This month, more than any, I've found it increasingly hard to relax and take a breather. The word "unwind" has never even crossed my mind for more than a fleeting second. I've adjusted to a freelance lifestyle over the past year or two, but I still haven't mastered to art of shutting off from my work. Do you get that? I just keep on going, because I don't want to miss anything, or indeed get behind on deadlines.
I'm split 50/50 when it comes to tea + coffee, but inevitably drink coffee much more frequently because of the sheer amount of meetings that take place in coffee shops. But, I'm actually a big advocate of tea and its benefits - in fact, I rarely drink coffee at home. Tea is my go-to cuppa. I haven't had any experience when it comes to loose tea, but I was given the opportunity to try a select range of hand-picked Chinese Tea by JING. I was keen to see how loose tea compared with the bagged stuff.
I was provided with all I needed to make the perfect cup of tea. A selection of organic loose teas; Dragon Well, Jade Sword + Peppermint, a beautifully designed Tea Infuser, and equally pleasing Tea Timer. Each sachet of tea came with details of the date and province it was picked in. This added an unexpected emotional attachment to each cup - one which I was very comfortable with.
With Hollie's Mum acting as my "tasting assistant", we chose to start with the Jade Sword - for its light floral smell - and we poured the suggested temperature of hot water into the infuser; setting the Tea Timer to three minutes.
What we ended up with was the most delicate and tasty cup of tea I'd ever tried. It did make us question why we've only been using bagged tea up until now! We repeated the process with the Dragon Well (which suggested a different temperature from the first) with similar results - it was a little more nutty, but equally tasty.
We ended with a round of the Peppermint Tea. As dry leaves the Peppermint smelt like crazy amounts of refreshing, so we were pleased that the taste was carried through when made up in the infuser. The infuser works by filtering hot water through several tiny cuts in the glass, and then reacts with the leaves in the best kind of way. It was just as relaxing watching the three minute process as it was drinking it the tea.
So, my question to you is, have any of you used loose tea leaves before, and why haven't you told us how good they are?! Do you prefer to relax with tea or keep alert with coffee?
Thank you to JING for provided us with this tea set, all opinions are straight from Buckets.
I rarely drink loose tea, when I have tea I go for basic black tea in a teabag haha not fancy at all!
ReplyDeleteLove me some good tea. And you know, that i really love a good brand!
ReplyDeleteBig tea drinker. I've a cast iron tea pot I er got from an old bar I used to work in which I often use. Big on camomile, peppermint and various types of green.
ReplyDeleteAlso earl grey, I love the stuff.
I love tea too. This looks like a great flavour tea! :)
ReplyDeleteBest, Albert | Palming Pebbles
Feeling very relaxed - perfect shots.
ReplyDeleteMr Essentialist
JING is really good tea. I like all their design too and the egg timer.
ReplyDeletewww.getyourbronon.com
really impressed, and gives me a better feeling than coffee
ReplyDeleteMe too man.
ReplyDeleteI drink a ton of coffee and wish I made tea drinking more of a habit. This looks delicious and healthy! Try to relax a little :)
ReplyDeleteYou da bomb Sal!
ReplyDeleteOld school, you legend! I really like Mr Scruff's chilli and mint tea. I can never find it now though.
ReplyDeleteWhich kind do you go for?
ReplyDeleteI think loose would be a nice treat, but you do need all the stuff that goes with it.
ReplyDeleteBeing from Seattle, it's ALL about the coffee.However, that clear mug is perfect for loose leaf!
ReplyDeleteI hear loose tea leaves taste so much better than tea bag! Really want to try out peppermint one. I am like you, drink more tea at the house and more coffee when I am out.
ReplyDeleteKatrina Sophia
this was the first time for trying loose tea, and you can notice the difference in smell straight away. The taste seems more delicate, but fragrant.
ReplyDeleteI'm all about coffee when I'm out, at home it's tea all the way. The mug is well good.
ReplyDeleteit's probably better for you, and more refreshing of course. I know, I do find it hard.
ReplyDeletei have become so dependent on coffee but had days when i loved tea and would drink with a potful. i need to get back to that. i can almost smell and taste these tea leaves. gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteI only seem to drink coffee when i'm at meetings, i guess i don't find it relaxing. and all i want at home is to be relaxed. smells great!
ReplyDeleteHaving a good nose through buckets currently and the beautiful tea (and awesome mug) caught my eye. I'm tea all round generally and never touch coffee as I'm not fond of the taste – perhaps I've not had a decent coffee though? Hope all is well and good and it's great seeing buckets still providing great content!
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