Lilac Teapot

For Christmas both Jacci and Nadine gave me gift certificates to Gong Fu Tea.  My friends and family know what I like.  I hung on to both of them until after my birthday.  I have really been wanting this little lilac Beehouse Teapot.  I don't need a new teapot, and I spend a lot on tea every month, so I was debating whether I should use the gift certificates just to replenish my tea supply.  I decided it was a gift, so I don't have to be practical.  I went shopping on Saturday and got the new tea pot and three of my favorite teas.

Tea Shopping

Friday was my day for running errands, the most important of which was Tea Shopping.  So I made a trip to the East Village to Gong Fu Tea Shop.  I was out of some of my most favorite teas, Constant Companion, Le Tour de France, Red Fruit Melange, which is excellent iced, and Garden Grove.  I try to make myself drink the ones I don't like as much, but I never want to.

Day 7/366: Tea Run

After being home for a week and a half, and having Lisa, Colin, and Michael home, who also drink tea, it was time to make a tea run.  Jacci met me at Gong Fu.  It was incredibly busy, and we were lucky to have a table.  This time I picked up Constant Companion, Absolute Almond, and Le Tour de France.  Now I can face the week.

Photo #284/365: Tea Shopping

As the temperature gets cooler, I drink more and more tea, so it was time for another trip to Gong Fu Tea to stock up.  These are three of my favorite flavors.  I love going to Gong Fu, but it's always tempting to pick up the tea tins, fancy cups and tea pots as well as more tea.  Today I bought just tea.

Photo #84/365: Blooming Jasmine Tea

Yesterday was my sister's birthday. Tonight we got together after work at Gong Fu tea. She decided to order Blooming Jasmine, which is a white tea, and it was described as a "Presentation Tea" in their list of teas. It was pretty cool watching the blossom open up as it steeped, to reveal the Jasmine flower inside.

Photo #261: Tea Party

It was time to get my tea supply ready to take to school. Having my favorite teas to sip, helps me get the school day off to a good start. Gong Fu is the best place to go in Des Moines for a great selection of quality tea, so Jacci and I met there this afternoon. This is another of our common interests. We both really love tea, but we each have our own favorites.

There are so many teas to choose from, but I'm pretty picky about the ones I like. My favorite flavors from Gong Fu are Absolute Almond and Constant Companion. Both are black teas. Absolute Almond has a strong aroma and taste of almond, and I am very fond of almond. The Constant Companion is a great black tea, somewhat reminiscent of Earl Gray, with a great orangey citrus fragrance and taste. Since we stayed for a pot of tea, I tried a new one, Black Mango. I often drink the Mango Black iced tea when I go to Caribou Coffee, so I hoped this would have a similar taste, and it does. I added two ounces of the the Black Mango tea to my purchases.

If I just stuck to buying tea, I would probably be okay, but I like the paraphernalia that goes with tea. I like the cups, the tea pots, measuring spoons, and today I picked up a decorative storage tin. After spending an hour and a half visiting and sipping tea, we both gathered up our treasures and headed for home. All that qualifies today as a great Saturday afternoon.