Lychee Green Tea + Routin 1883 Syrups

I'm a very lucky blogger. I know I haven't been blogging that often lately, but this space is something I can call my own and a place to share my loves with you guys. To all of my readers, you mean a lot to me and your kind comments mean even more! I'm even luckier to have been able to receive so many nice gifts from various companies.

The latest are these unbelievably unique syrups from Routin 1883. They kindly let me choose what flavors I wanted to try, and of course lychee had to be one of them! You all know how much I love tea, so lychee syrup in tea is just another form of heaven for me. I fell in love with speculoos about a year or so ago when I made a foodie trip to New York and tried the Wafels & Dinges truck. They had this speculoos spread that they served with their waffles that was just... divine. When I saw that Routin 1883 offered a speculoos flavor I knew I had to try it!

Aren't the bottles just lovely? Anyway Routin 1883 is a brand that hails from France that specializes in decadent and specialty syrups that you could add to almost anything. I like to use my lychee flavor in tea and the speculoos flavor in lattes but I'm just about sure I could add them to anything I'd like... and believe me, I will! These syrups are concentrated in flavor and add just the right amount of sweetness. 

If you're interested in trying some, grab some here!

Lychee Green Tea with Boba

Yields: 1 serving

1 1/2 cups water

1 jasmine green tea bag or 2 tsp. loose leaf jasmine green tea

1 oz. Routin 1883 lychee syrup

1/4 cup boba, cooked (optional)

ice

Heat the water till almost boiling, either on top of a stove or in the microwave. Steep the tea, and immediately place in the refrigerator to cool for 15 - 30 minutes. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice. Pour in the syrup and cooled tea. Shake vigorously to cool, about 1 minute. Place the cooked boba in a tall glass. Strain the cooled tea mixture on top. Enjoy!

* Using a cocktail shaker is completely optional. You could plainly serve the tea over ice but I think shaking it makes it a bit more fun :)

Seriously, so delicious. I finished it in no time.

Chambre de Sucre GIVEAWAY!

You all know I love tea, I drink it almost daily and even so, multiple times a day.  I don't often drink my tea sweetened but ever since the folks from Chambre de Sucre sent me their precious gourmet, handmade sugars, I couldn't resist. I mean seriously how precious are their products?! See my last post here.

Anyway, we wanted to extend the Chambre de Sucre love to my readers! 

They just came out with some of the sweetest sugars imaginable: little, heart-shaped sugars that come in a variety of pastels. Can you just imagine the fun you'd have with them? Especially if you threw a girl's day spa party or tea party with scones and muffins! Sounds like heaven to me...

To Enter:

Just leave your name, email and what color you'd like!

I'll name the winner in two weeks. Good luck to you all :)

Go here to browse through their selection and to see what color hearts are offered.

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Update: This contest has now ended. Congratulations to Elizabeth Grace - hope you enjoy your mini purple hearts!

Their new and lovely heart sugar collections!

xoxo hope you guys enjoy xoxo

Chambre de Sucre

The lovely Kathy of Chambre de Sucre was so lovely as to send me a generous amount of samples. When she contacted me, I was excited. I drink tea almost daily, if not multiple times a day and even though most of the time I prefer it unsweetened, there are those days when I do need a little sugar fix.

The sugars from Chambre de Sucre are the most exquisite and delicate sugar fix you could ever get your hands on. Each type of sugar I was sent was beautiful and perfect. I never thought I'd describe sugar as such, but visit their site and you'll see how adorable everything is. Perfect for tea parties or get togethers with your girlfriends.

Anyways, I just love getting sent such beautiful products! Gives me the opportunity to shoot the heck out of them and then devour them afterwards - what a good deal.

I decided that the best match for such beautiful sugar was my most delicate tea, rose tea!

Their rock sugars were my favorite. I just love the rawness and natural look of it.

Visit their website here.

Tea Time & The East India Company

I think people often underestimate the time you need for yourself. It's nice to keep yourself busy with work, school, loved ones and lovers but I firmly believe that to be happy in life, you have to be happy with who you are. I love to spend time with myself. That sounds weird, I realize, but I like having my alone time with only my thoughts and I like to take time out in the day to relax a bit, whether it's going to the gym and sweating it out or just spending 10 minutes out of my day to enjoy a hot cup of tea. 

The nice people of The East India Company were kind enough to send me some of their delicious jams. I had just baked a loaf of 10-grain bread (recipe up soon) the day before, and it was perfection paired together. Soaking up the sun, reading the paper and nomming on some jam-laden homemade bread... what an afternoon! It only took 10 minutes, but that 10 minutes could be, quite literally, the thing that saves me. That sounds a bit dramatic but stress is probably the worst thing for your body.

The East India Company's Strawberry & Champagne jam was like a little gift of self-appreciation and I thank them for that! I don't normally like to talk about products on this site, but I thoroughly enjoyed this jam and thought I'd share what large effect this small bottle of jam had on me, and who knows? Possibly on you too :)

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Thanks again, The East India Company!