We are well into fall, and that means the weather is getting colder. Fortunately for me, that means I get to drink hot tea (something I don’t like to do in hotter weather) at night before going to bed. There are many great benefits to a natural cup of tea. White tea provides antioxidants, supports your skin and complexion, and detoxifies the body. Some people will say, “What about all that caffeine?” Teas have such a negligible amount of caffeine, it really won’t affect the average person. Personally, I drink soda about once every other month, so I can understand wanting to steer clear from caffeine. The benefits of tea drinking far outweigh the fact that it contains caffeine.
That said, you might wonder what kind of tea is the best. I am a ridiculous fan of Teavana teas, and I use them almost exclusively. I find the effect of loose tea is much greater than dried up tea in a tea bag. Since many people are unfamiliar with the (super easy) process of making loose tea, I thought I’d document the process step by step.
White ayurvedic chai tea.
Step 1: Pick Your Tea
Obviously, you’ll need something to make tea with. I have a cabinet full of loose teas, so this is often one of the hardest parts. Pictured to the left is my absolute favorite tea of all time: Teavana’s White Ayurvedic Chai Tea. This tea contains: white tea, green tea, cinnamon, lemongrass, candied pineapple pieces (pineapple, sugar), red pepper, bruised black pepper, coconut chips (coconut, coconut fat, sugar), ginger pieces, cinnamon flavoring, cardamom, cloves. Absolutely wonderful.
For a fruitier taste.
Next, we have my second-favorite tea, also from Teavana. Unfortunately, I only bought some once last Christmas, and I don’t remember the name of this particular kind of tea. I also don’t see it on the Teavana website, but these are all pretty close. This tea comes out pinkish when it is made, and has strong fruity qualities to it.
Don't watch it...
Step 2: Boil Some Water
This is pretty obvious, but important. Don’t skip this, or you won’t get any tea. I’ve found its best to let the water violently boil, where the top of the water is going nuts, as opposed to just bubbling. Your tea will come out better and stay hot longer. I use a small sauce pot, but it really depends on how big your teapot is. Speaking of teapots…
This one's from Tupperware.
Step 3: Fill the Tea Catcher
I have no idea what the technical word for that part of the tea pot is, but I call it the tea catcher. This is essential for making loose tea because you don’t want the loose tea bits floating around in your drink, you just want the water to soak up their goodness and keep on going. I suppose you could put the tea in a strainer and pour the water through it that way, but I’ve never tried that, so I don’t know how well that would work.
Yum...
Step 4: Pour in the Water
Don’t pour in the water too fast or it will overflow and make a huge mess. You will see the tea float down to where it rested in step 3 as the water passes through. If you don’t see this, that means tea is stuck in the tea catcher holes and you should get a knife or something (not your finger, obviously, because it’s boiling water) and clear up the obstruction. Then, keep on pouring.
It's never too soon for nerdy Christmas mugs.
Step 5: Enjoy
This is the best part. Some people like to put sugar in their tea, but I’m not “some people.” I think the tea is great on its own and doesn’t need any additional flavoring. However, feel free to mess around with it and see what’s good. I also advocate the use of ridiculous mugs, as it makes the process all the more fun.
I realize making tea doesn’t exactly require a user’s manual, but making loose tea is a very fun and easy process with a healthy payoff. I would definitely recommend any tea from Teavana, as they have tea-making down to a science. Enjoy!
