A lot of people seem to either be teas drinkers or coffee drinkers. My Mom for example is a TRUE coffee drinker. Ideally her morning would start with an extremely large mug of coffee in the mornings. And then ideally she would continue to drink cup after cup all day long, well into the evening. My uncles (her brothers) still seem to follow this pattern. She, much to her chagrin, can not due to acid reflux. (Actually I bet my uncles all have some wicked acid reflux by now.) She has switched to tea for her stomach’s sake, but the mornings have never been the same for her since. I think she generally feels that at least the tea provides a hot drink in the morning even if that’s all you can say for it. I’m pretty sure California will fall into the ocean on the day my uncles switch to tea. On the other hand there is my very dear Aunt. She is an exclusive tea drinker. (I sent her this really cool blooming tea set once, though I don’t know if the tea is tasty or not but it’s insanely cool to have blooming tea don’t you think?) To the best of my knowledge she does not actually drink coffee at all.
I happen to be a big fan of both tea and coffee. With the weather having been so cold lately, and with catching a number of colds, I’ve been drinking a lot of hot beverages lately, but especially tea. I think the extra fluid really helps battle those colds. I figured I’d take a day and share a few of my favorites with you guys (and perhaps solicit recommendations!).
Teas:
1. Traditional Medicinals Chamomile With Lavender– Chamomile is supposed to be a great bed time tea. I don’t generally mind it, but I don’t love it. Until now. I really enjoy Traditional Medicinals version because of the lavender. I actually thought lavender sounded odd as a flavor, though I know people do cook with it, but it’s actually extremely enjoyable! Traditional Medicinals is a cool brand because they make teas using pharmacopoeial grade herbs. AKA: This tea is about the strongest you’re going to find. And the ingredients are quality. This tea is also organic if you care about such things. Also a major plus the company follows Fair Trade and Fair Wild standards.
2. The Republic of Tea, Blackberry Sage- I have been lovin’ on this tea for a long long time. I think I might have actually discovered it just after high school (eek 10+ year ago). It has a wonderful blackberry flavor that doesn’t end up becoming either cloying of bitter. I actually am not sure I can pick out the sage, I think it just subtly blends in. Either way this one is an absolute winner! This company also Follows Fair Trade and is organic among other things, you can check out their other certifications here. This tea comes in both caffeinated and decaf versions for evening sipping. I should also add this makes a great iced tea as well.
3. Tea forte, Green Mango Peach– This one is just as good as it sounds. And yes in addition to a pleasant green tea with just a bit of a bite, you can pick up both the mango and peach flavors. This also makes a killer iced tea. But more importantly this company also follows Fair Trade practices and is organic. I buy this tea loose leaf but it can also be purchased in pouches.
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