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.