Tuesday, January 14, 2014

A Favorite Pairing: Black Tea and Cream

As much as I love coffee, black tea is my morning drink of choice. I think tea is a bit healthier than coffee and I appreciate that it has much less caffeine in it. Plus it never gives me an upset stomach like coffee sometimes does (I think because it's so acidic? Does this happen to anyone else?). 

But any old cup of tea just won't do! I've mentioned before that I'm a bit of a tea snob and I rarely drink anything but loose tea. You just cannot beat the freshness and depth of flavor that a pot of freshly brewed loose tea will give you. (In case you're in the market for tea, I suggest ordering from Harney & Sons or Culinary Teas. Their tea blends are interesting, fresh, and delicious.)


But the real secret in making the most delectable cup 'o tea, in my opinion anyway, is the addition of cream. A few years ago I would have said cream and sugar, which is the Irish way, the way my parents taught me to drink it (my Dad picked this up in college when he was studying in Ireland). I still love it like this but when I got married, I started making tea for two and my husband doesn't like adding sugar to his. I tried skipping the sugar myself and at first found it to be pretty bitter, but I kept trying it and gradually my tastes changed. Now I really prefer tea with just the simple addition of cream. My husband says that when the tea is really good you don't need sugar, and I think he's right (although it took some getting used to!). 


It's amazing how much comfort and goodness I find in these two simple things that, together, make for the best of mornings. It really is the only way to start the day! A favorite pairing indeed.



And just in case you missed some of my other Favorite Pairings....






10 comments:

  1. I just got it on sale at Starbucks! They had some really adorable styles this year!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love tea! Mint tea is absolutely my favorite, there's something comforting I find in a good cup of it. Although, I'm always using tea packets, but now I have a feeling I ought to try loose tea. Might make my favorite cup all the more better!


    p.s. that's a beautiful mug!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I like my black tea with little bit of cream too, and I try my best to avoid sugar. I stumbled across your blog and looks like we have similar interests. I too, love thrift finds! Glad to meet you!



    http:/loveangeliessa.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Man, I wish I was a coffee person... hah I probably would've seen it then!!

    ~ Country Girl's Daybook

    recently posted: Please, please, join me in prayer for a
    miracle. -> http://bit.ly/1dOBHsG

    ReplyDelete
  5. Aha! For me a good ol' cup of strong Indian chai is the ultimate way to soothe a throat and help ward off a cold! I usually sweeten it with honey (anti-bacterial!) because I toss in a lot of strong extras like cardamom, fennel, ginger, cinnamon, mint and…well, I call it my "everything but the kitchen sink chai"! Oh, and yes, coffee always upsets my stomach but a cup of Timmie's is often in order for some long lectures!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks Akshara! Mint tea is delicious, especially when you're sick. Maybe try it loose and see what you think?! https://www.harney.com/peppermint.html

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Angela! I'm very glad to meet you too, thanks for stopping by! :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Sabbie, you have such a lovely writing voice--I think you should start your own blog! Your comments are always so interesting and creative and clever! Your chai sounds to-die-for :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Also, your blog link didn't work for some reason but I'd love to visit your site.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Aw, thank you so much! I am actually trying to set up a blog this weekend!

    ReplyDelete

Your comments bring me joy! I do my best to respond to each one either on the blog or via email (if your email is linked to your comment). Thank you for visiting Something Ivory.

Designed by Jackie's Design Studio