Ever had a great cup of tea organizer loose leaf but feel like you’re missing out on the full experience? One way to add some flavor and oomph is by adding loose-leaf tea. Here are some tips for going with the best loose leaf tea in town.
For those of you just stepping into the world of loose-leaf tea, here’s a list of the best places to start:
1) “Specialty Tea” (Aroma Leaf) –
This company offers blends that are unique, unlike any other brands out there. You’ll find many flavors from black teas to white teas and all kinds of exotic ones, like pomegranate or lemongrass rooibos. Prices range from $1.99 to $4.99 per bag.
2) Magnolia Teas –
These guys offer a variety of black and white teas, all at competitively priced, high quality levels. They have everyday blends as well as some blends for special occasions – like their Valentine’s Day Tea which is available in 50 1-tea bag bundles (counting the white tea, two different kinds of rooibos and four kinds of black tea). Stores can be found in Austin and San Antonio, with plans to open more throughout the Texas area. Pricing will run around $6 per bag.
3) Traditional Medicinals –
This company offers herbal teas, a selection of black teas and decaf blends. They have unique flavors, like “Earl Grey Lychee,” “Ginger Zing” or their 50 count boxes of chamomile tea. The pricing will run you around $5 per bag that contains 1-2 servings.
4) Republic of Tea –
A US based tea company, they offer unique flavors and blends to go with your loose leaf selection. They have a great section on their website where you can find the various benefits of some popular herbal ingredients and create your own blend to go with it. They have loose leaf tea from $0.99 per bag, all the way up to $9.00 for a “Royal Court of Chai” blend which will help you feel like royalty for sure.
5) TJ Tea –
A local business in the UK, they offer unique flavors and blends (around 160 teas to choose from). They have great promotions and special offers that are worth checking out if you’re looking for some great loose leaf tea.
These companies can offer very good products, but there are other sources to go with as well. Be sure to read the labels and do your research before adding any loose-leaf tea to your shopping cart. It’s best to order your tea online; you’ll have a much wider selection of teas, be able to get exactly what you want and save money in gas costs.
The best time to enjoy loose leaf tea is at night, so if you’re having problems sleeping due to stress or other factors, perhaps a nice herbal tea every night before bed can help. There are some great blends out there like chamomile, lavender and bergamot that will help relax your body and settle your mind – which will lead to better sleep at night.
A few herbal remedies that can help with improving sleep are:
1) Ginger Root –
This herb has been used for centuries as a digestive aid. It also helps settle nausea and motion sickness while inducing a calm feeling. Ginger as a tea works very well, but you can also enjoy it in some desserts or baked into breads and cookies.
2) Chamomile –
One of the most popular herbal teas in recent years, chamomile contains the active ingredient apigenin, which is a potent anti-inflammatory agent. In addition to helping with sleep issues like stress, anxiety or depression, it also helps with mild muscle aches like those that come from sore joints or back pain.
3) Lemon Balm –
This herb has been used for years to help soothe stress levels and reduce anxiety. It can also help with mild depression and is a great aid for improving your sleep cycle.
4) Lavender –
The effects are similar to chamomile, but it’s used more for stress than anything else. If you’re having trouble sleeping, try some lavender tea before bed. You can also enjoy it during the day if you want to soothe your nerves or relax a bit before the day takes over.
Summary:
A new trend in tea is to drink loose leaf teas. The fine loose leaf teas are more like a brown sugar pack. Which means you can use more water and it will get hot much faster, and be a bit stronger even with less leaves. The stronger fine loose leaf teas are usually sold in more types of flavors, like green, black and white tea.
The benefits of eating the whole leaf rather than just the little ends has several reasons for it. The entire leaves have all the nutrients that the little bits do not have. So if you want your tea to taste good and have the whole glass full of nutrients from the leaves then go for a whole leaf.
