My Very Own Tea Ceremony

I just love tea! It soothes my senses, tickles my taste buds, melts away sorrows, and delights as it warms my body to its core. Even in the summertime! 

It's tea time, all the time!

To my great and utter disappointment, I have had to limit my caffeine consumption. But, for growing baby inside me? Anything. It's only temporary. I suppose I can make do with less, as long as its not cold turkey. So naturally a tea lover like myself was elated when my doctor said I could have less than 300 mg a day! This opened up a world of possibilities. I could have black tea in the morning, green tea in the afternoon, and finish off with an herbal tea in the evening. All within my caffeine limits! Could there be anything better than that? Maybe throw in a slice of cake. At that point, I'll just pass on and go straight to heaven. So I'd like to share elements of my morning tea ritual. I like to call it a "tea ceremony." 

My baby and I fill up a pot of water. Okay, she watches intently throughout the whole thing. I add a few ingredients to the water like fennel seeds, a cinnamon stick, and a few cardamom pods. It really adds flavor, and a delicious fragrance. I wait until the water comes to a boil.

In the meantime, I set aside some loose tea. I usually use about 2 teaspoons for 2 cups of water. It's so much more flavorful than bagged tea. Although I keep bagged teas around for convenience as well. There is really great loose leaf tea set you can get to try out the roaming free variety right here.

Add the loose tea to a tea pot with a strainer. Let the tea sit for the amount of time required. It's usually about 6 minutes for my black tea. It is a little less or green and herbal teas.
Pour into a cup, add sweetener as needed.

Enjoy!

Do remember to try it with the herbs suggested; it really does add a subtle difference!

Anyone else out there like tea as much as I do?