Kevin [Disclosure: To keep things kosher and above board, per FTC guidelines, this post contains sponsored links (unless otherwise specified). This means I may receive a commission from any sales or link clicks. However, you’re in luck: this comes at no additional cost to you. Thanks a million for supporting the brands that help to keep the lights on this blog!]
Idk who out there’s heard of this being a thing, but January is Hot Tea Month 2023. If y’all have been here for a hot minute or longer, you probably noticed I like to talk about random observances and unofficial holidays. Since it’s the dead of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, this probably won’t apply to most of you party animals living in the Southern Hemisphere, where it’s summer.
Before I walk to my day job or to the bus stop in order to get there, I’ll get some water in the kettle (now that I cleaned it out thoroughly after an overheating accident when I left it on too long), and make some hot tea in my glass to-go cup from Lifefactory. [NOTE: This isn’t a sponsored link.]
It seems to have been discontinued forever ago, and I haven’t found anything even close to being similar. There’s a few left, but only in the 12 ounce size, and it’s got the classic cap instead of the cafe cap. There used to be a bigger size, and I have that also.
Right now, I’m working through what’s left of a box of Candy Cane Lane tea from Celestial Seasonings. It was one of the seasonal/holiday varieties I got on sale at Wally World. At this point, Wally World no longer has it, and if you know me, I’m Team Anybody But Amazon, for reasons.
Since it’s the dead of winter, it’s only fitting that this month is Hot Tea Month. Idk if I mentioned this before, but if I have, feel free to fast-forward through this so y’all don’t have to hear me beat a dead horse here. If you’re new, I never really used to be a fan of tea.
That came about from someone I used to know who drank that nasty Lipton shyt, the kind that I’m 100% convinced is made from wood shavings swept off the floor in a middle-school shop class. That was all I ever saw of tea, and if that was what tea was like, count me out.
For years, up until late college, I wrote off tea, and as far as I was concerned, it didn’t exist beyond decorations on store shelves.
I kept seeing different teas in the specialty shops my mom and I would frequent whenever we had the money, and kept seeing tea recipes in the cookbooks I either owned or checked out from the library. It seemed interesting, but I was too afraid to try it since I didn’t want it to taste like ass like that other stuff does.
Around that time, I tried some apple-flavored tea at a community event on a lark. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, since it was free.
Shock of shocks, I actually liked it! I still regret not writing the name of it down, but I’ve been on a quest to find something similar enough to it ever since.
It’s been history ever since. I’ve rebought the Bengal Spice variety several times. I used to put cream in it before I lost the weight, and now, I like it by itself. I’ve also fallen in love w/ Stash’s Christmas in Paris tea ever since I saw it at one of the specialty shops and then saw it at the old store. I still got like 2 boxes of it in the pantry. It’s currently sold out everywhere but from private sellers on eBay, but it’s still available as loose tea. (Also not a sponsored link)
I went into an Internet rabbit hole one night (lolz, so what else is new?), and saw all kinds of stuff just for tea. I was familiar w/ the stuff for coffee, since my mom lived for it. Most of the sites I saw links to where I saw ppl sharing their tea swag were super expensive, and shipping would take forever. Or the stuff’s no longer made.
Enter Teabloom. It’s a site full of tea supplies, different kinds of teas, and even those flower teas I saw on someone’s Instagram forever ago and been wanting ever since. Here, you can buy the teapots by themselves, in sets, and you can also buy the accessories that go w/ the teapots if something happens for whatever reason. There’s even travel cups you can get w/ removable sleeves, and there’s one I got my eye on right now.
Can’t beat that, imo!
Nor can you beat the great gift ideas for a certain commercialized holiday coming up, where the candy companies come out w/ their themed treats, and kids in elementary schools across the country give out cards to their classmates. That’s right, Valentine’s Day is coming up, and the teapot I got my eye on is just perfect to celebrate the day: the Eternal Love. It’s sold out as a standalone teapot, but there’s a gift set instead. I feel like w/ gift sets, it’s a great way to suss out what you like and what missed the mark for you.
But back to the travel cup conundrum. I love my Lifefactory travel cups to bits, don’t get me wrong. Loved em for years! It’s just that by the time I get to my assignment for work, it’s now iced tea instead of hot tea, which kinda sucks. I’m pretty sure the half-hour walk in sub-zero temperatures probably has something to do w/ it, haha. Stuffing it into my coat didn’t make a difference, either. It only delayed the inevitable of that hot tea I had when I left the house, morphing into iced tea.
Looks like I’m gonna have to explore some options on that sometime soon, huh? Anyways, over to you, readers. Do you like tea? If so, which ones are your favorite? If not, how come? If that’s not something I should ask, no worries. It’s all good, and I still like ya. How are you gonna celebrate what’s left of Hot Tea Month? Got any tea lovers in your life to buy something for Valentine’s Day? You can get a discount when you use my promo code, KEVIN10. Better yet, it’s applicable sitewide, not just specific items.
I’d love to hear your thoughts and takeaways, so drop it all like it’s hot, and let’s talk.
