Hostess with the Mostest with Tea

#AmericasTea #CollectiveBias

A little story about my first real introduction to tea –

I was 21, fresh out of college and was living in Los Angeles on my own. My college friend Dan swung by to visit, having already been in town for another occasion. He later went grocery shopping, couldn’t find much to eat at my bachelorette pad and returned with a large box full of tea packets.

“Are you going to drink all of that?” I asked, “I don’t think I need that much tea.”

“It’s not for you,” he answered, “It’s for your guests. You need tea to be a good hostess.”

Dan and his big brother behavior. In college we went to lunch and when we were being seated, we reached for the same chair. I let go, moved to the next seat over, pulled out my chair out and sat down.  He remained standing by the first seat and stared at me in silence.

“What kind of guys have you been dating?” he asked.

And that was the start of life lessons from Dan.

Since then, tea has become a bigger part of my life – themed bridal or baby showers, my favorite is vanilla chai, and loved a recent introduction to Thai tea. Of course I now have tea options at home like a good hostess. Dan would be so proud. I also married a man who opens my door and when appropriate, pulls out my chair – I have drastically upgraded since college.

You know that moment when a guest asks if you have something on hand and the answer feels like a resounding yes?  That’s how I remember feeling when my first guest asked if I had tea – like I won the Hostess with the Mostest award.

Since then, I’ve expanded my hosting beverage options.

For those who prefer not to drink caffeine, not all teas contain caffeine.  The back of a tea box will tell you how much caffeine is in a drink.

I stopped into Walmart and on my list was to refresh my hostess supplies, tea included. These past few months we have had a revolving door of guests and we have been enjoying it.

Additionally if you’re a Keurig owner, I saw Bigelow tea pods as well in several flavors.

Do you like my pink sugar Eiffel Tower?  I picked it up at the Paris airport on my way back from the French Riviera and had to get rid of my remaining euros.  Speaking of euros, now would be an excellent time to travel with the exchange rate.

One box has 20 individually wrapped packs. Bigelow prides themselves on being all American, three generations owned since 1945.  The tea is made in the USA at the Charleston Tea Plantation which is America’s largest tea garden.  You can visit the Charleston Tea Plantation for music festivals, tours and host a wedding there!

I also have some exciting news – Bigelow has limited edition Girl Scouts cookie flavors in Thin Mints and Caramel & Coconut flavor! You can find them on stands at groceries now, if not soon.

Visit Bigelow Tea’s Facebook and follow them on Twitter. What’s your favorite tea?