Food/Drink

Going Bananas, With Cocoa

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I was feeling a bit of a lighter chocolaty mood tonight, which gave me the perfect opportunity to try the “Chocolate Monkey” tea I ordered recently from The Amazing Zon. Years ago I fell in love with a chocolate banana tea made by Republic of Tea, and when I finally made it down to my last bag of the stuff I wanted to see if there was a worthwhile replacement. It tastes pretty much the same, although a bit bolder because of it being a loose leaf tea instead of bagged. I’ve only had it straight so far, but I’m sure it would taste good with a splash of milk. It already tastes sweet enough on its own, so you don’t need to add much sweetner, if at all. It’s a healthy way to get that cocoa fix, and they say cocoa can help with depression, and it’s been really fucking depressing lately. So it’s good to drink something that can help AND not give you diabeetus. :v

Tea Time All The Time

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I spent my final day of peace doing a little online shopping, animating (more on that tomorrow!), and trying some of the teas I ordered! I recently purchased a raspberry mojito and a mango strawberry tea. Both equally delicious. I’m even planning ahead and brewing some royal milk tea for some after work boba tea tomorrow! Then of course I also have a couple pints ginger peach tea for my work commute tomorrow… There was a lot of tea today. I’m drinking the raspberry mojito one right now, it’s an herbal tea — it offers a nice, refreshing tropical taste on a nice summer evening. It’s looking like it’ll be another one of those tomorrow, good thing I have plans to stay hydrated! 😛

Evening Open Thread

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I’ve been binge drinking decaf white raspberry chocolate tea all evening, enjoying every warming droplet all the way down to the last bit. I mixed a cherry pistachio puerh for work and wanted something to counteract the caffeine. It tastes good with or without milk and sugar! I’ve been guzzling it without, cuz hydration.

We had some nice weather today. It would have been perfect for trying my boba tea giftset! But by the time it would have cooled down and have been ready to drink it would have been later enough in the day to keep me awake. I’ll have to see if I can predict the weather in advance and do a preemptive brew for the next day. On the bright side I have been cleaning out a good chunk of my tea collection, which is good because I have a few new teas on the way! Along with some specialty cocoas since the cold snaps still haven’t been letting up, especially at night.

Open Thread!

Cherry Blossoms On The Brain

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One of my fave blogs to read is SoraNews24 when I want to read about all things Japan. Lately, they’ve been filling my RSS feed with tantalizing images of cherry blossom inspired beverages and desserts, usually from their Starbucks. They are very inspirational to look at, especially during the gray winter. I even had to treat myself after work today to a homemade Sakura Latte! With whipped cream even! I also have some cherry blossom syrup for teas, and for sakura sake. I might consider making a cherry blossom themed food substance over the weekend.

The Watermelon Diaries: Syrup Edition

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It isn’t very often that I sweeten my tea (unless it’s a chai, or I’m sick and need a honey boost), but today I made an exception and had a little of this with some green tea. It’s like drinking sweet, sweet nectar. It was love at first sip this morning, when I added it to some mango black tea for some sweetness.

Just glancing at their website I can see they have some interesting recipes I wouldn’t mind trying in the not too distant future. I’m also trying to think of other teas that it could pair with. It can make an already refreshing tea even moreso with that alluring watermelon taste!

(This isn’t paid advertising btw… I just really love watermelon.)

Lazy Bibimbap Quinoa Breakfast Bowl

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I tried my hand at making a Bibimbap Quinoa Breakfast Bowl over the weekend a few things I had lying around, and it turned out to my liking! Bibimbap is a Korean food, usually consisting of seasoned vegetables over rice, and is usually topped with a fried egg and slices of meat (usually beef) and served with a Korean pepper or soy sauce. The best part about these bowls is how easy it is to make them. I used a couple cups of broth for the quinoa, and then I took an assortment of vegetables and put them in a bamboo steamer until they were tender (about 8 or 10 minutes). Then I assembled the platter of quinoa and veggies, topped it with a fried egg and drizzled some Bibimbap sauce. Fortunately I made enough to last me through half the work week! I have a few microwavable bowls that happen to be perfect for this kind of breakfast! I made a Puerh Chai to go along with it tomorrow — I’ll need all of the energy I can get.

Why Yes, Exotic Beer Is A Thing

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The Koreans have found a way to improve beer.

I was going through my RSS feed, as I typically do throughout the day just to see what’s on the up and up — and I found a couple interesting articles over at SoraNews64, a blog where I get my fix for all things Japan and Asia! I stumbled upon this post from 2015 in the related, and never have I have I been overwhelmed with an equal amount of disgust, and intrigue at the same time… that was until I saw the Watermelon one and went “fuck me”. That one is probably the most likely beverage out of all of them that I’d be willing to drink, and the grapefruit one might even be a close second; but the cream and cotton candy ones both delight my eyes and make me puke in my mouth all at the same time.

Maybe I would like some of them though? I mean, most people think I’m insane for liking Kimchi…

Apple Cider + Chai = Autumn

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I’ve been continuing to plow through my tea collection, and I managed to polish off the last bit of red chai from Republic Of Tea, which if you haven’t tried it is a really nice blend of Rooibos and spices you would typically find in a chai. I still have quite a bit of cider leftover from the weekend, and decided to drink half red chai and half cider. Drinking equal parts cider and red chai is just instant autumn for me; the spices you would find in a chai are used throughout the season, and apples are also a must. I have half of my chai puerh leftover from work this morning… I might add cider to it tomorrow, assuming a little milk doesn’t seem more tempting to my weak morning stomach.

Autumn Oatmeal: Apples & Cinnamon

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It’s been awhile since I’ve wanted to make any oatmeal, and with the weather getting cooler it only makes sense to make something warm to enjoy in the morning. If you want to make this yourself you can use:

  • 1 scoop of oatmeal
  • 1 and a half cups of Apple Juice or Cider
  • 1/4 cup of pecans
  • 1/2 cup of diced apples
  • 1/2 tsp of fresh grated ginger
  • 1 tbsp of brown sugar
  • a handful of dried cranberries (optional)
  • a dash of cinnamon

It makes about two bowls. Cooking the oatmeal in the apple juice really gives it an extra flavour boost!