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Tea - Blog Posts
4/30 days of productivity
Sometimes productivity is drinking tea while in your work break while being with one of your coworkers and drawing them because they are in the perfect relaxed position. What I'm trying to say is that productivity is not just doing one hundred assignments but also doing one.
feb 9 - 15, 2025
This entire post is beautiful
which one of u was going to tell me that tea tastes different if u put it in hot water?
Tea
Theres something so calming drawing with the pencil brush. Feels nostalgic
Instagram: daydreamiranda
Earl Grey Cookies
“[...] a combination of shortbread and jam thumbprint cookies, made all the more interesting by the addition of tea - something different for a cookie exchange, or package them with a fancy cup and extra tea as a gift.” - ~mystery book~, p. 227
Sugar cookies are a staple of the holiday season. Whether decorated with frosting, cut into festive shapes, or sprinkled with powdered sugar, they are the go-to cookie for gifting!
When I first decided to try this version of sugar cookie, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But, I figured I’d give them a shot since it uses my favourite tea. In the end? Best. Decision. EVER! I’ve made them for myself and friends in past holiday seasons and I constantly get asked for the recipe and/or when I’ll be making more (the answer is always December, guys).
Like the Soul Cakes marking the overlap of four different holidays at the end of October, these cookies offer a twist on the traditional treats served this time of year.
Consider baking them with the Cranberry Banana Muffins to really spice up the holiday season!
EDIT: Now with extra tips!
(This recipe is an adaptation from a cookbook my grandmother has tucked away. However, I don’t have the title of the book and I can’t find her copy anymore so it’s of ~mystery origin~.)
Prep: 5 mins Cook: 45 mins Total: 50 mins
Ingredients*:
1 cup (227 g) butter, softened
⅔ cup (138 g) granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. (5 mL) vanilla extractñ
2 ½ cups (313 g) all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. (6 g) Earl Grey tea leaves
¼ tsp. (0.5 g) kosher salt
½ cup (320 g) apricot jam or marmalade**
*Makes enough for about 3 dozen cookies.
** Be careful when selecting your brand of jam (both for these cookies and in general). Ingredients on labels are listed from greatest amount to least - so try to pick one that has apricots as the first ingredient instead of sugar!
First, preheat the oven to convection bake at 325℉ (160℃) [or 350℉ (177℃) if using a conventional oven].
Then, in a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light (top-left).
Beat in the egg and vanilla (top-right).
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, tea, and salt.
Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir until just combined.
Roll the cookies into 1 tbsp. (about 1-inch or 2.5 cm) balls and place them on two large, parchment-lined baking sheets.
TIP: To get all of the cookies a uniform size, I level off a 1 tbsp. measuring spoon with dough, then roll them.
Dip the end of a wooden spoon about ⅜ th of an inch (1 cm) in diameter into flour and make indentations in the center of each cookie.
Fill each indentation with a generous ¼ tsp. of jam or marmalade.
Convection bake in the oven for 16 - 18 minutes [or the same amount of time, rotating the pan halfway through, if using a conventional oven], or until they start to turn a light golden.
Remove from oven and let cool on wire racks.
Overall, I would give these cookies a 5/5. The mild sweetness from the earl grey mixed with the sweetness of the jam produces such a unique flavour without being overwhelming. Not to mention that snacking on them creates this holiday/Christmas-y vibe that’s hard to describe.
As mentioned in the intro, I’ve made these for my friends in the past and they’re a massive hit. Because they look so different from traditional holiday sugar cookies but fit so well with the season, they become a really unique treat to give to friends and family!
Couldn't pass up that Avatar reference
settle this for me once and for all
is “chai” a TYPE of tea??! bc in Hindi/Urdu, the word chai just means tea
Out of curiosity;
I myself cannot take the bitterness whether it’s sweet tea or no matter what I put in my coffee, it’s still bitter
There is nothing that reminds me more of the beauty of Autistic Hyperfixations, than what my past week/month has been.
A long time ago, I started playing an Otome Game called Obey Me! (It's a good game, with compelling writing, and a good workaround for representing You/The Main Character). One of the characters I got very attached to was the Butler, Barbatos. His love of different teas, and the variety, and his insistence on high quality tea had me curious about it all; I much prefer a Flavoured Water of some kind, I find it generally easier to drink.
So, I looked into Tea Quality, Loose Leaf Teas; and then High Quality, Full Leaf Looseleaf teas that have no crumbs, just pure quality no-bitter aftertaste. And recently, I bought a whole lot of tea, enough to last me to the end of the year, because I have been wanting it, and I love the quality, and it's been worth saving up for it.
How does this all tie together? Well ... Since I could afford it, and I just got a whole bunch of high quality teas ... Why not buy the Obey Me! Barbatos plushie so he can enjoy my high quality teas with me?
I look forward to seeing him in June. And I'll be sure to have a nice glass of Shō Pu-er ready for him when he gets here ♥
Im out here streaming on Twitch, if anyone's curious.
Recently been drawing, but today we're playing Pekóe: a cute game about a town of cats and tea! It's a lovely vibe.
We're a few hours in now, but it's not the most timed of games, so come on in!
Oh, the fresh loveliness of teas .... Posted 12th Febuary, 2024
Wednesday, 19 April; Day 1.
Felt bad (cold + headache), went home and made some coltsfoot tea. It somehow tastes really good but I vividly remember hating it as a child.
Going to make more tea later, if anyone sees this, recommend me some good blends.
So. Drinking tea out of a bowl. Somehow tastes better than drinking it from a mug. Or maybe that's just the taste of pettiness that comes with doing something someone just told you not to do.... Guess we'll never know!
Yes! Wat abt u @brenda-miller-forreal ?
Ricky x @martyforreal x Timothy might be my new OT3
WHAT THE FVCK
Sounds about accurate XD
Oh, I’m just having tea with Raoul before I go Punjab him and steal his girl….ya know….the usual.
is this going to take away my depression.?
Tea for everyone who is visiting.
Japanese tea bag maker Ocean-Teabag has been making waves by creating little parcels of aroma in the shape of marine animals. Luckily for us, their wide range of tea bags are available at online Japanese novelty retailer Village Vanguard, maker of such fine products as Space Tea and cat-shaped kitchen utensils.
Ocean-Teabag’s earliest designs included beautiful dolphin tea bags filled with blue mallow tea leaves. Steeping them turns your otherwise normal pot of water into a tranquil ocean. Proving to be a hit among tea lovers, Ocean-Teabag expanded their repertoire to many other sea creatures including the sea turtle (butterfly pea jasmine tea)…
the distinctive ocean sunfish (Japanese hojicha — roasted green tea)…
the graceful manta ray (tropical mango tea)…
and even a blood-thirsty shark (blended herb tea).
The newest addition to their robust series of marine creatures is a tea bag shaped like an innocuous sea cucumber. This little parcel is filled with jasmine tea, as well as a smidgen of sea cucumber powder to lend some authenticity. Ocean-Teabag warns that some people who have a sensitive tongue may find it tasting a little fishy.
The company also crafted a deep sea series that will satisfy even the most adventurous of tea drinkers out there. A few such examples are the anglerfish (earl grey tea)…
the creepy giant isopod (Eastern Beauty oolong tea)…
the horseshoe crab (white apricot tea)…
…and lastly the king of them all, the enormous giant oarfish. ( Delicious Assam tea of epic proportions! ) Just like its namesake, it measures a whopping 19 centimeters (7.5 inches). Drinking tea becomes an art when half of your tea bag hangs out of your cup.
While the notion of turning your cup of tea into fish-inhabiting waters is not new, these tea bags will hopefully conjure up images of gentle ocean waves in your mind.
WHERE TO FIND THE TEA
Jupiter Cohorts
Jupiter in Aries: Successive dreams and aspiration line the horizon, subject to set challenges under sudden spells of heated visions, they feel a sensory rush from that spike of adrenaline before a big event and use it to get in the zone and regenerate them, rather than let the nerves and discomfort exhaust them, butterflies can still be sickly but these are rather inner signals of readiness
Jupiter in Taurus: Self-value doses feelings of divinity, glorifying the physical body most naturally, with the responsibility of ensuring this temple is nurtured in the same way too, that divinity does not require restriction or harsh discipline, pleasure is a form of worship when it comes with respectful limitations, blooming a philosophy of self-love that is authentic and from within
Jupiter in Gemini: There are no limits to these intellectual possibilities, but the contradictions and complexities can be evident to everyone, the mind swings from high to low - dispensing great wisdom and insights and then the opposite, like they don't always have access to the higher mind stairwell even though its right there
Jupiter in Cancer: Charity begins at home and the philosophy is creating a life that reflects their inner values, worshiping love, belonging, culture, and family, these people tend to be quietly spiritual and know what's most important in life, conserves the teachings and philosophies of the feminine heritage in the form of old wives tails
Jupiter in Leo: Generous, engaged, the aspirations are grand with the desire of becoming the best version of themselves, they present themselves in a way that gives form to their future self and the dreams that could be theirs, so you see this glow of who they will become and it's sort of like they've already done it
Jupiter in Virgo: Extreme ideals are expressions of perfectionism - sky high, intricate and so delicately crafted that everything shatters repeatedly, comparing what 'could be' with what they actually see and wanting to fix everything, a fight between the pessimist and the optimist that cannot lose
Jupiter in Libra: Strong social morality and respect for human life, genuinely friendly and easy-going company who can become very impassioned and take on a different tone if the subject matter of conversation or encounter begins relating to a social, ethical, legal issue, or raises the voice of their social conscience
Jupiter in Scorpio: Experiencing an adrenaline or energetic rush in situations others find daunting, there can be an attraction to fear-inducing experiences like going to haunted houses or watching horror films and a strong fascination and intrigue about their own fears that invites them in, like the person has a fear of deep dark water but spends a lot of time looking at photos of it
Jupiter in Sagittarius: Highly restless and endlessly dreaming, there is this life and there is another life it feels they should be living and they are missing out on it, learning to live in the present moment is vital, or else that desired feeling and contentment will feel like its 'always coming' and never come
Jupiter in Capricorn: Goal setting can reflect a belief that contentment and happiness come with conditions, so getting that degree or promotion will magically come with a dose of self-fulfilment and new perspective like an expectation it will change everything, but it never really does
Jupiter in Aquarius: An open mind that can be very fixed in their own beliefs and opinions, a communal perspectives that connects the dots between single topics to converge fascinatingly unique insights and answers, but the finer details can be obscured in this universal picture so some beliefs or theories can be brilliant and genius and others quite nonsensical and implausible
Jupiter in Pisces: Strong desire to understand and make sense out of their own senses, emotions, and needs, why they feel and act the way they do, explanations and finding a cause or a label can provide comforting security, there can be difficulty accepting some feelings and states of being come naturally
Cherry
The SPG fandom on my dashboard seems so full of drama since yesterday... Guys please, Spread the love!
This was a commissioned label for a custom tea blend from Adagio Teas. and by commission I mean that in exchange for making this I earned a five pound bag of fresh pecans. Totally worth it. It is currently have hiding out in the freezer until the basil comes out this summer and I can make pesto with it. SO MUCH PESTO!
**Update For the people asking I asked her and she bought the frog tea set HERE 🐸
I feel like I just had to share this. This is Edward and he's a uh, teapot spider? Who knows 😔
I really like him though he's so creepy it's cute
I had three meetings today and I knew about them the day before because I knowingly agreed to them 🥲
When I woke up I knew I was going to be late everywhere, it happens 😬
A good friend picked me up in the morning, we stopped at a flower base to pick up an order. I don't think it's necessary to describe the bustle there that day and the number of red roses I counted 😅
Coffee and a work "date" and I'm off to pick up the twins from kindergarten in time for a walk in the park with other friends.
We're 5 minutes late 😅.
I was also invited to another friend's house with all my sons that evening and the night before I had said something like this: "I'll be there, but I'll just sit and nod, I'm not good for much more than that!" I was assured that my presence would be enough! 😅
Of course, I did most of the talking🥲
Anyway, now I'm sitting on the sofa in silence, lazily editing my text, and I won't get up even if aliens come. Honestly 😅
Has today taught me anything? No ☺️
Will I continue to behave like this? Yes 🥲
So unexpected... In honour of Christmas holiday, I'm a guest at a Chinese tea ceremony today ❄️🙃🩷