeds!

The tea was a nice balance of sweet and spicey. I look forward to trying it as a latte!

"Well, what do you expect? Pumpkin Juice?!?"
(From: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets)

The Peddlar in Paris

Back in August, I visited The Peddlar tea and gift shop in Paris, Ontario.

The shop offered a wide selection of teas and teawares.

The wall of loose leaf teas!

 Packaged teas and whimsical tea accessories were also available.

I managed to restrain myself to purchasing only 3 teas.

This is the Paris tea blend. It smelled sooo good!

This delicious tea blend was like a Cream Earl Grey with a hint of fruity flavours.

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."

Kicking off pumpkin spice tea season

Happy First Day of Fall!

PSA to my Canadian friends: The holiday teas by Stash and Celestial Seasonings are now available on Bulk Barn.

Bulk Barn also sells loose leaf teas. But the way they store their tea leaves is less than ideal: clear plastic and the container is not air tight (because of the scoops).

I couldn't resist trying their pumpkin spice black tea which included real pumpkin seeds. A sample of 45 g cost less than $2! So I figured that if I didn't like the tea, I can just toss or give it away without worrying about wasting money.

I served the pumpkin spice black tea at last week's pop-up tea at the office. My colleagues and I thought the tea had a pleasant spicy taste, although the pumpkin flavour wasn't very obvious.

I've also been enjoyed Baskin-Robbins' pumpkin pie ice cream.

What's your favourite pumpkin tea or dessert?