I began drinking tea about 6 months ago, so I am very new. Growing up my parents did not drink tea and a few college roommates had tried to enlighten me to the world of tea drinking. It did not work, I honestly hated the taste of tea in a bag. Since then, I have discovered that I do not like black teas. The majority of tea bags have black tea in them, so that explains why no one was able to convert me into a tea drinker.
For our bridal shower my cousin bought us some loose leaf tea and an ice tea maker. I did not touch it for a quite awhile. Okay, for like a year because I had no idea what I was doing and it intimated me. One day it was chilly and I wanted something warm and soothing to drink and my sensitivity to caffeine kept me from making coffee.
I broke down. I got out the tea maker my cousin gave us along with the tea. I actually read the directions and brewed it up. Which after the fact I learned it’s called steeping… Brewing is a coffee term. From my first sip, I was hooked. I tried an herbal blend and could not believe how much I loved it. The only problem was I knew basically nothing about tea.
There were a few websites I looked at but nothing really helped me much because it seemed to get too deep when I really just needed something basic. That is the reason why I decided to start this blog series. Not only because I am passionate about my tea, but also because I feel like there needs to be more beginner education for the completely tea illiterate.
Why Drink It? Health Benefits of Tea
Tea has a lot of health benefits. Since I started drinking tea daily I have noticed several effects. According to The Today Show the top 10 health benefits to drinking tea are as follows:
1. Tea has antioxidants.
2. Tea has less caffeine than coffee.
3. Tea may reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke.
4. Tea protects your bones.
5. Tea keeps your smile healthy and white.
6. Tea increases your immune system.
7. Tea protects against cancer.
8. Tea helps keep your hydrated.
9. Tea is calorie-free.
10. Tea increases your metabolism.
In conclusion, you should get on the tea drinking bus! It is a delicious, hipster thing to do!
Supplies You Will Need
In order to get started there are a few things you will need. These are the most basic things and are not spending a lot of money. What if you don’t like tea? What is you don’t end up drinking it as much as you thought you would? Well, you don’t want to have a lot of money invested into it. If you end up loving tea as much as I do? At the end of the beginner series I will do a post about all of those extra things that might be nice to have depending on your preference.
I would highly recommend finding a tea store near you. I am not talking a store with tea in it. I mean a store that specializes in tea. The people that work there tend to be very passionate and knowledgeable about tea. When you are a beginner you need to find people like this. I do not have a tea store anywhere near me. I have a minimum of a 2 hour drive, so I tend to hit up Teavana. It is a tea store, but it is a national chain. It is actually owned by Starbucks, but they specialize in just tea. I love supporting local businesses so if I had the option of a local store I would go there!
Tea Kettle – First and foremost you will need tea kettle. Right now, don’t spend your money on anything fancy. I would at the most spend $20. The one I use right now cost me $15 because I didn’t know whether I would use it a lot. I will eventually upgrade it, but at the start it was perfect. This one from Amazon is the one I have and in addition to it being inexpensive it is small which means it is easy to store if you have a small kitchen.
Teavana PerfecTea Maker – This is a tea making essential that is just as important as the tea kettle. This relatively inexpensive gadget from Teavana makes learning to steep tea so easy! You put your tea in the maker and when your water is the right temperature you pour it in and steep it for the right amount of time. when it is done you simply put it on top of your mug and engage the lever and your tea is strained into your mug. Easy peasy.
The Sweet Leaf – This is another way to infuse loose leaf tea. I have not tried it but the reviews on it are great so I thought I would suggest this too. If you don’t feel like the Teavana product is for you, this one might work. It is also smaller than the PerfecTea Maker so it would be easier to store.
Rock Sugar or Honey – A lot of new tea drinkers think it tastes kind of bland. Some teas just need some sweetening. For a lot of the loose leaf teas you should only use certain kinds of sweeteners because others can change the taste of the tea. This usually is not true for black teas because it has such a strong taste. The others should only be sweetened with Rock Sugar. The containers last a long time, so it will seem expensive but it will last you a lot longer than you think, especially after you get used to the taste of tea and you can use a lot less.
Tea Tins – Tea will keep longer in a tin. It sounds silly but tea will keep well for a year in a tin. It starts to loose some of it’s potency after a year but it is still good. Tins are not really that expensive so I think they are a really good investment. Some of them are beautiful and artistic as well, if you have the money to spend they are great to have around. Keep in mind, most people do not buy in pounds of tea. I do not really think anyone needs a tea tin big enough for a pound of tea. I learned that through experience. When I buy gifts, I usually buy a 3 or 6 ounce tea tin because they really are easy to store and are a reasonable size.
In my next segment I will talk about the different types of teas and how they differ in preparation and how to know what kind of tea you will like. I will talk about the pros and cons of each type of tea as well. Until then, make sure you check out Teavana and some of the products I have shared with you today. I want to know, are any of you tea drinkers? If so, what are your favorite teas? If not, are you thinking about trying tea drinking? Do you have any questions about drinking tea?
