Post Tea-Fast: The Day After

Post Tea-Fast: The Day After

Final Tea-Fast Series Post

Events from: 3/18/2013

Documented: 3/20/2013

 

Finally the tea-fast is over and what have a learned?  A few things!

First, and foremost I learned never to tea-fast ever again.  The only reason I would consider stoping my tea consumption is if I had no other choice.  I imagine medical reasons to be the only reason why and even then I would want concrete evidence for the necessity to quit or slow down.

Second, I love tea more than I ever imagined.  It is a part of my life and runs as deep as my nearly impossible to reach veins, the beating of my heart, and the air in my lungs.  Tea is ingrained  in me, it runs through my blood.  Well, in reality perhaps my blood runs through all the tea I consume.  I often thought maybe tea was an overlay in my life like a hobby or a favorite food.  After this week I know it to be much more.  It is my life’s blood.

Third, I am not addicted to tea.  Well, at least not physically, sort of.  I didn’t  suffer from any evident caffeine withdrawal.  I anticipated headaches, fatigue, and massive amounts of irritability.  I was fortunate to evade the ill effects some may suffer.  However, it lead me to believe that perhaps tea doesn’t have the same effects.  I remember years ago when I started to minimize the consumption of pop and coffee I felt obvious withdrawal systems as people would expect.  I slowed down for two reasons, first was health and second because I didn’t like it as well anymore.  Though I still enjoy coffee it started making me jittery if I exceeded my one cup a day limit.  I suffered headaches, I was super irritable, it was horrible. I have been drinking tea even longer and more consistently and didn’t feel any sever ill effects.  Perhaps I was just lucky or maybe tea just doesn’t have the same withdrawal effects.  I am not saying the same thing will happen to you but what I am saying is that I was lucky enough for it not happen to me.

How Did I Celebrate?

Easy! Just as soon as I had the moment to relax and truly enjoy my first cup of tea, I decided to settle down to a delicious comfort tea. The tea I love most for just that is…Sweet Velvet Fog {Black Tea Blend} it is one of my absolute favorite iHeartTeas blends.

Here is how the day went…

1. Sweet Velvet Fog {Black Tea Blend} – A epic delight dancing on my tongue.  It gave me great satisfaction as I made my “oohs and ahhs” sipping away comfortably at my desk whilst writing my eloquent poem reviewing the weeks events.

 

2. Scottish Breakfast Blend from Upton Tea Imports – A robust, flavorful, full of character, brisk black tea blend.  It’ll shoot you’re eyes open.

 

3. Oi Ocha Dark from Ito En – This is my absolute favorite “ready to drink” bottled tea.  The flavor was so vivid and vegetal.  I savored the bottle all day.

 

4. Tie Guanyin (Iron Goddess of Mercy) from Rishi Tea – This was a wonderful way to cap the day.  I enjoy letting this one continuously steep so I can get that darker roast flavor from the oolong.  There are few oolongs I can do this with and for the flavor just get better the longer I steep.  I wouldn’t suggest this unless you prefer stronger teas as I do.

 

The Good News:

I was happy to be back in with my tea drinking buddies.  The sensory experiences were multiplied as I enjoy all of my tea on Monday helping me to enjoy all its greatness even more.

 

The Bad News:

I couldn’t sleep at all that night.  It lead me to believe maybe I did experience caffeine withdrawal but that perhaps it was so subtle I didn’t notice it.  Normally I could have had Matcha before bed with no issues at all.  Lucky for me it was just that Monday night as Tuesday night I slept like a baby with my empty cup by my side.

Thank you all for being with me through this journey.

~The End~