Second Cuppa

Lo-fi Montreal photos

Leo Kapusta — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 01:43:34 +0000

Last summer, the YouTube algorithm took me on a journey into lo-fi film photography. I was five years late to the party, but better late than never. These YouTubers convinced me to buy a cheap 35mm camera. It’s fun they said, and your photos will have that vintage, grainy look with blurriness around the edges.… Continue reading Lo-fi Montreal photos

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Introvert’s travelogue: tea Canadian style

Leo Kapusta — Sat, 25 Oct 2025 22:05:10 +0000

I shifted from morning tea to morning coffee about three years ago. It was a sad acquiescence to a societal norm, but life is guaranteed to chip away at our purities. You could say that taking up the tea habit in my thirties was a ding at the purity of drinking nothing but water in… Continue reading Introvert’s travelogue: tea Canadian style

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Healthy Kukicha Tea

Leo Kapusta — Mon, 02 Sep 2024 18:11:09 +0000

On a recent trip to my favorite whole-food-plant-based place in the world—Casa de Luz in Austin, Texas—I found myself at the intersection of tea and optimal health and left wondering why it took me so long to discover Kukicha tea. Through my plant-based journey, I learned that green tea counts as a serving of leafy… Continue reading Healthy Kukicha Tea

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Why I started drinking coffee in my fifties

Leo Kapusta — Mon, 12 Dec 2022 02:39:38 +0000

Caffeine dependency was something I avoided for the first third of my life. Then, in my mid-thirties (almost 20 years ago), I became interested in tea and began including black tea and milk in my morning routine. I transitioned to a plant-based diet right before the world shut down for the pandemic. Cow’s milk was… Continue reading Why I started drinking coffee in my fifties

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Kroger British Blend Black Tea Review

Leo Kapusta — Sun, 27 Feb 2022 02:25:43 +0000

ersatz from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition. adjective: Being a usually inferior imitation or substitute; artificial. adjective: Not genuine; fake. Grocery store brand products have a bad reputation. Off-brand ketchup and mustard are acceptable. Bargain-brand mayo and (lately in my experience) toilet paper are dubious. Tetley British Blend—a decent tea… Continue reading Kroger British Blend Black Tea Review

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King Cole Orange Pekoe Tea Review

Leo Kapusta — Fri, 26 Nov 2021 16:42:47 +0000

Assumedly named after the merry old soul of the familiar nursery rhyme, King Cole Orage Pekoe tea hails from Atlantic Canada. Unlike most Canadian tea brands (such as Red Rose and Salada), this one hasn’t changed ownership since its inception over 100 years ago. King Cole tea presented itself one day as an Amazon suggestion… Continue reading King Cole Orange Pekoe Tea Review

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Teavivre’s Chun Ya (Spring Bud) Review

Leo Kapusta — Sun, 16 May 2021 00:13:40 +0000

Green tea lovers should make room in the pantry for Teavivre’s Chun Ya. Whether brewed traditionally or using the gongfu (multiple steeps) method, this one’s a real treat. You might think the strong, sweet, floral, nutty aroma would render a bitter taste, but you’d be wrong. The full body of this tea — which holds… Continue reading Teavivre’s Chun Ya (Spring Bud) Review

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Trader Joe’s Green Tea Review

Leo Kapusta — Sat, 17 Apr 2021 01:35:31 +0000

You don’t expect a green tea at this price point to significantly arouse your senses. At $2.49 for 48 tea bags, you’re sacrificing the distinctiveness of a single garden estate tea for the smoothness and consistency of a blend. From my enlightened, middle-aged point of view, tea is tea. Yes, some teas are more special… Continue reading Trader Joe’s Green Tea Review

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Traveling Lightly: Tea on the Road

Leo Kapusta — Sun, 28 Mar 2021 17:52:12 +0000

I’m flexible when I travel. I pack the minimal amount of clothing needed and take pride when only one pair of clean underwear is left on the day of return. I’m cool with forgoing comfort for convenience. The little bottles of shampoo and conditioner provided by the hotel save me packing space and hassle. Avoided… Continue reading Traveling Lightly: Tea on the Road

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Salada vs Salada

Leo Kapusta — Mon, 01 Mar 2021 22:45:44 +0000

Two teas with the same name, produced in different countries that share a border. How did we get to this point? Salada tea was founded by Peter Larkin in 1892. The Montreal businessman pioneered the manufacture of reliable blended tea — packaged in foil and easy to distribute — as an alternative to the inconsistent… Continue reading Salada vs Salada

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