DESSERTS

Starbucks does have a gluten free dessert option. It’s called Valencia orange cake. This delicious gluten free cake has a moist, delicate, tender texture. It is a refreshingly light cake with blends of almonds and premium Valencia oranges. All of its ingredients include whole eggs, almond, sugar, Valencia orange pulp, orange oil, and baking powder.

COFFEE

The caffe latte is the original coffeehouse classic. Part of its appeal is the simplicity. A caffè latte is made up of one or two shots of bold, tasty espresso with fresh, sweet steamed milk over it. Some even like to add syrup or extra espresso to the recipe.

Frappaccino is coffee with a flavors powder, blended with milk and ice. Then it is topped with sweetened whipped cream. Very refreshing amd cooling during a hot summer time evening.

TEA

Tazo teas are available brewed or iced. One sip and you’ll find it to be extremely flavorful. Their premium black tea gets a snappy little splash of citrus and is shaken, not stirred, with ice.

NEIGHBORHOOD

So don’t forget to stop into on of your communities local Starbucks coffee house. It even has wi-fi service, so sit down, sip your beverage, and bite into a slice of cake.

Twinings Tea. Photo courtesy of vanceming

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Twinings.

About Twinings

Since 1706, creating the perfect balance of flavor, taste, and aroma has been this company’s pride! During all these years, Twinings has introduced new tea trends and has helped millions of tea lovers find their favorite blend! It has brought families together and witnessed new family traditions.

Blends & Flavors

Twinings teas come in a variety of choices. Here are 10 of the most popular ones in no order whatsoever:

1. Earl Grey
2. Green & Camomile
3. Green Tea
4. Ultra Spice Chai
5. English Breakfast
6. Lemon Twist
7. Mixed Berry
8. Peppermint Organic
9. Irish Breakfast
10. French Vanilla Black Chai

Some flavors are available in decaf as well. Twinings teas come loose, in tea bags and K-cups (for Keurig Brewers). For a complete list of their blends, flavors and other products, please visit their website or the Twinings store on Amazon.

A Few Tips

• For a milder  flavor, shorten the brewing time and for a stronger flavor, increase the brewing time.
• You have the option of course, to add sugar and milk, but with these teas there are other choices. If you add lemon or orange juice to a cup of chamomile tea the flavor will be enhanced. Apple, cherry, grape, or even pomegranate juice compliments most of Twinings teas. Lastly, the alternative to regular milk can be rice, almond, or even soy. These three “mock milks” go perfectly with the English breakfast.
• Keep your Twinings teas in an airtight container; this way they stay fresh for up to 3 years!

What Else Should I Know About Twinings?

• Twinings teas are gluten free and are certified Kosher.
• When served on its own, Twinings teas contain no fat and have no calories (unless you add milk, honey, sugar, etc).

Where to find Twinings

You can find Twinings teas all over the world! In the U.S. you’ll most likely find them at Whole Foods Market, Safeway, Costco, Stop & Shop, Barnes & Nobles cafe, and practically any vegan cafe or grocery store. If you cannot find Twinings at your local store, you can always visit their online store or the Twinings store on Amazon.

You can also find Twinings on Facebook!

Now, most individuals enjoy a good cup of Joe, Java, espresso,  cappuccino latte, etc…but never forget a simple cup of soothing tea. These teas are absolutely heavenly to wake up to and simultaneously, are extremely relaxing before bedtime. Try Twinings for yourself!

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Cheyenne Black

I was browsing the net the other day and I found this tea company called Sip-t. So I decided to feature them! Here is what I found out!

Sip-t Tea Co. is owned by a mother/daughter team who hand craft artisan teas out of the finest available organic and fair trade ingredients forming delectable, unique teas with a focus on quality, the environment, and their community.

Sip-T began from one recipe and now the pair boasts 15 unique and amazing teas that they hand produce in beautiful Bellingham, WA. Each tea begins with hand sourcing the ingredients, assuring each has only the finest in organic and fair trade components, and then is hand blended with an exacting recipe in a batch that never exceeds two pounds so as to bring every tea fresh to the hands of their loyal fans.

Sip-T is a Toward Zero Waste company, that is constantly seeking ways to reduce their impact and maximize their contribution to the community they love.

Sip-T Tea Company Announces New 99% Waste-Free Packaging!

Just one small staple – that’s the only thing in Sip-T Tea Company’s new packaging that can’t be composted. Cheyenne Black, co-owner with her daughter Kamea, noted that although the company’s original packaging was 100% recycled content, they are always striving to do better.

“Our new packaging is tree-free – it consists of hemp paper, a plant-based compostable cellophane, and a reusable cotton tea infuser, grown and sewn in the USA,” Black said. “Everything except the staple is biodegradable, compostable, and tree-free – and our customers get a reusable tea infuser, too!”

Sip-T is among the Sustainable Connections business members participating in the Toward Zero Waste Campaign. ” I think we’ve created something usable, and something that will provide real value to our customers,” Black added. “Reusability is where it’s at — you can’t get less waste than to reuse it and keep it out of the waste stream altogether. “When we first went into business, I had no idea how much of my time would be dedicated to packaging. It’s our image, it’s the feel in the hands of our customers at stake, and it’s the inherent usability of our product,” she explained. “It’s definitely more time-consuming to package this way, because there are many more steps involved, but we believe that tree-free and compostability are incredibly important. As with our original packaging, every unit is packaged by hand, so it’s a bit all-consuming for us on packaging days, but we are incredibly happy with this new stride forward!”

Kamea Black

The Bellingham-based, family-run company, founded in January 2009, handcrafts a range of Passionately Delicious Artisan Tea™ in micro batches of two pounds or less. “This means that our teas are always fresh and never stored for long periods of time,” she explained. “The leaves aren’t crushed or broken in the blending process, so the full flavor remains intact.”

Sip-T uses only certified organic and fair trade tea leaves, and additional ingredients are also certified organic, such as the mango, ginger, and lime in the Tiki Nui Mango Lime Island Tea. Sip-T is a green company, both in product and purchasing choices.

Where to find them:
Sip-T chai teas, black teas, caffeine-free teas, green teas, oolong tea, white teas, and rooibos “red teas” are sold at the Bellingham Farmers Market (both the Saturday market at Depot Market Square and the Wednesday market at the Fairhaven Village Green), and online at http://www.sip-t.com/. For Wholesale pricing call: (360) 220-8100

Tea sticks are designed to withhold tannic acids from a cup of coffee. This means that you can enjoy a stronger cup of tea without the bitterness that comes with oversteeping a teabag. The delicate flavor of teas is preserved in a tea stick because they are constructed not to collapse and compress when in contact with water. Tea leaves can uncurl and release their flavor and antioxidants without the taste being affected.

Pre-packaged tea sticks are made out of aluminum foil with perforations that allow your tea to escape into a cup of hot water. You place the stick into the water and stir. The water is forced through the perforations and the brewing of tea leaves begins. Remove the stick when the desired strength is achieved.

Another tea stick option is typically made out of stainless steel. For example, the Blomus tea stick is the latest in tea infusers to hit the market. This particular brand is a brushed-finish stainless-steel strainer with plastic insert that you fill yourself with tea leaves.

Brands of Tea Sticks

• Petit Tea
• Ticolino
• Gamila
• Teaworth
• Assamica

The Advantages of Tea Sticks

Tea sticks are easily portable. Toss a few in your purse, glove compartment or office desk, and all you have to do is add hot water.

Since you don’t need a whistling teakettle, strainer or stirrer to use a tea stick, fresh cups of tea are available at your fingertips anyway – at home, work, and when traveling.

From doing away with the soggy teabag to dripping tea from a strainer, tea sticks produce less mess.

The Disadvantages of Tea Sticks

Since tea sticks is a relatively new invention, the variety of flavors is limited. In order to enjoy a cup of your favorite blend, you might have to shop around different brands. In some cases, you may not find the flavor you seek.

photo courtesy of Sanctuary T Shop

Contest details: Until September 30th, Sanctuary T Shop will be hosting a tea-inspired recipe contest.

Prize: The winner will receive a $50 gift certificate to Sanctuary T Shop and have their winning recipe featured on the Shop’s site. The runner up will win a free bottle of T-Dust Seasoning and a 2oz tin of tea of their choice.

Full contest/submission details at: http://www.shopsanctuaryt.com/recipecontest

Good luck!