Favorite Bagged Tea

It's getting cold out isn't it? Brrrrrr! That means it's tea time, and there's nothing better than snuggling inside under a warm blanket with a hot cup of tea. It's so relaxing and I love it. Then of course there are all of the health benefits of tea, like antioxidants and the detoxifying effect it has on the body. It's also a great way to get your daily dose of water; which is important to help flush out impurities and keep the body hydrated. These days I prefer white, green (all tea comes from the same plant, Camellia Sinensis), and herbals (tisanes) just because in recent years I've learned that caffeine can exacerbate acne. So I save the dark fermented black and oolongs for a special treat. That, and I don't want to stain my teeth.

Tea gurus will tell you that loose leaf tea is best because the large tea leaves have room to expand in the pot releasing all of the plant's true flavor (depending on your tea's grade, the taste will vary). But what do you do when you're in a rush or just can't tell the difference between the taste? Choose a bagged tea of course!

Here are some of my favorites right now:

Celestial Seasonings - Sleepytime Vanilla Herbal Tea 

Pros: A flavorful tea with a sweet aroma, it's herbal so there is no caffeine, no individual packaging to throw out, and it makes about 4 cups if you prefer your tea very light like I do.

Cons: It's not certified organic or fair trade, the bag consists mostly of dust & fannings so flavor might vary, and it's not sold in large bulk for saving on packaging for eco reasons.

Trader Joe's - Organic Mint Melange Tea

Pros: A wonderful tea with a fresh minty flavor, herbal so there is no caffeine, organic, and this one is a bit darker so I can get about 6 cups out of it.

Cons: It has a ton of wasted individual packaging including plastic wrapping, not fair trade, consists mostly of dust & fannings again, and it's not sold in large bulk.

 Archer Farms - Organic Fair Trade Green Tea

Pros: A potent green tea because the bag is large enough to let the leaves uncurl, a tiny bit of caffeine (green tends to have less than blacks because of steeping time), organic, fair trade, and it makes about 4 cups if you prefer your tea light.

Cons: Wasteful individual plastic packaging (even though the box boasts about it being plant-based plastic, the process of making the plastic is still unclean), and it's not sold in large bulk.

How about you, what are your favorite teas? Share them with me in the comments below.

~Claudia