As a child, one of my favorite experiences was visiting the mall candy store.
Entering the store, I found the smorgasbord of choices to be exhilarating. To this day, I love everything about candy stores: the vibrant colors, the whimsical aura, the endless variety, and of course, the sugary treats. The feeling of perusing the store and filling my bag with a 2-3 pieces of each treat is one of pure magic even for my adult self.
Sadly, the nutritional profile of candy lends itself to being eaten as a once-in-awhile indulgence, and my trips to the candy store are far less numerous than I would like them to be.
Fortunately, I have found a more grown up refreshment that satisfies my child-like urge for color and comfort.
Every time I open my cupboards, I’m like a kid in a candy store all over again.
Introducing…my tea collection! Just so you know, these pictures don’t even begin to illustrate the entirety of flavors I possess. I typically consolidate multiple kinds of tea into one box so that I save cupboard space. Not to mention, I have three unpictured boxes at work.
I own every tea known to mankind: green, black, oolong, white, and herbal.
Did you know that herbal tea is not considered “real tea”? Green, black, oolong, and white teas come from the tea bush, Camellia sinensis, whereas herbal teas are infusions of herbs, spices, fruits, flowers, and plant roots.
True teas contain many health benefits, most notably a large amount of antioxidants in the form of flavanoids.
Herbal teas are typically consumed for purported medicinal effects, the majority of which are anecdotal, and have not been extensively researched. Lack of scientific evidence or not, I find herbal teas to be the most fun to both purchase and drink.
Similar to the candy store magic of my youth, I experience total bliss while shopping the grocery store’s tea aisle. The colors, the unique ingredient lists, the proclaimed health benefits, and the anticipation of trying a new blend are what make tea shopping so undoubtedly pleasant!
The process of tea drinking is equally as enjoyable. Opening my cupboard and deciding which tea would make the best afternoon snack, blog writing accompaniment, or after work recharger brings almost the same amount of joy as actually consuming the tea.
I’m especially indebted to tea this weekend, as I am feeling quite under the weather. A cup of Traditional Medicinals Gypsy Cold Care or Echinacea Plus have been by my side at each moment of the day. I’m drinking the latter because Echinacea supposedly decreases the length of the common cold.
Check out the alleged benefits of other common herbal tea ingredients:
Allspice- helps soothe the common cold and relieve upset stomach
Chamomile- has calming attributes, anti-inflammatory properties, aids relaxation and sleep
Cinnamon- supports healthy circulation and digestion.
Dandelion-diuretic, aids digestion, helps hypoglycemia
Fennel- digestive aid, soothes upper respiratory problems.
Ginger- reduces nausea, indigestion, and migraine headaches.
Hibiscus- reduces blood pressure, soothes menstrual cramps.
Lavendar- helps headaches, decreases depression
Lemongrass- has calming properties.
Parsley- diuretic that helps with kidney functioning.
Peppermint- relieves stress, aids digestions
Raspberry Leaf- Reduces colds, sore throats, canker sores and diarrhea. Also helps nails, bones, teeth and skin health.
Rosehips- mild laxative, mild diuretic
Yerba Matte- slows aging, purifies blood, stimulates cortisone production
***
Hope you all are having a nice weekend. Besides having a nasty cold, mine has been quite relaxing. I haven’t been feeling well enough to exercise, so I’ve just been taking it easy at my parents’ house. I did have an opportunity to juice this morning, and I’ll have the details on that tomorrow!
Do you enjoy tea as much as I do? Are you more a fan of coffee? Or something else?
Thanks for all the info- I actually learned a lot
I’m def. more of a coffee person (shocker) but I’m trying to get more into tea. I have a few of the Celestial Seasonings holiday teas and they’re fantastic!
omg! your cupboards look just like mine! haha. I am a tea addict!! Do you have a favorite? I gotta say at the moment Im loveing sugar cookie sleigh ride and the chocolate teas from The Republic of tea. Super yummy! Thanks for all the wonderful info!
I’m in tea heaven right now! Have you ever tried the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf? They have amazing tea lattes ! ! !
I love tea as an after-dinner treat. Peppermint is my latest favorite, but berry flavored teas are perfect in the warm weather. I wish my local grocery store carried the gingerbread tea that I saw in your stash.
I am so jealous! I love tea but don’t have any at home.
Drinking peach black tea right now:) Can you believe it? Yummy.
Great post. I love how you related teas to a candy store! My cupboard is definitely filled with tons and tons…I love so many different kinds!
I love this tea lesson! I’m a peppermint freak. I should branch out and try some new stuff. Wish there were a tea tasting party I could go to! Based on your list, I think I’m most interested in Chamomile and Lemongrass.
oooooh a woman after my own heart!!
i thought i had a large tea collection, but yours is UH-mazing! i’ll have to come over for a tea date 
i drink about 4-5 cups of tea a day, but i’m a fan of coffee as well. coffee is definitely my drink of choice in the morning, but tea keeps me going throughout the day!
That is tea heaven! I love tea and coffee. What I drink depends upon what mood I’m in. If I want to relax, I def drink tea. I love the analogy to the kid in a candy store. Fun post!
i am addicted to both coffee and TEA but you definitely have me beat at variety!!
oh my gosh… this tea collection makes me sO JEALOUS!! i love both tea & coffee. i used to drink tea literally every night before bed but in college it is a bit tougher (aka i’m lazier) & i def drink coffee every day. lately i have been LOVING lemon flavored tea but i also loooove blueberry. or hte basic green tea w/ a hint of honey
xoxoxo
shelley
ps- GREAT info about the benefits of tea!!
that is aaammmazing. Love your tea collection! I am slowly growing mine
But I still do love my coffee 
I LOVE your tea collection!! I’m a bigger fan of coffee, but I also like tea. I thought I had an extensive collection til I saw your picture…
I looooove tea and find myself drinking it more than anything else. I drink a lot of herbal tea though–do all teas that aren’t herbal have caffeine in them?
Ugh, I wish my collection was as big as yours?
Dawn-Naturally, yes. But the caffeine can be removed. There are a lot of decaffeinated varieties of green and black tea.
Still haven’t had tea yet, but I will be using this post to help me pick out my first sample
What a great tea stash!
I tend to drink more tea when it gets colder, but I definitely prefer it to coffee.
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