Tag: beverages

SPILL the tea

Bag of Spill everyday tea, brown Betty teapot, stripe pottery mug and red & white tea towel

We’ve been giving a new everyday tea a try this week… and, as we both love a cuppa, it’s an exciting thing! We have a couple of favourite brands that we consider to be a good everyday tea… and now SPILL tea has definitely joined them. In fact, we’ll probably just switch completely, as it’s perfect on so many levels.

First things first, it’s a wonderful cup of tea. It’s a lovely golden colour, robust & flavoursome, whilst staying light & clean… a sparkle on the palate. It gets the magic sigh after the first sip, “…ooooh that’s a good cup of tea!”.

Thank you not from Spill tea

It’s a new venture for co-owners Lou & Sofia, although both have a long history and much experience in the tea world.

The combination of a great cuppa combined with treating the farmers with respect & gratitude has obviously been the driving force for their new company. They deal directly with the farmers who hand pick the crop, so only the best leaves are used… it’s not a blend of whatever tea was cheapest in the market or at auction. No need for middlemen or deals that drive prices and quality downwards.

You can actually see the difference as you take each spoon from the tin – none of that dusty, tired-looking mixture here.

SPILL pays $3 / kilo – 50% above Fairtrade. Plus, an additional farmer payment of 50¢ / kilo.

Add to that, we love the logo & branding – and the packaging, which is home recyclable. Perfect all round!

For you, a better cuppa. For the farmer, a better price.

Bags of Spill everyday tea and teabags

So, our advice is to give it a go – you won’t regret it. We’ve been drinking it all week and still appreciate that extra quality and improved experience that it’s brought. As Lou & Sofia say, it’s all about upgrading the products that you have on a regular basis whenever possible – whether it be coffee, bread, beer or tea. Little things that make moments in life so much more enjoyable!

They have loose-leaf or tea bags – and very nice storage tins if you need one of those too.

Enjoy… and try not to spill it!

Price Points: Reusable coffee cups

Selection of reusable coffee cups | H is for Home

The proliferation of plastic waste has been in the news a lot recently. The ever-expanding Great Pacific garbage patch is really alarming. At last, more is being done nationally and by the government to curb the use of plastic products. It began with the halt to giving away free plastic bags at the supermarket checkout. Recently, Iceland has been the first major supermarket to pledge to not use plastic on their own brand goods. Lets hope all the others soon follow suit.

Earlier this year, a call for a 25p ‘latté levy’ on disposable cups hit the headlines. Some coffee shops have long been offering a discount to customers who bring their own reusable coffee cups. Currently, very few people take up the offer. The hope is that the tax will increase that number in the same way as the charge on plastic bags.

Here are three of our favourite reusable coffee cups – much more attractive and easier to handle than the flimsy, throwaway ones passed over the counter by the barista.

We can all do our little bit to lessen the impact of plastic on the environment. Take reusable bags when we go shopping, buy loose goods where possible, recycle household waste

  1. Waitrose blue floral scatter coffee cup: £2, Waitrose
  2. Ecoffee cup William Morris Cornockle (400ml): £8.99, Planet Organic
  3. Bodum vacuum travel mug with cork band, 350ml: £20, John Lewis

Price Points: Grown-up Advent calendars

Selection of grown-up Advent calendars | H is for Home

There aren’t any children in our household, however that doesn’t stop us getting excited about Christmas. Christmas proper for us generally begins on Advent – this year, the 3rd of December. On that day, the tree gets erected, decorations go up and, if we’ve managed a bit of forward planning, the first door of the Advent calendar gets opened.

There’s a growing number of grown-up Advent calendars on the market – and there’s something for everyone – glamour pusses, real ale drinkers, coffee connoisseurs as well as the sweet-toothed. Here are three of our favourites…

  1. Christmas coffee advent by Perkulatte: £40, Notonthehighstreet
  2. Beer advent calendar: £74.99, The Pip Stop
  3. 24-day beauty advent calendar: £120.00, Selfridges

Price Points: Home coffee roasters

Home coffee roasters | H is for Home

Coffee connoisseurship keeps reaching higher and higher levels. We have become more discerning about where our coffee comes from, the taste we prefer and how we like to take it. Many people have coffee makers of one kind or another in their kitchens. The simple, classic Bialetti stove-top percolator, the coffee filter machine and the high tech bean-to-cup machines.

The obvious progression is an increase in the popularity of home coffee roasters. The basic models are surprisingly affordable and, as they don’t need electricity to run, are perfect for use al fresco or when camping. If you’re not the outdoorsy type, there are many others available – in a range of price points – for stove-top or counter-top use.

  1. Nuvo eco ceramic handy coffee bean roaster: £33.77, Amazon
  2. Antique coffee roaster: £135.03, Etsy
  3. BOCABOCA 250 coffee bean roaster with cooler: £345.99 eBay