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
(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?
