Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Seven Days of Tea

Last Tuesday I stated that I was going to drink at least one cup of tea a day for seven days. The idea was to reduce the amount of tea bags I have accumulated over the past few months. Thanks to Tuesdays spent with Kimmie drinking tea, I have accumulated a lot of tea bags.

Each spring it seems many of us Tuesday tea participants rush to make our first pot (or carafe or pitcher) of sun tea. However, I decided it was time to make one final pot of sun tea before the weather changes. I started with 10 Lipton green tea bags.


Although I spent part of the day elsewhere, running errands in the south part of town, it didn't take this tea long to


become drinkable. I added lemon because I thought this particular green tea is rather bland. I enjoyed several cups of this tea on my front porch.


On Thursday I was in my kitchen, this time checking my friend Sally's airline itinerary and drinking Tetley's Royal Blend. Everything is blue (with white and copper) in my kitchen, so it stands to reason I would have some tea from a blue tea bag container. Now I had both the bags and containers I could save.


I was gone most of Friday because I picked up my friend Sally at the airport after running a few errands on the west side of town, where the airport is. After eating out, we returned quite late to our respective places. Unlike Tea Tuesday, I had my tea late at night sitting in my living room/parlor at my writing desk.


English Breakfast tea was on the menu, even though it was late at night. This was by Crabtree and Evelyn.


Not bad tea, but some pretty awful dark photography.


I had been at my neighbor's most of the previous week, taking care of her sick cat, or running errands I simply could not avoid. That is also why I have not been around to visit my fellow bloggers and friends all week. So it was time to do my laundry. On Saturday I had my tea on the run in my laundry room, which is also where my microwave is kept. Yes, I have a microwave in the basement, but I use it mostly for craft projects.


This is some Bigelow English Teatime tea that I am drinking with half and half. I don't have milk, so the stuff I use for my coffee will have to do.


On Sunday, I worked in my kitchen because I needed to clean my own home after working at Sally's. I also realized it was time to put my sage and basil away now that they had dried sufficiently. You can see the original post where I started the drying process on September 22, here. In the above photo, I am preparing to remove the rubber bands and stems, and will place the leaves in these plastic bags.


I think this was my favorite tea, at least this week. Red raspberry herb tea made a wonderful cup of brew in my Taylor and Ng mug that I placed on a matching Taylor and Ng tea towel. And the ruby red color of the tea was superb, even though it doesn't show in the photo.


Yesterday was Halloween, so I had to celebrate in my dining room. My Halloween candle was fun and my tea was a gift from a friend. It was called Sugar Plum Holiday Herb Tea, and I had three bags.


The beads were handmade and sent to me by Duane of Surf Bunny Design. He was part of the Halloween houses swap and these beads were a hostess gift. I have now added them to my Halloween altered book. What a fitting decoration for this holiday.


I had to laugh at my desire to combine these two holidays after seeing pumpkins on the Christmas tree at a local store last week (see yesterday's post). At least I'm early for winter and Christmas!


It's now a new Tuesday morning and seven days of tea drinking have passed. It is very early and I'm up before the chickens and the sun, ready to drink my final cup of tea for the week, or my first cup for the day, if you prefer. Look at all those tea bags. I accumulated them for an entire week because I wanted as many unique bags as I could find and use. Now that these bags are dry, did I use up my excess supply of tea bags? Not even close! And I still have more loose leaf tea and tea bags than I will drink in a hundred years.


The spent bags actually look better in the harsh kitchen light than they do under early morning candles. You are probably asking WHY I did this and will I do it again. Yes, I will do this again at some time in the future because . . .



although it has taken me over an hour, here are the fruits of my labor. I now have empty and lovely tea bags, a bunch of tea labels, both for art, along with a few matching holders I have already put away. And the spent tea in front is going into my compost pile. Every little bit for art and nature!

Now please visit Kimmie for the rest of the Tea Tuesday links, because I'm sure there are at least a couple of shorter Tea Tuesday posts than mine this week.

19 thoughtful remarks:

Caterina Giglio said...

happy tea day... what a great post, catching us up on all your goings on! is it really that warm to make sun tea? wow! love the dried herbs, just cut the last of my italian parsley last night and made pesto... getting ready for the white season! xo

Dianne said...

A brilliant post! love the varieties of tea, locations and even lighting. The sage will be wonderful this winter in chicken soup or whatever. I used to have some growing in my yard and it was terrific. much more pungent and flavorful than what you buy in the store. can't wait to see what you do with the tea bags! hugs to you...

Halle said...

Fun post! So cool that you documented the days so well even though you've been busy!
I've been busy as well...and not feeling the best. The combo has taken me out of commission most days.

Jill said...

What a week! It was fun to travel along with you and now we'll watch for the tea projects!

Anonymous said...

Tea is good.

Yvonne said...

This was so fun to read. Loved every tea word!

Unknown said...

:)) i think my emails to you are going to spam - but i wanted you to know about the free live classes. they have no affiliation with facebook.

anyway. i'm jealous that you can dry your herbs hanging. our environment is too humid, so i have to dry them in the dehydrator <--- totally not the same. i miss a drier climate - sometimes.

also, i'm not sure if i have the exact same brand, but i also have a sugar plum tea that i really enjoy.
not sure why i think you'd want to know that :))
xxa

Lynn Cohen said...

That's a lot of tea drinking!!! Love the assortment of cups and dishes.

Dianne said...

I drink tea every day and still have an abundance of tea bags in my cupboard!

Julia Dunnit said...

Ha, great post Elizabeth! We use 5 everyday teabags and one earl grey tea bag every day between us Chez Dunnit. Only 1 teabag is mine - the 'end of the day' cuppa that Mr D and I have after work..ther est is all him. I'm a coffee gal. We don't have sophisticated tag bags though, just regular 'squash em with a spoon against the isde of the cup' bags!! I'm as interested in your cups and mugs as I am in your tea!!

Unknown said...

Fun post Elizabeth!! And the fruits of your week - helping friends, helping a kitty, enjoying life and making art - wonderful!!

Priti Lisa said...

Hi Elizabeth...what a great post! With the best ending ever:)
I wonder if you know that you won my bookmarker at the IA party...I thought I had your address, but...
If you could refresh my memory:)
Love, Lisa

voodoo vixen said...

I am laughing myself silly here... I could match your teabag usage for a week into a morning!! I get through a 240 box a week.... do you want me to save the bags??? LOL Love that you have the patience for all this and then composting the tea leaves too!!

Darla said...

What a week of tea you had. Now look at all the art supplies you have. Wonderful how that works out.

Darla

JoZart Designs said...

Great to read about your Tea Experience and also about all the English teas I've never even heard of. Sometimes when I'm in Germany I try their English teas and they taste nothing like we are used to here. Whilst I drink fruit and herbal teas I'll stick to my Yorkshire, PG, Tetleys etc., for every day basic cuppas.
Tea leaves makes an excellent dye and unlike coffee, it doesn't smell!
Hope you and Bleubeard are both well... have been thinking of you.

Lunch Lady Jan said...

Are you sure you haven't got some English blood coursing through your veins - you've drunk enough tea to qualify, lol!!
We do have a lot of rivers running through our villages. It stems from the fact that the Bronze and iron Age folk created settlements on or very near rivers as they were sacred as well as useful. I live near the Wiltshire River Avon which flows southwards to Stonehenge, that played a huge part in the ceremonies of the site. We also have chalk streams that only rise in the autumn when the water table is high enough - one example nearby is the wonderfully named River Og!!
Hope you're ok,
LLJ xx

Angie said...

That was an intersting post ...reading about all the different teas you consumed ... I am boring ...I just enjoy the odd cup of basic everyday tea ...alittle milk but no sugar ...always drunk hot but not scaulding like my Mum did.My late husband loved Raspberry herb tea ...three bags in the mug ...as a late night drink ...it helped his Angina.

Sujay said...

Well done carry on.

~*~Patty S said...

Have to giggle at how tea bags seem to have magnetism to more tea bags...
I have the same thing going on here...
my tea cupboard is crammed with tea treats

I keep meaning to do a post about my emptied tea bags...it's been on the back burner for more than a month...maybe next T Tuesday :)

forgive me for replying here to lots of your newsy posts...
catching up with you is no small task ;)...a fun one though with your rusty goodness post...
autumn sun T...
altered cutlery...
restaurant tours on your eat about week LOL...the Lebanese veggie offerings did make me hungry

I need to go play...you always inspire me E!
oxo