Sip, Savor & Enjoy the Sunshine: Closing out Summer with Tea

Ah, summertime – a season of sun-kissed days, outdoor adventures, and refreshing indulgences. As a tea enthusiast, you might wonder if your beloved cup of tea has a place in this vibrant season. The answer? A resounding yes! From poolside lounging to picnics in the park, tea can be your perfect summer companion. In this blog post, we'll delve into the wondrous benefits of drinking tea during the warmer months and share creative ways to incorporate tea into your summertime activities.

Stay Hydrated, Naturally:

While the temptation for ice-cold beverages may be strong, tea offers a delightful alternative to keep you hydrated. Herbal teas like hibiscus, peppermint, and chamomile are caffeine-free and can be enjoyed as refreshing iced infusions. These brews not only quench your thirst but also provide essential hydration with a burst of natural flavors.

Cooling Elixir for Hot Days:

Feeling the heat? Brewed and chilled teas offer a respite from soaring temperatures. Green tea, when iced, becomes a cooling elixir loaded with antioxidants. Its delicate grassy notes are revitalizing, making it an ideal choice for those sweltering summer afternoons.

Boost Your Skin's Glow:

Tea is not only a treat for your taste buds but also a boon for your skin. Herbal teas such as rooibos and chamomile possess anti-inflammatory properties that can help soothe and rejuvenate sun-kissed skin. Create a calming facial mist by brewing these teas, cooling them, and transferring them to a spray bottle.

Flavorful Picnic Partner:

Elevate your picnics by packing a selection of iced teas. Fruit-infused teas like berry blends or citrus medleys add a burst of flavor to your outdoor gatherings. Prepare the tea in advance, chill it, and pour into travel-friendly bottles for a delightful and healthy picnic treat.

Enhance Mindfulness and Relaxation:

Tea isn't just about refreshment; it's also a mindfulness ritual. As you unwind by the pool or beneath a shady tree, take a moment to steep your favorite tea. The act of brewing and sipping mindfully can become a meditative practice, helping you to relax and savor the present moment.

Iced Tea Mixology:

Get creative in your kitchen by crafting your own tea-infused cocktails or mocktails. Create a tantalizing blend by mixing brewed tea with fresh fruit juices, herbs, and a hint of sweetness. The possibilities are endless, and your summer gatherings will be enlivened by these unique creations.

Embrace the joys of summertime by infusing your days with the enchantment of tea. From boosting your hydration levels to creating memorable picnic experiences, tea seamlessly integrates into your seasonal activities. Whether you're seeking refreshment, a burst of flavor, or a moment of tranquility, tea is your versatile companion. So, go ahead – steep, sip, and savor the goodness of tea, and let it enhance your sun-soaked adventures.

The Goddess of Teas.....Why Green Tea is Always Here to Save the Day!

There are more than 1,500 types of green tea produced around the world. With its fresh, grassy, and herbaceous flavor, green tea can be combined to create some of the tastiest and healthiest tea flavors. The different flavors of green tea depends on the country, and region where the tea leaves are grown. Most commonly produced in its birthplace of China, green has popular varieties that come out of Japan (who doesn’t love Macha), India and Nepal. With its most recent popularity serge you can now find all types of uses for green tea such as ice cream, beauty products, medication, and dietary supplements.

How is green tea produced:

Like all tea, green tea derives from the Camellia Sinensis plant. Green tea leaves are best flavored when grown in shady conditions. Green tea is unoxidized tea and most closely resembles the original plucked leaf. Dried tea leaves may be light or dark green in color and come in many shapes and sizes. Green tea also does not endure a fermenting process making it one of the least processed types of tea.

Health Benefits of Green Tea:

Although true “good health” comes from a combination of lifestyle, maintaining a healthy diet, inherited gene structure and regular exercise, green tea offers a range of benefits to help improve your health and is a great resource for preventative medicine. As a beverage, green tea is probably one of the healthiest on the market. Green tea contains high levels of antioxidants and polyphenols which are powerful natural compounds known to reduce inflammation, help manage blood pressure levels and keep your blood vessels healthy and flexible. Polyphenols are also known to promote good circulation and control your blood sugar levels. Green tea also contains catechin called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), which are natural antioxidants that help to prevent cell damage, increase weight loss and protect the brain from disease.

Some of the health benefits of regularly drinking green tea:

• Helps to boost brain function, and contains bioactive compounds that have protective effects for the cognitive function of the brain

• Provides an excellent source of powerful antioxidants that may lower the risk of some cancers

• Can prevent the growth of plaque and other oral bacteria including the bacteria that causes bad breath

• Antioxidants that help to prevent liver disease as well as to boost the overall health of our livers

• Contains powerful amino acid, theanine, which has been known to have a relaxing and tranquilizing effect on the body helping to reduce the feeling of anxiety

• Improves blood flow which lowers cholesterol improving heart health and helps to prevent other cardiovascular diseases and reduce the risk of stroke

• Boosts the metabolic rate and helps to reduce body fat

Some may question the caffeine content of green tea when discussing the health benefits of the beverage. Green tea does contain about 30-50 mg of caffeine per 8 oz. cup. However, green tea also contains L-theanine. L-theanine slows the absorption of caffeine by the brain giving off more of a calming effect. The benefit of L-theanine when combined with the caffeine found in green tea is you get the caffeine boost without experiencing the feeling of jitters.

Other Uses of Green Tea:

While the health benefits of green tea are truly amazing, the benefits of green tea also come from the tea leaf’s versatility, including its thrifty and eco-friendly benefits. Green tea can easily be repurposed in several ways. Here are some of the wonderful ways to repurpose or reuse your green tea leaves.

• Reduce dark circles and puffy eyes or alleviate irritation and redness of the skin – green tea contains tannins which can work as an astringent and can shrink living tissue (including human skin). To start, brew a fresh cup of green tea and let cool. Then, use either a cotton ball or a clean washcloth to dip into cooled green tea. Wring the excess tea, then place over your eyes while closed to reduce swelling and tighten the skin around the eyes.

• As a facial scrub - green tea’s skin-tightening ability makes it perfect to use as a facial scrub. With the addition of water, white sugar and honey, you are not only infusing your skin with the benefits of green tea but you can also exfoliate and moisturize your skin giving you the perfect smooth finish. Green tea also has anti-inflammatory properties that assist in preventing wrinkles and fine lines, and can cure some types of acne

• Eliminate odors in your refrigerator - to counteract bad odor in your refrigerator, take a handful of green tea leaves and place them in a thin cloth bag or cheese cloth. Place the bundle in a secure place in your refrigerator. The leaves will absorb the odors in your refrigerator.

• A bath soak - A popular choice for a bath soak, green tea can help reduce muscle pain. It’s also soothing and softening for the skin, helping to relieve redness. Because it’s loaded with antioxidants, a green tea soak can also have wonderful anti-aging effects, helping your skin to recover from environmental irritants.

• Use in a foot bath - Soaking your feet in green tea will get rid of foot odors and bacteria. Green tea has anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties

• Add vitamins & minerals to plant water - Green tea is packed with antioxidants and is a great way to improve the look and health of household plants. Soak tea leaves in water for a few days, remove the leaves, and then use the water to fertilize plants.

• Use as a deodorizer in your closets & drawers - Place green tea leaves in a thin cloth bag and toss it into your closet or lingerie drawer. The green tea leaves will absorb odors and leave your apparel fresh and ready to wear.

• Use as a body deodorant – Use a washcloth to dab cooled green tea water on your underarms. It’s a cheap and effective way to battling the effects of heat and stress.

With the wide range of benefits for green tea, it is easy to see why so many think of it as the tea that is always here to save the day. From being the perfect beverage to make you feel better, lower your risk of chronic diseases, or for that mid-day boost making green tea a regular part of your life truly has its long-term positive effects. Please keep in mind that too much of anything could be dangerous and because of the caffeine content in green tea, I would recommend that you don’t drink more thank 6 cups of tea per day without consulting a medical professional.

The biggest benefit of adding green tea to your regular diet is that it’s the perfect way to just take a break. Here are some tips for making your next cup of green tea:

• Don't add green tea to boiling water. It's bad for catechins, those healthy chemicals, in the tea. Tea is best steeped at 160-170 degree water.

• Add lemon to your green tea. The Vitamin C in lemons makes the catechins easier to absorb. Dairy, on the other hand, makes it harder to absorb them.

• Nutrient levels vary in your green tea. Pricier teas usually have more, and bagged green-tea drinks generally have less.

Cheers to your next cup of green tea!

Try our selection of green teas here:

Peachy Pleasures, Happily Ever After, Quiet Before the Storm, Ginger Peach Potion

Why Journaling Over a Cup of Tea is a Direct Path to Good Mental Health & Wellness

Journaling while drinking tea can reduce stress by serving as a way to escape and release negative thoughts and feelings over a warm hug in a mug (a cup of tea).

Getting your thoughts out of your head on onto paper is a therapeutic and a great way to nourish your soul. Adding a cup of tea to the your journaling transitions the experience from just a moment to write down your thoughts to an experience of calm bringing you a step closer to zen. Journaling while drinking tea is trending lately as more people are finding it is a great way to release stress and anxiety. From the calming process to selecting, steeping and taking your first sip of tea, to taking the time to grab your pen and paper to express your true thoughts and feelings, journaling brings a level of calm and balance to your life and is a great way to clear your mind.

The best way to get started with journaling over a cup of tea is to first not overcommit yourself. Start out by taking 5 minutes to write down whatever comes to mind or simply write down whatever comes to mind or write down 3 things that you are grateful every day for a week. Soon you will find journaling over tea as the perfect way to unwind at the end of the day.

Here are some other great ways that journaling while drinking tea can help your mind & spirit:

• Improves your writing skills

• Help you set and achieve your goals

• Allows you to self-reflect

• Boosts your memory

• Helps to inspire creativity

Journaling while enjoying a cup of tea allows you to clarify your thoughts and feelings, gaining valuable self-knowledge and self-expression. It is also a great problem-solving tool since for many people working through your problems is easier when your thoughts are put down on paper. Thinking through and writing down traumatic events or experiences helps you process them by fully exploring and releasing the emotions involved, and engaging the brain in the process.

Journaling is also a great way to track your day-to-day thoughts and helps you recognize triggers and learn ways to better manage them. Once you’ve identified your stressors, you can work on a plan to resolve your problems and reduce your stress. Identifying what causes stress, negative thoughts and behaviors and knowing how to avoid them is a great way combat stress and create order when your world feels like it’s in chaos.

Get to know yourself better through journaling by revealing your most private fears, thoughts, and feelings. Think of your journaling time as a moment of personal relaxation. It's a time when you can wind down, have a cup of tea and focus on yourself. Make your journaling time something that you look forward to. Journaling is your time to do something good for your mind, body and spirit. Keep in mind that journaling is just one aspect of a healthy lifestyle for better managing stress, anxiety, and mental health conditions. Adding a cup of tea while you journal means that the mind and body can calm down to receive new intentions, characteristics and goals.

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