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Make yourself a perfect cup of tea and put your feet up. Shopping from home is the best! Here are some 2021 holiday gift deals for tea lovers on your list (or yourself) that Tea Deviant has actually experienced. Some are Christmas focused where others work as gifts for all faiths and celebrations. Award Winning Japanese Green Tea (& Coffee) Japanese Green Tea gave Tea Deviant a 20% off coupon code for Black Friday through to Cyber Monday: teadeviantbfcm2021 This code is good from 2021/11/25 11:00PM PST to 2021/11/29 11:59PM PST and it works on both Japanese Green Tea Co. and Japanese Coffee Co., covering both tea and coffee lovers on your holiday list! I am proud to be an affiliate for this company. A Global Tea Championship Winner three years in a row, this company has exceptional Japanese green teas on offer - beautiful gyokuro, matcha, sencha.  One of my favorites is the powdered Green Tea with Japanese Orange (Mikan). This tea was created when the Arahataen Tea Farm, where Japanese green Tea Co. sources their teas, partnered with Japanese high school students for a year. They taught the students farming and in turn learned about their taste preferences. Japanese Green Tea Co. then created teas that suited the young Japanese palate. Shipping rates: JapaneseGreenTeaIn.com – Free Shipping within USA only; international depends on location Japanese CoffeeCo.com – Free Shipping for orders above $100 (worldwide) They have a specific site for customers in India also: https://www.japanesegreentea.in/ Christmas Themed Tea to Fandom Tea to Fine Single Origin TeaIt’s more than just one days of sales over at Adagio Teas. They’re having a Black Friday week! They have a wide variety of teas to please a wide variety of palates. Get $5.00 off for entering your email, free shipping on orders over $25 and free gifts for certain order thresholds. Their holiday offerings include the 12 Teas of Christmas gift. The box has one metal ornament for each of the twelve days each with a different tea. Give the whole box as a gift or top your presents with an ornament each. Their Christmas Advent Calendar is a way to enjoy a new tea every day December 1st to the 25th. Get one for yourself and a friend and use it as a way to connect. If they’re far away you can plan video calls with them discovering a new tea together. They have holiday themed teaware and individual teas. If you love Terry’s Chocolate Orange you’ll love Puerh Chorange. Reindeer Fuel is a limited edition energy packed blend that includes black tea and mate along with mint and cacao. The blend is well balanced and makes a delicious tis-the-season latte. I am not an affiliate for Adagio, but I have tried many of their teas and they are a solid brand. Celebrate the Holidays in Japan Without Leaving Home I know we’re all tired of the pandemic, but some innovations have evolved from it that we may not otherwise have had. Arigato Japan, a foodie tour company in the country, developed live virtual tours in answer to the travel restrictions that ensued. I attended one of their online tea experiences early this year. It felt good to have something new to engage in connecting with other tea lovers from all over the world in the midst of such limited pandemic contact. They are having a Christmas and New Year in Japan experience online available now through January 5th 2022. It is a historical and cultural dive into the holidays in Japan with a local virtual guide that lasts one hour and fifteen minutes. This is a family friendly tour. In anticipation of the return to travel to Japan, Arigato are also offering a 15% discount on their in-person tours with the coupon code BF2021AJ at checkout from November 26th to November 29th, 2021. It is good on all tours in 2022 except for the Ultimate Ramen in Tokyo. I am not an affiliate of Arigato Japan though I have enjoyed one of their virtual experiences and think it is a smart, innovative way to keep connecting with the country. 10/11/2021 Fall Time, Halloween time with Adagio TeaFor some of us everyday is Halloween, and no, we don’t get tired of it. The flavors of fall, however, are seasonal. Adagio Teas has both the season and the holiday covered with teas and teaware. Fall Teas Of the teas I sampled my favorite is the Puerh Hazelberry. Normally I see puerh as a category of tea that is best experienced unflavored and in multiple gaiwan steeps. I wasn’t sure how this was going to go for me. The dry leaves smell like dessert with the fruit and nut flavors overwhelming the tea. But when the leaves are wet that’s when I could smell the earth of puerh rising up over the strawberries, hazelnut and cream. Though dark in the cup, don’t be afraid. This is an amiable darkness with a soft touch that is not astringent at all. It is a friendly puerh with smoothness and a touch of that walking through a wet forest experience that I love. The earthiness of this puerh is on the whole mild with subtle mushroom notes, and capable of multiple steeps. I still preferred it without any sweetener or milk, though it can handle both if that is your cup of tea.  They also went fall on their matcha with Matcha Cinnamon Apple. It’s unsweetened which is best for customization. I don’t usually do flavored matcha but the flavoring is both natural and mild so the tea is still the star. The matcha is a tasty Samidori cultivar from Uji, Japan, a vibrant green and not bitter. This is great as a latte and sweetener brings the apple cinnamon flavors out. I also enjoyed it plain though as the matcha is good quality. If you are new to matcha having a latte is a great introduction as it can be intense on your stomach especially if empty. Remember, once opened, store your matcha in a cool, dark place away from sunlight and have it within two months or it will begin to turn bitter. Be good to your matcha and it will be good to you. TEA NOTE: When preparing matcha traditionally it is best to use a chasen bamboo whisk. Using a spoon may leave you with chunks. For me chunky matcha is a no. If texture is important to you, get one of these tools for your matcha preparation. It is easier to use in a flatter based bowl, or dedicated matcha bowl. For a latte or smoothie using a blender will work.  Adagio has a limited edition box of six Wicked Teas in decorative metal tins (I think I was sent last year’s designs but the teas look to be the same). Though small the tins are packed with enough loose leaf tea to invite a friend over for a pot. (Or three. No judgments.) They are all flavored and lightly sweetened blends. Two are caffeine free and the rest have a caffeinated black tea base. Notable ones for me: Monster Mash There are eyeballs in this tea. Candy eyeballs. I love that. It reminds me of that Sherlock episode where an eyeball is shown floating in Sherlock’s tea (Adagio has a tea just for that fandom too). These, thankfully dissolve into sweetness (no experiments or heads in the fridge necessary). The creme and caramel flavors mixed with this black blend lend a dessert taste. I think milk (of choice) is a good complement here, amping up the creamy feel. The sweetness is mild, but sufficient for me. Whatever the mystery black blend is it is low in astringency but full enough in body to shine through when milk is added. TEA NOTE: I think the candy eyeballs are only in the six tin sampler pack version of this tea, not the a la carte version.  Candy Apple Concoction This is a black tea base with apple pieces and sugar in it, red sugar. It does look pretty almost like a magical element (poof! You’re a toad!) No. This tea won’t give you the powers of an animagus or transform you into an amphibian, but it is the essence of fall apple picking during Halloween. I let the water boil and then cool slightly, steeping at about 205° for four minutes. I also used one and a half teaspoons for an approximately 10 ounce mug. I liked it brewed at this strength and time. The tea tasted good with nothing else in it. The sweetened apple flavor definitely came through while the cinnamon is playing peek-a-boo in the background. If you prefer your tea extra sweet you could use a no calorie sweetener of choice, honey or simply more sugar. This Tea pairs well with a simple tea biscuit too. TEA NOTE: If sugar is a no no for you try one of Adagio’s many other unsweetened fall teas  Adagio Candy Apple Concoction tea The other teas in this box are:
The ingredients for each tea are not listed in the box I received, but all of the info is available on the Adagio website. I get it. It keeps the look of the box clean and gives you a reason to visit the site.  Adagio Ceramic Tea Infuser - Bones Tea Infuser Cups The company has a fall and a Halloween double walled infuser cup available, and they sent me the Bones one. It includes a fine mesh brewing basket that hooks to the rim of the cup and a lid. The volume isn’t listed on the box but it holds about 10 ounces. I like having multiple forms of teaware for different brewing styles and situations. Pros for this tea infuser cup:
Thanks to Adagio for providing the teas for this adventure. For more Halloween tea check out these posts:
Tea and a Tale: Celebrating the 200th Anniversary of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow - Join my mini-tour of The Sleepy Hollow Cemetery and a bit about tea in the 1800s. Tea Halloween Style - Dragon makeup and pumpkin coffin scones! Happy Halloween! Get out your Tea Cauldron - Make your own pumpkin tea at home Go get your Halloween tea on! 11/24/2020 Adagio Teas Christmas Gifts for Tea FansHey tea lovers! I have a couple of very cool tea focused Christmas gift ideas to share with you from Adagio Teas. They sent me their 2020 Tea Advent Calendar and 12 Days of Christmas tea ornaments gift to check out. The video above gives you a sneak peak of what’s inside. Don’t worry, it’s not a spoiler alert. I only show one tea in the Advent Calendar so you can still be surprised with a new tea every day. The 12 Days of Christmas comes with a tea list though, and I do reveal that. The advent calendar is available in tea bag or loose tea format. Note, the teas for the loose version are different than for the bagged one. So get both! (I like ‘and’ in this case more than ‘or’.)  I have already dug into these teas and want to share notes on a couple. The black Cream Tea, which is in the 12 Days... as Eight Maids a Milking Cream Tea, tastes as good as it smells. I don’t buy a lot of flavored teas but sometimes they just hit the right note. The leaves have a scent of sweet cream. Brewed it is creamy and slightly sweet on its own, but I think the taste is brought out best with honey and a bit of milk. This tea is also available in a sample size, 3 oz., 16 oz. and a 15 bag box. The tea base is Ceylon and there is no sugar or dairy in it, just natural flavoring.  The ornaments hide gifts of tea in Adagio Teas' 12 Days of Christmas Another holiday inspired tea is the Pu-erh Chorange, available loose and in bags. It smells and tastes like the classic Terry’s Chocolate Orange candy! (Now I want one.) I liked this tea naked (The tea, not me. Though I have nothing against naked tea drinking. Drink your tea wearing what you want!) It’s also great with a bit of honey to bring out the sweetness. The puerh is gently earthy, round and smooth creating a great base for the balancing act of the chocolate and orange. On the caffeine-free end I tried the Rooibos Nutcracker. The hazelnut and chestnut notes were what really grabbed my attention in this blend. It also includes apple, cocoa nibs and caramel flavor. I folded some homemade whipped cream in this tea and it was like Christmas dessert in a cup. This is a good one if you want to roll around in the season without getting a caffeine high. It’s an unusual holiday season for many. I realize I am appreciating every moment of beauty, fun and kindness more than ever. Wishing you some of the joy of the holidays in your cup. Note: Though Adagio did provide teas I am not an affiliate and these are just links to products mentioned for ease. Enjoy! 10/29/2018 Tea Halloween Style Tea Deviant becomes Tea Dragon for Halloween  This is not a Yes that's makeup. I was inspired by a beautiful illustration of a Chinese dragon to turn myself into one for Tea Halloween style. My bandmate Philip and my friend Elexis also let me get creative with their lovely faces and you can see the results in the gallery below. I love the creativity of Halloween time. To me every day is Halloween in that way, but it is great to have so many more people join in - the costumes (especially the creative mash ups), the decorations and the Halloween inspired tea settings! It is also the time for warming spices, the flavors of fall. I did a simple scones and tea for my friend Elexis and I. I had some leftover pumpkin puree from another recipe and wanted a scone that used that. Seek and ye shall find upon the internet! I found this cool recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction. It has some great, specific baking tips in it like freezing and grating the butter which results in deliciously flaky scones (if you don't overwork the dough, easy does it). I was feeling my inner child and gave these scones a Halloween twist with a coffin cookie cutter and some red icing for fun. Kind of reminded me of the first short story I ever wrote when I was nine. A vampire story of course. I still remember how hilarious it was acting it out in front of the class. Have you enjoyed a Halloween Tea yet? Share your pictures with us on Facebook and Twitter. And show us your costumes so we can celebrate your creative spark!!! This is not a sponsored post Cassandra VincentI'm a singer, performer, writer who loves tea, sharing while I continue to learn. Email for business inquiries.  |
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