Not only are there many types of tea, but there are also multiple ways to brew it… bagged, loose-leaf, and cold-brewed. I’ll discuss cold-brewed later, so for now we’ll focus on the differences between bagged and loose-leaf tea.
Typically, loose-leaf teas have a higher quality and more complex flavor, and are what I tend to prefer. However, more and more bagged teas have been showing up in stores that use larger sachets and larger leaf pieces, giving them a higher quality than their typical counterparts.
And let’s face it, sometimes you just want the convenience and portability of a tea bag!
Loose-Leaf Tea
All tea leaves expand when they get wet, and they need space to really release their flavor and brew properly! This is especially true for a tea like oolong, whose leaves can more than double in size during brewing. With a good strainer or infuser, the leaves will have all the room they need.
Additionally, with loose-leaf tea, there tend to be more flavor options, and you have full control over the amount and strength of tea you brew. However, it is generally less quick and convenient to make.
Bagged Tea
Bagged teas are convenient to use, especially when you are on the go. They are often filled with crushed tea leaves to speed up brewing, which means that a lot of the essential oils that lend tea its flavor are lost before brewing.
Julie’s Teas Today
Today’s teas of choice are both rooibos. I didn’t start drinking it until later in the day, so I chose some caffeine-free options! First up was 2 cups of Rishi’s Jamaican Red Rooibos (Organic & Fair Trade). It has a very strong and somewhat tart flavor to it, which isn’t my favorite, but I’ll still drink it until it’s gone!
After dinner, I plan to have some of Cha Cha Tea’s Blueberry Rooibos (Organic). I love its sweet tinge, and the blueberry flavor is very distinct and easy to pick up. This may be one of my favorite rooibos blends, and is available in my shop!
Smart Fitness
My Italy training is coming along smoothly! I biked a tough 25.47 miles in 1:45 this morning. Since the trail was less busy than usual, I was able to cycle much faster…and my legs were definitely burning by the end!
Today’s Push-Ups Challenge Tip:
Find a friend who wants to do the challenge with you. Check in on a regular basis to keep each other on track, and to be each other’s cheerleaders when motivation is low!
Or, use the comments section of the first challenge post to get motivation and encourage others!
Smart Life
Despite wearing copious amounts of SPF45 sunscreen, I am starting to see some cycling-related tan lines. Since I’d really rather not have them show up in our wedding photos, I think I’m going to invest in some self-tanner.
Per Gracie’s recommendation, I think I’m going to try St. Tropez…no tan lines, without the skin damage! Check out her fabulous Tan-Free Tuesday posts, written in honor of May being National Skin Cancer Awareness Month.
I usually go for bagged teas for convenience and have actually never had loose leaf teas. You’ve inspired me to get some and try it!
Hooray! Let me know what you try and what you think!
Good call on the St. Tropez
FYI – it might not *completely* fix your tanlines (I don’t know how dark they are) but it will definitely help! And are you planning on getting the lotion or the mousse? I’ve never tried the lotion, but the mousse seems to work pretty great. Just a few tips – make sure to moisturize before applying the self tanner because dry skin is what lends to streakiness. Also, I got one of the packages from St. Tropez which came with a application “glove” kind of thing. I don’t think it’s necessary to get the whole package (because I rarely use the other things it came with), but I do think that the glove helps with avoiding streaking. You might want to check Ulta or a beauty store to see if they carry self-tan application gloves. Just thought I’d throw those things out! But with all of that aside, I’ve *never* gotten streaks from St. Tropez, so you should be safe =)
YAY FOR THE BRIDE TO BE
They aren’t very dark, but I can tell that they could show up in some of the pictures.
Thank you sooooo much for the tips on the moisturizer, mousse and gloves dear!!
Awesome job on the bike ride!!! 25 miles is so insane to me.
Thanks for all the info about tea. I’m definitely a bagged tea-gal, just because I didn’t know what to do with loose leaf!
It still feels a bit insane to me too…last summer I had to take breaks every 3-5 miles! It is definitely something you work up to.
I have a post coming up on brewing loose-leaf tea later today, which will help if you decide to try it!
I love tea but tend to stick with the bagged kind out of laziness – although maybe this summer I will get crazy an try some loose tea!
Thanks for a great post!