Five Reasons Why We're Thankful for Tea!
The chilled autumn air is here, and the holiday season has commenced. Thanksgiving is one of our favorite holidays, but it feels like it gets pushed aside as the Christmas decorations come out sooner and sooner each year. We love Christmas, but we think it is only right that Thanksgiving has its time to shine too. There are very few things that can bring people together and calm a full belly more than a delicious, comforting cup of tea. During this Thanksgiving Holiday, I want to share why we are so thankful for tea here at Hackberry.
Below are five reasons why we are thankful to have a beverage like tea in our lives...
1) It Provides Health Benefits
The health benefits of tea are almost innumerable. It perhaps promotes and provides good health more than any other beverage in the world. Tea is a great way to ingest herbs that help with inflammation, pain, stomach issues, and stress. Many people talk about how much tea may help specific ailments. Common uses include chamomile for stomach discomfort, Valerian root for sleeping problems, and turmeric for inflammation. If you're looking for relief from an ailment or just a comforting drink before bed to relax after a stressful day, there is tea for just about any mood.
2) The Flavor of Tea is Abundant and Versatile
At Hackberry, we offer over 80 different varieties of tea. We have black, green, white, fruit, herbal, Pu-erh, Honeybush, and Rooibos. We also offer a variety of options with natural fruit flavorings like peach, apple, coconut, mango, strawberries, and more. If you're in the mood for a more rich flavor, you can also find chocolate, marshmallow, licorice, and even bourbon in tea.
One of my personal favorite offerings is our Calm Mango Beach because I think it tastes like I'm sitting in the middle of a field of flowers, taking in all the lovely scents and smells. Our Warm Vanilla Chai is great in the morning when you want something warm and comforting. Our Strawberry Fields tea not only has a beautiful color, but the tea tastes like a refreshing and juicy strawberry.
3) There are Many Options With or Without Caffeine
I love my coffee in the morning and the afternoon. But in the evenings, I am often looking for a soothing, warm, and flavorful drink after a long and stressful day with no caffeine. During this time, I will usually reach for a nice cup of tea. We offer many teas that are caffeine-free, so you can freely enjoy them at any time of the day. Caffeine-free teas are not limited to just fruit and herbal teas, as certain selections like Rooibos and Honeybush are also caffeine-free. Rooibos and Honeybush are special because each comes from a specific plant and is only grown in South Africa. To learn more, check out our blogs about Rooibos and Honeybush.
4) Tea Transports You to Different Parts of the World
Tea has been around for centuries. Like coffee, tea comes from specific origins, but these origins for tea can be ancient. Take China, for example, where tea goes back to the 2nd century B.C. and grew in popularity because of its medicinal properties. Tea would continue to expand until the Tang Dynasty thousands of years later and is now a central part of Chinese culture. Not all places are like that, though. Here in the U.S., tea has had a slower start but has still made its impact. In the 1920s, women in the U.S. would open their homes and operate them like tea houses. It was a way for women to be industrious and build businesses.
If you go to England, you see another unique story of tea. Tea was first used in London as part of a very formal social event. It has changed over time, but a cup of tea is something very few of the English go without. If you want to be transported to Japan, try matcha. Even though matcha was started by Zen Buddhist monks in China more than 900 years ago, it was shared with the Japanese and they popularized it into a worldwide favorite. When you drink certain teas, you take part in cultural traditions that have been around for centuries.
5) You can Make Lattes with Tea
Adding milk to tea is not a new concept. It started in England a long time ago because their fine teacups were so delicate; they would break with hot water. As a solution to this problem, they added milk to make sure the teacups didn't break. Over the years this idea of adding milk to tea has transformed into the tea latte. A tea latte blends steamed milk to create foam that takes the beverage experience to new heights. One of the more common tea lattes is London Fog, which is Earl Grey tea with steamed milk, and sometimes a bit of vanilla.
Another fan favorite is the Chai Tea Latte. Our Warm Vanilla Chai is perfect for this one. I steam the tea with the milk as it heats, and it's delicious. You can add simple syrup or cardamom to add more flavor and sweetness. Our Calm Mango Beach tea also makes an amazing tea latte. In the shop, we serve this one iced by adding simple syrup and a bit of heavy cream. It creates a beautiful blue color that makes it unique and delightful both in flavor and aesthetic. Try offering tea lattes to your Thanksgiving guests this year!
