Tea Infusiast
I’ve gathered together my herbal tea reviews.
I never knew I could love herbal teas until I discovered options beyond mint and chamomile.
I hope these herbal tea reviews help you discover new herbal choices or new ways to enjoy them!
What’s the difference between rooibos and green rooibos teas? This post compares their origin, processing, appearance, and flavor profiles.
Rooibos, or red bush tea, is generally more well known then green rooibos. Both herbal teas come from Aspalathus linearis. This plant is “a South African shrub from whose leaves a tea (infusion) is made that is high in antioxidants, and has low tannin content and no caffeine” (American Botanical Council).
This Review of Witches Brew in West Hempstead, NY, highlights this eclectic cafe with its substantial tea menu, tasty vegan and vegetarian food, and fun goth and Victorian décor.
I’m finally sharing a blog review of Witches Brew on Long Island after over two decades of enjoying their tea, food, and vibes.
Witches Brew in Hempstead, New York a coffee house that serves tasty vegetarian and vegan food, desserts, coffee, and tea. For this tea blog, I’ll focus on their tea, the space, and food. I’ll also share some tips and insight on parking.
I’m sharing my review of Safwa Coffee & Teahouse.
As I write this, Safwa has two locations–one in Somerset, New Jersey; the other in Westbury, New York (on Long Island). I’m reviewing the Long Island location.
Safwa carries a wide range of coffees–espresso, cortado, flat white, etc. Since this is a tea blog, however, I’ll focus on their tea, the space, and the food.
As I write, there are two flavors of tea ice cream at Van Leeuwen that I love.
Van Leeuwen is an ice cream chain that started in New York City. Now, you can find scoop shops across a large swatch of the United States and in Korea. According to their website, in the U.S. their name is pronounced “Van (like the car) Lou (like the name) Inn (like the hotel).”
This post shares a story about tea served as a cup full of compassion.
In July, a beloved member of our family was hospitalized, then moved to hospice care. It was an emotionally and physically tense time all around.
The day she moved from the hospital to the hospice was especially stressful. For several days, we didn’t know when the hospital would transfer her or where she would be placed. Then, it was suddenly happening.
This post shares, from an accessibility perspective, a T handle mug review. The mug is made by Carter Designs. I share my thoughts and a loved one’s experience.
Swelling, strength, mobility issues with fingers or hands–among other things–can make it very helpful to have a mug that works for your body and circumstances.
This T Handle mug is the third type of mug that I’m reviewing for accessibility on the blog. I bought it, paying retail price, from The Wright Stuff.
There are many reasons you might find yourself drinking less tea. Here’s mine…
In recent years, normally I enjoy one full tea session a day (about 3g of tea). Sometimes, I creep up to double that. Recently, however, I’ve radically reduced my tea consumption due to an acid reflux flare. Tea is usually mildly to moderately acidic. Also, caffeine can “loosen up your lower esophageal sphincter (LES), a ring of muscle between your esophagus and stomach,” according to the Cleveland Clinic.
So, I’ve worked my way down from the higher end of my caffeine range to less than half a gram a day. I’m sincerely hoping this reduced tea consumption will be a temporary measure and I am consulting with doctors. But, while I’m here, I still want to enjoy drinking less tea.
Cold brewing tea usually involves putting tea leaves (or tea sachets) into room temperature or cold water. Then, you store it in the refrigerator from a few minutes to 12 hours to allow it to steep. You never use hot water. This method is called mizudashi (水出し) in Japanese, according to the Global Japanese Tea Association.
I’m delighted to share my experience using the Starry Sky tea set from Umi Tea Sets.
On the Umi Tea Sets website, the full name of this teaware is “Chinese Starry Sky Jian Zhan Tea Set.” The version I am reviewing includes a teapot, six teacups, a fairness cup (sometimes called a fairness pitcher), and a two-piece ceramic tea strainer. It arrived in a beautiful deep blue “gift box” with multicolored fabric on the top.
