thank the bees, thank the chinese

there is a honey for every tea. i love raw honey, being immensely inspired from reading chalice, and i've loved loose leaf tea since shortly after graduating college. they go good together, like spice and chocolate, butter and baked goods, cheese and fruit (all of which tastes divine with honey). i have savannah to thank for introducing me to these two great things; the tea room on broughton street, and the savannah bee company.

summer solstice + sourwood honey
pomegranate pai mu tan + winter white honey
mirabelle + acacia honey
brin's cup + star thistle honey
golden buddha + sourwood honey
emperor's bride + tupelo honey
french verveine + star thistle honey
green rooibos with lavender + acacia honey

i mostly go for fruity and light, spicy and deep, aromatic and thirst quenching. but, mostly fruity. yum. the flavors of the honey add layers and undertones to the tea. i find it's good to match hues of tea and honey together; light hued tea + light golden honey, amber hued tea + deeper hued honey. this way the subtle flavors of one don't overwhelm the other. but, that doesn't mean you can't experiment, sometimes you get a feeling for which could be good pairings after awhile.

#1 rule, raw honey beats sugar any day, on anything
#2 rule of honey aficionados, never have less than two types of raw honey at hand. never. with all the small sizes it comes in, plus the fact that honey has a shelf life of infinity, shouldn't be a problem.

buzzzzz

finally found the pearls needed for the head! here's my honey and bee inspired eyepatch; a golden glow which is so warm compared to the weather outside.

i'm still contemplating which one to work on next; i guess it depends on the materials i have on hand.

honey bees are worth more than gold

i've found my new favorite drink, uji shimizu and cold almond milk; matcha, sugar, and milk, whisked to a frothy green. i tried it hot last night, and it was okay, but today i made it with cold milk and it is so very yummy!

i've started work on another eyepatch. the theme with this one is honey, and more specifically, the honey bee. i never really liked honey until i came to the south and tried the local tupelo honey; it's very sweet, similar to simple syrup or agave nectar. that was about seven years ago. i've since acquired a taste for acacia, sourwood, star thistle, and winter white honeys, as well as an appreciation for the bees which create them.

it's difficult to imagine what will happen to the honey bee in the future, and it's hard to not jump in and try to save them once you learn of the bad husbandry they've fallen under. a couple of years ago i read this controversial post about the honey bee, and it made me think. i've since learned more from radio casts, books, and magazine articles, but everyone needs a starting point. however, the book which made me love the honey bee was chalice, by robin mckinley. you may think it's hard to love an insect, but it isn't, not really.

i'm not quite finished with the bees on my eyepatch, i'm looking for black fresh water pearls for their heads, the ones i do have, being drilled in the wrong spot.