Winter Wellness (Seasonal Set)
Regular price $29.00 Sale price $25.00At Westholme, we care about the whole tea drinking experience – the taste, the culture, the source, the stories, and pure enjoyment in every cup. We also know that ever since tea was first discovered it has been utilized as a medicinal herb.
We are pleased to share our favourite teas + tisanes to support wellness through the Winter! We selected steeps that have attributes specifically complimentary to the coldest and darkest months.
CHOOSE YOUR SET:
Option 1: Set for the Season (100g Bags) includes: 3 x 100g bags and 1 x 50g bag (makes approx 200 cups total)
Option 2: Set for the Season (Standard Tins) includes: 4 x Tins (weight varies, makes approx 200 cups total)
Option 3: A Taste of Wellness (Trial Pouches) includes: 4 x Trial Pouches (weight varies, makes approx. 35 cups total)
This does NOT include re-steeps, meaning that even more cups could be enjoyed in total, depending upon your steeping preferences + palate.
IN EACH SET YOU WILL FIND:1 x Single Estate Black Tea: Rare Orchid Oolong
1 x Westholme Tea Blend: White Tulsi
2 x Westholme Blended Herbal Infusions: Golden Chai and Carmina the 9th
Aligned for this season this offering is soothing, warming, nourishing, nutritive, anti-inflammatory, immune-boosting, circulating, cleansing, carminative, adaptogenic... with more to discover as well.
We all know the value in pausing for a 'breather' to help our interconnected mental and physical well-being. Drinking tea and herbs offers a sort of moving meditation and ‘tea mindfulness’ is a simple way to incorporate a ritual that invites slowness into your day. Here we share some of the specifics of each tea + tisane...
The Teas...
All teas (green, black, white, oolong, and puerh) come from the same plant (Camellia sinensis) and contain powerful phyto-nutrients which are completely unique to tea the plant. High quality teas contain many essential vitamins and minerals. Antioxidants are abundant in the tea leaf in the form of polyphenols and have have been linked to a range of health benefits.
What truly sets tea apart is L-theanine. All traditional teas naturally contain caffeine however, unlike other caffeine-containing plants this is balanced by a unique amino-acid that increases relaxation called L-theanine. The tea plant is the only plant known to contain L-theanine! When working together, caffeine and L-theanine produce a gently sustained ‘relaxed alertness’ which can improve focus, reduce stress and anxiety, and uplift mood.
Rare Orchid Oolong: Oolong teas contain all of the benefits mentioned previously that are shared among all teas, although they in particular are favoured for supporting longevity. What makes Oolongs even more unique is their ability to supporting digestion. Rare Orchid is a type of Oolong that is roasted, making it darker and warmer than most.
White Tulsi: White teas are the least processed type of tea. It is said that white tea contains the highest concentration of benefits found in the tea plant. Incredible findings show white tea can both prevent and treat a myriad of health conditions. White teas include anticancer, antiobesity, antioxidation, and antiaging properties.
Tulsi (Holy Basil) is a plant that falls into a category of herbs known as adaptogens - perfect for helping the body adapt and find balance during times of stress. Tulsi has a history within Indian medicine as a treatment for many conditions, considered a tonic for the body, mind, and spirit.
The Herbal Infusions...
Golden Chai: This herbal Masala mixture offers a rich and balanced cup, packed exclusively with healthy and tasty spices like turmeric and ginger that are known for being anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting. We have received truly incredible feedback from customers describing how bringing Golden Chai into their everyday routines has led to positive changes in their health. Golden Chai makes a divine warming elixir when swirled with milk + honey.
Carmina the 9th: We originally created this healing blend to help soothe the stomach upsets of a good friend. Carmina is packed with comforting and calming digestive herbs to improve your ability to be nourished by the foods you eat. This symphony of herbs is gently cleansing and grounding.
Available until the Spring Equinox. Each set comes hand-wrapped in a kraft box.
The mountains of Fujian province in China are the origin of the exquisite Oolong tea. Known as wulong or black dragon tea, it is distinguished by its long and twisted, almost serpentine rolled leaves. Oolong is the most complex and intricate tea to produce and it is believed to promote good digestion and longevity. Due to its popularity, Oolong is no longer exclusively manufactured in China or Taiwan - India also produces a wide range of Oolong teas from their terroirs, resulting in a variety of flavour within the processing tradition.
One of the most internationally recognized Oolongs manufactured in China is named Ti Kwan Yin, for Kwan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy. Legend has it that emperor Kangxi prayed to Kwan Yin for her to help restore his health. The goddess answered his prayers and later appeared before him in a dream, where she brought him to a mountainous area and showed him the tea slopes and the poor living conditions of the farmers there. She asked that the emperor help the farmers gain prosperity by officially establishing the region as a tea-growing one. Thus, emperor Kangxi declared the tea from these slopes to be famed, and the area’s tea industry, along with Ti Kwan Yin’s flavour, blossomed.
Pu-erh is a fermented tea produced in Yunnan Province. It is the only tea that uses microbial fermentation to process and oxidize the leaves. If done in the traditional manner, the tea is pressed into brick forms after the first stage of fermentation, where it would continue to ferment and deepen with flavour as it aged. These bricks are sometimes stored within the rinds of fruits to ferment, like mandarin oranges or lemons, to take on some of the flavour and sweetness of the fruit.
For many years these tea bricks were used as currency, and it is still common for people to invest in the tea today. Pu-erh exist in two forms – ‘Raw’ Pu-erh, which comes in brick or cake form, and ‘Cooked’ Pu-erh, which is processed as loose leaf. This age-old fermented tea has great health benefits and is highly valued in parts of Asia, and its unique flavour is starting to gain more traction outside China.
