#tea source

Mugshot Monday - “Kaitenzushi (Conveyor Belt) Sushi Chef” tea cup by Yokohama Gifts with TeaSource Green Tea

What’s your favorite item at the sushi bar? I looooooove Ahi (tuna) sashimi.

I found this lovely tea cup at United Noodles grocery store in South Minneapolis on a recent trip and it makes me smile! Although I’ve never been to a Conveyor Belt Sushi bar before, it reminded me of when I was 18 and tried sushi for the first time.

I was in an exchange program through Youth For Understanding staying with a host family in Kobe, Japan. My family set out to shape my sushi experience by having me try as many different kinds of sushi as possible.

It’s all delicious over in Japan (except ONE which I’ll mention later), but I was a little worried about eating sashimi.

Sashimi is straight-up raw fish sliced into thin pieces. That’s it. 😳

Of course, some kinds of sushi have raw fish, too. But it also has rice which somehow made it seem more accessible to me.

The sashimi was just sitting on a plate in all its glory with NOTHING ELSE but soy sauce and some wasabi. I was a little freaked out to try it.

I took a deep breath and took a bite. And that was when I discovered that raw tuna is AMAZING. I could not eat enough of it.

The only sushi I will never eat again is Sea Urchin Egg Sushi. It tasted like the salty sand from a beach off the coast of North Carolina. OMG it was so bad. I’ll stick with the raw fish! 😂

I just found out Minneapolis now has it’s very own Conveyor Belt Sushi Bar! Sushi Train opened up on Nicollet Mall this summer -- anyone been there? Let’s go check it out!

It’d be nice to try some sashimi again -- it’s been a long time! Cheers!

Here’s a “mug-o-rama” panorama shot of the full artwork on the cup (SO AWESOME):

Mugshot Monday - “Don’t even THINK of putting coffee in here!” glass mug by TeaSource with their Earl Grey House Blend

Check out these awesome glass tea mugs! Love that sass.

I took today off of work to get some things done around town. One of my stops was TeaSource in Highland Park to stock up on my favorite teas:

Earl Grey White Tip

Evening In Missoula

Ginger Root

Montana Gold

Chai Spice Blend

I drink way more coffee than I do tea, but ever since I tried going without caffeine for 4 weeks I’ve really enjoyed the TeaSource herbal blends. I was intrigued by their “Chocolate Stout” tea online and wondered if I could get a sample size to brew at home before I bought a bag.

As fate would have it, the Chocolate Stout was their special of the day! Mary the barista poured me a sample and it was delicious. It’s very sweet, but has such a different vibe from the other herbal teas.

I opted to sit down and enjoy a pot of their Earl Grey house blend for my mugshot. The White Tip Earl Grey is one of my favorites, but I must say that this house blend may be even better. I’ll have to go back and buy some next time.

You can buy one of these mugs on TeaSource's website or they have them at their store.

Cheers!

Mugshot Monday - “Happy Face” mug with Twin Cities Blend by Peace Coffee

That smile on my face -- and on my mug -- is because I’m so happy to be drinking coffee again!

I went the last 5 weeks without coffee and the last 4 weeks without caffeine.

“Why the hell would you want to do that?” asked everyone I mentioned it to.

I’ve been fully caffeinated for the last 20+ years and wanted to see what it felt like to give my body a break from processing coffee beans and caffeine. Plus I was drinking 3 to 4 mugs of coffee every day which seemed like too much.

I was worried about sleep deprivation and not being able to function while going caffeine-free. I was dead wrong about that. Here are some things I noticed during the experiment:

I slept better. Not a surprise, but cool to confirm.

After week one of no caffeine, it was easier to wake up. I was more alert. I could not believe it! This. Did. Not. Make. Sense.

The “quitting caffeine” headaches are real. They only lasted 48 hours for me, but it felt like I was wearing a brick bandana on my head. I weaned myself: Went from 4 mugs per day to 1 mug per day for one week, and then green tea for one week before going totally caffeine-free. That worked great.

I enjoyed exploring new flavors of caffeine-free tea.

Montana Gold by Tea Source was my favorite morning tea. Something about the spicy cinnamon helped me start my mornings the best.

The Turmeric Ginger tea at Peace Coffee Shop was my favorite afternoon tea. Smooth and comforting, yet spicy.

Drinking booze the night before made me want coffee and caffeine more severely in the morning. So, I stopped drinking booze the night before.

By the final week, I was missing the taste of coffee more than the effects of caffeine.

I got a very familiar and satisfying feeling sipping hot caffeine-free drinks. I think it wasn’t just the caffeine I was craving, it was the ritual.

My conclusion is pretty damning: I thought I needed caffeine to stay awake and be alert, but I didn’t. In fact, I felt more alert for longer periods of time than when I was using caffeine, probably because I didn’t have the crashes.

ALSO: I AM FREAKING LIT UP on this one cup of coffee right now! 

It’s painfully obvious that I don’t need 4 mugs of coffee per day. I needed to get caffeine out of my system first to discover that. I fully intend to keep drinking delicious coffee in the future, but now I physically don’t need as much to get that morning kickstart if I want it.

Thanks to all my friends who convinced me NOT to quit caffeine cold turkey. Many of you warned me from your own personal experiences and I’m convinced I would have given up if my headaches had been more severe and lasted longer.

This was truly an eye opening experience. I’m so glad I did it.

Thanks to my friend Brian who lent me his super smiley happy face mug! Cheers!

Mugshot Monday - “Textured Pottery Cup” by The Casual Potter Sarah Wallen with Montana Gold tea by Tea Source

Today in Minneapolis: Summer. Is. Officially. Over.

It’s is the first day of school for our 3 boys. Back in the old days, Minneapolis schools started after Labor Day so the holiday served as a beautiful bookend to the summer. But not anymore. We didn’t fight it this year so we’re actually in the right mindset for the new routines, the earlier schedule, and the looming tests and homework. We. Are. Ready.

Also --the best part of starting school is they get to see old friends! So they’re really stoked for that.

My mug on this perennial family transition day is by The Casual Potter -- a.k.a. Sarah Wallen out of Manhattan, NY. I got lucky and won it in one of her recent Instagram giveaways!

Sarah makes very cool mugs and pots and like most talented artists has progressed into new shapes and colors and styles. So she decided to give away all of her old work! What a fabulous idea. 

I love this little textured cup and it’s perfect for tea. This marks week two for me going caffeine free (and week three of no coffee). This Montana Gold loose leaf tea by Tea Source is lovely -- I think the strong cinnamon spice flavor and aroma gives me that edge (if you can call it an “edge” with it being caffeine free and all). It’s delicious.

Good luck to all you other Minneapolis parents hustling your kids off to school today. May you have strong coffee -- or spicy tea -- to get you through the chaos!

Mugshot Monday - “Tiny Vintage Colorful Little Cup” by Latvia Riga Porcelain Factory with Earl Grey White Tip tea by TeaSource

My friend Sharon gifted me a set of 4 of these cups and saucers! They are delightful.

She bought them at a thrift store in Columbia Heights, MN (can’t remember which one) and I asked if I could take a photo of one because they look so rad.

Next thing I know I’m walking out the door with them! Thanks, Sharon!

I’m afraid I don’t know much about the cup except that I tracked down the company’s ambiguous stamper logo on the bottom to “Latvia Riga Porcelain Factory”. Google only has results for the HUNDREDS of eBay and etsy links that are selling the cups, but I can’t find anything about the actual cup maker.

All I know is this size cup calls for a pot of tea instead of a pot of coffee. So I enjoyed my delicious earl grey white tip tea this morning whilst taking my mugshot.

Cheers!

Giddapahar Estate (Darjeeling), 2nd Flush Musk. TeaSource. Loose Leaf. $24.27/4. oz.

What they say:

Great floral/fruity aromatic notes. Steeps up with a hint of 1st flush like briskness, but with excellent body and a lingering complexity.

Thick malty scent, yet the muscatel aroma still come through. Very well-balanced; you really get both the first and autumnal flavors in this second flush, instead of a muddled mess typical of many 2nd flushes.. Crisp and clean flavor.

This tea has a thick mouth-feel -- imagine a velvety merlot or a strong jasmine tea -- that commonality (but neither of those flavors.)

Doomini Est. (Assam) 2nd flush TGFOP1. Loose leaf. TeaSource. $12.97/4 oz.

What they say:

These wiry golden leaves impart a sweet almost molassey aroma and steep up with a classic Assam heartiness, and a deep, rich, malty flavor.

(This is sold out online; only available in stores. That's a problem if you don't live in the Twin Cities.)

I was looking at Assams when I noticed this gem. the "molassey aroma" sold me, and I decided to give it a shot. The dry aroma is smells like the grain room at Northern Brewer (the local homebrew (beer and wine) shop). In order words, it smells just like a bin full of malted grain. For a tea, that can go two ways -- it can end up with an extremely earthly hay-like quality, in which case I've wasted a few bucks, or it can end up as extremely malty wort-like (unfermented beer) beverage.

So I get home, and fire up the kettle. Take another whiff of that delightful malt aroma while the water's heating up, and patiently wait for a full boil.

A few minutes later, I have a cup of a wonderful tea. Not a lot of complexity here. There's a slight vegetal taste that comes through under the maltiness as the tea cools, but the maltiness is so strong at the start it's like drinking unhopped wort.