A Cup of Creativi-Tea with Tea Sparrow and Rishi Lavender Earl Grey Tea

What inspires you and puts you in a creative mood? For me the answer is simple:

• A mug full of Sharpie Markers in an array of colors.
• A great playlist playing on my iphone or MacBook Air.
• My studio stocked with inspiring craft materials.
• Beautiful, aspirational books.
• A good cup of tea.

When I am crafting, writing, crocheting, drawing, felting or sewing you will almost always find a mug of tea (in the fall, winter and spring) or glass of iced tea (in the summer) close at hand. 

I’ve never been a coffee drinker. I’ve never had that feeling of not being able to function in the morning until I have my morning cup. I’ve been a tea drinker since childhood, I’ve been a tea addict for the past 6 years. Long before tea was the “cool thing” I was obsessed. For me, tea is less about getting a caffeine fix and more about being inspired by new flavors and people who practice an art that I admire. Tea makers definitely are artists, combining tea leaves and other ingredients to create flavors that take us to another place and bring us back wanting more… cup after cup after cup.

I’m not addicted to tea because I need my morning fix, I’m addicted to tea because it inspires creativity within me. 

4 weeks ago I received a very special package in the mail. The February tea collection from Tea Sparrow– a tea of the month club started here in Vancouver that ships across North America. Someone had told the fabulous people at Tea Sparrow that I was a tea addict. They asked if they could send me a package of their tea in the mail, no strings attached. They said that if I had time they would love to chat for a few minutes afterwards by phone, tea connoisseur to tea connoisseur.

A few days after receiving my package I phoned Michael, the co-founder and tea-party animal at Tea Sparrow. I think that Michael and I may be two cups of tea from the same pot. We were both positively giddy while chatting about our favorite teas. Michael told me about the selection process for the collection they send out each month. They invite 10 Tea Sparrow members to come to their office for a tea party. They sample an array of teas and fill out scorecards for each cup. In order for the tea to make it into the Tea Sparrow Monthly collection the blend has to receive an 8 out of 10 or higher from every person scoring! That’s a pretty stringent selection process. 

These are the teas that Tea Sparrow sent me in my February box:

Rishi’s Earl Grey Lavender-Dried lavender is the perfect complement to the sweet citrus full-bodied Earl Grey.

Numi’s White Rose– Blends the smoothness of delicate, organic white tea with whole organic rose buds. 

Tea Desire’s Strawberry Champagne Green Tea– The prettiest tea of the bunch, a sweet and seductive aromatic fruit flavoured tea with a breeze of champagne! 

Gathering Place Trading Company’s Organic Rooibos Chai–  A unique blend of Rooibos and six organic spices produces a calming, naturally caffeine free tea. Hand blended on Cortes Island in small batches with the freshest ingredients.

I was pleasantly surprised that I loved every single tea that was in this collection. I would love to add all 4 of these teas in permanent rotation within my tea collection, though my favorite had to be Rishi’s Earl Grey Lavender. Lavender equates comfort in my mind so this tea felt like coming home. I love the way the floral of the lavender played against the citrus of the Earl Grey. So delicious. This is a tea that makes me take a deep sigh, cup the warmth of my mug between both hands, breath deep and relax. It’s the epitome of a good cup of tea… comfort in a mug.  I’ll definitely be heading to Rishi’s website to buy more Earl Grey Lavender tea. 

Michael invited me to start attending the Tea Sparrow Tea Parties to help select which teas members will be receiving each month. I can’t wait for the experience and will make sure to share my thoughts from the day with you and brag if any of my favorite teas make the Tea Sparrow box. 

As I said before, Tea Sparrow sent me this package with no strings attached… but I love sharing things that I feel passionate about with you all, so I’m sharing Tea Sparrow with you. Whether you are a tea conniseur like me or want to learn about and explore the world of tea I highly suggest that you give the program a try. When I told Michael that I had a few friends I wanted to tell about Tea Sparrow he gave me a discount code for 60% off the first tea box in an ongoing tea box subscription. You are all my friends, so I thought I would share the code with you. Visit the Tea Sparrow Subscription Page and enter the password/promo code: teas.  

Tell me… Are you a tea drinker? What’s your favorite tea? Would you ever sign up for a tea of the month club?