40 Things We Love About Tea, Part 2

As we continue celebrating the 40th anniversary of the founding of Harney & Sons Fine Teas in 1983, we wrap up our list of 40 Things We Love About Tea with the second list of 20 things. If you haven’t already, make sure to read 40 Things We Love About Tea, Part 1 so you’re all caught up. Otherwise, it would be like watching the end of Game of Thrones before you watched the beginning – think how awful that would be! Well, maybe not exactly as awful as finding out what Daenerys does in the end before you even meet her, but not reading the first list of 20 things we love about tea would mean you’re missing out on half the wonderful things there are to love about tea! And that would be a tragetea!

And now, for the final 20 things we love about tea…

21. Lots of words rhyme with “tea.”

As you just witnessed, there are lots and lots of words – or should we say “plentea” – that rhyme with “tea,” and we aren’t afraid to take advantage of that! It makes for a lot of fun wordplay, and we think we could all use a little extra silliness in our often too-serious days.

22. Kombucha!

Thank goodness we don’t have to try to rhyme words with ‘kombucha!” Other than that, we are fans of this wonderful fermented tea. Have you tried making it yourself? If you have patience, you can create your own kombucha and save a lot of money over the pre-bottled, store-bought stuff. Check out our kombucha blog, or read about one of Teafluencers, Angelica Kelly, creator of You Brew Kombucha.

23. You can make tea cocktails.

Incorporating tea into cocktail recipes is next-level mixology. To save you the trouble of searching through our blogs for recipes, we’ve put a few here for you to enjoy or for inspo to try out your tea cocktail mixology chops: Harney Happy Hour, The Art of Infusing for Cocktails, Drinks for the Holidays, Tea Mocktails and Cocktails, Cranberry Autumn Cosmopolitan, Holiday Mixology and Coconut Butterfly Pea Bubble Tea Cocktail.

24. Tea inspires memories.

Since the founding of this family-owned company 40 years ago, you can imagine how many memories our family has created over the years sitting around enjoying tea. We’ve been privileged to enjoy the finest teas in the world, and to share them with our family and friends. That’s why we love what we do – we want to make those teas – and the times that tea makes possible – something that you also incorporate into wonderful memories. Tea is perfect for sharing and being part of memorable moments.

25. Wellness teas.

When it comes to living a healthier life, turns out tea is a mightea good thing to have in your daily wellness routine. In addition to the health benefits recently reported by Advances in Nutrition, we’ve incorporated lots of beneficial ingredients into our Wellness Teas, including antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, adaptogens, and more great stuff that begins with letters other than just “a”!

26. Tea is the perfect excuse to eat scones.

Honestly, we can’t think of a better excuse. Scones are delicious, and having tea without one is almost like eggs without bacon, spring without birdsong, or The Voice without Blake Shelton. Whip up some warm scones anytime you feel the need for scone speed with our vanilla or chocolate chip scone mix.

27. Bubble tea, baby!

Sooo many good things to say about bubble tea. It’s delicious. It’s fun. It comes with big straws. It’s tea and dessert all rolled into one. Learn all about bubble tea, or boba tea, and watch my uncle Paul show you how it’s done on our bubble tea blog. We’ve also got super fun bubble tea recipes for more slurping pleasure!

28. Tea has cool phrases.

That’s right, we’re here to spill the tea on cool tea phrases! “Spill the tea” is just one of several phrases or idioms that have made their way into our language that incorporate the word “tea.” Check them out and discover how they came into being.

29. Matcha matcha matcha!

Did you know that the word “matcha” comes from the Japanese “ma” which means “ground” and “cha” which is one of the words for “tea?” Whatever the origins of the words are, fans know that “matcha” means “yummy, good-for-you, powdered green tea!” Discover everything you want to know about matcha, including the proper way to prepare it, on our matcha blog, and check out this awesome Strawberry Iced Matcha Latte recipe.

30. Tea ceremonies.

When it comes to beverages and ceremonies, once again, tea rules. Whether it’s an ancient Chinese gongfu ceremony, as described in our Chinese Tea Traditions blog, a beautifully choreographed Japanese tea ceremony, or your personal version of a tea ceremony, only tea lends itself so perfectly to the art of preparing, pouring, serving, and enjoying.

31. Pee pee boys!

Speaking of Chinese gongfu ceremonies…one special element of those events is the inclusion of tea pets. In the Chinese tea traditions blog we linked to above, you’ll see a section on tea pets – small clay figures that let you know when your water is hot enough to make tea. Pee pee boys are one of the classic tea pet figures, and, as we say in the blog, if the water poured over the pee pee boy is the proper temperature, he will do as his name indicates, providing entertainment and proper water temperature all in one adorable little package!

32. Tea lattes are tealicious.

Move over coffee, there’s a new latte in town. While most might think “coffee” when they think “latte,” tea lattes have grown in popularity, and for good reason: they’re delicious. Plus, they generally have less caffeine than coffee and, if made with green tea especially, can have more health benefits. Get some tips on how to whip up tea lattes at home.

33. Tea makes great gifts.

Whether it’s for a die-hard tea drinker or someone who’s never really tried tea, the gift of tea is one that will rarely go unused or unappreciated. Let’s face it, with over 300 varieties of Harney teas, you can hardly go wrong. Then there are gift sets, teacups and mugs, teapots, tea gadgets, tea gizmos, tea treats, and even t-shirts! Oh, and did we mention free shipping anywhere in the contiguous U.S.? Somewhere, something is being checked off a wish list right now…

34. Global connections.

We’ve been so fortunate to meet wonderful tea growers, blenders, merchants, and tea lovers from all around the world. They have educated us, inspired us, and helped us grow as tea professionals and as humans. We’re honored that our tea is sold around the globe – 40 years ago, when my grandfather started this business in his basement, he could never have foreseen his company’s global reach. And because we believe in taking care of the planet that provides us with tea plants, we’re part of 1% for the Planet, which allows us to donate 1% of our total sales to many worthwhile environmental organizations of our choice.

35. Tasting tea involves slurping!

We were all raised not to slurp when drinking or eating soup, but when it comes to tasting tea properly, go ahead and tell your Mom you’re sorry in advance…because slurping is required. Properly tasting tea involves not only taste but smell, and getting air into your mouth and allowing the aromas to float into your nasal passage is essential to really understanding and appreciating the nuances of your tea. You can see yours truly demonstrating this technique in our Proper Way to Taste Tea blog. You might not want to invite me to your next party after you watch it…or maybe you will so I can teach you all how to get the best out of your brew.

36. Tasseography.

Tea isn’t only delicious, it can tell your fortune! Tasseography is the art of reading tea leaves, something my grandfather John Harney was very fond of doing. See our short primer on the art of tea-leaf reading and watch a video of my grandfather in action!

37. Tea science is cool.

There is so much fascinating science that goes into influencing how teas taste. From the obvious, like weather, soil, and climate, to behind-the-scenes science of how elements like caffeine, polyphenols, sugars, fatty acids, amino acids, and color pigments also shape the taste of tea. Then there are chemicals that teas produce to protect themselves from insects that also play a role in the flavor of your tea. Take a deep dive into what makes tea what it is in our From Tree to Tea series: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

38. Tea is comforting.

Bad day at the office? Tea. Finish a book you loved and feel a little lost without it? Tea. Feeling a little under the weather? Tea. Find out your best friend is moving away? Tea (maybe with a little brandy). Tea can’t fix the world, but it can make it a little easier to bear.

39. Tea time is anytime.

Tea doesn’t demand a special occasion, but it also is absolutely comfortable as the star of a classy afternoon tea. It tastes just as good when you’re wearing a t-shirt and sweats as it does when you’re wearing a suit and tie. There’s a tea for every time of day and a tea for every person. Because tea time is anytime.

40. Good tea always makes you smile!

My dad, Mike Harney, got some valuable advice early on in this business from our friend and renowned German tea broker Bernd Wulf. As my dad was tasting teas in order to decide what to purchase, Bernd said, “Only buy teas that make you smile.” We have adhered to that rule because when we buy tea on your behalf, we want to ensure that when you drink it, it makes you smile!