Staying warm and caffeinated in the rainy season
By Greg Waldock, Staff Writer
It’s November, and we’ve officially hit the crappy weather. We got lucky with a long summer, and now we have to pay the price. Fortunately, we’re in the right town for teas to warm ourselves up with after the long commute home. Here’s a list of loose leaf teas from around the city, perfect supplements for a good book or last-minute essay editing.
Name: Buckingham Palace Type: Black Tea Where to buy: Great Tea Wall
A vanilla-heavy Earl Grey mixed with lavender. Simple, classic, and versatile, there’s no situation this doesn’t work well with. It’s a great twist on a common breakfast tea, and it’s great for when you want something comfortable and familiar. The scent is out of this world.
Name: Pumpkin Chai Type: Black/Chai Tea Where to buy: Great Tea Wall
This is Frankenstein’s Tea. And I promise, it’s the only pumpkin-based drink on this list. A fusion of pumpkin spice, vanilla cream, and cochin masala, this is a strong-yet-smooth tea with a decent spice kick. It’s warming in the way only chai can be.
Name: Get Smart Type: Green Tea Where to buy: DavidsTea
Fruity and energetic. It has strong tones of currant and raspberry, so if you’re looking for a sweet pick-me-up, this is it. It’ll wake you up faster than most breakfast teas. This is an extremely good choice for staying up until 4 a.m. and obsessively researching courses for the upcoming registration. And then being put on a waitlist for the good courses, anyways.
Name: Lapsang Souchong Type: Black Tea Where to buy: Anywhere, but especially Chinatown
Man, this stuff is awesome. It’s a tea that looks, smells, and tastes exactly like campfire charcoal. But in a good way. It’s so soothing and relaxing, you could be drinking this on a roller coaster and be perfectly calm. The ultimate book-reading tea. It’s sold anywhere that has loose leaf teas, but the best will usually be found in tea shops around Chinatown. Have fun exploring for this one; it’s an experience.
Name: Tim Hortons Double-Double Steeped Tea Type: Black Tea Where to buy: Rock Bottom (Tim Hortons)
You’re late for class, it’s raining, and you have a toonie in your pocket. That’s your only excuse to walk in with this simple favourite. Remember, fortune favours the budget conscious!
