Blog Archives
The Corner of Knit & Tea: Episode 143, And then there were prizes.
Welcome to episode 143! Today’s a fun one because I announce prize winners for the Sock-a-long and get started on Tour de Fleece! Some socks and other wips to show, and lots of prizes.
Please come and join the Ravelry group.
You can also find me on Ravelry as Fluffyk, Twitter, Instagram as Fluffykira, and in my shop The Corner of Knit & Tea.
Tea:
Knitting:
- Finished: Mercury Socks by Kim Drotar, hand-dyed yarn from a swap partner
- In progress: Vanilla socks, On the Round Everyday Fingering in After the Storm
- In progress: Vanilla Socks, Knit Picks Felici in Fanciful
- In progress: Camp Loopy Project #2: Playful Stripes by Alana Dakos, Cascade 220 Superwash Sport in Alaskan Sky and The Sanguine Gryphon Bugga in The Very Quiet Cricket
Spinning:
- Finished: Falkland in Bomb Pop, dyed by me
- In progress: Hello Yarn BFL in New Summer
Extras:
- The Sock-a-long has finished! I announced prize winners on this episode and posted them in the FO thread in the group.
- I am once again hosting Team CKT for Tour de Fleece 2017. Come spin with us from July 1 – July 23 in celebration of the Tour de France. More details in the group thread.
The Corner of Knit & Tea: Episode 112, Happy Thanksgiving!
Welcome to episode 112! This was a pretty crafty week. I finished the gifts I needed to, made good progress on my NaKniSweMo sweater and even finished a spin.
Please come and join the Ravelry group.
You can also find me on Ravelry as Fluffyk, Twitter, Instagram as Fluffykira, and in my shop The Corner of Knit & Tea.
Tea:
- New Mexico Tea Company, Organic Vanilla Chai
- The Knitting Circle teacup by potter Anna Wright
Knitting:
- Finished: Vanilla hat in Martin’s Lab Bounce in Applejack
- Finished: Antler Mittens by Tin Can Knits, in Knit Picks Swish Brights in Pucker
- Finished: Antler Hat by Tin Can Knits, in Lion Brand Heartland in Olympic
- In progress: Lady Marple by Nadia Cretin-Lechenne, Spirit Trail Fiberworks Zalti in Hydrangea Blue
- In progress: Wheat by Tin Can Knits, Louet Gems Worsted in Peacock
Spinning:
- Finished: Hello Yarn Shetland/Silk in Peak Color
Extras
- The Gift-a-long is back! Knit something for someone else (Christmas gift or otherwise) between November 1st and December 31st and enter it in the FO thread to potentially win prizes. Why not have a chance at prizes for something you’re doing anyway? WIPs count if you do at least some amount of work on them in the time frame specified (sorry just weaving in ends or sewing on buttons doesn’t count!). Check out the Ravelry group for details!
Drink Me: Adagio, Spiced Apple Chai
When I ordered from Adagio a few weeks ago, I decided to try some of their Spiced Apple Chai. If you’ve been reading for a while, you know how I love a good spicy tea around the holidays.
From the package, Spiced Apple Chai contains black tea, cinnamon bark, ginger root, cardamom, orange peels, cloves, and apple pieces.
Spiced Apple Chai is available in a variety of sizes: sample for $3.00, 3oz for $8.00 and 16oz for $24.00.
When I opened the package I smelled both the sweet apple and the savory spices. I love a good spiced tea so I had high hopes. The tea itself tasted wonderful – lots of apple cider-like taste, with a heady kick of spices. I will definitely be adding this to my rotation. It’s a perfect blend of tea, fruit and holiday spice!
Drink Me: Crafters & Co.
Earlier this week my friend Ana gave me two containers of “new to us” tea that she purchased at Hallmark. The Crafters & Co tea is available exclusively from Hallmark Gold Crown and produced by a local Kansas City company, the Hugo Tea Company.
Ana gave me two flavors: Warm Wishes, an organic Cinnamon Black Tea and Mindful Moment, an organic Vanilla Chai.
Warm Wishes contains black tea, organic cinnamon and organic zante currants. It is available in a tin as tea bags or loose leaf for $12.95.
Mindful Moment contains black tea, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, black pepper and natural vanilla flavor. It is available in a tin as tea bags or loose leaf for $12.95.
Warm Wishes smelled amazing in the package, like spicy cinnamon. The tea itself was good, but I got far less of the cinnamon flavor than I expected to. It was still a good warm cup of tea for a chilly day.
Mindful Moment was delicious, both the smell and the taste. It had a touch of vanilla as well as a touch of chai spice. It was smooth and delightful for an afternoon pick me up.
Drink Me: Teavana, Oprah Chai
Last year for my birthday I received a gift card to Teavana from a generous co-worker. I’d been sitting on it for a while, trying to decide what to order. A few weeks ago I got an email advertising a sale on quite a few teas so I decided to bite the bullet and order some. On the list of things I wanted to try was the world famous Oprah Chai.
Oprah Chai contains cinnamon, black tea, ginger, carob pieces, pepper, chicory root, red rooibos, cloves and cardamom. It is available in 2oz increments for $14.98.
When I first opened the package I was blown away by the chicory root and all the intense aromas. While brewing however, I could smell each more distinctly. I didn’t add honey or milk to mine, but I have to admit it was a nice strong chai with a good full spicy flavor. I’m sometimes skeptical of products that carry celebrity names, but this was a good tea and I would definitely buy it again.
I’ve been thinking of taste testing to find the best chai, much like I did for Earl Grey a while ago. Stay tuned for that in the coming months!
Drink Me: Shang Tea, Chai Matcha
As I posted a few weeks ago, late in the fall I got to go over to Shang Tea and I was enchanted with the tea shop. While we were there the staff was so kind and gave us all kinds of tea to sample. One of these was the Chai Matcha.
The spices are ground right in the shop, and don’t taste exactly like what I traditionally think of as Chai. In this blend I really taste the ginger and the star anise. While we were in the shop we actually got to try two versions. The first was mixed with honey and whole milk from Shatto, a local dairy. It was sweet and rich and amazing. The second was just mixed with a bit of honey, but no milk. It was fragrant and very clean and light tasting – I can see myself drinking a lot of it.
Chai Matcha is available from Shang Tea for $12 per ounce.
Drink Me: David’s Tea, Pumpkin Chai
Since it’s now officially fall, I’m ready to start ordering and drinking fall and holiday teas! I recently placed an order with David’s Tea and today I’m sampling one of their new fall offerings, Pumpkin Chai.
From the label, Pumpkin Chai contains black tea, cinnamon, cloves, caramel, carrot, lemon peel. pumpkin candies, and other flavors.
It is available in the following sizes: 2oz for $8.50, 4oz for $17.00, 8oz for $34.00, and 1lb for $61.20.
When I first opened the package I could smell the cinnamon and cloves. As it brewed I just got more of the spicy aroma. The tea itself was a smooth chai, not as spicy as I had hoped for, but sweet with the caramel and pumpkin candies. Overall it wasn’t my favorite chai that I have sampled, but it was a fun seasonal brew that I’ll enjoy drinking.
Drink Me: Tea Emporium, Chocolate Chai
The final selection from Tea Emporium that I was tempted by was the Chocolate Chai. I misunderstood and thought this would be a tea when in fact it really is more of a spiced cocoa.
From the website this contains Valrohna cocoa, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and cloves.
It is available in 2oz increments for $7.38.
This wasn’t what I was expecting, but when I opened the package and smelled the mix I got cocoa and wonderful chai spices. The instructions suggest adding 1 teaspoon of the mix to 1 cup of water or milk. I used water because I was at work, but I think this would be amazing in milk. I didn’t add sugar to this, but it wasn’t sweet – it was more of a bitter dark chocolate with rich spices. I think I’d serve it as a dessert drink – I’m planning on saving it for the fall weather and warming up a mug!
Drink Me: Harney & Sons, Chai
A few weeks ago I placed an order for a whole mess of samples from Harney & Sons. I’m excited to try them and share them with you. The first one I decided to try was their Chai.
From the site, the blend contains Indian Black Tea, cardamom seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and vanilla.
It’s available in a variety of sizes: sample for $2.00, 4oz for $7.00, 8oz for $12.50, and 1lb for $20.50.
When I first opened the package I smelled the delicious spices. Once brewed, I got more of the strong black tea smell. I decided to drink my chai with a little milk and honey. This wasn’t a super sweet chai, but was very smooth and the spices mild. It was a delicious afternoon treat.
Drink Me: Upton Tea, Masala Chai
A few weeks ago, on Ravelry, I was part of an interesting discussion about Masala Chai. This discuss was primarily about how Americans refer to chai as chai tea. But the Hindi word for tea is chai, which makes the American version redundant. The correct name for the spiced tea that we Americans refer to as “chai tea” is actually masala chai.
After having this discussion so recently, when I placed my order at Upton Tea, I decided to try the Masala Chai.
From the packaging, this blend contains black tea, cinnamon, ginger, cardamon and cloves. The site also suggests adding milk and honey for full flavor.
When I first opened the bag, all I could smell was cardamom and cloves. I thought it was really interesting that the ginger is thrown in looking like puffs of tumbleweed. The smell was still spicy. I have to say that I was a little disappointed in the taste. It was good, but it was primarily black tea and I think I wanted a bit more of a spicy bite to it. I’m definitely going to experiment with milk and honey, and maybe brewing up a bit stronger batch. I will say that the masala chai definitely puts me in a fall mood. Bring on the chill!
