A Crisp Fall Morning Moment

This morning is the most beautiful, crisp fall morning that I have seen here in recent memory. The sky is is blue, blue, blue. While most of the trees continue to be green throughout the year, I noticed traces of fall color.  And the view to the Saddleback Mountains from my home office window is crystal clear.

I am preparing for a day of laying foundations for upcoming meetings and presentations. My companion this morning is ‘Thé des Esprits,” a sample courtesy of my friends at American Tea Room (who have launched a new website I hear).  Gene says this blend smells like an orange creamsicle, and I have to agree. A black tea blend, it has so many of the elements I associate with this time of year: apples, almonds, cinnamon and vanilla.

So, with a full cup and a sense of purpose that can only be induced by the realization that I only have 16 hours in which to cram a 30-hour work week, I wish everyone a happy November Tuesday.

A Strawberry Fields Forever Moment

I love the fall. So many lovely things have always happened to me in the fall. For me, it is a time of new beginnings, adventure, discovery… and sweaters.  (Who doesn’t love a nice, new cozy sweater on a chilly morning?) And although this fall is bursting at the seams already with all of the above, I can’t help but think back wistfully on the summer that feels as though it is finally fading into oblivion.  To have a final taste of summer – is that request so wrong?

My guilty pleasure is being enabled by DAVIDsTEA’s Strawberry Bai Mu Dan – yes another white tea. Bai Mu Dan is a Chinese white tea made from the new leaves and centre needle sprout of the tea plant. It is often considered a separate category of white tea, and many prefer it for its fuller flavour and greater potency. DAVIDsTEA is determined to change my bent against whites and greens, and of course I welcome their tutelage!

Opening this tea, the nostalgic scent of strawberry fields kissed by morning dew washed over me. Here comes the sun!  I was a little uncertain of my choice when the final brew presented a light, golden liquid.  The steeped aroma was an even bolder strawberry, reminding me of the occasional summer when my Mom would make strawberry jam. All those baskets of strawberries would go into the giant cooking pot, simmering as we mashed them into a hot, delicious, pulpy mess. With those happy memories dancing through my head, and with a boldness that only a summer morning can inspire, I took that always anticipated, always lovely first sip. Once again, I found this white tea pleasantly surprising with its even, velvety smoothness, enough body to satisfy,  the lightest reference to strawberry,  and avoidance of any overly sweet berry aftertaste that curses too many fruit flavored teas.

Kari - it's true. You can have strawberry fields forever!

A summer morning in my tea cup – just what I was hoping for. Now I can properly bid that season adieu and embrace this fall of mine that beckons me into places, relationships and avenues never before encountered.