You’re About to Discover Your New Favorite Tea!

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August 13, 2018 By Rebecca D. Dillon

Whether you’re new to drinking loose leaf teas, or you’re a self described tea connoisseur, you’re going to love the natural, organic loose leaf teas from Mountain Rose Herbs.

With a wide selection of every kind of organic loose leaf tea imaginable, it’s hard not to find a tea that you love. However, if you’re still on the hunt for that perfect tea that fits both your tastes AND your lifestyle, then you must take Mountain Rose Herbs new tea quiz to find your tea soulmate!

I’ve been shopping with Mountain Rose Herbs for over a decade and I’ve never once been disappointed by the quality of their products. I first became a customer in what I like to call my “market days.” I would shop from their selection of organic ingredients that included unrefined butters, clays and carrier oils for my soapmaking recipes and skin care products that I sold on my local city market.

Rarely, however, did I consider purchasing from their wide selection of organic loose leaf teas. What a mistake! After taking the new tea soulmate quiz from Mountain Rose Herbs, I found my new favorite tea!

Take the tea soulmate quiz!

Mountain Rose Herbs tea soulmate quiz asks questions based not just on your favorite flavors. It also asks where you enjoy drinking your tea most. How you like your teas? Who are you drinking that cup of tea with? And why do you reach for a cup of tea over another beverage?

So whether you enjoy your tea hot or iced, with or without friends, in a valley of wildflowers or in an urban sanctuary, you’re sure to find the perfect tea to fit your lifestyle. With 32 different teas featured in their quiz, you’re not only going to discover your new favorite tea – but possibly several new favorites! Simply take the tea quiz more than once and change up your answers to find the perfect tea to fit your mood.

My tea soulmate.

My tea soulmate was turmeric chai. This spicy, warming herbal chai tea is caffeine free, making it the perfect tea for chai enthusiasts who have cut caffeine from their diets. Especially delightful as we start transitioning into cooler nights this fall, the turmeric in this organic tea, gives this brew an exotic, piquant flavor. It also highlights the other earthy spices found in this chai tea blend.

I love the pinch of cayenne that gives this tea blend a spicy bite! And while this organic chai tea is delicious when brewed with water, it’s also delightful brewed with milk or your favorite milk substitute. Think of it as a flavorful twist on golden milk.

As I’m a bonafide turmeric junkie, this tea is a perfect fit for my healthy lifestyle. (You can find all of my favorite turmeric recipes here.)

What makes loose leaf teas special?

If you’re new to loose leaf teas, then you probably don’t realize what you’ve been missing. Compared to tea bags, which commonly contain what is referred to as “tea dust,” loose leaf teas are like the caviar of teas.

What really sets the teas from Mountain Rose Herbs apart, however, is their quality. Not only are their loose leaf teas made using organic tea leaves and herbs, you know you’re always receiving the freshest, pesticide free botanical tea blends. So you get all of the healthy benefits of drinking tea, without any of the things you DON’T want in your teas.

How to brew loose leaf teas.

So, just how do you blend that perfect cup of organic loose leaf tea? To brew Mountain Rose Herbs turmeric chai tea, heap one tablespoon into your preferred strainer. Then pour 8 ounces of boiling water over the tea. Steep for 3-5 minutes, or until desired strength. Then simply strain and enjoy.

Or discover three more ways to enjoy your turmeric chai tea here.

To learn how to brew your other favorite types of loose leaf teas, be sure to check out this guide to tea brewing.

So, the only question left is, which tea is about to become your new favorite? Find your tea soulmate now!

To discover more about tea, including recipes and tea infused products, be sure to follow my Everything Tea board.

You can also follow me on Pinterest, G+, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Alternately, you can subscribe to Soap Deli News via email for future updates, DIY projects and recipes.

Filed Under: Food Recipes, Health & Wellness, Lifestyle, Shopping Tagged With: artisan tea, black tea, chai tea, food, green tea, health and wellness, herbal tea, honeybush tea, loose leaf tea, tea, tea recipes, white tea

Homemade Tea Gifts for the Holidays with Printable Chalkboard Labels

November 29, 2013 By Rebecca D. Dillon

Make simple homemade tea gifts for Christmas with this easy, homemade holiday tea gift idea. All you need are a few metal tins, some tea and the free printable labels. These are perfect for last minute gifts as well as an element in homemade tea gift baskets!

Homemade Tea Gifts

Looking for a simple homemade Christmas gifts for tea lovers? Then this simple tea gift idea is a must. These lovely DIY tea tins make wonderful homemade tea gifts. They are perfect solo or in gift baskets, and also make lovely holiday party favors or office gifts. They are super easy to make, too. You only need three components – tins, tea and a blank sticker label sheet!

Easy DIY Tea Tins with Labels

Materials:

Adagio Earl Grey Lavender Pyramid Tea Bags and/or Adagio Christmas Tea
Deep Round 6 oz. Metal Tins with Lids
Blank White Full Size 8.5″ x 11″ Label Sheet(s)
Printable Chalkboard Tea Labels

Instructions:

Place 3-6 pyramid tea bags inside each of the tins.

Now download the printable PDF file with the tea tin chalkboard labels. There are three designs to choose from. (These labels incorporate free rustic graphics and a chalkboard background from We Lived Happily Ever After.)

Then choose the page of labels you want to print and print that page only onto a full page white sticker sheet. (No color ink required!) And voila! Simply cut out the labels and adhere them to the tops of each of the tea gifts.

Now simply seal the tea tins shut with a piece of washi tape or some ribbon. Then gift to your favorite tea drinkers!

If you like this DIY Christmas gift idea, then also be sure to check out my giftable recipes for making a DIY vanilla chai tea mix and hand blended loose leaf masala chai.

For more handmade Christmas gift ideas, be sure to follow both my Unique DIY Christmas Gift Ideas board and my DIY Stocking Stuffers board on Pinterest. You can also follow my Pretty Packaging board for lots of creative ways to gift wrap your presents this holiday season.

To discover even more great, natural skin care recipes from Soap Deli News blog, be sure to follow me on Pinterest, Blog Lovin‘, facebook, twitter and instagram. Or sign up for my newsletter.

Filed Under: DIY Craft Project, Food Recipes, Homemade Gift Ideas Tagged With: artisan tea, chalkboard label, Christmas gift, craft project, crafts, diy, easy, food, gift idea, handmade gifts, loose leaf tea, tea

Chai Tea Mix Recipe: Easy Winter DIY Holiday Gifts

December 9, 2012 By Rebecca D. Dillon

Learn how to make an organic chai tea mix to give as DIY holiday gifts this winter. Don’t forget to make extras though! This easy DIY chai tea mix recipe is so delicious, you’ll want to keep a few extra bags of this spicy, homemade chai tea mix for yourself. Package this recipe for chai tea mix in a jar or in a bag – for personalized gifting and storage. Keep reading to learn how to make your own chai tea spice mix with organic spices.

How to Make Chai Tea Mix

I absolutely love loose leaf tea. And chai tea has long been one of my favorite teas by far. So I decided that for Christmas this year, I would make my own hand blended chai tea mix using organic spices! Making your own homemade chai tea mix is incredibly easy to do. Plus it’s fabulous for DIY holiday gifts!

I made my chai tea mix recipe using certified organic, fair trade spice and tea ingredients from Mountain Rose Herbs. Here’s my recipe for chai tea mix in a jar or a bag that you can make for yourself as well as DIY holiday gifts.

Health Benefits of Chai Tea

Chai tea doesn’t just taste amazing, it also has a number of health benefits. According to Healthline, masala chai tea (or rather spicy Indian chai tea) can help improve your health by providing benefits for heart health, digestion and blood sugar level control.

How Chai tea supports a healthy heart.

By consuming as little as 120 mg of cinnamon a day, you can help lower your bad cholesterol. In addition, the black tea used to make my chai tea mix can also aid in lower cholesterol levels. While increasing consumption of black tea to three or more cups a day may lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease.

Drink Chai to help control blood sugar.

The cinnamon in chai tea does more than lower bad cholesterol though. When combined with ginger it’s possible that it may reduce insulin resistance as well as fasting blood sugar levels. In fact, just a few grams of each everyday can help lower blood sugar levels even in those with type 2 diabetes. Just be sure to skip the sweetner. (I promise, chai tea is still fantastic black!)

Chai tea supports health and wellness.

As every chai tea mix is made with ginger, it naturally helps to ease symptoms of nausea. Additionally, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and even black pepper have antibacterial properties. What this means for you is that drinking chai may support healthy immunity and give your body a boost when fighting seasonal winter colds or the flu.

Ready to enjoy the benefits of sipping this warm and spicy tea this winter? Here’s the recipe to make your own homemade chai tea mix!

Hand Blended Loose Leaf Chai Tea Mix Recipe

Ingredients:

48 Organic Cardamom Pods or Star Anise
2 teaspoons Organic Whole Black Peppercorns
4 Tablespoons Organic Fennel Seeds
2 teaspoons Organic Coriander Seeds
2 teaspoons Organic Whole Cloves
4 sticks of Organic Sweet (True Cinnamon) Cinnamon Sticks
1 Jar Crystalized Ginger
2 Cups Organic Loose Leaf Darjeeling Tea or Assam Tea

Directions:

To craft your chai tea mix, begin by breaking the anise star pods, if using, in half. Then crumble the cinnamon sticks into smaller pieces. (You can also buy the cinnamon sticks already broken into pieces.)

Next, place the anise star pods (or cardamom) and cinnamon into a large dish with the black peppercorns, fennel seeds, coriander seeds and cloves. In a preheated 350 degree oven, heat your spices for about 5 minutes until fragrant. Then remove the warm chai tea spices from the oven. Allow to cool.

Then crush the spices as much as possible using the bottom of a glass or cup.

In a large bowl, combine the tea, candied ginger and spices. Then mix well with your hands until ingredients are evenly dispersed. You can find spice sized jars of crystalized ginger at most grocery stores. Alternately you can substitute a smaller amount of Organic Ginger Powder.

Now fill two Eco-friendly Kraft Poly-Lined Bags with tea. I used a scale to fill my bags equally. This homemade chai tea mix recipe yields approximately two 6.75 oz. bags. Alternately, you can fill individual Empty Press ‘N Brew Tea Bags with one Tablespoon of tea. Or combine the ingredients in mason jars.

Finally label your containers of the chai tea mix with ingredients and brewing instructions for giving as DIY holiday gifts.

I used a word program to create my own simple labels and used a custom font with my handwriting.

Now all that’s left is to decorate your package for gift giving! I used a free printable label from Hey Look and washi tape to decorate mine. How would you dress up yours?

Chai Tea Brewing instructions:

To brew a cup of spicy, delicious chai tea, bring one cup of water to a boil. Then pour over one Tablespoon of Chai Tea.

Allow to steep for five minutes, strain, then add milk (or a dairy free substitute) and sugar to taste.

Yield: 26 cups of tea

Chai Tea Mix Recipe

Name: Chai Tea Mix Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 26 cups of tea
Cuisine: tea
Ingredients: 48 Organic Cardamom Pods or Star Anise; 2 teaspoons Organic Whole Black Peppercorns; 4 Tablespoons Organic Fennel Seeds; 2 teaspoons Organic Coriander Seeds; 2 teaspoons Organic Whole Cloves; 4 sticks of Organic Sweet (True Cinnamon) Cinnamon Sticks; 1 Jar Crystalized Ginger; 2 Cups Organic Loose Leaf Darjeeling Tea or Assam Tea

Learn how to make an organic chai tea mix to give as DIY holiday gifts this winter. Package this recipe for chai tea mix in a jar or in a bag - for personalized gifting and storage. Each container yields about 13 servings of tea.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Additional Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

48 Organic Cardamom Pods or Star Anise
2 teaspoons Organic Whole Black Peppercorns
4 Tablespoons Organic Fennel Seeds
2 teaspoons Organic Coriander Seeds
2 teaspoons Organic Whole Cloves
4 sticks of Organic Sweet (True Cinnamon) Cinnamon Sticks
1 Jar Crystalized Ginger
2 Cups Organic Loose Leaf Darjeeling Tea or Assam Tea

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Break the anise star pods, if using in lieu of the cardamom, in half. Then crumble the cinnamon sticks into smaller pieces.

Next, place the anise star pods (or cardamom) and cinnamon into a large dish with the black peppercorns, fennel seeds, coriander seeds and cloves.

Heat your spices in the oven for about 5 minutes until fragrant. Then remove the warm chai tea spices from the oven. Allow to cool.

Crush the cooled spices as much as possible using the bottom of a glass or cup.

In a large bowl, combine the tea, candied ginger and spices. Mix well.

Fill two 6.75 oz. bags or mason jars with the tea, then label with brewing instructions.

Notes

To brew, bring one cup of water to a boil. Then pour over one Tablespoon of Chai Tea.

Allow to steep for five minutes, strain, then add milk (or a dairy free substitute) and sugar to taste.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

Tablespoon
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 4 Total Fat: 0g Saturated Fat: 0g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 0g Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 1mg Carbohydrates: 1g Net Carbohydrates: 0g Fiber: 0g Sugar: 0g Sugar Alcohols: 0g Protein: 0g

Chai tea mix recipe: Easy winter DIY holiday gifts. Learn how to make an organic chai tea mix to give as DIY holiday gifts this winter. Don't forget to make extras though! This easy DIY chai tea mix recipe is so delicious, you'll want to keep a few extra bags of this spicy, homemade chai tea mix for yourself. Package this recipe for chai tea mix in a jar or in a bag - for personalized gifting and storage. Learn how to make your own chai tea spice mix with organic spices.

If you love this recipe, then be sure to pin it for later. You can also find more DIY holiday food gifts by following my boards on Pinterest. Or check out some of my other holiday inspired food recipes below.

More DIY Holiday Food Gifts

Love homemade food gifts? Make one or more of these yummy recipes for your DIY holiday gifts this winter.

For more recipes from Soap Deli News, follow me across your favorite social media platforms. You can find me on Blog Lovin‘, facebook, twitter and instagram. Or sign up for my newsletter.

Filed Under: Food Recipes, Homemade Gift Ideas Tagged With: artisan tea, chai tea, christmas, Christmas gift, crafts, diy, drink, drink mix, drink recipe, easy, fair trade, food, gift idea, gift wrap ideas, holiday, holiday gift, homemade, loose leaf tea, organic, recipe

Artisan Loose Leaf Teas from The Cozy Leaf

January 22, 2012 By Rebecca D. Dillon

I am a huge fan of loose leaf teas, but my favorite teas are loose leaf artisan teas. I love sampling new teas blended up by handmade artisans and have been on the look out for even more great teas since my favorite tea artist closed up her shop. Recently I discovered a new shop with hand blended loose leaf artisan teas located in Wichita, Kansas called The Cozy Leaf.

I purchased Abby’s – of The Cozy Leaf – Sample Pack of 6 Artisan Loose Leaf Tea Blends and received my purchase on Friday. I’ve been sipping ever since! According to the February 2012 issue of Reader’s Digest Magazine – my mom is a devout subscriber – black tea, dark chocolate and fish can help to reduce stress, depression, and anxiety. So I’ve really decided to up my daytime consumption of a quality black loose leaf tea to at least once a day. (I believe the article recommended four cups a week.) Besides, there’s just something about a cup of fresh brewed, hot tea that relaxes you despite the caffeine. My favorites thus far from The Cozy Leaf are the Organic Fit and Active Loose Leaf Tea – this is an Oolong tea blend – and the Organic Peaceful Dreams Loose Leaf Herbal Tea. I always love a nice cup of herbal tea before bed! Abby also has an organic Cream Earl Grey Tea in the works which is my very favorite tea of all time! I’m super excited for it to become available so I can try it out!

I like a hefty, strong cup of tea so rather than the recommended 1 teaspoon per 4oz. cup I generally opt of a rounded Tablespoon of tea per 6-8oz. of water. Herbal teas I steep for a good 10-15 minutes to reap the benefits of the herbs in the blend. I also really like the Traditional Medicinals herbal tea blends. While not an artisan tea, they are organic and their Organic Cold Care PM has been fabulous with this last cold I caught! Plus there’s a coupon for $1 off in February’s Reader’s Digest. (I buy mine at Kroger.) I’m also a big fan of the artisan, flavored black loose leaf teas at Tea for All Reasons.

If you’re a fan of tea, but not the caffeine, and your favorite artisan teas aren’t available in decaf, you can decaf the teas yourself. Simply bring your cold water to a boil, brew your tea for about 30 seconds, then immediately remove the tea, drain your tea leaves and re-brew with a fresh dose of boiling water for the recommended 3-5 minutes. This method removes most of the caffeine from any of your teas – just as much as a commercial decaffeinated tea – but won’t result in a loss of flavor for oolong, green or white teas. Black teas on the other hand can lose some flavor and may need to be steeped longer. Also, keep in mind decaffeinating your tea can cause a loss in the health benefits of your tea. I brew all of my loose leaf teas in T-Sac Tea Filtersas I find them easy to use for whatever amount I choose.

You can also make your own tea bags from coffee filters. A Beautiful Mess Blog has a simple DIY tutorial for doing so with a decorative touch that would make them great for gifting or as favors. Love tea as much as I do? Check out my Everything Tea Board on Pinterest for more tea related projects, products and ideas.

Are you a tea drinker? What’s your favorite tea to drink and when is your favorite time to drink it?

Filed Under: Shopping Tagged With: craft project, crafts, diy, handmade, loose leaf tea, organic, review, shopping, tea, tea bags, the cozy leaf

The Joy of Loose Leaf Teas

June 5, 2011 By Rebecca D. Dillon

I love tea. For me tea is the most wildly wonderful creation for sipping – other than chocolate martinis, of course! It’s perfect breakfast or an afternoon delight and is always soothing when I’ve had a rough day. I prefer hand blended loose leaf teas above and beyond all others, though sadly my first and fondest tea artist is no longer in the business. I now shop from Tea for All Reasons when in need of a restock, as she’s also from Virginia, and produces a lovely variety of loose leaf black tea blends, my favorite of which is Cream Earl Grey. I’m always on the lookout for new tea artists, however, and I love to try new products and creators.

I have also found that T-Sac Filters make the most wonderful, eco-friendly tea bags for my loose leaf teas and highly recommend them. You can buy them from Mountain Rose Herbs along with organic herbs perfect for making your own teas. Mountain Rose Herbs also carries a surprisingly flavorful and interesting rice tea called Genmaicha Tea, which was introduced to me by one of my fellow tea lovers. Genmaicha is a Japanese classic which includes a stunning combination of whole, fresh Green Sencha leaves combined with sweet, roasted organic brown rice. If you’ve never tried Genmaicha, I highly recommend it as well.

<pstyle=”text-align: justify;”>In celebration of my love of tea, I’ve put together a collection of posts related to tea – everything from tub tea for the bath to crafting your own cup of tea. I hope they bring you as almost as much enjoyment as your own, favorite cup of tea.

Quotable Tea Bags. Check out this free downloadable template from Shrimp Salad Circus for making your own tea bag tags with quotes. These would be perfect for gifting teas to a friend.

Bath Tub Tea. When you’re stressed, bath teas can really make a difference. It’s a reason to spend time alone and the aromatherapy properties of the herbs used can help ease your stress away. Learn how to create your own soothing bath tea mixture in decorative “heart” sealed tea bags from In Words and Pictures. Also try these recipes found on Soap Deli News for a Tropical Tea Soak and Cold Comfort Bath. There’s also a diy from Martha Stewart for creating tub teas for gifts as well as a tutorial for making bath teas as party or wedding favors from Inspired Taste.

Make Your Own Tea. With a little knowledge and research, you can easily start on the path towards making your own herbal teas. Playing Learning and Going Home to Roost both have simple instructions for getting you started on making your own teas.

And, if you’ll be making your own teas, you may want to make your own tea bags as well. If you’re good at sewing, Lillyella Blog has a photo tutorial for stitching your own re-usable, eco-friendly tea bags on a sewing machine using untreated fabric. For those of you who prefer to hand stitch or don’t have access to a sewing machine, Design*Sponge has craft tutorial for making heart shaped tea bags with the tea inside. And finally, Merriment Design offers a diy for crafting handsewn fabric teabags for loose tea favors. There’s even a free tea bag template and printable matching tea tents for display.

Looking for unique ways to store your loose leaf teas? Wit & Whistle has a diy for Tea Storage Jars made from mason jars and lids painted with chalkboard paint. With each new blend, you can re-label the jar quickly and easily. While Style Me Pretty has a tutorial for labeling tins filled with tea for wedding favors.

Want more tea inspired ideas? Then check out this idea for DIY Tea Painted Cards with Free Printable from Creature Comforts. Thanks for sharing my tea “collection” with me. If you know of other fun uses for tea, please feel free to share them in the comments! In the meantime, if you’d like to keep up with more of my “fun” tea finds, the follow my Everything Tea Board on Pinterest.

Filed Under: DIY Craft Project, Shopping Tagged With: bath tea, crafts, diy, eco-friendly, favors, gift, gift ideas craft project, handmade, herbal tea, loose leaf tea, printables, sewing, tea, tea bags, weddings