fortune telling

What soggy wisdom lies at the bottom of your cup?  Check out Madame Z's cyber Victorian-style reading of the tea leaves and dictionary of symbols here.

Pictured:  Tea Leaves (William McGregor Paxton, 1909)

the lime in winter

While most of the world around you is sniffling and snuffling with winter colds and sipping hot beverages, why not mentally travel elsewhere (like an island paradise) via a hot steamy shower and a glass of the following limey iced green tea?  (Coconut oil lotion and sounds of the rainforest and/or tropical beach waves CD backdrop highly encouraged.)

1 large glass full of ice
1 cup strongly steeped green tea
1 tablespoon raw sugar or 1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 
lime wedge

Add lime juice to the green tea and stir.  Pour over ice and garnish with lime wedge; sweeten with raw sugar or honey to taste.

how do I love thee...let me count the tea leaves

Harney & Sons Valentine's Tea weds black tea, chocolate and rose flavors into a blend that I personally like quite a bit, though I have seen a similar reaction noted by one of the reviewers on the Harney website, i.e., that it seems to be a tea which you'll either love or not love at all.  A simple thing to keep in mind, however, is that the blend includes rose petals, so if you are averse to rosebuds or flowery notes in your cup, this is not the tea for you.  Otherwise you'll most likely find it very special and Valentine romantic -- not just on February 14th, but perhaps even all year round.

(Pictured:  Psyche -- William Adolphe Bouguereau)