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May’s Tea Box 

This month we celebrate Moms and the coming of Spring! Here are some fun ideas to spoil your mom, or maybe just yourself. J We are featuring a new blender Bissell, with their Passion Peach tea. This tea is easily the highest scored peach tea we have ever tried with its distinct taste of passion fruit and peach. Brew the tea and allow it to cool, pour over a tall glass of ice and you have the best ice tea ever! Red Rose Rooibos from Tiesta Teas was a hit the first time we featured it 19 months ago. Since then, they have re-blended it to incorporate fruity hints and a floral finish. Hot, iced or mixed with white rum and mint, this tea is the perfect accessory to your patio furniture. Aromatica Teas is featured this month with Treasures of Japan, blending five elite Japanese green teas. Check out Aromatica on Facebook for some delicious ideas for drinking or baking. Sonnentor’s Spring Kiss, with mint, licorice and gentle touch of lemon is a celebration of Spring. Its crisp refreshing taste is soothing on a rainy day or refreshing iced for these increasing sunny days.

Bissell’s Peach Passion

Description: Our premier whole leaf china black tea offers the wonderful flavours and distinct aroma of passion fruit and peach. Not only is this blend visually pleasing, its clean finish and natural balance allows the flavours to rise to the forefront of each sip.

Ingredients: Black tea, peach pieces and natural flavours.

Heath Benefits: Most people don’t realize black tea comes with many of the similar health benefits as green tea, including reduced risk of stroke and heart disease, among many others. As well, black tea is said to increase energy, aid in digestive health and to promote healthy skin and hair. Black tea’s tannins are also great immunity-boosters.

Michael, “This is the best peach blend tea I have ever tasted. It’s also my number one favourite ice tea. The peach slices give such a rich natural fruity taste to the tea.”

Tiesta Tea’s Red Rose Rooibos

Description: The delectable South African rooibos is now infused with fruity hints and a floral finish. Control your allergy symptoms with this smooth blend.

Ingredients: Red rooibos, peach rooibos, linden blossoms, rose petals, orange bits, lemon bits, apple bits and hibiscus.

Heath Benefits: This incredibly flavoured caffeine-free tea is growing quickly in popularity but did you know that it also contains high amounts of antioxidants? Although the antioxidants found in rooibos tea are different from those in green tea, they are still known to fight off free radicals in the body. Rooibos tea is also known to fight off cardiovascular disease, liver disease and lower blood pressure.

Jenny, “Astringent lemon smell but rooibos smooth. It’s a sweet balance with honey and pure alchemy with milk…yummmm.”

Sonnentor’s Spring Kiss

Description: Mint and licorice with a gentle touch of lemon. Lots of mild flavors balanced so you can taste them all.

Ingredients: Lemongrass, peppermint, raspberry leaf, cardamom, liquorice, cornflowers, roseflowers.

Heath Benefits: Lemongrass tea is known to aid in skin health, and to fight inflammation as well as cancer. It is also known for its detoxifying properties. Did you know that peppermint tea has been used medicinally for centuries? It is known to improve digestive health, reduce headaches, support menstrual health, lower fevers, and reduce inflammation.

Zeta, “Amazing balance between so many pleasant flavours mint liquorice lemon wonderful.”

Aromatica’s  Treasures of Japan

Description: This tea, which is a blend of five elite Japanese green teas, was traditionally served to honour guests.

Ingredients: Sencha, Bencha, GenMai, Cha, Kukicha, Gyokuru, strawberry pieces, red currents.

Heath Benefits: By now, the health benefits of green tea have been well-established. Here are just a few of the reasons we love it so much: it’s been shown to fight cancer and heart disease, lower cholesterol, prevent diabetes and stroke and to fight infection. It’s tough to beat that!

Darcy, “I love this tea, rich in flavour without too much tannins. The flavour is complex and elegant, lasts on my tongue. Yummy!”

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April’s Tea Box – 2014

This month we are sending you some seriously awesome teas with a special emphasis on properties that will help you get through allergy season. Our herbal blend is Aromatica’s Freedom Tea, a blend of both red and green rooibos. Rooibos is anti-inflammatory and can help reduce histamine release and the allergic response. Next, we have the perfect peppermint tea: Sonnentor’s Organic Peppermint. The benefits of peppermint extend well beyond its digestive properties; the essential oil acts as a decongestant, anti-inflammatory and mild antibacterial. The green tea is my personal favourite for this month: Florapharm’s Milk Oolong. This is one of the tastiest milky oolongs I have ever tried! Oolong tea is great for skin allergies such as eczema  while boosting your immune system overall. Lastly, this month’s black tea is Aromatica’s Apeldoorn’s Blend. Great for preventing allergies? No. But it is an incredible black tea and a fan favourite we have not featured for almost two years. Enjoy this month’s teas and let us know how well it aided in the fight.

Apeldoorn’s House Blend

Description: A perfect mellow and comforting black tea. Great for the morning or afternoon.

Ingredients: 2nd flush Assam black tea, ginger pieces, vanilla bean, and cinnamon.

Health Benefits: Most people don’t realize black tea comes with many of the similar health benefits as green tea, including reduced risk of stroke and heart disease, among many others. As well, black tea is said to increase energy, aid in digestive health and to promote healthy skin and hair. Black tea’s tannins are also great immunity-boosters.

Zeta, “Wow, a lovely surprise. A dessert, vanilla custard, apple spice black tea.”

 Freedom Tea

Description: Intense lemon taste in a caffeine free, high antioxidant base. What could be better? Only one thing: proceeds from this tea are donated to International Justice Mission Canada to fight human trafficking internationally.

Ingredients: Green rooibos, red rooibos, lemon myrtle, lemon verbena, and lemongrass, with just a hint of vanilla.

Health Benefits: This incredibly flavoured caffeine-free tea is growing quickly in popularity but did you know that it also contains high amounts of antioxidants? Although the antioxidants found in rooibos tea are different from those in green tea, they are still known to fight off free radicals in the body. Rooibos tea is also known to fight off cardiovascular disease, liver disease and lower blood pressure.

Michael, “Nice variety of lemon used. Very relaxing yet invigorating blend. Make a great ice tea as well.”

Milk Oolong

Description: When the temperature changes close to harvest time these leaves are picked. As we roll the leaves after we steam them over milk.

Ingredients: Fine hand-processed Formosa Oolong

Health Benefits: This tea, known in China as ‘black dragon tea,’ boasts many health benefits such as maintaining healthy cholesterol levels, aiding in weight loss, maintaining healthy teeth and bones, as well as reducing stress and promoting healthy skin.

Jenny, “Wonderful and smooth. Pure heavenly tea of paradise. Marzipan rich, yet so light!”

Organic Peppermint

Description: The perfect peppermint tea!

Ingredients: Organic Peppermint

Health Benefits: Did you know that peppermint tea has been used medicinally for centuries? It is known to improve digestive health, reduce headaches, support menstrual health, lower fevers, and reduce inflammation.

Darcy, “Big beautiful dried leaves, mild crisp flavour. Delightful!”

How to Make Masala Chai – By Jesse Jacobs

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Chai simply means “tea” in Hindi, and masala chai means “spiced tea”. Popular in India, where street vendors are kept busy serving up cups of masala chai all day long, this 5,000+ year old drink originated as an Ayurvedic tonic. Ginger to remove toxins, cinnamon to aid digestion, cardamom to improve circulation, and much more.

At Samovar Tea Lounge, we slow-cook our chai on the stove in the traditional manner, combining it with whole milk and substituting coconut palm nectar (lower-glycemic) for cane sugar. Making chai takes a few more minutes than steeping a regular cup of tea, but your efforts will be rewarded.

 How To Make Masala Chai

1.  Bring 1-2 cups of water to a rolling boil.

2.  Add 2 tablespoons of Samovar Sweet Crystals or 2 tablespoons of white table sugar.

3.  When Sweet Crystals are dissolved, add 2 tablespoons of Samovar Masala Chai.

4.  Boil for an additional 5 minutes.

5.  Add 1 cup of whole milk (or milk substitute), and bring to a boil again.

6.  Remove from heat immediately (before it boils over) and steep covered for 5 minutes.

7.  Strain and enjoy it hot, or chill it in the fridge for a delightful iced chai.

 *Special Thanks to Samovar Tea Lounge for this fantastic post: http://bit.ly/1lIQ1Jz

Tea Sparrow’s White Tea Champagne Cocktail

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Growing up we all had our heroes: parents; teachers;  athletes and comic book characters. Never did I think the Mad Hatter would be the one I would most emulate. Sure, I don’t have a talking mouse, invisible cat or white rabbit, but I do have my own crew of off-the-wall regulars who guarantee me my own person gong show. By nature, I love to elevate anything I do, so it struck me one sunny afternoon: why not spike the punch bowl at the next tea party? And spike it I did.

The Tea Sparrow team sat down one fin night and  created 7 tea cocktails. Three really aren’t worth mentioning but the other 4 brought in combined scores of 8.7/10 or higher. Getting an 11-person team to agree on anything is hard. Getting an 11 person team of tipsy tea drinkers to agree is just plain magic.

From all the tea cocktails two tied for the gold medal with a combined score 9.5/10. The first was a wonderfully simple cocktail, White Tea Champagne. The black and red currents give this tea a champagne flavour that blends perfectly with the prosecco.

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Steep 1 heaping tbsp of White Tea Champagne per 10oz (just over 1 cup) of not-quite-boiling water for 5 minutes. Add 1 heaping tbsp of honey and allow to cool. Once at room temperature, add 8oz of Prosecco or champagne, 2oz of gin and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Fill two glasses with ice and pour in mixture. This drink is super light and refreshing. The black and red currants, balm leaves, lemongrass and sunflower blossoms make this drink scream summer. It’s perfect for the opening of your next deck party or the toast of a bridal shower.

I’ve always loved hosting tea parties, but a cocktail tea parties just takes it to another level. We hope you enjoy what we created. Please see below for a list of tea and alcohols used to create this masterpieces. Enjoy!

Teas Used:   

Tea Desire’s White Tea Champagne – www.teadesire.com.

Alcohol Used:

Bombay Sapphire Dry Gin

Italian Prosecco

                                                                                                                                                               

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March’s Tea Box – 2014

I’m ridiculously excited for this month. We are featuring some of the team’s all-time favourite teas, starting with Tea Butler’s White Tea Champagne. The currants in this tea give it an undeniable sparkle that won over the team with some rare scores of 10 out of 10. Tisano Teas introduced us to the incredible taste of the antioxidant-rich cacao bean shell. Brew this tea strong and it taste like dark chocolate. Add a touch of honey and it tastes more like 72%…now add a spot of cream and you have the best hot chocolate you’ve ever tried!

New to the club this month is Samovar’s Organic Masala Chai. Brew this tea right for the perfect cup of chai. Also new this month is Palais des Thés’ Rooibos Du Hammam, a traditional Turkish recipe brought to life by the smooth rooibos taste. It’s a rich, smooth and fruity tea that won over our tea party in an instant. I’m super excited about this month’s Tea Box and I hope you love it!

Michael Menashy,

Tea Sparrow Family

Organic Cacao Tea

Description: In the west we are only now discovering the antioxidant power and health benefits of Cacao – the bean that all chocolate is made from. Cacao contains over 300 compounds such as: proteins, fats, carbohydrates, fiber, iron, zinc, copper, calcium and magnesium. Our organic herbal tea is made from the delicate fibrous shell around the cacao bean.

Ingredients: Organic cacao bean shell

Health Benefits: We were so happy to discover this tea. It is unique, packed with flavour and boasts a long list of health benefits, including boosting energy and stamina, immune support and promoting a healthy heart.

Michael, “20 out of 10! Tisano has reinvented teas.”

Organic Masala Chai

Description: Sweet, spicy, creamy and best when simmered for hours with whole milk and coconut palm nectar. Countless Indian grannies journey to Samovar to savor this chai.

Ingredients: Organic Chinese black tea, organic cinnamon, organic cardamom, organic ginger, organic black pepper, and organic clove.

Health Benefits: Most people don’t realize black tea comes with many of the similar health benefits as green tea, including reduced risk of stroke and heart disease, among many others. As well, black tea is said to increase energy, aid in digestive health and to promote healthy skin and hair. Black tea’s tannins are also great immunity-boosters.

Jenny, “Cinnamon sweet, cardamom ginger goodness. This is the chai to warm your spirit on the coldest of days. ”

Rooibos Du Hammam

Description: Inspired by a traditional Turkish recipe, this tea is both rich and fruity. This unique recipe combines green date, luscious berries and the smooth, mellow flavor of Rooibos. The perfect choice for caffeine-sensitive people who like to drink tea in the evening!

Ingredients: Rooibos, rose, berries, orange flower water and green date.

Health Benefits: This incredibly flavoured caffeine-free tea is growing quickly in popularity but did you know that it also contains high amounts of antioxidants? Although the antioxidants found in rooibos tea are different from those in green tea, they are still known to fight off free radicals in the body. Rooibos tea is also known to fight off cardiovascular disease, liver disease and lower blood pressure.

Zeta, “This tea is full body and so fruity, but without the sweetness. I love it!”

White Tea Champagne

Description: White tea with a fresh sparkling note of champagne and cassis.

Ingredients: White tea, black and red currants, balm leaves, lemon grass, cornflower and sunflower blossoms.

Health Benefits: Because the white tea leaves are virtually undisturbed from their natural state when they are picked, they maintain a higher amount of antioxidants than their cousins, green and black teas. Some other interesting facts about white tea: it helps promote dental health as well as building a stronger immune system.

Zeta, “Wow 10/10. The currents make this taste like the champagne of teas.”

 

Lavender Earl Grey Shortbread

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This was one of those recipes I thought I had in my back pocket. Shortbread and tea: so obvious it’s boring! But this month’s Lavender Earl Grey was made for shortbread. So when I told everyone at the tea party a while back what I was planning, they all seemed surprised I was not only trying to make shortbread for the first time but also trying to make it with tea. The fact that my fellow bakers cautioned me on the difficulty planted a tiny seed of doubt, but not enough to stop me. I used a shortbread recipe given to me by the mother of one of my Grade 1 students from a previous year – she had gifted me some Scottish shortbread cookies for Christmas one year that Michael still will not forgive me for sharing with another kid I worked with. But that’s another story.

For my first attempt, I decided to put the leaves in whole. How could I crush Lavender Earl Grey Tea?? Alas. The cookies were tasty but left…crunchy bits…between your teeth and wedged inside your gums for an immeasurable amount of time after eating them. Oops. Then our lovely intern, Maureen, discovered a recipe online for tea-infused butter – brilliant! You can find the recipe here:

http://www.cupcakeproject.com/2010/05/baking-with-tea-how-to-get-flavor-of.html

For my second try, I followed their instructions and butter-to-tea ratio, which is extremely high (2:1!). So…no crunchy bits this time, but just a bit too much tea and not enough cookie! I shared these excessively tea-tasting cookies with everyone at the next tea party  and they were very kind and told me they were great if you liked tea. 🙂

One of our tea party attendees, Darcy, had made a batch of shortbread and brought it to the party to share with everyone. They were incredible: soft and buttery and not too sweet and perfectly satisfying. I jotted down her recipe on the back of my score card and decided to abandon the Scottish shortbread for the butterier Welsh version. Yum! Third try: I made these later that day while taking a break from writing report cards. I used HALF the tea the original butter infusion recipe called for, let it cool (I put it in the fridge for a bit so it would harden faster) then used it with this recipe.

Taste-wise, they were a total success. Hopefully this will inspire some of you ‘less professional’ bakers out there to give it a try. Once I figured out these were not so difficult and very yummy!

Happy baking,

Ariella

Darcy’s Welsh Shortbread Recipe:

  • 3 cups flour
  • ½ cup cornstarch
  • 1 cup icing sugar
  • 1lb butter (infused with Lavender Earl Grey – see recipe above)

Cream tea-infused butter, add sugar and work together until creamy. Add sifted flour and cornstarch. Whip until fluffy or mixture breaks.

If sticky, add more flour so it can be rolled. Roll into logs and chill. Cut the logs into cookie size and bake at 350 until light brown.

These can also be garnished with walnut pieces or maracino cherries prior to baking, if you want to save your tea for drinking!

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February’s Valentines Tea Box

The last few months we’ve been rolling out the Themed Tea Boxes, so for February we decided to do a Valentine’s Tea Box. This month we are featuring the winner of the “Earl Grey Challenge,” Rishi’s Lavender Earl Grey that stole the hearts of our members. Dried lavender is the perfect complement to the sweet citrus full-bodied Early Grey. Numi’s enchanted White Rose blends smoothness with sweet and fragrant rose buds, making for a tea that is as provocative as it is healthy. Ahh, the Strawberry Champagne, a tea that brings a sweet and seductive flavour with a breeze of champagne. And if all else fails, the Organic Rooibos Chai will definitely spice up your night. Look for a special offer by Panties by Post inside your tea box. Thanks so much and hope you had a wonderful Valentine’s Day.

Michael, Tea Sparrow Family

Organic Chai Rooibos

Description:  A unique blend of Rooibos and six organic spices produces a calming, naturally caffeine free tea. Hand blended on Cortes Island in small batches with the freshest ingredients.

Ingredients: Rooibos Tea, ginger, cinnamon, fennel, cardamom, cloves and black pepper.

Health Benefits: This incredibly flavoured caffeine-free tea is growing quickly in popularity but did you know that it also contains high amounts of antioxidants? Although the antioxidants found in rooibos tea are different from those in green tea, they are still known to fight off free radicals in the body. Rooibos tea is also known to fight off cardiovascular disease, liver disease and lower blood pressure.

Jenny, “Fantastic ginger delicious herbal chai. Add milk and sugar, the best decaf chai I’ve ever tasted.”

Organic Lavender Earl Grey

Description: The floral aroma of lavender is perhaps the perfect complement to the sweet citrus and full-bodied flavor of Earl Grey.

Ingredients: Organic Fair Trade Certified™ black tea, Organic lavender flowers, natural essential oils of bergamot and lavender.

Health Benefits: Most people don’t realize black tea comes with many of the similar health benefits as green tea, including reduced risk of stroke and heart disease, among many others. As well, black tea is said to increase energy, aid in digestive health and to promote healthy skin and hair. Black tea’s tannins are also great immunity-boosters.

Michael, “A  bold, strong and fragrant tea that can hold its own. A new favourite for me.”

Strawberry-Champagne

Description: Sweet and seductive aromatic fruit flavour with a breeze of champagne!

Ingredients: Sencha green tea, carrot pieces, pineapple pieces (pineapple, sugar), strawberries, cornflowers, sunflowers, natural flavour.

Health Benefits: By now, the health benefits of green tea have been well-established. Here are just a few of the reasons we love it so much: it’s been shown to fight cancer and heart disease, lower cholesterol, prevent diabetes and stroke and to fight infection. It’s tough to beat that!

Zeta, “The Strawberry tropical smell while brewing is great, but the taste is so sophisticated.”

Organic White Rose

Description: Our enchanted White Rose blends the smoothness of delicate, organic white tea with whole organic rose buds. This sweet and fragrant liaison is as provocative as it is healthy.

Ingredients: Fair trade certified organic white tea and organic rose.

Health Benefits: Because the white tea leaves are virtually undisturbed from their natural state when they are picked, they maintain a higher amount of antioxidants than their cousins, green and black teas. Some other interesting facts about white tea: it helps promote dental health as well as building a stronger immune system.

Darcy, “Light and lovely. I could drink this all day. So refreshing!”

Maureen’s Blueberry Rooibos Juice

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Juicing has been huge part of my life since my teens. I have always had a slight aversion to eating fresh fruit and vegetables so juicing has been both a fun way to add them to my diet and to try fruits and vegetables I normally wouldn’t eat. You can find many juicing recipes online or mix up your own combinations of fruits and vegetables to suit your taste.

If you do try juicing, make only as much juice as you can drink at one time because fresh squeezed juice can quickly develop harmful bacteria. And when juicing, try to keep some of the pulp. Not only does it have healthy fiber, but it can help fill you up.

There are many health benefits of drinking freshly juiced fruits and vegetables, and it’s a great way to add nutrients from the fruits or vegetables that you normally wouldn’t eat. Fruit and vegetable juices retain most of the vitamins, minerals and plant chemicals that would be found in the whole versions of those foods. These nutrients can help protect against cardiovascular disease, cancer and various inflammatory diseases, like rheumatoid arthritis. Valuable compounds called flavonoids and anthocyanins are abundant in a variety of fruits and vegetables and guard against oxidative cellular damage, which comes from everyday cellular maintenance and is exacerbated by exposure to chemicals and pollution.

Most morning I show up to work sipping on my fresh juice I had made that morning, so when Michael turned to me asked if I would be interested in creating a recipe that could highlight the health benefits of both juice and tea I was instantly enrolled. I put January’s Tea Box under my arm and went straight to my local grocer to purchase fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables. That night I created a recipe for each of the teas. The following day I brought them into the office where we sampled the juices and voted for our favorite. The Blueberry Rooibos from Rishi Tea stole the spotlight and brought in the top marks. The rooibos, berries and hibiscus natural lent itself to juice, creating a sweet, tart blissful taste. Check out the recipe below. Enjoy!

Blueberry Rooibos Juice

  • 2 celery sticks
  • 2 carrots
  • 1 small beetroot
  • 1 cup of cranberries
  • 1 slice of pineapple
  • 1 slice of a ginger root
  • 1 cup of Blueberry Rooibos (chilled)

Juice all ingredients and then stir in the chilled blueberry rooibos…. sit back, take a sip and enjoy all the goodness and detoxing you have just done for your body.  We found that this juice was very effective at instantly uplifting our mood and boosting our energy.

Maureen Hanlon, Tea Sparrow Family

The Perfect Chocolate Mousse

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We absolutely fell in love this month with Numi’s Chocolate Pu-erh. I’m not a fan of chocolate is tea but Numi broke the mold with this one. I went through a dozen different ideas for this tea, but eventually eliminated them all. We felt the tea needs to be the only focus as it completely deserves the spot light. It was then I remember reading about David Lebovitz’s rendition of Julia Child’s perfect chocolate mousse recipe.

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I followed the recipe David laid out in his bog post: http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2008/05/perfect-chocola/. The only substitution required is to remove the ¼ cup (60ml) dark-brewed coffee and replace it with tea. We took two tablespoons of the Chocolate Pu-erh and brewed it for 5 minutes in a  ¼ cup of boiling water. Allow the tea to cool at room temperature before using.

The mousse is absolutely divine, producing a rich sophisticated flavor for the pallet. We served it at one of our Tea Sparrow functions and it was a massive hit. So much so that within 5 minutes the moose was completed. I learned later that day my Michael hid a cup full in the back of the fridge. I hope your Michael’s enjoy it that much as well.

Ariella Cepelinski, Tea Sparrow Family

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January’s Special Edition “New Year’s Resolution” Tea Box – Social Media

January’s Tea Box is all about the detox.  We put together this box to help you recover from the holidays and keep you healthy this winter. In this New Year’s Resolution Box, each tea tastes incredibly and comes with its own natural healing properties: weight loss, sharpened thinking skills, antioxidants, immunity-boosting and flu-fighting. Enter this link into your browser to read all about the teas in this month’s box: http://goo.gl/qu3yBi. Over the past six months we have been putting Oolong teas head to head to find out which blend the public loves the most. This month we are featuring Pineapple Coconut Oolong; at $200 per pound it is no wonder it came in second place. Enjoy this month’s teas!

Michael Menashy, Tea Sparrow Family

Samovar Tea Lounge’s Organic Pineapple Coconut Oolong

Description: Quite possibly the most tropical oolong ever created.  The pineapple and coconut are intensely heady and there is a mild grassy astringency from the oolong.  This tea is super special so we suggest drinking it as is but it’s also delicious as an iced tea.  Drink as an after-workout refresher, or on a hot summer evening.  Grilled veggies and fish pair exquisitely.

Ingredients: Organic Oolong tea from Taiwan, organic coconut flakes, organic pineapple flavour, organic coconut flavour.

Health Benefits: This tea, known in China as ‘black dragon tea,’ boasts many health benefits such as maintaining healthy cholesterol levels, aiding in weight loss, maintaining healthy teeth and bones, as well as reducing stress and promoting healthy skin.

Michael, “Blending perfection! I love my pure oolong teas, but this blend stole my heart. So well balanced.”

Rishi’s Organic Ginger Lime Rooibos

Description: The dry and pleasantly flavored West Indian Lime variety gives our Organic Ginger Lime Rooibos a unique and zesty citrus flavor with notes of ginger and rare spices. The brilliant turmeric yellow and orange infusion glows in the cup and has wonderfully refreshing notes of tropical fruits and spices.

Ingredients: Organic Fair Trade Certified™ green rooibos, Organic ginger, Organic lemongrass, Organic lemon myrtle, Organic licorice root and natural essential oils of lime and tangerine.

Health Benefits:  This incredibly flavoured caffeine-free tea is growing quickly in popularity but did you know that it also contains high amounts of antioxidants? Although the antioxidants found in rooibos tea are different from those in green tea, they are still known to fight off free radicals in the body. Rooibos tea is also known to fight off cardiovascular disease, liver disease and lower blood pressure. Added to this is the delicate flavour and fantastic health benefits of lemongrass. Known to aid in skin health, and to fight inflammation as well as cancer. It is also known for its detoxifying properties.

Numi’s Organic Chocolate Pu-erh

Description: This velvety infusion combines black Pu∙erh tea and organic cocoa. Accented by whole vanilla beans and sweet orange peel, this decadent blend is rounded off with nutmeg and cinnamon for a spicy finish.

Ingredients: Organic Pu∙erh, Organic Cocoa Powder, Organic Vanilla, Organic Theo Chocolate Cocoa Nibs, Organic Rooibos, Organic Orange Peel, Organic Nutmeg, Organic Cinnamon.

Health Benefits: Pu-erh originates from the Yunnan Province of China and has been coveted for its preventative and curative properties for over 2000 years. Pu-erh tea has been proven to lower cholesterol and to support digestion as well as general well-being and longevity. This tea is said to enhance the “qi,” or life force. So get your kung fu on!

Rishi’s Organic Blueberry Rooibos

Description: African rooibos and real, wild blueberries in perfect balance provide tart, juicy and naturally sweet flavors that taste great hot or iced. Blueberry Rooibos is artfully hand blended in small batches using only 100% naturally caffeine-free botanicals and artisan herbal tea-blending techniques.

Ingredients: Organic Fair Trade Certified™ rooibos, Organic blueberries, Organic schizandra berries, Organic Fair Trade Certified™ hibiscus, natural flavors of blueberry and strawberry.

Health Benefits: This incredibly flavoured caffeine-free tea is growing quickly in popularity but did you know that it also contains high amounts of antioxidants? Although the antioxidants found in rooibos tea are different from those in green tea, they are still known to fight off free radicals in the body. Rooibos tea is also known to fight off cardiovascular disease, liver disease and lower blood pressure.

January’s Special Edition “New Year’s Resolution” Tea Box

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January’s Tea Box is all about the detox.  We put together this box to help you recover from the holidays and keep you healthy this winter. In this New Year’s Resolution Box, each tea tastes incredibly and comes with its own natural healing properties: weight loss, sharpened thinking skills, antioxidants, immunity-boosting and flu-fighting.

(1)  China’s weight loss tea – Numi’s Organic Chocolate Pu-erh Tea.

Numi’s Organic Chocolate Pu-erh combines two well-loved indulgences: tea and chocolate. Using a rich, dark pu-erh tea as the base, Numi blends organic cocoa and real spices for a decadent treat and a healthy way to satisfy your cravings. The velvety infusion is accented by whole vanilla beans, sweet orange peel, and a splash of rooibos. Rounded off with nutmeg and cinnamon, this tea is sure to delight chocolate lovers and tea fans alike.

Known colloquially in China and Taiwan as ‘the skinny girl’s tea,’ pu-erh’s health benefits have been touted for thousands of years and it has been traditionally used to:

  • Aid in digestion and stimulate metabolism
  • Help with weight management
  • Naturally boost energy (without the jitters)

For thousands of years, pu-erh has been used as a powerful digestive aid to cut fat; warm and energize the body; prolong the life of emperors; and end meals with a satisfying treat.

Although lower in caffeine than coffee and even black tea, pu-erh has a sustained, focused energy without the jittery rush and lasts gently through the day; making for the perfect coffee alternative and a restful night’s sleep.

(2)  A blend to help sharpen the mind and ignite your metabolism – Samovar’s Organic Pineapple Coconut Oolong

Oolong tea is made from the leaves, buds and stems of the Camellia sinensis plant. This is the same plant that is used to make black tea and green tea; the difference is in the processing. Oolong tea is partially fermented, black tea is fully fermented, and green tea is unfermented. As a partially fermented tea, it is proven to:

  • sharpen thinking skills and heighten mental alertness
  • improve skin allergies such as eczema
  • boost the immune system
  • raise one’s metabolism for up to 2 hours

Oolong tea is also used to prevent cancer, tooth decay, osteoporosis, and heart disease. Is also treats obesity, diabetes, ‘hardening of the arteries’ (atherosclerosis) and helps lower cholesterol.  

Oolong tea also helps boost your metabolism, helping you burn fat faster. The unique combination of caffeine and catechin (an antioxidant) ignites your body’s fat-burning furnace. As well, oolong tea contains polyphenols that help block fat-building enzymes. Studies have shown that drinking oolong tea has led to sustained weight loss and a smaller waist size. Be careful not to add sugar to your tea; this will negate the benefits.

(3)  A blend to strengthen the immune system – Rishi’s Organic Blueberry Rooibos

Antioxidant-rich African rooibos and dried wild blueberries in a perfect balance provide tart, juicy and naturally sweet flavors that taste great hot or iced. Blueberry Rooibos is artfully hand blended in small batches using only 100% naturally caffeine-free botanicals and artisan herbal tea-blending techniques.

This fruity, succulent blend makes a bright crimson infusion highlighting the tart flavor of hibiscus flowers in harmony with the floral aroma and sweet-sour hints of wild schizandra berry.

This tea fights free radicals present in the body and the bloodstream. With the help of strong antioxidants, the human body gets the chance to stay strong and healthy for a long period of time. Rooibos features several minerals and vitamins in its composition such as manganese, copper, calcium, magnesium, vitamin C and potassium. Due to the fluoride composition, in combination with manganese and calcium, the plant can help people have stronger teeth. The tea also has polyphenols which are known for their anti-inflammatory, anti-viral and anti-carcinogenic properties.

(4)  A blend to fight cold and flu season – Rishi’s Organic Ginger Lime Rooibos

The dry and pleasantly flavored West Indian Lime in this blend gives Organic Ginger Lime Rooibos a unique and zesty citrus flavour, with added notes of ginger and rare spices. This is ultra-refreshing as well as being super healthy.

The combination of ginger, green rooibos and lemongrass kills bacteria that causes flu and colds, while supporting the immune system. This tea is chock-full of vitamin C, making it the ultimate soother to nurse you through a cold quickly. The ginger and lemongrass also combine to make a wonderful numbing effect on your throat to help subdue irritating coughs that often come with colds.

It was so much fun putting this Tea Box together for so many reasons. We wanted to find teas that were exceptionally tasty and nutritious at the same time. This took a great deal of research and talking to the experts, but once we discovered them and brought them to our members to try, it was their thorough feedback that told us which to include. So in the end it was the collaborative efforts of our members, nutritionists and the Tea Sparrow team that made this box possible. And it was the teamwork that made this month so exciting for me.

We hope you enjoy this box with great heath and happiness. May 2014 bring you all the best this world has to offer.

Michael Menashy, Tea Sparrow Family

Tea Sparrow
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