Tea Talk (Part 3)

I drink "white tea, no sugar" many times a day, "white tea" is what we call "tea with milk" here in Australia. I love coffee as well, but because I have to have sugar with my coffee, I don't drink as much of it. But I admit the aroma of coffee beans being ground in a grinder is pretty hard to beat.Talking about aroma, there are many ways to drink tea which make tea-drinking pretty aromatic. I don't usually like black tea on its own, I've been through the "green tea phase" which had almost everybody starting to drink green tea for its health benefits, which for me has now been reduced to only every now and again, when-I-feel-like-it sort of thing.One of the ways to make tea even more aromatic is by adding herbs or blossoms to a pot of plain tea. Even on the coldest days, we can still feel close to our garden when we savour the delicate flavours of our favourite herbs or flowers brewed in our cup of tea.There are many blossoms you can select for your tea- Roses, Lavender, Orange blossoms, just to name a few. Roses are my favourite, choose the most fragrant blooms and before brewing, pinch the white heels out of the petals to eliminate bitterness.Before you start making your tea, don't forget to take the chill off your teapot or teacup by pouring some boiling water into it, swish it around for a minute, and pour it out. Then add the tea, and after that the herbs and flowers, crushing their petals and leaves gently to release their flavours. Below are a few fragrant flower and herb teas for your enjoyment.Did you know?--The term "orange-pekoe" actually refers to the location of the tea leaves on the actual plant, nothing to do with the citrus fruit? Orange-pekoe leaves are the second branch of leaves from the top of the tea plant.Spicy Rose Tea
4 tsp orange-pekoe tea
1 Tbsp fresh rose petals or 1 tsp dried rose petals
1/2 tsp cinnamon stick chips

Lovely Lavender Tea
4 tsp orange-pekoe tea
3 fresh lavender flower heads or 1/3 tsp dried lavender flowers
Honey to sweeten

Fragrant Flower Tea
4 tsp jasmine tea
2 rose geranium leaves
1 tsp dried orange blossoms

Lifting Lemon Tea
3 tsp orange-pekoe tea
1 tsp dried lemon verbena
1/2 tsp minced dried lemon peel
2 sprigs lemon thymeNo matter what herb or flower you use, make sure they have been grown without pesticides and are washed well before you put them in your cup of tea.

On my way home from dropping the kids off today, I saw many wisterias blooming in other people's gardens, they are simply sensational, that's something I'd love to plant in my garden.

I have a Fuchsia, aptly named "Party Frock" in flower now. It's beautiful. Also the purple Veronica, fragrant Jasmine and my still smallish pinkish Lavender.
Last but not least, these are my daughters' oh-so-cute ornamental teapot collection, aren't they gorgeous?