Aubrey Simonson
What are Tannins? Why are they in my tea?

What are Tannins? Why are they in my tea?

You may be familiar with tannins from wine.  They give it a dry, astringent flavor.  They do much the same thing for tea as they do for wine, giving it a drier taste and fuller body.  Tannins got their name from their use in tanning leather.  The tannins from oak trees are traditionally used to tan animal hides.  Therefore, if you’re looking for that classy leather-bag, understands wine, and has taste in tea aesthetic, tannins pretty much rule your life. Tannins are made by all of these plants as a means to deter predators.  They are especially prevalent in unripe...

Read more →


Aubrey Simonson
Teas for college students

Why No Student Should Go Back to School Without Tea

Hi, I’m Aubrey.  I wanted to take a moment to step out from behind the curtain of Good Life Tea, and talk about tea from the perspective of my own personal experiences.  I’m a college student, and going into my sophomore year.  I’m also one of those people who just really wants to do all of the things, and do them well, all at the same time.  My semesters are busy, and I can’t afford to fall asleep while writing an important paper, or miss a class because I’m sick.  In high school, I maintained this feverish pace with coffee...

Read more →


Aubrey Simonson
How Good For You is Tea?

How Good For You is Tea?

It’s a better alternative to calorie-rich drinks and snacks. In our shop, we get a lot of questions about healthy tea is.  At Good Life Tea, we try to downplay the health angle, and focus more on taste.  This is partially because we don’t want to come across that that weird hippie shop that will recommend you herbs for all of your various ills, and partially because we can’t really confirm too much about how healthy tea is, and don’t want to be sued for making claims that later turn out to be untrue.  This post covers what we can...

Read more →


The Difference Between Decaf and Caffeine Free Tea

The Difference Between Decaf and Caffeine Free Tea

Decaf VS. Caffeine Free Tea Many of our caffeine-sensitive customers come in and tell us that they would like decaf.  While decaffeinated tea does have a reduced quantity of caffeine, many of our customers are surprised to hear that decaf tea still contains some caffeine.  Decaffeinated teas tend to contain 1-2% of the caffeine of their still-caffeinated counterparts.  This means that each cup of decaf tea should contain about 2 mg per properly brewed cup.  When compared to a cup of decaf coffee ( 2-12 mg per cup), or a cup of regular coffee (75-200 mg, depending upon how it’s brewed),...

Read more →