by Michelle Pierce Hamilton
I recently had the opportunity to step outside of my life for a little while, which afforded me some important reflection. It is no secret that I am a driven passionate person, and I move through life at high speed, multi-tasking, multi-jobbing, reaching for several, sometime quite diverse goals simultaneously. I am usually surprisingly adept at juggling these, along with time for my family, friends and community. As I reflect back, I can see that I’ve always been this way, it’s just that the jobs and the priorities have changed along the way.
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Mar30
Did you catch this blog post about Michelle and beTeas?
I was recently reminded of this post from Nov 2014, when I was asked to interview for the blog, “Tea Journey”. Katherine Bellman is a fellow Tea Sommelier whom I had the pleasure of meeting through my tea alma mater, George Brown College, as well as the Tea Guild of Canada. I liked her immediately. It wasn’t just her stunning red hair, her quirky-fun and confident joie de vivre, or even her impish smile. It was the depth of her passion for tea “life” and tea community that was warm and genuine. I immediately thought to myself, there is a lot going on in this girl’s head, as well as her spirit!
“Tea Tribe”, as I like to call them, is always like that. When I found my tea community, I found my people 🙂
In any case, I thought it was worth sharing again, in case you missed it the first time (I am still growing into my blogging and social networking skills!). Please enjoy this post by Katherine – and please take the time to browse and enjoy her other posts about tea, life and art. This is a good time to make yourself a soothing cup of your favourite tea, and take a moment to just “be”.
Read the full blog article here.
Love your cup.
Nov08
by Michelle, “The Tea Nutritionist”
It is hard to tell from this picture, but I came across this very special monarch butterfly on a walk, recently. What made this butterfly so amazing, was that his left wing was broken. Before my eyes, he flew and landed on the leaf pictured here, and spread his wings, as butterflies tend to do. At first, it seemed like a very ordinary monarch (which in itself was enough for me to take notice). As he pulsed his wings in and out, I noticed one whole chunk of his left wing was missing! I don’t mean at little bit broken, I mean an entire pie shaped section of his wing was completely gone. My first thought was to feel sorry for this little butterfly; however, pity moved quickly to amazement because I had just witnessed this amazing creature fly skillfully and land on a leaf! I hurriedly struggled to pull out my phone to take a picture. As I fumbled with the screen, he proudly showed me his broken wing very clearly one more time. However, just seconds before I finally got the scene correctly into focus, the opportunity was lost. I stubbornly waited several more minutes for it to happen again, until finally I decided it didn’t matter and so I snapped the picture you see above. The monarch had already made his point, loud and clear. Perhaps, I thought, this is how he wanted me to capture him: not to record his wounds, but to record his authentic beauty.
Oct23
Did you catch this article in Alive Magazine January 2015? Michelle talks to Colleen Grant about Matcha and Pu-erh. Read the full article here.
Photo courtesy of Jalam Teas.
Jan27
by Skye, beTeas’ “Culinary Queen”
Why not try making one of these delicious and nutritious brownies and pair it with a cup of beTeas’ Mt. Kenya BOP, a wonderful farm-direct black tea? Teas of Kenya are bright and robust for nice bold and malty cup, but with less tendency to grow bitter with longer steeps as other black teas tend to do. The maltiness of the black tea provides perfect contrast to the chocolate and after a bite and a sip, the mouth textures are a perfect compliment (just don’t say “YUM!” with your mouth full). I had the pleasure of trying this pairing last night and it sent me to my happy place. I hope you will like it too. Tell us what you think.
Aug03
– by Lauren, Certified Tea Sommelier
Is it ok to give your baby tea? All it takes is a quick Google search, and you’ll find plenty or forums debating whether or not giving tea to a baby is appropriate. Now, I’m not talking about giving tea to a newborn – formula or breast milk will keep them well hydrated, and that’s all they need for the first 6 months of life. But once they become old enough for water, why not add variety by giving them nutrient-rich tea, instead of juice?
May24
– by Michelle, “The Tea Nutritionist”
A dear friend and tea colleague of mine recently asked me about oligomeric proanthocyanidins, as she had read an article that boasted these as among the most powerful antioxidants only available in green tea. The article, by XPOSE Entertainment, went on to boast other properties of green tea, namely antibacterial properties, vitamin K, anti-aging, and more. Sounded really good, and my friend was particularly impressed by the description of this long-named super antioxidant that she hadn’t heard of before.
Here’s the trouble I have with these kinds of articles: they are written from the position of a single type of tea, as if health benefits are unique to just one kind or attributable to isolated nutrients. While the information they provide is positive and even perhaps even true, they paint a narrow view of tea’s health benefits that creates unfortunate misconceptions. Readers are often left with the impression that green tea has more antioxidants and/or more health benefits than other types of teas, and that just isn’t true. Allow me to explain….
May13
by Michelle, the “Tea Nutritionist”
I love being a Nutritionist who studies tea. In nutrition school my eyes were opened to the amazing healing powers of a plant-based diet and the value of whole foods, whose concert of nutrients work synergistically to nourish and promote the body’s ability to heal naturally. As a tea professional, I instantly became aware that everything I have learned about foods and healthy eating, is completely transferable to quality loose teas and tisanes – because they too, are whole foods. It’s never about just one nutrient – it’s about what the plant as a whole, offers to the body as a complete package of nutrients. Understanding this, helps to understand why tea as a beverage, offers so many potential health benefits.
I get questions all the time about health benefits of teas. I invite your questions/topics you’d like me to write about, to michelle@beTeas.com and I would love to share information with you. So to start off, here is a post on workout recovery! I thought this may be an appropriate topic to begin with as nice weather is finally here and people are out and about resuming fitness routines and outdoor activities after a long stagnant winter.
Apr13
by Michelle Pierce Hamilton
This is perhaps an unusual story for me to post in my beBlog, as it really has nothing to do with tea – except that I recommend as you read it, you sit with a soothing cup of tea and just ‘be’ for a few moments. This is a true story of what happened to me today and I felt I needed to share it. Perhaps this story will resonate with you, as it has for me.
Jan29
by Skye, beTeas’ “Culinary Queen”
It’s almost Valentine’s day and love is in the air. So is the smell of my delicious, hot out-of-the-oven cookies! I like to call them “Don’t be Chai – kiss me” cookies. The amazing smell of beTeas’ Ancient Spice Route Chai when you grind it into a powder for these shortbread cookies is out of this world! If you don’t own a spice grinder, you can grind by hand in a mortar and pestle, but I would recommend going to your local hardware store and purchasing one. I think these cookies would be delectable with other beTeas varieties as well. Why not try earl grey or lavender? So many options, so little time. The good news is that they take almost no time to make. Surprise your sweetheart this February 14 with cookies that will make them fall in love with you all over again!
DON’T BE CHAI – KISS ME! Cookie Recipe
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Recent Posts
by Michelle Pierce Hamilton I recently had the opportunity
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Did you catch this blog post about Michelle and beTeas?
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Aug23
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