Tea Me Tea You
Been spending the last 27 years not having a clue about loose leaf tea. Mostly drank Tetley for 26 of those years before giving up milky tea for herbal tea – whilst on a path to “find me.” Plus I also discovered that “normal” “British” tea gave me wind and bloating. Banter. So I opted for posh tea. Posh tea to me is herbal tea. I didn’t like it at first because it didn’t have 4 teaspoons of sugar in it. But I got over myself and my low-key sugar addiction and now, I’m herbal. So I chucked a peppermint tea bag into a mug for 24 weeks straight and alls well that ends well yadda. Didn’t try any other herbal teas during this time cause I’d found my comfort zone. But then I found Unravel Tea; a Scottish loose leaf tea company based on the North East Coast.
How do I tea though?
I used to work with a loose leaf tea type. Let’s call her Karen. When I was necking a macaroni ready meal at lunch, she was steeping leaves in a diffuser. Part of me thought “Karen’s mental” and the larger part of me thought, “that’s cool AF, I’d love to know how to do that.” Didn’t learn though, cause I didn’t know where to start. 4 years on, a change of career and a whole new attitude later, and I was ready to start my loose leaf tea journey of diffusing dreams.
But I simply could not do it alone (unashamed Chicago reference). I found Donna at Unravel Tea and held her at boiling point to explain to me how to “tea.” Well, we actually found her through our other biz, where we wear serious hats, and as a massive bonus, she sent me some free tea. More importantly, she sent me tea advice. And a see-through glass mug. And a diffuser. I didn’t even know you could put hot water in a glass. Completely mind-blowing.
Easy Peasy, Cup of Tea-sy
Donna knows tea. It’s always good to have a Donna in your life who knows tea. She couldn’t have been more clear on how to tea. She listened to what I like in a cup of tea, like, water and patience. Then she selected teas that would chill me out when I needed some chill and would pick me up when I needed more energy than a raging bull. I appreciated the time she took with me. Sometimes I big up the stuff I don’t understand. As I now have more tea than a tea-ery, here are some of my favourites…
Loose Leaf Teas of Dreams
Donna has managed to get me off the peppermint and on to the sweet mint. I love a wee cup of sweet mint tea in the morning to be all zen and stuff before mad life. She has also sent me “fiery mint” ginger and “fierier mint” – chilli ginger but honestly, I haven’t yet had the balls. Why lie? I also love Anji Green which is a very mellow, “unami” tea packed full of calming vibes. Need all of them. Then there’s “Mermaid Tears” which contains elderflowers and lemon balm but it doesn’t even matter what it tastes like cause it’s blue like Scottish mermaids.
Scottish Loose Leaf Tea
To say I’ve been spoiled is an understatement. I still need to try Assam, First Flush Temi, Alishan Oolong and the completely adequately named Duck Sh*t Oolong. And I went a wee bit nuts on the North East Food Hub one week and bought Enchanting Chai because it’s not like I had enough tea or anything.
Unravel Tea is an eco-friendly, nature-forward, passionate Scottish loose leaf tea company. Donna founded this funky business following a trip to China. She puts her all into her work and you can tell she is very passionate about providing us all with a good cuppa. We can’t wait to tea what this girl has up her tea leave. Check out some more of our best mindfulness gifts here.
*Tea gifted, opinions mine.*
