Are you Team Coffee or Team Tea? No matter your choice of hot brew for your mornings, our team at Monogram Tea is here to share with you how it’s like to live the tea lifestyle – to flourish and nurture our own well-being by exploring the lessons that tea offers and how tea can be more than just a beverage.

All teas, whether green tea, white tea, black tea or oolong tea, are all derived from a single plant called camellia sinesis. And it’s astonishing that this single plant is the source for a plethora of tastes and aromas that captivates our senses. Of course, there are other teas like herbal or fruit tisanes which are technically more of an infusion of a different plant but can be equally enjoyable.

What’s in your cup?

Tea is known to contain micronutrients called polyphenols that are linked to better health – which are boosted during the fermentation process of teas and can act as antioxidants to neutralize harmful free radicals and reduce inflammation. Different types of teas have varied amounts and types of polyphenols and the regular consumption of polyphenols is thought to boost healthy digestion by promoting the growth of beneficial gut bacteria while fending off harmful ones and protect against heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and even certain cancers like prostate, mouth or breast cancer. On top of that, tea doesn’t have much calories if you enjoy it without sugar or milk, and is a rich and flavoursome source for hydration as tea is 99% water, even despite the caffeine!

A lifestyle with tea

You can only call yourself a tea lover if you drink tea at least once a day. Of course, the type of tea doesn’t matter – you may choose your desired tea of the day and enjoy it on its own or layer your teas for a richer flavour, which we prefer to do so with Monogram teas. The art of tea layering is not only playful and dynamic, but also creates a world of simplexity tea flavours, with no two brews tasting the same. And with that, you’re able to discover your own preferred combination, curate and indulge in your teas according to your mood of the day without compromising on the quality of what’s in your cup.

“Making tea is a ritual that stops the world from falling in on you.”

– Jonathan Stroud, The Creeping Shadow

Aside from the health benefits of drinking tea, the simple act of drinking tea can support a healthy life – enriching life more emotionally than it does physically by providing you with the experience of really being in the present moment, to boost your mood, relieve stress, sharpen your focus and improve your overall well-being. It is pretty amazing to realize that if you are cold, tea will warm you. If you’re too heated, tea will cool you down. If you’re depressed, tea will cheer you up. If you’re excited, it will calm you.

Tea drinking can be introduced as part of your daily meditation tool, to slow down and take in the beauty in life or release negative energy and practice mindfulness. You can create your own tea ritual, to give yourself a moment of revitalizing quiet and calmness in your day. The spirit of tea is one of peace, comfort and refinement, and you can achieve mindfulness by focusing your attention and awareness on the present moment of enjoying a cup of the finest handpicked tea leaves and herbs and all the soothing sensations it brings, while you calmly connect to your breath and acknowledge and accept your feelings, thoughts and physical sensations felt throughout your body.

Creating your daily tea ritual

Set aside some time each day to practice mindfulness through tea drinking. It can be done in the morning to energise yourself for the day ahead, in the afternoon as a perk-me-up to stay focused at work, or in the evening to calm your mind and body before you retire to bed.

1. 1. Place one or two sachets (if you intend to layer your teas for more depth in flavours) of Monogram tea in your favourite teapot.
3. 2. Smell the aroma of the dried leaves and herbs as they settle in your teapot.
5. 3. Listen to the sound of the water being poured over the tea leaves and herbs.
7. 4. Observe the beauty of the tea leaves and herbs unravelling and expanding.
9. 5. Watch the water change colour as the tea steeps and steam rises from the teapot.
11. 6. Listen to the sound of your tea being poured into your favourite tea cup.
13. 7. Find a quiet, comfortable spot to sit, take a deep breath in and exhale, releasing any feelings of stress and tension in your body.
15. 8. Feel the smoothness and warmth of your cup in your hands and on your lips as you take your first sip.
17. 9. Savour each mouthful, appreciating its rich flavour and aroma.
19. 10. Bring your focus to your body and how the tea makes you feel – calm and relaxed, or energized and alert. Pay attention to what feelings the tea evokes in you.

Exercising mindfulness is a beautiful and practical way to remind yourself to be conscious in the now, to not worry about the past or feel anxious about the unknown future. By paying close attention and appreciating the finer details of preparing and brewing Monogram tea will also allow you to indulge in a more enriching tea drinking experience that will engage all of your senses.

Here’s to a better lifestyle with Monogram tea, cheers!

LX