I Found A New Summer Refresher

If you've been to Starbuck's recently, you've seen their new Refreshers blended with hibiscus and berries or cool lime. They're sweetened with stevia and provide a nice natural boost of energy with green coffee extract. When I'm out working on our land, there isn't a Starbuck's for miles around; luckily, The Wild Hibiscus Flower Company sent me a sample of their new Heart-T'ee made from pure hibiscus blossoms.

This tea is just beautiful! It starts off as a pretty pink, develops into a deep red, and finally settles after five minutes to a luscious purple color. I make a big cup (you can get multiple cups out of each tea bag or, like me, you can make a BIG cup/pot of it with one), add 1 teaspoon of local honey for my immune system, and then I let it cool. Throughout the day, I pour a bit over ice and enjoy! It is so refreshing and I love the flavor.

There are other hibiscus teas on the market but I like the dedication to purity that The Wild Hibiscus Flower Company has, "each Heart-Tee tea bag contains three whole premium hibiscus flowers that were either too big or small to use in Wild Hibiscus Flowers in Syrup. Utilizing all harvested flowers eliminates waste and supports the goal of thoughtful ecological production practices. The flower's full health and anthocyanin antioxidant benefits are retained using a unique cold-dried process; the tea's freshness and flavor are further preserved in foil-sealed bags." Isn't that cool?!

I've started playing with it a bit too -- it makes a beautiful top off to lemonade (or a margarita) and The Wild Hibiscus Company's signature product -- hibiscus blooms in syrup -- floating in a pitcher with some ice cubes looks really elegant! A few years back, Wild Hibiscus introduced their blossoms to us before the rest of the world saw them when they let us include them at a treat at our Retreat. Bob in the bar at The Safety Resort and Spa had a great time crafting a signature T-Tapp Cocktail with the blossoms! I can't wait to introduce the spa to Heart-T'ee. If you want to try it -- there's only one place to get it right now before it's introduced across the country; being a T-Tapper means you get the insider's scoop!

If you're having a summer BBQ or party, you might want to consider Hibiscus Tea. You'll help cool your guests off and secretly be doing something great for their health because hibiscus is chocked full of anthocyanins and has been shown to help lower blood pressure. In Mexico, Jamaica is is a tea made from hibiscus -- but having a simple-to-use tea bag to make it rather than fishing out soggy blossoms is sooooo much easier! And if you really want to have some fun -- try adding some decorative ice cubes.

Also, at the end of the day (or all day long) if you find yourself CRAVING dessert, try sipping a cup of Dr. Tea's Candy Bar Cravings Tea! He also has a variety of other dessert-replacements like Apple Pie, Blueberry Pie, and Chocolate Cream that satisfies your taste buds without requiring your own Hoe Down Show Down. They have a sampler pack of all of Dr. Tea's Cravings Teas so you can have a different decadent dessert every night!

All the buzz these days is around green tea which I also like. Tea all comes from the same plant, the color just depends on when the leaves are picked and how they are processed.



Learning the nuances of tea is like wine-tasting! Here's an idea for some fun pairings!