For The Love Of Tea

"You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me." - C.S. Lewis

I have written about it before. I have a serious problem ... I am obsessed with tea. And not just any tea, but plain old black tea. English, Irish or Ceylon, I don't care where it's from I just can't stay away from it! It brings me comfort in the morning as I eat my breakfast; it brings me comfort in the afternoon when I settle in for a few minutes of knitting; it is my go-to for a cup of steaming peace.

Black tea is not the healthiest choice, however, for one with chronic pain. Recent weeks have brought me incredible discomfort and fatigue, and I am desperately trying to cut back on my rather embarrassing consumption. I have tried green tea which is very good for increasing energy levels, but simply put it tastes like grass water. Herbal tea is fine and I drink it at night, but it gives me little satisfaction. I have come to the realization that black tea can never be eliminated from my diet fully, despite the advice of Fibromyalgia experts. How can they take away one of the few joys I have while in such pain?

My love affair with this ancient beverage goes back to when I was in college and designed a book for my graphic design class my senior year. Cleverly called "Brimming Over" this book was a journey from the crop to the cup, describing the origins, history and cultivation of both coffee and tea. Through my explorations with finding the perfect images for my project, I discovered that I actually find a used tea bag kind of beautiful. I know, I'm way too crazy about tea! But hey, it's better and healthier than being too crazy about other fermented beverages. So I feel somewhat justified.

And yes, I have already had two glorious cups today, but I'm cutting myself off. Yeah, no more tea for sure. Well, maybe just ONE more cup ...

A Dream Come True

You may recall that back in April I expressed my affections for a certain tea kettle. It's not that I didn't appreciate the one that I had, after all it served me well for ten years. But oh how I longed for a colorful and sleek new design.

Much to my pleasure, I have received that Le Creuset tea kettle as a Christmas gift and my goodness it looks spectacular on my stove top. The shiny cobalt gradient makes me smile. Call me crazy, but it even sounds French with its nasal whine that builds to a dramatic whistle. Thank you again, Mom!


And when I was asked what I would like for Christmas, I bet I got some weird looks when I said "Tea! Seriously I love tea!" But sure enough I have some wonderful blends to enjoy with the hot water from my tea kettle. Thank you, Dad!

It is this tea drinkers' dream come true!

I Love It A Latte!

I know that I have mentioned before that I love tea. Well, today I went to Starbucks 1) because I hadn't been there in a while 2) because a coffee sounded really good and 3) I had a rough day yesterday so I decided to treat myself to something special. I was all set to buy a peppermint cappuccino and then I saw that they have tea lattes now. I don't mean Chai lattes because they have had those available for some time, but they now have other varieties!

It was hard to choose between the Vanilla Rooibos, London Fog (which is earl grey with lavender and vanilla) or Black Tea. I went with the black because it's my favorite - Tazo Awake tea to be exact. It was delicious! It would be good on a day when you feel a little under the weather, with some toast. It is a great way to lighten up your morning beverage, because sometimes coffee can be a bit much. My only criticism is that it is a bit too sweet for me, next time I will ask them to go lighter on the syrup.

Try one, they're good!

My Cup of Tea

Ahhh, tea. I love it! It's gotten to the point where I feel almost naked without a cup of hot liquid in my hand. While I love coffee, tea is milder and easier on my sensitive stomach. So, I thought I would mention a few of my favorites ... just in case anyone would like to know.

Black

My favorite kind of tea is black tea. English Breakfast, Darjeeling, Ceylon, and my ultimate choice is Irish Breakfast. I have found that with black tea I prefer a loose leaf and The Republic of Tea is a great choice. This brand has some interesting flavor blends like Blackberry Sage, Cinnamon Plum, and an unbelievable Ginger Peach. But I am happiest with plain old black.

Green

I don't drink green tea very often because a lot of the time it tastes "mossy" to me. However, Yogi tea has a light flavor with a hint of mint that makes it quite delicious. Yogi also has tea that they blend with antioxidants and echinacea, which is great when you have a cold. Tazo is probably my favorite tea company. Their green tea blend, Zen, is delightful.

Herbal

What can I say, I like the caffeinated teas the best. I am not a big fan of fruity or floral teas, but sometimes I want a hot cup before bed and I know that I have to be careful with the caffeine content at night. So, I love love LOVE Wild Sweet Orange herbal infusion by Tazo. It is not an orange spice tea, but rather sweet and tart and full of strong citrus tang. I never thought orange and spearmint would be so good together ... but it IS!

Mmm, all this talk about tea is making me thirsty. I think I'll put the kettle on and enjoy some Wild Sweet Orange right now. And I would recommend taking a gander at the Tazo website, I find it inspiring, informative, and beautiful.