Image source: Teavana.com
If you're a tea connoisseur like me, you probably already know about Teavana, but just in case let me let you in on the best tea store ever.
Last Christmas my mother-in-law gave me a Perfectea Tea Maker Gift Set and I am the biggest fan. My pet peeve with tea is when you steep it for too long, it gets bitter and not drinkable, which often happens with tea bags or tea pots. Another problem is never knowing the right temperature to brew your tea. Also when you make a cup of tea, you boil your water then wait for your drink to cool down. More often than not it takes so long for my drink to cool down that I completely forget that I was drinking it until it gets cold.
In order to make a perfect cup of tea, my first requirement is an electric kettle. My first kettle was the simple push the button and it will turn off when it's boiling, but a lot of teas are damaged by boiling water, so the same Christmas I also received a temperature sensitive hot water kettle. We have the Cuisinart Perfectemp Cordless Kettle and even though all my numbers are worn off, I still love it. The kettle has 6 different temperature settings so you know exactly the right temperature for you tea.
My favorite tea to brew when I'm settling in with a good book is Teavana's Winterberry tea. It's a green tea base with strawberry and citrus fruit mixed into the leaves. What I like about the flavor is it is sweet and fruity without being overly floral and doesn't taste like perfume. Also with all of the fruit bits in there you're getting vitamins that you don't usually get from just tea leaves.
Image source: Teavana.com
I like sweet drinks, so when I brew my cup of Winterberry tea I use two teaspoons of Teavana's Rock sugar. I cannot tell you how much I love this sugar. I sometimes eat pieces of it by itself. Plus the jar is gorgeous and can be reused for refills if you buy the sugar separately or use it for other things in your pantry. We currently have one for rock sugar and we use our old jar for raw sugar. I think it would be absolutely gorgeous with a succulent garden built in one, but it takes probably about 6-9 months to get through one jar of sugar so we'll see if that happens anytime soon.
Finally, the best thing to have happened to tea since we figured out how to boil leaves: the Teavana Perfectea Tea Maker. I promise you I am not exaggerating when I say this is the coolest tea gadget ever. First, you add sugar and tea, then you add water. Then you brew your tea for however long is required according to the tea you're drinking. When your timer is done, simply set the Perfectea Tea Maker on top of your empty cup and the tea dispenses into your cup, perfectly sweetened and flavored. That is my cup of tea. Now I'm going to sit down with S. by Doug Dorst and J.J. Abrams and enjoy. :)
Image source: Teavana.com
Also, if you're against using plastic, they have a Glass Perfectea Tea Maker for $39.95. Rad.
And don't forget your super cute Tea Storage Tins to keep your loose leaf tea fresh. $29.95 for a set of 3 tins.
Image source: Teavana.com
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