Today's tea is one that Adagio doesn't seem to carry any more; which is unfortunate because this Green Assam is quite good! It's...a little closer to a black tea than most green teas are; brews as a green but tastes a little stronger and less grassy.
Today's knit is almost halfway through casting off! 23 leaves done and I think 27 to go if I am counting right. It's going to be quite a canopy when they're all done and blocked out, going by how much the one corner I pinned for this pic has stretched out!
(Mallorn Shawl in Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud Fingering, Daisy colorway)
Does anybody have fiction books recs with tea as a central/recurring element, either relevant to the plot, or deeply embedded in the book's aesthetic? I don't really mind the genre, so it can have magical elements, or not – anything's good as long as it's neither YA nor horror.
After seeing the gifset above (from this interview), I could not stop thinking about Hayden's ginger tea. So I did what any normal person would do and bought all the ingredients required to make this tea. I did some research before doing this and used all the tea knowledge I possess (I basically just winged it). This recipe is for a single serving, but I'm sure you could eyeball it to make a full pot.
Obviously, I don't know if this is how Hayden does it. Ya'll who'll be meeting him at cons this year can maybe ask him lol
Recipe and directions below the cut 💜
Hayden's mean cup of ginger tea
Ingredients
I won't give exact measurements because I pretty much eyeballed this, but it's pretty straightforward. Feel free to add more or less of something if you want!
Water (fill the cup you'll be drinking from + add a splash)
Ginger
Mint
Lemon
Cinnamon sticks
Directions
Wash the ginger, mint and lemon.
Fill the cup you'll be drinking from with water, place in a saucepan and bring it to boil on the stove.
While the water comes to a boil, smash and chop the ginger (I used a piece the size of my thumb, feel free to use more or less). Slice the lemon (I used one slice about a 1/2 cm thick). You don't have to peel the ginger and lemon since we washed them first (also who has the energy to peel stuff — not me). Pick a few mint leaves, I think I used about six, but I'd use more next time since I didn't really taste the mint that much.
Throw everything in the saucepan, add a stick or two of cinnamon. Cover and let it boil for about 10 minutes or longer depending on how strong you want the tea to be.
Pour the tea into a cup (strain it of course) and add some sweetener if you like. I'm vegetarian so I use agave syrup, but you could also use honey or plain sugar. Or since Hayden's canadian, I guess maple syrup could work too? Feel free to try whatever you want—it's your tea, not mine!
Photos
For the peeps that find pictures helpful!
Water added to a small saucepan. As it boiled, I washed the ingredients (except the cinnamon)
When the water was boiling, I added everything to the saucepan, put a lid on it and set a timer for 10 minutes.
Done! How adorable is this little teapot T_T
To conclude, I thought the tea was pretty delicious. It's very warm and cozy, a really nice drink for winter, I think! I hope you try this out! Let me know if it was any good! 💜