If you are always looking for unusual gifts, you really must not overlook exotic teas. Tea has always been distinctive, being at various times a ritual, a comfort, or a lifesaving treatment for shock. But today the possibilities of astonishing your friends and family members are just a touch of the mouse away.
Tea in a narrow sense means a drink made from the leaves of Camellia senensis. Different forms of tea are made by fermenting the leaves more or less, and by flavoring the leaves or blending them to create new experiences. White tea is the least altered type and contains the highest levels of antioxidants.
Green tea is a little darker in color and richer in flavor; this is the sort served in Chinese restaurants. It is antioxidant rich and, like white tea, is helpful for dieters and those fighting certain illnesses. Oolong tea is partly fermented for a richer flavor, is higher in caffeine than white or green, but has less of it than the fully fermented black teas, which still only have about 20% of the caffeine of a cup of coffee. It also has many nutrients.
Other ‘teas’ are technically infusions or tisanes, made of herbs, flowers, and seeds. These beverages, like tea, may be delicious hot or cold, and have flavors and health benefits of the plants they come from. Yerba mate infusions are as energizing as coffee and can be blended to mimic the taste. Flowers such as Jasmine, hibiscus, rose, and lily are used to scent and flavor teas, and cinnamon, orange, mint, and chocolate are some popular flavors.
Even the names are romantic: mint, lavender, hibiscus, amaranth, orange pekoe, lemon verbena, apple mint. The news is full of new discoveries in the botanical world, as other cultures reveal the secrets they have known and used for generations. Tea masters are constantly making new and ever more palatable blends of scent and taste.
Exotic teas bring the whole world to your teapot, make a fascinating study, and a memorable gift.
Get complete details and information about the great exotic tea that you can enjoy through the Exotic Tea Club today! When you aren’t sure of the tea that you will savor the most, a tea sampler will provide you the ability to try tea from around the globe.