I love cats and when it comes to big cats, I love them too. This post ties in a lot of different items together! First off, the Coffee and Tea Festival is only days away and will be held at the Metropolitan Pavilion! I love that this is going to be a great event that will have the best in coffee, tea and cocoa. Not only can you enjoy warm or chilled beverages, you can also get great products for your drinks. Today's Sippin' Saturday includes this beautiful teapot from Cardew Design, Inc. I love the vibrant orange colors (obviously I am tying this into our THINK CITRUS theme for this month as well) and think that this is really cute and I love the lid with the tiger cub on the top. Definitely visit the site to see a lot more of the interesting canisters, mugs, coasters and tea pots! Of course if you're in NYC, you definitely need to attend the show!

The other day I had Arizona Green Tea with Pomegranate Acai tea bags. I am such a fan of the cold beverage but I never thought that I would love it in this version. I love the rich taste and the fact that it has green tea in it as well. I would say that you should definitely give this a try and I enjoy drinking it this morning. Nothing is better than sipping on this while building websites, blogging and more.

As I was in my local Wholefoods store, I saw that they had Fair Trade Hot Chocolate. I was so intrigued to have some and wondered what it would taste like. I also noticed that it cost a bit more than I thought hot chocolate would taste. Apparently this hot chocolate can be mixed with milk, rice or soy which is great for everyone since you're bound to at least consume one of these items! I have yet to try this myself (but with the cold weather upon us, I do enjoy drinking this). If you don't have Wholefoods, you can go to the Lake Champlain Chocolates site to buy some of your very own. If you have tried it, let me know as I am very interested in hearing all the feedback before I get this!

I love having an old favorite and adding a little pop to it! It's a way of spicing up something that we had as kids and it's nice that we can upgrade it into it's much deserved adult status! Today I turn to hot chocolate. I love how warm it makes you feel and although it's not something that I have a lot, it's always appreciated when I go to the City Bakery here in NYC (I do feel that's the best spot to have hot cocoa). But when you don't want to go out, you can just stay in and make some yourself. This is perfect to have for the next few days when you may not have to go to work, if you're having some friends over for brunch or if you decide during your chosen snow day to have an impromptu scrabble match with friends - this is a great way to have a little event that is simple to put together. The best thing about this is that it incorporate hot cocoa, candy canes and Woodford Reserve.

Woodford Candy Cane Hot Chocolate

1 750mL bottle of Woodford Reserve
2 Candy Canes

Empty out bottle of Woodford Reserve into a clean container.

Place Candy Canes at the bottom of the bottle (break Candy Canes into smaller piece if need be).

Pour Woodford back into the bottle and allow the concoction to infuse for 24 hours.

Combine 1 1/2 oz. Candy Cane infusion with 4 oz. hot chocolate. Garnish with whipped cream and a candy cane.

I have a new favorite brand of teas. It started while I was at Wholefoods a week ago spending about 20 mins browsing the tea section. I love Republic of Teas and a few other brands but nothing had jumped out at me until I saw this logo of Zhena's Gypsy Tea and I must say that I looked at the label and the antique like tins and thought that it would be interesting to try. Although there were a variety of teas, I settled on a sampler which contained Lemon Jasmine, Pomegranate Rose (my initial reason for purchasing it), Ambrosia White Plum (which became my favorite) and Sense of Peace. I have been sampling these teas and I love that it's Organic, Free Trade and for those that are concerned, it's Kosher as well. After visiting the site and learning about the tea, the care put into it, etc - I signed up on the mailing list. I believe that my next purchase will be Brazilian Berry or possibly Italian Chamomile. I also like the sound of the White Ginger Iced Tea as well.

With so many interesting blends, you'll find yourself drawn to something within the categories of Herbal, White, Green and Dark blends. Take some time to check out the site and look at the Aromatherapy Wheel where you can see what tea works best on what you are attempting to heal. In addition, you can find out where this is available in your area and for those that may not have it or are too excited to go - you can order online. This makes a great gift and is something that we should all drink to maintain our health!