We Talk Shop

I am a tea addict. I was not acquainted with Teavana until I came home one night to find a gift bag left on my counter. (Unexpected gifts are the best kind; you know people are thinking of you even when it’s not a special day.) In my gift bag was the Teavana Perfect Tea Maker, the perfect tea spoon, two cans of loose tea and a can of German rock cane sugar. It was as though the tea gods looked down upon me and bestowed a thank you gift for my devotion.

The Teavana Perfect Tea Maker is an easy-to-clean loose tea steeper that makes the perfect cup of tea. The back of the loose tea can tells you how long to steep your tea depending on the type you have, and they have so many flavors and types of tea, your pantry will have half a shelf filled with tea – like mine – before you know it. Also, you not only get instructions for hot tea, but also for iced and herbal iced teas.

Teavana also sells the Perfect Tea Mug, but it’s not necessary to buy this as well. I’ve used two of my ceramic mugs, one with a smaller mouth, and the tea maker fit on both. (Although on the mug with the smaller mouth, I did need to move it around a little to get the proper fit.)

To get you started, I recommend the MatéVana Herbal Tea and Thai Tea Blend Black Tea.

Get it: Online or in stores: $17.99 for the two-cup tea maker, $29.99 for the four-cup. If you shop in the store and want a few teas to take home to try, start with about two ounces. These teas add up in price quick and you can have just a few teas and suddenly have a $30+ bill. 

I’m a snorer and my husband is always trying to find ways to alleviate the stress he goes through having to sleep next to me every night.

Recently a friend of ours passed along a packet of Yogi Breathe Deep Tea for me to try, he swore by it. I’m glad he did.

Yogi Breathe Deep “supports clear breathing,” and it certainly does that, however I’m not sure anymore than other teas I’ve had. I was suffering from some congestion and it cleared it right up, as far as my snoring is concerned my husband attested it did little to suppress that.

But what I loved about Yogi was that it tastes really good. I’m not a fan of licorice and was weary when I saw Organic Licorice Root in the ingredients, but the taste is so subtle and compliments the other organic ingredients in the tea that include: Eucalyptus Leaf, Basil Leaf, Ginger Root, Cinnamon Bark, Thyme Leaf, Elecampane Root, Peppermint Leaf, Cardamom Seed, Mullein Leaf, Natural Flavors.

Get it: I seriously look forward to this tea as a regular part of my evening. At $4-$5 for a box of 16 tea bags it’s a bit pricier than I want to pay so I can’t have it every evening, but it’s certainly a treat when I do.