Day 55: Good Earth Sweet & Spicy

I’m home in Scotland today.  It is so good to be home.  I love traveling and visiting my family and seeing new places and doing weddings, but there is nothing like walking in my front door to my warm and cosy flat (okay, cold and chilly, but it WILL be warm soon), all tidy and clean like I rarely get to see it! J

I had no idea what my tea of the day would be.  I thought of getting one at the airport, but other than Starbucks (which really doesn’t do tea), there weren’t many options.  And I do like to enjoy a cup of tea, and my traveling today, whilst not stressful, wasn’t relaxed and easy-going, either.  I actually finally got called over the announcements for the first time!! “Miss Karen Reyburn, please come urgently to gate A3, where your flight to Edinburgh is closing.”  The hilarious part was, there were 15.25 and 15.50 flights to Edinburgh boarding right next to each other, and I had it in my head that I was boarding at 15.50, so I was sitting comfortably at gate A2, checking to make sure it wasn’t boarding yet, and typing up blog posts while I waited.  It’s amazing how there can be so many announcements which just pour over your mind like water, and then suddenly your own name is spoken and alertness comes roaring back! Fortunately I didn’t have far to go, so I picked up my bags and took a few steps to the right and all the gate attendants were laughing at me.  (No, with me!)  At any rate, it was quite comfortable really – I wasn’t stressed at all, and I didn’t have to queue up, and I didn’t miss my flight! Perfect!

So, when I got home, amongst the pile of junk mail, magazines, bank statements, pleading letters from Scottish Hydro, gas bills, and other incredibly boring mail, I had this amazing letter from my friend Emily, complete with my cup of tea for the day – and it’s even caffeine free, so I don’t have to fear that I won’t sleep tonight! (I had a grand total of 1 hour of sleep during my 15 hour journey overnight, so I think I’ll sleep well.) 

I’ve never had Good Earth Sweet & Spicy before.  I’ve had Good Earth and I like it, but this is on a whole different playing field. It’s an incredible tea.  For a teabag (ie non-loose-leaf), it packs a serious punch, with more flavours than you could imagine pressing into one little package.  Right off I noticed the sweetness – it was like someone had put in a huge spoonful of honey or brown sugar. I was shocked to discover that it’s all natural sweetness.  On my own I could taste cinnamon and orange and rooibos, but other than that I had to go to the packet to see what else was amazing me in this tea.  It has (according to the back of the packet): Red Rooibos, Chicory Root, Rosehips, Cinnamon, Lemongrass, Peppermint, Papaya, Chamomile, Panax Ginseng, Anise Seed, Dandelion Root, Ginger Root, Orange Oil, Orange Peel.  Wow.  Almost every single flavour is intense in and of itself – ginger, cinnamon, lemongrass, ginseng – you don’t mess with those guys.  They’re the mobsters of the tea world, but really nice once you get to know them.  That is, as long as you’re on their side, and you hang out with them in the right company.  Mix in the wrong fellows and you will wish you never took a sip.  It’s not personal, it’s tea.

I’m off to bed now.  It’s raining outside, and my walk for the day has consisted of a fairly long stretch through Heathrow’s Terminal 5, as well as Phoenix Sky Harbour’s Terminal 4.  I think I’m good for the day.