Tea...is a religion of the art of life. -Okakura
A couple of years ago, I worked at a jewelery shop. It was a small but lovely place ran by a husband and wife. Not only did they work at the shop but their apartment was right above it. So there was bit of stir-craziness circulating around the shop at times. Needless to say, things got a little crazy. However, no matter what S., my boss would make me a cup of tea in the afternoon. This ritual got embedded in my head and heart. Now, life feels a little "off " without a cup of tea.
These days, I am loving some black tea in the mornings. Usually it's English or Irish breakfast bags steeped for 5 minutes and touch of non-dairy creamer. If I am feeling ambitious I might have some loose black tea. For my afternoon cup(s), I am drinking white or green tea {loose teas}. They have less caffeine and taste great when flavored with fruit bits. If you are not a tea person, I hope you'll give it a wee chance! There is something in the ritual of waiting for kettle to boil and the tea to steep that makes the process quite lovely.
How to Brew the Perfect Cup of Tea {garnished from years of experience and tidbits over the years}
Bring fresh water to a rolling boil for oolong, black and herbal infusions.
For white, green and some oolongs bring the water to an almost boiling point.
With a teaspoon, measure one teaspoon of loose tea for each cup of tea desired.
Pour water over tea and let steep. Take strainer or bag out and let it cool to your desired temperature.
Savor and enjoy.
Some suggested steep times:
white teas-3 to 8 minutes *I do eight but I think otherwise the flavor is faint.
green teas-1 to 3 minutes *For a pure green tea, I step for a minute. Longer and it is too grassy.
oolong teas-1 to 5 minutes *3 minutes but you should to check the label.
black teas-3 to 5 minutes *5 and no longer. Otherwise, it gets bitter, in my opinion.
herbals infusion-3 to 5 minutes *I love rooibos, red tea/bush tea steeped for 7 minutes with honey and lemon.
Do you drink tea, if so what is your current favorite?
P.S. I am loving the tea shop in my neighborhood.
P.S.S. After sipping a cup, I love to curl up reading this blog.
I love Earl Grey. The bergamot is such a sweet scent. Although, when I'm sick I do enjoy a cup of ginger tea.
ReplyDeleteTea times remind me of my mom, she loves her tea:) I love it too and lately I started enjoying green and white tea:) Its a great change from coffee:) Love those tips, sweetie
ReplyDeleteHave a great Thursday
Kisses
Ps: I’m hosting a beautiful jewelry GIVEAWAY today! Just in time for Mother’s Day!
I never say no to a cup of tea :) At the moment I'm drinking a lot of flavoured white tea, although an alltime favourite is green tea with lemon. I usually try to cure my sweet tooth with some liquorice tea, which is really sweet!
ReplyDeleteHoney Camomile is my current favorite, but I also love anything chai. (p.s. I love your banner and overall look of you blog!)
ReplyDeleteI start my morning off with a cup of black tea too. It's such a soothing start to the day!
ReplyDeleteI typically drink a green tea and a rooibos, though my doctor told me to cut out both because she didn't think they were good for me. Frankly, nothing calms me like a cup of tea during the day. Some days it's hard for me to get a cup in, but I always try.
ReplyDeleteI feel so guilty reading this post, because I realized I steep most of my teas for roughly 10 minutes. I'll be much more mindful of this from now and will follow your chart of steep times. I really had no idea there was a hard and fast rule for this--thank you!
ReplyDeleteEarl Grey is one of my favorites, too. I have had hit and miss experiences with ginger. I like it paired with lemon.
ReplyDeleteReally, I've always thought of liquorice as bitter and tart. Might have to find a cup and partake.
ReplyDeleteMy mother is a fan of ice tea. When we were sick though, she would brew black tea on the stove for us.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words. I went through a HC phase. It is really good with bread. Or rather drinking it always made me want toast.
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ReplyDeleteI know people who put tea bags on the stove and let them brew for hours. Or who drink it with the bag in. I think it's whatever makes your day. I like black tea stepped for 5 because otherwise it is too strong for me. BTW I have heard that the wiser you are the longer you need your tea to steep.
ReplyDeleteI'm so very lucky because my yoga studio has free tea for the taking. I love to take a cup for the trip home, stay connected to the space and intention, and complete my journey both literally and metaphorically. Adore it.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the oh-so-lovely mention as well! I'm so flattered to be someone's tea read! I can think of nothing more complimentary!
oh how i love tea! i have to start my day with it every morning, preferably while reading blogs and taking my time waking up. i religiously drink tazo "awake" tea, which is a blend of black teas. on cold nights, when i'm feeling sick, or when i'm sad, i love some chamomile tea {or tazo "calm" tea}. i also often drink chai lattes in the afternoon as my special treat. yum!
ReplyDeletedannon has quite the selection of loose leaf teas too. i've never thought to put in some fruit bits - that's brilliant!
I love tea!! It is one of my favourite things ever :) There is a tea shop here in Canberra that stocks over 200 different types of tea. My favourite tea at the moment is 'Christmas tea'. It's black tea with cinnamon and nutmeg.
ReplyDeleteI'd say earl gray is my favorite tea, I love the smell of the bergamot :)
ReplyDeletei am the quintessential tea person. obsessed, i tell you. :) my favorite tea in the entire world is T's Lavender Earl Grey: http://www.tealeaves.com/p-220-organic-earl-grey-with-lavender-pyramid-teabag.aspx
ReplyDeletethere's nothing better. :)
My favorite teas are fruit flavored black teas. Right now I have peach, olallieberry, and blackberry on my stove. I then have peppermint for days when I need to relax a bit!
ReplyDeleteyour so welcome. it's the truth.
ReplyDeleteI think mine has tea on workshop days.
It is amazing how centering drinking it can be.
Yes, I drunk that so much I've burnt out on it. Good stuff. The calm lives up to its name, too.
ReplyDeletethat sounds amazing. That tea shop sounds like a dream come true!!
ReplyDeleteyes, eg is lovely. I like the stash version.
ReplyDeleteoh, that is sooooooooo on my wish list now.
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