The Tea Blog

It is summer camp season, and I’m packing my bag for a week-long adventure in the wilderness, sort of. So wilderness in the Midwest can sometimes consist of a simple church and a few tents scattered around it surrounded by a smattering of pine trees and cornfields on three sides. That’s my earliest and longest running camp experience anyway.  

Maturing from camper age to counselor over the years has led to more responsibilities, later nights to make sure the campers are all safe and sleeping soundly and earlier mornings to lead stretching routines. I love it, don’t get me wrong, but running on so little sleep and high energy (besides a lot of sugar-packed marshmallows burnt over camp fire logs every night) wears on a gal like me. It takes a week at least to recover and I usually get sick from not taking care of myself.

This year I’m taking a small package of Jade Oolong with me. This is a lighter tasting oolong, and though oolong teas are in a category of their own, this one is most similar to a green tea. While the other camp leaders sit around with their cups of coffee to recover from the previous late night and gaining strength to face the new day, I won’t miss a beat from my tea-drinking routine.

My plan is to throw a few leaves of Jade Oolong into my water bottle every night (about 2 teaspoons), stow it in the fridge and sip on it throughout the day, adding more cold water as I go because this tea re-infuses so well. Of course, I’ll have the leaves floating around in my water bottle, but the whole-leaf characteristic of oolongs makes them easy to strain out from every sip.

Certainly there will be jeers and strange looks from campers and other counselors. I’m sure I’ll hear a few, “Ewwww! Gross!” comments, but I’ll take the persecution with a smile in exchange for the healthy dose of caffeine, the antioxidants to keep my immune system kicking, and the cool, refreshing taste of my Jade Oolong tea.

Don’t let me have all the fun though. Do some experimenting yourself. It’s the lowest maintenance way to make a cool summer tea for hot days in the sun.

I’ll be back in a week with a much better tan.

Your Barista,

Katie