Tea For Tessa

As a little girl I did some very cliché things, such as played tea party. I loved playing tea party especially with my cousin Maddy. She and I are like sisters, and we love spending time with each other. My favorite was to play tea party at her house because my Auntie would make us real tea to play with. This is truly when my love for tea began. My Aunt has an extensive tea collection, and some fabulous china to go with it. On occasion she would let us use it and it was very exciting.

            My Aunt would make us peppermint tea a lot and I think this is how it became my favorite. Peppermint tea reminds me of fun carefree times that just gives me warm and fuzzy feelings. Also peppermint is my favorite flavor of just about everything. However, we didn’t just have peppermint we had a wide variety of flavors we would drink. Being exposed to tea at a young age helped me grow up with a great appreciation for it.
            Now that I am older I have found that I like softer teas and nothing with a very in your face flavor. Honey is my favorite thing to put in my tea. It adds to the flavor without over whelming it and is a great natural sweetener. It is also excellent when you are sick or have a sore throat because it helps soothe your throat. A spoon full of honey helps the tea go down!
            Some tea extraordinaires say that tea in bags is awful and all you can taste is paper. Maybe my palate is just low class but I can’t taste paper so it is fully up to the consumer on how they would like to make their tea.  I have had loose leaf tea made with a tea ball and it was delicious but also a lot more effort, so again completely up to you. There is one thing that I think all tea drinkers should pay attention too and that is steeping time. Each type of tea (black, green, white) has a different time amount that is should be steeped and this is very important. If you go shorter than the time recommended you won’t get the full flavor and of you go longer your tea will go bitter. This means no, do not just leave the tea bag in while you drink! So make sure you check before enjoying your drink.
            I am also a fan of iced tea. I do not like making it because it can be a lengthy time process and I love instant satisfaction. But to each their own. My favorite iced tea is sweet tea is from Texas Borders. This is a small but ABSOLUTELY AMAZING restaurant in Katy, Texas. Every time I go to Texas there is a must have meal there. So if you are ever in the area check it out. I like my sweet tea to melt in my mouth the sweeter and colder the better. I could easily drink it daily. No matter what type of tea is your favorite, don’t be afraid to try a new flavor. Drink up!