For Elementary School Parents and Kids, Teas Help Ease Back to School
August ripens bittersweet for many of us with kids. For children in elementary school, all of summer’s weeks of carefree play in the pool, on vacation, summer camps, visiting grandparents and the rest of it approach their conclusion during the back-to-school month. We revel in the youngest kids’ full embrace of play, and maybe even covet it; waving goodbye precipitates pangs of melancholy. But the return of classrooms and teachers also delivers a reunion with schedules, and with teams of professionals who take care of Achara or Adedayo across the mornings and afternoons.
Whew. That’s the sweet bit.
Back-to-school prep involves trips to stores that carry the tools of the elementary student trade: pencils, colored markers, construction paper, glue sticks, erasers. Wandering the aisles with excited urchins who of course want EVERYTHING they encounter — princess lunch boxes, Spiderman backpacks, horse-emblazoned binders, water bottles plastered with cartoon sharks — can cause lots of laughs to erupt among the parents pushing the shopping carts. And when the little ones don’t get EVERYTHING they desire, well, then come the tears.
Sometimes, surprises are in order for the return to school. Kids love sweet little treasures in their lunch boxes. They shriek with glee when mom or dad retrieves heretofore unknown popsicles from the freezer. And we have found that some of our teas, too, compel grins.
At the same time, elementary school parents need rewards, too. We think tea offers loads of parent prizes!
As each day this month pushes us closer to the kick-off of the 2022-2023 school year, let’s consider a range of teas that will thrill kids, and also please parents.
Back To School Teas for Kids: Pink Pomegranate
Kids teas can run the gamut, in terms of styles and flavors. But one thing most of them share: no caffeine. The last thing we want to do when they swan through the front door after a long day in Mrs. Garcia’s class is rev them up.
This is not a problem; loads of tea are caffeine-free. While some traditional teas have the caffeine stripped out of them, they still aren’t the favorites of most kids. A hot cup of Tie Guan Yin Superior while catching up with PAW Patrol isn’t exactly a child kind of after-school activity. Herbal teas, on the other hand, offer kids some of their favorite things. Bright colors. Fruity flavors. And sweetness.
Our popular Pink Pomegranate covers all of those bases. First, the color. It’s bold! Pomegranate, hibiscus and dragon fruit enrich the tea’s visual palette with rich hues of pink and red. Right out of the gates, this tea grabs kids’ interest. In addition to the pomegranate and dragon fruit, this tea ups the fruit quotient even more, with additions of pineapple and apple. For sweetness, we add yogurt crunch to the tea. While it’s not candy-bar sweet, Pink Pomegranate gives kids enough of their favorite taste sensation to pique their interest and have them coming back for more … and more.
Among other things, it’s a wonderful iced tea, which is how the little ones will probably prefer it in August.
Back to School Teas for Parents: Peach Oolong
While it’s wise to steer the kids away from caffeine, for many adults the beneficial botanical compound serves as a sort of balm for body, mind and spirit. At the same time, it is August, and just as the children want their tea iced during the eighth month, so do many parents. Our Peach Oolong strikes just the right balance between interesting Camellia sinensis flavors, floral and fruit flavors, and iced tea excellence.
This blend finds its base in green oolong, the medium-oxidized style of traditional tea that is widely embraced across China, and increasingly sought after around the world. Oolongs often bear subtle floral flavors, and almost buttery finishes. To this caffeinated base, we add dried mango, dried peach, plum blossom, calendula and sunflower for a package of true taste sensations. When iced, we often guzzle this tea: it’s along for kids’ sports practices, for across-town drives for errands, for walks around the block and much more.
A parent pleaser, indeed!
Back to School Teas: Decaf Apricot Black Tea
The kids, finally, are tucked into bed and fast asleep. It’s 7 o’clock, and time for parents to unwind. Wine? Beer? Cocktail? Sure. But we also savor this tea at the end of the day, a black tea speckled with real apricot pieces and marigold blossoms. All of our caffeine-free traditional teas rely upon C02 extraction processes for the caffeine removal, which is the preferred natural method for liberating caffeine from plant compounds like tea or coffee. This approach retains the tea flavor, while removing the caffeine.
Like all of the teas referenced here, this is another wonderful tea served hot or cold — and during the hot months, we find ourselves serving it chilled quite a bit. It serves as an outstanding after-dinner tea, too.
