I’m late I’m late for a very important date! {tea time!}

BLUE OVAL BLOSSOM YIXING TEA SET $39.95

So I’ve taken up a new interest in Tea. I started looking into it when a good friend of mine introduced me to TEAVANA and the wonderful world of different flavored hot and cold teas.

I went to the Teavana store and purchased my first blend of tea that I sampled in store and was absolutely delicious! I always thought of tea as something similar to chamomile which is nasty but I was pleasantly surprised to find they have a lot of fruity flavors and blends. I’ve chosen to replace all the sugar saturated drinks in my diet like soda and juice with tea, in hopes of being healthier.

Youthberry Wild Orange Blossom Tea Blend

Now I know a lot of people aren’t familiar with tea, the different types, and how you can buy it. So I’m going to break it down and maybe you’ll want to try it.

Types of Teas

1. White Teas-The Purest and least processed of them all. Contains very little caffeine, healthy antioxidants and are the best for your skin and complexion. Light in color and taste.

2. Green Teas– The most popular of all teas, and is the beverage of choice in Asia. This tea has only 5-10% the caffeine in coffee per cup. Green tea also contains healthy antioxidants and they help maintain cholesterol levels that are already within the normal range, are good for skin and teeth, and can be used as part of your diet to maintain a healthy blood sugar level.

3. Oolong Teas-a flavorful fragrance and sweet aroma. It is semi-fermented, which gives it approximately 15% of the caffeine in one cup of coffee.  Most people commonly recognize oolong tea as the Chinese tea served in Chinese restaurants. This tea can be helpful for weight loss.

SIX SUMMITS OOLONG® TEA

4. Black Teas– Probably the most familiar with because its the one associated with the tea bags you dig into hot water. Black tea is fully fermented, so it has approximately 20% of the caffeine in a cup of coffee and as help maintain cardiovascular function and a healthy circulatory system.

5. Herbal Teas-erbal teas can be broken into three categories: rooibos teas, mate teas, and herbal infusions. Herbal infusions consist of pure herbs, flowers, and fruits. Herbal teas are typically caffeine-free (except Mate teas) and most are rich in vitamin C. They can be delicious hot or iced.

6. Rooibos Teas-Also known as red tea, is made from a South African red bush. This tea is a healthy source of vitamins and minerals; it also contains antioxidants. Naturally caffeine free, Rooibos teas help promote digestion, support your immune system, and promote healthy skin, teeth and bones.

HAUTE CHOCOLATE™ ROOIBOS TEA

7. Mate Teas– No this is not the tea equivalent of the AXE effect. The name may be misleading because the word Mate means the plant that it comes from, the Mate plant. Mate teas give the same energy as coffee without the jitters.They also may curb your appetite and contain 21 vitamins and minerals. Some blends actually taste like coffee so people usually drink them in the morning for a healthy jump start to their day.

8. Blooming Teas- They actually bloom! Also called artisan or flowering teas, these teas actually ‘bloom’ as they steep. They are hand tied by tea artists and often include some type of flavor or scent along with the beautiful design. Seems romantic to me. I’d love to have edible flowers in my tea.

9. Tea Blends– A mixture of two or more teas to create a unique combination of flavor and healthy essentials. This option allows you to get the health benefits you want and the taste you prefer.

So I hope that this didn’t overwhelm you. I had no idea there were so many types of tea until I researched it. Personally, I prefer sweeter teas with fruit infused flavors that happen to be rich in antioxidants to enhance my complexion. Tea can be bought in stores or most preferably online by the ounce. Now you may be wondering how to even make the tea. Well I had the same question after I bought 4 oz of tea yesterday.

I would suggest getting a single serving teapot if you’re just planning on drinking it yourself. What this ‘teapot’ does, one of which are called the ingenuiTea (pictured bottom left), is that it allows you to mix the tea with hot or cold water and it filters out the clear tea. When tea is ready, you place it on top of your cup, causing a valve at the bottom to release and crystal-clear tea to flow down. You can get these on online for relatively cheap. Hope you learned something!

TEAVANA PERFECT TEAMAKER $19.95

Adagio Teas IngenuiTEA Teapot Approx $15