Tea Time!

The fine art and relaxing ritual of tea time has been around for thousands of years, many of us have grown up thinking it was an over sweetened glass of cold tea that we drink on a hot summer day! But really there is so much more to tea that has amazing blends for all types of healing and calming benefits, you can start your own tea time ritual or put together your own blends for a nice gift this holiday season!!

Herbal Digestive Blend:
This is a delicious tea that can be used to support healthy digestion or simply enjoyed for the taste. Licorice root may cause high blood pressure when taken in large amounts frequently. Those concerned with this effect might want to use stevia leaf or honey instead of licorice.

What you’ll need…
1 part dried goldenrod leaves and flowers (Solidago canadensis) 1 part dried lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) 1 part whole hawthorn berries (Crataegus spp.) 1/2 part dried ginger root (Zingiber officinale) 1/2 part dried licorice root (Glycyrrhiza glabra) Combine all the ingredients together. (I recommend buying the above ingredients as “cut and sifted” with the exception of the hawthorn berries which work fine whole.) To brew: Use 1 heaping tablespoon per 8 oz of water. Steep covered for 5-15 minutes. Strain and enjoy.

Vanilla Earl Grey with Cornflowers
This blend adds a vanilla flavor as well as some beautiful blue flowers to brighten up the mix. What you’ll need… 1 cup Earl Grey tea 2 tablespoons cornflower (Centaurea cyanus) 1 vanilla bean, chopped up finely Combine all the ingredients together. To brew: Use 1 heaping teaspoon per 8 oz of hot water. Stir for 3-5 minutes. Strain and enjoy as is or with milk, cream, honey or sugar.

Smokey Pu’erh Tea
Pu’erh tea is a popular fermented tea that is highly prized by tea connoisseurs. This blend combines the fermented tea of pu’erh with the smokey taste of lapsang souchong tea. The chrysanthemum flowers taste good as well but are mainly added for appearance in this blend. What you’ll need… 3 parts pu’erh 2 parts chrysanthemum flowers 1 part lapsang souchong Combine all the ingredients together. To brew: Use 1 heaping teaspoon per 8 oz of hot water. Steep for 3-5 minutes. Strain and enjoy as is or with milk, cream, honey or sugar.

Orange Spiced Black Tea
This tea blend was inspired by the fancy tea blend I bought in southern France. To dry your own oranges, slice an orange into thin segments, lay them on a glass baking sheet and dry them on low in the oven. Turn them over every once in awhile. Once they are completely dried, cut them into triangle wedges as seen in the photo.
What you’ll need…
1 teaspoon orange extract 1 cup assam tea (or black tea of your choice) 1 tablespoon rainbow black pepper Handful of dried orange slices 1 tablespoon cinnamon chips 1 tablespoon cardamom pods, slightly crushed


These tea blends make for a really healthy and sophisticated gift as well as feeling like a bit of a chemist! Enjoy!