GUEST REVIEW: Living Foods Organic Teas (Tea Ceremony To Go)
by Jenni Simmons

I love coffee, but I simply cannot drink it every morning. I’ve tried to deny this annoying fact, but with a combo of heartburn and acid reflux, it’s just not worth it; I save coffee for special occasions. But never fear, I do enjoy caffeine - I also love tea. In fact, my tea collection is quite impressive. I’ve got at least twenty boxes and canisters of green, black, and herbal tea in our pantry. The most recent additions to my tea stash are Garden of Life organic teas in two flavors: natural green and coffee-flavored oolong.The coffee-flavored oolong (a blend of green and black tea) is a little miracle for my wimpy stomach. It actually smells and tastes like a cup of coffee, and the scent of coffee in the morning is essential for my good mood the rest of the day. I add stevia and savor each sip. The only possible negative is the coffee flavor which is most likely 100% chemical. I mean, if it’s not coffee it is artificial, right? However, a Garden of Life employee told me that their coffee flavor is safe because it does not result in side effects or toxicity when consumed. I suppose I can live with that since the oolong tea is organic and the flavor treats my stomach better than daily coffee.I adore plain green tea and Garden of Life natural green is smooth and perfectly strong, but not bitter. I love to stir in raw honey or stevia and have a Zen moment. My adoration for green tea is not only reserved for a heated cup. I also crave iced green tea - I prefer it over Lipton or Luzianne any day. Garden of Life green tea concentrate packets are so handy: stir one into a glass of ice water at home, at a restaurant, or even bottled water while traveling! You don’t even have to brew their tea like typical tea bags require. Just pour the contents of one Garden of Life packet into hot or cold water and stir. Basically, you can have tea anywhere your little heart desires.Now about the packets. I was dying to know exactly how Garden of Life inserts organic tea into each small pouch. Unfortunately, they want to keep their genius product secretive and I can understand their point of view somewhat. What they did tell me is that Garden of Life organic tea “is slowly brewed using a proprietary process and packaged right where it grows - in the Wuyi Mountain region of China.” That gentle, slow brewing process preserves the tea polyphenols which aid a healthy heart and metabolism. And the Garden of Life site also says that each purchase of their tea helps to support the sustainable economies in the Wuyi Mountain region.All of that sounds fairly good to me, especially for such aportable non-GMO source of caffeine and antioxidants. Each time Iplace my vitamin order at the Health Food Emporium, I add a box or two of tea for mornings and vacations ahead.