Tea Flower by autan
Tea seems to be reemerging as a very popular drink these days in the United States. It has always been popular in England. But after the tea tax revolt that started the American Revolution, most Americans seemed to drink more coffee. According to Wikipedia and other research, Americans still drink more coffee- most tea in the US is served as iced tea. But hot tea is very popular now, and, especially with all the health benefits of green tea that has been in the news lately, more people will be drinking the hot brew not only when one has a cold, but to prevent illnesses.
Did you know that tea comes from the same family of plants that the beautiful camellia tree comes from? In fact the Latin name for the tea bearing camellia is Camellia sinensis. Whenever you see the word Sinensis in a plant name, it means China where the plant originated. We get green tea, white tea, black tea and other teas from Camellia sinensis. (I am not writing about herbal teas. Herbal tea is a different thing entirely. That is made from herbs.) The Chinese started drinking tea 4000 years ago. The Western world just learned about tea approximately 300 years ago when it was introduced into Europe. If you enjoy reading about some of the history of tea read: For All the Tea in China: How England Stole the World’s Favorite Drink and Changed History by Sarah Rose.
TheGardenLady has a new son-in-law who loves tea. He has introduced me to a tea that I find delightful. It is called Art Tea, blooming Art Tea or Artisan Tea  You buy tea balls which are made from special high quality green tea and herbal flowers. These balls open like a flower to make a pale cup of tea with a delicate flavor.
Drop one ball into a large glass or a glass teapot and fill the pot with hot water. You need a glass pot to make this tea to watch the tea become a flower. Then sit back and enjoy the unfurling of the lovely flower. This is a lovely way to serve tea when you have company. Drink the tea and enjoy.
To buy good teas and the blooming art tea, there are many online sources if you don’t have a fancy tea shop in your area. See here or here.
Or to watch how the blooming art tea is brewed watch this video.
To learn how to properly drink tea watch this video: