Just, no

I don't often get tea out, because they hand me a cup of hot water with a tea bag dangling out of it. Sheesh, I can do better at home. So I do. Yeah, sure, sometimes I do break down and buy a cup of hot tea, but it's pretty rare. But I can't bring myself to do the above, the lazy tea for lazy people. Seems so undignified!

So, I'll just enjoy my tea here at home:

And have this lovely lavender chamomile.

Chai Tea - Tai Chi

A little humor for your day:

And my tea for the day:

Of course, it's chai green tea!

Tea Sandwich Tuesday: Golden Tea Sandwiches

I remember being at a retreat where everyone raved about pimiento cheese sandwiches. I'd never eaten them before, and, being vegan, didn't eat these. But I was intrigued by the responses, because I'd always associated pimiento cheese with being the one type of sandwich everyone generally avoided. Clearly, I was wrong.

However, my version got rave reviews from a couple of my kids, so I guess, once again, I was mistaken about the power of a shredded cheese sandwich.

Golden Tea Sandwiches

One package shredded vegan cheddar cheese
One container vegan cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. vegan mayonnaise
1/2 t. vegan Worcestershire sauce
1/8 t. onion salt
1/8 t. garlic salt
1/6 t. celery salt

Mix all ingredients together thoroughly, and spread on bread. Cut into desired shapes.

And for my tea today:

French vanilla with salted caramel

Tea Meditation

I begin each day with tea. I mean, witness:

A black tea with strawberry, blueberry, and raspberry.

But a truly lovely way to start your day is with a tea meditation.

For starters, from everything you do in making your tea, from the brewing, to choosing your cup, to the pouring, and beyond, do it with mindfulness. Sit quietly before your fresh brewed cup of tea, and be in the present moment. Just sit. Notice the color of your tea, the aroma, watch the steam swirl upward.

Give thanks, appreciate what is before you, and feel gratitude toward all those who have brought this moment to you. The growers, the shippers, the grocers.

Now drink. Sip slowly. Delight all of your senses with that first taste. Commit to the moment.

Now, doesn't this make your day seem just a little bit nicer, a little bit more pleasant?

Take Time For Tea

Tea, though ridiculed by those who are naturally coarse in their nervous sensibilities will always be the favorite beverage of the intellectual.

Thomas de Quincey

Whether or not you consider yourself an intellectual, tea is a very pleasant pastime. Many consider tea a beverage you drink poured over ice, sipped on hot days to cool you down. It is so much more than that. 

It is a time to slow down and enjoy life. Take your time. Brew your tea. Pour it in a favorite mug or a cherished fine china cup. Sip it slowly, savoring the smell of it, the warmth of it in your hands. Sit. Curl up with a good book. Maybe enjoy it outside on your porch or patio, and listen to the sounds around you, knowing you are apart from any chaos. Have tea with friends over tea sandwiches and other dainty foods, laughing at stories and generally enjoying the time spent together. Tea reminds us of the finer things in life and how slowing down helps us to center and find home once again.

Vanilla caramel truffle black tea

Why Green Tea Really Is So Healthy

I've spent nearly all of this month hawking the benefits of tea. I can't even do it enough, there are so many! So, needless to say, I have a little more to impart.

What is considered the crux of green tea's nutritional powerhouse position is an antioxidant called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). Sounds a little scary, doesn't it? But hear me out. Because green tea isn't fermented, it retains its EGCG, which allows it to be available to neutralize free radicals. This means it might reduce the risk of cancer, because studies suggest that EGCG inhibits the proliferation of cancer cells and interferes with tumor metabolism.

Those same antioxidants that are present in tea also help the heart by reducing levels of LDL, the bad cholesterol, and relaxing arteries to improve blood flow.

This antioxidant's antibacterial properties might also stave off gum disease and tooth decay and reduce bad breath.

The combination of caffeine with EGCG may also boost metabolism.

Aren't these all things I've said previously? They are. But maybe this explains it just a bit better.

So, drink up! Cook with it! Heck, bathe in it! But mostly, just enjoy it!

Green and white fusion tea.

And once the tea is gone, I get to see this at the bottom of the cup:

Herbal Tea

When you think of tea, what do you think? Green? Black? Oolong? Some people think of herbal. I have several herbal teas, myself. But herbal teas are not actually tea.

Herbal teas are usually a blend of herbs, spices, flowers, roots, and fruits, and for all of you Hercule Poirot fans, they are more accurately called tisanes. Most studies done on tea do not include herbal concoctions. Another tea that has become quite popular is rooibos, sometimes called red tea. It, too, is an herbal drink and not a real tea. Herbal teas by their very nature are caffeine free. Sometimes an herbal may be mixed with a true tea, so read labels carefully if you are trying to reduce or eliminate caffeine.

Rooibos with turmeric, cinnamon, and vanilla. The mug is a gift from a good friend.