Tea for Tuesday time again; this time in the form of a Blackcurrant & Vanilla fruit infusion by Twinings. As the flavours diffused in the mug, the water took on an orangey red colour and had an almost pink hue in certain lights.
Whereas the Blackcurrant, Ginseng & Vanilla infusion gave off a strong odour of vanilla when the boiling water touched the bag, this one had a distinctly stronger aroma of blackcurrant. The vanilla also came through, though it had more of a perfume-like quality to it. This was also true of the flavour: a slight tang of blacurrant with a vaguely vanilla after taste. It didn't have the same smoothness as the ginseng infused blend, but it was still delicious.
Today's Tea for Tuesday post comes courtesy of my fabulous & creative friend Kei (Doing a Thing and Unfortunately Oh!), who sent me a rather lovely package of items out of the blue, some of which happened to be various types of caffeine-free tea. Hurrah! The tea in question is Chocolate Super Berry Burst from the English Tea Shop; I'd never tried chocolate tea before, so that's a bonus!
The smell of the infusion was highly chocolatey with a hint of vanilla, which was pleasant but slightly confusing to my senses (evidently, my brain didn't want to associate the smell of chocolate with a cup of tea!). The colour of the tea began at the orangey red colour in the photo above and arrived at a deep reddish brown by the end of its five minutes of brewing. It was actually a really pretty colour.
Looking at the list of the list of ingredients on the back of the packet (organic rooibos, organic hibiscus, organic roasted cocoa pieces, organic licorices, organic vanilla pods, organic raspberry concentrate, organic blackcurrant and organic pomegranate conentrate, with natural chocolate, strawberry and raspberry flavours), I wasn't entirely sure what the flavour would be like. It was, in fact, somewhere between the taste of chocolate and Turkish Delight, or at least what I remember TD tasting like during my childhood. In any case, the combination was not unpleasant and has a good balance of sweet, bitter and fruit hits.
Another new tea and another one I'd have again - great! :D
A wind-battered tree and its reflection in a pool of rainwater.
Yesterday, I went to Haytor on Dartmoor with my mother; despite the cold, wind and rain, I was, as always, amazed by its stunning natural beauty. Dartmoor and Exmoor are two of my favourite places, so it's always a pleasure to visit them!
Just to put the size of the rocks in perspective, here's a shot of my mother (circled in green) standing near them) and one of me being weird next to some of the others:
Here are a few more photos from the outing as well:
This week's Tea for Tuesday is Cranberry & Sanguinello Orange by Twinings. The scarlet red brew looked wonderful against the pale cup (though I didn't quite manage to reproduce the deep red colour in photographic form) and the gorgeous scent of tangy fruit filled the kitchen as it infused.
This fruit infusion tasted strongly of cranberries from the moment it touched my tongue and a pleasant, citric hit followed shortly after. I was worried that it might be slightly bitter, as sanguinello oranges can be, but it remained at a pleasant level of acidity. The only complaint I have with this particular flavour is that, although the orange tastes pleasant whilst drinking, the after taste continues to become stronger after finishing, almost to the point of being overpowering and tongue-numbing. However, I should point out that I'm very sensitive to citrus fruit, and so that might not be a problem for anyone else.
I'd like to try this tea again, but I don't think it's one I could have regularly.
"Bored of their stagnant existence, two lonely souls leave their safe havens behind and discover one another, yielding an everlasting legacy that will forever change their dying world."
The Circus of Horrors - a stage show combining horror, humour, bizarre circus acts, rock 'n' roll, and more - began at Glastonbury in 1995 and has since toured all over the world. 2015 marks the Circus's 20th year, and sees them return with their latest production of The Night of the Zombie.
"The latest incarnation ‘The Night of the Zombie’ is set in 2020.
A decrepit corpse ridden London, plagued by Zombies, a city ruled by the undead and climaxing in an awesome flaming apocalypse.
The story twists and turns with grisly murders and sensational shocks – all interwoven with some of the greatest and most bizarre circus acts on earth, sword swallowers, knife throwers, daredevil balancing acts, astounding aerialists, a demon dwarf, a Guinness World Record holding ‘hairculian’ hair hanging beauty, Sinister Sisters, gyrating & fire limboing acrobats & much more."
They're currently on tour in the UK and stopped at Palace Avenue Theatre in Paignton last night, so some friends and I went along to see the show. I won't say too much about the content, in case anyone who wants to see it happens to stumble upon this blog somehow, but it was a lot of fun and the acts put on great performances!
I'm always impressed by the dedication and hard work that performers put into shows like this. It must take hours of training and rehearsals, not to mention the travel time (they were in Poole the day before yesterday and Brighton the day before that). Despite all that, after the show, Dok Haze, the "Undead Ringmaster", was at the door shaking hands and taking photos with people as they left.
Dok Haze & myself
The Circus of Horrors was a good night out, and definitely worth watching for anyone with an appreciation of macabre circus acts, humorous horror, and bizarre fun, all set to a rock soundtrack.
...Yet did I love thee to the last As fervently as thou, Who didst not change through all the past, And canst not alter now. The love where Death has set his seal, Nor age can chill, nor rival steal, Nor falsehood disavow: And, what were worse, thou canst not see Or wrong, or change, or fault in me. The better days of life were ours; The worst can be but mine: The sun that cheers, the storm that lowers, Shall never more be thine. The silence of that dreamless sleep I envy now too much to weep; Nor need I to repine That all those charms have pass'd away, I might have watch'd through long decay....
- And Thou art Dead, as Young and Fair (excerpt) by Lord Byron
And with my dose of pretentiousness out of the way for the day (I really don't care, as I've always loved that poem)...
Next up on my 356 Days of Art list:
(Pictures I'm currently working on are in bold, finished items are crossed out)
13. A picture using only a pair of complimentary colours.
I haven't posted any new 365 Days of Art pictures for a few days, but I have been working on them (some digital, some on paper, some on canvas). This one was originally a black and white charcoal drawing, but I decided to colour it digitally. I spent around five minutes on the hair, and I think it shows, as it's rather poorly done. However, I'm quite pleased with the face; perhaps the bad hair day is the reason for her grumpy expression? Of course, there's always the possibility that it's caused by the laceration down the middle of her nose...
Next up on my 356 Days of Art list:
(Pictures I'm currently working on are in bold, finished items are crossed out)
Tuesday has rolled around again, which means that today's post is part of Tea for Tuesday! Technically, it's been more "find a substitute for caffeinated green tea, which mostly consists of herb and fruit infusions", rather than tea, but let's just ignore that. Today's "tea" is of the nettle variety and is produced by Heath & Heather. Nettle is well-known for its health-boosting benefits, and is also rather conveniently caffeine-free. As with tea, it's also possible to make your own brew using stinging nettle leaves, but I'm not sure how to do this yet, so for now, bags it is!
The aroma of the infusion is reasonably subtle, giving off an earthy smell that's somewhere between green tea and mushroom broth. That might sound unpleasant, but it's actually quite nice, and the infusion's colour reflects scent of it as well.
Taste-wise, it's very similar to mild green tea, which I was pleased about as I have so missed that taste! However, it isn't as bitter as some brands of sencha can be, so if that's something you find off-putting about green tea, then nettle infusions might be an alternative to try. Personally, I loved this one!
As the first one of today's 365 Art projects was very quick, I decided to add another quick one as well. This time, it was done in charcoal, pen, and coloured pencils. Her arms are quite disproportionate and her hat is wonky, but I like her eyes.
Today's 365 Days of Art piece is under the theme of Presents. From such a distance, don't the stars resemble shreds of glimmering wrapping paper, in which the Universe can hide its secrets?
For today's 365 Days of Art picture, I used the "Free Draw" theme, which I understood to mean the "draw whatever you like" theme. Well, I do "like" eyes rather a lot...
I found this challenge via my lovely friend Rina, who blogs over at Kreativ and it seems like an excellent idea! (I should also point out here that I was also inspired by the ever-busy Kei of Doing a Thing's reading goal). So this year, in addition to finishing 365 pieces of art by the end of November, I'll be working my way through 52 books, finding various teas to try, and generally growing and expanding the glorious little paracosm around me! Sounds like fun :D
