Flash back to a classic Tea Party Girl article from 2007 by founder Jenny Wells

The beauty of tea lends itself to a daily ritual to counteract stress. Providing tranquility and balance, drinking tea at similar times throughout your routine will promote your well-being. Even if it is only for a few minutes, for example, drinking a cup of tea gives you permission to do nothing, except enjoy quiet and the scene outside your window.

Most regular tea drinkers I know, including myself, gather a few essentials for their daily ritual. Mine includes a decent tea kettle that permanently lives on the stove top, my blue teapot, tea sacks, a favorite cup and carafe to keep it warm throughout most of the work day. As well, I choose from about four different favorite teas, tucked away in a cool, dark, dry cupboard away from other food products that might change my teas’ smell (tea absorbs other flavors easily). Personally, I reach for Caramel for Hobbits or Anne Shirley’s Almond Black most of the time.

Using large tea sacks allows tea leaves plenty of room to expand. As well, they are disposable and biodegradable, a welcome asset to any compost (other plants love tea!). Its amazing how many people who do not yet drink loose-leaf tea own a small mesh ball for tea brewing. These are acceptable for one cup at a time, but rarely provide enough room for the tea leaf to expand and release all its flavor.

Other daily tea rituals include taking tea regularly with friends and family. Afternoon tea is a daily ritual throughout the countries of Western Europe and my family adopts this practice. If at home, between 3 and 4, one knows a fresh pot of tea brews and a little-touch-of-something comes with it. Another mother I know brews a pot of tea every morning for her family. Though a mother of three boys age 6-11, they each enjoy their favorite cup and saucer.

Throughout history and cultures, a hot cup of tea represents warmth, hospitality, beauty, and ritual. For millennium, tea lovers have known drinking tea promotes well-being and health, providing moments of tranquility, balance, and beauty in their day.

Meet me for tea at three,
Jenny

(Tea Party Girl Founder – 2007)