Tuesday, October 23, 2007

keeping warm

What are you drinking on those cold, nippy mornings, afternoons and evenings?

I find that I am drinking all kinds of warm beverages during the day. I say warm because I cannot drink them when they are hot. In Japanese, they call this nekojita (cat's tongue). I'm not sure why but maybe it is because a cat cannot gulp down milk and can only lap at the milk?

Tea has become something of an obsession with me. Before moving to Japan, I had never drank so much tea. Now, I think I drink it 3 times a day!

Tea Palace's Organic Lavender Grey is a nice blend of Earl Grey with lavender and some citrus bits. Brewed it is very aromatic. I love it with some sugar and some milk.

Kusmi Tea is delicious. I tried their Caramel and Chocolate Spice. Both are good straight and mellows with a splash of milk in it.

Hediard's Melange is a mixture of bergamot, citrus and black tea. When you open the can a sweet aroma wafts from the can. Although this was a nice tea, I was a bit disappointed that the sweet aroma doesn't stay with the tea after it is brewed.

I also brew some herbal teas and green teas too depending on what mood I'm in.

Cocoa has become a great evening cup with me, a warm mixture of milk and chocolate. Some are too sweet though, like the Les Confitures a l'ancienne and Monbana cocoas.

Bittersweet's cocoa is really delicious, they actually grind up chocolate for their cocoa, it has a nice balance and isn't too sweet.

Mariebelle's Spicy Aztec cocoa has a kick, it is good, but I still have a hard time getting everything to melt.

And then there is always coffee. Cafe Lola's arabica is delicious and dark roasted. It makes a nice foundation for a cappucino.

Ooh and there are times we have chai too.

I hope to explore more warm drinks with the winter months coming up. What are you drinking to keep warm?

p.s. Zorra has uploaded the Round-up for World Bread Day. Last year there were 113 entries, this year it went up to 183! There are lots of delicious entries from around the world, if you have some time, check them out!

13 comments:

2kamuela47 said...

I love this post! Tea is something I really like to drink these days. Thanks for some insight. The musubi post was awesome. Hum...maybe I'll make some musubi for the UH vs. Mexico State Football game. I stayed in Waikiki this past weekend and went to Mac 24/7 the food is awesome and plenty. I entered a post on our breakfast with some pictures. The pancakes are awesome and the sumo saimin is impressive! Take care and God Bless!

K and S said...

Thanks Laura! I hope you get to make some musubi. And I'll be sure to check out your post.

Take care.
Kat

Rowena said...

I love that word, nekojita!

Yesterday, and today, I am only drinking TheraFlu drinks...that sort of thing. They do keep me warm but they are also helping me with this darn cold!

Yakyuu Shonen said...

I'm excited about the upcoming warm-drink season. Hot tea and plenty of cocoa are always nice, but I've never been a coffee drinker. That Bittersweet brand cocoa and Mariebelle's Spicy Aztec cocoa sounds very tasty right now. I need to start investigatin' some of this gourmet cocoa. And tea, well you can spend years getting to know about tea.

K and S said...

gosh, I hope you feel better Rowena, take care!

The two cocoas that I have are delicious, I hope you find some good ones where you are Yakyuushonen. (Japan series starts in 3 days!!)

Take care you two.
Kat

Anonymous said...

I'm a tea drinker. I'd like to have a sip of everything you've blogged about. They all sound good.

Paz

K and S said...

I hope you can find these teas where you are Paz!

Take care.
Kat

Thistlemoon said...

Nice post Kat! It is a great contrast to my coffee post! I love tea too and hot cocoa! Such good stuff!

K and S said...

Thanks Jenndz!

Take care.
Kat

Unknown said...

As you know, it doesn't get cold enough here in Hawaii to crave hot drinks unless your in air conditioning... but I do brew a lot of home roasted coffees and enjoy varieties of Japanese teas as well as an Earl Grey Silver Tips can that I have.

I also became part of the Foodie Blogroll today and I found that through your blog!

K and S said...

Ooh home roasted coffees sound wonderful, Rick!

I'm going to add your name to our blogroll take care.
Kat

Anonymous said...

Hi, Kat!

This list of warm drinks is truly enticing ... It almost makes the coming winter seem bearable knowing there are so many delicious ways to warm up!

Personally, I've been drinking a lot of green tea lately, and discovering all kinds of delicious blends: blueberry green tea, goji berry green tea, lemon green tea, chai green tea, just to name a few. I'm immensely fond of Japanese-style toasted green tea. I envy the easy access you must have to some really good ones!

It's been a while since I've visited your blog ... It's nice to pop in again. Hope you and Satoshi are doing well!

K and S said...

Hi Tania,

I really enjoy this time of year, we don't get the cold weather in Hawaii, so I love bundling up and discovering new warm drinks. The teas you have been drinking sound wonderful!

I'm glad you stopped by, hope to see you here more often.

Take care.
Kat