This is what happens when…

Tea by the case

By the time you reach forty, there are a few things that really need to be done your way. Somehow in the nature of my rearing, I developed a fondness for tea. Frequently, my tea of choice is Earl Grey or Irish Breakfast, but more often I’ve found myself enjoying Vanilla Chai or some variant thereof. This was all fine and dandy until my body decided a couple years ago that caffeine just wouldn’t do anymore. Really. If I have more caffeine than is in a good bar of chocolate, I develop a quality headache. It was fascinating to discover this, as the symptoms are quite similar to those I experienced as caffeine withdrawal. I’m sure you can imagine how great I felt when I’d self-medicate…

In any case, our friendly neighborhood Kroger has a great selection of bagged teas, including all of our favorites – at least until quite recently when the Stash Decaffeinated Vanilla Chai disappeared from the shelf. Sadly, so did its shelf tag. For Amanda, this was not so tragic, as the Bigelow brand has a bit more pungency. However, it does not seem to be available in a decaf variety. What to do? Would I be forced to venture into the Tom Thumb – the store that we loved so much when we moved here, but lost all that charm when Safeway took them over? Perish the thought, but would I need to explore the halls at Wal-Mart or Target? No! Amazon to the rescue! Turns out they have Stash teas by the case delivered to my door at slightly lower than grocery store prices… Granted, I do have to buy two years’ worth at a time… Unless I go on a Vanilla Chai binge, that is…

Stash Vanilla Chai Decaf Tea

Cup of tea in Lauren’s favorite mug. Lucky we have two of them…