By John St. Clair
When our host Jennie Griffin asked me to write a guest blog for The Redhead Notes, it didn’t take long for me to choose a topic. If you’ve been following me on Twitter, you’ve likely picked up on the fact that I love tea. My love of tea, and my obsession with it didn’t come around until the time that I started writing full time. Until then, I drank coffee. Now mind you, my coffee drinking always centered around getting that first thing in the morning caffeine kick-start, and even then, I always used plenty of creme and sugar. Yes, I admit I was one of those “frou-frou” coffee snobs. My go-to drink was the Salted Caramel Macchiato at Starbucks, with extra caramel. I’d even been known to consume the dreaded pumpkin spice latte a time or two. Now, don’t get me wrong. I still a love a good coffee. However nowadays, you’ll find me evangelizing about the wonders of tea. Why tea? Well, I wanted to cut back on my intake of caffeine, yet still enjoy a hot beverage. I do admit I tried decaf coffee for a while, however once I got on the tea bandwagon, I’ve never looked back.
Once I graduated to tea, I made each mug with the same Keurig machine I’d been using for coffee, just without a pod. I was getting near boiling water to steep my tea in. This worked well for a while, and I was able to experiment and find which tea flavors were my favorites. Right off the bat I knew that Earl Grey was going to be a big hit with me. Besides being the preference of a certain famous French Starfleet captain, it really does have a unique flavor profile, which is instantly recognizable. Earl Grey is a renowned British black tea, and the oil from the rind of bergamot orange makes it kind of like a cross between lemon and orange with hints of grapefruit and lime. Mmmm. Delicious. I make it a point to start my day with Earl Grey. I always use one Truvia packet for sweetener, and a little splash of milk. If I’m drinking a purely citrus based tea, I omit the milk.
So, I figured out pretty quickly that the Keurig wasn’t going to meet the long-term needs for my newfound love of tea, and my affinity for drinking from large mugs. It makes small cups, one at a time. No, I needed something more hot, more portable, and more on-demand. The first thing I did was to get a new kettle for boiling water. Then, on the advice of my super-smart wife Nancy, she gave me the idea to purchase an insulated carafe that I could use throughout the day for my tea needs. I’d boil water in the morning, transfer it to the carafe, and then voilà, whenever I wanted a new mug, I’d just pour myself a new cuppa. I could take the carafe anywhere, and it was a heckuva lot faster. In fact, even at 68 ounces of capacity, I find myself boiling water again for my night tea! I love it.
There’s always an occasion for tea, and to subvert a quote by Winston Churchill,
“In victory you deserve it—in defeat you need it!”
Here are the brands and names of 8 teas that are in heavy rotation for me at the moment:
- The Republic of Tea Earl Greyer
- The Republic of Tea Earl Greyer, Decaf
- The Republic of Tea Earl Hibiscus Blueberry*
- TAZO Organic Spicy Ginger*
- TAZO Wild Sweet Orange*
- TAZO Calm Chamomile*
- TAZO Prickly Pear Cactus*
- TAZO Refresh Mint*
*caffeine free
Be like me and steal my look! Here are some links to get you started:
- HIHUOS Stovetop Tea Kettle, 3 Liter Induction Modern Stainless Steel Whistling Teapot, One-Touch Push Button Silicone Handle (Black)
- Cresimo 68 Oz Stainless Steel Thermal Coffee Carafe / Double Walled Vacuum Flask / 12 Hour Heat Retention / 2 Liter Tea, Water, and Coffee Dispenser
- Teocera Porcelain Large Coffee Mugs Set, Jumbo Mugs, Soup Bowls with Handles, 24 Ounce for Coffee, Hot Cocoa, Cereal – Set of 4, Teal
