Flavor and Comfort in Every Cup

 

I was raised drinking tea, and coffee is out of the question for me; I don’t like the smell and just can’t make myself drink it. I’m happy with tea, but, well, I’d found myself getting bored. Eating is complicated and dull sometimes with food restrictions like mine, and I wanted more variety in my life. (As an Amazon Associate, this blog earns a small fee for any purchase made from the Amazon links in this site, at no additional cost to you. I only present products that I enjoy in my home, and I appreciate your support of this blog.)

A few years ago, I discovered all-organic Teatulia, and I’m loyal to their wonderful tea, buying in bulk. But I quickly found myself in a rut, drinking the same hot tea in the morning and the same  iced black tea the rest of the day. I would like to include other flavors, but organic black tea doesn’t often come that way. I enjoyed the way that Teatulia used sachets (little mesh pyramid pouches) that held real bits of tea leaves, rather than tea bags, which always seemed to hold tea dust. But I wanted more variety, and my previously favorite flavors and brands were not organic.

I’ve tried some plastic French presses made for loose-leaf tea and have been sorely disappointed. By the time the tea steeped , it has cooled significantly. And there were lots of tea bits in the drink. Yuk! I have probably six or eight different types of infusers stashed in my kitchen drawers, but they also left bits of tea leaves in my drink. I kept looking.

A couple of months ago, I discovered the Espro coffee press on a camping blog that said it was the highest rated by their readers. Hmmm. I don’t drink coffee, but my husband does, so I took a peak. It had great filtration, stainless steel walls to insulate the beverage, and it rated five stars out of five. We bought one and he loved it; I wondered if I could also use it for tea. Since the stainless steel doesn’t absorb any taste and can go in the dishwasher, we could actually use it for both beverages.

I worried about flavor transferring through the filter until I found that I could get another, smaller filter for tea. Since tea leaf bits are larger than coffee grounds, it can get the same clear tea with a slightly smaller filter.  Now we have two filters: the one that came with it for coffee and the one I bought for tea. Win/win!

I normally use a Contigo locking travel mug, but now that I’m hooked on Espro, I’m considering a travel version to use when I don’t have time to sit a few minutes for it to brew.

Unfortunately, time is often an short when I’m going to work in the morning….

I went to an InTea store across town to buy some organic loose-leaf tea. They store it in large canisters and let me sniff the different flavors so that I could decide which ones I like! It was a sensual and exciting experience to pick out a few flavors to buy. I bought several different Assam and Pu’erh varieties and several flavored teas: peach, blood orange, and cinnamon were some of my first choices.

I saw a Carmel Pear tea that smelled great, but it was Rooibos. The scent pulled me in, and I bought it. The taste is delicious — who would have guessed? I even found some tempting herbal teas that smelled good, and I stashed away a few varieties to try on winter evenings. I’ve been very pleased with the quality of the tea and love the way it looks like real tea leaves, not tea dust.

So now, I have several comfort drinks for home. Soon, I’ll try using the Espro to use loose leaf tea to make iced tea; Right now, I’m using up my Teatulia stash. Although meals can be a challenge, I have a comforting beverage to enjoy. Full flavor and comfort abide in every sip. Take that, food restrictions – you’re not the boss of me!

Suggested teas:

Tealyra – Ripe Pu’erh Tea

Two Leaves and a Bud Organic Assam

Ahmad Tea Black Cardamom

Tealyra – Gen Mai Cha Supreme (Genmaicha Green Tea with Brown Roasted Rice)