Hey hey, it’s MJ,

            It’s getting chilly out there and there is nothing better (in my personal opinion) than a good cup of tea on a cold day. This is not going to be a long post because it’s tea and not the gossip kind but the leaf kind. I know I am not great at jokes but bear with me. I drink a lot of tea during the fall, into the winter, and even back out into the spring. As long as it’s cold tea can always be called for. 

            I like coffee, don’t get me wrong but I can do about one cup a day before I am so wired I can’t sleep, I do drink caffeinated tea as well; sometimes as an alternative to coffee.

            I don’t mind bagged tea, though there are a few brands that I stick with, those are Twinings, Harney and Sons, Tazo, and the Republic of Tea. I also have a lot of loose leaf we have a local place called Savoy and I get tea there, when I lived near Chicago and they still had a store on Michigan Ave. I got David’s Tea (which you can still order online), and Teavana which of course is a huge name in tea. 

            I also will drink pretty much any kind of tea I like English Breakfast, Earl Grey, Chai, Black tea, Green tea, and others that I cannot name at the moment. As long as there is no licorice root in it; I’m good, for some reason licorice root does not sit well with me so I avoid it. I grew up on Celestial Seasonings tea, I don’t drink it much anymore but I used to drink their gingerbread themed tea in the winter every year. 

            If you like tea I would for sure give the David’s Tea website a check out, their selection is massive and I have never had anything from them that I don’t like, I don’t know if they have it anymore but Honey Black is probably my favorite; it smells just like honey and it’s so good. 

             I know that tea can be controversial (see what I did there) but usually you can find a kind of tea that you like, unless you are my mother who doesn’t like tea or coffee, she will call herself weird on that one. 

            I always listen to the steeping instructions, as someone who had left a tea bag in their water too long and then all you have is bitter water, you don’t want to do that. I am not a purist on what I put in my tea though, sometimes milk (well non-dairy milk of some kind), sometimes sugar, and sometimes nothing at all. Tea is one of those things that makes you feel better, a comfort in a mug also drinking tea just seems really fancy. I don’t own any fine China, I drink my tea out of a coffee mug but wouldn’t that be nice.

            Also if you like loose leaf tea get yourself some accessories, a tea ball or in my case a tea sloth, a tea pot with a built in strainer, a tea mug with a built in strainer, and a loose leaf tea spoon (I also use it for coffee). 

            Tea is one of those things that just makes me feel cozy and I like feeling cozy especially on rainy and overcast days when it’s cold and damp outside and you just want to curl up with a good book and a blanket. 

            So here’s to tea, and I hope y’all find one that you enjoy.

            Hope everyone has a great start to the week and I will see y’all on Wednesday with another post. 

            -MJ