Pipers Tea + Coffee, the place that reminds you of mom.

Tea

Last week I had the opportunity to visit Pipers Tea and Coffee in Paducah, Ky. Located in the beautiful Coca-Cola Bottling Plant on the outskirts of downtown Paducah, Pipers is the perfect place if you want big city vibes without all the hassle of your average coffee shop. As their name suggests, Pipers specializes in tea. They have over 20 unique handcrafted tea blends. If you’re going there for the first time and the amount of options is overwhelming, you can’t go wrong with a cup of Pipers Earl Grey.

Pipers Earl Grey was their first tea blend. This classic pairs especially well with chalk dinosaurs.

Pipers Earl Grey is their classic blend. This is because it was actually their first tea blend ever. If you don’t like the heaviness of other Earl Grey teas then you’ll love this tea. Their Earl Grey is light but flavorful, with hints of vanilla. It’s a perfect tea regardless of weather or season. A cup of Pipers Earl Grey coupled with a spot at their large wooden table surrounded by locally curated artwork is the perfect formula for productivity and/or relaxation. And if you can’t make it into their shop, you’re in luck because they ship their tea blends too!

First off, I love how niche Pipers is. Although I enjoy a nice cup of coffee, I know that my fondness of coffee will never compare to the nostalgia a cup of piping hot tea brings (pun intended, as always).

Growing up, my mom always drank hot tea. One of the most pertinent images I have of my mom is her lounging in the recliner in our living room with a Nora Roberts novel in one hand and a cup of tea in the other. If it wasn’t the recliner, it was at the kitchen table or sometimes even outside on the back patio. And if it wasn’t a Nora Roberts novel, it meant she was watching the latest episode of NCIS on her tablet. But regardless of location, whenever I saw my mother with a cup of tea I knew that she was relaxing and should not be disturbed.

Because of this, tea became associated with relaxation and my mom. Two things that as I grow older, I find myself unfortunately having less and less time for.

I didn’t really get into drinking tea until college. Maybe it was the homesickness or the realization that tea can have caffeine too that led me to drinking tea but whatever the reason, tea is my drink of choice now. Whenever I’m stressed out, sick, can’t sleep or in any other situation that a mom would usually be able to fix with the snap of her fingers, I drink a cup of hot tea. Even if the tea doesn’t solve the source of my stress or fully rid me of an illness, it never fails to make me feel better for a little bit.

Pipers has a spacious bar area that looks out toward bustling Paducah. It’s the perfect place for working on homework or chatting with friends.

After a while of using this fail proof method, I realized that it was because everytime I drank a cup of hot tea I thought about my mom. As cheesy as it sounds, the warmth of a cup of tea reminds me of the warmth of being home. Going to college four hours away from my parents can be hard, but regardless of what problem arises I know that it’s nothing a cup of hot tea can’t fix (and if that doesn’t work, a call back home will).

That’s why I love Pipers Tea. As soon as I walked in the door I knew it was a place my mom would be over the moon to visit. Next time she’s in Western Kentucky, I can’t wait to take her there.

Piper’s Tea and Coffee is located on 3121 Broadway Street in Paducah, KY. They’re open every day of the week from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Shaffer Coffee’s Lavender Latte is a springtime must

Coffee

Spring has sprung. Everything is in full bloom, including the sips. I visited Shaffer Coffee Co. in Murray, Kentucky to get the lowdown on one of my favorite springtime sips: the Lavender Latte.

I first encountered this mysterious drink last March while visiting a coffee shop in Baltimore. Back then, the concept of flower-infused coffee was relatively new and many critics believed it to be only a fad. But after tasting my first Lavender Latte, I thought otherwise.

Full disclosure: I love lavender. On a typical weekday night you can find me relaxing in my room with my lavender-infused mattress topper and my oil diffuser diffusing a lavender sweet orange aroma on full blast. In the washroom you can find lavender shampoo, conditioner, body wash and sometimes even lavender hand soap. And whenever I’m stressed out you can bet I’ll be reaching for my lavender stress-relief lotion. Then to top it all off, lavender is one of my favorite colors.

I guess you could say I like lavender a-latte. To say I was excited to stumble upon the Lavender Latte last year in a Baltimore coffee shop is a major understatement.

Unfortunately for flower-infused coffee drinks, many of the trends that started last spring never bloomed to their full potential. Flower-infused coffee came and went and was for the most part forgotten. But being the lavender junkie I am, I prayed for the day that the Lavender Latte and I would cross paths again.

This is where the true hero of our story comes in: Shaffer Coffee Co.

Shaffer’s brought back their Lavender Latte on March 1. The seasonal drink is something their barista Lindsey describes as: “Spring in a cup!”

As soon as the first sip hits the inside of your mouth, you feel instantly relaxed. This is because lavender is notorious for its soothing effect. Many traditional and modern medicine professionals have conducted studies on the effects of lavender with a vast majority of these studies concluding lavender to have a beneficial impact on those suffering from anxiety, depression or insomnia.

That’s not to say drinking only Lavender Lattes for the rest of your life will completely cure you of depression. But if you’re looking for the perfect pick-me-up during a stressful day, you should give the Lavender Latte a try.

Creating the perfect Lavender Latte is relatively simple.

Lindsey told me it begins with the easy process of combining sugar and water with lavender in order to create a lavender syrup. After the lavender syrup is created it is then incorporated into the regular latte process. Lindsey was kind enough to show me the lavender Shaffer’s uses in their lattes and unsurprisingly, Shaffer’s uses real lavender petals.

If you want to spice things up, the baristas recommend adding honey or vanilla to your order. If you’re not the biggest fan of coffee, lavender can also be paired with a London Fog Tea Latte.

As far as getting an iced latte versus hot, Lindsey recommends getting it iced. She said an iced Lavender Latte is perfect for an early afternoon refreshment.

I tried both the hot and iced latte and have to agree with Lindsey. The iced Lavender Latte is superior. However, if you’re having an extra stressful and are looking for a little stronger lavender presence, I found the hot latte to be more aromatic.

As for taste, Lindsey described it as something different that is earthy but still in the middle of the road. If you’re hesitant to try flower-infused coffee, I promise this drink won’t push you completely out of your comfort zone. The familiar latte taste we all love isn’t overpowered by the presence of lavender but instead is accentuated by it.

Shaffer Coffee Co. will have their Lavender Latte for the rest of spring. With the stress of tax season, finals and whatever else might be on our plates threatening the spring in our steps, I cannot recommend this spring sip enough.

Happy sipping!

H.R.H. Dumplins’ fruit tea: the adult capri sun

Southern things
H.R.H. Dumplins of Murray is famous for their fruit tea. It pairs well with one of their many delicious treats from their bakery. Pictured above is their strawberry cheesecake.

Last week I had the pleasure of going to H.R.H. Dumplins for the first time. This Murray staple is known for their delicious cakes and like their name would suggest, their dumplins too. H.R.H. Dumplins is located on 305 S 12th Street in Murray, KY.

When I visit a restaurant for the first time, I try to get my waiter to make all of the decisions. Like most people my age, I have a big fear of missing out. Part of this fear includes going to a restaurant for the first time and leaving without having tried one of their staples. There’s no conversation I hate more than telling your friends about going to a restaurant for the first time and them asking you if you tried _____ when you didn’t try _____. Fortunately, this awkward conversation can be avoided by delegating the decision of what to order to your waiter.

All of this being said, if you’ve never gone to a restaurant and asked your waiter what you should eat, I highly suggest doing so. It makes eating out more fun and is a great way to get out of your culinary comfort zone.

After I had ordered my food per my waitress’s recommendations (creole burger with a side of chicken and dumplins), my waitress came back to my table and asked, “Do you like fruit tea?”  

“Fruit tea? What’s that?” I said.

Apparently that answer was good enough for her. Next thing I know, my waitress comes back with a big glass of what I assumed to be fruit tea.

“You have to try this,” she said. “Everyone loves our fruit tea.”

I took a sip. Looked at her. Took another sip. And then nodded in agreement. This stuff was good.

Fruit tea isn’t overly sweet or fruity like the name implies. However, consuming more than one glass of this southern delicacy can leave you with an extreme sugar rush.

The tea was not overly fruity or sweet like you would expect by the name but it still had a flavor that captured your attention. I let my boyfriend take a sip and he agreed. In his words, he thought it tasted like an adult Capri-Sun.

Before going to H.R.H. Dumplins I had no idea what fruit tea was. After conducting some research, I found out that fruit tea is actually a southern classic. Fruit tea is often overshadowed by the more popular southern sweet tea which is why it isn’t as well-known (especially among people in my generation).

I felt like I had been left out of a big southern secret so I called my parents to ask if they knew about the origins of fruit tea.

“Mom and dad,” I said. “Do you all know what fruit tea is?”

“Like peach tea?” My mom said.

“No. Fruit tea.”

“Fruity tea?” My dad said.

“No. Fruit tea.”

“We just know about sweet tea,” My mom said. “We don’t know about fruit tea.”

Well thank goodness for H.R.H. Dumplins. I would’ve never known about this southern delicacy without them. But what all is H.R.H. Dumplins about?

H.R.H. Dumplin’s of Murray is one out of a handful of remaining restaurants from the 90s Tennessee-based chain of the same name.

H.R.H. Dumplins or by the lesser known full name, His Royal Highness Dumplins started out as a Tennessee-based chain restaurant in the early 90s. The chain was created by David York and his two sisters. York modeled the menu after his mother’s famous dumplins. Knowing all of this, the British tea parlor aesthetic makes sense.

York eventually sold all of the Dumplins restaurants but today a handful still exist and are independently operated. While most of the remaining restaurants vary in name, they all still share the same crest. If you’re looking for a royal cultural relic from the 90s (a much better time), H.R.H. Dumplins is for you.

H.R.H. Dumplins is located on 305 S 12th St in Murray, KY. They are open Monday thru Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The restaurant has daily specials which you can find on their facebook page. When you stop by, make sure to try their delicious dumplins, cakes and of course, fruit tea.