Dec. 21

We’re having an extremely tentative cup of today’s Mint Everest. It’s a black tea with mint, and we like mint fine, but black tea and cramps are sort of an oil and water combination. Since we finally got them to quiet down and leave us alone a couple of hours ago, we don’t really feel like inviting them back with a highly caffeinated tea.

So, we aren’t really experts on how this should taste. We gave it approximately thirty seconds to steep and really hope that wasn’t too long. So far, though, it mostly tastes of mint. There’s cardamom seeds in there, and ginger, and apparently black tea. We can’t taste any of that.

Honestly, it tastes more like Christmas tree under the peppermint, which isn’t the weirdest thing we could say, because we’re pretty sure there were pine needles in the leaves we decanted into our mug. So, it’s all very Christmassy. And only for the people out there who enjoy mint.

But keep in mind, it might improve with a longer steep time. We’ll come back to it tomorrow or Saturday and report back.

We’re writing this all out while waiting for the nth pot of soup to boil. We are officially sick of soup. On the other hand, it was nice of family to stockpile it, and this time it’s not out of a tin.

But, even so. Lewis Carroll, though, proving there’s a poem for everything, doesn’t agree.

Beautiful Soup
Lewis Carroll

BEAUTIFUL Soup, so rich and green,
Waiting in a hot tureen!
Who for such dainties would not stoop?
Soup of the evening, beautiful Soup!
Soup of the evening, beautiful Soup!

Beau- ootiful Soo-oop!
Beau- ootiful Soo-oop!
Soo- oop of the e- e- evening,
Beautiful, beautiful Soup!

Beautiful Soup! Who cares for fish,
Game, or any other dish?
Who would not give all else for two
Pennyworth only of Beautiful Soup?
Pennyworth only of beautiful Soup?

Beau- ootiful Soo-oop!
Beau- ootiful Soo-oop!
Soo- oop of the e- e- evening,
Beautiful, beauti- FUL SOUP!