It is always tea time at Cafe Domingo + Tiny House

Posted byMicahPosted inExperiences, Food, Life, lifestyle, plants, tiny house living, wellnessTags:, , , , , , , , , , , ,

I do not have a dream dinner date but I would be thrilled to get invited to the March Hare’s Tea Party. Or perhaps I should just invite myself like Alice did?

I would wear my white knee-length dress with black foliage print and sit perhaps between the Mad Hatter and the narcoleptic Dormouse.

I imagine myself having a good time with these colorful characters that do not give a hoot about anything else happening in the world, except for tea time.

I think people who make time for tea are the best people. As if anything else is that important.

So I fantasize about a seat in this very mad tea party, six o’clock, as always. It would be a wonderful respite, especially with the current state of the world. I get frustrated. Instead of things turning out for the better, it seems like they are getting worse.

And so I have tea. To take my mind off things and remember that good things still exist, like flowers, leaves, roots, seeds, and barks that taste beautiful when steeped in hot water.

Speaking of which, two weeks ago, I had the greatest luck of connecting with the lovely couple behind Himalayan Bliss PH, a small tea shop that sells fine, organic tea here in The Philippines. Our online conversation quickly turned into a quest for making an organic tea blend for our future Cafe Domingo. I was infinitely excited. Even more so when they came for a visit to deliver the tea personally.

In a small brown bag, they carried precious cargo: two custom tea blends for us and their own masala chai mix. Tea heaven. Just the scent of the bag was a promise of good things. Tea time!

The first custom blend is a hibiscus base tea with rose and lemongrass. Refreshing, citrusy, and bright; this has my heart because these plants we grow around our tiny house.

It turns into a charming rosé once it mixes with water, and a deep, vivid, mysterious red after it steeps. The teapot seems straight out of a classic Victorian novel in the best possible way; something, I suspect, Tom Hiddleston will gladly serve to his house guests.

The second custom blend is an herbal mix, a personal recommendation from Himalayan Bliss PH. Ashwagandha, mulethi, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, and black pepper combine to make an elegant and flavorful immunity blend.

And do I need to say anything about the masala chai? It is warm blankets, fairy lights, and wooly socks in a cup. Interestingly, the perfect potion both to cure melancholy or celebrate an already nice and sunny afternoon.

Looking at the mixes inside my glass jars make me feel like a babaylan, a Philippine indigenous shaman.

Apart from the excellent tea, I also appreciated how Himalayan Bliss PH shared their tea expertise. Let’s just say I will cook my tea from now on, thankyouverymuch. They were really lovely people and I am really grateful for the opportunity to connect.

Now having said all this, maybe I do not need an invite to the Mad Tea Party. I can just throw one on our table at the tiny house and we can all have a good time, forget our worries for a while, and share beautiful tea and stories at tea time, where, if I can just quote Mr. Vonnegut, everything is good and nothing hurt.

I firmly believe that when there is good tea, good conversation follows. I really hope to share a cup of nice tea with all of you one day at Cafe Domingo + Tiny House.

68 thoughts on “It is always tea time at Cafe Domingo + Tiny House”

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  4. Oh my god this tea sounds heavenly! I want to book a ticket to your tiny house and try it now ahaha 😄 I love tea and herbal tea so much, and I drink a lot of it on a daily basis, but I rarely take the time to properly enjoy it and savour it, it’s somehow relaxing and calming to just appreciate it without any other distractions!

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  6. This is truly delightful. I absolutely agree that good conversation follows a good cup of tea. We are great fans of Alice here. My daughter has been known to throw a Mad Hatters’ tea party or two – in full costume 😊

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  7. Your house is so beautiful!!!! ❤️
    That tea platter looks so good. I’m not huge on tea (which is saying something as an Indian) but I’d enjoy a cup of tea in your gorgeous place. 😊

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      1. Me too. 😞 We will again. Where I am… we have very high Covid rates, everything is open w/restrictions, and the sun is shining. That is a quick summary of life in the American southwest.

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  9. I’ll come for the cookies, other treats and general ambiance, since I drink neither tea nor coffee. (I do drink wine, but you said that doesn’t count 😉 )
    Sounds like the teas will be wonderful products for Cafe Domingo! Exciting!

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    1. I will gladly share all the treats with you. We enjoy baking them and are happy when our friends also enjoy them. I will have everyone for tea, also your dogs! Can I ask why you do not have coffee or tea?

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  10. I would adore having tea with you. We drank a lot of tea when we lived in England, and I continued after we moved back to New York. I’m in coffee mode most of the time now.

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  12. Oh wow! These pictures look amazing and God that tea and cake look yummy. I drink tea pretty much every single day, and I also love a green matcha tea once in a while. Great post! xx

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    1. Thank you. I agree – cozy cottage, nice food, beach, tea, plants – what is left to want? I honestly say this to myself when I am getting frustrated. How is the weather where you are?

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  14. Whenever I think of Filipinos and tea what usually comes to mind is those Pinoy social gatherings where the “boys” put Fundador or Emperador in ice tea bottles pretending it’s ice tea

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    1. Thank you. Masala has ginger, cardamom, and so on. Super nice. I remember we talked about Pakistan tea before? Are you a big tea drinker, too? Or do you prefer coffee? I know many Filipinos are into their coffee, especially the 3-in-1 packets.

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      1. I am a daily tea drinker and what i drink depends on what Jahangeer gives me — he is our teaboss @ the office… he will decide what’s good for you that day… he is from Bangladesh and knows all sorts of blends 😀
        I love tea, its taste & all the wellness it gives but I am more of a coffee drinker… I am one of those who started coffee so young — the desire for it is super hard to shake off…
        Oh, pretty much the same as the masala sauce on Indian dishes 😀 I can’t imagine that on tea but I will look for it… Jahangeer for sure knows.

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        1. How cool! I wish I had someone to learn from like that, too. The world of tea is just so magical. So much to learn. I understand, we are a coffee nation. I was also addicted to coffee before I gave it up completely. I have not had a cup since five or six years ago. But I also think about the many flavors of coffee beans and growing the plant. Recently I learned that the flower after the coffee berry is taken can be made into tea. I need to visit the local coffee growers to find out!

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          1. I didn’t know how special tea-making is until I saw Hana Yori Dango… the art of tea making was especially emphasized there and it’s quite ceremonious

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            1. There is a lot to appreciate with tea, I agree. The history, process, plants, culture, and all that. So much to learn! Markus has seen tea plantations but I have not. Something to do post-pandemic, I suppose.

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              1. Yes and you can also study about tea ceremonies… it teaches not only tea making, it also adds posture, etiquette— like John Robert Powers of tea hehe

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  16. All those teas and sweet treats look delicious Micah. I am a big tea fan. My usual “go to” in the morning is black tea but I like all sorts of different teas. I was so sad that David’s Tea closed their stores. I used to love going in there and smelling all the teas and refilling my tins was so eco-friendly. I need to find a local tea shop.
    Last April was my mother-in-law’s 80th birthday. We had made reservations for “high tea” at a local country hotel. We were so excited but then it was cancelled because of lockdown. I hope they open up again because I would love to do it.

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    1. I love preparing for tea. It is calming to me, a ritual almost. My favorite is masala. Do you like it, too? And yes, a good tea shop is important. I am really happy to connect with Himalayan Bliss PH. They are so nice and I learn a lot from them. Sorry to hear your high tea got cancelled then. Could you just do it by yourselves then? Hopefully this pandemic goes away soon so we can all enjoy the things we like!

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      1. I really like Chai tea and I recently discovered a Dandelion root caramel nut blend that is really delicious. I love caramel!
        We’re still under lockdown restrictions so gatherings are with people outside our household are not allowed. Hopefully we’ll be able to do our high tea sometime in 2021. I know my mother-in-law would LOVE it.

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        1. Are Canadians more patient with the lockdowns? The dandelion root caramel sounds nice – never had anything like it! Yes, I hope everyone gets to enjoy the company of people they love very soon. It has been too long.

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  17. Here on the island of Ireland and in Britain, we do love our tea! Of course, there is usually cake or biscuits and plenty of chat with friends and neighbours! We do miss it so these pandemic days!

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