Serenitea

Of course, we cannot blame you if you’ve made the same mistake as many and assumed that Orange Pekoe is a flavor of tea. Something about it just sounds exotic and delicious, doesn’t it? But we’re here to tell you that that’s actually not the case: Orange Pekoe is in fact a grade of tea, a way to tell how good one tea is from the other based on the leaves themselves.

As summer winds down, many of us are preparing for back-to-school amidst a rapidly evolving pandemic. The usual excitement is overshadowed by uncertainty and anxiety due to COVID-19 and many families are facing complex decisions.

This could be the gateway tea that tempts even the most resolute coffee drinker to give up their morning cup of joe.

Looking for healthy cocktails this summer? Use tea!

Whether you want to think outside the bag and switch your tea type to loose-leaf, or already have invested and want to keep your flavor fresh—we’ve put together a quick ‘n easy guide for loose-leaf tea storage. Let your leaves be free!Properly stored tea leaves can retain their freshness for several years, often even longer. Improperly stored tea, however, can lose its flavor and aroma very quickly. There are a few key conditions that you need to be aware of in order to keep your loose leaf tea fresh.

Matcha is wonderfully smooth, creamy, slightly sweet and grassy. It’s delicious in its pure form (with water) and it makes a stellar, even creamier tea latte.

Hailing from a magical-seeming country and boasting a fascinating preparation process, Pu-Erh tea is one of the most unique ways to enjoy one of mankind’s oldest hot beverages. Even the name is special: Pu-Erh comes from a trading post that was often used to barter for such products as tea in the Imperial China. The leaves for this tea are grown on trees in China’s Yunnan Province, a gorgeous rolling land covered with greenery, foothills, and mountains. Classically beautiful terraces provide rich earth in which luscious crops grow, waterways wind through misty mountains, and temples sit against cloud-draped vistas.

In celebration of Hot Tea Month and to help combat the dark and chilly days of winter, we asked our Tea Sommelier, Alicja, for her top five winter warmers from the Shanti Collection