Tea for Two and Two for Tea

The best part of waking up is Folgers… STOP. HALT. SAY NO MORE! And no, I’m not going to say Starbucks is better… And I’m definitely not going to say DD is better, even though I live in New England.

I like my occasional cup of coffee, or should I say, grande decaf one pump white mocha, but that’s only on days I feel like splurging and spending $5 on a drink. Needless to say, I’m a tea person. Not only do I love tea because it tastes amazing–I love it for it’s health benefits. There was a point in time when I was obsessed with anything and everything tea–types of tea, flavors of tea, benefits of tea, where tea comes from, etc. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still borderline obsessed, but now that I’ve educated myself on most things related to tea, I’ve calmed down with the research.

Sometimes I feel like a nut (health nut)

Green, white, black, and oolong all have health benefits, as they are all derrived from the same plant, “Camellia sinensis”. What makes these teas different is the way the leaves are processed. Green and white tea are steamed, whereas black and oolong are dried and fermented.  The main health benefit of tea, according to several studies, is that it is proven to reduce the risk of many different types of cancer.  It’s debatable which of these teas contain the most health benefits, so choosing which type of tea to drink all comes down to flavor preference…

Flava flav

Of all the teas, the most floral and fruity flavors come from the herbal and rooibos teas, which technically aren’t even teas since they aren’t created from the Camellia sinensis plant. Black tea (Earl Grey and English Breakfast) and oolong have more of a bold taste. Black teas are often served with milk or lemon (not both, since lemon will sour the milk) and sugar. Green tea (my favorite) has a delicious fresh flavor that falls right in the middle when measuring flavor/strength. My all time favorite is Tazo Zen (props to s-bucks for carrying this one), which is a green tea with hints of lemongrass and spearmint. Then there is white tea. White tea is very mild in flavor, but very refreshing. It’s also slightly different from the other types because it is made up of the buds and leaves from the Camellia sinensis.  Then there is chai (which is technically just a generic word for tea).  The most common form of chai has a black tea base, but is enhanced with other flavors, usually including Indian spices and steamed milk.  It tastes like Christmas in a cup (I’m not a fan).

Some like it hot

Really, any of the above mentioned teas are delicious hot. A very common hot tea drink is London Fog, which consists of Earl Grey, steamed milk, and vanilla syrup. I personally think it’s disgusting, but many like it!

Ice, ice, baby

Same goes for iced. Any tea can be made into an iced tea. Often times, iced tea is served with lemon or some kind of fruity/simple syrup. I’m normally a hot tea drinker, but I made up this little recipe the other day…

Little bit of this, a little bit of that

Last Saturday was a beautiful sunny spring day. I had five women over for a Ladies Luncheon to show them some products I sell as a Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant. While I was treating the ladies to TimeWise Microdermabrasions (which make my skin feel amazing, by the way), I served them some refreshing Raspeberry Tea Lemonade.

Ingredients

1 gallon water

3 raspberry tea bags

3 lemons

1/2 c. fresh raspberries

1/4 c. honey (to taste)

1/4 c. sugar (to taste)

Directions

Pour the water into a saucepan over high heat until it begins to boil. Turn off the stove and add tea bags. Once the tea has steeped, add the honey, sugar, and the juice of two lemons. Let it cool for 30 minutes. Cut the remaining lemon into slices and place into a pitcher. Pour the tea over the lemon slices. For a pretty and delicious accent, serve it with a few fresh raspberries floating on top of each glass you pour.

For an added bonus, freeze a little bit of the tea in an ice cube tray so your ice won’t water down your drink when you go to serve it!

The Verdict

Everyone LOVED the tea.  My pitcher was empty by the end of the luncheon, and everyone left with their skin feeling renewed and their thirst quenched!

**What’s your favorite kind of tea?  If you’re not a tea drinker, have I at least piqued some interest?  I would love to hear your thoughts!**