Tea for Me

Most likely, I've written about this before, but after my recent visit to the store (and Christmas gifts) I feel compelled to write about it possibly for the second time.  After doing a bit of research I discovered that drinking tea was not really good for my health.  The fluoride content is ridiculous, particularly after steeping.  Coffee is the recommended brew, but I only enjoy the smell and not the taste.  Definitely not an option for me!  However, after some digging, I discovered that the fluoride in white and herbal teas is practically non-existent.

I'm sure I mentioned this before, but I live 20 minutes from civilization (of sorts).  Although we have a grocery store in town, we are 20 minutes from a couple of malls and 45 minutes from any Whole Foods or Trader Joe's.  White tea is not something that our local grocery carries, so I was on the hunt and had almost lost all hope.  Until one of my friends who is in the know when it comes to healthy goodies, Val, pointed me to Teavana. 

Luckily for me there happens to be a Teavana in one of those malls, and I immediately trekked over there.  Have you ever visited a Teavana?  If not, go now.  It is an adventure!  I was absolutely overwhelmed and could have easily spent hundreds of dollars on tea and tea paraphernalia.  They have teas of all kinds!  White tea, green tea, rooibos, oolong, herbal, black, and mate.  After a lot of tea sniffing and sampling I left the store with a new iced-tea pitcher designed to infuse the 3 teas that I had purchased. 

Here's one of the fabuloso things about Teavana (and loose) teas in general.  You can blend, or mix, them to make even yummier flavors!  Which brings us to the point of this post...the Teavana app.  While in the store on that summery day I noticed an advertisement for the app.  Of course, as soon as I got home, I downloaded it onto my iPad!  You're probably thinking, why would anyone want an app for tea, much less a tea store?  In short, because it is awesome!

There are a lot of spectacular things about the Teavana app.  For one, it has all of their teas listed with descriptions of the ingredients, possible health benefits, and steeping info.  It has a team timer, which will time how long to steep the tea you are preparing based upon the flavor and whether you are drinking it iced or hot.  It also tells you how much tea to use.  Other features of the app include where to find Teavana stores and to shop directly from their website. But my favorite feature of the app?  It's the Tea Blender.  

If you are like me then you probably have 50 gazillion flavors of tea in the house.  Well, you can combine those flavors to make even more flavors!!!  It is so easy to use and there are two ways you can access the blending option of the app.  One is by clicking on the tea you plan to prepare and then click the 'Blend Your Tea' button.  It will immediately scroll to the tea you chose and suggest another flavor or two to blend it with.  The other way to access it is by clicking on the 'Tea Blender' tab at the bottom of the app.  Scroll to the tea you are planning to prepare and it will suggest some other flavors to blend it with.  

But, you don't have to feel limited to what the app suggests.  You can also create your own blends.   I did this with some of the newer flavors that just came out and they are scrumdidilicious.  And...once you've created your own blend or chosen one that the app suggests, you can save it to you favorites so that it will always be handy for you.  (You can also add teas to your favorites.)  For me it is a win win.  I still get to fuel my tea habit and remain healthy!