Teavana's Defense Tea Review

Teavana has come out with a new line of wellness teas. Being a person that is constantly worried about getting sick, I wanted to buy all 7 teas but I restrained myself and only bought Defense. Defense is a white tea that is meant to boast your vitamin C levels.

White tea got its name because the part of the leaves used is covered in white hairs. White tea leaves have the least amount of treatment during production, they are rapidly steamed and dried, leaving the leaves fresh. This is what sets it apart from other types of teas. It is also thought to have a multitude of health benefits including antioxidant, antibacterial, and anticancer effects.

I'm not normally a big white tea fan, it has a very distinct taste and it's very delicate, the tea leaves burn easily if the water is too hot. This tea smelt so good at the store that I couldn't turn it down and I am always up for a little Vitamin C boost.

I tried this tea at my parent's house with a kettle that wasn't programmable, which makes it harder to get the proper temperature.  I used 2 teaspoons of the tea without
any sweetener added and steeped the tea for 5 minutes as per Teavana's instructions. This tea smells like citrus with hints of lime, pineapple and orange.

I could definitely taste the notes of citrus, however, it wasn't as good as other wellness teas that I have tasted. It wasn't a tea that I would go out of my way to drink but it wasn't bad. The things that I didn't like about the tea were typical white tea characteristics. With that being said, if you like white teas, you will probably like this one. 

Steeped and Infused

Loose leaf tea is not prepackaged into tea bags, the tea leaves are loose in a bag or container until you decide you want a cup. The most important loose leaf tea accessories to have are tea infusers or tea filters. A tea infuser is a device that holds the tea leaves while they're steeping. When it comes to infusers and filters, it really comes down to preference.

Tea Filters

Filters are essentially make it yourself, single use, tea bags.
The ones that I like to use are from David's Tea. They are made of biodegradable and chlorine free paper and the pull string makes them easy to use. I try to use these when the tea has tiny pieces in it, or I am making tea to go because they are $12.00 for a package of 100 filters. There are cheaper options for filters at Teavana starting at $4.95 for 100 filters, however, they do not have the pull string. They have an open flap which can get tricky.

For my tea infusers, there is the traditional mesh ball infuser, which is not my favourite. I find them hard to clean and they tend to let pieces of tea slip through the holes.

My Favourite Infuser

Traditional Mesh Ball Infuser

My favourite infuser is a stainless steel fine mesh infuser that fits into most mugs. I use it in my tea pots and my mugs and it has never given me trouble. It is also easy to clean.

My Penguin Infuser

There are some fun infusers as well. I got a cute red penguin infuser for Christmas and I love it. It's great for days when you want something cute and different and this one works well. Some others on my list to buy are: the Deep Tea Diver, the Pug in a Mug, and the Tea Rex.

Hit Me With Your Best Pot

Loose leaf tea is known for being higher quality tea that's fresh and flavourful. Did you know that the 4 main types of tea, white, green, black and oolong, all come from the same plant called Camellia sinensis, which is a warm- weather evergreen? These teas are different in taste based on the parts of the plant being used and the way the leaves have been processed.

Each type of tea has unique instructions for preparation. When buying loose leaf tea there will be a label on the product that states the optimal temperature of the water, amount of tea used per cup and the steeping time to ensure your tea turns out great.

An example of a tea label and an amazing Teavana tea 

I suggest you follow these guidelines if you are just starting to use loose leaf tea. Tea can turn out bitter, too weak or too strong if the instructions aren’t followed and can ruin your opinion of a wonderful tea. I can’t count how many times I have forgotten to take my tea infuser out in time and ruined my tea. Once you start to make it more often and know how strong you like certain teas, it gets easier. The Tea Association of Canada has come out with a general steeping chart for you to refer to if you are ever unsure of how to steep a type of tea.  

Steeping Instructions

Tea Type	Preparation
White	80°C / 185°F	(Steep 2-5 min)
Green	80°C / 185°F	(Steep 1-3 min)
Oolong	80°C / 185°F	(Steep 2-3 min)
Black	100°C / 212°F	(Steep 4 min)
Herbal	100°C / 212°F	(Steep 3-6 min)

For those of you without a programmable kettle, there are other ways of determining the temperature of the water. The Traditional Chinese method being the most extensive and comprehensive method. There are 5 different stages of boiled water which are: Shrimp Eyes, Crab Eyes, Fish Eyes, Rope of Pearls and Raging Torrent. Golden Moon Tea has an article with helpful pictures of each of the stages.

Welcome to the Par-Tea!

As you can tell, I love a good pun. I also have a healthy obsession with loose leaf tea. This blog is my way to express that obsession, while encouraging all those that are skeptical, to jump on the bandwagon - you know you want to!

Throughout this blog you will find:

• recommendations for teas  
• tips on how to avoid getting pieces of tea leaves in your cup
• information on which tea infusers work the best
• the best teas and tea accessories to buy people as gifts 
• many corny tea puns
• and much more

My favourite tea stores right now are David's Tea, Teavana, and Distinctly Tea. So, you will see many tea options from these locations. One of my favourite things about David's Tea, aside from their wonderful tea and tea accessories, is that they draw tea puns on their signs every morning. If you enjoy a good tea pun, I recommend looking up the ones they have done so far.

One of the David's Tea signs at their store 

Tea was discovered by accident - the Emperor Shennong was boiling water under a tree and a rush of wind blew a leaf into his water. When he tried the water he loved the taste and thus began the evolution of tea. If you have happened upon this blog by accident, remember, great things are discovered by accident. Maybe it will revolutionize the way you think about tea. 

I welcome and encourage recommendations for new teas and tea stores. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to email me or post a comment.