Yes! A whole month dedicated to tea. Who knew?
According to Mr. Peter Goggi – President of the Tea Council of the USA – Hot Tea Month is an annual celebration initiated by the Tea Council of the USA in 2016. Now in it’s 6th year, it’s aim is to raise awareness and promote the consumption of tea for better health.
As you already know, tea is a beverage that is consumed all over the world and for many different reason.
For me, tea is :
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A versatile beverage that I drink for health purposes.
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A way to develop my palate. I analyze it as I would any other beverages – like wine or beer.
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Used as a ritual to help me get back into the present moment or relax and meditate.
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An enjoyable “tool” to provide comfort. I use chilled teas to cool me down and hot teas to warm me up.
Obviously, tea is a part of daily life here. So hot tea month felt worth of celebrating!
How to celebrate Hot Tea month?
Spread the Word!
Take a photo of yourself with a cup of tea or any tea related picture and post it on social media using the hashtags #nationalhotteamonth #hotteamonth #teatime
Feel free to tag us (@numberetea) so we can see your post and engage with you!
Who knows? you might encourage others to add tea into their daily lives to improve their health and wellness.
Try a New Tea!
It can be hard to break away from the familiar. But Perhaps one that you’ve always wanted to try but never got around to it.
Get out of your comfort zone. Try pure teas only, no flavoured teas. Experiment and appreciate teas that have been carefully handcrafted by passionate tea masters.
I personally discovered/rediscovered 5 black teas from different countries that I would highly recommend:
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Organic Black from La Cumbre Bitaco in Columbia – A very smooth tea with notes of molasses and cacao. I was really impressed with this tea which became one of my new favourite.
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Evening Lilac from Renegade Tea Estate in Georgia – Light and silky with floral, lilac note to it.
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Organic Assam tea from Kanoka Tea Estate in India – This one has been a favourite of ours since we visited their tea coop on our first tea trip to Asia.Smooth, malty and everything you can expect from a small batch tea from Assam. P.S. This tea is actually available on our website. Learn more HERE if you’re interested in trying some for yourself.
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Wild Boar from Hatvala Tea in Vietnam – A very bold and complex tea with notes of chocolate and plum. Perfect with or without dairy, especially in the morning.
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Black Luo Cha Snail Shape from China – A very light afternoon tea that was recommended by a lovely tea tender at Tea Traders on our last trip to Calgary. Described as malty and floral with hints of chocolate. For me, this lovely amber coloured tea had a hint of orange in it.
Experience Tea in a New Way
1. Try cooking with tea
Our latest experiment was matcha pasta. Adding matcha to your pasta recipe gives it not only an interesting colour but a nice taste. I will definitely try it again with more matcha to see if I get even more of the grass taste that I like so much.
Matcha has many health benefits as well. We love this Gokou Ceremonial Matcha
2. Try Beauty Products With Tea
Another way to experiment with tea in a new way is to purchase a beauty products that uses tea as an ingredient/component.
Note: not tea tree oil which is an essential oil distilled from the leaves of the native Australian plant Melaleuca alternifolia.
I recently purchased a green tea konjac sponge at KOKITO, one of my favorite stores in The County.
I’ve also bought some products from Teaology, a company that offers a line of vegan, animal cruelty-free products with a focus on natural, botanical ingredients. They use tea infusions in the creation of their products. I’m looking forward to giving them a try.
3. Learn about tea traditions around the world
We love to travel and usually pick our destination according to tea culture.
On our last trip, before the pandemic, we headed to Turkey because we knew that tea was a big part of their culture. We realized that even though Turkey is one of the biggest tea producing countries, their export is relatively low. This is because their people are the biggest tea consumers in the world!
We were amazed to see how much tea was part of their daily life. Tea kettles in every store and people delivering tea all across town in beautiful tulip shape glass is part of their daily rituals. It was a beautiful and inspirational experience.
4. Invite a friend to a local afternoon tea or create one of your own
Going to a restaurant for an afternoon tea has been quite a challenge in the last couple of years due to the pandemic. But there are a few places that offer afternoon tea to go, throughout Ontario.
One we’d really love to try is the custom afternoon tea set from our friend at Whimsical Twist in the Toronto area. They really make it fun and custom themes are available.
If you’re in Ottawa, Quelque Chose Patisserie’s Afternoon Tea to Go looks so enticing! They offer vegetarian, gluten free, and kid friendly options which is a huge bonus.
You can also try The High Tea Trolley, which specializes in British, Afternoon, and High Tea or Tea with Tracie. They are a mobile service, available to the Halton and Peel regions.
You can also work on some recipes and invite a friend over (when it is permitted).
Ready to sit back, relax and drink tea?
After a fresh January snowfall here, we’re ready to celebrate hot tea month by curling up indoors with a soothing cup of our favourite tea.
Sarah + Chris
How will you celebrate hot tea month? Let us know in the comments below.