Tea Tuesdays! (1): Today's Tea is...REDBERRY TONIC!

Since this is my very first post about tea on my blog, I wanted to show you a bit of the process! I've recently gotten obsessed with loose tea, and there are quite a few ways you can make it. You can get yourself a tea ball, a mug with an infuser inside, bags to put the tea in, a french press, a steeper, or even a tea pot with an infuser. :)

The first thing I bought to make myself loose tea with was a steeper, and the tea I'm sharing today is Redberry Tonic from DAVIDsTEA! I'm going to give you a bit of a step-by-step to let you see just how easy loose tea really is...I know I was personally SUPER overwhelmed with even the idea of loose tea before I started to drink it, but don't worry, it's really not hard at all!

Each tea is a little different. For each cup of tea you need a specific amount of loose tea, and each tea has a specific water temperature, and steeping time that you follow to get the best tea. And for DAVIDsTEA, all of that info is right on the little label on your bag or tin of tea.

For the one that I made, Redberry Tonic, you use 1.25 tsp of loose tea per cup. I was making two cups in my steeper, so I just doubled it. I put the tea on the small plate in the above photo to show you what this particular tea looks like. It's got rosehips and goji berries which add that lovely red colour...and they're super tasty, too! Anyway, that tea that I scooped out went into my steeper next. :)

Once your tea is added to your steeper, you pour your boiled water (preferably to the temp. that is listed for the tea you're brewing) right into the steeper, and onto the tea. You let it steep and once it has steeped long enough, you place your steeper onto the rim of your cup, and the tea will pour right in...but make sure if you're doing two cups, like I was, to watch how much is going into the first cup, or you'll have a bit of a mess on your hands. :P

Here's the finished product:

DAVIDsTEA Link: REDBERRY TONIC

Here's what DAVIDsTEA has to say about Redberry Tonic:

MAGIC ELIXIR
Ladies and gentlemen, step right up and get a taste of our revitalizing, tantalizing, exhilarating, invigorating tonic. Put some zip in your sip with tart and tangy hibiscus, rosehips, lemongrass and immortality-boosting goji berries. But that’s not all! We’ve harnessed the power of the legendary sea buckthorn wonder-berry, prized for centuries in Chinese, Indian and Tibetan medicine. You’ve got to see it to believe it folks, so get your hands on a cup today.

INGREDIENTS
Apple, rosehip, hibiscus, lemongrass, sea buckthorn, goji berries, natural sea buckthorn flavouring

I absolutely LOVE Redberry Tonic! It's kinda fruity, and is a bit sweet already on its own, but it's also a bit tart. It's caffeine free as well, so it won't keep you up, and it's REALLY REALLY good for you. ;P

As for the whole loose tea process, it that wasn't so hard, was it? :)

It's simple really:

• 1. Pick a tea to drink!
• 2. Measure out the right amount per cup. 
• 3. Add to steeper/tea ball/tea bag/etc.
• 4. Add boiled water.
• 5. Steep!
• 6. Pour (if in press/steeper/teapot) & Add sugar, milk, agave, etc.
• 7. DRINK & ENJOY!

Honestly, steeped tea is pretty much exactly like tea that's already bagged for you! Hopefully, I've made it a little less daunting for you, and if you're already into loose tea, maybe I've just introduced you to a new awesome one to try! :D

Redberry Tonic is one of my favourite teas! 

I'm always up for tea recommendations though, do you have a favourite tea?