Congratulations to Kim who won the fab prize – “I not only bring the boutique home but take it with me!
No matter where I go I take a ziplock bag of different teas, as I never know what I’ll feel like when that ‘tea moment ‘ strikes. Variety is the spice of life:)
…and what a tricky decision, Cottage Mint Leaves for when my tummy needs it, ..or a lovely pep-me-up with Vintage Earl Grey, ….
oh right now I’d go the Earl. ..Mmmm..”
This post is sponsored by Nuffnang.
Long time readers of the blog will know that up until June, I had a fairly serious diet coke addiction. This year one of my goals has been to improve my diet, so diet coke was always on the cards to go and go it did, in mid June this year. In the lead up to kicking the habit, I started drinking tea, predominately green tea and peppermint tea. Peppermint tea is naturally caffeine free, but green tea has a small amount of caffeine. A friend had suggested that my caffeine withdrawals from diet coke would be eased if I was consuming some level of caffeine, so I was hopeful this advice would be true for me. And do you know it worked! I dropped the diet coke with no ill side effects – only the positive health effects of my body not absorbing so many chemicals from the soft drink. The appeal for me with tea did stem from the health benefits. This post outlines clearly just some of the health benefits of drinking tea, ranging from oral health to its antioxidant properties. But the appeal of a cup of tea is much broader for me now. I love the ritual of brewing the tea, waiting for the three or so minutes for it to brew to the strength I like it. Holding the cup fully in my hands and feeling the warmth of the hot water and breathing in the aroma of the leaves. 
Testing out the new Twinings Pyramid Infuser range was a pure delight and reinforced for me how there is such a marked difference in the quality of teas you can drink. The Twinings Pyramid Infuser range of teas are a large leaf style tea which come in a silky like pyramid infuser bag.
The tea provided a complete sensory experience – the infuser bag looks cute, the silkiness of the infuser bag feels beautiful, they smell divine and taste delightful. And I really noticed how they made me want to slow down and really enjoy my cup of tea.
The experience of the cup of tea was far more like having a freshly brewed cup in a cafe, rather than a rushed cuppa while doing the housework. It is so easy for me to go from one thing to the next all day without stopping to recharge or take a breath. Some readers even noted as much when I talked about my weekly routine recently.
But what I have started doing is regularly taking 15 minutes before school pick up to make a tea from the Twinings Pyramid Infuser Range. It is the only time in the day that I actually use a cup and saucer. For the rest of the day, my tea is drunk from a large mug. At this time the preschooler is either at preschool or is having his afternoon nap so I can sit down to drink my tea, read and enjoy the peace.
My weeks are happily quite full. I don’t have a whole lot of time for cafe catch ups and the like, but I do have time for 15 minutes to soak up the ritual of a lovely cup of tea.
I have found that the experience of immersing myself in the lovely smell and taste of the tea and the words of a good book can do wonders for my mood and overall health.
It can also help to reset my day. If I have been stressed or running around busily, it helps me to slow down and set myself up for a better afternoon with the kids when I pick them up from school.
Twinings Pyramid Infuser Range – My Favourites
The new Twinings Pyramid Infuser Range comes in five blends two black teas, two Infusions and one green tea:
- Brisk English Morning
- Vintage Earl Gray
- Fragrant Green Jasmine
- Cottage Mint Leaves
- Honeycomb Camomile Buds
They are available now at Coles and Woolworths with a RRP of $6.39 for 16 Pyramid Infusers, so add a packet to test out yourself when you are in the supermarket next. 
I enjoyed all the blends and would happily buy and drink them again – who wouldn’t want to drink something that looked so pretty? {That is the Honeycomb Camomile Buds pictured above.}
But there were two stands out for me. Cottage Mint Leaves is my absolute favourite, it is amazing. It is a blend of peppermint and spearmint leaves which makes for an incredibly lovely tea to drink. It is smooth, has a beautiful aroma and has an almost calming effect for me. Cottage Mint Leaves has been my go to afternoon tea and I find I look forward to having it.
My next favourite is Brisk English Morning, the name really suits the tea too. As soon as I come back in from my morning run, I boil the kettle and start brewing a tea. It is a nice strong tea which gives my day a lovely kick start as we all get ready to walk off to school.
Twinings Pyramid Infuser Range – Giveaway
Courtesy of Twinings I have a gorgeous Twinings Premium Range set to giveaway valued at over $90. The set includes:
- A sample of each blend in the new Twining’s Pyramid Infuser range.
- 4 bright and beautiful oversized tea cups – you can view the tea cups here.
To enter, explore the Twinings Pyramid Infuser range here and then leave a comment below noting which blend you would most like to try and how you bring the boutique home with you?
The giveaway is open to Australian residents only and will close 5:00 pm AEST on Thursday 19th September 2013. Full terms and conditions can be read here. Good luck!