Celestial Seasonings

Celestial Seasonings is one of the most well-known brands of tea in the Unites States. It all started in Boulder, Colorado with two hippies named Mo Siegel and Peggy Clute. They began by gathering herbs and flowers in the mountains surrounding Boulder. Then they blended these healthy products to create their own original blend of teas. It was 1969 when Moe and Peggy sold them to local food stores in the area. Within a year, they became a company that started blooming. Soon they began making popular herbal tea blends such as "Sleepytime Tea" which I drink almost every night before I go to bed.  Celestial Seasonings is a fabulous brand of tea that provides many great blends of tea. Of course, Celestial Seasonings today is a multimillion dollar business that has remain environmentally conscious throughout the years. In fact, they even make a statement about why they use no string or a tag on their tea bags. So, if you ever decide to try their product make sure to take the time to read the literature that surrounds their boxes. You're sure to get an education about their tea making traditions as well as a famous quote to ponder about while you sip a soothing cup of tea.

Tea Quotes

There are countless quotes from famous literary stories that involve tea. Whether it's C.W. Lewis' well known Alice in Wonderland where the Mad Hatter hosts his idea of what a tea time party is or A.A.de Milne's gentler Winnie the Pooh's tea party, there are certainly enough quotes from a variety of well known pieces of literature that have something to say about "tea time."  Here are just a few: from J.K. Rowling's series of Harry Potter is the quote, "Harry found the [tea]... seemed to burn away a little of the fear fluttering in his chest." One from the another famous author C.S. Lewis' is "You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me. " A quote from A.A. Milne is, "A Proper Tea is much nicer than a Very Nearly Tea, which is one you forget about afterwards." No matter who the author is or the time period, tea seems to be an essential element in famous literary circles.

We had a kettle; we let it leak:
Our not repairing made it worse.
We haven't had any tea for a week...
The bottom is out of the Universe.
~Rudyard Kipling

Teapots

My mother has one almost identical to this one

Teapots of some sort have been used for almost as long as tea has been around. Teapots are made out of almost any material you can find. My mother has a few teapots from Asia. Those teapots are usually made out of a heavy cast iron. We also have one that dates back to who knows that's been in my father's family heirlooms. It is made of fine bone china decorated with a swirl of intricately detailed black dragons on a burnish red background. When you hold this teapot up to the light, you can see through its fine porcelain layer. We've never looked into the background of this teapot complete with cups and saucers, but who knows one day I may take the time to research its background. Now, on to another place, the one's from England are traditionally more often made out of ceramic or porcelain and usually come with a set of matching teacups, creamer, and sugar bowl which makes a whole tea set. Certain teapots need to be taken care of in special ways. Like some glass teapots can't be put on a direct flame. Also, certain teapots aren't dishwasher or microwave safe. No matter what material or century your teapot comes from, it is always important to brew your tea so you get the best flavor from the pot it comes from.

Chai Tea

Chai tea is one of my favorite teas to drink. From what I know, it is a centuries old beverage that is a combo of milk, black tea, and spices. The spices in this tea will vary, but for most people they are pretty exotic. In American coffee shops, they often have the choice to order Oregon or Bhakti chai.  I almost always order Oregon chai over Bhakti chai. Oregon chai is sweeter than Bhakti chai and isn't as spicy. Bhakti chai has a harsher taste, but is said to have more nutritional value than the sweeter Oregon chai. When you buy the chai powder at the store, you often have the choice to make it hot or iced. More often I prefer to indulge in iced chai tea. Chai is a delicious aromatic tea that nowadays can be found in almost any American coffee shop and bought at any grocery store. It definitely awakens one's senses taking your thoughts to markets in far away lands.

Green Tea

Green tea can come in variety of added flavors which may vary from white tea, ginseng, rosehips, lemon, or vanilla. Of course, to get the most benefits from it , you should consume green tea in its natural form with no addtives including sugar or other sweetners. The antioxidants in it are what help the body. It is said that green tea can help reduce the risk of cancer by 15%.  Also, if a lot of green tea is drunk,  it could help boost your metabolism. To use it as a metabolism booster, one would probably have to have at least three cups of tea a day. Green tea is said to help prevent problems with age such as dementia and heart disease. Overall, green tea is a beneficial and healthy beverage.

Growing Your Own Tea

I have always been very inclined to grow my own tea, but never have been patient enough to do so. Here is how you would do it:

 1. Buy seeds online or at a nursery

 2. If you don't live in a warm climate, consider growing your tea indoors

 3. Once you have a pot with dirt, sow your seeds about 3/4" under

 4. Keep the dirt moist and keep the plant mostly in the sun

 5. Wait. It may be over a year before your plant will be ready to harvest.

Although this can be a very long process, I think it would be very fun and something interesting to try.

The Tea House In Fort Collins

The Tea House in Fort Collins is a great place to go to find different types of tea and good tea to drink. It is located in Old Town. I have been there a few times and have thouroughly enjoyed it. I have fun trying various types of tea and picking out which ones I like, and this is the type of place to do it. Also, everyday they have a sample of a couple teas and those are always interesting to taste. Another great part about going there, is that a person can order their own own pot of tea, and sip on tea for as long as one desires. Going there is always a peaceful and pleasant experience.

Loose or Bagged Tea

I have had my experience with both loose tea and tea in a bag. The difference between the two is like having ground coffee from a bag (bagged tea) and grinding your own (loose). Loose tea is fresher and has a strong but pleasant aroma. While bagged tea is less of a hassle, but not as fresh. I personally prefer bagged tea because it's quicker and easier for me. Another reason I prefer bagged tea is because with loose tea, the tea ends up bitter a portion of the time. Either way though, tea is delightful!

Sun Tea

During the summer, I switch from hot tea to iced tea. My favorite way to have iced tea is by making sun tea. In this process tea bags can be put in a clear large container filled with water, then is placed in the sun for one or two hours. Sun tea bags can be bought specially at the store or regular tea bags can be experimented with. After that mixture has sat in the sun for a bit, the tea bags can be taken out. In that container you have your sun tea. To complete the iced tea, fill a glass with ice, and pour the sun tea onto the ice. Optionally, you can add some sugar or mint to add some sweetness or a mix of flavor to you sun tea. That for you is sun tea.

Crazy Tea

One time, I was in a mall and I came across a tea place that I don't recall the name of. Outside of it there were many samples of tea and a friendly Asian woman. My friend and I walked up to the place to try a sample. I tried the first one and it was very delicious and not bitter. I ended up trying multiple varying from tea that you put in a glass and let it grow into a plant, to tea that was $40 for a small box. The aisan women would explain every type of tea in great detail. That experience I had with tea was very memorable because I remember it as the time I drank forty dollar tea.

Hot and Cold Tea

Drinking tea hot and drinking tea cold, are very different experiences. When you drink hot tea, it may have a stronger aroma and maybe even a little different taste. Drinking hot tea is very beneficial when you may be sick with a sore throat. Cold or iced tea is a very common way to drink tea. You can brew up a hot pot of tea, then just  add some ice cubes to make it iced. This is a very refreshing way to drink tea on a hot summer day. Whether it's hot or cold, tea is enjoyable.

Tea is Found Worldwide

Throughout the world I imagine there are probably over 1000 different types of tea. Tea is drunk all over the planet. Asia is known for having a lot of tea and drinking it daily with meals. A type of tea known to me that is very common in Asia and now almost anywhere else, is green tea. Green tea is supposedly very good for you and it comes with many healthy benefits.  Another country known for drinking tea is England. They have "tea time" with things such as cookies or some biscuits. They may drink "English tea. "Those are the couple of places that I know associated with lots of tea. In the US, we have tea imported to us and we drink whatever appeals to us. Tea is a universal element.