Inspy Romance

Inspy Romance—Fall in Love With a Good Book

Hot Tea and a Good Book? Plus #Giveaway

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Hot Tea and a Good Book

Hot tea and a good book? Love this idea, hate this idea, or fall somewhere in between?

Sipping hot tea while reading a print or ebook is a lifelong habit that I have no intention of breaking. It’s one of the ways I relax and unwind and escape into fictional worlds with satisfying happily-ever-after romantic tales.

Real life doesn’t always provide happy endings, but a good romance book will guarantee the ‘Ahh’ feeling will stay with us, at least for a short time, after we read the last page and close the book.

Contemporary Christian Romance (CCR) is my favorite genre to read (and write) and I sometimes select my hot tea to either match my mood or the tone in the story. Strong brewed tea will wake me up and keep me alert if I’m reading a fast paced story. Other varieties of hot teas are more mellow and relaxing and match a lighter and more leisurely paced story.

Everyday Tea Collection

Everyday Tea Collection

Dilmah Extra Strength Black Ceylon Tea from Sri Lanka with full cream milk (2% milk in USA) and no sugar or sweetener is my go-to tea of choice. I  limit myself to one, or maybe two cups of coffee per day, but it’s not unusual for me to drink four or more cups of tea in one day. Especially when I’m writing and alternating between tea and water to stop my snacking cravings. Writing for me is apparently hunger-inducing work, lol.

I do enjoy many of the Twinings range of teas with milk, including English Breakfast, Earl Grey and Lady Grey. I also like varieties of Green Tea, Peppermint Tea and South African Rooibos Teas that do not need milk or sugar or anything else added.

Devonshire Tea

Devonshire Tea

Last weekend my husband and I visited Adore Tea – a well known Teahouse in Canberra, Australia. We indulged in a morning tea called Devonshire Tea – which includes scones with jam and cream. We especially enjoyed the apple and cinnamon walnut scones.

The scones were matched with ‘Platinum Black’ Tea and an ‘Afternoon Bliss’ flavoured Black Tea. With a hint of vanilla, the ‘Afternoon Bliss’ blend was lovely and I didn’t need to add milk. If you’re a hot tea drinker and planning to visit Canberra, I’d recommend adding Adore Tea to your itinerary.

Adore Tea selection

Adore Tea selection

I never leave Adore Tea empty-handed, and we spent time browsing the large range of teas on display. Our take-home stash included the Black Tea varieties ‘Australian Daintree’ and ‘Irish Breakfast’, the Black Tea flavored blends ‘Afternoon Bliss’ and ‘Miss Grey’, an ‘Organic Green Rooibos’ tea plus the smaller two-cup Herbal blends called ‘Stress-Less’ and ‘Mum’s Treat’.

It’s Your Turn: Please share with us your preferences regarding hot tea in the polls below.

 

GIVEAWAY

I’m giving away a $10 Amazon.com Gift Card to a reader who leaves a comment on this post. The giveaway will close on Friday, March 6, and the winner announced in the Sunday Edition.

If you drink hot tea, please let me know your favorite varieties of tea. If you don’t drink hot tea, please let me know your favorite beverage to accompany your reading. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Narelle Atkins (199 Posts)

A fun loving Aussie girl at heart, Narelle Atkins was born and raised on the beautiful northern beaches in Sydney, Australia. She has settled in Canberra with her husband and children. A lifelong romance reader, she found the perfect genre to write when she discovered inspirational romance. Narelle's contemporary stories of faith and romance are set in Australia and international locations.


Comments

  1. I mostly drink hot, black tea, but I do enjoy iced fruit teas – no sugar in either.

  2. I love white tea, this is the first flush of black tea leaves to be harvested for the season (no milk added). The larger varieties from higher up the Himalayas provide a delicate, delicious flavour that you can enjoy black. Brewed from leaves which can be reused a couple of times, I love the actual tea flavour rather than the flavour from the teabag. Also love herbal tea, my favourite is a combination of lemon mytrle (native to Australia), lemon verbena and lemon balm. Hot or iced, either way they taste divine and are perfect with a great book! :)

  3. Hi Narelle! This German American enjoys her morning coffee. As a child, my mother grew her own peppermint and we had peppermint tea. I enjoy herbal teas. I brew a raspberry tea to use in my lemonade. Most evenings I drink a mug of lemon ginger tea sweetened with honey and extra lemon juice. This helps my allergies. In the winter I enjoy a cup of peppermint tea or chamomile blend. The scones made me hungry. A local bakery makes the best raspberry scones. Thanks for the poll. Best wishes.

  4. I drink coffee in the morning and after that it is tea! I like Twinings almond chai tea and green tea a lot but I drink many others too.

  5. I love tea! Black teas (English breakfast, Irish, Darjeeling), green tea (plain or matcha preferabbly), chai tea. I stay far away from fruit ones. I just can’t.

  6. I love hot tea! My favorite is Yorkshire Tea, the red box. I’m also very fond of iced tea, particularly peach and tropical flavors. Yay for tea!!!!

  7. Recently I switched from being a regular coffee drinker (6cups/daily), with an occasional cup of tea, to just a cup or 2 of coffee a day, & delicious, fruity tisane tea after that. A sinus infection prompted the switch, but I was delighted to discover Tealyra’s Grandma’s Garden blend fruit tea, David’s Teas Strawberry Rhubarb blend, and Fushion Teas Very Berry blend. All 3 are decaf, have zero or < 10 calories, and are delicious! My sinuses cleared quickly – yay! – and now I’m hooked. We had a friend return from Germany with a package of fruity tisane tea awhile back & it had been my “reserve treat.” As that package is nearly gone, I’m delighted that I found several wonderful replacements that go down to smoothly. :D (I also have a couple boxes of Celestial & Bigelow peppermint, Mint medley, a Sleepy Time tea, and a ginger tea but the fruit tisane blends are my favorite).

  8. I drink a lot of tea.
    In the colder months I like:
    Rooibos Vanilla Chai, White Blueberry, Blueberry, Citron Green,
    Vanilla Chai.

    During the warmer months I make my own tea:
    combination of Raspberry and Constant Comment

  9. I clicked “never” though that’s not QUITE true. Weeks or even months easily go by between, though. I’m a two-cups-of-coffee-in-the-morning kind of girl, and then I switch to cold drinks.

    I do make a variety of cold teas year-round! Sometimes robust teas like oolong, green, or rooibos, but more often Bengal Spice (by Celestial Seasonings) or a fruit tea.

  10. I live on hot coffee and sweet iced tea. I tend to drink the sweet tea while reading.

  13. I’m a coffee girl myself but occasionally have hot tea with honey and lemon to soothe a sore throat. In the fall I enjoy the occasional spiced tea.

  14. Narelle, my hubby is the tea drinker in our family. He reads in the morning while he drinks his tea, but alas he’s not a romance readers. I don’t drink coffee and rarely drink tea. Hubby gets bags of tea from this online place. I have tried some of his teas, and they are really delicious, but I can’t recall the names.

  15. The poll wouldn’t let me choose more than one type of tea. My favorite are black teas, especially Earl Grey. I also like chamomile and lavender teas for calming. My best friend started selling all-natural loose leaf teas from Steeped Tea (Sipology), and they are amazing quality!

    I love the taste of chai, but I have a hard time finding the ones that are easy to make–I haven’t sprung for the press or strainer or whatever it is you need to make it with.

    I personally grew up with only unsweetened tea in the Northwest, so I can’t stand milk or sugar or honey or anything in it. ;) I can’t even stand the taste of fruity-flavored teas (even though I love the aromas) because I can’t taste the fruit without any honey or sugar to pull out the flavor. But that’s just me being weird. :D

  16. Hello Narelle!

    I’m with you on tea-drinking. Mostly flavored black tea (currently loving black currant, lady grey, and vanilla chai) and I would say I average 4 cups a day. Can’t do chamomile-tastes like grass to me–but other than that, I’ve hardly met a tea I didn’t like. If I ever get to Canberra, I’ll definitely try Adore! Thanks for the post.

    Jan Elder

  17. Hi Narelle!
    I am a tea drinker – Numi English Breakfast in the daytime and Numi Jasmine green tea in the evening. I drink both without milk or sugar. A good cup of tea and a good book always makes the day better!

  18. I am a big tea drinker. I must have my tea throughout the day. I take my own tea when I am visiting friends and restaurants. I sometimes bring my own cup. I want a nice big mug of tea not a delicate cup.

  19. I’ll drink iced tea at a restaurant, occasionally but, otherwise, it’s coffee by the bucketful for me :)

  20. I love drinking tea, hot or iced. I usually stick with black teas. I have an assortment of tea, including English Breakfast, Earl Grey, Hot Cinnamon, Chai, Berry, Peppermint, etc…

  21. Thank you for all your comments. 😊 I can’t edit the poll – please select your favorite type of tea and let me know all the different varieties of teas you drink in your comments. I’ll be back online later today (it’s Friday morning here in Australia) to reply to all your individual comments. Happy Reading with your beverage of choice! 😊

  22. I will be in a minority as I don’t drink tea, don’t drink coffee or any hot drinks at all. I use to drink quick as a child and milo and honey in warm milk.
    But now I don’t drink any hot drinks at all.
    I don’t really drink and read. But I guess if I did it would be lemon cordial, water or maybe chocolate milk but considering I am likely to spill it I don’t really drink and read. (I may how ever be eating chips or lollies while reading but that’s another post right).

  23. Your Devonshire Tea looks delicious. I love hot tea and almost always start my morning with a cup. I rotate between lemon, raspberry, and plain black tea, Constant comment, English Breakfast, and Earl Grey. I also occasionally drink herbal tea in the afternoon and one of my favorites right now is Tazo’s Glazed Lemon Loaf.

  24. I am a coffee drinker then in the afternoon I love green tea! Thank you for this post

  25. When it’s chilly outside, I like a cup of hot tea in the afternoon, with a LOT of sugar! I honestly don’t measure it, I just put it in til it tastes good! Lol! I drink cold sweet tea at night. I start my day off with a cup of coffee, though! I haven’t been to a store with a lot of different teas, but I have been to one that sells a lot of different coffee! I’ve been known to buy flavored coffees as Christmas gifts, too!

  27. I have never liked hot tea but I do like cold tea. I usually brew a pot of green tea, peppermint, and Roobis all together. I makes a really nice blend.

  28. I am a huge fan of tea both iced and hot! I don’t drink coffee. Instead I prefer unsweetened tea. I do like to have a cup of tea nearby while I am reading! I like to have a cat nearby too!

  29. I enjoy hot tea, but really tend to only drink it when I am not feeling well. Or if I think I might have a hard time falling asleep, I might drink some Chamomile tea with a bit of honey to sweeten it=)

  31. I enjoy hot tea too! I think English Tea from Bigelow is really good, as is Earl Grey.

  32. While I don’t like iced tea, I love a good cup of hot tea. Your poll would only allow me to choose one variety, so I voted for Earl Gray (a friend started me on that years ago!), I also like black teas in general. Other favorites are English Breakfast, Irish Breakfast, and a Cinnamon-Apple blend. I never add anything to my tea. If I’m not in the mood for tea, a cup of hot chocolate or hot apple cider can be a good substitute.

  35. Hi Dianne, My father likes white tea but I haven’t explored the different varieties. I agree, the tea leaves brew better if they’re loose and not bagged. Honey and lemon is my go-to if I have a sore throat. Those lemon combinations sound interesting. I’ve heard lemon myrtle is good. Thanks for commenting. 😊

  36. Hi Renate, Fresh peppermint tea, and raspberry tea in lemonade, sound lovely and refreshing. Honey and lemon is good, and raspberry scones… I must try those! I’m not a big fan of chamomile, although it’s a while since I last tried it. Thanks for commenting. 😊

  38. I lurrvvvve tea! But trying to limit myself to one a day. My go-to is English breakfast, white with one. But this year, one of my #20in2020 goals is to try 20 different teas! And what timing: a friend gifted me with a T2 sampler box last Christmas.

  39. Hi Toni, yes, I can relate! Black and green tea are my go-to teas. I’m happy to experiment by tasting the different chai and fruit teas as well. Thanks for commenting 😊

  40. Hi Sally, I haven’t tried Yorkshire tea but it sounds good. I’m not a sweet tea drinker, but I do love hearing recommendations on different flavored fruit iced teas. Thanks for commenting. 😊

  41. Hi Penelope, I’m always looking for tea recommendations to help with allergies/sinus issues. The fruit tea blends sound lovely. Thanks for commenting. 😊

  43. Hi Valerie, I’m intrigued by the variety of cold teas you’re all drinking. It’s time to expand my tea drinking habits, lol. Thanks for commenting. 😊

  44. Hi Cathy, Sweet iced tea and reading sounds like a good combination. I struggle to function without my morning coffee, lol. Thanks for commenting. 😊

  49. Hi Lila, yes, I do enjoy Earl Grey, too, especially during summer. I haven’t attempted to make my own teas, although it sounds like fun. I learned to drink black tea without milk at my previous day job because there was often no milk available in the tearoom fridge. I do like to try different combinations of fruit-flavored teas. Thanks for commenting. 😊

  50. I’m a coffee drinker who only occasionally indulges in tea. I’ve always preferred black tea but recently branched out when I decided the heroine in my current WIP would be a tea drinker. I figured out that black really is my favorite.

  51. Hi Jan, Yes, definitely visit Adore Tea at Gold Creek (in a tourist area in Canberra) if you have a chance to visit. Chamomile isn’t my favorite, either. Thanks for commenting. 😊

  53. Hi Sonnetta, yes, at home I tend to use a nice big mug for my tea, and adjust the tea strength according to the size of my mug. I carry teabags in my purse for the tea varieties I can drink without needing milk. Thanks for commenting. 😊

  56. Hi Jenny, If I’m drinking tea when I’m reading, I’m less likely to look for snacks, lol. I haven’t drunk Quik in years – by memory it was the strawberry flavour that I liked when I was younger. Thanks for commenting. 😊

  57. Hi Jessica, yes, the Devonshire Tea was good. Constant comment is a new-to-me tea. Glazed lemon loaf tea sounds interesting. Thanks for commenting. 😊

  59. Hi Trudy, yes, there are many different varieties of flavored coffee! If you have a sweet tooth, then tea is one way to indulge, lol. Thanks for commenting. 😊

  61. Hi Christie, Your cold tea blend sounds interesting. I’m not really into cold black tea, but I’m open to trying different iced tea combinations. Thanks for commenting. 😊

  66. Hi Mary, I also enjoy hot chocolate if I’m looking for a sweet drink. It’s a while since I’ve indulged in an apple cinnamon tea. There aren’t many hot black tea blends that I don’t like. Thanks for commenting. 😊

  70. I usually start with my first cup of coffee in the morning and drink all day. In winter I often switch ty tea during mid morning and mid afternoon for the variety of flavor in the winter. I still drink coffee more.
    In our state in Brazil people drink a lot of mate which is a hot beverage much like tea but with too many traditions. It’s definitely a favorite before tea (after coffee). We share this tradition not with the rest of the country but with our neighboring countries of Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.

  71. I grew up with my mother enjoying Tea time on special occasions. As she later was able to slow down we enjoyed many cups of decaffeinated black tea. She was born and raised in Rhodesia, later to change to Zimbabwe, After my Dad died and all 6 of us kids were on our own, mother returned to Africa to care for her aging parents. They went over in 1921 and spent their lives there doing mission work. Granddaddy was a preacher and also wrote many religious teachings in the language they could understand.
    All that to say British ways were part of mother’s upbringing and she shared that with all of us till May 18, 2018 when she died if massive heart attack at the age of 95. She was physically and mentally able to live on her own till the end.
    Her children and grandchildren requested she writ her memories down for us and she did. My oldest brother was an author and he had it published. So glad we have that history for future generations.
    All that because you asked about drinking tea.

  72. I’m drinking a cup of English breakfast as I type! I gave up coffee because the only way I like it is with a lot of sweetened flavoured coffee which is not the best for me! So I started drinking tea, black. I love English Breakfast and Irish breakfast the most. I’ll drink others but tend to stick to black teas. I just can’t drink them too late in the day unless they’re decaf.

  73. I love hot tea, but don’t drink it often. I’m mostly a water drinker and don’t drink coffee, so I don’t always think of making tea unless I’m cold or have a sore throat. I really love drinking vanilla chamomile tea when I do make some. It’s a light tasting tea, but is delicious!

  74. I love to drink tea, but I don’t usually eat or drink anything while I’m reading because I’m afraid of spilling on my book or Lindle. I usually drink black tea, but I’m looking forward to trying Rooibos Belgian Chocolate! 🙂

  76. Hi Priscila, It’s interesting how there are beverages that are only popular in certain countries and regions. Brazil is known for good coffee! Thanks for commenting. 😊

  77. Hi Nancy, Wow, your family’s history is fascinating. It’s our British heritage in Australia that introduced hot tea. Billie tea (tea that’s brewed in a pot over a camp fire) is a traditional way to drink tea in Australia. Thanks for commenting. 😊

  78. Hi Arletta, My apologies for the delay in replying. English Breakfast and Irish Breakfast Teas are favorites of mine, too. Thanks for commenting. :)

  79. Hi Melynda, My apologies for the delay in replying. I try to drink more water and less tea. Honey and lemon tea is my go-to when I have a sore throat. Thanks for commenting. :)

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