How many times do people hand over a cup of tea, saying it will make everything right? Whether it’s for refreshment, after some bad news, or if somebody is feeling run down or unwell, us Brits certainly have faith in our ‘cure all’ cups of tea. Today, though, I join the ranks of tea celebrants across the nation!
A short break away in the Rutland countryside has been my prescription for easing wedding planning stress, and today, with the sun shining and a gentle breeze blowing, a few hours at an FSC woodland was our morning’s entertainment. I have always loved finding woodlands to enjoy a walk around, wherever in the UK Chris and I go for a holiday. Fineshade Woods near Uppingham was just up our street.
We decided to treat ourselves to an early lunch rather than make breakfast, and get out into the sunshine. We had hopes that some deliciously tempting food would be on the menu, and certainly weren’t left disappointed. Funnily enough, despite having an extremely tasty panini and a moreish chocolate chunk filled muffin, the bit that brought most satisfaction was what filled my mug.
I have always been a fan of fruit teas moreso than a proper cuppa, but I find there often isn’t a great deal of choice in flavours, so en up settling for a hot chocolate. Seeing Tea Pigs teabags on a shelf however, a tea brand I’d been curious about trying previously, I scanned the tea jars trying to seek out a fruity blend, and there it was; Super Fruits. Mine!
Having left the tea bag brewing for around 5 minutes, I retrieved it from the watery depths of the mug, intrigued by the unusual tea bag design, and spotted the website address for the company on the paper tag. A mental note was made to read up on their philosophies later.
As the tea bag rested on the saucer, I noticed a whole blueberry sitting inside the bag (or tea temple as I later found out!), and made me smile to see something I hadn’t expected to find. Finally getting round to finding out more about Tea Pigs led me to learn their philosophy is creating quality tasty teas based on leaving ingredients whole, such as tea leaves, rather than chopping them to pieces and losing their flavour. Well Tea Pigs, I can confirm it works, and although they cost a bit more per tea bag than other brands, the superior taste more than justifies this. I think an order for more Super Fruit tea is in order!
Now talking about having a cup of tea at a forest cafe might seem a tenuous subject for a Happy, but it’s not just about the tea. For over a year, I’d been curious about trying Tea Pigs tea, and being an eco company evangelist, finding out more about their brand. It had captured my attention and I wanted to know more; I’d just never got round to actually fulfilling that wish, but today I got that opportunity and took it. So yes, today’s Happy was at the bottom of a mug of delicious tea, but there was more to it than that. If you have something you want to know more about, or something you want to try, do it.
Curiosity is human, but experiencing something new is so much more rewarding than wondering about what it could be like. It could be a sky dive, it could be enrolling on a course, or it could be trying a new type of tea; it could be scary or routine, and it could be alone or with friends or family. It doesn’t matter how big or small your exploration is. If you don’t like it, you’ve just learnt something new about yourself, but if you do like it, you can enjoy a new hobby, knowledge or flavour in your life.
Anything can make you happy when you consider it to be a treat or you belive it to be something special. Sounds like a well thought about product the unusual design instantly points out that this is no ordinary tea, this is something special.
I had some Pu’er tea that tasted gorgeous, but when you read the back and learn where it comes from and that its been matured in bricks over years to get the unique taste etc a normal cup of tea becomes special. I guess its like a good whiskey the provenience of the product is just as important as the taste.
Is Pu’er a ‘normal’ tea or more of a herbal type infusion? I find myself intrigued by the different types and flavours, even though I know I won’t like everything I try! I did add a box of the ginger tea you recommended to my cupboard though, and that led me to try Ayurvedic tea with ginger and hibiscus in it so thank you for that!
I agree, something that is a treat can bring a smile, but isn’t it strange how we often choose special or higher quality food or drink as a treat? Should good food only be for special occasions?!