Making tea in a coffee press

Season’s greetings, lovers of tea!

The Season of Giving is over. Teato has given many beautiful gifts to many beautiful women this Christmas, but he has also received some wonderful presents. And while some lovely and generous ladies know my tastes extremely well (I love delicious tea; this is no surprise to loyal readers) others seem to know very little about me.

One lovely girl actually gave me a coffee press for Christmas. A coffee press! It’s as if we are total strangers! But all is not lost. I will make the best of it, and pass on this important tea lesson to you. You can make tea with a coffee press — in fact, it’s a great way to brew loose leaf tea, which as you know, is far superior to teabags.

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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,

I’m lucky to have a job that let’s me work from home. There’s nothing like getting a mountain of work done while still in your PJs. And in the comfort of my own home office, I can head back to the kettle for cup after cup of hot tea, and no one’s there to raise an eyebrow.

So today, as I headed out for a walk around the block (gotta switch to decaf) and to grab a sandwich for lunch, I had an interesting encounter. As you can guess, it involved tea. And another interesting gentleman.

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Hi Loves,

It’s time we show Mother Earth a little love–and ourselves, too. How do we do that? By starting small, with your daily cup of tea.

As Teato reminded us a few weeks ago, tea leaves are just like any other fruit or vegetable. So it totally matters what farmers spray all over them in order to increase crops and profits. Pesticides that leech into the ground can contaminate water supplies and damage the soil so that little can grow there once the tea crop has been exhausted. Yes, we all love our steaming cups of hot tea, but at what price?

How can we do that to Mother Earth? And what about how those pesticides affect our own health? It’s time to show ourselves some love with organic tea. Read full entry! »

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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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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Hi Loves,

So, if you haven’t been keeping up, I went on a great date last weekend. (He loves tea, too!) But he was very slow in calling me back. Of course that sent my mind racing. What is he thinking? Is he going to call ever? Did he have a good time, too?

But I’m happy to say he called!!! (Finally, the dork.) Of course, I was all cool on the phone with him. It went something like this:

“Oh hi, Mr. Tea.”

“Hi Tia. How are you?”

“Oh great. Busy, busy, busy! I’ve hardly had time to think since this weekend!”

“I hope I’m not bothering you.”

“Not at all, just sitting down with a nice cup of Lemon and Roses Rooibos Tea.”

“Sounds good,” he said…

(And I promise, it got much more interesting after that.)

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Hi Loves,

You know, tea has gotten me quite a few dates. No, really.

A few months ago, I was shopping at my local farmers’ market, stocking up on beautiful vegetables, spring flowers, and of course, my favorite local organic tea. It was a particularly crowded Saturday, and you know how I am about being patient. I calmly, and with a smile, elbowed my way into my friendly organic tea vendor’s booth and reached for the last box of this special blend of organic loose tea. But it wouldn’t budge! Someone else was trying to grab that last box. MY last box.

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Hi loves,

Sometimes you just need a hot cup of tea, you know?

Let me explain. If you’re anything like me, you sometimes get a little worked up about things. For example, I went on a great date this weekend. And when I say great, I mean OMG-this-could-be-the-real-thing stellar. (Of course, if you’re anything like me, you think that about all the guys.) He opened doors for me! He didn’t hog the conversation! He likes green tea! He bought dinner, but let me buy dessert! (Hey, I’m a modern woman.) But it’s Tuesday and he hasn’t called. What is up with that?

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Greetings, Tea students.

As you sit there with your hot cup of loose leaf tea, welcoming the first hints of Fall, perhaps you think to yourself, “Master Amanzi has taught me so much. I know how healthy tea is, where it comes from, how to make it—but how much should I drink?”

This is a good question, young Tea Seeker, and I am glad you have asked it. Your tea knowledge has grown, and I am suitably impressed.

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