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Posts Tagged ‘T2’

24
Nov
2014

My Foxy Tea Time: keep calm and drink tea

categories: Tea Time

I love tea. With weeks like last week where everything that could go wrong went wrong and my normal coping strategies were forgotten in the spur of losing my mind (just a little bit), the only thing that got me through each day (other than Edd, Ben Howard and copious amounts of wine) was my love of tea. Some people don’t get tea. Edd doesn’t get tea, especially herbal teas. To him they are just watery drinks with no real substance or meaning. I don’t get these people. Tea is great, stop sharing your tea complaints and just sit down and drink some more.

My recent taste in tea is kind of reflective of my lifestyle/state of mind as of late. I assume this must happen for others too. With life being more stressful then I ever agreed upon, here they are, 4 of my favourite teas that have been helping me get through and face each day with a smile, even if it is the kind of pained smile that makes your face ache a little.

Twinings Invigorating Peppermint

Twinings Invigorating Peppermint If I could only have one type of tea for the rest of my life, it would take me less than a second to choose peppermint. I love this stuff. This Twinings brand is my current “at home” peppermint tea (I have a Dilmah one at work which I have raved about before). This is just a straight up, no frills but also non-challenging peppermint tea that is the perfect accompaniment to a lazy afternoon, or a rushed 10 minute break between tasks. I love the versatility of peppermint tea. Any time of day, any state of mind (although I seem to be testing it on a primarily stressed one).

artemis Deep Sleep Tea

Artemis Deep Sleep Tea artemis are a new brand for me, local and certified organic with a mission statement that I can get behind, I love their range of teas that are specifically targeted for different mental and physical uses. This one is specifically to aid with Deep Sleep, something I have not been experiencing a lot of. This tea is a soothing loose leaf mixture of lemon balm, licorice, passionflower, hops and valerian root. You can see what each ingredient is specifically included for (I love that this information is so accessible!) but for me the key is whether it tastes okay and whether I feel any benefit. The taste was different to what I was expecting, I think due to the licorice and hops which give this a slightly unusual taste but it wasn’t at all unpleasant. Sleep wise, it seemed to help me get to sleep quicker and wake up less so if you want to try a natural alternative to sleeping medication I would definitely give this a go.

t leaf Restful herbal infusion

t leaf are a New Zealand tea brand that I may have become a little obsessed with. This is the first tea by them I have tried, and I chose the restful one because generally I reach for tea when I am not feeling so restful. Ignoring how beautiful the t leaf tea bags are (I feel so wasteful throwing them away), this tea is definitely one I would buy more of. It has a combination of relaxing ingredients such as chamomile, lavender, ginger and cinnamon along with a peach flavouring and it tastes delicious. Their tea is also pretty reasonably priced and so easy to shop from afar …. I may have an order currently on its way to me now.

T2 Southern Sunrise

I couldn’t do a tea post without including one of my favourite tea brands, T2 (also the most expensive, but I like to pretend the price tag is a figment of my imagination and just buy all the tea anyway, much to Edd’s dismay). This tea is kind of the odd one in the bunch, its summery and punchy and flavoursome. I have been using this as the weather gets warmer to create some delicious iced tea concoctions. Southern Sunrise is a looseleaf tisane and comes with a delicious combination of lemongrass and grapefruit flavours. The strong citrus and fruity notes make a beautiful iced tea, especially when sweetened with some of my all time favourite Turkish Apple Tea. T2 are great at doing samples in store so go try some.

What tea has been your go to recently? And what are your tips for dealing with stressful times (asking for a friend)?

25
Oct
2013

Tea Time: Worth a Splurge

categories: Tea Time

Hi All!

So today is time for another brief tea post on the two more pricey teas that I currently am enjoying. Tea is my lifesaver at the end of a hard day. My rescue remedy when I am freaking out. Tea is to me like waffles are to Lesley Knope. Hence, every once in a while I don’t mind spending what most people probably consider a ridiculous amount of money on a box of tea. Normally I stick to the $4 approx supermarket tea options however these two were more at the $20 range (which even to me seems a little silly. I would still buy them though).

1, T2 Turkish Apple
So if I had to choose one tea to drink forever this would be right up there fighting for first place. This is an instant flavoured tisane and is basically just a delicious flavoured sugar. So not the healthiest. I compare it to raro for adults and it is similar in that I could eat this stuff by the spoonful, no hot water needed. However at $22 a box this is a very rare occaision. This is my treat tea but also is an excellent way to sweeten up other herbal teas. When I bought this from the Queen Street T2 store (which has some rather lovely staff!) I was given a couple of samples that I could try mixed with a little Turkish apple. My favourite was the Southern Sunrise (a lemongrass and grapefruit combo) which paired wonderfully with the sweet apple. Delicious and one I would keep spending too much money on. T2 can be bought in NZ at the brand new beautiful Queen street store or ordered online on their website.

2. Harney & Sons Fruit Tea Peach
This is a new brand of tea for me and one I encountered at the Auckland food show. I believe this box was only $10 but normally their teas are a little more expensive at around $15. They have a huge range and you find these in some more boutique Auckland stores such as Smith and Caughies or online at their website. This is a loose fruit tea that smells incredible. Basically made up on dried fruit such as peach, rosehips, apple and hibiscus the tea goes a long way with strong flavour and a beautiful aroma. Don’t use too much as this can easily get overbearing however done right this tea is gorgeous and makes some of the nicest iced tea I know.

So overall I guess this post was to make me feel better about spending more than normal on tea but everyone needs a treat every now and again and tea is a relatively harmless one (unless you are eating the sugar by the spoonfull). What are your splurges?

01
Oct
2013

Tuesday’s Top 10: Teas I want to try from T2

categories: Tea Time, Tuesday's Top Ten

With T2 a new gift to Auckland I have been browsing their website and store, building up a significant wishlist of teas. So far I have just one (My classic Turkish apple tea that I couldn’t leave without) and a couple of samples. But here are a few more I have on my radar…

Apple Crumble (Image from T2tea.com)

Let me preface my list with a small disclosure: T2 are not paying me in $$ or (preferably) in tea to ramble on at you about them in fact they know nothing about me. My lists are just a little weird and this is what is on my mind at the moment.

Sleep Tight (image from T2tea.com)

Apple Cumble: A tisane that is supposed to be delicious hot or cold and taste like home baking and fresh apples. I am already salivating.
Southern Sunrise: This is one of the samples I received and is a delicious herbal blend of grapefruit and lemongrass. A refreshing combination that I need in my life.
Honey Vanilla: A rooibos based tea with hints of vanilla (which I love in tea) and floral honeybush. I am intrigued.
White Jasmine: I love white tea and I love jasmine in tea so this is a combination made for me to try.
Geisha Getaway: A tropical take on Sencha green tea with coconut and pineapple. Diifferent to any other form of green tea I have tried and sounds like a holiday in a tea cup.
Sleep Tight: I am a terrible sleeper so this one could be worth a try and sounds delicious too with a combination of lemon balm, rose, lavender and jasmine.
Vanilla Mint: I love peppermint tea (to death) and so this spearmint and vanilla combination could be right up my alley.
Chai: A basic one, I know but I am always on the hunt for the perfect chai and whilst in store I sampled some of this made up with soy milk and a little honey and it was beautiful. Chai is pretty amazing full stop.
French Earl Grey: I tend to shy away from Earl Grey at home but always enjoy a good cup of it at the in-laws. I have also heard a few people recommend this classic bergamot fusion with fruity and citrus flavours.
Turkish Apple and Cinnamon: Being a big fan of the Turkish apple tisane I couldn’t help but include what sounds like it but even better. Apple and cinnamon has to be one of the best comnbinations and these sugary concoctions are a bit of a treat. Yum.

Turkish Apple and Cinnamon (Image from T2tea.com)

French Earl Grey (Image from T2tea.com)

I definitely won’t be buying all of these (at once) but they make a handy birthday list (hint hint) and I just generally kind of love reading their descriptions of teas and the beautiful photos (which I borrowed…). Anyway, I am going to go back to my pot of Southern Sunrise and the new album by Lorde which I can’t get enough of.

What are your favourites from T2 (as if I need more for my wishlist)? For more information on T2 or their humongous selection of beautiful teas head to their website or head to their store near the bottom of Queen Street in Auckland city. There are so many delicious samples to try and the staff are lovely so you may be there a while.