I’ve officially joined the tea party.  Don’t worry, I’m talking about beverage choices, not political parties.  The boyfriend and I recently strolled into Teavana, lured in by the offer of free tea samples and hooked by this awesome kit for tea beginners.

When I say that I’m a tea beginner, I mean that I didn’t really know that tea existed outside of a teabag or that there were more choices beyond Sbux Sweetened Green Tea.  Luckily, this beginner’s kit was 50% off and contained all the necessities for brewing/infusing my very first cup of legit tea.

In addition to the starter packets of tea provided in the kit (a rooibos tea and three types of black tea), we purchased two small canisters of chai (white ayurvedic chai and samurai chai mate).

Aside from the gorgeous colors of the tea leaves, the canisters of chai give off a tantalizing medley of spices.  Not gonna lie, my favorite part of the whole tea-buying experience was taking in all the delicious fragrances of the tea leaves.

For my inaugural brew, I decided to try the South African Rooibos  (provided in the beginner’s kit).  Rooibos tea is naturally caffeine free and is great for your skin and digestive system.  So I added 1.5 teaspoons of the tea leaves to the infuser mug (you can see that the mug has an inner layer with thin slits at the bottom).

Next, I heated up 8 ounces of water.  Different types of tea require different temperatures and rooibos tea requires a temperature of about 208° F.  I heated up the water the good ol’ fashioned way, but might soon be investing in a electric kettle.

The beginner’s kit also came with a nifty tea timer.  On the right side of the timer are presets for different types of tea: 1 minute for green tea, 2 minutes for black tea, and so on.

After about 5-6 minutes of infusing, the tea is done!  Delicious, comforting, and such a healthier alternative to coffee and soda.  So glad I made the conversion to tea!  Cheers!