Chi-Tea and Coffee Makers

I've been making my own batches of sweet ice tea for a while now. Sometimes they turn out okay and on a rare occasional they turn out great. Well I've finally perfected a recipe that turns out wonderful every time. I use 3 regular caffeinated tea bags (I use Red Rose these days.) and two bags of Raspberry Zinger Herbal tea. I brew them in 12 cups of hot water for about 45 minutes to an hour. I then put a 1/2 cup of sugar and a 1/2 cup of honey into a large left over plastic tea container (I usually save one of the plastic Arizona Green Tea jugs, they're a perfect size and you can just put the top on tightly and shake it well to mix the contents.) I then add my hot brewed tea in and shake it well. I've started to add a few tablespoons of lime juice to add a little sour bite to the tea. Then I fill the rest of the tea jug with cold tap water. I usually don't fill all the way to the top, so there's room to shake the tea well. I then shake all the contents real good and stick in in the frig. It turns out so tasty, I came up with a name for my creation, it's called Chi-Tea. I think it's pretty catchy.

Another thing I wanted to share is how I'm brewing my tea these days. My tea pot has never been very efficient, you can barely hear it when it starts boiling. It usually starts shooting water out. Also the plug got caught under a burner recently and melted the plastic, so it doesn't even fit on the kettle anyone. So I've started measuring 12 cups of water into our coffee pot and heating the water in that. It's awesome cause even if you forget it for a bit it stays hot sitting on the coffee burner. I then turn the coffer maker off and put the tea bags directly in the coffee pot. It really works well, just make sure the coffee maker is clean so your tea doesn't taste like coffee.

Tea Please

I so enjoy a hot or cold cup of tea. It's the perfect caffeinated beverage, I probably average 5 cups of tea a day. My favorite present this holiday was a single cup tea brewer from Stephanie and John, Jason's sister and brother-in-law. They sell them at Teavana (the Mecca of all Tea Shops). I say that even though I've only ventured in there once. After I got the brewer I needed more loose tea options, so I went in and was immediately enthralled by all the tea selections. I am also a big fan of honey in my tea. I don't do sugar or cream anymore. I can also do a nice flavored tea by itself sometimes. Jasmine is one my favorites. Currently I'm into the loose Samurai Chai from Teavana. It's considered a mate, which gives you a nice balanced high without any of the jitters. It's been pretty good to me at work lately. I am also real into white and green teas, and I think the next kind I'm going to try is an Oolong tea. These teas are really good for you. Some are known to lower your cholestrol, help burn calories,and a lot contain antioxidants and great minerals and vitamins. Anyway, tea is great and I enjoy consuming it everyday. Oh, Oh have I mentioned the scents, the aromas are intoxicating. Good gift for Kate... loose tea and honey.