Over the last few weeks, life has been a whirlwind of activities. I have been CRAZY busy at work. If you’ve been paying attention to my Instagram, I did a bit of traveling two weekends ago to Scandinavia (more on that soon) and have been trying to train for a half marathon during the week. Needless to say, I haven’t had much time to just sit back and unwind. It’s hard for me to feel anything but fatigue, especially when my day is just ‘go go go‘.
I’m trying to slow down. Slow living is apparently all the rage these days. Oslo was a fun weekend, but it went by so fast. I felt like I didn’t have time to breathe. This experience actually taught me a few things about myself. I struggle with anxiety, especially on planes. On my flight back to the UK from Oslo, I experienced some turbulence, almost resulting in a panic attack. The human brain literally cannot comprehend why it’s being hurled at 600 MPH through the air in a metal cage. Sure, we, human brains, invented airplanes… We conquered physics, defied gravity, etc… However, when it boils down to it, we aren’t mentally prepared for living at that speed. We have to slow down enough to reconnect with ourselves, and occasionally ‘stop and smell the roses’, or at least the rose petals in these beautiful loose leaf teas.
When the local Trinity Market Hull and The Tea Shop (aka – The Great Tea Blender) reached out to me to try a few of their tea samples, I immediately jumped at the offer. Although I’m probably more of a coffee person, I have a deep love and appreciation for tea. I grew up drinking black tea straight (as we Russians do). This year, I may or may not have even become an actual tea snob. I finally purchased one of those tea infusers, to encourage myself to try different loose leaf teas.
The flavors I got to try are Gin & Tonic, Cherry Compote and Very Berry Vanilla and Strawberry. First of all, they all smell amazing. Those little baggies remind me of potpourri, consisting of so many different ingredients and combining to make a delectable smelling, drinkable infusion. I was particularly impressed that the Gin & Tonic actually did remind me of the alcoholic beverage, minus the hangover (and tasting like tea). It is a really nice green tea mix. The Very Berry flavor is a black tea that includes currants (my fave), strawberries, raspberries and vanilla, naturally. The final one is the fruit tisane, Cherry Compote (featured in the photos). I think I’d have to say that it was my favorite. Cherry Compote reminds me of a Russian drink with the same name. Compote has a bunch of berries and flavors and is the perfect drink during summertime.
Overall, I’d have to say my ‘tea testing’ adventure was a great success. Not only did I get to experiment with my tea flavors, I also know what I’m getting my friends and family back home for when I go to visit them. You can’t go wrong with loose leaf teas (for either yourself or others), and with The Tea Shop being a local business, they have all my support!
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