looseleafteaandcoffeebeans

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Coffee shops are the best places on Earth

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These mugs are everything

miss_nylong: https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ310TxLWGW/

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As much as I love a good tea latte, there’s a whole other world of teas out there. So, I made this!  If you’ve seen my other posts maybe you’ll be compelled to buy syrup to pair with these to convince yourself to drink them.

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[looseleafteaandcoffeebeans]

The kind of study space I need this semester 😍

Source

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Be Your Own Barista 4

So on to the fourth Torani syrup review!  This time it’s rose syrup.  

I was scrolling through Pinterest a few months ago and came across a video of someone making a rose latte.  Now, I have never liked rose anything.  Not rose perfume, not rose scented candles, not roses themselves, I liked nothing about roses. But, there's has never been a latte that I have been unwilling to try.  Also, the syrup was ten dollars so I didn’t really have much to lose.  Looking at other suggested videos I found that some people would top their rose latte off with a matcha shot, and I loooooooove matcha so I just had to.  

When I was at the grocery store I also can across Rose Pink Latte mix from Tazo.com that you just add milk to and since I didn’t know what the strength of the syrup would be I figured a tea latte would work just fine.  

And it was!!!! It tasted incredible and I have one once a week!☺️  The rose syrup isn't that strong, and it’s more sugary than rosy so when paired with the latte mix and the matcha shot it’s pretty mellow.  If you want it to be stronger use more mix than milk, and increase the amount of syrup too.  

This is what the mix looks like for reference.  And it’s an herbal tea! It really can’t get any better than this.  It also creates a pretty ombre affect since it’s pink on the bottom and green on top, making it photogenic enough for your Insta feed. 10/10 would recommend!

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Sagnik Bose | @sagnikeats

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I need a teapot like this!!

【🐞】  please credit if reposting

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I wanna talk about the matcha whisk!

So when I first started drinking matcha I bought a matcha whisk with it because I thought it was a requirement.  Later on I bought a handheld milk frother from Home Goods to add a bit of fun to my drinks, but I started to use it when making matcha too because it seemed convenient.  So then I had to ask myself: was a matcha whisk even worth it?

There was no way I was going to want to answer this question while I had both in my kitchen, so when my matcha whisk needed to retire, I did not replace it for a whole month.  I was very irritated for those 30 days 😅.  A handheld milk frother just doesn’t cut it!  Maybe it’s the tiny bamboo pieces that can actually separate the matcha so that it’s not clumpy, maybe I just use too much, but the matcha whisk is superior in every way.  I also like how intentional it feels to use.  Usually making coffee can be a quick throw-whatever-creamer-and-cold-brew-is-in-the-fridge-and-leave kind of situation, but when I use a matcha whisk it feels like I am taking more time to care for myself and my cravings.  Storing them can be a hassle because you should not be keeping them in the tube you buy it in but I would still recommend this for people who want to make matcha often.

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www.instagram.com/officialnatalina

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One day I'll get my latte art to look like this!!!

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[looseleafteaandcoffeebeans]

Be Your Own Barista pt.3

Third syrup on the list is... (drumroll please) Black Sugar!  This one was my favorite for months.  Lavender stole it’s top spot, but it’s a pantry staple for me until I die.  I would use it in chai, earl grey, hot coffee, cold coffee, and even mixed in with my vanilla ice cream.  It was a very serious obsession lol. 

When I bought this syrup I didn’t know what black sugar was, so the flavor took me by surprise because I immediately recognized hints of molasses.  Black sugar is white sugar that hasn’t had its molasses removed, making it an unrefined sugar.  Because of that, there’s a slight caramel taste and it is very rich so not a lot is needed.  I have been using it in my morning coffees again instead of trying to ration it until payday.

This syrup is also ten dollars, but it is currently sold out on the site.  Of course you could also DIY this flavor by buying a jar of molasses and some white sugar at the grocery store and combining the two!  

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Pour Over Coffee Set by shopvanillabean

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This looks like heaven

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Be Your Own Barista (continued)

The second syrup on my review list is lavender! (Again, I get all my syrups from torani.com)  This one I was skeptical about because as soon as I took the cap off the scent hit me in the face.  I was worried that no matter how little of this syrup I used it would always be too strong a flavor and that it would taste “off”, but I was so so wrong.  This one is in my top three favorites list, and I have to keep myself from buying it in bulk.  I use it for both my teas and my coffees.  It pairs especially well with matcha.  Matcha is good for days that I have a slow start, and since the caffeine is not too overbearing, pairing it with lavender gives me the mellow caffeinated start to my day that I need.  Another fave of mine is a simple lavender coffee, with two teaspoons of sugar and a pour straight from my French press.  Since it is getting warmer out I plan to make it with cold brew, as soon as I figure out how to make it in bulk.  

Torani’s regular lavender syrup is 8.99, but I buy Puremade so it’s a dollar more.