What would be better than a nice cup of tea in this time of the year when it's freezing outside! Actually it's not that cold here in Budapest any more. It's partly sunny at the moment but the streets are super slippery with ice and wet snow. So that makes it a good excuse to stay inside.

If you have read my blog, you might know that I'm a tea drinker. All kinds of teas are good for me - black, white, green, rooibos & infusions as well. Earl Grey is my favourite black tea and now Twinings has put it in triangle bags and changed the packaging to really nice colourful cubes.

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(FI) Mikä olisi parempaa kuin kuppi teetä kylmänä talvipäivänä! Itseasiassa täällä ei tällä hetkellä ole ulkona nin kylmö enää. Aurinkoiselta näyttää, mutta kadut ovat ikävän liukkaat, jäiset ja loskaiset. Joten ihan hyvä syy pysytellä sisätiloissa. 

Olet varmaan huomannut, jos olet käväissyt joskus blogissani, että olen teejuojia. Kaikki menee - musta, valkoinen, vihreä, rooibos ja yrttiteet. Oma suosikki musta tee on Earl Grey. Twinings on pakannut sen kivasti kolmiopusseihin ja vaihtanut pakkauksen ulkonäköä. Onnistunut ratkaisu kaikin puolin.

Do you know why it's called "Earl Grey"?

According to the Grey family, the tea was specially blended around 1820's by a Chinese mandarin for Lord Grey, to suit the water at their region, using bergamot in particular to offset the preponderance of lime in the local water. 

Lady Grey used it to entertain in London as a political hosstess, and it proved so popular that she was asked if it could be sold to the others, which is how Twinings came to market it as a brand.

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(FI) Tiedätkö miksi sen nimi on "Earl Grey" (Kreivi Earl)?

Greyn suvun mukaan teen sekoitti mandariinikiinalainen varta vasten herra Greylle vuoden 1820 hujakoilla.  Tarkoituksena oli tehdä teestä alueen veteen sopiva versio. Käyttämällä juuri bergamotia saatiin tasapoinoitettua kalkkia paikallisesta vedestä.

Rouva Grey tarjoili tätä teesekoitusta Lontoon poliittisissa seurapiireissä ja siitä tuli niin suosittua, että häneltä kysyttiin voitaisiinko sitä mahdollisesti alkaa myymään myös muille. Näin Twinings teki tästä teestä brändin.

Btw, I love to drink my tea in a big mug! Bought this black & white pattern mug at Indiska. 

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Mun mielestä tee pitää juoda isosta kupista! Ostin tämän musta-valkoisen koristeellisen kupin Indiskasta. 

What is your favourite tea at the moment?

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Mikä on oma tämän hetkinen teesuosikkisi?

Warm & Spicy Apple Drink

I'm not a huge fan of mulled wine. It's often too sweet or too strong and kind of stale. But the other day when visiting a friend of mine and her family, she had made this warm apple drink which was so delicious and fresh tasting. I decided to prepare it for this Xmas.  

Warm & spicy apple drink

1 l apple juice (unsweetend)

1,5 cinnamon stick

1-2 tsp cloves

3-5 pc star anise

1 tsp ginger powder

1/2 tsp allspice (whole ones)

1/2 orange (freshly squeesed)

Heat the apple juice in a saucepand along with the spices. Bring to the boil for 5-7 minutes. Add the orange juice. Serve it hot!

(FI) En ole mikään suuri glögin ystävä. Glögi on helposti liian makeaa tai liian vahvaa tai joyenkin tunkkaista. Mutta muutama päivä sitten kyläillessäni ystäväni ja hänen perheensä luona, ihastuin tähän ystäväni tekemään herkulliseen ja raikkaan makuiseen lämpimään omenajuomaan tai siis glögiin. Päätin valmistaa sitä myös itse nyt joulun aikaan. 

Lämmin & mausteinen omenajuoma

1 l omenamehua (makeuttamatonta)

1,5 kanelitanko

1-2 tl neilikkaa

3-5 kpl tähtianista

1 tl inkiväärijauhetta

1/2 tl maustepippuria (kokonaisia)

1/2 oappelsiini (puristettu mehu)

Lämmitä omenamehu kattilassa yhdessä mausteiden kanssa. Anna kiehua 5-7 minuuttia. Lisää lopuksi appelsiinimehu. Tarjoa kuumana!

Warm and spicy apple drink is not just a xmas drink but fantastic for the whole winter season!

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(FI) Lämmin ja mausteinen omenajuoma ei ole pelkästään joulunajan juoma vaan sopii lämmittämään koko talvikautta!

My Green Cup

There's a really nice new coffee shop called My Green Cup at Poszonyi ut 15, XIII Budapest. They have a good variety of teas as well :)

This area on Pest side has become nicely buzy & hip.

ps. the gluten-free cake is to die for...

Willie's Cacao

I continuosly have these chocolate cravings, but now I decided to try a healthier version of it - hot chocolate made from real cacao.

Bought a package of Colombian Black 100% Los Llanos cacao by Willie's Cacao at Culinaris. The package includes 2 discs of cacao. Los Llanos's beautiful Trinitario bean, with its soft notes of cherries & plums, is born high in the jungle on the Colombian-Venezuelan border. 

First I grated by sharp knife - it's very hard - a bite of cacao, measured a cupful of soya milk to a saucepan and added the cacao into it. Stirred the mixture until cacao had melted.

Whipped some cream - it's a bit funny, I cannot eat/drink milk products nor yogurt, but a small amount of whipped cream is not a problem - and poured it on the top of the drink. Sprinkled a hint of cinnamon on top as well. 

Another funny thing is that as much as I love everything sweet, I don't like sweet drinks. I never add sugar nor honey into my tea for example. So this hot chocolate doesn't have any sugar not even a sweet taste, and I still love it!   

After opening the package I store the cacao discs in a small plastic back in my fridge.

You can find more information on Willie's Cacao here.

You can also find more info on Budapest based Culinaris here.

Chaga Mushroom

One of the ultimate superfoods is chaga mushroom (pakurikääpä). One way to use it, is to drink it as coffee or tea. The taste is quite mild, a bit mushroom-ish, and one teaspoonful for a cup is enough. 

Chaga mushrooms are parasitic fungi that are known to grow on birch trees. Finding these elusive mushrooms is not easy; it’s said that one in every 15,000 trees will have one of these mushrooms. Although they are not visually appealing by any means, their appearance can be easily overlooked on the account of all the benefits that these mushrooms have to offer. These mushrooms have been utilized as a folk far back as the 16th century, particularly in Europe. Today, it is most common for chaga mushrooms to be brewed into a beneficial tea that can be enjoyed regularly for the health benefits that it has to offer.

Chaga contains numerous B vitamins, flavonoids, phenols, minerals and enzymes. It is also one of the world's densest sources of pantothenic acid, and this vitamin is needed by adrenal glands as well as digestive organs. It also contains riboflavin and niacin in significant anounts. 

Have a nice cup of chaga!

Have A Drink!

 Take a lime. At least a quarter of it.

 And some ice cubes.

 Actually plenty of ice.

 And pour the drink into the glass.

Nothing beats a glass of ice cold Diet Coke on a hot day like this!

Tea Time

Might have mentioned earlier that I'm a tea drinker, it's a big no-no to coffee (I have tasted it twice during my life and just couldn't find out what's the point drinking it). I'm not a strict puritan with the teas, how is the water boiled or what is the temperature of it. My tea can be in bags or it can be loose, I drink black, white, green and herbal infusions. With or without milk. Of course, I can taste the quality but sometimes I'm just happy to get a Lipton teabag soaked in hot water and served in a paper cup. it all depends on the mood and situation.

One of my favorite herbal infusion brands is Yogi. There's a remedy for all symptoms. I love Chinese tea what you get in Chinese restaurants with the meal. I bought some diet tea in Chinatown to help my stomach to function, well, five cups a day was a bit too much even for me…

The classic black teas from Fortnum & Mason, Marriage Freres and the flowery flavor ones from Laduree are real treats.

I have my own thermo mug! Now I can run errands around the city with hot tea in my hand…

Btw, this Dean & Deluca one is really functional, don't need to worry for spilling the tea all over the face, and the tea stays warm for a long time.

Little Miracles

 Have you already tried these organic drinks full of energy?

The green one includes green tea, ginseng, pomegranate and acai and the pink one white tea, ginseng, cherry and acai.

The idea of these drinks is based on Chinese ginseng root.

Little Miracles uses 6 year old Panax Ginseng which has been a cornerstone in Traditional Chinese Medicine for ages and is known for its many functional benefits. The 6 year old Panax Ginseng is carefully selected, as it is the only Ginseng sort containing active Ginseosides.

 No artificial colours, sweeteners nor flavours.

Hmm, so healthy & delicious!

The caffeine gives some energy as well although not so healthy way...anyway, who could resist these cute cans design by Marc Jacobs?

Pink Drink

 Had a lazy weekend at home. The heat continued so there's not so much energy to do anything. Made a jug full of refreshing drink:

watermelon with sparkling mineral water and ice cubes. Simple & tasty. 

 Throw the cushions away on the floor, placed a soft cotton blanket on the sofa, took a punch of glossy magazines and just relaxed and enjoyed having some time at home.

I should do this more often!