Currant Conversation Oolong Tea by Karen Rose Smith

 

Drinking tea was a past time long before I began writing cozy mysteries that take place at my sleuth’s business establishment, Daisy’s Tea Garden. When I was a child we lived with my grandfather and aunt. I remember nights in front of a black and white tv/radio/phonograph combination. My mom would brew tea.

                  Burton Teapot for One 

This week I tried Plum Deluxe’s Currant Conversation Oolong Tea. 

                                                     Currant Conversation Oolong Tea

Since my next Daisy’s Tea Garden mystery release is Murder With Oolong Tea, I’m especially interested in oolong flavors. Oolong is neither a Green tea or a black tea. It has characteristics of its own depending how it’s oxidized. The taste can also depend on where it’s grown. Its origins are in China and Taiwan.  This Currant Conversation Oolong Tea has more of a woodsy taste than fruit taste.  The smoothness comes from vanilla. It is organic. I used 1 teaspoon for each cup with boiling water, steeping it for about 4 minutes.

I hope you can relax and enjoy a time-out for a cuppa tea!

 

Tidbit about MURDER WITH OOLONG TEA

A spring house on a farm is almost a thing of the past. But not for Daisy Swanson. A spring house could save her life!

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MURDER WITH OOLONG TEA

Release Date: DECEMBER 29, 2020

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Hot #Cinnamon Tea for #Fall by Karen Rose Smith

 

Are you looking for a fall tea? Or just one that’s a little different in taste?

At Daisy's Tea Garden that my sleuth Daisy Swanson and her aunt Iris run in an old Victorian house, they are constantly mixing and discovering new flavors.  So am I.

This week I’m drinking Harney and Sons Hot Cinnamon Tea. Last winter when my throat was scratchy, I looked for a different type of tea to soothe it. At first I found the caffeinated tea. I like the sachets that look like delicate silky bags. Since I prefer this tea lightly brewed, I use them twice. 

 

Both caffeinated and decaf are sweetly spicy. They remind me of the taste of “red hot” candies that I sometimes use in baked apples. The tea sachets hold a combination of black tea, 3 types of cinnamon and sweet cloves. Each sachet can brew a 12 oz. cup. I prefer this tea hot. Harney and Sons Cinnamon Tea

 

If you like cinnamon, I believe you’ll like this tea. 

 

Murder With Oolong Tea tidbit this week!

Will Shakespeare’s wife’s name was Anne Hathaway. This is a clue leading to why a 60 year old English teacher used a fake ID! 

 

Until next time...

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MURDER WITH OOLONG TEA

Release Date: DECEMBER 29, 2020

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Toasted Nut Brulee Oolong #Tea by Karen Rose Smith

 

I write a cozy mystery series for Kensington Books.  My Daisy's Tea Garden series is set in Lancaster, PA Amish country in a fictional town named Willow Creek.  Many of the scenes are set in Daisy's tea garden that she owns with her Aunt Iris.  In the next weeks, I'll be tasting teas that are new to me and blogging about them.  I'll also share a hint about my next release that will be available at the end of December, MURDER WITH OOLONG TEA.

To brew tea, I use a teapot I heat on the stovetop rather than an electric pot. 

I have a variety of china tea pots for brewing, many handed down by my mother. I enjoy using them to evoke memories or simply to make me smile. I use an infuser that can easily hold six teaspoons of loose tea, though most of my teapots hold four cups.

This teapot is a James Sadler made in England. The vintage tea cup belonged to my mom. It’s Royal Sealy China. I believe that atmosphere you create when brewing tea can bring a sense of calm and a return to a refined time. 

 

 

This week I’m tasting Toasted Nut Brulee Oolong Tea. This caffeinated tea is hand blended by Plum Tea Deluxe.  I brewed a teaspoon a cup for six minutes. It’s just what the name purports it to be—the flavor of nuts and a velvety, rich smoothness on my tongue. I particularly like this tea hot. My husband likes it iced. It’s a mixture of oolong, black tea, rooibus, apple pieces, along with nut and flower essences.

 

In Murder With Oolong Tea, Daisy is serving tea at a teacher appreciation luncheon.  She hears a scream coming from the pool area...

 

Til next time...

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MURDER WITH OOLONG TEA

Release Date: DECEMBER 29, 2020

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Peaches N' Cream Oolong #Tea by Karen Rose Smith

 

There are reasons why many of us enjoy brewing tea. In my Daisy’s Tea Garden cozy mystery series, readers can see why customers patronize a tea garden. Sharing a pot of tea, can encourage calm, reinforce friendships, and create an atmosphere that takes us back to a quieter more refined time.

 

I’ve found an assortment of teas that can help do all of the above from Plum Deluxe Teas. Over the coming weeks, I’ll post my impressions of each one along with a few hints about my upcoming Daisy’s Tea Garden cozy MURDER WITH OOLONG TEA.  Plum Deluxe Teas are loose teas that are blended in small batches at their studios in Portland, Oregon. The teas are organic, non gmo and free of chemicals and sulfites. The company supports local businesses and USA farmers. 

 

I’ll begin with Peaches N' Cream Oolong Tea. This is our season in Pennsylvania for local peaches and it’s one of my favorite flavors. Plum Deluxe’s Peaches N' Cream Oolong tea is a caffeinated tea with a smooth experience of flavor on the tongue. It has a hint of peach notes that makes it comforting as a hot beverage and thirst quenching as an iced beverage. I brewed a teaspoon for each cup and steeped it for six minutes. You can learn more about Plum Deluxe Teas here. Plum Deluxe Teas

 

In Murder With Oolong Tea, Daisy finds an opinionated English teacher might have more enemies than friends!

 

Til next time...

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MURDER WITH OOLONG TEA

Release Date: DECEMBER 29, 2020

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Cat Gifts by Karen Rose Smith

I was excited by all the new electronic devices my husband and I received for Christmas to help make our daily routines (like preparing a shopping list) a little easier.  However, my favorite gifts are those which are cat-related. Since I love cats and always try to feature them in my cozy mysteries, when I receive a "cat" gift, I feel that the gift was chosen personally for me and that the giver took the time to consider what I enjoy receiving.

Since I write the Daisy's Tea Garden cozy mysteries (and of course love cats!) the Merry Catmas teapot pictured above was the perfect gift from my pet sitter.  It perfectly combined both of my "loves."  And it perfectly complements my Lenox cat cookie jar, a gift from Christmases past.

My son always tries to find a personalized cat gift featuring one of my felines, but this year he gave me a black mug!  Oh, did I forget to mention that the mug turned into a cat mug when it is filled with hot liquid? The image on the mug resembles the original paintings in my vet's office...which I always take a photo of and post on social media when one of my cats has an appointment.

Utilitarian gifts can also be made more personal by adding cats!  I have a collection of decorative canes which I always take with me when I go out.  But until this Christmas, I did not have one that featured cats.  At a distance, it just looks like a multi-colored cane, but up close, various breeds of cats with their expressive eyes bring a smile to my face. 

I saw the new drip-proof umbrellas advertised on TV before the holidays, but I was not aware they came with cats decorating the whole underside of the umbrella.  Now all I have to do is look up on a rainy day and the sweet cat faces staring down at me will chase away the rainy day blues.

I also enjoy giving cat-related gifts.  My husband has quite a collection of "cat" T-shirts.  I added this one to his collection this year.  The cat looks very much like Halo, the pregnant stray we took in who had her kittens in my office.  She and hubby have a special bond.
 

Gift giving from the heart is always immediately recognizable when the gift is opened.  The smile on the recipient's face shows appreciation for someone taking extra care to choose the perfect gift.

Now it's time to start shopping for next Christmas so I can give everyone on my gift list the perfect gift that will brighten their day.

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Keith Rebert is homeless with a sad story that includes the death of his wife and medical bills that decimated his finances. Daisy and her friend Jonas Groft meet him through one of Daisy’s employees and offer help. But soon Keith is caught up in a murder investigation. He was supplying the shop Pirated Treasures with antiques, including Gettysburg Battlefield memorabilia. The nephew of the shop’s owner, Barry Storm, was lowballing merchandise that Keith brought in. One day Keith and Barry vehemently argued. Soon after, Barry was found dead, killed with a marble rolling pin that held Keith’s fingerprints. Daisy’s special for the month, cherry tarts, was found spilled on the floor next to him. Keith is the number one suspect.

Keith finds a job on a farm where he can live in a cabin with his daughter Mandy. A friend of Barry’s lived and worked there before the murder, then suddenly moved out. As Daisy finds clues that give insight into Barry’s life and prepares for her daughter’s wedding, she faces danger, verbally battles with the detective on the case, and tries to figure out what part Jonas Groft plays in her life. When she finds the ultimate clue that tells her exactly what Barry Storm was involved in, she almost loses her life. 

MURDER WITH CHERRY TARTS on Amazon

MURDER WITH CHERRY TARTS on Barnes and Noble

"Dotting" The House With Technology by Karen Rose Smith

Christmas brought new technology to the Smith house!  After seeing the online promotions and discussing with friends how the Amazon Echo and Dot have conveniently worked in their homes, I decided to take the plunge and gift these items to my husband.  I suppose the younger generation view these items as the newest technology and add them to their homes to keep up with the latest additions to phones and tablets.  But, as a member of an older generation, rather than fighting the technology, I look at these new gadgets as a way to help me do things with less stress on me and my body.  As a person with arthritis and tendonitis, it is much more convenient to give a voice command to turn on a light, make a phone call or listen to an audiobook than getting out of my chair or maneuvering my phone or tablet.

We have added smart speakers in my office, den and master bedroom.  Now, at night, if I go upstairs to settle for the evening and my husband is still downstairs, I can talk to him with a simple voice command, rather than getting up and yelling down the stairs.  If either of us were to fall or need medical assistance, we can call each other...or emergency services...hands free.  I can also call anyone on my phone's contact list.

Do you remember the "Clapper?"  We were still using them to turn on lights in the bedroom, but recently I was having a flareup of wrist problems and was unable to "clap" the light on.  So we added a smart plug, synced it with Alexa and now I can just ask her to turn on or off the light!








I'm sure, as we become more familiar with the technology, we will embrace it even more as we discover new ways it can make our "golden" years easier.  And it is also reassuring that if we need assistance, it can be there with one simple voice command.

Needless to say, my heroine in my Daisy's Tea Garden cozy mystery series will most probably be adding these devices to her home.  Hmmm...

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Keith Rebert is homeless with a sad story that includes the death of his wife and medical bills that decimated his finances. Daisy and her friend Jonas Groft meet him through one of Daisy’s employees and offer help. But soon Keith is caught up in a murder investigation. He was supplying the shop Pirated Treasures with antiques, including Gettysburg Battlefield memorabilia. The nephew of the shop’s owner, Barry Storm, was lowballing merchandise that Keith brought in. One day Keith and Barry vehemently argued. Soon after, Barry was found dead, killed with a marble rolling pin that held Keith’s fingerprints. Daisy’s special for the month, cherry tarts, was found spilled on the floor next to him. Keith is the number one suspect.

Keith finds a job on a farm where he can live in a cabin with his daughter Mandy. A friend of Barry’s lived and worked there before the murder, then suddenly moved out. As Daisy finds clues that give insight into Barry’s life and prepares for her daughter’s wedding, she faces danger, verbally battles with the detective on the case, and tries to figure out what part Jonas Groft plays in her life. When she finds the ultimate clue that tells her exactly what Barry Storm was involved in, she almost loses her life. 

MURDER WITH CHERRY TARTS on Amazon

MURDER WITH CHERRY TARTS on Barnes and Noble