This morning, I enjoyed what the British refer to as a Full English Breakfast—and let me assure you, when the word full is involved, it is not to be taken lightly.

A proper Full English is not merely a meal. It is a declaration and a culinary assurance that one shall face the day fortified, steady, and entirely unflappable.

And of course, presiding over this noble affair was a perfectly brewed cup of English Breakfast tea—bold, brisk, and unwaveringly reliable, from Twinings.

Traditionally, a Full English breakfast is an ensemble cast:

Eggs, cooked with intention.
Toast, unapologetically present.
Bacon or sausage, depending on one’s household and moral philosophy.
And sometimes mushrooms or tomatoes, included to maintain balance and a sense of virtue.

It is a breakfast designed not for haste, but for fortitude. One does not rush a Full English. One sits with it and reflects upon the day ahead, while nodding approvingly at the tea.

English Breakfast Tea is the cornerstone of thi...

Dear Gentle Reader, yes, you caught me. There are two tea stories today. Yesterday had its way with me, picking me up and saying time is going out the window today and you will do as we please. So I was unable to send the Christmas tea article off until this morning. I hope you enjoyed it all the same. And now, I'm going to have my fun with 'Time" and write a story for it today...

Today’s tea unfolded less like a beverage… and more like a story.

Because as I sipped my cup of Chai tea with cinnamon, something became abundantly clear to me: these are not ordinary spices.

Chai and Cinnamon are astral time travelers.

Stay with me. haha

Chai is the seasoned one — ancient, layered, worldly. He has walked through empires, caravans, temples, and kitchens across centuries. He knows stories. He has opinions. He carries cardamom wisdom in his pockets and understands the long arc of human ritual.

Cinnamon, on the other hand, is fiery, bold, mischievous, and always slightly ahead of the cur...

A Cup Filled With Ancestral Winter Magic

Today’s tea came with a built-in soundtrack. The moment I opened the packet—“Christmas Tree” from Whittard—I could practically hear a German choir humming in the background.

The blend is a festive trio of citrus, clove, and vanilla, and from the very first inhale, it felt like stepping into the heart of an old-world Christmas market—warm, spiced, fragrant, glowing with traditions older than the ornaments on our modern trees.

And that’s fitting, because Germany is the birthplace of the Christmas tree tradition as we know it today. Long before twinkling lights and shiny baubles, evergreen trees were brought indoors as symbols of life in the dead of winter—reminders that even during the darkest months, the spirit remains evergreen.

So sipping this tea today felt beautifully ancestral… as if I’d been invited into a candlelit wood cottage somewhere in the Black Forest, with snow falling softly outside and a warm mug placed into my hands by...

Today’s tea transported me farther than any cup has so far.

I opened the packet and instantly felt the whisper of another world — Marrakech Mint Green Tea, fragrant with a Moroccan blend of bright mint and earthy green tea. One inhale and I wasn’t in my kitchen anymore. I was in a sun-warmed courtyard in Marrakech, tile mosaics glittering, the air fragrant with mint, citrus, spices, and that timeless hum of a city that has lived a thousand lives. All this and I hadn't even made the tea yet, I was still just sniffing the bag!

This tea has allure — the kind that makes you pause and inhale again just to be sure you didn’t imagine it. It wound its away around me, whispering to me that I should redecorate my home in blues, purples, golds and green jewel tones, with luxurious carpets, while wearing silks... I found myself looking at my dishes, wondering if I could break them into small pieces to make into some type of mosaic art.  Dear Reader, I had entered into the experience fully and ...

Today’s tea journey took a swift turn and led me straight into uncharted waters—quite literally.

My tea of the day was simply labeled “Rooibos.” There was no description. No poetic promises of flavor or origin. No charming little backstory about ancient traditions or hand-picked leaves from a far-off hillside.

Just… rooibos.

And I realized, I had never actually tried rooibos before. I had never even heard of rooibos before and had no idea what type of plant it was. 

So Dear Reader, there I was in my kitchen, holding this mysterious tea bag like an unopened treasure map, thinking: “Well then. Today we leap.”

After brewing the tea, I timidly held the cup up to take a sniff, before stepping boldly into what I now call my tea-based adventuring phase of life — or, for short, TBA, which makes it sound very official.

On my new exploratory journey, as a tea-totaling sommelier in training, (TTST) in the school of (TBA), the first thing I noticed was that from the moment it began steep...

Today feels like the first "real" Monday of the year. Yes, most of us returned back to work last Monday, but were we really there? As in present, awake, on task, ready to take on the world? My answer for many of us is, I don't think so, lol. We might have been present in body, but not entirely yet in mind and spirit.

So today feels like the OG Monday of the year. I awoke with all of these thoughts and feelings this morning and knew whatever tea I chose would need to be a cup of pure, unhurried gentleness.

Tuning in to see what that selection should be, I intuitively chose Bigelow Cozy Chamomile, and from the moment the tea bag hit the water, I felt my entire system say, “Oh… yes. This. Exactly this.”

Many people would go the opposite route. Hitting Monday hard with the strongest coffee they could find and pounding it hard to get their blood racing and their physical selves going. Gentle reader, I've found that this approach doesn't work for me energetically or physically for my ...

There is something deeply satisfying about drinking English Breakfast tea on a Sunday morning — especially when you decide, without hesitation, that today you shall be a proper British lady.

My cup brewed with ceremony: steaming hot water, a lovely steep, a gentle swirl… and—because life is generous—a fresh blueberry muffin sitting cheerfully beside me as today’s scone substitute.

Is it traditional?
No. My muffin is not on proper china and the tea cup itself is not a traditional size.
Is it delicious?
Absolutely and an easy pease clean up.

And if anyone asks, it’s a “rustic country scone,” thank you very much.

This morning felt like stepping into a gentler timeline where I leisurely read the paper (or rather, scrolled on my phone with great dignity), and where I might have said things like, “Shall we take tea in the drawing room?” while fully aware I do not have a drawing room.

But that is the charm of English Breakfast — it invites a bit of fantasy, a bit of dignity, a bit of r...

Today’s tea experience was the first one where I thought, great tea but I'm meeting him at the wrong time.

I chose Twinings Peach & Orange, a blend filled with white hibiscus, rosehips, roasted chicory root, and baobab.

Peach, in particular, brings a very specific emotional energy. It's soft, playful, and comforting, but also carries a quiet promise of sweetness and hope. Peach doesn’t demand attention or push. Peach lifts your chin gently and like a sweet southern gentlemen, says: “Darling, life can be sweet again.”

Peach always knows what to say and his presence brings ease, softness, and a sense of uncomplicated fun.

Peach energy invites optimism, a sense that “things will work out ", along with the feeling of warm sunlight on your skin, It reminds me of my younger years and all the fun times I had. 

Peach is emotional nectar. And dear reader, doesn't he sound absolutely amazing?

The thing is, I think this tea is meant to be savored in the summer time and perhaps best serv...

At the beginning of this journey, Tea and I agreed to see each other on a daily basis. Now here at Day 9, it feels like a budding romance. 

Gentle readers, dare I say, I may be falling for Tea in a big way. Time will tell, but his powers of seduction have proven to have me under his spell thus far. 

This morning once I was roused from bed and took my first sip, it felt like falling straight into a winter storybook.

The tea of the day is Snow Day from Asheville Tea Company — a blend of cacao nibs, peppermint, marshmallow root, and marshmallow leaf. And from the very first sip, I understood exactly why they named it that.

This tea tastes like hot chocolate that went on vacation to visit a peppermint forest, where it camped out all night amongst the snowflakes and falling stars. It gives cozy vibes and a bit of comfort wrapped in a tin of whimsy — winter magic in a mug.

The moment the steam rose, the aroma felt like sweet memories mingling with new-found wisdom: a bit nostalgic a...

Today’s cup brought a different kind of enliglhtenment.

After the lively duo that was Lemon & Ginger yesterday, today’s blend whispered to me with a much gentler voice. This morning’s tea was Abend-Tee, an organic herbal spice blend in a cool pyramid shape from Creano.

“Abend” means evening in German, and while I drank it in the morning, the energy was unmistakably a sunset — the soft exhale after a long day, the glow after the heat, the quiet gathering of oneself.

This tea welcomed me into its space, like stepping into a lamplit room after being outdoors in winter and hearing a soft voice say, “You’re home now.”

It took me a moment to connect with this tea as it wasn't as strong as the others I had tried. Then I realized what was different, it wasn't the tea, it was the new mug that I was using. 

I decided yesterday to enhance my journey, by trying tea in different types of mugs and cups. Up until today, I had been using the same cup each day. I purchased some new cups to try...