Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Tea Time and the Bliss of Tea - Flavored Fruit Teas to Lift the Spirit


One of my seemingly biggest obsessions in life is Tea.  I mean...
I bring tea bags with me literally everywhere I go.  I have it in my
purse, in my luggage when I travel, on the plane I ask for plain 
hot water because I have my own tea bags.  I even have a selection
to boot.  My cousin had a wedding this last weekend where she 
decided to do the Chinese Tea Ceremony (for marriage) and they
had forgotten the tea, guess what - I had tea.  

There is something about the way tea can soothe that really 
comforts me.  When I don't feel well or when I feel sick, chicken
soup is not always the first thing on my mind - I always make 
myself a cup of steaming hot tea.  There are teas that make me 
feel cool, there are teas that make me feel warm, and still other 
teas that are simply divine.  (The tea that makes me feel cool is
a tea that is grown above the tree line in the Yunnan province of
China.  It's white in color after it's been dried and it's a fascinating
tea.)


To take it a step further, I love all kinds of drinks.  I feel like
certain drinks evoke different feelings.  Hot chocolate or hot
apple cider is lovely in the winter because it makes one feel
warm and full.


The smell and aroma coffee is simply tantalizing.



My last trip to Japan last fall, I discovered an apple flavored 
black tea.  I bought several boxes of it and brought it home 
with me because I loved it so much.  When I started to run 
out, I started frantically looking everywhere for a substitute.
My saving grace...I found a substitute in Amazon Grocery
(Ahmad Apple Tea.) I was ecstatic.  I immediately subscribed 
(it's the best deal to subscribe - buying a 6 box 20 count costs only
a little over purchasing one box of 20 because of the shipping fees.)  
With subscribing, I pushed the subscription out to 6 months and 
found that one could cancel at any time or skip shipments.  It's 
fantastic. Because you get an additional 15% off, the price comes
to about $2.63 per box of 20 which is pretty darn good for imported 
tea.  These teas from Ahmad are made for the British market and 
not for the U.S.


Then...I discovered that Ahmad had other fruit flavored teas.
These are not herbal teas - they are not sour and you do not 
need sugar to drink them unless you'd like add milk and sugar.
Then I was doomed.  I bought other flavors to try (tried like 8
different flavors) and the ones in the post are my absolute favorites.
As with anything I love, I brought it to work and started sharing
them with coworkers.  Now I have a whole group of my coworkers
hooked onto these teas.  Strawberry by the way, is a huge favorite.
 


I am sharing this with all of you because this is my latest
obsession and I really really really love these teas.  You 
would probably think I was nuts but I am presently subscribed
to 4 different fruit flavored teas by Ahmad, Twinnings Earl Grey.  

Since my sweetie loves dark and strong teas, I'm subscribed to
PG Tips (a favorite British blend) and Barry's (a favorite Irish
brand.)



So there you have it - I am subjecting you all to my latest 
obsession.  If you're in the least bit curious, you might try
a flavor.  If you do, please let me know what you think
(hate it?  it's ok? or love it?)  And a tip for best flavor -
don't leave the tea bag in your cup.  All you need is to
steep the bag for 1-2 minutes depending on how strong
you'd like it and throw out the tea bag.  Leaving the tea
bag in does not make for optimal tea flavor when drinking.




Another obsession is of course books.  I think Amazon
and Ebay have a monopoly on where my disposable 
income goes :(  Found these two fantastic books about
tea and tea parties.  You can't really tell from the cover,
 but this book has wonderful ideas for themed tea parties
for entertaining (for adults.)  Simply fantastic.  Check it
out if you want some great ideas for when you have 
guests or company over or for a get together.



This book is by the same author.  If you are curious about
the culture and traditions of tea around the world, this is 
a great book that introduces one to how different people
from around the world take tea.

Are you a tea drinker?  How does tea make you feel?