Barre with Justine

“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.” CS Lewis

Do you ever take a few moments to breathe in the vapours of your tea, before taking a sip? Depending on your choice of tea, you might smell the delicate apple aroma of chamomile flowers, the bergamot oil and black tea leaves in Earl Grey, or the spices of a chai blend (typically cardamom, cinnamon, star anise, ginger and cloves). Freshly brewed teas of any kind can provide us with an aromatherapy experience, in addition to the flavours we taste.

The mixture of scents and flavours, along with its warmth, must play a role in the popularity of tea around the world (and its consumption is projected to grow in coming years!). Though we think of tea as being a quintessentially English custom (I know I like to channel my inner Lady Mary Crawley, when I sip!) tea is the most popular beverage in the world, after water.

Tea was once a precious commodity, reserved only for the very wealthy; though it’s commonplace now, it offers us so many beautiful gifts that I think it deserves to be treasured.

I’ve written about the health benefits of tea before, but it’s worth taking some time to explore the aromatherapeutic benefits of the experience of a cup of tea and how we can make the most of the aromas and the flavours.

The Fragrances and Flavours of Tea

In aromatherapy studies, you learn that the chemical constituents of essential oils can be completely different from the plants that they come from. Essential oils are much more powerful than the plants, being highly concentrated distillations or extracts. Basil is used in cooking for its flavour in Italian dishes, but the essential oil is dangerous to ingest (in fact, I wouldn’t recommend ingesting any essential oil!). Chamomile flowers are white and yellow, but German chamomile oil is blue, due to the chamazulene present when the oil is distilled.

Teas do offer a different but similar sensory experience to working with essential oils. Chamomile tea, brewed from the flowers, has a delicate scent reminiscent of apples. Just as oils and perfumes can trigger memories, the scent of tea can do the same thing (remember Proust and his madeleine dipped in tea?).

As a child, I had a Peter Rabbit dish that included the lines from the Beatrix Potter book: Peter was not very well during the evening. His mother put him to bed, and made some chamomile tea: “One table-spoonful to be taken at bedtime.

I must have read those lines hundreds of times because now, whenever I have chamomile tea, it makes me feel warm and cared for!

Even the ritual of making tea has an element of the senses and mindfulness. Measuring out tea leaves, pouring the hot water, waiting for the the leaves to infuse – to me, it’s a moment to pause, pay attention to detail and practice patience!

Using a cover over the cup, or using a tea infuser like this can help keep the aromatic oils contained. Before taking a sip, take a moment to breathe in deeply through the nose and enjoy the scents of the tea.

A beautiful breathing technique that seriously calms the nervous system is to take a deep breath in, hold for 3-4 counts and then exhale.

Even the aroma of tea leaves is lovely – sweet, earthy and floral. Tea is even featured as a note in perfumes like Calvin Klein One and Elizabeth Arden Green Tea.

So let’s chat teas that have beautiful aromas and flavours! Here are my favourites:

• Earl Grey (David’s tea cream of earl grey is my favourite, with lavender earl grey a close second!)
• Cupid’s Breakfast by David’s Tea has rose petals and cream – it’s seasonal for Valentine’s Day so I buy a bunch when I can!
• Sleepytime Tea by Celestial Seasonings – chamomile, rose petals, spearmint and more. A lovely floral blend!

So the next time you brew a cup of tea, take a mindful moment to savour the beautiful scents and flavours. Even better, share the tea with someone you love ♡