I start every day with a cup of English breakfast tea with milk and sugar. I have for many years. If something prevents me from having my tea, I feel like my day has gotten off on the wrong foot. I've been using an organic English breakfast, but every tea bag comes in its own individual plastic envelope. I've used loose teas before but more as a novelty item than anything else. I have a little strainer-like contraption that rests on the top of the cup to steep the tea. While at the grocery store I found a (plastic) resealable package of loose English breakfast tea. I made it for the first time this morning. It has a slightly different taste, but I think I can get used to that. It was more expensive, but hopefully it will last longer. In addition to not having the individually wrapped bags, there isn't the wasted string and paper tab, or the cellophane that wrapped the entire box. Is using one bigger plastic bag better than using the paper, plastic, and string of my former tea? My choices were fairly limited. I bought the only loose English breakfast they had.
I know I should be using a local honey as a sweetener, but one step at a time.
7 comments:
Glad to hear I am not the only who sips tea in the morning! And with milk! People at work always scoff at me when I add milk! But that is the way I love it most - milk and 3 teaspoons of sugar. I do have one of those strainer things as well - but it isn't quite fine enough to filter out all the bits and I usually end up coughing and spewing from bits of leave bits getting caught in my throat. :( I have started drinking Twinings English Breakfast tea - I like how they don't use little staples in their packaging so I can compost the whole tea bag - tag, string and all!
I am another tea drinker, and have also found greening the tea to be something of a challenge, considering it isn't grown locally. Like you, I only buy organic varieties, but instead of English breakfast, I must start my day with earl grey (English breakfast is often the choice for the second cup). I have found a decent brand for darjeeling (cup number three) that is fair trade certified and packaged in mostly recyclable materials. And I have a "luxury" loose earl grey that is organic, fair trade, and packaged in entirely recyclable materials, but it is SO expensive I only drink it on weekends. I haven't found a good every day solution yet.
Is there a tea shop anywhere near you? Then you could bring your own tin and buy by weight?
ah, swiss miss has a great idea.
But yes, think also of the manufacturing steps and energy costs--One big is definitely better than many small. (In most cases.)
Good to be thoughtful and questioning about it--continuously improving--good work. Wish some of that would rub off on PB (and even BB!)
Swissmiss, that's an excellent idea, but unfortunately I don't know of any tea shops in the area. I'll have to do some investigating.
Believe it or not, but I like a cup of hot tea in the morning. It goes down real well with my three eggs, half pound of bacon and bowl of grits. Then I follow it up with a cup of coffee and doughnuts. I'm health conscious like that.
Local honey would be good, yum yum!
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