What I Wore to the Charleston Tea Plantation

Recently I was granted the opportunity to visit the Charleston Tea Plantation on behalf of the fabulous Bigelow Tea! I won a contest and you may remember my blog post that was called “Give Me Some Sugar” For weeks before I went I fretted over what I would wear to such a nice but semi-casual place. I wanted something cute but practical for strolling around a plantation in the hot south. 

Photo Credit: Olsonography

I had watched several YouTube videos of Bill Hall being interviewed at the Tea Plantation. He was just as friendly in person as he was in those videos. He is a great story teller and makes the trolley tour a must! 

One of the fun yet educational events was a tea tasting with Cindi Bigelow. Honestly I was nervous since I like tea but I would not consider myself a professional tea tester of any sorts. I need not to have been worried. Cindi Bigelow said I was wonderful at tea slurping which is the most important part of tea tasting! Honestly, it was pretty fun.

Here is Shannon, from The Mommy Files, and I with our iced tea getting ready for the trolley tour of the Charleston Tea Plantation! By the way I was drinking the Plantation Mint . . . perfect for a hot afternoon.

This is me with Frannie from International Marketing Systems who was our wonderful hostess the entire trip!

This last picture is me with one of our wonderful chauffeurs from Genesis Executive Travel. I highly recommend this company while in the Charleston area! 

Here is the breakdown of what I wore:

Sunglasses: Foster Grant Spectacle Gold

Top:  Worthington® Short-Sleeve100% Silk Blouse

Pants: a.n.a® Rolled Cropped Jeans -Petite

Shoes: Merona Madeline Chain Ballet Flat Black

What do you think of this look? Have you ever been to the Charleston Tea Plantation?

Decaffeinate Your Tea Naturally

Decaffeinate Your Tea Naturally

by Fitzysmom

Photo Credit: Olsonography ~ Portraits from the Heart

Don’t you love it when you find out that something you’ve been doing for years is not only frugal but good for you? On my recent trip to Charleston with the Bigelow Tea Company I found out that I had been naturally decaffeinating my tea and being frugal about it all at the same time!

I tend to start my day with a cup of tea. I don’t like really strong tea so I usually let my tea bag steep for only a minute or two. Then I set the bag aside for my next cup. I do this throughout the day until I feel like I’ve wrung the last vestiges out of the bag and then I throw it away. Pretty frugal if you ask me! What I also learned was by doing it that way I was naturally decaffeinating it.

During our Tea 101 session with Cindi Bigelow she taught us that there are three basic types of tea; black, oolong, and green. Herbal tea is technically not a tea because it contains herbs and fruits but no actual tea leaves. If you look on your grocery shelves you’ll notice that most of your favorite blends come in regular or decaffeinated. When it is packaged this way the caffeine is chemically removed.

Unless you are under doctor’s orders to avoid caffeine altogether you can decaffeinate your tea yourself in your own home and skip the chemical step. Another way to be frugal . . . buy one box instead of two! Here’s the process:

1.       Place tea bag in cup and pour hot water over it covering the tea bag by about an inch.

2.       Let it steep for at least one minute.

3.       After one minute remove tea bag and discard the liquid.

4.       Replace tea bag in cup and pour hot water over it filling the cup.

5.       Let it steep for desired amount of time (to taste preference).

6.       Remove tea bag and enjoy your naturally decaffeinated tea!

Studies have shown that the caffeine is released within the first minute of brewing. So if you discard the first batch of tea you are also discarding the caffeine. How awesome is that?!!

Now I personally want/need that first little kick of caffeine so I don’t discard my first batch. But it is nice to know that for the rest of the day I’m not consuming excess amounts of caffeine that I probably don’t really need. (Want yes, need no!)

For me tea is the perfect beverage. I don’t tend to add sugar so it is calorie free. As said above after the second cup it is naturally decaffeinated. My favorite part is really how my body metabolizes it. The properties of tea make me alert yet relaxed which is the perfect combination.

I’d like to leave you with a little video put together by Bigelow Tea that talks in depth about decaffeinating tea. Enjoy!

Hot Tea or Iced Tea Made My Way

I have fond memories of my grandmother’s kitchen. One of the mainstays was the tea kettle on the stove. When the whistle would begin to sound I knew something warm and soothing was headed my way.

The irony is that as much as I love that whole tea kettle experience I never do it in my own kitchen. Instead I use my trusty Keurig to do all my brewing. Bigelow tea is my favorite brand and they have k-cups or loose leaf tea that you can put in reusable k-cup filters. Both of those methods make great cups of tea, but I mostly use a teabag.

When I want a cold glass of iced tea I still use my Keurig. I first put about a tablespoon of sugar in the bottom of my glass and then add the teabag to it. I let the machine pour the hot water over it and let it steep to my desired taste. Then I stir until the sugar is dissolved and add ice.  Best glass of iced tea ever, I promise!

I have one more tip for you today . . .

During our Tea 101 session with Cindi Bigelow we were asked to taste different varieties and brands of teas. I was once again reminded that I love the smell of Bigelow’s Earl Grey tea but I just don’t care for the strong flavor. One of the suggestions was to add milk and sugar like the British do. I really don’t like milk so I just ignored that suggestion.

Yesterday I saw a packet of Earl Grey on my cabinet next to the container of hazelnut creamer and I began to wonder what it would taste like. I thought what the heck and gave it a try. I brewed the Earl Grey and then added creamer. It didn’t need any extra sugar to me but that is just a personal taste preference. It was absolutely delish. It has a wonderful spiced chai type of flavor. So take a chance and mix it up, you might find something new to love.

Adding A Tea Drawer To My Kitchen

I love the look of Tea Chests and I think it would be nice to have one to organize my tea stash but I just don’t want one more thing on my counter top. The other day I was browsing through some videos on YouTube for iced tea ideas and I came across the following one by Cindi Bigelow and Bigelow Tea.

Did you catch those flavor combinations? I definitely have to try them out, especially the Arnold Palmer version! In case the video went too fast here’s the recipe for a glass of iced tea or a pitcher of iced tea.

Fresh Brewed Iced Tea by the Glass

Pour 4-5 fl oz. boiling water over teabag.

Steep 3 to 5 minutes.

Sweeten to taste.

Pour into tall glass filled with ice . . . and enjoy!

Fresh Brewed Iced Tea by the Pitcher

Place 6 tea bags in a one-quart container.

Pour 1 cup boiling water over tea bags.

Steep 10 minutes.

Remove tea bags.

Add 3 cups cold water.

Serve over ice.

Sweeten to taste.

Now back to that tea drawer . . .

The first thing we did was measure the height, depth and width of the drawer. Then we measured a package of Bigelow tea (my tea of choice). After all of that we decided to make the little tea cubbies 3 inches square. This will give me 24 cubbies.

Next my awesome man went out to his workshop and cut strips of wood. He used ¼ inch Masonite that we already had on hand. For our particular drawer we needed 3 strips that were 19 3/4” x 2 7/8” and 5 strips that were 13 3/4” x 2 7/8”.

For the next step we marked each strip where we wanted to make the notches for the strips to slide together to form a grid. After a little adjustment here and there the project slid together.

We happened to have the tools and material on hand but I think it could also be done with sturdy cardboard and Washi tape. Another idea would be to look for pretty little baskets and fill your drawer with them.

Did you happen to notice the empty spots in my new tea drawer? I guess I’ll just have to find a few more flavors to fill it up! 

Giveaway
Take a second to enter my swag bag giveaway, oh and Bigelow has added a Tea Chest to the swag bag. You are going to love all the goodies we found for you. In fact I want to win my own swag bag!

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Bigelow Tea Trip to Charleston, SC ~ The Ultimate Field Trip

I come from a family that chose to homeschool and one of the beauties of that is we got to experience many field trips to learn first-hand the subject matter that we were studying. In fact we have often joked about our mother having the ability to turn any vacation or outing into some type of field trip. I feel like I have just returned from the ultimate field trip.

My brain is on complete overload and I don’t want to just half hazardously tell you about things so for today I’m just going to give you a brief overview. In the coming days I’d like to give you more in depth details so you can gain insight into the whole process of tea making and drinking like I was able to glean over the past couple of days.

Some of the things I can’t wait to tell you about are the house we stayed in and the history behind it. Another thing I’m really looking forward to telling you about is the tea tasting we did. Did you even know that there is a proper way to taste tea? I sure didn't  One of my favorite parts was our trip out to The Charleston Tea Plantation. That in and of itself made the trip worth it.

So while I take a little bit to gather my thoughts and love on my babies (I missed them like crazy!) take a second to enter my swag bag giveaway, oh and Bigelow has added a Tea Chest to the swag bag. You are going to love all the goodies we found for you. In fact I want to win my own swag bag!

I think I’ll go make myself a nice cup of Bigelow tea before I go tackle unpacking the suitcase and starting the laundry. Enjoy your day!

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“Gimme Some Sugar” ~ Sweet Tea Memories

It is not often that you discover a company that you really like. One that you can delight in year round and one that conjures up such sentimental feelings. For me Bigelow Tea is that company.

Bigelow Tea was introduced to me by a tea drinking fanatic, aka Momma! Ever since I was old enough to drink tea I have been a fan of Bigelow Tea. I think what first got me addicted was, as a child we drank their peachtea for the duration of the summer. Even now when I think of my childhood I can still picture picnics in our back yard fort with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches while drinking our ice cold peach tea. Oh I need a glass of it now!

My momma made sun tea and we lived off of that the entire summer. I have many happy recollections of long summers and Bigelow Tea. I can still picture my momma sitting in the backyard with her iced tea and a summer read. It is funny how one drink can bring back all these childhood memories. Oh to be a child again . . . 

A more recent memory is of Bigelow’s Cinnamon Stick Tea. While I was pregnant with little H I craved cinnamon something awful. My momma, knowing of this relentless craving, came across Cinnamon Stick at her local grocery store so she stocked up on it and fed my cinnamon addiction. I even carried the tea bags with me so I could have it at eateries. To this day I cannot get enough of it.

Bigelow Tea reminds me of comfort. When I am sick all I want is a warm blanket, comfy jammies and Bigelow’s Green Tea with Lemon. They have another one that I want to try. It is the Lemon Ginger Herb plus Probiotics to prevent me from being sick! Nothing soothes my weary soul like a warm cup of tea. Add in a yummy muffin and my world is set right. Oh and don’t forget that Dr. Oz just recommended that we all drink Oolong Tea and what better brand than Bigelow!

Bigelow Tea also reminds me of community. I love to gather with one of my book clubs and share great literature with delicious desserts and an assortment of Bigelow’s flavored teas. There’s just something about gathering with dear friends and baring a part of your soul that makes you a better person.

The best part of Bigelow Tea is that there is an enormous amount of flavors to choose from. I love that I can find a flavor to match my mood, season and cravings. When I contemplate what ultimately makes me a repeat customer  it comes down to the crisp taste of Bigelow Tea. With Bigelow tea I know what to anticipate and by no means am I ever disappointed!

The theme of my life has always been 'why be quiet when you can talk'. With that said, I love the history behind Bigelow Tea's Constant Comment. You can read all about it for yourself here.