by Peggy Michel, Independent Steeped Tea Consultant

Ahhhh, the holidays!!!  They are quickly approaching!  Some of us love and enjoy them and others hate them and anxiously await a new year.  Either way, they can definitely be stressful, even for those that seem to have it all together…

Today’s blog post includes some of my favorite tea items that have made my life much easier – for both serving and gift giving!

Cheeseball Mixes

Have you tried a tea-based cheeseball mix? Grab your favorite cream cheese and mix the contents of the packet together to create the perfect cheeseball. You can also concoct a dip by substituting Greek yogurt, create a pasta sauce with them, or layer in a pretty dish and add complementary ingredients. The possibilities are endless.  Having these on hand during the holidays is super convenient!

Flavors include:

• Pumpkin Cheesecake – serve with graham crackers or vanilla wafers
• Caramel Apple
• S’mores
• Vanilla Cookie (my personal favorite)
• Garlic Chili – serve with chips or veggies

Priced at $12, each bag makes 8 Cheeseballs!  Money well spent!

Iced Tea Infusion Jug or Sweet Tea Pitcher

These two pitchers are fabulous! Each pitcher holds about 2 bottles of wine. I have used our Winter Sangria Tea with Pinot Grigio for parties and it was a huge hit!

The Iced Tea Infusion Jug has a removable infuser in the center.  You just add your tea leaves of choice and add your hot or cold liquid.

With the Sweet Tea Pitcher, you add the tea leaves directly into the pitcher and add your liquid of choice.  The strainer built into the lid will catch the Tea leaves and just give you a beautiful serving of goodness!  I have used our Berry Mania tea steeped directly into vodka and seltzer and added cut up limes…it looked great and was another successful drink!  I have also steeped our Papaya Sangria in water for my daughters – which they LOVE!  I highly recommend either of these pitchers for giving or serving during the holidays.

MATCHA

I have no idea what I did before I found out about matcha. Matcha is when the green tea leaf is completely ground down into a fine powder and blended directly into your liquid of choice.  There are many health benefits associated with matcha! Personally speaking, I get an abundance of energy when I drink matcha. It is also high in antioxidants, boosts the immune system, detoxifies, and helps stimulates the metabolism, among other things.  It is much different than the burst of energy you get from coffee.  Matcha gives you a “focused alertness” with no jitters.  It is awesome and they come in a variety of flavors. One tin is priced at $39 for 100 servings!  (Only $.39 per serving!)  You can mix matcha in hot water, blend it into smoothies, mix it into yogurt, and add it to pancake or cupcake batter…another item where the possibilities are endless.

The available flavors are:

• Banana
• Fruit Punch
• Gingerbread (pictured)
• Mocha
• Peppermint
• Pineapple Punch
• Sweet Strawberry
• Tonia’s Pumpkin
• Vanilla

Also available is plain Matcha ($39) and Ceremonial ($45). Not sure which to try? A matcha sampler is also available for $60 and comes with the 6 most popular matcha flavors in a sample size.

Pop-Top Tumbler

This Pop-Top Tumbler is amazing! It will keep liquids hot or cold for about 12 hours. This gem comes with a detachable infuser so you can steep your tea right into it!  I use mine every single day as I am constantly on the run with my kids.  It also has a lock to prevent spills! This is an invaluable tumbler to have for $40 (and can be personalized for an additional $10). It is available in 7 colors, is double-walled, stainless steel, BPA free, vacuum sealed and holds 16.9 oz (500 ml).

Detox Sampler

This little set has it all! It comes with 50 steeping sacks and 6 different teas – all of which are must-haves for the holiday season! It includes:

• Don’t Worry be Happy
• Feminini Tea
• Hot Yoga
• Lemon Ginger Tea Tox
• Immunity Booster
• Stress Reliever

The Detox Sampler is priced at $40 and can be separated as gifts or stocking stuffers! Who wouldn’t want to give the gift of health this holiday season?

Last, but certainly not least… enter Sleepy Chai.  The holidays could be stressful, and turning off my brain doesn’t happen easily. Sleepy Chai tea totally relaxes me at night; not only do I fall asleep with ease, but I wake up feeling well rested and rejuvenated. Available for $19 for 3.52 oz – I always make sure this is in my pantry!

All of the above items could be purchased from my Steeped Tea store. I hope my list of tea-must haves has given you ideas and I wish all of you a wonderful holiday season!

Have questions? Contact Peggy at pmic719@hotmail.com and join her Steeped Tea Facebook group!

Namaste.