Feb 16, 2015

Stefanie London's Tea Obsession

I’ve always been a fan of those ‘what would you take to a desert island’ games, I think it’s funny to see what people are attached to. I would always take tea and coffee (and books, obvs). Yes, I know desert islands are hot and that tea and coffee kind of perform the same function. But I love them and wouldn’t be without either one even on a forty degree (or 104 for our American friends) day.

Today’s post will be about my love for tea and I’ll share a few of my favourites with you.

Tea Essentials

Tea tastes so much better out of a nice tea cup, trust me! You’ll see my gorgeous Royal Albert mint green tea cup in a few pics here which was a gift for my 30th birthday from my lovely husband (who knows my tastes very well).

You’ll also need a tea pot or at least a strainer (if you plan on using loose leaf tea). I prefer a pot because I can make a batch of tea big enough for 4-5 cups instead of having to re-steep it with each cup.

Then all you need is to pick up some tea and you’re away!

My Favourite Teas

In Australia is was a huge fan of Tea2, they have a great range and are not crazily priced (IMHO, of course). They also have stores in NZ, UK and one in New York plus they ship internationally. From their range I love the:

Melbourne Breakfast (Black tea, full-bodied and smooth, a hint of briskness cleans up a sweet vanilla finish.) This tea has a great vanilla scent and just a hint of sweetness. It’s a good one if you fancy something sweet but are trying to stay off sugary treats.

Japanese GMC Sencha (Green tea, with savoury rice that adds a roasted depth to the fresh, grassy taste of Sencha.) This green tea has a wonderful roasted, almost nutty scent. It’s not for everyone, but if you find regular green tea a little bland, try this!

French earl Grey (Black tea, a medium-bodied black tea base with pretty petals and slivers of fruit that play with classic bergamot in an inspiring, bold and refined infusion.) Many brands to a French Earl Grey, not just Tea2. This tea has a wonderful smell, it’s so comforting and the taste is really clean and delicious.


Since arriving in Canada, David’s Tea has become my go-to. They do fantastic sampler packs with each season (see the picture of the gorgeous Valentine’s Day set I got, so pretty!) and they have a wonderful variety of teas.

Cinnamon Roobis Chai – (caffeine free, organic roobis with apple and cinnamon.) I love chai tea right before bed time, but traditionally chai is made with black tea which has caffeine. This version is super delicious and won’t keep me awake at night. I make it strong and add frothed milk.

Midsummer Night’s Dream – (Mint tea with sweet apples, cool spearmint, tart gooseberries, orange oil, and petals of marigold and rose.) This tastes and smells amazing! It’s very sweet and fruity, has no caffeiene and is a perfect cure for a sweet-tooth craving.


There are a lot more teas in my cupboard right now, but these are my favourites. Are you a tea lover? What are your favourite types of tea to drink?

13 comments:

  1. I am a tea lover, Stefanie, but not when its really hot. I more than make up for it in winter though with about 5 or 6 cups (sometimes more) a day and they are nothing like the dainty little gorgeous cup you have there - these are huge mugs! :-)

    I do love pretty china and have a lot of it but dont really drink out of it simply becasue they're too small and I have to keep getting up to refill the damn things. But rest assured, if you ever visit my house, I will bring them out for you :-) You also look like you drink your tea like me if that photo is indicative!

    T2 is one of my favourite shops and hubby always buys me a supply of tea from there each Xmas. My favourite is Girly Grey and this year hubby got me French grey which I also adore! He bought me a fruity raspberry style one for ice-tea which we've used quite a lot of - he makes a wicked alcoholic ice tea! But I've also had it hot too which I really quite like.

    Great topic - can whittle on about it for hours :-) Coffee on the other hand...I got nuthin'

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    1. I love the Girlie Grey and French Grey too! They smell so nice and taste beautiful. I know what you mean about the small cups being a pain to refill, they certainly are. I always use a huge teapot so I don't have to keep putting the kettle on and they're easy to clean :)

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  2. I love, love, love tea, Stef. I have a local Tea Centre and I love their teas. My favourite at the moment is Sir John which is a lightly smoked tea (and smoked teas are my favourite) with green tea, jasmine blossoms, lemon peel and rose petals. It's just divine. When I want a hit of sweetness it's hard to beat their Cherry Ripe tea. Hmm...think I need to go and brew a mug or two. :-)

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    1. I love the smoked teas too, I had a nice pot of Lapsang Souchong the other day which is really smokey. They smell lovely! That Cherry Ripe tea sounds divine, must hunt one of those down.

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  3. Stefanie, you've touched a hot spot with me. I love tea (and coffee). I also like to collect the odd teapot or two. T2 is a great place to shop.
    Favourite teas? Good old gumboot always goes down well, and Earl Grey Blue Star, Harney & Sons Tower of London Blend, Nepal Chai. I also like a lot of the green teas.
    Having a brew as I answer mail.

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    1. I'm curious about Old Gumboot - never heard of that tea before! I'll have to look it up. I love a good chai tea too, perfect in the cold weather with some frothed milk and a drizzle of honey. Yum!

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  4. Another tea lover here! Another china tea cup lover here too! So much do I love tea cups that I have started a business that requires me to buy them - vintage china ones - but that's another story.

    I can drink and enjoy almost any tea, but I do love English Breakfast, Assam and green tea. I don't take milk with my tea except in Chai Latte, naturally, and I love that too.

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    1. Oooh I'm curious about your business, Claire - that sounds very interesting! I have seen some people put milk in green tea which seems a bit strange to me, I drink most of my teas without milk too. Except for Chai and some black teas.

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  5. Stefanie

    I am more a coffee drinker than tea but I do enjoy tea and especially if it is a bone china cup :) I haven't tried many teas so normally I stick with the normal stuff but I do love the sound of all of these teas

    Have Fun
    Helen

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    1. They're lots of fun, Helen. I really enjoy the 'scent' part of the tea and some of these smell so wonderfully soothing while you drink them :)

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  6. Right, trying again today, since the blog was eating my comments yesterday.

    Another tea lover here. I haven't tried many T2 teas since they have only recently opened in Wellington. My go-to tea store is T Leaf Tea.

    The teas that I enjoy drinking the most are Coconut Rough (a rooibos), Sweet Assassin (a fruit tisane) and Christmas Tea (a flavoured black). Chamomile Lavender is a great soporific tea for before bed too.

    Helen - don't judge the teas that you can get from places such as T2 by the teas that you can buy at the supermarket. For example, I was bought up thinking it was necessary to sweeten chamomile tea with honey - which is true of the supermarket chamomile teas, but the chamomile from T Leaf Tea is drinkable straight with no sweetening.

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    1. I'm a fan of the chamomile and lavender for bedtime too, Lyn! I grew up drinking chamomile for sleeping problems and upset stomachs, so it's a staple in my cupboard. I love the sound of a Christmas tea!

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    2. Best part of the Christmas Tea is that it's available year round - in fact I've been drinking it the last couple of days at work too.

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