The End of the Downton Abbey Era

Hello Everyone,

In honor of the very last episode of Downton Abbey, I have set up a plate of treats and tea to celebrate this wonderful show's ending. It is a definite must to enjoy this event in a Downton Abbey-style by having tea, a ritual that bound society together. In true Great Britain-style, a pot of tea brought comfort and support during many times for the Crawley family. It is only fitting that I should do the same to close the chapter on the series. Whether you can identify with the upstairs or downstairs characters while enjoying your tea milk-in-first, or milk-in-last (a historical practice of upper class or lower class way of having tea), I am sure for other fellow Downton Abbey enthusiasts, these characters have edged their way into your life as they have mine. This historical fiction series has followed the aristocratic Crawley family and their downstairs staff, and has kept my family entertained every winter. We have watched this family have a host of problems, many of which we can relate to today. We have also very much enjoyed the time period clothing, history, and cadences that went along with the time period. I hope that everyone in the show has a happy ending, especially Barrow and poor Edith! So as you tune in tonight, brew a cup of tea with me as we usher Donwton Abbey's final episode in by giving a toast to our favorite characters. Oh, and don't forget the tissues, goodbyes are never easy!

 

Thank you for entertaining us Crawleys, we will miss you!
We bid you farewell,

Trina

Pumpkin Spice Tea | Review

Hello friends,

When they say pumpkin spiced everything, they MEAN pumpkin spiced everything. In more recent years pumpkin spice as a flavor has taken over during the fall months. I am not a strong connoisseur of the pumpkin spice flavor, but with the growing hype surrounding it, I decided to give it a whirl. A picked up Bigelow's Pumpkin Spice Black Tea (from my local Walmart), which claims to be a Hearty Spiced Tea. After letting it brew, I added in some sugar. Here is the result!

 

 

One of my first thoughts was that it was much better than I had originally expected. It quickly began to smell and taste of nutmeg and pumpkin pie. The ingredients for the tea are black tea, natural pumpkin flavors, cinnamon, licorice root, clove, ginger, and pumpkin flake. After reading the ingredients I realized one of the flavors I was tasting was the licorice root. The tea is gluten free and includes an average of 30-60 mg of caffeine. Overall I was pleasantly surprised by this tea and happy with my purchase. I hope this encourages you to try something new as well!

Happy Steeping,

Tilly