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black ceramic teacup on white surface
a nice cup of earl grey tea and loose leaf tea

What is Earl Grey

November 14, 2022 /
Reading Time: 4 minutes

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Intro to Earl Grey Tea

You might have heard about Earl Grey tea before, as it is somewhat of a popular tea. However, in the past Earl Grey tea was generally just a tea with some bergamot flavoring added to it, whether it was essential oil or flavoring was up to the creator of that blend. However, since tea has really got a boost in the recent years there has been an expansion of the Earl Grey teas that are offered. Below are a couple different variations that we have and some cool descriptions of what the tea is like.

Our favorite Earl Grey Tea


The first one that I am really digging right now is the creamy earl grey. You might ask yourself what exactly creamy earl grey is, and it is pretty much exactly how it sounds :) and that is classic earl grey with a bit of creaminess added. In this particular blend you can see some beautiful blue cornflowers that have been added to accent the visual appeal, and some additional flavors for the black tea base. Along with the traditional bergamot flavor you will find sweet and subtle hints of vanilla and cream. These additional flavors add a depth to the tea that is just amazing.


The next type of new earl grey that has bust onto the market is a personal favorite of mine, which is the earl grey green which is the typical flavor you recall when you think of earl grey, on a green tea base. This combination provides a lighter tea brew and is great for the afternoon when you are starting to wind down. With this blend you might just find your new addition to the tea collection. I know that the first time I enjoyed this mix I was blown away as it satisfied my craving for Earl Grey, all while keeping it on the lighter side.Here is a nice picture of the earl grey green that we offer :

lavender with black tea
loose leaf earl grey tea

The final earl grey that we will go over will be our lovely lavender earl grey which is a perfect addition to any true earl grey lovers mix! This mix blends the traditional earl grey with some really nice lavender pieces and flavors, which result in an amazing calming affect. The tea is both visually amazing and provides a brew and aroma that cannot be match. Take a look for yourself, and you might instantly mellow out, so try not to stare for too long:

So there you have it, a couple of our amazing Earl Grey blends to take a look at and possibly sample. As with all things it is just as important to remember to brew the leaves of the tea correctly to ensure you are getting the best tasting tea possible, so if you ever have any questions about how long to brew or what temperature to brew at don’t be afraid to check out these posts, as they are great refreshers :

white and brown ceramic teapot on wooden tray
time for a tea break!
White Ceramic Cup on Saucer
gloomy days mean tea and blanket time
white ceramic cup on white and blue floral ceramic saucer

The Tea Diet

November 13, 2022 /
Reading Time: 3 minutes

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Introduction to the tea diet

Alright alright, I guess that the title of this blog is a bit misleading. Or maybe it is leading you to think that I am a bit crazy about this tea stuff and would say anything to get you to enjoy a cup of tea.

The reality is that if you include tea into your life in the right ways it can help you to lose weight. You can look at this post about green tea diet and you will have a bit more info on the previous talk about adding the drink to your diet.

The truth about the tea diet

However, for this post I will talk pretty much about one way you can lose a lot of your weight by including tea in your life. When I am thirsty I find that a cold soda is the first thing that I reach, or crave. Now the thing is that I am not sure if I like it because:

  • It is cold
  • It is close to me
  • It is always the same tase
  • It is easy to just open
  • It is sweet.

But If we look at those different points it is pretty easy to see that with maybe 5 minutes of work tea can be the answer to all of those questions!

1. Is it cold? Yes tea can be iced and served cold. Just check out how to make iced tea from loose leaf tea or this recipe for amazing loose tea iced tea if you are really stuck.

2. Well tea can be anywhere that soda is. If you keep your sodas in the fridge just reuse a glass bottle and put some tea in there. If you keep it at your desk you can do the same. The only possible issue I could see is that if you keep say a 12 pack in your room/office/house for that once every couple of months treat then tea might not be exactly the same.

3. If you make your tea enough it will not only have the same taste every time, but you should be able to improve or modify the taste depending on how you feel! I don’t think you can make soda less sweater, or stronger, but you can with tea!

4. This goes back to the tea storage, just get a nice glass bottle or brewt to go and you can easily store and take your tea around with you. The Brewt to go is one of my favorite tea accessories which is why I happily stock it now!

5. The final choice is actually one of the biggest differences between tea two drinks, with the favor going to tea on this one. Sure you can get Mexican soft drinks with more cane sugar, or diet drinks with aspartame. But with tea you can actually choose what you sweeten your drink with! Agave, brown sugar, white sugar, dextrose, artificial sweetener really the choice is yours!

Conclusion

Hopefully these points have helped to show you that you can really enjoy tea instead of sodas. If you were to swap out 1 cup of tea for 1 355ml cola you would save around 150 calories. Do that once a week and that is 600 calories a month, over a year that is 7200 calories… or roughly the same amount as 3 days of your average eating intake on a 2200 calorie diet. Think about that, you are actually drinking 3 days worth of food with just 1 can of pop a week, imagine you increase that to 2 pops a week or 1 a day!!!!

making a nice cup of tea with tea bags

How to make iced tea out of teabags.

November 11, 2022 /
Reading Time: 4 minutes

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How to Make Iced Tea with Tea Bags

Iced tea is a popular delicious drink especially during summertime when the sun’s scorching heat seems to melt us. It can be as satisfying as your carbonated drink but without ill benefits because tea is a lot healthier and cheaper. If you want to take an even healthier route, herbal tea on ice is a good alternative.

Many people prefer to use loose leaves for their tea preparations but there are some who make iced tea from tea bags commonly available in groceries for convenience and cost-efficiency. How is this perfect drink for a hot weather prepared? Find out how to make the perfect cup here, and if you want you can even use our black tea and put them into bags for easier brewing later on the go.

Personalizing your brewed teas

Different people have different styles in coming up with this beverage, all resulting to a refreshing and healthy drink but it’s all as easy as A-B-C.

Iced tea from tea bags can be done by preparing tea through the traditional method of brewing water in a kettle. Best measure would be 1 teabag for 1 cup of water. Leave the tea bags to steep for five to ten minutes and remove.

Steps to brewing tea with teabags

Check the color and taste while allowing tea bags to steep to get the desired strength within the recommended time, so that it comes out just the right flavor for your taste. 8 tea bags to 2 quarts of water already make a strong concentrate. Use this as a guide and adjust accordingly.

Add lemon or sugar to create a more delicious flavor and then allow the tea to cool down. Add cold water to create the right consistency and cool the drink faster.  Once you get the flavor of your preference, store in a glass air tight container and put the drink inside the refrigerator to cool and add ice to chill.

tea bags
a variety of tea bags

Remember not to put the drink inside the refrigerator when it is still hot as it can make the tea turn cloudy. Using hard water can also cause tea to become cloudy.

Iced tea from tea bags can also be prepared by using ‘cold brew’ tea bags. Iced tea can be easily done from these tea bags by just pouring cold water over ‘cold brew’ tea bags and allow to steep for over five minutes for best-taste. You can add sugar or honey as preferred and put in ice to chill. Tea can immediately be served.

Iced tea can be made more flavorful with the addition of flavored syrups or fruit alternatives such as peach, lemon, vanilla, mint and more.

To come up with the best-tasting iced tea, remember to choose the right tea to use for your beverage. If you are not too picky, any old tea will do. But if you are an avid tea drinker, you will be very particular with the taste result. Instant teas are not part of the option, though.

For more convenience it is best to make a tea concentrate, meaning more tea bags for a small amount of water and after it is steeped and left in the refrigerator; cold water may just be added when you want to drink a glass or two. This way, it is much easier and practical to pour a smaller volume and adjust the tea concentration as per individual’s taste.

Tea brewing tips

A glass teapot that can withstand high degrees of temperature is highly recommended as plastic and metal containers may leave some after taste and alter the natural taste of tea.

Do not leave tea unconsumed for days. Tea is best made and drank while fresh. And to keep tea chilled longer, use cubed ice to extend chilling time than using shipped or crushed ice.

Conclusion

Lastly, it is important to remember that the longer the tea bags are steeped, the bitterer the taste becomes.

nice painting of black tea

How to make black tea

November 8, 2022 /
Reading Time: 3 minutes
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How to make a perfect cup of black tea.

Black tea is the one of the most common types of tea that we encounter in our everyday lives. Whether it is our Lovely Lavender Earl Grey, http://theteacupany.com/black-tea/lovely-lavender-earl-grey/ ,  or our English Breakfast, you will notice that black tea is everywhere. In recent years there has really been an expansion of black teas that are available as it seems they make a very good base for mixing with other fruits and flavors. I love a nice cup of black tea as it just has that perfect taste that I look for first thing in the morning.  I have found that there are some things you can do to ensure that you get a perfect cup of black tea each and every time you brew up black tea leaves so just keep reading and you will learn how to make the best cup of black tea.

The first thing that I have found with black tea is that the water needs to be nice and hot to really get the full flavors out of the tea leaves. It is important to understand that that there is a big difference between full flavor, and altering the flavor of the tea in a negative way. When making your cup of tea you will want the water to be around 100 degrees as this is the optimal temperature to really get those tea leaves to release all their flavors for you. If you use cooler water you will not get those black tea leaves to release their true flavors, resulting in a weaker and less satisfying cup of tea.

As mentioned above it is important to know that strong tea, and tea that has a bitter overpowering and over processed taste. When some people thing about making a strong tea they think that by steeping it for longer will make the flavors stronger and in turn make a better cup of tea. Black tea is meant to be a sharp and strong flavor profile, so it is best to be steeped between 3-4 minutes. This will allow the tea leaves enough time to relax in the hot water and release their flavors. Once you go past the 4 and a half minute mark you will continue to increase the flavor, but it is going to be more bitter and processed.

black ceramic mug
a nice black cup of tea ready to be brewed

This brings up the next point of making a good cup of black tea; which is the best way to make a strong cup of tea.  If you want a nice cup of tasty black tea with a very strong flavor then you will want to put more tea leaves in. Typically you will want around 1 teaspoon of tea leaves per cup, however if you want to have a stronger cup of tea then simply add more tea leaves. This is an important thing to remember because it is the quantity of tea leaves, when steeped correctly, that will really help to add some strength to the taste of your cup. Over steeping or overheating the cup of tea will not help you get a stronger taste, it will generally only leave a bitter taste which will mask the beautiful taste which is black tea.

mugs with a pot of black tea steeping
an amazing looking black tea waiting to be enjoyed

How to make the perfect cup of black tea

November 6, 2022 /
Reading Time: 4 minutes

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How to Prepare Black Tea

The four major types of tea all come from one tea bush but the end products of these teas differ in taste and aroma. Typically, the secret to a good cup of tea lies in its preparation. It is not just a ritual that has to be followed, but, taking the time and doing it with passion brings out the best in every cup.

Black tea has a special preparation as does green, oolong, and white tea. Though there are tea bags available in the market that makes everything simple and convenient to prepare, nothing still beats making tea from whole or loose leaves for the fuller-flavor you get from its brew. And there’s nothing to worry about since black tea from loose leaves is fairly simple to prepare.

To prepare the perfect cup of black tea and bring out its best flavor, one would need black tea leaves, teapot or kettle, cold water and if you want –milk, lemon or honey.

How to make black tea from loose leaf tea

If you plan to use fresh dried leaves, pluck very young leaves and leaf buds. With a rolling pin, roll the leaves and crush them until you see that they have darkened and become red. Spread them out to dry for two to three days in a cool location. After which, put them in the oven and heat at 250F for 20 minutes. You now have tea leaves ready for brewing.

Get fresh cold water and bring to a boil. If you are sourcing water from the tap, let it run for a few seconds to avoid a flat-tasting tea. Scientific explanation from the experts at Oregon State University say that tap water that is allowed to run for a few seconds brings in more oxygen in the water thereby giving a better flavor from the tea. Remember that cold water needs to boil. Do not create shortcuts by using water that’s already hot direct from the tap. The kind of water you use will make a big impact on the result of the tea flavor.

Get about a cup of the boiled water and pour into your small teapot, which can be made of ceramic or glass, as long as it’s not metal, and cover to warm the inside. Swirl the water and then empty the teapot.

Put in black tea leaves. Experiment with the quantity according to your tea strength preference. Usually, a ratio of 1 heaping teaspoon of loose tea for every 8 ounces of water is used.

Pour in a little amount of boiling water and remove immediately. This is one step called ‘rinsing of tea leaves’ that’s particularly for black tea only. After which, pour enough boiling water into the teapot to achieve your desired tea mixture.

How long do you let black tea steep?

Allow the tea leaves to brew in the water for 2 to 3 minutes. Avoid stirring while steeping the tea leaves. A shorter time period of infusing tea, especially for high quality ones make the best tea than steeping more than the recommended time frame. Leave it covered. If you really want a stronger flavored cup of black tea, leave it for up to 5 minutes. Don’t let it steep longer or you will create a tea with a very bitter taste.

Then, just like the rinsing of the teapot, rinse cups to be used with hot water. Get your teapot and pour into the cups your finished brewed tea using a strainer. You can now enjoy your tea!

If there is unused tea left, strain the tea leaves and cover it. Leaving the leaves in the pot for a long time will destroy the flavor of black tea.

Things to add to black tea

If you choose to add milk and sweeteners, this must be done after the tea is strained and not inside the teapot with the leaves.

Some people prefer to make a second infusion using the same leaves in another pot. They even claim that the 2nd infusion is a lot better. High quality black tea can be infused many times over.

These are the simple preparations for a wonder drink which you may even learn to enjoy more than your usual morning beverage! If you are looking for some great flavored black tea I would suggest my personal favorite

if you are looking for others just take a look at the other Black Teas

black tea party

Important thing to think about when brewing black tea!

October 26, 2022 /
Reading Time: 2 minutes

If you have already read how to brew black tea then you have the fundamentals of how to make a nice cup of tea. And although the bottom paragraph goes over how to make a nice strong brewed tea I just got an email that was upset about the flavor of one of our black teas.

This email had nothing to do with the tea quality, or flavoring, or anything really related to the tea drinkers personal preferences.  What it really came down to was the brewing method. The customer who bought the black tea was more upset with how bitter the tea was after they brewed a strong cup of tea.

This was the first signal that there was perhaps something off with the preparation method. As soon as you hear bitter and strong together the first question is instantly ” How do you make a strong cup of black tea?”  Generally the answer is, let it steep for a reallly reallly REEAAAAAAAAAAAALY long time. Not usually with that many letters but just to let you know the typical response.

The true secret of brewing a really strong, and tasty, cup of black tea is to use more leaves and still stay within the recommended times. This will ensure that the true flavor of the tea is released into the water. More tea leaves = more flavor, more time= more bitter taste.

Once the customer agreed to try out the method of adding more leaves to the brew I instantly got a happy email from a very happy lady. She got the full flavor of the tea, without any bitter taste.

Here are some of my favorite black teas so give them a look: Our Black Teas

Mason Jar With iced tea

Mango iced tea recipe

October 26, 2022 /
Reading Time: 2 minutes

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Our Mango Iced Tea recipe

Here is a great recipe that I really enjoy:

Iced tea is a famous healthy and refreshing beverage that many people love to drink. Ready to drink bottled iced teas and powdered iced tea mixes are available in the market but nothing beats iced teas made from fresh ingredients. It is the ultimate drink during hot summer days and the best partner with your favorite dishes.  Here are a few iced tea recipes to help you mix your own fresh, healthy, and delectable iced tea.

Mango Green Iced Tea

Ingredients:

2 liters water

8 teabags (green tea)

4 cups mango juice concentrates

1 medium-sized mango, sliced (optional)

Directions:

In a large pan or pot, bring water to a boil. Allow to cool for 2-3 minutes. Steep the teabags for 3-5 minutes or until desired strength is achieved. Remove teabags. Stir in mango juice concentrate. Cool for another 5 minutes and place on a large pitcher. Allow to cool before placing in the refrigerator. Serve with ice cubes. Mango slices can be added as garnishing.

Sliced Orange Fruit in Clear Drinking Glass
different versions, all amazing iced teas

Mint-Peach Iced tea

Ingredients:

2 liters water

8 teabags (black tea)

1/4 cup sugar

1 can peach preserves

Mint leaves

Directions:

In a large pan or pot, bring water to a boil. Add sugar and stir until fully dissolved. Remove from heat and cool for 3-5 minutes. Steep the teabags and mint leaves for 3-5 minutes or until desired strength is acquired. Remove mint leaves and teabags. Add the peach preserves and stir. Place on a large pitcher and cool for another 5 minutes before placing in the refrigerator. Serve with ice cubes.

Minty Iced Green Tea

Ingredients:

2 liters water

2 cups honey

8 teabags (green tea)

Mint leaves

Directions:

In a large pan or pot, bring water to a boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 3-5 minutes. Steep the teabags and mint leaves for 3-5 minutes or until desired strength is achieved. Remove teabags and mint leaves. Stir in honey. Place in a large pitcher and cool before placing in the refrigerator. Serve with ice cubes.

Caffeine Free Raspberry

October 21, 2022 /
Reading Time: < 1 minute

A great pairing of our decaffeinated black tea and tangy raspberries brings out a tasty experience with this tea. As with most raspberries there is sweetness and a bit of tartness in this tea. Not overly sweet, as with most raspberries, and packs a nice aftertaste. A fan favorite to ice as the raspberry flavor really comes out after a nice resting period in a pitcher. Add a pinch of sugar to really bring out the flavor and kick it up a notch!

Best if steeped for 3 minutes at 212°

Ingredients: Decaf black tea with raspberry flavor, pieces of raspberries and raspberry leaves.

loose leaf black tea with orange peels

Caffeine Free Orange

October 18, 2022 /
Reading Time: < 1 minute

A light orange taste pairs nicely with this decaffeinated night time tea. While the orange flavor is present it is not overpower, which depending on what you are looking for might work and might not.

A great tea to mix with other flavored teas as the orange flavor compliments many other fruits nicely.  As with most of the fruit flavored teas this tea lends itself to hot and cold preparations.

Best if steeped for 3 minutes at 212°

Ingredients: Decaf black tea with pieces of orange peels and natural orange flavors.

apricot infused caffeine free black tea

Caffeine Free Apricot

October 12, 2022 /
Reading Time: < 1 minute

Looking for a nice cup of tea before bed but worried about staying up all night, then don’t worry as our Decaf Apricot is just the tea for you.

Using a natural process the teas caffeine is removed and all you are left with is the nice full black flavor of the tea with a nice infusion of apricots to sip on just before you go to sleep.

Best if steeped for 3 minutes at 212°

Ingredients: Decaf black tea with pieces of apples, apricots, marigold flowers and natural apricot flavorings.

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