tea with Rose // Coffee Exchange

It's our second stop on the tea tour around Rhode Island, and while a place called Coffee Exchange doesn't sound like it belongs, I can assure you that it does. 

Hillary and I met up on a Thursday morning and sipped our tea slowly as we talked and I tried to keep Ezra contained. (There was only one highchair and it was already in use.)

I enjoyed a cup of echinacea sunshine tea, an organic herbal blend of echinacea, lemon, lemon verbena, ginkgo leaf, rosehips, and spearmint. It was a refreshing start to my day and I know I reaped the psychological benefits of drinking an immune booster. I felt healthy all day! They were all out of Hillary's favorite, peony white, so she ordered a green tea instead, jasmine amber.

I've been to Coffee Exchange lots of times in the past, but this was the first time I had been in the morning. The shop was pleasantly busy and the service was good in spite of the hustle and bustle at the counter. Ezra loved the music and ended up grooving with a little girl at the next table. Another successful tea drinking adventure in our tiny state. Read Hillary's account of the morning here. 

tea with Rose // Brewed Awakenings

My friend Hillary and I have recently decided to guide ourselves on a tea tour of Rhode Island, sampling steaming mugs of the stuff all over our little state. We started a couple weeks ago at a place in Johnston called Brewed Awakenings, somewhere I used to go all to all the time in high school and college. It's a great place to meet friends, catch up on some reading, hear live music, and of course, have a cup of tea. They also serve lots of pastries, breakfast sandwiches, wraps, and even cheesecake from none other than The Cheesecake Factory. I'll admit it - I was tempted to have a slice for breakfast.

We ventured out early on a Thursday morning and Brewed was pretty busy with lots of people crowded at the tables, lounging on couches, and standing at the bar. Ezra and I arrived a little earlier than Hillary so I placed my order - a small spiced chai - and it was ready by the time I had Ezra buckled into a high chair and situated at a table. My chai was really good, but I must confess that it turned out to be made from one of those mixes. Boo. Hillary got there soon after (she chose ginger peach tea) and we talked about lots of blog type things - ideas for posts, gaining readers, what our husbands think about our online ventures - stuff that most people aren't interested in, so it was nice to have someone to relate to. I'm looking forward to the next stop on our tea tour already.

Be sure to check out Hillary's post today over at tello & rose...