UPCYCLE YOUR LEFTOVERS | DIRTY CHAI FRAPP

UPCYCLE YOUR FRAPP

(a poem)

A Dirty Chai Frapp

Left alone

Half consumed

And otherwise forgotten

Sat on a shelf

In the icebox

Wishing for more

I'm sure this has happened to all of us.  We get excited to order a fancy drink, choose the largest size possible to get your money's worth and just can't finish it.  It sits in the fridge overnight and maybe you take a sip out of it the next morning and think "Ugh, this is wayyyyy too watered down to drink."  Maybe your first impulse is to throw it away- dump it down the drain and toss the cup?  Maybe you try to force it because you spent the money and hate when things go to waste?

Why?  Why waste it or force it or feel badly about letting it sit?  So what!? You enjoyed something fresh from the blender, drank until you no longer desired to consume any more (which isn't actually a bad thing) and let it sit overnight.  The Frapp got weird.  Okay, SO!?  JUST UPCYCLE IT!

Here's an example:

Original drink: Venti Dirty Chai Frapp with Soy Milk (that's chai tea, soy milk, and a shot of espresso blended with ice)

Upcycled Drink: melted Dirty Chai Frapp mixed with Good Karma Foods​ Flax Milk, chocolate protein powder, a banana, and Running Pump Roasting​ Birthday Cake coffee and blended in a vitamix with coffee cubes made from Running Pump Roasting's French Vanilla coffee.

Experiment: SUCCESS!

How easy!  I utilized a few ingredients I had stocked up around the kitchen and created something entirely new and interesting from what some might see as trash.  And yes, of course I recycled the cup to be used again for this drink.  Why waste it?

TEA JOURNAL | RASPBERRY HERBAL ICED TEA

TEA JOURNAL | Raspberry Herbal Iced Tea from Harney & Sons.  This blend of Raspberry Leaves, Hibiscus, Rosehips, Apple, Orange & Lemon Peel, Red Poppies, Spearmint and Peppermint with some added raspberry flavoring offers the taste buds a similar experience of tangy tartness to drinking cranberry juice cocktail but without the harshness of cranberry compliments of the sweetening elements which round out the flavor.

TEA JOURNAL | RUM & CHAIDER

TEA JOURNAL | RUM & CHAIDER:  Once upon a time a few year's back, I was visiting friends at a cute little pub in a cute little New York town.  On the bar of that cute little pub in the cute little town was a great big slow cooker filled with spiced apple cider... which they served to us warm and wonderful with a special twist... RUM.  (My favorite!)  Now that is fine and wonderful and delicious and perfectly excellent on a cold night all on its own, but let's take it up a notch, shall we?  For this we need another short tale... Once upon a Fall afternoon, I stumbled upon sweet and fancy little tea shop in Boston and was offered my first taste of Chai tea (something I had otherwise been avoiding due to the intensity of the flavor and my inclination toward green tea) steeped in... you guessed it... hot apple cider.  So let's take these two brilliant ideas and throw them together in a cute little pink teapot and enjoy kicking back in our cozies on a cold and snowy day, now shall we?

TEA JOURNAL | DAVIDsTEA | MINT CHOCOLATE ROOIBOS

DAVIDsTEA | MINT CHOCOLATE ROOIBOS

South African rooibos, peppermint, chocolate, cocoa, natural and artificial chocolate mint flavouring.

TEA JOURNAL | DAVIDsTEA | YELLOW DRAGON

DAVIDsTEA | YELLOW DRAGON

Oolong tea, lemongrass, peppermint

TEA JOURNAL | DAVIDsTEA | LOVE TEA #7

DAVIDsTEA | LOVE TEA #7

Chinese Black Tea with Dark Chocolate, Strawberries, Red Rose Petals, & Flavorings

THE FRIDAY FIVE - LOOSE LEAF TEAS I LOVE!

TOP 5 LOOSE LEAF TEAS - After having traveled far and near for thirteen months in search of the most healthy, flavorful, and original handmade tea combinations, I have collected my fair share of fantastic teas.  Based on the ones that I find myself craving and enjoying on a regular basis, I have managed to narrow down a list of five teas to recommend to you today.   Ranging from green to black and rooibos as well, I am quite confident that you will enjoy at least one (if not all!) of the teas on this list.

My journey from a two-pot a day coffee drinker to a seasoned tea taster (pinky up!) has been an interesting one to say the least for my body, mind, and taste palate... and I hope that as you begin (or continue) yours, that you will be blessed with equally sensational TEAdventures!  So now, my friends... I shall offer you a tasting!

MILE HIGH MUNCHIES

Drinking, Dining, & Detoxing in the Denver Metro Area.

FEATURING: CELESTIAL SEASONINGS - WYSTONE'S WORLD TEAS - OLD MILL BREWERY & GRILL - RED ROCKS GRILL - LEAF - ATLAS PURVEYORS - GYPSY HOUSE CAFE - AND MORE!!!

MORE POSTS COMING SOON!

Absurditea! - Rolling Wave (Personal Blend)

TEA JOURNAL - Several months back, I was given a bag of loose Jasmine Pearl Green tea from Ten Ren.  It was subtle and elegant with a quality of lightness that pleased the senses.  No wonder it had that effect, considering the correspondence of jasmine and third eye stimulation.

I have recently purchased a few ounces of Citrus Lavender Sage, a new herbal tea from Teavana which was previously sold as a blend with Oolong with much success, but was recommended to be blended with Jasmine tea.  Excitedly, I took this cue and brought it home to mix and match with my preexisting tea collection.  The Jasmine Pearl Green from Ten Ren was naturally my first choice.