Some tea drinkers enjoy drinking the same thing every day, but others like to try something new occasionally. And that provides a great opportunity for you.  Giving a tea-related gift for Christmas can provide the recipient with something new to try. Blooming tea provides you with an unusual option to please any of the tea drinkers on your list.

Blooming Tea or Flowering Tea

The flowering tea variety (also known as blooming tea) comes in a lot of different types so you can find one for each recipient. This tea is very unique because the leaves are bound together, by hand, in a small flower bulb shape. As you brew the tea in hot water, the leaves slowly open up so they look like a flower or reveal a flower in the middle. Imagine the surprise of the recipient when they see a beautiful flower floating in their teapot!

Flowering Tea Set

If the tea drinker on your list has never experienced flowering tea, they are unlikely to have anything suitable to make it in. A normal teapot that you can’t see through is definitely not suitable for the brewing of flowering tea.

So, this makes a new tea set specifically for this variety of tea a great gift idea, especially for Christmas. A clear teapot will allow them to view the blossom as it unfurls before they enjoy drinking the tea.

One great option is the Numi Organic Flowering Tea Set. It comes in a mahogany case, along with six tea balls in a variety of colors and flavors and a glass teapot to allow the recipient to watch the tea balls bloom.

Flavors and Colors

Blooming tea comes in a variety of flavors and colors to match all taste preferences. Most tea leaves are brown or green in color, but the tea balls contain a small flower in the middle to add color. For instance, the Red Flower Celebration tea contains a small red flower amidst the green tea leaves, which gives a Christmas feel and is totally appropriate as a Christmas gift.

If your recipient enjoys a specific scent, you can find plenty of different scents too. Imagine getting a gift that tastes, looks and smells good!

If you are looking for a unique Christmas gift to give a big ‘wow’ factor you can’t go past a tea that blooms infront of your eyes.  It is a really unusual gift that is sure to surprise and impress. Even if you don’t know what kind of tea the recipient prefers, you can’t go wrong with a blossoming tea that offers a new tea experience to most tea drinkers.

Blooming Tea Site

Did you know that tea is the most consumed beverage in the world? After water that is.  So that means you are very likely to know tea drinkers, which in turn means you have some wonderful gift options.

Teavana has a selection of tea gifts that are second to none, including their new Zen Tea collection of blooming teas.  I have to say the website is a delight and absolutely chocka with stock.

Blooming Tea Gift

The tea gift range is varied and goes from tea tins (the best way to store tea) to delicious flowering tea balls, to cast iron teapots, or the glass teapots which are ideal for blooming tea.  And there are all the tea varieties including diet tea, acai tea, rooibos tea (a favorite of mine), tea makers, tea for connoisseurs and tea for those who just want a plain cup of tea!  They even have German rock sugar! Or if you don’t want to decide for someone else, Teavana also offer gift vouchers.

There is literally something for everyone and it’s worth a look.  Just click on the banner on the right to get to Teavana’s gift store.

Take advantage of free shipping in the US for orders over $50.

By the way, you can save a heap of time by going straight to the “shop by price” category.

I would love to know what your favorite item is, so please do share your comments with us all.

Blooming Tea Site

Celebrities like Lily Allen, Kate Moss and Sienna Millar have taken to afternoon teas in a big way.  And for many younger girls, afternoon tea offers a safer and cheaper way to meet up with friends.  I’m sure afternoon tea would get the thumbs up from parents as a suitable place for their teenagers to meet up.

Ye, the afternoon tea, complete with knitted tea cozy, cucumber sandwiches and delicious little cakes (just like mum used to make), stacked on layered cake stands are back big time.

Traditional afternoon tea used to be a starchy affair, really only available in the larger hotels.  I remember trying to find a place to take my grandmother for her birthday celebration many years ago, and there just wasn’t much choice at all.  These days though, there are cafes and specialist tea shops everywhere offering set menu afternoon teas.  I have yet to see any café offer blooming tea though and I’m sure one day blooming tea will become all the rage.

Afternoon tea comes from Victorian Britian (early 1800s) where the Duchess of Bedford was credited with the ‘invention’.  In those days there were generally just two meals a day – a late breakfast and a late dinner.  The story goes that one day the Duchess of Bedford had a “sinking feeling”, which we would probably attribute to hunger.  She invited some friends around for tea (I suspect not blooming tea in those days) and refreshments about 3pm and served these at low casual tables (rather than the high tables for the evening meal).  Obviously this was a success as this, apparently,was how afternoon tea came about.  Well, if it’s good enough for high society, I guess it’s good enough for the rest of us!

Start a Trend And Get a Blooming Tea Party

One of the main differences between then and now though is that the young girls dress up in their vintage finery and attend a café or hotel, pretending to be Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.  If only it was that easy.  Why not start a trend with your friends and get a blooming tea party together!

Blooming Tea Site

Brewing Loose Green Tea the Right Way

Do this with loose green tea however and you will be using water that is too hot causing you to have a brew that is too bitter. Loose green tea is best made using water that is around 73-76 C to achieve the best effect. Also, don’t brew the tea for any longer than two minutes because, again, this can make the brew too bitter. One more thing to remember is that when being brewed, loose green tea leaves will expand significantly, so it is important to allow enough room for this expansion.

Using a tea pot that is too small will not allow the flavor to circulate throughout the brew effectively causing much of the flavor to remain locked in the leaves. Using good water is also very important when making green tea because although excellent, the green tea flavor is delicate and can be ruined by impurities in the water. When making green tea it is a good idea to use natural mineral water or filtered water to avoid impurities that can ruin the brew. By following these few easy steps, you can make green tea that is not only good for you but also tastes great.

Blooming Tea Site

Usually, tea comes in bags that are left to brew in a mug of hot water. It can also be purchased loose and left to brew in a teapot until it is ready to pour.

When it comes to tea it is a refreshing beverage and nothing more, despite the way it has found itself entwined into many cultures across the planet.

Make the Most of Flowering Tea

To really make the most of flowering tea balls it is best to get a tea set that is made specifically for this kind of tea. To have the magnificent blooms hidden away in a teapot would be like hiding a rose behind some books and to have such beauty kept out of sight would seem really quite wasteful to many. Thankfully, there is no need to have the visual beauty of blooming tea hidden from view as entire tea sets are available that allow the splendor to be put on full display.

Completely transparent glass teapots that are spacious enough to allow the balls to blossom to their full extent are an essential item for any flowering tea enthusiast. Various attractive designs are available that compliment the natural beauty of the blooms while serving  practical purpose at the same time.

Even though the teapots are made of glass, they are designed to be used with hot water and are resilient to the high temperatures. This means you can use them for other purposes such as brewing normal tea as well as flowering or blooming tea.

Having  complete tea set will mean you are able to enjoy flowering tea for as long as you wish to. They often come available in complete sets including the flowering tea pods so that you have all you need in one package.

Blooming Tea Site

The jasmine adds a sweet fragrance and flavor to the tea, which is one reason for its popularity. Jasmine tea is sometimes used as a flowering tea. The flower is wrapped in green tea leaves and then dried and stored as a ball until used. When the ball is dropped into hot water, it expands revealing a glorious bloom with the jasmine flower at the center. You won’t always find jasmine tea as a flowering tea and it will often come as a loose tea where the jasmine and the tea are blended together.

The Sweet Fragrance of Jasmine Green Tea

The sweet fragrance and flavor is not the only reason for the tea’s popularity however and it is highly regarded as healthy to drink. The Chinese themselves have always claimed that drinking jasmine tea helps to keep the weight down. What the Chinese could not have known all those years ago is that green tea does have properties which help to increase the body’s metabolism, therefore helping to burn off any excess weight.

It is also thought that the jasmine aroma has therapeutic properties that can help you to sleep. When combined with green tea that has little or no caffeine, jasmine green tea can make a great beverage to help you to get a good night’s sleep. During the daytime, the therapeutic aroma can help to keep us to feel calm and relaxed.

Regardless of the health benefits that jasmine green tea has to offer, it certainly smells great and tastes delicious. One thing for sure is that for the Chinese to have been drinking it for over 800 years, it is without a doubt at least worth trying.

Blooming Tea Site

One of the most common mistakes made when using flowering tea is to misjudge the blossoming effect of the tea balls. When steeped in hot water the balls will expand and unfurl to reveal a magnificent floral display, which is the main reason flowering tea is so popular.

Using Flowering Tea Balls

When using the tea balls you need to remember to use a teapot or another vessel that is made of glass so you can clearly see the tea ball. You should also bear in mind that the balls will need space to expand unhindered to get the full extent of the bloom. Glass teapots designed specifically for flowering teas are easily available and it is wise to get one of these so you experience the full effect. ( I tried one in a glass vase and although it worked well, I wasn’t too keen to drink from it afterwards!  I was also a bit afraid the glass would break when I put the hot water in the vase.)

You should also try to remember that the flowers within the balls are more than just for show and add their
own unique flavours and aromas to the tea. These flavours really can be quite delicate and can easily be lost if you add other ingredients to the tea.  For this reason it is best to drink the tea without adding milk or sugar to fully appreciate all it has to offer.

Flowering tea is something that offers something quite special and by following a few simple steps, you can enjoy a visually stunning and tasty drink.

Blooming Tea Site

Regardless of what you may or may not think about the taste of green tea or loose green tea, the benefits that its drinkers get are well known and documented.

Health Benefits of Loose Green Tea

Green tea has a cleansing effect that helps remove potentially harmful impurities from the body and also helps to increase the body’s metabolism in a way that is positive to the drinker’s health.  Because of these health benefits there are a number of people who drink green tea to take advantage of the positives despite the fact they may not enjoy it.

The good news is that if you don’t enjoy the taste of green tea, there are ways that you can make it more palatable to you without harming any of the brew’s helpful properties. Natural ingredients such as honey are a great way of sweetening tea while adding that delicious honey flavour that is so popular. You can also add sugar to the brew to sweeten if you wish but most people would recommend honey instead because of its delicate flavor.

Other alternatives include mint, which compliments the mild flavour well, as well as other subtle flavours such
as rosehip and rosemary. There are a lot of natural alternatives available to give you a healthy serving of green tea.  So if you don’t like green tea then try a little experimenting.

Even if you do enjoy loose green tea, a small drop of honey or another ingredient might help you to enjoy it even more.

Blooming Tea Site

Tea is found naturally in China and India. China in particular has been experimenting with tea for a very long time. Flowers tea is in fact a practice that has been used for centuries and one of the more popular flowering teas, jasmine green tea, has been drunk in China for at least 800 years.

The Art of Making Flowers Tea

It means that the art of making flowers tea has been perfected over a long period of time and we get the benefit of this experience and we know that the tea available today is made using tried and tested formulas to give the best effects and flavors. There are also a huge number of flowers tea recipes available so you are sure to find something that you enjoy.

Despite the length of time that tea with flowers has been used, it does not mean to say that all of the
possible variations have been tried. Not all of the flowers that are suitable can be found in China, so there are still many more recipes that have yet to be invented.

Perhaps now is the time to experiment with your own flavors and use flowers available from your area to create your own distinctive tea.

Blooming Tea Site

When in Japan as somebody’s guest you will almost certainly find that you will be given a cup of tea as soon as you are welcomed into the host’s home.

Such is the Japanese love of tea that they enjoy many different types, from the subtly flavoured jasmine green teas to the more robust black teas that the British are known to drink.

Jasmine Green Tea – Favored by the Japanese

One of the favored teas among the Japanese is jasmine green tea. Although Japan does have a long history of tea drinking, it has not escaped the current trend of healthy tea options and jasmine green tea has become increasingly popular among young Japanese girls for its properties that help with slimming.

Jasmine green tea is also said to have properties that help to prevent aging so it is also used by young ladies who are hoping to keep their youthful looks for longer.

The Japanese will drink tea at any time of day.  Some of the teas they drink will not keep you awake at night, meaning you can even have a cup before you go to bed.

The Japanese don’t use mugs or cups when drinking tea but small bowls which have no handles.

When it comes to making any kind of drink it is usually best to see what the connoisseurs do to get the most out of the drink. One thing that you certainly will not find the Japanese doing is drinking teas that are mass produced in a factory and then bottled in huge numbers for sale at a profit.

Quite literally over hundreds of years the Japanese know that the best tea always comes from a fresh brew that has been made by hand rather than a machine. With this in mind it is easy to see that the Japanese have a pretty good idea of how tea should be made.

Blooming Tea Site