Earth Friendly Goodies If it's Good for the Earth it's Good for Your Health A good tea blend is like a good friend:
warm, soft and comforting in all the right places.
The other day I had a few minutes to burn while waiting for a take out order so I drifted off in search of some interesting stores in the neighborhood. As always when I see a nice looking organic tea shop I am drawn to its energy like a moth to a flame (so far without the deadly results – other than less money in the ‘ol wallet). A great teashop is like a haven from the stress of everyday life – the moment I step through the doors I am met with a Zen-like ambiance that is as refreshing as the organic teas they sell. In this instance the shop happened to be Teavana – one of my favorite little shops to sample organic tea and check out the great handmade teapots.
Not only are Teavana’s teas USDA certified organic they also make sure to select teas with rich flavors and superior health benefits as well. A mighty fine plus in my book – and to up the earth friendly impact they give 1% of their annual profits to CARE. CARE strives to improve the lives of those who live in tea producing areas of the world by improving education, creating access to safe water and working to offer greater economic opportunities.
Right now, until August 16th 2009 Teavana has a fun contest for tea lovers. If you’ve ever wanted to be a tea master and create your own tea blend now is your chance as Teavana has just begun their Tea Master’s Challenge – an opportunity to send in your own tea blend suggestion using your pick from over 100 organic teas and tea products. What do I win? You wonder…. Well, how does 500 buck-a-roos sound? The grand prize is a $500 Teavana gift card – and my taste buds have immediately awakened just thinking about what that would get me. The five runners up get some good ‘ol fashioned tea goodness as well (a pound of their submitted blend – plus the blend with the most online votes gets a $200 gift card) so who says second place is for losers?
Perhaps I’ll stop blathering away at the keyboard here and submit my own blend now that I’ve gotten those taste buds all worked up. How does Pu-Erh Pineapple sound? Blech, maybe I need to brain storm a bit more… any ideas?
Update: Alas the Tea Master’s Challenge is over and a congratulations is due to Meredith Cordray of Ohio and her tea blend Pearls Gone Wild!
Pearls Gone Wild consists of:
• Jasmine Dragon Phoenix Pearls Scented Green Tea
• Frutto Bianco Pearls White Tea
• Black Dragon Pearl Black Tea
• German Rock Cane Sugar
View Pearls Gone Wild and the rest of the runner up tea blends at Teavana and make a little Pearls Gone Wild for a festive fiesta of your own.
I have yet to drink natural tea that doesn’t come in a form of a tea bag. Can you recommend types of tea that are soothing and tasty at the same time?