Tuesday Talk...Hot Tea.

Happy Tuesday!! I hope everyone had an amazing weekend and a great start to the week. Mine was filled with family and friends and lots of sunshine. I'm back today though with another link up that I like to follow - "Tuesday Talk." As I was brainstorming topics, I stumbled on one that I get asked about all the time... Hot Tea.

I grew up having hot tea all the time, thanks to my sweet mom. She would always make us herbal hot tea at night if we ever had an upset stomach or didn't feel well. I always asked for "the purple tea" or "the pink tea," which I'll share below. She would drink earl grey in the mornings though and at some point in college, I started following in her footprints. She's taught me so much about tea throughout my years, so I thought it'd be fun to share a little of what I've learned and what we love! 

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For this post, I thought I'd break it into a few categories with links to a few of my favorite teas. I linked most on Amazon, but honestly, I just buy most teas at the grocery store or will experiment with fun new ones if we stop by a tea shop somewhere...but without further ado, welcome to my world of tea! 

Morning Tea

Now, morning tea is probably my most favorite. I really do have a cup of hot tea every morning, and I'm almost always, well, pretty much without fail drinking Earl Grey. 

My mom has an amazing stash of loose leaf that is a wonderful combination of Stash Earl Gray, Harney and Sons Earl Gray, and decaf Twinings. But possibly my favorite part is the fresh lavender buds throughout the loose leaf. It gives it a subtle, yet amazing flavor for the mornings! We get ours from the Lavender Connection, an amazing lavender farm in the Northwest that we visited on a family vacation one time. Also, I've talked about these before, but if you like tea and ever drink loose leaf, these disposable tea bags are a must!! They are amazing. 

A tiny bit of cream and a little spoon full of raw honey, and you have about the perfect cup of tea in my book! 

Sometimes, I will branch out and do regular Twinings Earl Gray with heated up almond milk and vanilla thanks to my little frother, but that's usually for a special fun morning or just when I need something different for a day. 

This isn't the best quality picture, but it's a special one for me. My mom brought me this sweet cup of tea the morning we went wedding dress shopping. I woke up to the little cup beside me... I mean, cue the tears of such a sweet memory and reason number 38475 that it really is because of my mom I love tea so much! 

Afternoon Tea

Now, afternoon tea is something my mom has, yet again, taught me, and has truly perfected over the years. A little decaf tea, a few tea cups, a little pitcher of fresh cream, a jar of honey, and a few finger foods, and you pretty much have a trip to The Whitacre Tea House. 

Afternoon tea is all about the environment and experience, and honestly, my mom thrives in the details. 

A day or two after Pierce and I got engaged, Mom had an afternoon tea set up on our front porch, and it was such a fun and sweet time. The key to afternoon tea is all in the details...and all about the decaf tea if it's after two o'clock! Haha 

Night Tea

Night tea is another favorite category because it really does seem to just end the night so perfectly. It's a great way to have a relaxing way to calm your mind and sip on something slowly. We don't make tea every night, but it's always a fun thing when we do. Whether it's reading, watching a movie, playing a card game, or just talking, it really is, in my opinion, the best thing to accompany the night. 

I've listed a few of our favorite teas to drink at night...unlike morning and afternoon tea, I usually don't put cream in anything we drink at night. Just a tiny drop of honey usually, if even that, and the flavor is sweet enough to feel like a delightful treat. Pierce has really taken the reigns on tea at night, and that has been fun to see the different combinations he's come up with...you really can't go wrong with tea...that's one of the best parts. 

Our first favorite is TAZO Refresh Mint. It is truly one of my very favorite mint teas. It is a blend of peppermint and spearmint and is amazing both by itself and blended with others. If we are ever drinking tea at night, there is a very good possibility that there is TAZO mint in it. It's also great if you ever have an upset stomach too. 

Our close next favorite would have to be Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime. Now, I absolutely just love Celestial Seasonings. Seriously, just love it so much. When my family took a vacation to Colorado one summer, we stopped at the Celestial Seasonings Tea Factory, and I thought I had found my dream place to work. If we had lived any closer, I would have begged for a summer job there. It's always had a soft spot in my heart, especially because the next two are the teas I used to drink when I was little. But this Sleepytime is a great addition to the TAZO mint, in fact that is what Pierce drinks most nights. Just two tea bags steeped for 7-8 minutes and a little dash of honey - so good! 

This, my friends, is the "pink tea." There is also Red Zinger, which is very close. But this has some hibiscus and lemon in it and it is amazing mixed with Lemon Zinger or even some squeezed lemon when you have a sore throat. Can't get much better!! 

And this, is the "purple tea." It is seriously just as amazing. 

And if you want to try both or either of these, but aren't sure which one you like better, Celestial Seasonings also has a "Fruit Tea Sampler," which is a great place to start!! 

Now, this is one of our favorite holiday teas. I'm sure you'll hear me talk more about it around Christmastime (I can't even wait...) but it's amazing. It has almost more an apple flavor and is seriously just delicious. I would drink this all the time around the holidays!! (I also love to give this as gifts too!! It's a perfect little Christmasy gift!)

Our last night tea doesn't sound that amazing, but it is truly one of my favorites. I usually mix it with TAZO mint tea and it's a great addition for my digestion and stomach at night. I highly recommend if you're looking for more of an herbal/medicinal tea! 

Coffee Shop Tea

My first go-to at a coffee shop, as you guys probably already know is London Fog, or an Earl Grey latte...it is truly the best. I sometimes order mine with almond milk and maybe one less pump vanilla, and sometimes honey instead of vanilla. Honestly, if you like Earl Grey, you can't go wrong. 

Another great favorite is English Breakfast Latte. If I've ever had too much Earl Grey or maybe we're on vacation and I want to try something different, this is a fun one to have too. It's made the exact same as a London Fog, just with English Breakfast tea. 

One that I love to order is a Chai Tea Latte. This is a fun one to have if you want something iced in the summer or a change of pace from normal black tea. It has a little more spice and "fall flavor" to it. A fun go-to! (Also, if you're ever in Louisville, Sunergos Coffee seriously had the best iced chai tea latte. I loved it!! Pierce also loves their coffee, so it's a win-win!!)

Sometimes though, simple hot tea is always best. When we go to our favorite breakfast places and sometimes on a roadtrip, I'll just simply order a regular hot tea. It definitely has more of the brewed tea flavor, and I like to add a tiny bit of fresh cream and either honey or sugar if they don't have any honey. It's a nice and refreshing change of pace!

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Well, that about does it for my Tour de Hot Tea today.... 

When I first set-up our guest room, I made sure to have a little tea bar for our guests to enjoy. It's a love language of mine for sure, and maybe one day you and I can sit for a cozy cup of tea! But until then, thanks for following along and joining in my Tuesday Talk of Hot Tea. 

And thank you, Mom, for sharing with me your love of hot tea! May I continue to pass it on. ☺️

Thanks for reading today! I would love to hear any tea tips you have and your favorites that you're drinking right now too! I'm also so thankful for all of the love and encouragement this month. It's been fun blogging every day, and thanks for following along. I'll see you back here tomorrow!
Love y'all!
Tab