Himself gave me a very unique, beautiful, and thoughtful gift for Valentine's Day. He had seen a clear glass teapot with floral teas from The Grommet and thought I would like. The gift set included the glass teapot and a choice of two teas. He knew I would like the coconut tea, but wasn't sure about the other flavors, so he had to tell me about the gift. He was right about the coconut tea, and I selected jasmine for the other. He put the order in and we waited, and waited and waited. Valentine's Day came and went and still no teapot. Seems there had been some sort of problem at the warehouse., but eventually the teapot arrived. I called my friend, Red, to come over to sample the tea.
The tea things were set out, and I had Red choose the tea flavor she would like.
She chose the coconut tea
The tea pod waits while the kettle was boiling, and for Red and I to catch up with each other as we hadn't seen each other for quite some time.
Red is such a good sport and helped me so I could video the blooming tea. It seemed to take forever for the tea flower to bloom. Red added more water to the teapot and things sped up again. While it was unfolding, the bloom looked like some weird undersea creature. I made a time lapse of the process because the tea had to steep for 5 minutes.
The first cup smelled pretty, but not much of a taste. We chatted a long time before we had the second cup. The second cup not only smelled like coconut, but had a delicious coconut flavor. Note to self, the tea needs to steep a lot longer than 5 minutes.
The tea finally bloomed to its full show.
Drop by hosts, Bleubeard and Elizabeth's blog to find out what the rest of the T Stands For gang is up to. If you want to play, include in your Tuesday post a beverage or container for a beverage. Don't forget to link your blog to Bleubeard and Elizabeth's page.
And pop over to Let's Art Journal and wish Jo a Happy Birthday!
Thar was a great gift for a tea-drinker, sorry you had to wait so long for it. It looks so pretty blooming in the pot. Happy T Day, hugs, Valerie
ReplyDeleteIt was worth the wait
Deletegreat idea to make a video to show how the tea flower starts blooming. good advice to let it steep longer! happy t-day!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad my Young One told me how to speed up the video
DeleteThat is a really pretty glass teapot CJ. I have a plain Jane one, but this one calls for a fancy teacup. :) Not a plain old mug. Hope you didn't get much snow yesterday. Happy T day hugs-Erika
ReplyDeleteFancy cup or plain, old mug, either works. We got a couple of inches. The backyard is still covered with snow. )-:
DeleteOur son gave us a glass teapot and floral teas for one Christmas. It's beautiful, but doesn't come out very often as I'm frightened of breaking it! Lol!
ReplyDeleteHappy T-Day!
Alison xx
It seemed sturdy enough. I need to invite peeps to drink it with me as it seems a waste to drink it all my my lone.
Deletesuch a lovely gift for a tea drinker and to see the pod bloom is so cool. Thanks for sharing and happy T day!
ReplyDeleteThe pod was really pretty once it fully bloomed
DeleteNice gift from Himself....but, um....doesn't look like something you're supposed to drink to me...... :-/
ReplyDelete:-D brewing the tea is weird, but the tea tastes nice if you let it steep long enough
DeleteI _loved_ seeing the video of the tea blooming! I have never seen such a thing and found it fascinating :) What a thoughtful gift! Happy T Tuesday
ReplyDeleteI'd never seen anything like it either. Very unique
DeleteI absolutely love blooming tea. It is such a beautiful show and a treat. But You are right, it does take a long time. I only use mine when we have special company. Coconut tea sounds yummy.
ReplyDeleteHappy Tea Day,
Kate
The coconut tea was delicious
DeleteI totally love love your new glass teapot. and I have never heard of a blooming tea before-what a lovely presentation. and so wonderful to have tea with a friend.
ReplyDeleteHappy T Day Kathy
I just watched the video very fun
DeleteThe teapot is cute. Small just enough for tea for two
DeleteI so enjoyed your post today, what an amazing gift - top marks for your hubby š. We have a glass teapot too and it's perfect for making our green tea. I'm so glad you enjoyed your blooming tea ...lol š... and the title made me smile as I automatically thought of blooming meaning was "used to express annoyance or for emphasis" rather than flowering ...lol š. Wishing you a very Happy T Day and thanks so much for your happy birthday wishes and for the shout out on your blog, that's so kind! J š x
ReplyDeleteHimself always thinks of good gifts. Your comment made me laugh as that definition never even crossed my mind. I say other things when I need to express annoyance. :-D
DeleteBeautiful tea pot, and you are right...the bloom looks alive as it unfolds! very pretty...thanks for sharing your Tea!♥
ReplyDeleteThe bloom was mesmerizing as it unfolded
DeleteThat was an amazing and special gift. The bloom looked wonderful and worth waiting a while to see what happens in the teapot.
ReplyDeleteHappy t day wishes.
Yvonne xx
Yup, it was worth the wait
DeleteOh my cod, CJ, coolest thing ever!!!!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it?
DeleteSome days I want to throw my keyboard in the trash. I am so late visiting because it quit and took me forever to work again.
ReplyDeleteI received a six pack of blooming tea, and tried to photograph it. First, I didn't have a teapot, so the blooming didn't happen very well. Second, I thought the tea tasted like dirt. No matter how long mine sat, it didn't improve the taste in the least. I am SO glad you like what you received. And I was also impressed with the way you photographed yours. I see I need to use a see through pot the next time I make one of these.
Thanks for sharing your blooming tea with us for T this Tuesday. It is wonderful.
It think it photographed well because I had an extra pair of hands. Red did all the pouring while I held the camera
DeleteThe blooming tea is quite fun to watch in a glass pot. Very cool...and yes it did look like a sea creature for a bit there. :)
ReplyDeleteHappy T day!
It was mesmerizing.
DeleteHi CJ!
ReplyDeleteI have heard of blooming tea before but never actually had any or seen it 'do its thing'...lol So thank you very much for the video. It actually looked 'alive' there for a minute..lol Happy happy T day! Hugs! deb I apologize for my lateness...crazy , crazy day...
Watching it bloom was cool and scary at the same time.
DeleteWhat a lovely 'surprise'! How lovely to share with a friend! I'm sure you had a lovely time! Belated Happy T day Chrisx
ReplyDeleteIt was fun to share and good to catch up with a friend.
DeleteWhat a perfect T-day post, CJ. I'd never heard of blooming tea. It looked creepy at first - like a sea monster coming to life, but in the end it was quite lovely. Thanks for the video.
ReplyDeleteHappy T-day! Hugs, Eileen
I thought the same thing. Creature from the Glass Teapot, but in the end it was very pretty
DeleteI am late, and look what I missed! Blooming tea! I never heard of it before. This is quite interesting. I agree it looks a lot like some sea creature. But do I love cocanut! Thanks for the post, I learned something new. Happy week-end.
ReplyDeleteNever late. Just prolonging the celebration. The blooming tea starts out looking weird but pretty and tasty in the end.
DeleteThat is so cool! What a beautiful gift! I have to get some!!! Thanks for the video CJ!
ReplyDeleteCJ!! This is so beautiful! I love this! What a thoughtful gift!! It is so cool, how it blooms! Thanks for the video! Big Hugs!
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed it.
Delete