As part of Relaxation August I decided I needed to give my body a bit of a break from the usual stress that I put it through. And a part of that has been giving up coffee, for now at least. This is a VERY BIG DEAL for me. I LOVE coffee, and I love it in it’s pure, unadulterated creamy black goodness. No sugar, no milk, just me and a thick black creme. So going cold turkey from this nectar hasn’t been easy. Still, given the amount of time and money we put into all these ‘anti-stress’ skin care remedies I thought it was about time to address one of the causes and not just deal with the symptoms. So for August I have given up coffee.
I may be aiming to give my body a bit of a break, but I can’t go from hard core coffee to only spring water, so tea has once again been my saviour. I already have a fairly extensive tea collection, (although not as huge as some of you I hear) but when trying to give something up I find it helps to have something else to obsess about. Hence, finding new varieties and new ways to drink my tea.
This morning’s tea – White Tea with Rose in my good old 1970′s Finnish enamel tea pot. Nothing fancy, just keeping it simple and delicious!
One of my favourite local tea houses is Serenity Tea House out in Boxhill, Melbourne. It isn’t the easiest place to find, but when you do it is like stumbling into a hidden Alladins cave of tea wonderland. Their tea comes from Taiwan somewhere high up in the mountains, as I learnt when the proprietor told me wonderful stories about the growing area and collection methods. She sat me down with a gorgeous yellow, traditional tea set and we talked and drank tea for over an hour, uninterrupted. It was clear that tea was her passion, not just her day job, as I learnt so much not just about the tea itself, but all the nuances of each tea set. The different clays that help to absorb the flavour, the scent cups used for capturing the fragrance of the tea allowing you to drink in the experience on a different level. The process of drinking tea became so much more than I was expecting from a visit to a local tea store.
Of course it wouldn’t be a tea odyssey without a visit to T2, once a smaller concern and fast becoming a Goliath of the tea world here in Australia. I’ve had my regular favourites from here, The Vanilla, The White Tea, The Gen Mai Sen Cha; but I wanted to try something different. T2 is the perfect place to explore by yourself if you want to be left alone with your thoughts, or if you need help there is always some at hand. The girls there were very helpful walking me through my coffee free options, as I wanted to try and choose teas that also had a low to nil caffeine content to aid this relaxation plan. I found myself stocking up on even more tea accoutrements; pot sized infusers, strainers, pots sized for one. Walking out with only one small box of tea from here is a surprisingly difficult exercise in self restraint.
They have a great website, which as I’ve just discovered, does online Tea dating! They match your personality to tea choices, which I tried and the selection came out bang on for those I just adore. I’m also rather partial to their fancy china selection from the super fancy bone china right through to the unbreakable enamel ware. But then, once you start looking it is possible to spend all your pocket money in one fell swoop.
The stunning deco lines of the Avanti tea pot is something worthy of coveting.
If you’re looking for a brilliant and inexpensive tea shopping option, head down to your local Chinatown or Asian grocer. Not only will you find more tea varieties than you could poke a stick at, you can also find some gorgeous tea pots and cups for only a couple of dollars each. One of my favourite tea pots is a $4 pot from one of these stores. It has lasted me so well, even though it has had a few minor accidents, it is still going strong and used for tea every day.. and even occasionally as a vase! As far as tea selection goes, it is a little more tricky if you can’t read the languages the packaging is written in, but that is half the adventure! Another great thing about tea found in Asian grocery stores is that it quite often comes in very pretty re-usable tins and other containers. So you don’t have to fork out extra cash to keep your tea fresh and you can create your own special collection of canisters as you try each new variety. Oh, and my other cracking find in these stores has been the humble thermos. Perfect for on the road, keeping at your desk or even behind the shop counter for sneaky sips. You can get some excellent basic models for $10 in these stores and even some more beautiful versions like this one if you’re lucky.
So far, the lack of coffee is proving to be a good thing. It did take a few days to get past the nasty headache stage, but with the aid of some White Tea and Rose brewed with a teaspoon of delicious honey, it is proving to be just the tonic that my stress levels and my skin needed.
Where do you shop for your tea? Do you have any secret tea addictions? Confess all!
It’s just perfect. Dark, spiced and a...
I have far too much tea! It’s like coffee – you get addicted to actual drink but tea – you get addicted to collecting the various types and all the bits and pieces to go with it
There’s a place I love, can’t remember the name but it’s at the back of the QV building in the city.
spring it is better drink green tea, summer it is better drink white tea,winnter it is better drink black tea
Have you ever tried Dark Roasted Yerba Mate? It has a similar taste to coffee but it is a tea.
Jenny: No I haven’t tried that. Generally I have an aversion to foods that pretend to be something they are not. Too many bad experiences with “meat replacements” when my parents went through a vegetarian stage…
LOL its not pretending to be coffee, it proud to be a tea but it happens to taste a bit like coffee , definitely not like vegetarian meat replacements who apparently are ashamed of being veggies and must disguise themselves as meat
Jenny: I cannot tell you the nightmares I still have of being served TVP (textured vegetable protein) as a child! Uuurgghhh! May as well have eaten the box it came in.
I’ve been coffee-free for about 10 years now. I made a huge revelation that coffee was actually making my stomach feel horrible, rubbishing my skin, and interrupting my sleep patterns when I was around 21.
You may decide after your coffee-free August that you don’t want to go back…there are so many other wonderful drinks
the chinese consider white tea to be cooling,detoxifying,and refreshing.Recent research shows that white tea has less caffeine than other teas as well as the highest concentration of antioxidants.white tea is delicates and pure with a light color and gentle tease.
Ahhh.. Tea .. nectar of serenity!
T2 is fab, as is the Tea Centre in Sydney (they also have a website). Canberra has a new Teahouse called Adore Tea (another website), and their Heavenly Earl Grey is just to die for!
There is NOTHING as relaxing as a nice HOT cup of tea in a vintage china tea cup.
I limit my coffee intake to 1 espresso shot every 1 to 2 days, as I much prefer my tea.
Tia: I must get to the Tea Centre next I’m up there. Perhaps we should meet for a cup?
Absolutely! I love going there when I can get the time. It’s a lovely little nook for a cuppa and a treat.
[...] Make Time for Tea | Super Kawaii Mama [...]
I must say, I’m not overly fond of T2. I found their Earl Grey and another, perhaps Lapsang Souchong, rather dissapointing and have avoided them as a result.
I buy my tea from the teashop inside the Queen Victoria Market, I forget its name. Mcsomething. Excellent darjeeling and assam. I’m also very fond of Fortnum & Mason teas which are available here at David Jones.
Oh, and it is ‘fell swoop’ not foul swoop. Easy mistake to make and I’m suitably embaressed by my pedantry.
Albi: Oh your a Melbourne chap! How delightful
For some reason I thought you must be across the seas somewhere… I am very partial to Earl Grey and Lady Grey, and so far have found the variety from Wedgwood to be my favourite. I’ve only been able to find this at David Jones so far. T2 seem to do far better on the more fruity and floral varieties than they do on the traditional. I must try the QV tea shop as I haven’t ventured there yet. And thank you Sir, for protecting this girl’s publishing dignity – I am in dire need of a dapper editor. 
Semi-Melbourne chap, half my time out at Latrobe university Bundoora campus, the rest at home in Ballarat.
I’ve not tried Wedgwood, though I noticed it at David Jones. By a happy coincidence I just ran out of Earl Grey so I will try and get some when I’m next in the CBD.
The QV shop is splendid, lots of teapots and whatnot as well as tea. I’m very fond of their Assam and Darjeeling and my mother loves their Russian Caravan.
I would volunteer to be an editor, but what with university and whatnot I would be worried about my reliability. Plus I’ve srunk out of all my vintage clothes so rather lacking in the dapper department at present. Oh and the complete lack of experience might be a factor.
Albi: Well then, I let you off the hook for being Editor, but not for taking me to tea one day. As such an aficionado you may have to be my guide at the QV one day.
hehehe, sorry, but I had to pick it up Albi…you’ve spelt embarrassed wrong
So I did, thank you for pointing it out, hopefully I won’t do it again. This is one reason why, on the rare occassion I point out grammatical errors and typos, I do it in a respectful fashion. One never knows when one might make a similar mistake.
haha, a link on tea has gone into a lesson on spelling and grammar.
I’m also a big fan of ‘the tea centre’ in brisbane CBD, The Pacific sun (green tea with orange, vanilla and apricot) is divine! And it has a cafe so you can try before you buy. Nothing worse than having 100g of tea you can’t stand!
Also just wanted to ask does anyone know where i can find a nice cherry black tea?
I was given some for Christmas many years ago and i haven’t found it again since.
xox
Juliette: Cherry black? Oh that sounds too good to be true! I hope someone can tell us where to find that one.
Ha, I just thought when I saw that teapot that those were very common when I was a kid, even my family had one. But no wonder, since it was Finnish
Ina: I love that pot so much and everyone who comes here and has tea wants to steal it! I’ve never seen another like it here and bought that one from eBay somewhere overseas. Finnish = good design!
Back in the day I was a coffee addict too I swear my blood was pure coffee at one point and although I do still enjoy the occassional cup I don’t drink nearly as much as I used to.
However I seemed to have swapped my coffee addiction for a tea addiction. Tea is pretty much all I drink all day and when I go out I always take a flask with me (something i picked up from China). I love green tea & Jamine but after my recent trip to China a blend of oolong and ginseng is my favourite. I also re-use my tea leaves a lot more than I used to (another thing I picked up from China) on average I get about 3 teapots full out of a tablespoon of leaves where as I used to throw them away after brewing one pot, which means my tea leaves go a long way now. I definitely prefer tea leaves to tea bags, tea bags never seem to get the strength of flavour I want and you can experiment with blends with tea leaves.
Anway I rabbited on for far too long about tea now but it has some great benefits and I’m a big fan xoxo
Cate: I prefer loose leaf too, much more flavoursome. It seems that tea encourages a greater addiction than coffee in some ways… perhaps it is because of the varieties available and all the accoutrements that appeal to the collector in our natures?
Hello Candice,
First time I’m posting something on your blog that I’ve been reading for a long time (and really enjoy your posts)
Being french, and southern french (it means italian backgrounds) coffee is “essential”…especialy at a terrasse …lol…but each year I try to do a detox week, and 2 years ago I experienced very bad headaches when I stopped drinking coffee
I realized how my body was addicted and then I limit myself to a cup in the morning.I’m trying to buy as far as I can very good coffee and it became a sort of treat (when I don’t ask my mom to send me some very good one from France)
Plus leaving in the USA, I have to say that is very hard to find real good coffee, I mean european standards, then I switched for tea for the rest of the day
I have a soft spot for Earl Grey and russian tea
To conclude my little comment, just wanted to say that I really love your blog and I enjoy reading you very much
A bientôt!
Nathalie: So nice to meet you! Yes, I think you could call this my ‘detox’, as I have been getting bad headaches, but have managed now to make it past that stage. Usually if I don’t have one by 10am I am done for! I generally limit myself to two cups a day, but like you I am also very particular about my coffee. Luckily for me I live in Melbourne which has the best coffee outside of Italy, or some would argue in the world! Trying to find good coffee in the USA is a nightmare for me and I usually travel with my own supplies to make the best version I can.
I tend to shop for tea online mostly; I’m addicted to many of Harney and Son’s blends! I also will occasionally stop in at the Teavana store at the mall if I’m craving a yummy herbal blend. Most days I drink PG Tips black tea (it comes in little bags or loose leaf; I prefer the loose tea)–usually two cups in the morning and another two throughout the afternoon! It’s a nice, inexpensive tea that has some “body” to it and doesn’t taste vaguely like flavored water.
I used to be utterly addicted to coffee (and caffeine drinks in general!)–drinking the equivalent of 3 grande coffees from Starbucks every day! (Working part time, going to school full time, and having an active social life did it!
I finally weaned myself off of coffee and now primarily drink tea. The only times I tend to backslide into my multiple cups a day habit is when we’re traveling. I did get a French press and coffee grinder for Christmas last year though just in case I get a craving at home. 
Which ironically hasn’t been that often–I now prefer tea!
? Casey
blog | elegantmusings.com
Casey: I’m so glad to hear you now have your own grinder and french press (we call them plungers here in Australia), because having to live on Starbucks is cruel and unusual punishment! Because I drink my coffee black trying to get a decent one from there was an impossibility and I remember having a huge discussion with them one day about how one makes ‘proper’ coffee. I think they thought I was mad! It seems that all the ladies I know with lovely skin are regular tea drinkers, so it doesn’t surprise me that you are amongst them.
if you truly love the taste of coffee you should definitely not deprive yourself of decaf coffee! i love tea as well so I understand you’re new passion, but if you weren’t one of those ppl just drinking coffee for a caffeine fix and hated the taste, why not enjoy the taste of decaf coffee?
Magicofreiki: I do have decaf sometimes, but at the moment it just feels like cheating and reminds me of how much I would miss it. It is like having to eat carob when you really want chocolate… even though it tastes so similar you still feel like your doing yourself out of a treat, so for August (at least) I’ll try and treat myself to special teas. BTW, the best decaf I’ve found here is the Lavazza range. Which do you prefer?
LOL- I completely know what you mean about eating carob when you really want chocolate. after that analogy, now I fully understand what decaf would be like for you!
I love T2 and Leaf Tea, but I love a wander through the grocery stores hidden in Chinatown or Springvale/Box Hill/Victoria Street in Richmond for my beloved oolong teas!
When I can’t be bothered searching for tea, I get Twining Orange Pekoe from the supermarket – it’s just a traditional black tea but really mild, aromatic and not too bitter. We go through it like crazy.
I stopped drinking coffee a while ago, but now I managed to start drinking insane amounts of cola. Useless. So I will be switching to tea again soon too.
I love Celestial Seasonings tea, they have soooo many good ones!
Tizz: Hi Tizz!! So lovely to see you here again! I’ve missed your cute little cherry avatar.
And the cola- Oh no!! That stuff will kill you quick, eerrghh..
I drink far too much coffee and I do enjoy the occasional cup of tea. But I don’t know what the affects of coffee are on skin health. Can you enlighten me? Bear in mind I’ve been drinking coffee since I was 8 months old (long story).
Kitty: Well the effects all depend on how much you drink but basically caffeine is a diuretic, which means it takes water out of your system. So it dehydrates your skin which means lose of elasticity. It also effects your kidney’s ability to process toxins so it can lead to sluggish circulation, breakouts, dull skin… all those sorts of things. One cup a day won’t do you any harm, in fact in small doses caffeine is good for you, but like all things moderation is the key. If you body needs to detox, or you are recovering from bad health, super stress etc.. these are the times that coffee will really only make you worse. Hence me deciding to give my system a break from it for a month while I try and relax and rejuvenate in time for a healthy Spring!
Thanks for the skin lesson! Your sage advice is definitely appreciated. I’ve been having lots of breakouts lately which is frustrating for a 30 something year old. I’ve decided to cut out coffee for the next month and will see what happens. This will be a very interesting endeavour.
drink tea it is better than coffee.tea has less caffeine
I have never really liked coffee as it gives me migraines, but I do understand the tea obsession!
I found my recent favourite flavour at Tea for Me in Perth, Western Australia. It is a delightful green tea with Soursop mix and I love it! Being from the Eastern coast I also have no idea what I will do when I run out….
In terms of tea shops, I do prefer the Tea Centre in Canberra. I find T2 to be rather lacking in the green tea based mixes {which is my prefered base} as well as being more expensive than the Tea Centre.
For me a nice easy tea you can’t beat is green tea with Jasmine. I always put about a centemeter or so of cold water in the cup {or 3 if it’s a tea pot} so that I do not burn the green tea. It tastes so much better, if it’s burnt then it just tastes bitter. Yuck.
Um, I should stop typing. I did know that I was passionate about tea, but I did not think I could go on for this long! O_o Apologises if I have bored you.
xox,
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our factory can offer high quality green tea.green tea has a vegetable-like taste and is very refreshing.Innumerable health benefits are also attributed to green tea
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Hello Candice!
Have been detoxing myself this month with the worst withdrawals I have ever experienced. So I sympathize greatly with you. I have been heating milk and adding it to a plunger with chai tea leaf – a bit like a spicy latte – only not. I have also been told to only buy decafe that has been through a Swiss Water decaf process because of the chemicals that they use in this process.
ps. I have been sneaking small amounts of real coffee into my decaf since my detox ended, but I can tell myself that it is much less coffee than I used to drink : ) Stay well!
I have loved tea ever since I was a child. I used to have a pink Fisher Price tea set that I would drink warm, weak tea from and share little cakes and cookies with my toys. Since then, I like to think that my palate has become more sophisticated and I’ve switched to collecting delicate vintage tea cups but it is a love that has remained.
The best tea I have come across on my travels actually come from the most obscure and out-of-the-way places. I’m from WA and Margaret River has a lot to offer in terms of beautiful produce. The Margaret River Tea Company makes wonderful loose tea, my favourite of which would have to be their Ceylon Orange Pekoe. T2 has impressed me, as well as McIver’s in the QVM.
I’ve found that Chai can be incredibly delicious but only if it’s made properly. There is a lavender farm over here that makes a lovely lavender tea, which is very refreshing in warmer weather. Would like to have a go at making it into an iced tea one day. I almost never go for commercial tea, unless it’s good ‘ol Twinings (which I also condescend to drink in–horror of horrors!–teabag form).
Cutest teapot ever! It looks like a seaurchin and feels wonderful when you run your hands over the bumps. And you can get them customised (mine is black with white spots!) sigh.
now i want some tea!
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[...] Make Time for Tea | Super Kawaii Mama [...]
[...] Make Time for Tea | Super Kawaii Mama Not only will you find more tea varieties than you could poke a stick at, you can also find some gorgeous tea pots and cups for only a couple of dollars each. One of my favourite tea pots is a $4 pot from one of these stores. used to throw them away after brewing one pot, which means my tea leaves go a long way now. I definitely prefer tea leaves to tea bags tea bags never seem to get the strength of flavour I want and you can experiment with blends with tea leaves. [...]
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[...]Make Time for Tea | Super Kawaii Mama[...]…