Surprise Gift

A couple of months ago we had some friends visit from out of town. They came over to our house for the evening. Their daughter spent an amazing evening playing with our children while the adults hung out and played with their baby. We had recently gotten our tea maker and our friend indulged me by letting me make her a pot of tea. We talked about how much we both enjoy drinking tea made with loose-leaf tea leaves. We were sad at the end of the night to say goodbye to the family as we will miss them until their next visit.

Imagine my surprise yesterday when I got a package from them in the mail. Inside I found a very sweet picture drawn by their daughter and addressed to Ava. I also found two packets of loose-leaf tea.

It was a great surprise and I am excited about trying the teas. These teas are particularly interesting. The one you see on the bottom is actually an herbal tea made that is made from the leaf of the rooibos plant grown in South Africa. It is a caffeine-free alternative to traditional tea leaves. I am particularly excited about the caramel rose flavor.

I can't be sure because the label does not say, but my guess is that the top bag containing Emerald Surprise is a green tea. Green tea is made from the same kind of tea leaves as traditional black tea, but is processed differently. Green tea leaves are dried before they begin to ferment resulting in a tea that retains more of the natural health benefits, has less caffeine than black tea, and tastes a little lighter and fresher than black tea.

It was an extremely thoughtful and sweet gift and a wonderful surprise. Thank you!