Rainbow Raspberries

Remember Tealish?

Last week on a rainy Monday I walked into Tealish for the second time to check out some of their fruitier blends. Oh man this place is great, I love again the cozy atmosphere that wraps you up in a blanket.  It is also cool to be a customer in a tea store as most often I am usually behind the counter making tea for people at Davids.  Smelling all the teas does not get old. I love it.

I picked out a delicious coconut oolong to drink and bough two packets of tea as follows;

1. Razmintazz: a herbal tea with peppermint, giant raspberries, chamomile, apple and hibiscus.  The Tealish girl sold it to me by saying it tastes like pop rocks. Yum! Even though I don’t get that pop rocks taste when I drink it, it still satisfies my palate completely.  It’s so refreshingly fruity with a pop! of mint.

2. Rainbow Rooibos: what a great fruity rooibos with pomegranates, strawberries, raspberries, pineapple and rosebuds.  Not overly fruity as you would expect with so many flavours and that’s what I love about it.

I need to have a tea party soon so I can share all these great teas with my friends. Look at these dinosaurs just enjoying their tea.  The little guy being the hostess:)

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Top 5 Caffeine Facts

1. Determining the levels of caffeine in a tea can be very difficult because there are so many variables that need to be considered.  Such variables include, soil, vegetation, water temperature, steeping time etc.
2. The steeping time can change the amount of caffeine that is released into your cup of tea.  A black tea doesn’t necessarily have more caffeine than a green tea, but it tends to have that stereotype because you generally steep it longer than a green or white tea.
3. Adding herbs and spices changes the level of caffeine because there is less of the actual Camillia Sinensis plant in the brew.
4. Studies of caffeine levels in tea are all different; the scientific conditions in which the study takes places are also different then how each and every one of us brews tea at home.
5. The caffeine in coffee is not the same in tea, it enters your blood system a lot slower and gives you a nice gradual increase of energy rather than that jolt you get from coffee.

If the tea you’re drinking makes you feel good as much as it tastes good than don’t worry about the caffeine levels and just drink it!:)

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Tea and Health 101

During the Toronto Tea Festival last month I sat in on a 45-minute tea talk about the wonders of tea and its health benefits.  I thought it would be a good time to share what I have learned and let you guys know that the health benefits of tea should not be the only reason why you drink tea.  People are so concerned with what tea does what and how beneficial it is to your body when ALL tea is good for you.  That’s the main thing I want you to take away from this is that every tea is good for your body, so don’t worry about the next weight loss tea because you’re already doing a good job if you drink any tea.

As someone who works at Davids Tea I get a lot of questions about the health benefits of tea.  “Which one will make me loose weight?”…”How much caffeine is in this one?” and one of my personal favourites, “What does this tea DO?”  What does it do?  Well it… ummm tastes good?  That is not a sufficient enough answer for some.  Instead, people want to hear that tea is a magical remedy for everything health related from loosing weight to having clear skin.  And sometimes I believe that tea is a magical drink because I feel great drinking it.  That should be enough shouldn’t it?

 
Michelle Pierce Hamilton was the speaker that led the tea and health discussion at the Toronto Tea Festival this past February.  She was excellent!  I love that she didn’t make any concrete claims such as “this particular tea will make you loose 20 pounds!” but instead educated us about how all tea is beneficial to your body.  One of the first things she explained was how tea works together with your body.  Synergy is the word she used to exaplain how tea works within your body.  Tea should not be consumed as a supplement or an extract, but as a beverage.  It should be a part of your healthy lifestyle, not the only part of it.

On the other hand, tea does have a lot of health benefits.  Michelle talked about tea supporting your central nervous system allowing you to concentrate better, meditate and how it does not increase stress levels much like other caffeinated drinks.  Tea is also a good digestive aid, especially pu’erh because it is fermented and fermented foods contain probiotics which can improve your digestive system.

Now let’s talk about weight loss.  Is tea the new weight loss cure?  Maybe.  If you are replacing coca-cola with green tea than it can contribute to weight loss.  Consuming green tea can also increase energy expenditure, which means you burn energy faster and prevent the accumulation of fat in your cells.  But if you do not like the taste of green tea then why drink it?  Experiment with different green teas and find one that you actually enjoy drinking as a beverage and you will enjoy your healthy lifestyle a lot more.  If you are still eating McDonalds everyday but drinking your green instead of your coca-cola, I’m not sure you will be seeing the results you hope for.

I really enjoyed Michelle’s concept of tea working together with the rest of your body and well being.  She said something that really stood out to me at the end of her speech. If you drink tea, eat a plant based diet, exercise and have love in your life than everything will work together in your body to make you a happier and healthier person.  I am paraphrasing here but I appreciated that she included love as a part of a healthy diet because it shouldn’t be just about one aspect of healthy living but everything working in sync together.

Check out Michelle’s website and read more about the benefits of tea in my upcoming blog posts!

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Tea makes everything better (Milk Oolong part 1)

It has been a while since I have written a blog post.  The truth is I haven’t really felt like writing, my creative-writing-passionate-tea-loving side of me has been resting.  Instead I have been putting my energy elsewhere and focusing on other things in my life and there hasn’t been any positive energy left over for my blogging.  A lot has happened in the past month and as much as I haven’t felt like writing about tea, I have been drinking A LOT of it.  Tea is so beneficial to your body, not just physically but mentally as well, sometimes I can only have a certain tea when I am in the mood for it.  When I’ve been feeling upset, not just tired or sick, I make myself a cup of tea and it makes things, if only a little bit, better.  One tea in particular (which quite possibly could be the elixir of life) has recently been a prominent tea in my daily routine.  Milk Ooolong everybody.  If you haven’t tried it, please do so.  It will change your perspective on tea or just make your day a little bit happier:)

Milk Oolong being shared with my sister and then re-steeped four times.  Yes FOUR times, you can even steep it another two or three times on top of that and you get a great, maybe slightly different, taste every time.

Milk Oolong being enjoyed in my new travel mug from Davids Tea! I am not only in love with this tea but my favourite way to drink it is out of my noble travel mug.  Look at those leaves expanding!

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The Toronto Tea Festival

Last Saturday February 2nd, I attended The Toronto Tea Festival.  Held at The Toronto Reference Library, the festival brought local tea lovers together to meet new tea companies, try new tea and learn about the innovative ways people use to share tea with other people.  I was a little disappointed at first on the small venue because it meant there were not as many exhibitors sharing and talking about tea.  However, if you took it for what it was, there was a great mix of different tea companies who were all individually passionate about tea in their own way.

I do wish more of the exhibitors sampled their teas because I loved the fact that there were so many elements of the festival that tickled my senses.  I was able to smell, touch and drink so many different teas.   It was a great experience especially because I could share it with people who were just as passionate about tea as I am.

Here is a list of the exhibitors that stood out to me the most:

Steeped: This particular tea company based is out of Minden, Ontario and they host tea parties in your own home!

Cha: A brand new online subscription company that sends you tea based on your personality type.  Take their quiz online and find out what tea you are!

T by Daniel: An online tea company that gives tea a modern twist, using friendly tea names and crazy infusions to make tea fun!

Bare English & Co: They created an all organic, vegan, tea-infused lip balm. The Coco-Mint flavor was amazing!

The King Edward Hotel: These guys were here because they serve afternoon tea in the hotel restaurant.

Majesteas: I really liked the presentation of this company, it was fresh, welcoming and they had a stamp card for regulars.

Another place was giving out free plastic travel mugs, there was a tea ceremony going on while we browsed through the tables and tea presentations were held throughout the day in an adjoining room. The above exhibitors seemed to stand out to me the most… it could have something to do with the delicious mini cream filled treats from The King Edward.  Also, I purchased a GREAT coconut oolong from Majesteas that I have been drinking almost every day since the festival.  MMMMM!

That is all, I will be writing my next post about the presentation I sat in on.  I wish there was more to write about, but we didn’t stay very long, maybe two hours max.  I’m not sure if it is something I would go to again.  If there were more exhibitors/tea companies, tea tasting and maybe a bigger venue I think it would have been more enjoyable.  I also wish I could have sat in on more of the presentations as I enjoyed learning new things about tea.  I did humbly enjoy my experience at the festival though and recommend going next year if you want to explore a little more about tea!

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El Almacen Escapade

So I’ve always wondered, what is the proper way to drink maté tea?  What is so great about this South American tea? You drink it from this little gourd and with a straw…who drinks tea from a straw??? Well now I do.

El Almacen is a cozy, welcoming cafe on Queen West in Toronto.  Definitely passed by it several times while I have been shopping in that area and missed the part of the sign that read “Yerba Maté Cafe”.  When I heard about it from a coworker I just had to make a special tea-venture downtown Toronto and discover what this yerba maté cafe was all about.

Three of us ventured down to El Almacen on a surprisingly warm winters day and it was as if the cafe was waiting for us with open arms.  The woman working at the time recommended we share the serving of maté if we wanted to drink it the traditional way from the gourd so we ordered one maté serving and three delicious little treats on the side called Alfajores. These coconut caramel little treats were delectable!  I would go back to El Almacen just for those pastries.

As she brought our order over I asked the server if she could show us how to properly enjoy the tea.  She was happy to show us the maté ways and explained we would need about 8 teaspoons of tea in the small gourd and suggested adding a few teaspoons of cane sugar to sweeten the taste of the maté.  Traditionally, yerba maté can be sipped through a bombilla – a stainless steel straw capable of filtering the tea without consuming the leaves.  After she filled the gourd with maté, cane sugar and about 74ºC water (as to not burn the leaves), she placed the bombilla in the center of the gourd and reminded us not to move it about or stir the straw as it will become clogged with the tea leaves.

What an experience!  We passed the gourd around between the three of us, taking turns drinking through the bombilla and refilling the gourd with water before passing it along.  I loved the bonding experience involved with drinking yerba maté and it seemed to fit right in with the the welcoming relaxed atmosphere of the cafe.  The artwork was beautiful along the walls and on the tables, the staff was very friendly and I felt as if I had been there before even though I seemed to only pass by this enchanting cafe.

Not only did the server show us how to drink the yerba maté, but she explained to us that it is very energizing in a different way that coffee is.  I like that she mentioned we will be more mentally alert after drinking the tea and not crazy infused with a jolt of caffeine.  We were very energized afterwards, ready to take on the streets of Toronto!  And I would definitely come back here with friends and enjoy the traditional ways of the maté world.  The welcoming atmosphere brought people together and left you with a calming energy to last the rest of the day.

Thanks El Almacen for the great tea experience!

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Top 5 Tea Resolutions 2013

There are so many things that I want to accomplish in my life that a single New Years resolution cannot wrap around my aspirations for 2013.  I want to embrace opportunities in my current and future job, empower my body through yoga and healthy recipes while expressing and accepting the love around me fearlessly.  I also want to progress in my tea-ventures and I hope those of you reading become a part of this tea journey as I make a list of Top 5 Tea Resolutions for 2013!

Top 5 Tea Resolutions 2013:

1. Try a new tea or tea shop every month
2. Find a good tea documentary to watch, any recommendations?
3. Go to the Toronto Tea Festival February 2nd
4. Have many tea experiences with new and old friends
5. Explore different tea infused recipes in the kitchen

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