Tea Sake RTD (Ready to Drink)

Green tea one on the right

Heck Yes!  A green tea flavored sake bottled drink by Sake2Me.  I discovered this beverage while on the Big Island of Hawaii at a rather interesting little liquor store with an amazing selection.  After trying it, I love it!  It is an unexpected first flavor that kind of has a grittiness to it, but it can be a beautiful symphony for those who love green tea, sake, and a nice cold rice-wine cooler.  It was a bit pricey, but everything is pricey in Hawaii so I may not have a fair mainland grasp on the prices over here in CA.  Check it out… www.sake2me.com

Tea of the Day – Ginseng Oolong

Little nuggets of joy, ginseng oolong

Today’s cuppa is Ginseng Oolong, and I was curious as to the manufacture of it.    Ginseng Oolong tea is made by dusting the loosely wound tea leaves with the powdered form of ginseng.

Ginseng was considered the “cure-all” in ancient China and other Asian countries.  I would compare it as the predecessor to Windex (RE: My Big Fat Greek Wedding).  It was and still is used as an aid in digestion, to fight fatigue, to reduce stress,  to serve as an aphrodisiac (bow-shikka-bow-wow), among many other uses.  Seems like it is a perfect symphony for tea.

Oolong tea is just a fabulous tea in general.  Known for its floral and sometimes milky flavor, Oolong is a very unique tea due to its varying levels of oxidation all within a single leaf.  It is an incredible tea for multiple steepings, and the flavor is known to develop and/or change with each new pot.  Oolong is famously known as a diet/slimming tea, but I would consider that all tea in general contributes to a healthy diet and lifestyle.  Therefore, drink all forms of tea and lots of it.  🙂

To Brew:  Let boiled water rest for a several minutes (or if you are fussy, don’t let it boil at all).  Steep first batch for about 3-4 minutes, but I always recommend steeping to your personal taste preferences.  Enjoy… Resteep tea many times!  It is a good one to keep you calm and focused through your entire productive day.  Cheerio!

A Moment for Beauty

I’m sitting here drinking a cup of Ginseng Oolong (Courtesy of my brother from his trip to China), and I thought it would be appropriate to reflect on an instance of gratitude for that which is beautiful in the world.

I did one of my favorite things in the world today!  Bulk bin shopping at Rainbow grocery with my gal pal Chelsea!!!  Today my focus was gathering every color of the rainbow in lentil beans.  It is absolutely wondrous that there is so much variety in a simple bean, and I took this photo to showcase that beauty.  It may be silly that I write about beans, but to me that is one more instance for beauty in this world.  One more thing, if you haven’t dipped your hand into a bin of beans (of course after washing it), you haven’t lived.

The fruits of my bulk bin trip today