I am of the opinion that any tea is worth trying, but I’ve also learned over time that all teas are not created equally.  Some brands are consistently impressive, and others cost much more than they’re worth.  Lately I’ve been reading about the pros and cons of buying loose tea instead of bagged tea (and vice versa), and, for the most part, what I’ve read is very much in line with my own observations. Loose tea is often praised for its superior flavor, while bagged tea is a popular choice simply because of its convenience.

I definitely enjoy the convenience of bagged tea, but I can’t deny that most of the best teas I’ve had have been loose (like the Teavana Youthberry Wild Orange Blossom Blend Danielle gave me for Christmas).

So which do you prefer? Have you ever noticed a difference between the two?

In case you’re interested, here are a few of the articles/posts I came across:

• The Tea Bag: Let it Loose
• Bagged Tea vs Loose Leaf
• Loose Leaf Tea VS. Tea Bags

Happy Friday!

from Danielle:

From left to right and top to bottom- Rock Sugar, Bar Soap, Mustard Bath, Teavana Tea.

The soap, sugar, and teas smell like a dream, and I cannot wait to use that mustard bath.

and Kirby:

L to R & T to B- Skin Tea, Glass Teapot, Glass Kettle, Stress Tea.

Kirby knows that I tend to get stressed, particularly when my skin is misbehaving, so he bought me a tea to address each problem. He also got me a new glass kettle since my old one cracked and a cordless, electric kettle that is way too awesome.

Is there someone in your life who always knows just what to get you?

New year's eve is a time for Chinese food and creepy smiles.

I’m not good at keeping promises to myself. Last year, my new year’s resolution was to work out every other day. That might’ve lasted for a week, and by the end of it my idea of working out was wearing ankle weights to check the mailbox. This year’s resolutions are a little less rigid; I’m taking it easy since this’ll be my last year on earth (jokes).

Five goals for 2012:

• Drink more tea (herbal, green, white, black…you name it!)
• Eliminate beef and pork from my diet completely. I already eat them very infrequently, so this should be easy peasy.
• Read at least one book per month of my choosing. Even with school and a job, that should be attainable. Flavorpill’s list seems like a great place to start.
• Go to the gym for an hour at least twice a week. It’s free since I’m a student, so why in the world wouldn’t I?
• Bake, bake, bake!

How about you? Are you making changes or are you against that sort of thing?

Okay, guys. I’m probably about to sound really lame, but please try your best to avoid any harsh judgement.

I recently joined an online tea community called Steepster where people can share what tea they’re drinking and how they feel about the tea as a whole. You can even stock a virtual cupboard with the teas that you actually have at home! I’m pretty intrigued by the whole thing, because I’m approaching this experience as a welcomed opportunity to learn about new, awesome teas. If you’re an ardent tea fan like me, then you should totally check it out. My username is Dawngwimes, in case you wanna follow me.

Also, on a a tea-related note, I just tried Celestial Seasonings Blood Orange Star Fruit Tea and was pretty impressed. Apparently, fighting free radicals just got tasty (in a fruity but not tart sort of way).

For those of you who are tired of all the tea talk, I promise that I have some reviews and interesting articles lined up for the rest of the week. I’ve been on s0rt of a tea kick for the past few days, and I apologize if I’ve bored anyone.

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone! Kirby made me the beautiful chocolate-covered strawberries pictured below. I’ve already eaten an embarrassing amount, and I’m going to take most of the rest on the picnic that I’ve planned for today. There will be frisbee involved, and it’s only logical for you to be jealous of me, my sweet boyfriend, and our good ideas.

• Having several cups of warm tea throughout the day, like the delicious Earl Grey that I purchased yesterday.
• Relaxing in bathtubs filled with hot water and either homemade bath soak or essence soak.
• Wearing Kirby’s warm and comfy beagle sweatshirt. Fortunately, it’s also pretty cute.

How do you deal with cold weather?

We were running low on tea, so I bought two new boxes today when I went shopping with Danielle. One thing that I love about Marshall’s is that they always have awesome-looking teas for reasonable prices. I just drank two cups of the tea in the pink box, and it tasted like a cherry jolly rancher.  I’m assuming that it has something to do with the Cherry Flavor that’s listed in the ingredients (which I honestly didn’t notice until a few minutes ago…I guess I was mesmerized by the pretty packaging and the curious spelling of the word aging ). Aside from the cherry flavoring, the tea has pretty great ingredients: Hibiscus, Rosehip, Buckthorn Berries, Strawberries, Blueberries, Raspberries, and Blackberries. I haven’t tried any of the new Earl Grey yet, but I’m pretty excited to do so, because it’s made with actual Oil of Bergamot (unlike the box of Twinings that we just finished, which is made with bergamot flavouring). Looks like I’ve just taken up residence in Fancytown, USA.

Also, I think I might have a Stye. I’m not sure because it isn’t painful, but I can plainly see a small bump on the lower lid of my right eye at the base of my lashes. The eye in question has been a little red for two days, and it’s a real bummer. I’ve been searching for home remedies,  and apparently warm, used tea bags are supposed to help. Can anyone confirm this, or does anyone have their own bit of advice for getting rid of a stye?

Kirby gave me one of my Christmas presents early, and (with the help of my immediate family) I tried it out the night before last. It’s a clear glass tea pot with loose tea infuser and 12 flowering teas! The twelve teas are all green tea with jasmine (which is my absolute favorite, by the way), but they all have a different flower that blooms when you pour hot water over it! That guy always knows just what to get me.

I took out the infuser before putting the flowering tea inside the pot.

Here are the cute packs of flowering teas!

I chose the Noble Madam, and then I couldn't make the camera focus.

We were all amazed by how pretty it was.

I love a little teacup.

I drank four whole cups, one with a teaspoon of local honey and the other three by themselves.

I only look like I have man-hands.

The tea tasted a lot like jasmine, and I was a big fan of it. I could’ve had another cup, but I hate middle of the night pee trips with a passion.

My grandmother, who’s one of the pickiest eaters/drinkers I know, wrinkled her nose after trying it and said, “That’s just not my cup of tea. You ever heard that expression?” I love her, and I love Kirby for giving me such a wonderful gift.

I just read an article about foods that may slow the aging process, and I found it to be both interesting and helpful.  I tend to become so focused on health and beauty products that I forget how big a role the food we eat actually plays in our overall quality of life. I plan to buy kiwis, dark chocolate, and white tea tomorrow  when I go grocery shopping since those three have been completely absent from my diet  for a while now. At the risk of sounding braggy, however, I felt pretty satisfied with myself after seeing berries, spinach, and avocados on the list. It just so happens that I’ve been eating spinach salads topped with strawberries, raspberries, dried cranberries, and avocados for the past few days. I was pretty excited to see tomatoes on the list as well.  I regularly crave tomato and mustard sandwiches, and I’ve been known to drink salsa on more than one occasion.

Check it out:

9 Foods for Youthful Skin

Whenever I offer Kirby a sip of this, he staunchly refuses to try it.  I bet he’s worried it’ll give him a period.