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Create an alcohol-free Christmas with tea

Create an alcohol-free Christmas with tea

Tea is a wonderful alternative to alcohol on Christmas Day. Tea's flavour profile is as deep and complex as wine. It pairs well with food. And served in glassware, it looks beautiful on your table, creating a Christmas glow of its own.

Here are some ideas if you’d like to replace alcohol with tea, or serve both, on Christmas day.

The hidden wisdom of tea

The hidden wisdom of tea
The daily act of steeping and drinking tea become an entrenched, indispensable ritual in my life. But more surprisingly, as the years have gone by, I have slowly realised tea has also been teaching me about life. Here I share a few reasons why I believe the experience of tea is so special. I share its wisdom and how it invites us to see the world a little differently.

Tea and chocolate: the perfect partnership

Tea and chocolate: the perfect partnership
GUEST BLOGGER: My friend and fellow flavour enthusiast Luke Owen Smith shares his expertise on fine quality craft chocolate, its similarities with tea and how to go about creating your own delicious tea and chocolate pairing.

How my husband’s cancer shaped me and my business

How my husband’s cancer shaped me and my business
The Tea Curator's purpose is to make it easier for to improve your wellbeing every day, through the beautiful experience of specialty tea. There is a very personal reason why wellbeing is at the heart of The Tea Curator. In this blog post, I share my personal story with you with the hope that this, and my continual sharing of what I have learnt, will help you strengthen and maintain your wellbeing and this knowledge will help you navigate the adversities and challenges you may face throughout your life.

How to make sugar-free iced tea

How to make sugar-free iced tea
As we head toward summer, cold teas are a wonderful way to keep us refreshed. And they can also act as an important, gentle reminder for us to take a nourishing break. Here’s my take on iced tea, with a few different variations to the traditional recipe.

What is tea made from? Introducing the Camellia Sinensis tea plant.

What is tea made from? Introducing the Camellia Sinensis tea plant.

In 2020 people around the world consumed 6.3 billion kilograms of tea. That’s around 2,080 billion cups of tea every year. That is a gargantuan amount of tea. But what’s even more astonishing is that most of us know don't know an awful lot about the plant we’re imbibing every day when we sip our daily cup.

In this month’s blog I introduce the tea plant and all the wonderful things about this special and somewhat clandestine shrub.

Two ways to steep tea: Gong Fu Cha and Western steeping

Two ways to steep tea: Gong Fu Cha and Western steeping
Tea is an ancient beverage that has been enjoyed for more than 4000 years. As you might imagine, preparation techniques have changed over this time. These days, there are two different brewing techniques used for specialty tea: eastern style of Gong Fu Cha and Western steeping.

The 4 essential tools every serious tea drinker needs

The 4 essential tools every serious tea drinker needs

How many tea cups, teapots and tea tools do you have in your house? If you're serious about your tea drinking, find out what tools you really need to steep loose leaf tea.

What do you REALLY need to prepare and enjoy tea? I was slightly shocked when I thought about this carefully. If you are generally preparing tea just for yourself, you only really need four things:

How to choose a specialty tea that you'll like

How to choose a specialty tea that you'll like
Do you want to introduce some beautiful-quality teas into your daily tea ritual? If you are looking to move away from the ubiquitous tea menu of English Breakfast, Earl Grey, generic green tea and herbal infusions, there is a diverse and flavourful tasting experience waiting for you. Here's how to get started in the world of specialty tea. 

How to make sparkling tea

How to make sparkling tea
Cold-brewed sparkling tea is the best way to steep tea this summer. When infused in sparkling water, the tea is lighter in body and flavour intensity than when it is hot-steeped, and any floral and fruity notes are accentuated. The result is a vibrant, playful, celebratory tea. 

5 facts you might not know about tea

5 facts you might not know about tea
Did you know drinking tea adds to your daily fluid intake? That it has an ultra-rare and clever amino acid that almost no other plant in the world has? Find out more fascinating science behind the humble tea leaf. 

Why herbal tea isn’t actually tea

Why herbal tea isn’t actually tea

One of the many fascinating things I learned during my first tea masterclass in London in 2010 was that 'herbal tea' wasn’t really tea. In this month’s blog we explore what defines tea, why we mistakenly call herbal infusions ‘tea’ and what you can call herbal tea instead.

Introducing Bali's first tea garden

Introducing Bali's first tea garden
Hidden within the mist-covered forest on the slopes of the Batukaru mountain range in Jatiluwah, central Bali, lies D’Wan Tea, Bali’s first tea garden. Tasting the teas at D'Wan Tea reminded me of why I love single origin tea so much – its incredibly exciting when you can taste a tea’s habitat in its flavour. 

How to make the perfect cup of tea

How to make the perfect cup of tea
A well brewed cup of tea is a relaxing, restorative experience; it awakens us and replenishes our body and mind. It gives us an opportunity to slow down and bring calmness and serenity to our day. But not all cups of tea are created equal. Follow these 6 steps and you’ll be steeping tea like a professional. 

How tea can help you stay sane on Christmas day

How tea can help you stay sane on Christmas day
I’ve always loved this time of year. Since I was a little kid, the lead up to Christmas has always felt like such a magical time. But now I am a working parent, I’m railing against the feeling that the magic is disappearing. So I have devised a little recipe for how tea can help us keep our minds and our bodies intact on Christmas day.

Why you should be drinking matcha

Why you should be drinking matcha
In this month’s blog I get to the bottom of matcha, covering the basics and telling you what you need to know if you want to include this nutrient powerhouse into your daily tea routine. 

What is oolong?

What is oolong?
Pick up a handful of oolong tea leaves, hold them to your nose and you might smell pannacotta and cashew; peaches, strawberries and cream; cinnamon and dried fruit; or even musk, spice, flowers and tobacco. In my experience, of all the six categories of tea – white, green, yellow, oolong, black and dark tea – oolong is the most likely to surprise and delight a tea drinker. In this month’s blog we take a closer to at oolong tea. 

How to cold-brew tea

How to cold-brew tea
We often think of tea as a warm, comforting drink that makes us feel nurtured and relaxed. But it can be just as enjoyable, and just as nourishing, when infused in cold water. While tea has been steeped in hot water for centuries, the technique of cold-brewing tea is a modern trend, one that creates a different flavour experience to traditional hot-steeping. 

Three ways tea can be good for your brain

Three ways tea can be good for your brain

You might already know that your daily cup of tea is good for your body, but what might surprise you is that it can also be good for your brain. This month we share how drinking tea can boost your brain function. 

The art of mindful tea drinking

The art of mindful tea drinking

Research has shown us that practising mindfulness can retrain your brain to be more calm, present, content, creative, focused, productive and less stressed. Tea is a very sensory experience that lends itself easily to mindfulness. Most tea drinkers have at least one cup of tea each day, making it the perfect way to integrate mindfulness into your daily routine. 

 

6 ways supermarket tea is different to artisan tea

6 ways supermarket tea is different to artisan tea
There are between 2000 and 3000 different types of tea produced across the world from the simple tea leaf. But we only see around 1% of this available at the supermarket. Here are six ways artisan tea is different to supermarket tea.

A beginner’s guide to food and tea pairing

A beginner’s guide to food and tea pairing

For the past few months we have been working with Clooney restaurant on tea pairing for their seven-course degustation menu. This has been a lot of fun so I thought I’d share the basics of food and tea pairing with you so you can experiment at home. 

Which has more caffeine: green tea, black tea or coffee?

Which has more caffeine: green tea, black tea or coffee?
In this month’s blog we explore caffeine’s role in tea and what it does to our body. We find out whether black tea really does have more caffeine than green tea and why an espresso from our local cafe can make us feel dramatically different to our daily cup of tea.

Six types of tea – which will be your favourite?

Six types of tea – which will be your favourite?

Did you know that there are six categories of tea: white, green, yellow, oolong, black and fermented; and they are all made from the same leaf? The only difference is the way they are processed after the leaf is plucked. Each has a unique flavour profile; find out which one suits your taste buds.

Four ways that tea is good for your health

Four ways that tea is good for your health
We all know that sitting down to drink a cup of tea is good for the soul, but what about tea’s health properties? While having a cup of tea isn’t a cure-all, there are a number of benefits to drinking tea which you may not know about. 

Who's behind The Tea Curator?

Who's behind The Tea Curator?
Find out about The Tea Curator's founder, Anna Kydd - when her love affair with tea began, what her favourite tea is, what she loves besides tea, her favourite travel experience, her philosophy on life and a few other curious and unexpected facts.

How to properly taste tea: a 5-step guide

How to properly taste tea: a 5-step guide
When tasting tea, it’s not just what you taste, but how you taste it. Just like drinking a glass of wine, taking time to properly taste a cup of tea can transform the flavours that dance over your tongue.