The Japanese Tea Advent Calendar from Nio Teas

Nio Teas recently sent me a new tea advent calendar to try, and I was intrigued by the idea of an advent calendar featuring Japanese teas. The box measures about 10-1/2  x 5 x 5-1/4 inches, and the packaging is quite lovely.

Remove the red outer band, and you can see the Nio logo on the box.

Inside are 24 individually packaged loose tea samples.

What I love about these samples is that the folders surrounding the tea packets contain so much information! For instance, the first tea I tried, the Fukamushi Sencha Kagoshima Murasaki, required steeping at 150 degrees for 45 seconds, but the second and third steepings, which I expected to take longer, required just 20 seconds each. The subsequent steepings were indeed plenty strong, so I can only assume the Nio folks know their teas.

This sample reminded me of how much I enjoy sencha and that I really ought to keep a tin of it around. That light vegetal taste just feels healthy, and steeped for the few seconds advised, the tea avoided being overly astringent or having that grassy taste that keeps so many people from enjoying green teas.

I also sampled the Chanoka Kukicha Green Tea, which had an entirely different flavor profile. While the sencha had a light vegetal taste, this tea was richer and almost brothier, with what I call a heavier "mouth feel," and I enjoyed it very much. Again, this sample was a great reminder of the vast array of Japanese green teas available today, and I'm looking forward to trying more of them in the weeks leading up to Christmas—and expanding my palate for Japanese tea flavors!

I wanted to go ahead and share the advent calendar now in case any of you are interested in ordering one for yourself or as a gift before Christmas. At $109, this collection is pricier than some of the other tea advent calendars I've tried, but based on what all this one includes, I think the price is fair. So if you or someone you know enjoys green tea, this would be a great splurge for yourself or a handsome gift for a friend, and I see on their website that matcha advent calendars are available as well. Interested? Go here to check out Nio Teas for yourself. I'm impressed!

The Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee Teapot

The other afternoon, I was driving home from mahjong with the girls when I felt strongly impressed to stop by a local antique store. I don't usually do that during the week, as I've been extra busy with edits lately (for clients' books as well as my own), but that day, I just felt I was supposed to stop. And when I spotted this Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee teapot for $18, well, that justified the delay in my afternoon's work!

The ornate shape alone caught my attention.

And when I saw it said Queen Victoria and Diamond Jubilee, I was smitten.

It amazes me to see a teapot from 1897 still hanging around. It does have a small crack in the back and a chip inside the lid, but you have to remove the lid to see it, so that wasn't a deal breaker. I at first thought the spout was chipped (that is the flaw that bothers me most on a teapot), but it was just some wayward gold trim. At any rate, I'm happy with my new purchase and consider this teapot a diamond (jubilee) in the rough!

Some new teatime recipes … from 1913!

I do love a good vintage book, and I was just delighted when my roommate from my single years, Robin, recently got in touch to say she was sending by a mutual friend a copy of a book she thought I might enjoy, Household Science and Arts, which was published in 1913 and belonged to her late grandmother. I was thrilled she thought of me with such a gift, and naturally, one of the first things I did was see if "tea" was in the index. It was indeed, and I thought you might enjoy seeing what I found. And the recipes look intriguing, too, so expect to see some treats from this book in the near future!

Winging it to Wisconsin in time for a World Series win!

Last week was a busy one since I spent most of the week in Wisconsin, where I went to visit my stepdaughter's family, my first trip up there since Alex passed away, so this was rather momentous for me, and I'm happy to report that I had a marvelous week! It was especially fun to spend time with grandsons Michael and Andrew, who have gotten so tall, and the week was filled with sports in more ways than one!

I flew up on Tuesday night, and most of my fellow Delta passengers (and I) had seat-back screens displaying the Milwaukee Brewers playing the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 4 of the World Series. On a flight to Green Bay, as you can imagine, there were lots of cheers for the Brewers, and Heather had already told me that there was much excitement about the Brewers possibly winning their first-ever World Series. We stayed up late that night to see them win their third game, and of course they won the next night as well, clinching the title.

Son-in-law Brad let me tag along when he went to Uncle Mike's Bakery to pick up a birthday cake for Michael, who had just turned 16, but they waited to have the party when I was there. This local bakery has been voted as having the best kringle (a pastry) in North America, and as always, they had samples of all the day's specialties available for sampling. I had to try The Miz in honor of Jacob Misiorowski, a pitcher for the Brewers. It was delicious, and the sales support a good cause.

I also got to attend one of Michael's soccer games, and then later that night, we watched the Green Bay Packers win their football game!

One of Heather's besties, Leslie, is also from Newnan and also married a Wisconsin fellow, so I'm happy their friendship has flourished over the years. Leslie told us about a big pop-up boutique event that benefits a local nonprofit, so she got us tickets, and on Friday, Heather and I attended. I loved seeing all of the fun items (lots of gloves and thick sweaters up there!), and I bought a few Christmas gifts for friends, so that was nice.

And of course I found some goodies for myself as well. A pink Santa Claus–mug tea towel? Well, that was a must, and I also got a package of Dr. Pete's Cherry Almond Scones Baking Mix. I'd never heard of this brand before, and I look forward to trying these—once I catch up from being gone last week!

Teas from the new Sprouts

We recently got a Sprouts Farmers Market in my town, and having visited such stores before, I waited for the excitement to die down before I went for a visit. I liked their offerings, and they had a lot of stuff that looked good, but boy, was it pricey. When I saw a fresh-to-go salad for $17.99, I realized I will not be a regular here, but on the bright side, they did have a nice selection of teas, so that's what I loaded up on. These two bottled teas were new to me. Tejava's Pineapple Mango Black Tea gets points for indeed tasting like pineapple and mango, but the tea itself was a little bitter. The Just Ice Tea Peach Oolong Tea, slightly sweetened, was much better, but the oolong reminded me of lapsang souchong, so that was a deal breaker.

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Maybe some canned teas with fruit flavors? I got the Spindrift Teas in Raspberry Black Tea and Peach Green Tea. The raspberry flavor was okay but just okay. It dawned on me that I've never had a canned tea that just bowled me over, and there's probably a good reason for that. (You tea purists are laughing at my foolishness, and you are no doubt right!) The peach tea was weird because it tasted sour. Very, very strange, that one.

The other odd thing about those teas? One had 46 calories, and one had 49. Isn't that sort of random? I mean, add a little something-something and make them both 50. Anyway, I'm glad I got that out of my system, and I'm back to preparing my own tea again—and enjoying it!

A surprise from my sister

We had a family birthday party for my great-nephew Hoyt the other weekend, and while I was there, my sister said she had a gift for me. Oh really, I thought? It wasn't my birthday or close enough to Christmas, so I wondered what it was.

Then Rhonda said she was at Cracker Barrel when she saw something that didn't just say my name, it screamed it! Well, I was quite curious by then. She said, "You've probably already got one, because if one of your friends saw it, they would have gotten it for you."

Well, guess what? My friends must not have seen it, because they did not in fact buy me this tea towel, but is this not just perfect? My sister was right, and I love it. And I even love that it's made in India and has a hanging loop!

Recommended reading: "French Country Cottage Seasons" by Courtney Allison

"While I love the bold colors outdoors, inside I lean toward the softer side of autumn and the muted colors that nature provides. Natural touches like wheat and grasses, dried flowers, heirloom pumpkins, gourds, and foraged bits like acorns and dried foliage are woven all through my home. Pumpkins are stacked by the fireplace, while dried flowers from summer are turned into garlands for the mantels, with pinecones or acorns sprinkled here and there.”

— From French Country Cottage Seasons

Fall and winter are probably the seasons of the year when I purchase and read the most books. There's nothing like preparing a nice cup of tea and settling in with a cozy blanket and a good read. This weekend, it was a new book I recently ordered, French Country Cottage Seasons by Courtney Allison. One of my favorite photos in the book is this stunning pumpkin with softly colored fall flowers. Gorgeous!

I first discovered these French Country Cottage books two years ago, and now I seem to want every new one that comes out. As I thumbed through the book, it dawned on me that the photography I like best always seems to capture the light in a way that just speaks to my soul. It’s soft and serene, and the pastels and the golden hues inspire me to create seasonal vignettes too. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that the author also seems to have teacups and china on many of the pages!

Her decorating has an elegant yet unfussy style about it, and I love that. The delicate china and glassware against the worn wood of this table is not the sort of tablescape you usually see, but it's beautiful.

And this photo with the flow blue dishes, old silverplate, Christmas greenery, and frosty fruit has me thinking about how to incorporate some of these touches into my own holiday decorating this year. If this sort of design speaks to you, too, I am happy to recommend these lovely French Country Cottage books to you!

It's finally here: The Christmas issue of Flea Market Décor magazine!

My favorite magazine of the season, and perhaps of the whole year, has just arrived on newsstands: Flea Market Décor's annual Christmas issue! Doesn't that cover just make you smile?

Inside, there is so, so much for us tea lovers to enjoy. Those of us who sip our Christmas teas out of Santa mugs will love this shelf.

And after publishing my very first book, Dainty Dining, my department store tearoom cookbook, way back in 2011 (nearly fifteen years ago now!), I found my eye going straight to that Gimbels sign! What I wouldn't give for one of those. If I could travel back in time, I would do all of my Christmas shopping in those grand old department stores of yesteryear. Sigh.

Then I spotted this pink teapot artwork and wondered, "Is there really such a teapot?" And I can report to you that yes, Virginia, there is such a thing as a Miss Cutie Pie teapot (they're pricey), and I will be looking for one "in the wild" when I'm out thrifting.

My favorite idea in this issue? Bottle-brush Christmas trees in teacups! Really, there is something to inspire you on every page, including some gorgeous all-white décor, and I am having so much fun looking through this issue and getting ideas for this year's Christmas decorating. Definitely a recommended read!

Harney & Sons Salted Caramel Tea

The other day, I decided I wanted to try a new tea in honor of the arrival of fall and cooler weather, and I found myself looking at the Harney & Sons website since they are one of my favorite tea vendors. But it turned out that there was only one thing I wanted, and I didn't want to have to pay shipping for such a small order. Then I remembered that a lot of Harney teas are available on Amazon, and since that's how I order a lot of my tea now, I was happy to get free shipping by ordering the Harney & Sons tea via Amazon.

This Salted Caramel tea was just as rich and flavorful as I had hoped it would be. I noted a very strong caramel/vanilla scent as soon as I opened the tin, and the flavor matched the scent.

I didn't detect the Himalayan salt that is in this tea, but the caramel flavor is what I was most interested in anyway, and I’m very happy with my purchase.

Talking tea and books in an Irish pub

The Senoia Variety Club, a women's group in nearby Senoia, asked me to come speak to them about Dyeing for Attention, my newest book, and last week, I was happy to do so. Over the years, I've become known as a "tea lady" locally, which is fine by me, so organizers told me they were encouraging their members to wear tea party attire if they liked. The meeting was held at Maguire's Irish Pub, a great restaurant there in Senoia, and when I arrived early to set up my books, I couldn't help noticing that they were placing vintage teacups on the tables, along with tea lights and some candy. I thought that was such a fun and simple way to "tea-ify" the space, and of course I had to go check out the teacups, like this one with a basket of roses on it.

This one whispers "spring" to me, and that pretty yellow handle sure caught my eye. I've never seen a teacup like this before!

The striking blue coloring of this teacup caught my eye as well. I'm betting it's very old.

As the fifteen members began coming in and greeting each other, I couldn't help noticing they had a good mix of older and younger ladies, which certainly bodes well for any club. And see that lady in pink with her back to the camera?

That would be my friend Alice Ramsey, who is legendary in this neck of the woods. She's retired now, but Alice was still a flight attendant with Delta when she got diagnosed with breast cancer, and after her treatment and recovery, she became quite the advocate for other women going through breast cancer. One day about twenty years ago, she decided to ask Delta's CEO if the flight attendants could wear pink uniforms each October to help raise money for breast cancer awareness, and he said yes! Whenever I fly Delta in October and see the pink uniforms and ties, I smile, knowing that my friend Alice started it all (her original pink dress now hangs in the Delta Flight Museum). She also heads up a local group called the Pink Posse that serves those going through cancer treatment, and whenever you see a flash of pink around town, it's probably Alice, up to something to raise awareness!

Teatime accessories: A (brief) style report

Despite what you good friends may think, I do not buy everything I come across that has a teapot on it, however tempting it may be. My Facebook algorithm, however, knows my weaknesses, so when I saw this beaded tea-and-books purse advertised at Walmart, I made a point of visiting their accessories department the next time I stopped by.

Cute design, isn't it?

But … it sure wouldn't hold very much. I don't think I could squeeze in my iPhone and wallet. Also, this struck me as a little fancy for everyday running around, so I left it, even though it was just $23.

What I did get, though? The cute little bag charm/keychain from the same collection. I love the design, I actually needed a new keyring, and the $10 price tag was, as Goldilocks would say, just right. I wondered whether I should have gotten the purse, though. I mean, what if I *need* a small beaded purse one day?

Well, it turns out that I came across this one on clearance at T.J. Maxx last weekend ($24), and this struck me as a great accessory for fall. Plus, my new book mentions quite a few pumpkin spice lattes (the ones made with chai, of course), so I thought that was a sign.

Long live pumpkin spice lattes! (And cute fashion accessories.)