Not for teabaggers: discovering loose tea

-By Lisa

Occasionally when I stumble out of bed in the morning, Husband will, in keeping with his sunny disposition, start talking about the day or his thoughts and feelings or some other such nonsense. I scrunch up my face, shake my head and squeak out a single syllable – “tea.” Post tea-time, such nonsense is transformed into actual, real communication. Magic.

Pre-tea, everything is foggy. It’s not about the caffeine fix - decaf teas do the same for me - I just need that time to be quiet in the morning. I love my kettle and I love the tick ticking of the stove as I turn it on and my kitchen gets awash in blue light for a moment. I wrap my hands around my giant mug of warmth and I come back into my body after a nights wandering through the subconscious. I hydrate so my brain doesn’t feel like it is dried out and rattling around in my skull. I prepare my soul for the day.

I used to drink crap tea. Basically, bitter tea-like dust, cramped into bleached bags and stapled shut. Sure, I had tried the loose tea but having gone through more than a couple of frustrating and inadequate tea dispensing methods, like balls and spoons and other silly items, I gave up, thinking that the dust would be fine.

It’s not fine.

Meet The Tea Thingy (as it’s known in my house) - Teavana Perfect Tea Maker . The Tea Thingy has changed my tea life. It works and it’s easy to clean. Loose tea tastes so much better because the leaves are larger and they get to swim around and be free while they are infusing with the hot water. Teabags are usually filled with “fannings” which is the dusty stuff that is leftover from processing which basically turns to mud when water flows through it.

The Teavana website is great for getting started with learning about teas. They have tons of information about different varieties and fun tea gadgets. I also think it’s cool that Teavana donates some proceeds to the EquaTrade program, which funds education and provides safe drinking water and economic development in tea growing regions of the world. Love that sense of social responsibility.

There are a lot of things to consider when looking at teas. There are many varieties, like white, green, black, herbal, oolong, rooibos and mate. Then you can have blends and get a million more types. They have different health benefits and various levels of caffeine. There is also an increasing availability of organic teas, which, I swear, taste better, too.

Learn all you want about the difference between Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe and Broken Orange Pekoe -- but it’s all about your personal taste and what you like to drink. Husband has recently gotten mildly obsessed with green teas, while I am a basic black tea girl in the morning, with rooibos being my favorite afternoon treat.

And because it’s going to take you a while to figure out exactly what you love, it’s great to find a local tea purveyor. In Charlottesville, we have many places where you can buy loose tea in bulk.

* Twisted Branch Tea Bazzar

* Foods of All Nations

* Rebecca’s Natural Foods

* Whole Foods

So have fun learning about loose tea, but mostly, just drink and enjoy. It's a perfect time to slow down an take care of yourself. And don’t forget that the leftover tea leaves are excellent to put in your composter!

For more from Lisa, check out www.justherejustnow.com