Good morning, tea loves! Today, we wanted to make you aware that you are smack dab in the middle of a very special and very happy week! It is National Smile Week!
What are some things that bring a grin to your face? Perhaps, it's the thought of diving into the lake in the summer after a long day of work. Maybe, it's the way your cat curls in and around your legs as you brush your teeth in the morning. It might be the way that butterflies and rainbows exist and seem to make their appearance right when you need them most. It could be that someone you know and love is getting married soon or expecting a child. Or, if you are like us, it's as simple as a cup of tea.
Tea has an indescribable way of being exactly what you need, when you need it, no matter the circumstance, and that is such a wonderful thing to smile about. When it is a hot summer day and you just need something to quench your thirst, tea is a beverage that is hard to beat over ice. In the midst of a winter storm when the fireplace is roaring and Home Alone is playing on the TV, few things are better than a toasty hot cup of our Hot Cinnamon Spice tea to sip on. I am smiling as I write to you all just thinking of these wonderfully perfect moments with tea. In this blog article, I will detail some of the teas that instantly bring a smile to my face, why they do so, and why I think that you should give them a try today too!
Lately, a tea that has been bringing not only me, but my family, joy and smiles has been our Sleep Better tea. I'm not sure if you have experienced this, but with the heat and humidity that we have been experiencing, it has been so tenuous to get to sleep at night. I toss and turn. I start with a sheet over me that inevitably gets flung to the floor. I put on a movie or show to try to take my mind off of things but, seemingly, I really just can't get to sleep! That is until I have brewed myself a cup of our Sleep Better tea. This tea is a powerful blend of valerian root, lemon myrtle, verbena, spearmint, chamomile, and lavender. When sipping on this tea, you might as well say "sayonara!" to those around you, and hello to Mr. Sandman! This tea helps my family and I get to sleep every night and wake up well rested with big smiles on our face each morning. If you are looking to start each day of National Smile Week with a big smirk due to feeling renewed, I highly recommend sipping on Sleep Better.
Another tea that always brings a smile to my face proves our Kyoto Cherry Rose. Being our most popular green tea, this lovely blend has been one that we have had as a sample here regularly all summer long. Similar to our Citron Green tea, this is a green tea that we recommend to individuals who have found past green tea experiences to be "too grassy" or "too vegetal". It is a base Sencha-style green tea that is highlighted with natural cherry flavors and rose petals. Not only is it delicious and ambrosial to sip on, it is absolutely exquisite to watch steep as well. Described on our website as, "the delicate cherry and rose aromas moderate the green characteristics, providing a surprisingly pleasant tea sure to turn eyes from even the most devoted coffee drinker", this is a tea that never fails to turn my frown upside down. Kyoto Cherry Rose is delightful both warm and chilled, but don't take it just from me. To learn more about this tea, watch the video I've included below and don't hesitate to navigate directly to our website here!
Another tea that has helped me to beam, especially this summer, is our Rhapsody in Blue. Whenever I have had guests over, I have made sure to have some of this decadence brewed and chilled to share upon their arrival as it is sure to spawn smiles. It is a white tea that features the delights of raspberry and blueberry. It embodies the pleasures of summer in a cup or glass and will
undoubtedly leave you showing that beautiful smile of yours as well!
Speaking of beautiful smiles, and keeping your smile beautiful, you may be aware that tea is a known culprit for staining or yellowing of teeth. We know, we know! This staining is due to the presence of tannins in tea and the more present, the more likely that this particular type of tea will cause staining. But don't worry, we at Good Life Tea, want to keep your smiles glimmering and white just as much as you do. In order to do so, here are a few tips so that you can enjoy our teas and not worry about staining your teeth!
1. Try to stick to white, herbal, or tisane teas as much as you can (All of the teas I mentioned above are in these categories). These teas don't contain as much of, or any, of the staining component, tannins, known to be present and prevalent in black teas.
2. If black teas are your favorite, after enjoying your tea, wait about 5 minutes then proceed to brush your teeth with a whitening toothpaste and follow with a whitening mouthwash rinse. This will ensure that the tannins don't sit on your teeth and will give you a fresh clean feeling in your mouth as well! If you enjoy more than one cup of tea at a time, wait until you have completed drinking all the tea you are going to at that point in the day so you don't muddle the flavors of mint from your toothpaste and mouthwash with your subsequent cups of tea. Can you say, "yuck!"?
3. A new, natural, whitening technique that I have uncovered to remedy tea stains while doing research incorporates the use of strawberries! To remove existing tea stains, simply mash up 4 to 5 strawberries, brush your teeth with them, leave on 4-5 minutes, and rinse off. Do this about once a week. Because strawberries do contain sugar, brush your teeth with your regular routine following this remedy. Imploring this should dramatically help to reduce existing stains as well as prevent future staining and, also, help with strengthening of your teeth!
4. This tip is better suited to cold or iced teas. To minimize staining consider drinking your tea through a straw. This will diminish the time that your tea actually comes into contact with your teeth and therefore not give it much of a chance to stain while still allowing you to enjoy the flavors. If you choose to try this with your hot tea, be careful! We don't want your tongue getting burned!
5. The last tip I'll leave you with is perhaps deciding to include milk or cream in your tea. This is already a preference to some people but it's worth mentioning here as including milk or cream in your tea helps to neutralize the tannins and make them less likely to stain. I love a little milk and sugar in our Cream of Earl Grey if you are looking for a tea to try this with!
I do hope that the beginning of your week has already been filled with a plethora of smiles, but in reading this blog article you have found more reasons to do so, and continue to do so throughout the remainder of the week. At Good Life Tea, we are always looking for ways to keep our customers smiling. If you have a specific tea that brings a smile to your face, leave a comment here letting us know why! We love to hear from you and we want to know how we can keep you happy and smiling all year long! Happy sipping and happy smiling! - Kaytea :)