Ah, tea! Where do I begin with my affection for this word, as well as the liquid goodness that it represents? I've loved tea ever since I was a teenager, and even before that I loved the idea of tea. Te parties, tea cups, tea pots, tea bags, tea shops. You name it, and I'm there.
Autumn is one of my favorite times to dig out all my boxes of tea from the backs of the cupboards and finally get to enjoy them once again. In my corner of the world, it gets much too hot to drink hot tea during the summer, so I always long for the day when the air turns cool and the breeze is crisp. That means that tea season is back. (I long for the day when I live in a place where I can enjoy tea no matter the season, where the temperatures are more suited for me. That day will come, but until then, tea will be a seasonal joy for me.)
I have quite a collection of mugs and teacups. Perhaps, at some point in the future, I will do a series of posts sharing all about them, and introducing you to some of my favorites. Such joy and happiness come from picking out a beautiful mug to use for the day. I prefer to use mugs on the day-to-day and save teacups for special occasions.
In our kitchen, we have a little tea corner, and today I thought I would share a bit about what we have there, as well as simply use this as an excuse to chat about one of my favorite things...TEA! {{smiles}}
On one of our counters in our kitchen, we have a tea basket full of a variety of teas. Herbal tea is our favorites, as we try to avoid caffeine as much as possible. In the cupboard in this corner of the kitchen, we also have a number of boxes of teas...all kinds of flavors and varieties. We love the seasonal blends, as well as old standbys, such as chamomile or lemon. In the basket, we also keep little packets of Stevia, True Lemon, and True Lime. Honey is also on hand next to the basket of loveliness.
For a bit of variety, and to suit and please all palates, we also keep packets of hot chocolate and apple cider on hand, as well as a big jar of homemade spiced tea mix. (Recipe here.) No matter what anyone in our home is craving for a cozy evening in, it's there in the tea corner.
Finally, the last two components in this corner. Last year, after visiting Ireland and seeing how everyone has an electric tea kettle in their kitchen, we got one for ourselves. We loved the idea, and it brought a bit of the beloved land to our own home and kitchen. And it gets used multiple times a day! We love it so much! If you don't have one, I highly suggest getting one. They aren't very expensive and are such a nice addition to any kitchen.
One of my favorite things of all is our variety of mugs. In the cupboard directly above this corner, is a cabinet with shelves full of all kinds of mugs...different shapes, sizes, colors, etc. Many of these have come back with us on different adventures and serve as a sweet reminder of a lovely place we visited. Others we simply fell in love with at the local market. And yet, others, are simply from Walmart. I have my own collection that I keep on a shelf in my room, and it brings a song to my heart to use a new mug each day. I have my personal favorites, and those you can bet get used almost constantly!
There are few things better than curling up on the sofa on a chilly night, watching an episode of my favorite show, and enjoying a nice, hot cup of tea. I go through spurts of loving one tea and then will move on to another. Right now, I'm loving a blend of blueberry and blackcurrant (a blend I brought home with me from Ireland), as well as an apple cider herbal tea, which is perfectly fit for the season.
I hope you enjoyed this post, and maybe feel inspired to create your own little cozy tea corner. Ours is small and sweet, but very loved...and used!
Have a lovely Saturday, friends! May your day be filled with beauty and magic!
(Halloween is just around the corner, after all!)