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Mel Had Tea

Tales of a Travelling Tea Sommelier

  • Home
  • About
    • My Story
    • FAQs
    • Work With Me
    • Press
    • Portfolio
  • Destinations
    • Bosnia and Herzegovina
    • Canada
    • Croatia
    • England
    • Germany
    • Iceland
    • Japan
    • South Korea
    • The Philippines
    • United Kingdom
    • USA
  • Experiences
    • City Guides
    • Travel Budgeting
    • Interning in the CBC’s European Office
    • 30 Days Across Canada Living in a Van
    • Living on a Japanese Tea Farm
  • Tea
    • Tea Education
    • Tea Reviews
    • Recipes
  • Contact
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  • Travel

    How to Budget for an Iceland Honeymoon Road Trip

    October 11, 2018January 28, 2019

    When planning a trip, it seems as soon as you’ve decided your destination, a grumpy budget troll climbs up on your shoulder and whispers into your ear with its icy cold breath, “how much?” Iceland in particular is an expensive country. That reputation alone deters a lot of people from even considering it as a

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    • Here's one of those @ippodotea left-handed kyusu teapots I was talking about the other day! Japanese #kyusu handles are always on the side and used for drinking teas made with hotter water (like sencha, genmaicha, bancha), as opposed to houhins, with are handle-less Japanese teapots used for brewing gyokuro and other fine teas that use cooler (70-85˚ C) water. What's your preferred vessel for steeping tea?
. . . . .#tea #teaoftheday #matcha #ilovetea#teatime #cupoftea #tealover #teadrinker#tealove #teaporn #teaaddiction #teaaddict#instatea #butfirsttea #teastagram#foodgawker #foodandwine #feedfeed#f52grams #buzzfeast #buzzfeedfood#instayum #eattheworld #girleatsworld#teaculture #teatime #teaplease
    • A winter's morning. What are you brewing today?
. . . . .#tea #teaoftheday #ilovetea#teatime #cupoftea #tealover #teadrinker#tealove #teaporn #teaaddiction #teaaddict#instatea #butfirsttea #teastagram#foodgawker #foodandwine #feedfeed#f52grams #buzzfeast #buzzfeedfood#instayum #eattheworld #girleatsworld#teaculture #teatime #teaplease #houjicha #japanese
    • This winter I've been steeping a selection of beautiful teas from @smithteamaker, including this Rose City Genmaicha. Genmaicha is a traditional Japanese green tea made using sencha and toasted brown rice.
Smith has really elevated this traditional tea by blending in Mao Feng green tea from China, rose petals, and bergamot oil (the same as in Earl Grey tea). I love the results. Tomorrow on the blog I’m publishing a post about a few other warming and wintery teas from Smith. Did you know #Portland city where Smith is based is famous for their roses?
. . . . .#tea #teaoftheday #matcha #ilovetea#teatime #cupoftea #tealover #teadrinker#tealove #teaporn #teaaddiction #teaaddict#instatea #butfirsttea #teastagram#foodgawker #foodandwine #feedfeed#f52grams #buzzfeast #buzzfeedfood#instayum #eattheworld #girleatsworld#teaculture #teatime #teaplease #ThisIsTeaTime #SmithTea
    • This swirly tray from @ippodotea is the perfect vessel for delivering houjicha - charcoal roasted green tea from Japan that's low and caffeine and yummly warming. Perfect for chilly winter days. Ippodo is one of the few Japanese tea vendors that also sells left-handed kyusu teapots. Any other #lefties in the crowd? 💁🏻‍♀️
. . . . .#tea #teaoftheday #japanese #ilovetea#teatime #cupoftea #tealover #teadrinker#tealove #teaporn #teaaddiction #teaaddict#instatea #butfirsttea #teastagram#foodgawker #foodandwine #feedfeed#f52grams #buzzfeast #buzzfeedfood#instayum #eattheworld #girleatsworld#teaculture #teatime #teaplease #ThisIsTeaTime
    • Last week I had the pleasure of serving up a selection of hot and cold brews for the @shoppersdurgmartofficial #myroutine event at @bishatoronto. Tea has a lot of health benefits for your skin, not the least of which is hydration! ✨DYK? Shoppers Drug Mart has in-store specialists that can analyze your skin and prescribe solutions tailored just for you. The best part? It’s free. Specialist @sarahobear measured the hydration levels of my skin and gave me a close-up look at my skin health. It was super interesting. I don’t wear any makeup on a daily basis, but I’m really invested in taking good care of my skin. I was stoked that my skin scored as well-hydrated! I mean, I do drink A LOT of tea. ✨Tea is a great substitute for pop or juice in your routine since there’s no sugar or other additives - just leafy goodness. Tea leaves also have many antioxidants, such as ✔catechins (EGCG) ✔amino acids ✔ Vitamins C, B, and E. ✨If you really want a condensed tea detox, try matcha. When you drink matcha, you’re consuming 100% of the tea leaf, and all the vitamins, antioxidants, and caffeine! It’s like a tea espresso, if you will! ✨Even herbal teas can have a lot of beneficial properties. I took the beautiful Flower Garden organic herbal from @worldteahouse with me to Toronto and everyone was commenting on its beautiful appearance. It has #chamomile - soothing and great for red or irritated skin—it also contains quercetin, which helps protect you from sun damage.  Rose Hips contain antioxidants and Vitamin C. Even peppermint tea contains menthol that can help clear up oily skin. . . . . .#tea #teaoftheday #matcha #ilovetea#teatime #cupoftea #tealover #teadrinker#tealove #teaporn #teaaddiction #teaaddict#instatea #butfirsttea #teastagram#foodgawker #foodandwine #feedfeed#f52grams #buzzfeast #buzzfeedfood#instayum #eattheworld #girleatsworld#teaculture #teatime #teaplease #ThisIsTeaTime
    • Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night. Thanks for an amazing year. Wishing you all a magical evening and happy memory making over the holidays.
Currently steeping: Rum Pot by @smithteamaker - Colombian black tea with licorice root, star anise, and dried fruit. Handpicked and preserved in #rum, the old-world German way. #SmithTea #ThisIsTeaTime
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#tea #teaoftheday #matcha #ilovetea #teatime #cupoftea #tealover #teadrinker #tealove #teaporn #teaaddiction #teaaddict #instatea #butfirsttea #teastagram #foodgawker #foodandwine #feedfeed #f52grams #buzzfeast #buzzfeedfood #instayum #eattheworld #girleatsworld #teaculture #teatime #teaplease
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