In terms of liquids, there are exactly four categories under which I regularly consume: water, coffee, tea, and boba (by volume, in descending order LOL). I do drink a lot of water… And I’m also a very enthusiastic coffee drinker, always sipping on coffee even in the night. Yes, that makes for very frequent trips to the bathroom… I probably developed this coffee drinking habit in college when I needed it to stay awake, and partially genetics– for as long as I can remember, my daddy would drink coffee all day every day. Now, I drink coffee mostly for pleasure (except for my morning cup. I am a living zombie without my first cup of coffee!!). I acknowledge my caffeine addiction and admit that I should probably do something about it. For what it’s worth, I only have my coffee black, so at least it’s not adding extra sugar or calories to my diet!!
For now, I’ve been trying to decrease my daily coffee intake with tea. I have my morning coffee under routine circumstances, but my extra cups throughout the day are usually for pleasure or cravings, in the same way I might grab boba when I find myself next to Boba Guys LOL. The other purpose that coffee serves for me is having a palette cleanser or digestion aid after a meal. I have a sensitive stomach, and while it’s generally recommended for people with tummy issues to avoid caffeine, I actually find coffee soothing to both my mind and tummy! Weird how our body physiologically acclimates to our addictions…
So, I’ve been increasingly drinking tea in the afternoon and in the evening and less of coffee. I can drink the same coffee every day if it’s one that I like, but with tea I feel that I need more of a variety in stock at all times, especially if they are going to have to fulfill different preferences among guests and different purposes for drinking them. I drink tea to satisfy either a sweet craving or to soothe my tummy after a meal, or in between meals, or at the end of the night.
My “sweet” tea of choice has been the Apricot Honey and Lavender tea from Fortnum & Mason. This is a tea I initially picked up from the actual Fortnum & Mason store in London, after having afternoon tea in their beautiful Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon. It was almost impossible to pick out a tea– there were just too many varieties to choose from, and the entire store was just so elegant and gorgeous, I just wanted to browse and shop all day long!! In addition to some of their more classic English tea blends, this one had caught my eye both with its beautiful packaging and the flavors involved. It is more of a fruity tea, the floral notes of lavender come out pretty mellow and lightly, and the honey infusion gives it a hint of sweetness. I know there are legitimately dessert flavored teas out there, but I’d rather have real dessert for dessert and stick to fruity flavor teas when accommodating a random sweet craving. This tea comes in satchets, so need for a strainer! Unfortunately, I’m not sure if there are actual Fortnum & Mason stores in the US, so this tea has to be ordered online…
On the other hand, David’s Tea is a specialty tea retailer and is becoming more widely available in the States (found out it’s a Canadian retailer)!! David’s Tea is also a fun little tea store to browse around, with a more modern feel and different varieties of unique flavor combinations. Right now I’ve been enjoying their Ginger Turmeric Tonic tea, which I’ve been sipping on to soothe my tummy. It is an infusion of turmeric + genmaicha + ginger, ingredients that are digestion friendly and complexion loving!
I’ve relied on ginger as a nausea remedy from a young age, often in the form of ginger ale, for those nausea-inducing car rides or general indigestion. Ginger ale was even my drink of choice to bring to the LSAT, as I know I tend to get nauseous during long written exams (side effect of a neck issue that I have, but more on that some other time).
Right now, I’ve had really good experiences with ginger tea when it comes to alleviating gastrointestinal issues like bloating, acid reflux (though it’s much easier to take Tums for this, my other best friend), and nausea. I really like this blend from David’s Tea, which I wasn’t sure about at first with the turmeric, but the extra spice gives the tea a warmer and more soothing tone. Turmeric is a bright yellow spice commonly used in curries, but I also associate it with detoxing formulas, so I find that the spice gives the tea a cleansing feel as well. Turmeric also supposedly comes with cosmetic benefits, with antioxidents that contribute to a natural glow in your skin. Not sure how much of an extent it’s had an effect on my skin given my already present brightening skin care routine, but it doesn’t hurt to have a booster!
A lot of teas come with claims of all these health benefits, and the impact of most of them are hard for me to notice. Ginger tea, on the other hand, does in fact have an soothing effect on my stomach, and it’s now my go-to remedy for a lot of my tummy problems!
I currently steep my loose leaf teas in my Color Block teapot that I purchased at Tiffany & Co on my birthday, which I’m actually thinking of replacing and using as display and for special occasions. It’s a beautiful piece when sitting on my shelf and table, but its delicacy makes me scared to use it!!! I can be rather clumsy with my hands so I get scared of dropping the teapot or bumping it into something and breaking it. Also spent a lot of money on that thing… Do not ask why!
This is the same tea set that was served when we had Breakfast at Tiffany’s at the Blue Box in New York. I guess I just wanted to bring that experience home!
–By the way, I’ve been addicted to snacking on these honey roasted peanuts from Trader Joe’s. I have to portion control and eat them out of a little bowl to prevent myself from eating the entire bag!!!
That tea set is absolutely beautiful!