… is something that intrigued me one cold, winter day when having lunch with my sweet friend, Kate, and her husband, Chris. We were at a local restaurant, Season’s 52 at City Centre, and when I had asked for a cup of hot tea, (a ritual not uncommon for me when wanting to find an alternative means to keeping me warm) the waitress kindly hesitated that they do offer tea, but not in a variety. I am not a tea snob, so I just replied, “Give me what you have.” Kate did the same!
To both of our surprise, the waitress came back with such a classy ensemble. Both Kate and I were given our individual mini square trays that had the most darling miniature white porcelain tea kettle, filled with the hottest water … a four-inch diameter, white porcelain tea cup … a silver spoon for stirring … a small silver cup filled with honey for the sweeter flavour a half lemon wedge for the acidic touch … and this two-inch tall pyramid with a small string-leaf peaking at the top. This pyramid was the tea! I had never seen a tea bag offered in this shape before – it was different and apparently, after a second glance, practical. The string-leaf conforms to the tea cup as a way to offer the tea to infuse in the water. Clever and cool!
Once the tea infused and I took a sip, it was actually very good. The flavor was Earl Grey, not a tea I typically would have opted for should I had been given options. I am happy for the limitation – it introduced me to a new tea. Even better, it introduced me to a new Brand: Tea Forte. The entire experience … from the visual representation, smell, and taste … was profound enough that I must have been wearing a smile so large that the waitress offered both Kate and I a Tea Forte, Earl Grey, to take home as a New Year’s treat! I was blown away – what a simple, nice gesture that made my day 🙂
I savoured that little Tea Forte gift when I came home, so much so that I relished it for a special occasion. That special occasion came around last week when I finished my 40-Day Challenge and wanted to celebrate by toasting to myself in my new 40-Day Challenge mug. And, what better way to celebrate than with a great cup of tea. Just as fast as I was basking in my tea came the sadness that I didn’t have another one. “Nope, not having it”, I thought to myself. So, I took to Google and researched Tea Forte and their earl grey. The first thing that I came to learn was that as a consumer, I could purchase Tea Forte tea myself -YAY! Tea Forte is AMAZING … the selections of tea are plentiful, but I am sure it is no surprise I ordered the earl grey to start with. It took big restraint not to get one of their tea sets – they are contemporary and charming … I could already imagine a little tea party at my place with my best ladies 🙂
And, now that my tea was on its way, I pondered: But, what is in my cup of earl grey tea? Google came to the rescue, again, and LifeHack offered a great article on the benefits specific to Earl Grey tea. I summarised it below, but you should still definitely read more in their article if you want more!
Earl Grey Tea Benefits:
- Good for your teeth.
- Good for digestion.
- Helps right anxiety and depression.
- Offers energy.
- Fights off free radicals, like those found in cancer.
- Helps with weight loss.
- Assists in heart disease prevention.
- Supports stress relief.
- Helps with cold relief.
- Supports hydration.
Who would have known one little tea could offer so much! Well … I’m adding this little Earl Grey tea to my repertoire because I’m feeling doubly-good now with my choice :). So, thank you Season’s 52 for introducing me to this tea and your generosity in letting me have one for the road … Kate for sharing in the experience … Tea Forte for making such a great earl grey tea blend … and, google for letting me expand my knowledge on the pack of goodness this tea is now giving me! With my tea in one hand as I finish this post, I clink my tea cup to you and hope you indulge yourself in an earl grey soon! — XOXO, Bridgette
A Color Pop Life 