As you can probably tell from my blog logo alone, tea is very special to me.
I love how tea creates such a cozy feeling and there are so many different options. You can be an herbal tea drinker, or black tea, matcha, chai, and loads in between. Certain teas can even be like forms of natural medicine.
On a personal note, I’ve always loved tea (give me a London fog or a match and I’m a happy camper), but I really fell in love with it at the same time I fell in love with my now-husband, Matt. I was always interested in the idea of afternoon tea in the UK but didn’t realize how much it was connected to their culture until meeting Matt. He’s this big, burly guy who drinks at least two cups of PG Tips black tea, two teaspoons of sugar, and a big splash of milk every single day. It’s a part of his routine and it’s really an essential part of any British household (from my experience). When you go to someone’s home in England, they immediately offer you a cup of tea as a welcoming gesture.
So, of course, I have all my in-laws, niece, and nephew’s tea orders memorized.
A funny story I have around tea is when I visited Matt for the first time. His stepdad came over one evening with two friends and when they set down in the living room, I immediately offered tea. That’s what you do right? Each of the men made their order with me and I got to tea-making. The entire time I couldn’t stop laughing at the fact that this young American girl was making tea for all these British men. When they left, I checked all the mugs and was delighted to see that everyone drank their entire cup. I’m not sure if it was out of politeness or because I actually made them alright, probably a bit of both, but I was delighted that I accomplished the task. Serving tea when guests arrive is now one of my favorite things. I love seeing how everyone likes theirs –from my friend Emily who loves straight-up black tea with nothing in it to my father-in-law who I have to pull out the coffee maker for. It’s given me this renewed love for hosting at home, and I love the memories I’ve now created around a great cuppa.
So, I thought it would be fun to share a week in my life: tea version. Hope you like it. Xx
Monday
10:45am. I’m kicking things off with my favorite of all favorites. Williamson’s Earl Grey tea is my go-to. I love it with one teaspoon of honey and a splash of Oatly oat milk.
Williamson Tea is a family-owned business with over 140 years of experience of growing fine teas in their four African farms. What I really love is that all their teas are grown sustainably and with complete transparency, from bush to cup. There’s also the Williamson Foundation ensuring that all Williamson workers work and live in good conditions, earn a decent living wage and that the land is managed so future generations can continue to enjoy the benefits of fertile soils and ancient wild forests. It’s a tea I can enjoy and feel good about drinking.
I’m having this cup a little late this morning as I started the day with a long walk on the beach and a workout. I had a smoothie when I first woke up so I didn’t feel like tea until all the exercise was done. Now I’m enjoying my cup while snuggling with the dogs and getting some work done.
Tuesday
7:00am. My eyes feel heavy today and I need a really good pick me up, so matcha it is. I’m not really loyal to one brand, and this one I found in the cupboard at my parent’s house. I’ll usually make it with some locally grown honey and oat milk, of course. My favorite new purchase is this USB-chargeable milk frother.
I love how it makes the matcha so creamy.
I’m enjoying this while chatting with my mom. One positive of quarantine is all the quality time I’ve been able to have with my family, and I really cherish our slow mornings together.
Wednesday
9:00am. As you can tell, I’m not really attached to a specific time for tea-drinking. I’ll usually just make a cup when I feel like it. I’m feeling a bit anxious this morning so I decided to switch it up and have an herbal tea while taking a bath. This tea is lemon & ginger from Twinings and it’s soo delicious.
I’m already feeling much more grounded and centered. Plus, ginger is great for my digestive system.
Thursday
10:00am. Oh what a night. Sadly, last night we had an almost 600-acre fire blaze through our area. My family and I were safe as we were on the outskirts of the evacuation zone, but a bunch of our friends were sadly in the zone. So at around 10pm we began to make all our beds and move things around in case we had any visitors, and we also called some neighbors to see if their homes could be opened. We all ended up hardly sleeping as we checked on the fire situation and took care of locals. We are so grateful that many of our friend’s homes were spared, but sadly others were not as fortunate. Fires are incredibly scary as they spread so fast and are so unpredictable. Thankfully our firefighters were able to mostly contain it by morning, and now it’s our job to support the rebuild for those that have been affected.
Since sleep wasn’t really a thing, I needed something strong to get me going this morning. And that’s when I turn to coffee. So, maybe I should title this: my week in tea (and sometime’s coffee). Anyway, it’s another regular workday for me so I’ve got to get to it. A midday nap might be in my future though.
Friday
8:00am. I love Fridays. Even though weeks and weekends don’t really exist these days, it’s still lovely to wake up on a Friday and feel like you’ve accomplished another big week. I took things easy this morning and went on a walk with my mom. While we were out, we walked by our local coffee shop, Amavida, and noticed that they were open for online ordering and had a stand out front to pick up. We quickly placed an order for our favorite drink: lavender oat milk matcha’s. It was so nice to enjoy a drink made by someone else for the first time in a while, and we sure did miss the deliciousness of anything from Amavida.
Whether it’s enjoyed with family on a cool spring evening or a way to wake up each morning, the ritual of drinking tea is sacred to me. The art of hygge is something I deeply connect to and I feel like tea is the perfect companion to the coziness of life.
I’d love to know what rituals you have, and if it’s tea, how do you like to drink yours?
Happy weekend, friend. Thanks for tuning in.
Always,
