Second Cuppa

Seeking Comfort in Second Cup’s English Breakfast Tea

Battling boredom and loneliness before departing from Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, and after doing several laps through the terminal and grabbing a bite of sushi, I needed another diversion. Lester’s smoked meat was tempting, but I had already gotten my fix a few days earlier at Snowden Deli. What I needed was a warm cuppa.

Second Cup, Canada’s answer to Starbucks, has a competing kiosk in the airport. I expected something comparable to the tea I would get at Starbucks (typically Tazo Awake) if I got tea at Starbucks (which I don’t).

English Breakfast was one of the options. Unlike Starbucks, all Second Cup teas — 10 varieties total — are packaged with the company’s own label. Second Cup’s website claims all its teas are whole leaf and Rainforest Alliance Certified™ and describes its English Breakfast as a blend of Indian (Assam) and Kenyan teas.

I placed my order and watched with disappointment (but not surprise) as my tea was steeped in hot instead of boiling water. Preparation method notwithstanding, the tea was good — something I attribute partially to the whole leaf tea and fat pyramid-shaped tea bag combination.

The tea was full bodied and stood up to milk very well. In addition to the familiar malty Assam, I detected a citrus-like aroma which I figured had to be the Kenyan. It had a bright finish and hit the spot.

Who servers better tea, Starbucks or Second Cup? Second Cup all the way. Go Canada!

Punjana Original Tea Bags

Impressed by the taste of Punjana Irish Breakfast Tea, I decided to give the original blend from the same company a try. Surprisingly, the best deal I found on Punjana Original Tea — also marketed as Punjana Everyday Tea — was through the company website, Punjana.com.

I paid £6.90 (£3.80 for the tea plus £3.10 for shipping) which, after my credit card was charged, set me back $11.17. Though I didn’t realize it at the time, this price actually includes two 80-packs of tea bags. That’s $5.59 per 80 pack — not quite the deal I found at Big Lots for the Irish breakfast blend ($3.50), but certainly the best I could find online for the original blend. The only downside to purchasing directly from Punjana (if you live in the United States) is the 3-4 week delivery time.

The difference between Punjana’s original and Irish breakfast blends is not well explained on the company website. Both products contain Assam and Kenyan teas and are described as being bright and refreshing.

As expected, Punjana’s Irish Breakfast tea is stronger in aroma and flavor than Punjana Original Tea, although they both have similar characteristics. Both exhibit a sweet citrus-like aroma and are full bodied and moderately astringent.

Those who like strong tea won’t be disappointed with Punjana Original; it is, after all, an Irish tea. For something with slightly more strength and character (a result of more Kenyan in the blend, possibly?), try Punjana Irish Breakfast. After drinking both for a couple of months, other popular English and Irish breakfast tea brands, by contrast, taste like cardboard to me.

Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease: A Survival Guide for Parents

Coxsackievirus A16, commonly known as Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease (HFMD), is a virus that typically strikes children under 5 years of age. Symptoms include fever followed by an outbreak of sores on the hands, feet, genital area, buttocks, and mouth.

Speaking from experience, the most difficult part of this illness is the discomfort your child will experience from the sores in his or her mouth. These sores prevented my son from eating and sleeping well for a few days. It was the most miserable I’ve ever seen him — far worse than the colds, ear infection, pink eye, and teething he’s endured.

From the information we gathered online, my wife and I thought we were doing right by giving our son acetaminophen (Tylenol) every four hours. According to most of the stuff I read, there’s nothing you can do except give a child pain medication and wait for the virus to run its course. A quick call to the doctor’s office, however, proved to be extremely valuable. So here are some tips based experience and medical advice received:

Motrin (Ibuprofen) is preferable to Tylenol in this case because in addition to reducing fever, it reduces inflammation, which really aids with the throat discomfort
A mixed dose of 3/4 teaspoon of Malox and 3/4 teaspoon of Benadryl before eating can help with swallowing
Cold liquids provide throat comfort and maintain hydration
Normal eating rules do not apply, so keep the child as well fed and hydrated as possible by offering him or her various foods
Your child may become an extremely picky eater during this ordeal; keep trying different foods
Popsicles, ice cream, yogurt, pudding, milkshakes, milk (with some fat and maybe Carnation Instant Breakfast), and avocados are all foods that can be served cold and help a child maintain a decent caloric intake level
Be prepared to comfort you child throughout the night

HFMD is not common in adults; however, my wife was lucky enough to catch it. It was much milder than what our son went through. She had a few bothersome canker-like sores in her mouth (but nothing in her throat) as well as insignificant sores on her hands and feet. She didn’t allow the HFMD to ruin a long weekend trip to Austin, though we did avoid certain cuisines because of the sores in her mouth.

Daintree Tea Review

Over a year ago, my mother-in-law brought back a pack of Daintree Tea from her trip to Australia. I stuck it in the pantry and forgot about it until recently.

Daintree Tea is a black tea grown in the moist, tropical climate of Far North Queensland on the Daintree Plantation — so it says on the packaging. It is not a blend, but a true representation of the environment in which it is grown.

The package contains 50 tea bags. With the tea bag in the mug, I poured boiling water over it and let it steep for three minutes.

Daintree Tea’s aroma is semi-sweet and earthy with a hint of vanilla. For a full-bodied tea, the taste was pleasantly smooth. It certainly is unique among the black teas I’ve sampled. I was left well caffeinated and wanting more.

Honey vs Sugar in Your Tea?

Many tea drinkers choose sugar as their natural sweetener of choice; it’s readily available, especially at the office where it’s placed conveniently next to the coffee maker or single-cup (wasteful) coffee contraption. Many others, myself included, use honey.

When comparing sugar and honey, does one surpass the other in health benefits? According to most independent sources I’ve found, no.

Calories

Both honey and sugar add calories to food. According to www.DrGourmet.com, one tablespoon of sugar contains 46 calories and one tablespoon of honey contains 63 calories. Because honey is sweeter than sugar, less of it can be used, which may even out the caloric intake.

Nutritional Value

The fact that honey undergoes less processing than table sugar makes it more appealing to some, but does it have any nutritional value over sugar? Most honey sold at grocery stores is pasteurized or heated to prevent yeast fermentation. Unfortunately, pasteurization removes honey’s vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and digestive-aiding enzymes.

Most evidence points to raw or unprocessed honey for significant health benefits over sugar. It retains its nutrients and is often touted for its anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral qualities. Allergy sufferers may even find relief if using locally harvested raw honey, according to some sources. Raw honey consumption is not without risk, however, because it may contain harmful bacteria that could lead to botulism.

Glycemic Index

Low glycemic index (GI) foods release sugars into the bloodstream more slowly than high GI foods. According to Livestrong.com, some honeys fall into the low GI category.

Yellow Box honey and locust honey have GIs of 35 and 32 respectively — both considered low on the glycemic index. Pure honey and clover honey, on the other hand, have high GIs of 58 and 69 respectively. Table sugar has a GI of 60.

Which to Use in Your Tea, Sugar or Honey?

I suppose it’s best to avoid using honey or sugar if possible, or gradually reduce the amount of honey (or sugar) used while learning to appreciate the tea’s natural taste. This is my current plan of attack for the strong black teas I consume. So far so good.

If you do need sweetener to counter your tea’s bitterness, choose the one that tastes better to you. You can always add more milk.

UPDATE 5/21/2012: I don’t believe I sufficiently covered the risk of raw honey. For infants, both raw and pasteurized honeys contain botulism spores that can be harmful to infants. Raw honey may contain chemicals, such as pesticides and fertilizer, that may lead to food poisoning. For those allergic to bee venom, raw honey can cause an allergic reaction. Thank you LIVESTRONG.com for this information. Despite all of its disadvantages, I’ve decided to give local raw honey a try to see if it can provide some allergy relief.

UPDATE 6/30/2012: I’ve used local raw honey everyday for about two months now without incident. I think it may be helping with my allergies, but I’m not certain.