From Winter Chill to Valentine’s Day Glow: Teas That Warm the Heart
By the middle of January, many of us finally start getting acquainted with winter. The holidays’ freneticism dwells behind us, and its lights and charms begin to dim. We look ahead with some measure of excitement for the coming year—it stretches out long and mysterious in front of us.
But we also wake up to cold darkness, which on gray days persists until dusk. Our patch of Earth wears snow’s white, the browns of dead vegetation, patches of crimson from fallen autumn leaves. Emerald green? Dandelion yellow? Flamingo pink? Bold color captures spring, months away. But it steers clear of winter.
Coming On Strong—Valentine’s Day in the Headlights!
Instead of shrinking from winter’s subtle atmospherics, we love warmly embracing it. And we also look forward to the next bright holiday—Valentine’s Day! It’s absolutely perfect for mid-winter, compelling us to lean into heart warmth and glow in the midst of the season’s stirring austerities.
Cupid’s day receives immense attention from Ku Cha House of Tea. We believe tea serves as an outstanding gift for the holiday. And we appreciate how, just like our hearts, it possesses the power to thaw.
In winter, we savor rich teas—brews with depth and profundity, liquors that stoke our souls. They help propel us out of bed—we’re quick to quickly don our winter robes!—and head to the quiet kitchen for our first hot cups of the new day.
Enjoy these teas all winter. And consider each of them as Valentine’s Day gifts. The big day remains a month away. But it’s never too early to start shopping for the ones who always bathe our hearts in tenderness. In addition, visit the curated Valentine’s Day section of our website! It’ll offer plenty more ideas.
Heart-Warm Teas for Winter: Narcissists Cup Oolong
Oh, oolong. You tantalize with every season, you powerful changeling. In winter, your roasted notes, your hints of baked fruit, your honey—it all joins together in an orchestral celebration of the cold season.
Every oolong brings different qualities to the tea table. Our Narcissists Cup, handpicked and delicately roasted by tea artisans, broadcasts complex notes of a favorite aroma—petrichor. That’s the sage-threaded perfume that rises in the West after a rain. It’s not a classic winter smell, but it feels so right when it’s 26 degrees at 9 a.m. Somehow, it provides warmth.
This tea, like many oolongs, also shepherds floral notes to the sipping experience—in this case, orchid and narcissus. Subtle, enchanting and of course fully aligned with Valentine’s Day!
Heart-Warm Teas for Winter: Winter Chai (Organic)
People across India sip chai year-round. Us too! But chai vibes in the West do more fully reflect autumn and winter. Chais come packed with baking spices and other bold botanicals. They sometimes offer chile pepper, too—wonderful for melting our spirits when the weather stays in the frigid zone.
We decided to craft our own custom chai dedicated explicitly toward the hot soup months. Our Winter Chai incorporates quite a bit of complementary botanicals, and begins with a base of fine Assam tea from India. Then come cinnamon, ginger, rosemary, cardamom, red pepper, bay leaf, cayenne pepper and cacao. What a powerhouse team!
This beaut is sure to get the motors purring first thing in the morning—that includes on Valentine’s Day!
Heart-Warm Teas for Winter: Rooibos Truffle
Here comes the chocolate! What’s winter without proud chocolate nibbling and sipping? Ditto for Valentine’s Day—the most chocolate-forward holiday of the year. Halloween comes on strong for candy in general, but Valentine’s Day gets the chocolate star for its fixation on the brown (and white) stuff.
Which brings us to our Rooibos Truffle blend, which we created to help decorate our winters and Valentine’s Days with dashes of chocolate while we engage with our favorite beverage.
This treat stands on a foundation of rooibos—earthy, serious, complex. The rest? Simple. Dark chocolate and vanilla.
Add this winner to your winter daily tea protocols, and pay attention as the cold and even the daytime gloom drifts away—and you value the cold season. And of course, keep it in your Valentine’s Day quiver!
