Choose Happy Tea — What’s In Your Tea Cup?
When the craving for tea hits. It’s some Happy Tea for me!
I had a craving. To Choose Happy today, I just had to have a cup of tea. But not any old tea would do…
I opened the pantry door and looked at the tea shelf. You must be there!
I sorted through my accumulated boxes and there it was. A red box, with a splendid Lion on it. I’d found the elixir that my body, mind and spirit craved. African Rooibos flavored with Madagascar Vanilla. Yes!!!
I rushed to the kettle and filled it with fresh well water. Opened the red box and breathed deeply. I pulled out my favorite teacup (big enough to hold half a pint of deliciousness). A china tea cup, with a saucer. No mere porcelain mug for this craving.
The kettle boiled and I poured the water over the teabag, breathing deeply and savoring the heady aromas as the hot water released them.
Patience now Jacqueline, patience. I popped the timer on. Four minutes should do it.
Using a teaspoon, out came the teabag. And the finished product was at last in my hands.
I took my teacup and saucer, filled with the delicious nectar. Sat by the window. Finally, I sipped my tea!
No need for honey or sugar. No need for milk in any form. The aromatic tantalizing mixture of the earthy Rooibos and the deep floral notes of the finest Vanilla made me feel warm and comforted. The delicate taste calmed my cravings.
Choose Happy Tea!
Oh yes, I had. And as I sat there, sipping, sampling, enjoying; I had a thought. I need to share this experience with you. The simplicity of taking a moment out of our daily life to just enjoy being. For me, tea time has that effect.
You don’t have to spend a lot of money to Choose Happy. And we certainly don’t have to have the perfect life to Choose Happy. What we do need to do, is to stop every now and again to simply enjoy the simple things in life.
So, this is one way I Choose Happy ~ I stop and enjoy a cuppa tea.
And I’d like you to enjoy the pleasures of Tea Time too. So, I’m sharing with you my most favorite teas.
Today’s Special Tea (get it … special tea, specialty!)
African Rooibos Madagascar Vanilla
The people of South Africa have enjoyed Rooibos (or ‘red bush’) tea for centuries. It was first introduced to me by a client. She took a visit to her home and came back with bags of Rooibos for friends. I was hooked instantly.
The plant has needle-like leaves which contain potent antioxidants.
(What are antioxidants? Have you ever seen those bottom-feeder fish in a fish-tank, sucking up all the grime and gunk? Now if your body was a fish-tank, then antioxidants would be the scavenger fish in your body. they suck up icky ‘free radicals’. Free radicals are molecules that get into our cells and make them unhealthy, even cancerous. So antioxidants are good for us.)
And even more exciting, as if that wasn’t enough…Rooibos is caffeine-free! So we can drink it anytime.
Rooibos is rich in calcium, so it’s good for our bones and teeth. It’s also high in zinc, so Rooibos tea is a good choice when we have a cold or a sore throat.
And what about the Vanilla? Apart from being absolutely scrumptious, Vanilla, which is the pod of a tropical, climbing orchid. Well Vanilla, has a whole heap of trace minerals that are good for us and has some B Vitamins. Upping our B vits is good when we are stressed, as they help our bodies’ nervous system stay healthy. (And psst…many cultures consider Vanilla a natural aphrodisiac.
What the Tea Blend Master has to say…
Rooibos is naturally sweet with a slightly nutty flavor with hints of cherry and toffee. Vanilla is rich, sweet and creamy.
So, there we have it. I Choose Happy with a Tea Break and my tea of choice this week is African Rooibos with Madagascar Vanilla. What’s in your cup?
i love that tea
Woohoo…let’s plan a Tea Party soon. I’ll find some g-f cake. xox
It’s amazing how a cup of tea can change your entire outlook on the day 🙂
It’s all about being kind and enjoying simple pleasures. xox
We have a daily habit of tea before bed now. My daughters love to put the kettle on the wood stove and listen for the whistle. They’ve tried a few teas, but always come back to chamomile.
I love the image Christie. Funny, my daughters always favored chamomile before bed too. What a lovely habit you are creating. xox
Right now I’m drinking Mayan Coco Spice!! It is a red tea blend too with cacao and cinnamon in it. Yummy!!
Jacqueline- I love how you write and the way you drew us right in, on a sensual level, to fully experience the tea. It was totally engaging.
Thank you Leah. That’s so lovely to hear. Enjoy your tea!
Love the way you write and always have a yummy cuppa in hand when i sit down to read your blog! Have an amazing day!! xx
Thank you Kimberly…if it’s not a cuppa tea, then it’s a big glass of water on my desk…but it’s winter, so it’s mostly tea! LOL! xox
That was delicious.. could smell all of the notes and taste it (almost)…love being brought into my senses.. Nothing warm in my cup this afternoon.. just a little coconut water cut with regular water to move through an extraordinarily packed afternoon. Love to you.. Lisa
Ooh, I haven’t got into the coconut water, but have been having lots of fun with the oil. I’ll check it out.
Beautiful.. love what you’re up to and look forward to learning more
about it all Jacqueline (after holiday bustle is over)…Sounds like a
gorgeous project.. love to you.. Lisa
I love that you are a fan of the red vanilla tea too. I’m scheming how to bring more time for appreciation of the quiet moments into our lives. xox
mmmmm, Jacqueline, what a beautiful way to choose – and share – Happy! Delicious! Thank you!
Hugs and butterflies,
~Teresa~
You are most welcome Butterfly Maiden!
Oh yes! Rooibos and Spiced Vanilla are two of my favorite teas. The little things… 🙂
~ Karen
We are so blessed to have so much selection…another reminder to give thanks.
Loved this line: “The simplicity of taking a moment out of our daily life to just enjoy being. For me, tea time has that effect.” My simplicity moment is lighting a gratitude candle at my desk each morning before I begin working. Few deep breaths…few moments to look at the flame spark and off i go for the day! xx
Thanks Danielle, I’m looking at my empty candle holder on my desk and thinking I need to do that too! I’ll grab a new candle and add to my gratitudes today xox
Loved this line: “The simplicity of taking a moment out of our daily life to just enjoy being. For me, tea time has that effect. I LOVE TEA
Great reminder. Thanks for dropping by.