Tea

I believe tea is a very useful and enjoyable experience, even if you don't like it.

There are an array of blends. Like the rainbow, a spectrum of colors, flavors and healthy benefits. Tea provides so much more than just healthy skin and indulgence. This tiny tea cup, mug, or coconut shell has now provided community and a sense of peace.

We set aside our burdens, our rituals and daily tasks to quench our thirst all while feeding our body the healthy elements it needs. Without even knowing it, a safe place blooms and we can't help but feel the good vibes rising as we take another sip. There is something very magical about a cup of steeping herbs in hot water.

My mother had a china hutch that held over 50 tea cups that my father had purchased for her throughout his travels. I always admired their beauty and how it felt to hold the weightless porcelain. Something about the craftsmanship. Why would someone work so hard to make a cup? It didn't matter because I loved it. It wasn't until I moved to Colorado to study herbal medicine and cancer that I became fully attached.

All thanks to my first job in Colorado, Capital Tea, I now drink a cup of coconut vanilla tea in the morning with frothed almond or oat milk and honey. It has 1/3 the amount of caffeine as 1 cup of coffee yet I get all the energy with no tremors or crash. At night I have caffeine free Holy Detox with warm Almond milk and honey. Both teas have awesome benefits and are timed on preference. Please check out Capital Tea off South Broadway Denver, Colorado, for all my tea references! Hi Shani!

Let's get started : )

Pick Yo Tea - I chose coconut vanilla tea because it helps introduce those of you who normally drink coffee to the world of tea. It is a black tea mixed with coconut shreds. Black tea receives the highest amount of oxidation which increases the amount of caffeine and gives it that brown like color. It greatly resembles a coffee latte when steeped for 5 minutes and mixed with frothed milk.

Steep Dat - Put 1 spoonful of tea in your steeping device (tea bag, cheese cloth, mesh ball)

Time It - Steep tea for 3-5 minutes (depending on taste preference), in a cup of hot water (boil first). I steep my coconut vanilla tea for 4 minutes because I mix it with milk and I like the flavor to stand out in the morning. If I'm only using honey I steep the tea for 3 minutes, unless they are herbal blends which may require more time, (some herbal blends that contain large nuts, sticks, or fruit require 6-10 minutes).

Save Tea - Once the time is up, put your tea bag to the side because it is good for one more cup. YUM! (Except herbal blends, normally they are finished after their first steeping)

Add Your Poison - I choose honey which is actually very good for you or agave but feel free to add sugar. It is the English tradition to use sugar cubes. But please use Agave or rice syrup!

Take A Siiiip - Your cauldron of goodness awaits. Begin countdown as your lips part and your cup rises. Breathe in the sweet, smoky, and my is that peach? aroma as your tongue stretches out for the first embrace. And boom, you've done it. You made tea. And whether you liked it or not you learned something amazing. How to time and steep herbs in order to enjoy and now understand their complexity. You just did chemistry. You just graduated from Hogwarts. Doing this introduces you to the world of tea and all of it's beauty. The kinds of tea, the different health benefits depending on oxidation, the flavors, the hot, cold and lukewarm possibilities!!

I hope you guys enjoyed the recipe. Feel free to send in your favorites and if you would like me to post them. Please check out Capital Tea off South Broadway Denver, Colorado for tea, amazing books and supplies! We will discuss grades of tea, timing and temperature in my next post! Cheers!

Love B