Sandy Berger Blog » Tea Lovers

Favorite Tea — Discontinued

Sandy Berger — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 16:03:19 +0000

Just heard that Pacific Sunrise, my favorite Teavana tea is being discontinued. Pacific Sunrise has a crisp coconut, tart pineapple and slightly sweet floral taste always reminds me of Hawaii. And it is a Rooibos (Red) tea that help with my Rosacea. I am sorry to see it go.

The good news is that I was able to stock up on it at 30% off. The other good news is that this means that Teavana will have new teas in the next month or so.

Shop Teavana.com

I Lost 12 Pounds — Here’s How

Sandy Berger — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 20:19:25 +0000

For years I have been struggling to lose a few pounds. For some reason, diets don’t seem to work for me. In the past, my husband and I would go on a diet together and within a week or two, he would announce that he lost six or seven pounds, while I hadn’t even lost six or seven ounces. The disappoint would lead me right back to the ice cream bowl!

Recently we went on the South Beach diet together. I had tried this diet before with poor results.This time, however, was different. I really researched the diet and found that it is not the low fat or low carbs that make the diet work. It is the adherence to food that is low on the glycemic index. If you can stick to these foods, your blood glucose levels stay constant and you don’t feel as hungry. That was it! If you don’t feel hungry, you don’t eat as much and you lose weight. Not only was it logical, but it worked. In about two months I have lost the 12 pound that I wanted to lose. For me, that is close to miraculous. You have to stay away from sugar and things like white bread, potatoes, doughnuts and pretzels, but that really wasn’t too hard to do. And certainly that makes for better, more nutritious eating, anyway.

Being a tea drinker, I also looked to tea for some diet help. I found that Oolong teas are often called weight loss teas because they help burn fat built up in the body. So I turned to Teavana.com, my favorite online tea emporium. They have a tea blend specially made for dieting. It is called Family Diet Tea Blend and can be found under Tea Blends. It’s based on Oolong tea but also has strawberry, lemon, and blueberry tea that makes it taste great.

Right now, I am feeling great. I know it will last because I have changed my eating habits.

If any of you decide to try my two diet tricks, low glycemic index foods and oolong tea, let me know.

A Tea Contest Made for Tea Lovers

Sandy Berger — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:50:00 +0000

As you may know, I love tea. I find it a relaxing little pleasure that can be inserted into a hectic high tech day. I love many different kinds of tea, especially flavored teas. Although I often drink Red Tea because it seems to help my rosacea, I also drink white, green black, oolong, etc.

So I was excited hear about Teavana’s new contest, called Tea Master’s Challenge. You create and submit your favorite blends of their various teas, then you can vote on all the submitted variations. It could be fun. Click on the logo below to check it out!

Tea Masters Challenge - Teavana.com

Free Shipping at Teavana for Memorial Day

Sandy Berger — Fri, 22 May 2009 16:37:41 +0000

If you want to try a new tea, but you don’t want to spend extra for shipping and handling, this Memorial Day weekend is your chance. From now until Monday at midnight, Eastern, you can order anything you like with no shipping or handling charge. Just click on this Tevana icon and type in MEMORIAL in the coupon code box when you order.

I know I won’t be able to resist.

If you are reading this after Memorial Day, you missed the free shipping — but you can still try some great tea and Teavana’s new offer — a free subscription to Martha Stewart’s Body & Soul magazine.

Body & Soul magazine w/ $30 Teavana purchase

Mother’s Day Perfection

Sandy Berger — Wed, 13 May 2009 13:58:51 +0000

Teavana Belle Luna Gift Set

I don’t think that I have ever had a Mother’s Day where I received such perfect presents. I got candy, a flowering plant for the yard, a soft blanket, a gift certificate for a spa visit, and a Teavana gift set. There was not a digital camera or MP3 player in sight. Since I am constantly surrounded by high-tech gadgets…. it was nice to get a break from technology. In fact, the more immersed I become in technology, the more that I am realizing that you need to take a break from it every now and then.

Certainly as I plant the flowers and visit the spa, I will get a temporary break from the high tech world. And drinking tea and trying the various tea flavors and combinations always allows me to escape from technology for a little while.

The tea present that I got from my oldest daughter this year was perfect for that. She sent me a Belle Luna Teavana Tea Gift Set. The beautiful box was inscribed with this saying: “Inspired by the beauty of the moon suspended gracefully in the sky, this collection helps to soothe the senses with a combination of white teas, believed to enhance beauty & reduce fine lines, and herbal blends known for their relaxing properties.”

Inside were four beautiful Origami paper-wrapped tea tins with Bangkok Lemongrass, Swiss Vervaine Melange, Frutto Bianco Pearls, and Lavender Dreams teas. So far I have tried two of them. The Lemongrass was very refreshing and was perfect as iced tea. The Lavender Dreams was very relaxing and makes a good bed-time tea. While I usually don’t especially like flowery teas, this one was mild and I really liked it.

If you love tea, as I do, you will want to click on the square below to try Teavana. After you do, please come back and give your comments.

Teavana Tea Gift Set

Today’s Flavored Teas Are Amazing

Sandy Berger — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 18:08:10 +0000

There is nothing high tech about tea. In fact, it is one of the oldest drinks in the world. A popular Chinese legend tells that Shen Nong, the 2nd Emperor of China invented tea abound 2737 BC when a few tea leaves were blown into his bowl of hot water.

With tea being that old, it is hard to imagine that we have just recently discovered a way to make it better, but that is what I found with the flavored teas that are available today.I am not sure if they use any high-tech methodology to create the wonderful flavors, but I know that these flavors were certainly not available when I was a kid.

As I have previously written in this blog, red tea has been very beneficial for my Rosacea. I drink it everyday and I find that the flavored tea that is available today gives me wonderful variety. Teavana has become my online one-stop tea shopping center. The quality of the tea is exceptional and the variety of types and flavors is great.

Here are a few of my Teavana favorites. I hope that if there are any tea lovers out there, you will also share your likes and dislikes with me.

Currently, my two favorite teas are:

Pacific Sunrise – a wonderful blend of red tea, coconut, tart pineapple and the sweet floral taste of the tropics. It makes me feel like I am in Hawaii. I love having it how to start the day, then drink it room temperature or iced all day long. While I don’t particularly like coconut, the coconut in this tea gives it a soothing taste.
Almond Biscotti – a black tea with almonds and cinnamon. It tastes just like an almond cookie and is great for times when I want a treat, and don’t want to reach for a donut.

If you are a tea drinker, check out Teavana and let me know how you like their tea.

Red Tea — A Treatment for Rosacea

Sandy Berger — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 17:25:00 +0000

I have been fighting rosacea for most of my life. Luckily I don’t have the red, bulbous nose that made my grandfather look like W.C. Fields, but I do get large acne-looking bumps. I’ve tried every cream and medication known to man. And now I’ve found something that actually helps.

You may be surprised to know that it is not a medicine, but rather a food. It’s red tea, also known as rooibos tea. I discovered it in a tea store called Teavana in Chicago. When the salesperson told me it had more antioxidants than green tea and was especiall good for the skin and for allergies, I knew I had to try it.

After two weeks of drinking red tea, I noticed that my rosacea was cleared up. It is not a miracle cure. I still have an occasional breakout, but drinking red tea has made a definite difference in my skin. and has really kept my rosacea at bay.

I have now found that I can order from Teavana Online. So I wanted to share this with any of you who have rosacea as well as those of you who would like to improve their skin.