Coffee Blends, Tea Blends, and Hot Cocoa

I wanted to end my week of homemade gifts with a few that I made last year and were such a big hit that I'm making them again this year. Since it's winter, I think people always appreciate hot beverages at this time of year. Last year I made several coffee and tea blends that the people on my gift list really enjoyed. I also made hot cocoa and homemade marshmallows and packaged them together.

First are my tea blends which can be found HERE. I made a lemon black tea blend and a citrus green tea blend. This year I've made both of those and added a peppermint black tea blend and a spiced orange black tea blend. Adding in fruit peels, extracts, and spices help to flavor the teas.

Then I made the coffee blends, which can be found HERE. This year I'm sticking with the three blends I made last year because they were so popular. I came up with a pumpkin spice blend, a peppermint mocha blend, and a vanilla blend. I am making the vanilla one in decaf as well as regular. It's easy to combine your favorite ground coffee with extracts and spices to make new blends. Make sure you keep them sealed in air tight containers.

The final beverage, and the most popular, is my hot cocoa (found HERE). I was shocked by just how much better real hot cocoa is then the packaged stuff I used to make. Place the hot cocoa mix in a bag and pair with homemade marshmallows (found HERE) for the perfect holiday gift for just about anyone on your list. The marshmallows are easy to make and last much longer then store bought ones. I know for a fact several companies charge over $10 for 18 marshmallows where as you can make around 100 for under five dollars.