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Tea Wedding Favors are truly unique and offer something truly different! What we will focus on this page are some helpful ideas to get you the most out of your tea favors. It may seem simple, but there are some important factors to consider.
Loose Leaf Tea!
Before we go any further, one of the most important things to recognize is to purchase loose leaf tea instead of tea bag tea...even if the bags say "gourmet" on the label. While it is true higher grade leaves may go into making these products...it still doesn't compete with the superior flavor bag-less loose leaf tea offers.
Loose tea retains all of its natural essential oils that are responsible for pleasing aroma, taste, and the well-known health benefits. With bag tea a large percentage of these oils vanish leaving little room for any enjoyment. Also, these leaves may be over 12 to 18 months old! This beverage is best enjoyed within 6 to 8 months of the flush. And yes, even loose tea should be fresh!
I mention this fact first because this will direct folks to get the most out of their tea wedding favors.
Keep it Simple...Go With Small Tins
Should you decide to go the loose leaf route, the easiest way to get the tea favors are in little tins. These tins happen to be the common sample sizes offered by Adagio Teas. Adagio.com is one of the largest and most reputable online stores for loose leaf tea. They have great selections and great products. The shipping is considerable, in most cases less than 3 days time.
These tins measure approximately 2 1/2 inches high by 1 1/2 inches across, and weigh anywhere between 2 and 3 ounces. This makes them both small, light-weight and convenient. Adagio will also personalize each tin too! At the time of this writing it costs $1.85 for 100 count ($185.00 total) for personalized tins...each which comes pre-wrapped in a delicate organza bag.
Each tin makes an average of 10 cups.
You Can Visit Adagio Teas Here To Get Started
Which Varieties To Select?
Ok, this is the hard part, actually choosing which variety of tea you ultimately want as the tea wedding favors. There are dozens of varieties offered by Adagio, and you may only want one, or a select handful.
The good news is that Adagio.com sells samples of each of their teas for an average of two dollars so you can give them the taste test before making a final selection. There are also many helpful customer reviews to help narrow a decision. In combination, below are some quick tips as well...
Black tea is your more common Lipton or Tetley tea, (not orange pekoe...that is a tea grading!). Oolong teas have a sweet floral aroma and flavor, and sometimes a mild woody and vegetal taste depending on the variety. Green teas have more of a mellow and calming aroma and taste with a hint of grassiness. White teas are the most delicate and brew a light, subtle liquor that produces an airy scent with a smooth sweetness which is less vegetal as green tea.
Side Note: when I say "grassy" or "vegetal", please don't be turned off by this. They are mild flavors that the palate will open up to, and will become quite pleasing! It is the tea bag greens that come out fuzzy and bitter...almost spinach-like. Loose teas have a very enjoyable character!
Good newcomer varieties of white tea are, "White Peony" or "Snowbud". For Green, try "Green Pekoe" or "Pi Lo Chun". One of the best oolong teas from Adagio is "Pouchong", a very good Taiwanese variety. For black tea, the famous "Irish Breakfast" is a good choice along with "Assam Harmony" or "Ceylon Sonata".
These are just some to consider for your tea wedding favors.
See Adagio Teas For Further Details
How To Prepare Loose Tea?
Almost forgot this one! Your guests will need to know how to prepare their loose leaf tea favors! While there are a couple of options for brewing loose tea, for ease of explanation just instruct them to purchase a cheap tea ball infuser...or better yet, include it along with the favors.
There are mug infusers and mesh bags that can be used as well, but for each individual, that can be tricky to divide and may cost more money. Adagio does sell a 100 count bag of loose tea bag infusers, so maybe you can stuff that in with the tea wedding favors as an option.
BUT!!! COPY THESE 4 BREWING TIPS BELOW!
This is the most important! Trust me! This entire page would be useless if the tea is steeped the wrong way. The last thing I want is to give helpful information and leave out the most critical step.
Loose tea is delicate, and careful preparation is as follows:
Tip 1. use fresh water, either well-filtered or natural spring water. Avoid tap water since impurities will alter the subtle flavor.
Tip 2. watch the temperature! Each variety will come with temperature directions. For quick reference...white and green teas get steaming water, not boiling (let it cool down a minute before pouring). Oolong and black can take boiling water.
Tip 3. do not over-steep or the tea will become tangy and bitter. Once again, each variety comes with timing instructions. Pay close attention for best results.
Tip 4. avoid adding sugar or milk (with the exception of black tea). White, green, and oolong teas are meant to be enjoyed straight up. It is unheard of to add milk in these tea types, and will ruin the experience. Milk just doesn't go. Remember, this isn't coffee :)
However adding a drop of honey for extra sweetness is fine
So, with the above tips and references, I hope this page provided folks with an easy and convenient way to get the most out of their tea wedding favors!
All Ready To Go? Follow This Link To Adagio Teas
Congratulations and enjoy!
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