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Thursday, February 21, 2013

A Peek Inside my Tea Cabinet!

I know some of us have confessed our adoration for tea, which isn't surprising considering the fact that we love things that smell nice! You can view Nadja's tea collection over here, it's awesome and makes mine look puny!

Tea is great because it smells wonderful, tastes fantastic, and can provide a whole slew of health benefits. I will warn you now that this will probably be a long and picture-heavy post, so it won't be for you if tea isn't your... cup of tea, hurr hurr.

I'm going to organize this like my perfume collection post (by brand), but first I'll show you my tea cabinet itself because it's cute!


I got the little button from Nut and Bee, a stationary store based in New Zealand. Sadly, the owner closed the store, so I can't link it for you guys :(

First tea company up is Teavana!

~Teavana~

Tea descriptions are from Teavana.


Lavender Dreams tea in the most awesome container on the planet!

Lavender Dreams:
Enjoy a relaxing evening with this delicate white tea infused with the tranquility only lavender can create. Sweet floral enriched dreams are just a cup away with aromatic lavender blossoms, candied violets, rose buds, and sweet peach. A magical lullaby of soft, silky, smoothness awaits in every sip of this peaceful, dreamy blend.



Next is Teavana's Tranquil Dream, Strawberry Paraiso, and Azteca Fire teas.

Tranquil Dream:
Relax as comfort inducing Egyption chamomile mixes with lemongrass and hibiscus. Curl up in your favorite comfy blanket sipping orange blossoms and pleasant mint that will have you relaxed and ready for a night of the sweetest dreams.

Strawberry Paraiso:
Shangri-la awaits in every sip of tempting strawberries, papaya with snowy white popcorn. This paradise of soft white tea is a skyward temple to 'superfruits'. SUPERFRUIT ENHANCED

Azteca Fire:
Gorgeous feather headdresses, exquisite turquoise jewels and the famed Latin cocoa and spicy chilies were all used as money to satisfy Aztecan nobility. This tea is a drink worthy of the gods with the taste of hand-dipped chocolate- covered strawberries emboldened with a kick of chilies that summon the Aztecs favorite luxuries. Each sip is as decadent as the last in this tasty, chocolaty treat.

Last in my Teavana collection is White Ayurvedic Chai.



Both these containers contained White Ayurvedic Chai. Presently, both are sadly empty; waiting to be refilled when I'm not so poor :(

White Ayurvedic Chai
Journey to India and take in all its exotic pleasures with this modern twist on a sweet and spicy classic. High quality white tea combines with cinnamon, coconut, pineapple, ginger, cardamom, and cloves giving this tea complex, sweet, full-bodied flavor. This proud chai's aroma and spicy flavors deliver a melange of deliciousness sip after heavenly sip. CONTAINS NUTS.

This is possibly my most favorite tea I've ever had. It smells heavenly and tastes even better. It's perfect for fall, but I'd drink it every single day if I had the money to. I really miss this tea!

I have a bittersweet relationship with Teavana. On one hand, I absolutely adore Teavana. Their teas are generally outstanding and well made. The employees seem like they truly care about their customers and try to help them to find the right tea (based on flavor and health benefits). However, the tea is absurdly overpriced, which sucks. It's also not as convenient to purchase as local supermarket teas. Lastly, I can tell the employees are pressured to up-sell customers like crazy. Not everyone needs a tin container or cast iron tea pot! I know that's more of a corporate fail than anything. The big wigs gotta make their millions while us peons slave away at minimum wage! ;)

~Celestial Seasonings~

Tea Descriptions are from Celestial Seasonings.



Nutcracker Sweet, Sleepytime, and Green teas.

Nutcracker Sweet:
Irresistibly delicious black tea with vanilla, nutty flavors and a pinch of cinnamon.

Sleepytime:
A soothing blend of chamomile, spearmint and lemongrass, Sleepytime® is the most beloved of our herbal tea recipes.

Green tea:
An authentic green tea with the best of both worlds: green tea benefits like flavonoid antioxidants and great taste.

Sleepytime is definitely one of my favorite teas. I love to drink it before bedtime and just when I need to relax. And the bears on the packaging are so dang cute! My only complaint is that the tilia flowers in this tea make me have to pee every two seconds!



Top- Mandarin Orange Spice
Bottom L to R- Candy Cane Lane, Madagascar Vanilla, and Tension Tamer.

Mandarin Orange Spice:
With an aromatic blend of oranges, herbs and spices, this herbal tea has a distinctively Eastern flair.

Candy Cane Lane:
Our smooth decaf green tea with the festive flavors of vanilla and other holiday tastes.

I'm sad about Candy Cane Lane. I've had it in the past and quite enjoyed it, but it contains an ingredient I'm not supposed to have with the medication I'm taking :( Shame on me for not reading the ingredients!

Madagascar Vanilla:
Authentic rooibos tea with rich vanilla flavor for a sweet twist on your everyday red tea blend.

Tension Tamer:
A traditional ginger tea with a tranquil twist from chamomile, eleuthero and B-vitamins.

Other Brands

Republic of Tea product description is from their website
Tazo product descriptions are from here


Republic of Tea- Get Relaxed, Tazo Earl Grey (I stash this one in a Mickey Mouse tea tin), and Tazo Zen

Get Relaxed:
Herb Tea for Relieving Stress - Stressed out and feeling kind of edgy? Join the club. Ours is a fast-paced, demanding world. The good news is this caffeine-free, herbal blend delivers composure in a tea cup - if only you'll take a moment to brew and sip.

The mood-mellowing begins instantly with the calming aromas of lavender and rose petals gently wafting up from the steaming cup. Ahhhh. With each sip, a blissful blend of health-promoting organic rooibos laced with nerve-soothing chamomile and passionflower, along with stress reducing eleuthero root that helps you chill out, unbend and unwind*. Simply brew and breathe. Deep.

Earl Grey:
Black tea kissed with bergamot’s lavender essence.

Zen:
An enlightening blend of green teas with spearmint and lemony flavors.


Only two more to go!

The Red Rose product description was retrieved here, while the Traditional Medicinals description was found here


Red Rose black tea, Traditional Medicinals Chamomile Lavender tea

Red Rose:
For generations, family and friends have shared some of life's special moments over a cup of Red Rose Tea. With a unique blend that has been enjoyed for over 100 years, Red Rose brings together premium tea leaves from the world's finest mountain estates for consistent quality and great taste. Like the people that matter most in matter most in your life, it's one more thing that you can always count on to be there for you.

Chamomile Lavender:
A friend when the going gets tough, this herbal blend of beautiful and fragrant flowers with soothing lemon balm will stand by you when you’re troubled by nervous tension or upset stomach,* or simply when you need to step out of the stream of life for a moment and take a well-deserved break. We love this dynamic trio of gentle herbs for their ability to help you slow down and savor the moment.

I'm going to end this post immediately, as that was immensely long. I hope it was fun though! Thanks for reading!

~Rachel

Disclaimer: All items mentioned were purchased by me for my own personal usage. I'm not being paid by any of the companies mentioned. I'm also not affiliated with any of the companies mentioned. As always, my opinions are my own and honest.

11 comments:

  1. That´s lots of tea! :D I´ll have to take some photos of our tea cabinet too! ;)

    I LOVE Celestial Seasonings but it is absolutely imossible to find here in Sweden and in Finland there is one shop that sometimes have a limited range of Celestial Seasonings teas... I have had several different CS teas but my favorite so far is English Toffee Dessert Tea! I have three bags of the stuff left and I´m saving it for really special occasions as I don´t know when I can get my hands on some more...

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    1. It is! Haha! perhaps too much tea! I hope you do a post, I'd love to see your tea cabinet!

      Well I will include some CS teas in your care package! I haven't seen English Toffee desert tea, but I will buy it for you if I do happen to find it. I love how affordable CS teas are! They're in every grocery store here in the US. I'm sorry it's so hard to find in Sweden. Are there any other flavors you'd like me to send you, in case I can't find your favorite?

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    2. I spent the last daylight hour taking photos of teas, so I´ll do a post about our tea cabinet some time this weekend!

      Oh, that´s so sweet of you! I have mostly loose tea, but I do own some particularily delicious yogi tea bags that I´d love to share with you! I can´t even remember what CS teas I have tried, but mostly it has been very sweet dessert kind of teas... I love that kind of tea, but it´s very hard to find here...

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    3. Whew, that was probably a challenge! I know I had to lug my teas outside in two grocery bags that were full to the brim! I can't wait to see your teas!

      Oh, it's no big deal at all. I hope I find the kind you love though, English Toffee dessert tea! Then you wouldn't have to save it for special occasions! I'd love to try your Yogi tea! That's so nice of you to offer. I've liked teas I've tried from Yogi! Have you ever tried David's Tea? I haven't yet, but I want to badly!

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    4. I normally take all my photos indoors so I didn´t have to move them further than to the kitchen table... My tea post is up now so you don´t have to wait any longer!

      It was with a deep pain in my heart that I realized that English Toffee is *sniff* DISCONTINUED! So are the other ones I have tried and loved from CS... :(

      I haven´t tried David's Tea, and I haven´t seen it in any shops here... But many of those blends are similar to ones I can find in the tea shops in town! :) I have both Yogi tea bags and Pukka tea bags that I think you might enjoy or ast least find interesting! Spice teas are not for everyone... ;)

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  2. At the risk of sounding sacrilegious, I'm not a big fan of tea. I like the smell of them especially in perfumes, but I've never acquired a taste for them. I see there are so many kinds though, I probably just haven't found the right one.

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    1. You are a heathen! But to be honest I´m not too fond of teas that contain actual tea either... I like tea that isn´t tea, herbal and spice blends mostly! Try some of those, you might like them better!

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    2. Sacrilegious? Nah, not at all. I can definitely understand. Tea isn't for everyone! I just like making my own because I don't like the sugary concoctions sold as tea or tea lemonade at the grocery store ;D Not that I'm a nutritional purist, just that unsweetened, freshly brewed tea tastes better to me. There was also a time when I drank a lot of unsweetened iced tea because, for whatever reason, I felt like it was a delightful beverage with a Middle Earth-type flair. There are definitely a lot of kinds though, a lot of which don't even taste like tea!

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    3. I probably just have bad associations from accidently sipping my mom's basic bland iced tea when I thought it was pop or something. I've gotten more frou-frou teabags in my birchboxes before, I keep using them as eye compresses. Maybe I should actually try drinking one!

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  3. I want that deadly nightshade container for my kitchen so badly!!!

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    1. Isn't it amazing? My mom got it for me when she was at Disneyland as a souviner, and I adore it very much. I'm a huge Nightmare Before Christmas fan :)

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I know I sound like a cheeseball, but I really do appreciate you guys being here and reading my blog. It's nice to know that I'm not just talking to myself, haha. Your comments are just an added bonus. Please know that your comments are always welcomed and greatly appreciated.