Nurturing my inner... afternoon tea

On the list of favorite things of the day: loose leaf tea.  It has an incredibly earthy and wildly aromatic scent, coupled with a much more complex flavor profile compared to many of its pulverized then bagged, sterile counterparts.  And its not as hard to make as you may think.  Only takes a few minutes.  Makes for delightful afternoon breaks.  (Wish we had kept this daily tradition when we left jolly Old England for the shiny New World.)

What you'll need...

1.) Your favorite mug (the odder, the better):



One of those things you're not even
sure why you like it so much, but you do. 
What does your mug say about you?

2.) Loose leaf tea (large and small companies carry it now - I like Teavana and Teaism):

Honeydew melon white tea
from Teavana.

3.) A tea strainer or tea ball.  There are many different kinds.  I normally use:

The gold standard of tea straining.
That's what it says anyway.

I have this one as well:

Tea stick - strainer part slides up to fill
chamber in the bottom then slides down
and hooks over the side of mug.

So, with the strainer I most often use, I fill about halfway.  This particular loose leaf tea is very fluffy and has relatively large leaves, so it doesn't settle down all compact in the container at initial load.  For tea that is in smaller bits, you will use a couple of teaspoons, which may only come up 1/4 or 1/3 of the way.  Green tea pearls look small, but then open up a lot in the water, so I usually put one teaspoon of those in.  You'll see those later.

Screw on top and then submerge in hot water that you make on the stove, NOT in the microwave.  (Promise me you'll never heat up tea water in the microwave ever again!  That modern contraption doesn't heat water the same way a slow boil on the stove does.  Sure sure, there are scientific ways to explain that in detail, but heck if I know them.  Just don't do it!)

White tea only steeps for about a minute or two.  Black teas are three to five.  There will be instructions that come with your tea or you can look it up online.  I set a timer, because I often walk away and forget.  (I try to stick with decaf as much as possible, so that explains that.)  And you don't want to over steep and make bitter tea.  Yuck!

The tea strainer floats at first and you need
to make sure it submerges.

4.) There are many ways to sweeten tea.  I have my favorite kinds of sweeteners for different types of teas and coffees.

Turbinado Raw Sugar (I like it best in espresso.):

Natural flavor, less processed.

German Rock Sugar (My choice for black teas.):

Light, caramel flavor, takes time to dissolve
so you have to be patient.

Honey (I prefer this best with white or herbal teas.):

Moulded honey bee from Crate & Barrel
 - super cute. Can also use squeeze bottle.

Hold with both hands, breathe deeply, sip slowly.  Don't forget to think fondly of the Britons.

Thanks to modern appliances, you don't have to just enjoy this at home.  Here's to taking your little luxury to the office!

My regular work mug:

It's blue, it's red, it's green!
A splash of color for my grey cube.

But hey, super corporate gal needs a portable option to take to conference rooms as well.  Let's have a little green tea this time:

Green tea pearls. Delightful emerald gems.

Comes in a lovely tin that your Chinese friend brought you back from her last trip to China.  (Thanks friend!)

Why is everything so mysterious and
enticing when written in a foreign language?

Place pearls in the bottom of a portable, glass tumbler, add honey and hot water from the spicket above the coffee pot.  (It may not seem very glamorous to be making your own brew at work, but in these harsh economic times, you will feel practical and it will get the job done.  Plus, at about 1/12th the cost compared to the same cup from a famous nationwide chain with the familiar mermaid logo, your wallet will be very happy too.)

Just like with people when you put them in hot water, what's inside eventually comes out...

Water starts to turn a light yellow 
and the leaves slowly unfurl.

I even have a timer made especially for tea, so I don't forget at work because I'm always doing a million things at once.

Button timers on the right are color coded.
They mean business.

In just a short while, watch the real magic happen...




Go leaves go! Water is turning a
deeper greenish-yellow.


The final brew is super perfect and herbaceously tasty.  Warning: If you do take it into your biweekly team meeting with your VP, your coworkers just might look at you like, "What in the heck is in there?"  (It's always fun to make people wonder.)




Ding! Tea in full bloom.


Right now you're thinking, okay, so how do I drink this concoction without getting a mouthful of inedible leafage?  Well, don't worry.  They've got that covered.  There is a strainer that you pop in the top of the tumbler that will filter out the bad stuff from the good stuff.

Basket strainer with a handle that makes sure
you get nothin' but pure green perfection
without the foliage. That tea leaf is blockaded!

Even during your busy work day full of conference calls and spreadsheets, you can still take a moment, sit back and enjoy a fresh cuppa.  Ahhhh....

Oh, no wait!  Not done yet.  What's afternoon tea without a cookie.  (The Queen would be aghast!)  I'm a big fan of Nilla Wafers.  Though, I don't always enjoy spending $5.00 on a box of cookies.  Not when I have a little secret...

I was raised on name brands.  My mother has a deep rooted fear of generic packaging.  As much as I've tried, and oh I have tried, I cannot figure out why.  (It's only peanut butter and paper towels!!)  I have thus made it a passionate quest to compare generic and name brand items in my own personal day to day taste/use tests to see what works.  (And conversely, what does not.  Keep a list so you don't forget or you may happen upon a dud experience twice.)

I encourage you to give generic a shot and just see what you think.  They are often made with exactly the same ingredients and come off of the very same conveyor belts, but they are marketed under different labels.  (Is this advertising brilliance?  I think maybe yes.)

I know you recognize the Market
Pantry label made by the bulls eye.

A winner: Target brand Vanilla Wafers.  (Note: Giant brand to me is yuck and I don't like it!)  I spend half the money when I buy these no-namers and to boot, I get a super little cookie that is not compromising in taste and texture.  I'm glad I took the chance and tried them because it's a financial benefit to spend less on a cookie you like just as much as the original.  Then I can take the money I saved and buy more loose leaf tea!  Now that is stretching your dollar.