Ah, the seamless enjoyment of a cup of hot tea. That dependable steaming beloved liquid libation cherished by the British community, admired by those who know it for its health benefits, and enjoyed by those who appreciate the simplicity of a warm sip of steeped tea leaves.
I never was a huge tea fan. Of course, iced teas would be enjoyed in the sweltering summer months without a second thought. But never really hot tea. Until a couple of years ago, I was pretty much a coffee person when it came to hot beverages. If I had the choice between tea or coffee, I would go for that hot coffee in a heartbeat with a hint of hazelnut flavor – cream and sugar please!
But over the last handful of years, I became curious and enchanted by hot teas. Especially those versions with health benefits. In honor of that, I’ve compiled a list of eleven fun and informative ways to take part in the enjoyment, understanding, and benefits of making a place for tea in your life.
I’ll take you from a brief history of tea to various types of teas. I’ll get into the debate over hot versus cold teas and discuss some health benefits of some of them compared to others. There are also some unique and fun tea accessories available too! Did you know that tea has its own terminology like fine wines, ages-old liquors and aged vinegars and olive oils? I’ll offer a link to help you with some of those terms so you can sound like a true tea connoisseur when you’re invited to that next tea party!
The History of Tea – How It Came to Us
The first known record of ingesting tea was reportedly in a medical text written by a physician in China around the 3rd Century. Later, it was popular in Eastern Asia territories, then eventually Portuguese priests and traders bringing these unique tea bushes in the 16th century to the western world began the source for our enjoyment of tea to this day. Around the 1600s, the British East India Company generated trading operations in India focusing originally on spices, but eventually amplified their trade to include cotton, silk, indigo, and tea.
In an article from www.thecollector.com, it explains that tea is “the most widely consumed drink in the world (after water).” That’s a fairly huge score on the leading liquid consumption chart compared to good old H2O. As beverage rankings go today, according to an article posted by Camellios on their tea site, the chart-topping tea consumption country is Turkey. Following the first-place position is Ireland, then after that The United Kingdom. You can sneak a peek at their article to see who follows thereafter.
Hot or Cold – What’s Your Temperature?
So, the question now is do you drink cold or hot tea? While cold teas carry health advantages and are refreshing and hydrating on a sweltering summer day and go easier on the cardio system, consuming hot tea allows a more enhanced flavor and is believed to possess more antioxidant qualities and has a higher amount of caffeine if it is a caffeinated version of tea.
A post from www.teajust.com offers a comparison between the two on the subject of weight loss occurring more with hot versus cold teas. It discusses the benefits of both hot and cold teas when dieting and trying to lose weight. It’s an interesting look into the weight loss industry and the effect on losing weight by the temperature of the tea you ingest.
Blooming Teas – You Can Bloom Yourself Flowers
Blooming teas are amazing. They start with an intricately hand sewn dried flower woven into a tea orb. It is placed inside of a teapot, then boiling water is poured on top of it. It just takes a few minutes before the magic starts to happen before your very eyes!
The result of the hot water forces the tea orb to moisten and slowly “bloom” and open up to reveal the tea and flowers inside. This is a beautiful process that is great for entertaining others when having them over for tea.
The end result is a fully “bloomed” tea orb offering a spectacular sight as you watch it grow from a small tightly closed ball of tea leaves and florals to the above beautiful dramatic presentation as the hot water surrounding it steeps it for drinking.
As a trip down memory lane, do you recall those little pill-shaped capsules we had as kids that if placed into a bowl of warm water, the capsule would melt away and a sponge in a specific shape would open up once the capsule around it melted? Well, this is the adult version, except it’s that much more exciting, amazing and beneficial!
Also known as flowering teas, blooming teas are a fascinating creation. As you can see from the above images, this is a truly magnificent visual and aromatic experience. Then it becomes a flavor experience when it’s enjoyed in your favorite teacup.
The florals woven into the intricate tea pods can include numerous edible flowers such as jasmine blooms, rosebuds, lily petals, hibiscus flowers, lavender and cherry blossom blooms, sunflowers, and the list goes on.
INSIDER TIP: Always strive for a transparent glass teapot for the best visualization of the blooming event. Make sure your water is boiling and poured straight from a kettle for optimum flowering.
I get my silver needle white tea leaves with jasmine tea pods from a company called Tea Posy (https//.teaposy.com). The retailer also sells the clear glass teapot in the photos above as well as other accessories and clear glass double insulated teacup sets and mugs.
Health Benefits of Tea – Yes, There’s a Tea for That
An excellent informational piece by Jillian Kubala, M.S, R.D., a registered dietician on the www.mindbodygreen.com website, discusses the numerous benefits of tea drinking. From relaxation and calmness, to helping sleeplessness and anxiety, to assisting with tiredness and boosting energy, aiding with digestion, and even keeping your skin more beautiful (yes, there’s a tea for that!) She even offers recipes and suggests numerous ways to incorporate them into your daily routine.
I have enjoyed probably every one of these types of “targeted” teas for one reason or another. Today, I take advantage of the teas for helping me fall asleep better naturally and getting me going in the morning with a little energy enhancement to help me get through my day. I also enjoy a chai tea that I have on occasion with turmeric in it!
Visit a Tea Garden – Appreciating the Origin and Care of the Tea Plant
I visited a beautiful tea farm in years past located on Wadmalaw Island, SC where the tea fields go on as far as the eye can see. Formerly an old potato farm back in the day, tea plants were cultivated on acres of land there and became more established as time went by. The owner of the land reached out to friends in the Bigelow family in an effort to market the land, an agreeable collaboration was formed, and the Bigelow family purchased the acreage.
Today, that same tea farm is notably called The Charleston Tea Garden where anyone can visit for no charge unless you take the trolley tour of the land there. The educational tour I took showed how tea is harvested, run through massive machines, and produced. That production building allows visitors to walk inside along the factory line while big screen televisions tell the story of the specifics in the process. Huge glass windows dividing the tourists and the machinery room are interesting to see. There’s more than we think that goes into creating that tea in our cups! You can take a look at their website at https://charlestonteagarden.com.
What’s In Your Teacup?
When I first began drinking tea, I used to flavor it with homey and lemon. On occasion, I would drop a cinnamon stick in my cup of simmering tea to give it a little zing. But as I learned to enjoy tea more and appreciate its benefits, flavors, and aromas, I started leaving the additions of flavors out and just ingesting the tea by itself with nothing extra.
If you’re like I was starting a newfound tea experience, you might want to start by adding additional taste components to help you on your tea journey. Here are a few ideas that you can add in to enhance the flavor:
Lemon: Juice, wedges, round slices, pieces of peel
Orange – Juice, wedges, round slices, pieces of peel
Grapefruit – Juice, wedges, round slices, pieces of peel
Other Fruit – Strawberry slices, mango pieces, or even fresh berries
Fresh Herbs – Peppermint leaves or basil leaves
Spices – Dried cinnamon sticks, cloves, or star anise
Sweeteners – Raw sugar, regular sugar, artificial sweeteners, stevia
Dried Flower Petals – Roses, hydrangea, or jasmine
Tea Powders – Chai latte, Oolong, Earl Grey, or Matcha
Pure Honey – Raw, orange blossom, clover, elderberry, or lavender-lemon
Pure Maple Syrup – It’s either pure or it’s not. There’s just no getting around that.
Creamers – Milk, creamer, or nut milk
Fresh Tea vs. Boxed Tea – To Leaf It or Box It?
Fresh tea, or the loose-leaf version contained in those metal tins in specialty tea stores, provides a farm-to-cup delivery of quality tea when brewing a delicious and savory cup of hot tea. Boxed tea, the tea most commonly purchased in those prepackaged boxes in your local grocery most commonly encased in tea bags, are made up of broken tea leaves that are basically remnants of the whole leaf leftovers after fresh tea gets processed.
The difference? Well, the flavor for starters. While fresh loose-leaf tea will supply a much more flavorful taste. Boxed teas, while still enjoyable, can lack the flavor and quality of fresh teas.
There is a convenience factor as well to consider. Handling loose leaf fresh tea is almost an art form. It takes time, when if you have it, it makes perfect sense. It’s like a satisfying celebration of the senses – visually while scooping the loose leaves out of your metal tin with a tea scoop, feeling the silky tea bag as you fill it with fresh tea to steep, or the feel of a stainless-steel tea infuser sitting in your tea cup, the aroma of the fresh tea when you open the lid of its canister then the smell once it is steeped, and of course the flavor once enjoyed. While boxed teas are prepackaged in bags that make it easy to consume as fast as you can pour boiling water over them, they do take a lot less time to prepare.
Of course there’s the cost factor as well. With fresh tea costing a pretty penny, though well worth it, boxed tea versions cost much less while providing much more tea for the money.
I have to admit though that I have enjoyed several boxed tea variations that have been very enjoyable. However, I do like my tea accessories and taking the time to enjoy the process of making and enjoying fresh tea as well.
Throw a Tea Party – Keeping Tea Social
I have to admit, I genuinely enjoy a great garden party. A garden party is a particular theme one can have when hosting a tea gathering with friends or family. It’s traditionally held outdoors on a beautiful day that’s temperature acceptable. It’s a terrific way to be social with new acquaintances and friends you’ve had for years.
But what to have with that wonderful tea?
Tea parties don’t have to be stuffy. The rules can be loosened, and they can have a more unstructured feel to them overall. But they can still be enjoyable and elegant at the same time. Here are some ideas of what to serve and enjoy along with that amazing tea:
Finger Sandwiches – Though a traditional offering, these dainty layered stacks of goodness are still a must by today’s modern-day tea party standards. Try the classic cucumber sandwiches, egg salad sandwiches, and definitely go for the smoked salmon versions also for guests to choose from if they suffer from egg or seafood allergies.
Scones – Everyone loves a good scone! Today they are seen more commonly devoured with a nice cup of coffee. But bake or order a plate of these for your tea party and watch them disappear just as fast. You can serve them with different jams if you like. The clotted cream tradition is your call.
Pastries – You just cannot go wrong with a melt-in-your-mouth homemade, or store baked tender pastry. Trying various tarts in both sweet and savory versions, unique delicate cookies shaped like teacups, cakes, teapots, and even flowers would be an enjoyable conversation piece, and you can always count on a traditional Biscotti as a winner. And don’t forget rose water macaroons. They make such a beautiful addition to a tea party with their pastel hues and lightness, yet sweet deliciousness.
Miniature Cakes – I like serving petit fours for this item. They’re easy to order and pick up the day before at your local bakery or cake shop and they’re always enjoyed by attendees at a party. Try several assorted flavors to appease everyone’s palate. You can always order the smaller sized cakes as well. I just like the ease and convenience of petit fours.
The Specialty Tea Store Experience – Or Not?
Wherever you purchase your tea, whether from a specialty tea retailer or in your local grocery store, there are many diverse types of tea, and several companies that sell those. From caffeinated to decaf, fruity to spice-infused, floral or herbal, iced or steaming hot, there is something out there for everyone – every taste, every like, every enjoyment.
Some of the brands I have enjoyed and have purchased in-store include companies such as Tea Forte, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Dean & Deluca, The Starbucks Coffee Company, Teabloom, and years ago I enjoyed my in-store experiences at Barnie’s Coffee and Tea Co.
Unfortunately, all of the Teavana store locations were closed in 2018 when The Starbucks Coffee Company acquired them and closed all of the locations down permanently. (But I can always purchase Teavana at Starbucks!)
Though I always enjoy a great specialty tea store, the attention to detail and the service received, I also appreciate some of the boxed teas like Traditional Medicinals, Yogi Tea, Bigelow Tea, and The Republic of Tea. Some of them even have tea tags with inspirational sayings written on them!
Then there are times when I just have no time for any of that and I choose to order online from retailers like Harney & Sons Fine Tea for their Hot Cinnamon Spice and Chocolate Mint teas, Tea Forte.com for their loose-leaf canister teas like Apricot-Amaretto, and Tea Posy and Tea Forte for their teas and tea accessories.
Tea Terminology – What Did You Say?
Harney & Sons Fine Teas provides an excellent post of tea terms to help understand, demystify, and comprehend the wordology surrounding tea. Their article ‘Guide to Tea: Tea Terminology’ offers a dictionary of sorts with terms to know if you’re truly looking to educate and inform yourself with tea lingo. You can see their site at HarneyTeas.com.
Tea is a lot like other beverages. Imported fine wines, aged balsamic vinegars or organic fresh-pressed olive oils, coffee beans shipped from far out regions of the world. They all have their own terminology – their own vocabulary if you will. Tea comes ready with its own verbiage as well. Take a look at the website to see some of the terms you may already know, and the ones you might not yet!
Tea Accessories You Never Thought You’d Need
From electric glass tea kettles to double insulated tea mugs and insertable tea mug infusers, there is a gadget for whatever your tea habit calls for.
Double insulated glass tea mugs with steeping lids made of bamboo, intricate or modern-day styled cup and saucer tea sets, beautiful tea mugs with insertable tea infusers, loose leaf tea strainers, brew baskets, tea gift sets, tea presses, tea candle stoves, stainless steel frothing cups, tea filters, tea storage items, tea canisters for storing fresh loose-leaf teas…
I’m just going to stop here because I could literally fill pages and pages with these accessories. The point is to try some of these items out and see if they are game changers for you. You might just find that the electric tea kettle made of glass that you watch that water come to a boiling fury in turns out to be your best friend in the mornings!
A Mindful Cup of Tea to Wrap Thing Up
As I wrap this article up, I sit at my desk watching it rain outside. It’s cold out there, but I have my trusted cup of steaming hot tea beside me to keep me warm and enveloped in the savory aromatic goodness that I have come to appreciate over the years.
I’ve compiled this list of items to help enhance your tea journey moving forward. From a brief tea history of how it came to be in our own teacups today, to a variety of things to do to bring you into the tea experience, to educational and informative articles and the different types of teas, to my feedback on my own experiences with teas and mentions of the accessories that make tea that much better!
I hope you have enjoyed this article and decide to start your tea journey. Tea can bring us so much enjoyment, mindfulness, health benefits, and relaxation if we allow it to do that for us. So, go make yourself that nice cup of hot tea in this chilly season outside. You’ll be happy you did!
Note: I did not receive compensation from any of the companies listed in this article.
MY MINDFUL REQUEST
I would love to hear about your tea experience! Go out and get that tea you’re interested in trying and go for it. Take that next step – that action of forward motion – and go on a tea journey for yourself for warmth, health benefits, and comfort. Send me your photos of your tea journey so I can see what your experience was!