I knew I had to do this post just as much for myself as for anyone else out there who might be going through something similar. I’ve found that grief is something that comes in waves. It is a process. It doesn’t have a rule book or manual. It is an individual experience, and it takes however long it takes. Going through it alone however is a kind of self-induced torture. During this time of covid-19 and human rights atrocities, we’ve lost so much: structure, outlets, human contact, jobs, income, security, respect, freedom. Some have lost their lives or people they love or beloved pets. In a time where we are asked to stay alone or in small groups our grieving process has been taken too. Funerals, wakes, gathering together to celebrate the life of another, are limited if they are available at all. This makes it even more important to create new rituals and to soothe ourselves. It’s also extremely important not to become emotionally isolated. A phone call or video call may not substitute for a hug and an actual shoulder to cry on, but they’re better than being alone with cycling surges of loss. I’ve had two personal situations during this time that made me realize how important it is to engage in self-care and to reach out. Someone dear to me thousands of miles away is being cared for in a facility, but no one is allowed to visit. I don't know how much time she has left. The powerlessness. The uncertainty. Then my beloved cat fell ill and deteriorated. This magical creature that has been a part of my life every day for years was in pain. Not getting better. Having to make a decision when or if to end his life before he was in excruciating pain is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Watching the light leave his eyes felt like light was leaving my life. Waves still hit me. Rituals like tea and conversations with friends don’t eliminate grief, but I’ve found they help me process it. That’s the goal. Not to wallow in grief, not to reject it and have it haunt me later, but process it, get on the other side of it, and continue to live. There have been some days that looking forward to a cup of tea is what got me out of bed. When so much of life feels out of control, making a cup of tea the way I like it reminds me that I do have choices. The calm from the L-theanine and the energy from the caffeine are a feel-good combo. They help my focus when my mind wants to fly away or just put me to sleep. Video calls with friends over tea (and sometimes something stronger) give me a feeling of connection. To share something positive with those I love and who love me in return does more than ease grief, it builds relationships, continuing the story until the next time we can take hands and breathe the same air. I don’t believe we are meant to be islands. Though it is difficult to be vulnerable in front of others, handling emotional pain alone isn’t heroic. It doesn’t save the world. Vulnerability isn’t shameful. I encourage you to reach out to someone you trust. Perhaps you feel everyone in your life is currently so burdened you don’t feel comfortable talking to them about your pain. I get it. Perhaps you don’t feel you have someone in your life you can be that vulnerable in front of. I get that too. If you’re surrounded by empty platitudes rather than people who actually show up you can still show up for yourself. You can also reach out to a third-party like a professional. Sometimes it is easier to talk about something emotionally heavy with someone who is completely uninvolved. They’re not someone you will see on a regular basis, their opinion of you matters less, and they’re not emotionally attached to the issue. Now I’m not a counselor or psychologist. I’m just a person learning to manage my own sadness during this time, and sharing what I hope will be helpful to you managing yours. Even though I do have people who are in a good place to reach out to (and who I appreciate immensely for supporting me), I do occasionally use a couple of the resources below. I hope that they are helpful to you when you need them. Whatever your loss or grief I wish you healing and that love and joy win the battle for your heart. Grief and Mental Health RESOURCESAnxiety and Depression Association of America https://adaa.org/ Video resources, therapist directory No insurance, low cost: Talkspace https://lp.talkspace.com/try Messaging therapy (fee based/weekly), paired with a therapist Free resources: Crisis Text Line https://www.crisistextline.org/ Free 24/7 resource in US, Canada, UK, Ireland Pet grief resources Rainbow Bridge https://www.rainbowsbridge.com/grief_support_center/grief_support_home.htm Multiple resources including a forum, chat, coping suggestions for children and adults and more The Rainbow Bridge poem: https://www.rainbowsbridge.com/Rainbow_Boutique/Rainbow_items/Poem_upclose.htm Though I started this in May, I needed time and clarity to complete it. This is not a sponsored post. Resources were just those I've found and/or used. 5/21/2020 Happy International Tea Day! Celebrate the Leaf, The Earth and the Human Hands that Craft our TeaHappy International Tea Day everyone! This is the first official observance of this international day. For those who don’t know, this isn’t just a day to celebrate your tea love. This day was created to put a focus on the needs of tea workers, the industry, the importance of sustainability, and the worldwide impact of tea economically as well as culturally.
Brief Tea Day History An unofficial International Tea Day was celebrated in 2005 in New Delhi. It is now an official day of observance each May 21 as decreed by the United Nations General Assembly: “In 2015, during a meeting in Milan, Italy, the IGG on Tea discussed the idea of an International Tea Day. The proposal was then endorsed by the FAO Committee on Commodity Problems (CCP) and subsequently adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2019” - Wikipedia Drought, Prices and Hard Times for Tea Workers The tea industry has been hard hit by recent droughts and fires that have actually destroyed some ancient tea trees particularly in the Yunnan province. (Check out my Tea from a Drought Year post.) When you see a higher price point for some of your favorite teas, especially the rare ones, understand that there are plantations and workers who have been dealing with reduced harvests and lack of employment prior to covid-19 because of drought and fire damage. The cost increases are justified considering the smaller yields. The taste of the tea when it has gone through a drought is really unique it is and worth the higher price point for that too. To learn even more about this official day check out the United Nations site. There was also a webcast today by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) bringing together professionals from major tea producing countries around the world. They discuss tea varieties and how they are part of cultural events and pay homage to those who have passed on the love of tea from generation to generation. You can see the webcast here: http://www.fao.org/webcast/home/en/item/5271/icode/ There’s been a lot of talk about mindfulness in regard to health and how we view our world. International Tea Day is a great opportunity to appreciate the beverage you love, the earth that nurtured it, and all of the human hands that came together to bring it to you. In some ways tea really does bring the world together. Share a picture of your tea or tell us what you are drinking in social! As a tea drinker I’m sure you can relate to this scenario: you and a friend go out for tea/coffee and a chat at the local coffee shop. Your friend orders a latte, you order a tea. You get handed a cup of whatever-temperature-they-have water with a bag floating in it, or worse, a cup of water with a metal spoon in it with a bag on the side. (Has everyone forgotten basic science?) Your friend gets a properly ground and brewed espresso shot, carefully foamed milk of their choice and a topping of latte art. Thankfully not all coffee businesses diss the tea drinker. There are some coffee companies that realize coffee drinkers sometimes drink tea or invite friends over who do. Amora is that kind of coffee company. Firstly, Amora is a specialty coffee company that understands the beauty in the details. From their website, they roast “on-demand” for their customers, giving the freshest experience, and they have a 9 part roasting process (they say the usual is 3) I have not had their coffee, but I did work for a roastery at one point and can tell you the fresher the roast the better the experience. Amora wisely recognized that there is a tea drinking market and that tea and coffee drinkers are social with each other. So in 2015 they “ added Amora Tea: "because tea drinkers deserve the same love.” (Yes. Yes we do.) Their tea offerings, like their coffee, are focused on a blend of quality and ease. Not all tea drinkers are into the more involved process of loose leaf tea selection and brewing. Amora uses bags which are very popular for the occasional tea drinker or those who want to have something to offer their tea drinking friends. Their bags are biodegradable and pyramid shaped which offers more room for the tea and water to mingle. If you’re put off by the bag part, remember, not all bagged teas are alike. As you can see from this side by side comparison of Amora’s Green Cloud Mist tea and a well known, readily available green tea in a traditional paper bag (No. I'm not name-shaming.). You can see that the Amora green tea is larger pieces of leaf and deeper in color. In my experience pyramid bagged tea usually indicates a better quality than the tea in old fashioned paper bags. But the proof is in the taste. I gave my friend who is a frequent but casual green tea drinker one of the Amora bags and he noticed a marked difference in taste, saying that it was smoother and tasted better. The more broken the leaf the more quickly it loses flavor and the dust/fanning bagged teas release more tannins for a more bitter experience. Amora is offering a bridge between full loose leaf and extremely broken bagged tea with the convenience of a bag. So if you want to have tea on hand for your occasional tea mood, for your tea drinking friends or you just prefer a good standard tea with no fuss Amora teas hit the spot. Quick Look
English BreakfastThe black tea for Amora’s English Breakfast is sourced from the Iyerpadi tea estate in India. I picked up a fruity, sweet, round taste with a body that can take cream and sugar but not so heavy the spoon will stand up in it. (That is as it should be. The spoon standing should be left to Irish Breakfast and Scottish Breakfast blends.) Teas often feel like experiences to me and this one is like walking through a forest picking wild berries. An interesting extra note for iced tea drinkers: the organic Iyerpadi Black BOP doesn’t get cloudy when cool. Earl GreyThe leaves for this tea are sourced from the first organic tea estate in the world (certified in 1989): Idulgashinna, bio-dynamic estate (since 1999) in Sri Lanka If you are an Earl Grey drinker you may be aware of the myriad of Earl Grey’s out there - some with double or triple bergamot, a lighter bodied tea as a base, or the addition of other elements like lavender or lemon. This is a straight up Earl Grey that I think would please most casual Earl Grey fans. Green Cloud MistThis is an organic Chinese tea called Yun Wu or Cloud Mist from remote Mount Putuo in the Zhejiang province. I found this to be a satisfying light bodied green with minerality, a touch of butter and leaving a pleasant dryness on the tongue. I liked it steeped for shorter time or in more than 6-8 oz. water. This one also reminded me of an experience: walking along a beach with the scent of the water rushing over the rocks. Ginger Lemongrass (herbal)This blend is 100% natural organic ginger root, lemongrass, licorice root, lemon peel and mint. The flavors all dance well together. Though very fresh smelling the ginger is not hot or overbearing. Also, for those unfamiliar, licorice root doesn’t taste like the candy. It lends a natural light sweetness to tea blends.
This is a great nighttime tea and good for any morning stomach upset as it is mild. Thanks to Amora for supplying the tea for this taste adventure. Like a great house wine, it is wonderful to have quality tea at the ready for guests or for yourself. Check out Amora’s other teas and coffee offerings shipped directly to you priority. Enjoy! Note: The links in this post are not affiliate links. All opinions are my own. Yes, whole leaf tea is gorgeous and nuanced and complex, but sometimes a flavored tea is a fun mini adventure. I tried some amusing novelty teas from Yorkshire Tea and Tazo tea that were like sweets in a cup! Yorkshire Biscuit Tea - Make it SubtleBefore #YorkshireTeaGate, I remember seeing pictures of this tea on Twitter and thinking I must try it. Yes, I dunk tea biscuits in my tea when I’m in the mood. The thought of a tea that tastes like a biscuit has already been dunked in it sounded a bit weird and a bit interesting. I had a mild tantrum when I found out they don't sell these in the US. Thankfully though, there’s Amazon. The box arrived looking like someone had played soccer with it but the bags were unharmed. I brought these intriguing tea baggies over to my tea drinking bandmate. We often have tea biscuits with our tea. Side note for all of the Americans that are not Anglophiles: we’re not talking about dunking a southern style doughy biscuit in the tea. We're also not talking about a chunky chocolate chip cookie. These tea biscuits are a lightly sweet, malty, very thin cookie. Okay so this is a much more subtle flavored tea than the other ones in this post. It had a mild sweetness that was accentuated by adding honey or sugar to it. If you've ever dunked a tea biscuit into a basic black tea, you know what that tastes like. This tea does approximate that pretty well. My bandmate agreed. In the end, we both decided we prefer choosing our black tea and dunking our favorite biscuit in it. But it was fun to try and I recommend the adventure. Tazo Dessert Delights - Tastes Like the Real ThingTazo Dessert Delights Glazed Lemon Loaf Herbal Tea
Tazo Dessert Delights Butterscotch Blondie tea. I can't remember when I first saw pictures of these teas but it did make me wonder: awesome or gross or somewhere in-between? Flavored teas are not a go-to for me, but these were really wild. They actually taste like they smell and are dead ringers for the desserts they represent. I think I would prefer having the dessert because there's something to be said for texture. Still, these were really fun and surprising. Everyone in the room who smelled the teas were intrigued, and agreed that they taste like the desserts. The glazed lemon loaf tea is herbal. There is no camellia sinensis in it, so if you like having some dessert before bed but don't want a whole lot of caffeine, calories or sugar, try this. It has a green rooibos base with apple, chamomile, orange peel, rose and licorice root. (Note: Licorice root is often included for a bit of natural sweetness. It doesn't taste like licorice at all.) The butterscotch blondie is a black tea base with chicory root, cocoa peel, licorice root, cinnamon, cardamom, and natural flavors. GOING DEEPER I believe it's important to do your due diligence about whatever you put into your body. This isn't about being afraid but rather about being informed so that you can make the best choices that fit with your values and lifestyle. Generally I find loose leaf teas to be of better quality than bagged teas, but that isn't the case across the board. As many ingredient labels read “ingredients: tea”, we as consumers have to do a lot of work to know the quality of tea we’re drinking. Even then, without knowing the importer or the company in detail we often don't know which countries, plantations, harvests, elevations, shading, etc. (all of which impact flavor, caffeine and compounds) we’re dealing with. Here are the smartlabel links for the Tazo teas: Blondie: https://smartlabel.labelinsight.com/product/4890841/ingredients Lemon loaf: https://smartlabel.labelinsight.com/product/4857147/ingredients The smart label information doesn't go into detail about where the tea is sourced or the harvest. It does give a description of what the FDA means by things like “natural flavors." Tazo is owned by Unilever, which is the largest tea company in the world when including all of the brands it owns, like Lipton. Unilever has more information on their tea sourcing, Rainforest Alliance and sustainability initiatives on their website. Have you tried any of these teas, or other dessert teas you would recommend? Let us know on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TeaDeviant/and Twitter https://twitter.com/teadeviant I wish you tasty adventures in great tea! This is not a sponsored post. |
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