I am, admittedly, a tea fanatic. My tea collection, while perhaps not the most learned, is completely insane. I am constantly on the look-out for new and delicious teas. I regularly make trips to Chinatown and Little India to add to my collection and tea knowledge. Last year, while in the emergency room for a broken jaw (yes, I fell in the subway and broke my jaw!) I was asked, prior to surgery, about my caffeine intake.
"Well, I usually have a small cup of coffee in the morning." And then, almost as an afterthought..."but I drink a lot of tea."
"Exactly how much tea?"
"Well..." I tried to make excuses for my habit, "some of it's herbal tea, but I drink a lot of black tea, too."
I could sense the doctor's impatience as she simply tried to fill out the form, "How many cups a day?"
"Oh...maybe four or five cups of black tea...but sometimes I don't get to finish them..."
By the way, all of this said as a cup of black tea with milk and sugar sat hidden under the chair below me. Yes, I had stopped on the way to the emergency room to get a cup of tea.
Above, you will see a picture of how I finally arranged a portion of my tea collection for easy access.
Yes, a portion.
Yes, there is more. You can't swing a dead cat without hitting a some tea leaves in my kitchen.
Recently, I've even started baking with it. Last month, I made a delicious chocolate and Earl Grey tea cookie. Mmmm. The Earl Grey just barely grazed the tongue and gave the chocolate a warm, floral taste that you couldn't quite distinguish, but were left saying, "What was that amazing spice in there?"
I've always said that my two favorite things in life are books and tea. But I need to admit to a third: Baths. I love taking baths. Yes, I do take showers. I do own a shower curtain. But nine times out of ten---I'm snuggled up all warm in my bath. Last year, I came up with a great idea---a tea bath!
As a gal with SO many tea bags, sometimes I don't quite get around to using all of them while they're at their peak. I also have TONS of dried flowers and tea leaves just lying around. Why not throw them all into a tub of hot water, let it steep for about twenty minutes, then play with the water till it reaches the perfect temperature?
Truly, it's the ultimate indulgence! It's the sort of thing you would pay hundreds of dollars for at a spa.
My bath the other night consisted of chamomile, lemon balm, jasmine, orange, spearmint, chrysanthemum, elder flower, and apple green tea. I also threw in a few Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime and a Tazo Berryblossom White Tea to pump up the aromas. Mmmm. Not only amazingly relaxing, but also SO good for your skin. Many of the above-mentioned teas actually serve as a bit of a mild antibiotic, cleanser, and toner all in one warm bath. My skin felt fresh and clean and the next day it just glowed.
My tips for a great tea bath:
Stick to the herbal teas. The tissanes. No black or green tea. I used one white tea bag---but only because it was scented with berry blossoms.
Choose teas with wonderful aromas that you know will combine well together.
Drop the tea into the bath as you're pouring ONLY the hot water. You can always even the temperature out later. Make sure to let the tea steep for at least 20 minutes before you add any cold water.
Careful with color-treated hair---teas like chamomile will lighten and/or dry out your hair. Best to put your hair up for this. But a quick dip in to quickly wash and condition your hair should be just fine.
This is a great opportunity to use of some of those teas that have been languishing on your shelf for too long. If you have loose tea leaves or flower buds, etc. you can use those, too. Don't use your tea infusers! What I do is I have several pairs of those knee-high stockings my family always sends me in care packages. I pop open a package of those (if you don't have any, you can pick them up at any drug store for about 50 cents) and I just pour the herbs in, tie the stocking and toss it into the bath. You can easily empty these out after your bath, rinse them, dry them and re-use them later.
Play with the tea! Yes, you are allowed to play in the water. I don't know why, but I love playing with the tea bags. I put the chamomile tea bags over my eyes and lie back and relax. I squeeze the bags and toss them around like toys. I smell the teas. Sometimes, I'll even make the tea bags chase each other and play little racing games. It's completely stupid and a waste of important adult time. But it really makes me happy!
Trust me---it will be the best bath you'll ever have. I try to do this at least once a month. Follow it up with a nice body lotion, if you like (tho honestly, your skin is feeling so good, you really don't need it) and just relax in the warm tea glow!
Oh, and make sure you have a cup of tea while you're in there. I had a cup of Rooibus and Blood Orange tea, which went perfectly with my lovely bath. Enjoy!
