Hi Loves,

Ahhhh, My Morning Cup of Tea

I just had a great conversation with Mr. GTD over IM (Hey, I’m a 21st Century kind of girl.) about tea. I know, you’re all so surprised.

But over the course of the conversation (which took place when I should have been doing work, but oh well), he said the perfect cup of tea was small cup of perfectly brewed green tea, savored while meditating. With all the health benefits of green tea and how much better he felt after a few minutes of meditating over the steaming cup it was like a mental makeover, he said.

Sure, that sounds nice, I said, but far from perfect to me. The perfect cup of tea, in my mind, is a strong cup of black hot tea, like classic Earl Grey, with a spoon full of honey. With a little boost of caffeine to get me going and a bunch of antioxidants to keep me going, that, I said, was a cup of perfection. Read full entry! »

Hi Loves,

I’m still reeling from that bouquet of tea the Mr. Kent gave me. Can you believe it? He’s so thoughtful! But now, I want to return the kindness and give him a wonderful tea gift, too. But what to get him?

The Gift of Tea

I know he likes loose leaf tea, so I’m sure he has a tea ball infuser. Who couldn’t use another one? And I could include a box or two of his favorite kinds of tea like Rooibos and Green tea.

He also mentioned having to work a lot of late nights recently, so I could give him a nice, big travel mug, and a strong, caffeinated Black tea–plus a soothing caffeine free herbal tea, because too much caffeine is not good for your health.

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Hi Loves,

You’ll never guess what got delivered to my door yesterday. A bouquet of tea! What’s that, you ask? Who sent it? Well, let me tell you.

Actually, I’ll keep you in suspense for now about who sent it, just for fun. But a certain mystery someone sent me the most beautiful box of colorful tea bags arranged like a bouquet. And the strings were tied together as if you could hold it. It was laid out in this gorgeously wrapped box. And then I noticed that each of the tea bag tags said what kind of tea it was on one side, and the health benefits of the flowers and herbs it contained on the other–hand written!

Here’s a sample of what was inside:

Beautiful Roses. Exquisite Tea.

Rose Garden White Tea: Besides the fact that roses are my favorite flower and there’s no denying that things that make you happy have a huge effect on your mental health, White teas have more polyphenols, a supercharged antioxidant that can help fight cancer causing cells, among other great health benefits.

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Hello common people.

It is no secret that a good cup of tea is one of my favorite things. They didn’t name Earl Grey Tea after me for nothing, after all. (It wasn’t a catchy name when I first told them what to call it, BTW, and a bit of resistance had to be stamped out quickly and some say viciously.)

But as much as I enjoy a good strong black tea (though I like green tea and white teas as well, and don’t let anyone tell you differently), I do also enjoy a bit of the nectar of the gods, the fruit of the vine. And in that frame of mind, I shall tell you a bit about how tea is like wine.
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Hi Loves,

Is it Friday yet? No? Why Not? Let’s just say that Ms. Tia is anxious for the weekend to get here already because she has big plans with Mr. Great Tea Date! Surprise, surprise: it involves tea.

Friday night, Mr. GTD is coming over so I can show off my grand culinary talents. I love to cook, especially using organic vegetables and meats. I’m thankful everyday that we have such a wonderful farmers’ market nearby. So I asked my local organic tea vendor how I could use tea in more edible, as opposed to drinkable, ways. You won’t believe what he had to say!

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click here to see more pictures from China.

Greetings, Tea Students.

Put down your steaming cups of tea for one second and pay attention. The information I am about to impart unto you goes beyond telling you what a tea infuser is, or how green tea helps fight cancer. I don’t want you to spit your Lung Ching across the room in shock.

Are you ready?

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Greetings Tea Students;

As I sit in my Tea Monastery, sipping a flavorful cup of Masai Sunset Tea and hum a short mantra to the Oneness of Tea-ness (I chose a nice rooibos tea because I have a lot of meditating to do later, so I need the natural energy boost), my otherwise blank mind wanders back to an age-old question, that I thought perhaps I would share with you, my inquisitive tea seekers, today. Prepare your minds.

Now, those who have meditated, or even seen movies about meditation, probably know this one: what is the sound of one hand clapping? Well, that one is too easy, so I shall enlighten you as to what we say here at the Tea Shrine.

Why does a teacup have no handle?

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Hi Loves,

So, I know you all are just bursting at the seams waiting to hear about my date this weekend. Don’t worry, Tia’s here to tell you all the juicy details. I’ll give you a hint: Tea Ceremony!

So, we first went to a very nice Japanese restaurant not far from both our houses. We were seated in a private tatami room, separated from the next table by beautiful rice paper screens. Our wonderful server, dressed in full regalia, kimono and all, told us that the calligraphy on the screens was the work of the proprietor himself. Score points for Mr. Great Tea Date, who picked the restaurant. Read full entry! »

Hi Loves,

So the Great Tea Date is tomorrow! I’m really looking forward to going out with him. We’re going to a nice sushi restaurant and a movie, that I picked (yay chivalry!), and I think it’s going to be a very nice time. The last he and I spoke, he told me something really interesting about Green Tea. Did you know there is actually a kind of Green Tea that is fried? No, really!

I was surprised, too. So decided to brush up on my Green Tea knowledge. Here’s what I learned.

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Hi Loves,

You know what time it is? It’s time for a tea party!

Every year about this time, I realize that I haven’t seen some of my friends in weeks and weeks. Why? Because the beginning of Fall seems to be one of the busiest times of the year! It’s like we all forgot how to work and be productive after a summer of sipping iced tea and it’s all catching up with us. So I like to plan an fun tea party for me and my friends so we can catch up on who’s dating who, who’s NOT dating who, and what’s on the romantic horizon. Oh, and we’ll probably talk about work, too, but only after we’ve covered the more important stuff.

So, this year, I’m really going to make it special.

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