Coffee & Tea Talk

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neely

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I fell off the wagon, lol. We went out to run some errands and were close to the local roaster where I buy my beans. So we just had to stop and pick up a hot drink. I had a flat white and DH had his usual, i.e. chai latte. I love when the baristas make a special design on top of the drink called latte art. :rbheart:
 

LTS3

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I had a Starbucks hot chocolate today. It was meh. Not gross but not good either. It was a plain milk hot chocolate with whipped cream frosting, no extras. Starbucks was the only option besides Dunkin where I was meeting with friends. Dunkin's hot chocolate is flat out gross, a gritty chemically tasting cheap powdered mix :barf:
 

Tobermory

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I found this recipe using chamomile tea, and it’s been a very comforting drink in the late afternoons.

1 c. water
1/4 c. tart, unsweetened cherry juice
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ginger
1/8 tsp. turmeric
1 chamomile tea bag (or approx. 2 grams loose chamomile tea)
Honey to taste (approx. 1 tsp.)

Bring water and cherry juice to boil. Stir in cinnamon, ginger, and turmeric. Add the tea bag, cover, and steep for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove tea bag, strain tea into a mug, and stir in honey.

Just an added note: It’s not easy finding a strainer with small enough holes to strain out the spices; they don’t dissolve. I don’t have one so for awhile I was opening the tea bag, adding the spices, then stapling it shut again. That worked but was a bit cumbersome. And I wasn’t getting a strong enough flavor (for me) from the spices. I thought about buying tea papers, but finally I gave up and just left the spices in the mug. I drink it almost to the bottom—until it gets too gritty—then dump the rest.

And I’m off to make some now!
 

Tobermory

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There are lots of extra fine mesh tea strainers sold online. Might be worth buying one to use with tea recipes that have non-dissolvable spices and herbs. They also work great for loose leaf tea.
Great minds, etc.! I had checked out a lot of those on Amazon and zoomed in to see the size of the holes. I couldn’t see that they were much smaller than what I have already. And some of the reviews actually noted that one brand or another didn’t work well with spices. I have two or three tea strainers, and they caught a lot of the spices although not all. They do help, though.
 

Tobermory

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How about something like these?








A resusable tea bag is another option.
That first one looks really promising. It’s very similar to the insert I have for my Keurig so I can use my own ground coffee, but the insert doesn’t have a lid so it wouldn’t have worked. I’ll have to look for this one. Thanks!
 

maggiedemi

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I had a Starbucks hot chocolate today. It was meh.
Sunoco gas station used to have a wonderful sweet hot chocolate. I don't know if they still have it. They have the best vanilla cappuccino in the world, according to me.

#1 Maxwell House Decaf drank black
#2 Maxwell House Decaf drank black
#3 Maxwell House Decaf, 3TB General Foods International vanilla cappuccino-- It's pretty good, but definitely not Sunoco's supplier. :(
 

artiemom

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I had a Starbucks hot chocolate today. It was meh. Not gross but not good either. It was a plain milk hot chocolate with whipped cream frosting, no extras. Starbucks was the only option besides Dunkin where I was meeting with friends. Dunkin's hot chocolate is flat out gross, a gritty chemically tasting cheap powdered mix :barf:
I used to get hot chocolate at Starbucks, for my dad. I found that there is a 'special' hot chocolate. If you order a regular one, it is just a regular packet of HC.. If I ordered the extra crazy or exclusive one---forget name-- it was much much better... really good....

I do not know if they still have it... but it costs nothing to ask.. I do like SB's Chai Latte.
 

maggiedemi

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Just playing around with my General Foods International vanilla cappuccino. It's a 2 pound bag, so I'll be using it for a while.
I try it different ways- with milk, vanilla almond milk, water, instant coffee added. I got some Nescafe dark roast instant coffee from Aldi that's really good.
 

rubysmama

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I could use a 2 pound bag for my mocha, but don't think it's available here. Still haven't finished the first container of the vanilla though, so guess I'm not that fond of it.
 

neely

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Just playing around with my General Foods International vanilla cappuccino. It's a 2 pound bag, so I'll be using it for a while.I try it different ways- with milk, vanilla almond milk, water, instant coffee added.
Have you ever thought of adding some cinnamon sprinkled over the top, (not mixed in)? That's how I like my lattes.

I had one cup of dark roast coffee after breakfast and one espresso after lunch. That's my limit for the day. 😉
 
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