Daily rituals: preparing tea and herbal tea

Our daily lives are full of routines and activities that keep us in constant motion without losing our sense of stability. When we build daily moments and rituals that allow us to pause and surrender ourselves completely to the present, without the pressure of daily speed or the need to feel productive at all times, we connect with an intimate and fulfilling part of ourselves. For us, one of our favorite daily rituals is preparing tea and herbal tea.




Daily rituals with a cup of tea

Tea rituals originate with traditional ceremonies in Japan between the 12th and 14th centuries, and even earlier in China, and are composed not only of the careful preparation of the drink, but also of the atmosphere and space, taking into account architecture, aromas, design and utensils.

In our lives we can take these traditional elements and adapt them to design our own ritual.

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What can you take into account?

1. Choose a time of day when you can focus solely on your tea ritual. It doesn't have to be a long time, just think that those 20 minutes you spend checking your social media can be used to be more present.

2. You don't need the best tools to prepare your tea. As you make it a more constant activity, you can change each utensil, but don't pressure yourself to start by having a set of cups and teapot made of glass. Instead, focus on pieces that you like and that fit your style.

3. Choose a nice spot to have your tea. What is your favorite spot in your home? Maybe the evening light illuminates an armchair or the morning rays reach your desk, or even the evening allows you to light up the dining room with a lamp that you really like. You don't have to have a Japanese garden to enjoy your tea, just a space that makes you feel calm.

4. If you live in the city you may not be able to completely block out outside noise, but choose a playlist or album that will accompany you during your ritual.

Preparation of tea and herbal tea

When we created the White Lime tea and the Rooibos Fennel herbal tea together with Regina Rivero and OHA, she shared these tips with us to prepare both drinks:

1. Make sure the leaves of your tea or herbal tea are of good quality. A locally sourced herbal blend is always your best option. And for those ingredients that have to be imported, it is important to know where they come from and even what their drying processes are.

2. Water is just as important as the leaves in your tea. Try to use filtered water so that its mineral content is not as strong.

3. Following this point, a very important key to preparing tea is to take care of the water temperature. We recommend using a thermometer to have greater control. For green teas, the lowest temperature is between 70 and 75°C; for white teas, a temperature between 85 and 90°C is recommended, and for black teas, you can reach 100°C. You must take care of the temperature in each preparation because it is very easy to burn the herbs and this is what makes the teas bitter.

4. Let it steep for 3-4 minutes. More time will make the flavor more concentrated and if you intend to drink it hot, you may oversaturate it. If you want to steep it to drink cold, you can let the water extract the flavor for 3-6 hours depending on the tea, always removing the leaves so that it does not continue steeping.

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