Tea Time anyone?

"You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me."-C.S. Lewis

If you are a tea or coffee lover like me, you´ll know how comforting it is to have a nice hot cup of tea throughout the day.  We seldom have time to really enjoy food or a drink and revel in its mere delight.  Tasting food with attention is like discovering a world within your senses.  The way something smells or tastes can take you to its origin without leaving your house.  This morning, I made myself a delicious glass of orange juice.  The flavor and scent transported me to the sweet fragrance of summer and being among orchards of oranges and wondrous orange blossoms.  We often forget that we have four other senses apart from sight that bring us pleasure in this world.  When was the last time you truly enjoyed that piece of chocolate you had or really stopped and felt how  nice a hot cup of cocoa feels in your belly?  These small things help us remember how beautiful and delightful life can be and with all the rush and rumble we forget about the tiny details that make life all the more marvellous.  

Baking for me is very therapeutic as well as entertaining.  When you bake the scents and smells of everything invade the household and make it so much more of a home.  Just remember how your grandmother´s cake smells like or how your favorite dish sizzles and smells on the pan in the kitchen.  Cooking is another form of art and like all art forms it takes patience, creativity, and harmony to bring many ingredients together to create the symphony of the dish.  So I invite you today to smell your food, taste your food, and feel its texture without rush and truly enjoy giving yourself the love that is nutrition.

Here is a recipe I found to be very delicious and fun to make with children. 

Click here Classic English Scones Recipe

Here is a video on how to behave in case you  ever get invited to a fancy tea party with the Queen!

Tea Party Etiquette Video 

The Happy Cottage Copyright 

Fun Facts about Tea

1) Tea was accidently discovered by Emperor Shen Nong.  When he was being served hot water by his servants some flowers blew into his water and he decided to drink them.  He loved herbs and knew they were good for him so he didn't mind them.  He discovered he loved the taste and there was the birth of tea.

2) Originally tea was chewed for medicinal purposes and often to detoxify the body and heal it from illnesses.

3) All tea originates from the same plant called the Camellia sinensis and depending on how the leaves are treated we get the different varieties such as: white, black, oolong, and green tea.

4) The most expensive cup of tea is a rare Chinese variety of tea called Da Hong Pao Its origin dates back to the Ming Dynasty and it is rarely sold.  Its price can go up to 1.2 million dollars per kilogram and it is kept secret only for a select few to enjoy in the world.

5) Not all tea is considered tea.  Floral and herbal infusions are called tisanes and they do not possess theine which is similiar to caffeine.  All tea made from the Camellia sinensis plant is considered tea.

6) Tea was so valuable in the 18th century that it was locked away in boxes or chests called Tea Caddies. 

7) Tea is so special and unique in Japanese culture that they even make tea ceremonies.  For the Japanese, drinking tea is a spiritual act that connects you to the divine spirit of nature.

8) Tea is so popular that it is second to plain water.  The world´s tea market is worth 12.63 Billion USD.  Believe it or not, tea is drunk everywhere and people love it.

9) In the Himalayas it's tradition to add butter from a yak to black tea.  It's called Po Cha in Tibet and it's a national beverage.

10) Tea has great health benefits.  Regulary drinking green tea has been known to reduce your risk of diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.  It has also been known to help you lose weight and keep the body hydrated.  If tea is drunk in moderation, it can be very healthy for the body and soul.