Vedic Tea Review

~ teawithkayla ~ Leave a comment

Hey Tea Friends!

I was contacted by Vedic Tea (http://vedicteas.com/) to do a review of some teas, so here we are. Vedic is a play on the work Ayurvedic which describes the holistic approach to healthy balance of the mind, body and soul. It is believed that certain plants and herbs from the earth can help with this balance. Ayurveda originated in India where Ayurveda Practitioners would assess the balance of the person’s mind body and spirituality to discern herbal remedies to support balance.  There’s no denying that cup of tea can be a special part of one’s day, providing solace for the mind and soul, or remedy for the body like in certain herbal blends.  Read on to see my thoughts on the following teas. 🙂

Breathe Deep

Breathe Deep is an herbal blend to help soothe. I drank this at the end of a congestive cold and it helped clear up and soothe my throat before work that day. It has a nice flavour aswell, a bit warming. Buy Here

Vedic Teas
Eucalyptus, with lung-cleansing properties, along with the healthy benefits of the tulsi herb (holy basil) helps to support healthy breathing. A perfect tea to put in your daily routine.

Ingredients: Eucalyptus, licorice root, tulsi herb, ginger, cinnamon pieces, fennel seeds, thyme, cloves, cardamom, black pepper, mullein flowers, alfalfa, elecampane and natural flavours.

Canadian Berries

Fruity, and fresh, not as tart as I was expecting (good in my opinion). The apple cuts the tartness and there isn’t a hibiscus overload like many berry teas. Very refreshing Iced for a hot summer day. Would also mix great if made strong with seltzer water, as a tea popsicle or an adult bevvy. It’s also the North American Tea Champion 3rd place winner 2013.

Vedic Teas berriesIngredients: Apple pieces, hibiscus, Saskatoon berries, cranberries, raspberry pieces, peach pieces, orange peels, linden flowers, strawberry pieces, cherry pieces and natural flavours. buy Here

Organic Turmeric Magic

This tea was unexpectedly fruity, and I thoroughly enjoyed it it that way. I made it both hot and iced and got different flavours both ways. Cold its more fruity, and hot it’s a more rich flavour both with hints of mango and citrus. Buy here

Turmeric magic

 

Ingredients: Black tea*, turmeric pieces*, orange slices*, marigold flowers*, mango pieces*, pineapple pieces*, papaya pieces* and natural flavours. * All Ingredients Organic.

Crimson Guava

Ingredients: Green tea, mango pieces, goji berries, jasmine flowers, rose petals and natural flavours

This tea smells amazing, like a tropical paradise. I cold steeped this tea over night as that’s my preferred way to make cold fruity green teas, to get the most flavour without causing bitterness.  If you like tropical flavours without the coconut give this one a go! Buy Here

Ayervedic Keep Well Women – Uma

A nicely balanced herbal tea, the warmth from cinnamon and ginger pair nicely with the lighter and earthy ingredients. Any tea packed with this much goodness is a gold star in my books! Drink this to help with any ailments, illness, (of course checking the ingredients in case of counter measures with any meds).

ayurvedic keep well

Apple pieces, rooibos, ginger pieces, cinnamon pieces, fennel seeds, juniper berries, cardamom, raspberry leaves, chamomile flowers, cloves, orange peel, St. John’s wort, black peppercorns, lady’s mantel, silver weed and natural flavours. buy here

Check out Vedic Teas website, and let me know what you think. Also go support them on social media as they are a newer company

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Vedic-teas-153813714687539/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soniapruthee1/

xoxo

Kayla

Disclaimer: I was sent the teas for review at no cost to me, however, as always, all opinions are my own.

http://instagram.com/teawithkayla

Tea and Yoga

~ teawithkayla ~ Leave a comment

Good Day Steepers!

Yoga is a huge part of self-care, and finding inner peace, calm, and balance. It is also a way to connect with your own mind, body, soul and show gratitude. I love to use yoga to calm myself when I am stressed, to push my body and extend my limits and to generally connect. It helps me sleep better, wake up more energized, release tension in my neck and shoulders when I’m stressed and allows me to focus on my breathing among all the other amazing benefits of regular practice.

As you know tea is a big part of my life so here’s my favourite yoga lifestyle and tea pairings. Let’s start with the bottle. These Libre Tea Glasses are great for on the go! They have a borosilicate glass interior, and a tough poly exterior to protect the flavour-free, easy to clean glass.  Shop here: http://shop2usd.libretea.com?aff=25

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Yogi Berry – DAVIDsTEA

This oolong tea is blended with dried raspberries and strawberries as well as ginger and kombucha powder. Its a sweet, zingy punch with a boost of healthiness. I like to drink it cold steeped to cool off or to warm up for some good stretching. Yoga pants optional. Pick this one up soon because it’s on its way to being retired from the tea wall.

“It’s not always easy to make healthy choices. Not when there are so many delicious things just waiting to be tasted. But with this fruity, berry-packed oolong, we’ve created the impossible: a wholesome tea that also happens to taste amazing. First we took big pieces of strawberries, raspberries and currants – a.k.a. the original Super Fruits. Then we added a spicy-soothing hint of ginger root. Finally, we laced it with kombucha powder, a trendy ingredient that in-the-know yogis have been sipping since the ‘60s. Groovy, man.”

Ingredients: Oolong tea, ginger, sweet blackberry leaves, strawberry, safflower petals, raspberry, red currants, red rose petals, kombucha dry concentrate (maltodextrin, cane sugar, water, herb mixture, green tea, kombucha culture), natural red fruit and ginger flavour

Hot Yoga – Steeped Tea

This tea is so yummy, warming and invigorating. I thought it was going to be too spicy for my liking but it’s a great balance of warm ginger and cardamom without being too peppery. Drink this to get the blood pumping before a class or to warm up on an icy winter day. Many of the ingredients are also beneficial for anti inflammatory purposed and may help your body find balance.

“A spicy blend of hawthorn leaves, ginger, and cardamom.”
Ingredients: Cinnamon, cardamom, hawthorn leaves and flowers, ginger bits, cloves, black peppercorns, safflowers and blue mallow flowers.

Buddha’s Blend – DAVIDsTEA

This is one of my favourite lightly flavoured green teas that just makes me want to smile upon the earth! Sounds crazy but the smell alone is so relaxing and then the flavours are amazingly light, almost fruity, and smooth.

“We don’t like to brag, but we’re pretty sure we just found the key to achieving nirvana. It’s easier than you might think – you’re actually just a cup away. You start with a fresh, delicate mix of white and green tea. Then you sprinkle in a few jasmine pearls for their sweet, floral perfume. Next, you add the unexpected fruity aroma of some beautiful white hibiscus blossoms. Finally? You sit back, relax and take a sip. Heavenly…” Ingredients: White tea, green tea, jasmine pearls, white hibiscus blossoms, natural and artificial flavouring

Honourable mentions:

Monk’s Blend

“This deliciously delicate blend is inspired by the tea traditions of monks in rural China. The story goes that these monks had to beg for their tea each morning, receiving small gifts of whatever people had on hand. This resulted in an unusual medley of many different tea types – from delicate white teas to rich oolongs and everything in between. The result? An intriguing melange of flavours, known as a “monk’s blend.” And with floral jasmine pearls and velvety milk oolong, this luxurious blend is inspired by those classic mixes. Delicately perfumed and lightly creamy, it’s pure heaven in a cup.”

Ingredients: White tea, milk oolong tea, jasmine green tea pearls, natural milk flavouring (derived from lactose).

Let me know what teas you like to pair with your yoga practice.

xoxo

Kayla

Disclaimer: I may receive a portion of sales from Libre Tea if you use my affiliate link. All opinions are my own.

Toronto Tea Festival

~ teawithkayla ~ Leave a comment

Hey everyone! Welcome back to my blog. Long time no see…read? chat?.

Anyways I am back and have been reinspired to find time to make a tea moment, to blog and drink tea to my heart’s delight and bring back some reviews for yall! I had the opportunity to join Libre Tea at their table at the festival this year which has been held for 5 years now at the stunning Toronto Reference Library! I joined Wendy the CEO and founder of Libre Tea at the table to share #teamoments with all the folks who came out today. If you didn’t know (from my instagram) I was a Brand Ambassador for Libre  on Instagram for the past few months, posting photos of the Libre Tea glasses I was sent. If you haven’t had a chance to check them out definitely do so (LibreTea.com).

 

I had a chance to wander around a little bit and here are some of my faves who I got to chat a little bit with

Chaiwala Chai

These are real cool kids with a really fun way to do Masala Chai

Zhen Tea

These folks are passionate about traditional teas from around the world and they make special trips to China to find and source different varieties. If you like traditional tea these are your people

Tea Journal

These folks know their stuff about tea. Check out their magazine if you want to learn more about tea. They work really hard on it.

And finally check out Libre Tea!

“Tea is quiet and our thirst for tea is never far from our craving for beauty.”⠀ -James Norwood Pratt. 📷@marlenelowden

A post shared by For Libre® Moments On The Go (@libretea) on Feb 9, 2017 at 8:07am PST

 

Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Kayla

Tea Life Review

~ teawithkayla ~ Leave a comment

Hey Steepers,

A Canadian tea company from Alberta contacted me through Instagram and offered to send me some tea to review. I chose Dragon well green tea, Clear Skin herbal tea and Coconut Beauty black tea.

I had made a YouTube video instant review but lost all the footage 😡

Dragonwell was a lovely fresh, light green tea. Steep with caution, 80C water and only a minute or less. You can definitely steep this one more than once to see what other flavours are brought out.

Clear Skin is an herbal tea full of all the good skin healing ingredients like anti-inflammatory lavender, red clover, chamomile, and peppermint, cleansing dandelion and antioxidant green tea. I would have to drink this one consistently to test if there’s visible results but it does have a nice herbal flavour with the chamomile peppermint and lavender that I would enjoy before bed. Purchase Clear Skin here

Coconut Beauty is a delicious tropical black tea with coconut and orange. It was really yummy hot but I bet it’s great iced too. It was kind of like a creamsicle but coconut rather than vanilla flavour. I love this one! Definitely check it out!

Check out this company and let me know what you think.

Shop: https://tealife.ca/

instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tealifecanada/

Disclaimer: I was sent the product for free but all opinions are my very own.

xoxo

Kayla

NOT ILLEGAL

~ teawithkayla ~ Leave a comment

Hey tea friends. I’m reblogging this because there needs to be some awareness and change regarding building codes to allow for people to live in tiny homes. I am an Ontarian and hope to live tiny someday.

Tiny House Ontario

I cannot count the hundreds of times that people use the word “illegal” to describe the act of living in a tiny house.  This word is being used incorrectly, over and over again, and I think this needs to stop… today!

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There is NOTHING illegal about living in a tiny house in Canada.  Tiny dwelling is not like like driving impaired, beating up on your wife or robbing a bank.  The police will not come and charge you, arrest you, handcuff you and put you in jail.  Using the word illegal is not just inaccurate, it also serves to undermine the credibility community and those who are interested in living sustainably.  It makes us appear as though we are all deviants.  I want everyone to STOP using this word today.

So… if living in a tiny house is NOT illegal… then what is the problem?

Building codes are the problem……

View original post 624 more words

Breathe: Everything Will Be Alright

~ teawithkayla ~ 1 Comment

Good morning friends,

No matter what you are feeling after this divisive election, regardless of where your vote falls, or where you live, or what you believe, please, take a moment to breathe.

I stayed up late watching the results of the American election roll in, from the comfort and blessed safety of my home here in Canada, and finally went to bed when at 12:30 it hadn’t been called yet. I feared the worst, and hoped for the best. I woke up at 5:30 this morning and checked my phone for the results. I was shocked, deeply saddened, and scared. Honestly I was in disbelief and ridden with anxiety and emotion. I just want to extend a hand and hug to everyone in America, and say that this is the choice that has been made by the people who voted, and this is now the catalyst for real true change. America you are now faced with the reality; racism, sexism, bigotry, hatred still exist. And now it’s time to turn this around, reflect on this and work towards  a more loving and caring world and home.

With all of this being said, breathe, reflect, meditate. Take pause and do a little self care if you’re feeling like I am. Make a cup of tea, take a bath, go for a run, knit, colour, bake. Time to calm the nerves and come back at the world with a game plan for change, for inclusivity, equality and most of all for love.

Take care of each other.

xoxo

Kayla

David’s tea Winter Collection 

~ teawithkayla ~ 1 Comment

Good morning folks!

Sorry for my absence. I’ve been adjusting to a new co-op job, knitting socks, ill for a few days, and spending my free time visiting my partner two hours away. So now that I’m back and ready with some reviews for you.

The new winter collection always includes some cozy, warm and spicy tea and include something sweet and dessert like. This year the teas are Nutty and Spice oolong (same recipe as Bubbie’s Baklava from Winter ’14), Chocolate Covered Almond black, Coffee Cake black (a returning favourite from several years ago), sweet almond green from last year, and Apple cider herbal (rumored to be the same as sweet Apple cider from Fall ’14).

The samples I chose from a free shipping redemption order were:

Chocolate Covered Almond

Flavours: chocolate, almond, carob.
This tea has a sweet, cozy chocolate dessert flavour. Definitely reach for this to satisfy those cravings. It tastes like a chocolate chip cookie almost. It’s sweet mildly nutty and very tasty. I will definitely be buying more of this!
Ingredients: Cocoa nibs, roasted carob, black tea, almonds, yerba mate, sugar, natural and artificial chocolate and cream-almond flavouring
Buy Here: https://www.davidstea.com/ca_en/whats-new-2/tea/chocolate-covered-almond

Coffee Cake

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Flavours: sweet, chocolate vanilla cake, dessert
This tea lacks the hint of mocha I’m looking for but it certainly is tasty. I would have this as a dessert tea or with some scones and biscuits. It is almost exactly the same flavour as Red Velvet Cake tea without the hint chocolate.
Ingredients: Black tea, candied fruit (cranberries, sugar, cherry juice, citric acid, natural cherry flavour, elderberry juice, sunflower oil), pineapple (sugar cane, pineapples, citric acid), natural and artificial flavouring.
Buy here: https://www.davidstea.com/ca_en/whats-new-2/tea/coffee-cake-black-tea

Nutty and Spice

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Flavours: chicory, fruit, cinnamon, nuts
This tea is an exact dupe for Bubbie’s Baklava, bit sweet, bit nutty, bit spicy. Will definitely make a good latte!
Ingredients: Oolong tea, roasted chicory root, pineapple (pineapple, sugar), papaya (papaya, sugar), cinnamon, walnuts, ginger, apple, rose pepper, roasted almonds (almonds, caramelized sugar), cardamom, almonds, pistachios, cranberries, rose blossoms, natural and artificial flavours
Buy here: https://www.davidstea.com/ca_en/whats-new-2/tea/nutty-and-spice

Sweet Almond Green

Flavours: almond, amaretto, green tea
I dont like this tea, it tastes too artificial to me and overwhelmingly of amaretto. I’ve tried it in the advent calendar last year, really not my thing.
Ingredients: Organic: Green tea, almonds, marigold flowers, cornflower pe tals. With natural almond flavouring.
Check it out here: https://www.davidstea.com/ca_en/whats-new-2/tea/sweet-almond-green-tea

Apple Cider

Flavours: apple, apple apple, cinnamon
I love apple teas, through and through. I’m hoping this one tastes like sweet aple cider, I would definitely be buying some.
Ingredients: Apple, apple pomace (pomace, citric acid), sweet blackberry leaves, apple flavouring (artificial apple flavouring, concentrated apple juice), artificial vanilla and cream flavouring.
Check it out here: https://www.davidstea.com/ca_en/whats-new-2/tea/apple-cider-tea

Thanks for reading and as always, Happy sipping!

xoxo

Kayla