Spotlight: Teavana

My first memory of tea is also one of my favorite memories of my grandmother. My grandparents farm was a a few miles up the road from our farm. When we would stay with her, she would make a cup of tea with a Red Rose tea bag. I remember the tea, because each box came with a ceramic animal figurine as a keepsake and we were determined to collect all of them.

Over the years, my tea obsession has become more sophisticated and a few years ago, a girlfriend bought me some amazing loose tea from Teavana as a gift. I loved them so much that it has become somewhat of an obsession!

I recently ran out of tea and needed to order more, however, since I have never been in a Teavana store I had no idea how the blending process works. The Teavana website had several amazing suggestions for blends and I was also able to duplicate the blends my friend had chosen for me!

I ordered each of the following teas (FTC):

• Rooibos Chai Rooibos Tea + MatéVana® Herbal Tea
• Rooibos Tropica + Strawberry Kiwi
• Rooibos Peach Bloom + Japanese Wild Cherry

My favorite for summer is the  Rooibos Tropica + Strawberry Kiwi because it's light, fruity and refreshing and translates well into iced tea. 

Now that the weather is getting considerably cooler and the leaves are turning, I am drawn to my first love. The Rooibos Chai Rooibos Tea + MatéVana® Herbal Tea is for all intensive purposes, liquid chocolate in tea form. I absolutely love it! It's chocolatey without being overbearing and slightly nutty. If you are a fan of chai, you'll love this tea!

The Rooibos Peach Bloom + Japanese Wild Cherry was sadly not a favorite. Something about the Cherry translated into cough syrup for me and I've since regaled it to the back of the tea chest. Might give it another try here when the weather gets a bit cooler...otherwise, it will be gifted to my sister who loves fruity teas!

If you get a chance to check out a Teavana store, you won't be disappointed. Although, expensive, if you are a lover of tea it is an experience not to be missed! (The single-serving tea diffusers are awesome too)!

Allison B. Kontur

www.BathBodySupply.com