7 Things I Learned From Cal Orey And Her Book “The Healing Powers Of Tea”
As a tea blogger and tea enthusiast I can never close the door on my learning about tea. I learned Cal Orey was writing a book in her series “The Healing Powers Of” I knew I would have to get it. It’s only one of the best tea books I’ve read in a while AND I’m not being paid to tell you that.
I devoured the book from beginning to end and even did this video to share with all my Tea Vault followers:
I like the book because it tells a story. Not just the story of tea but the story of Cal and her life journey that included tea along the way. It’s interesting and kept me captivated. There were things that I knew, facts that awakened me and of course things I did not know. Gosh, there is just so much from the labeling of teas, cleaning products made from tea and travels with tea. There are also expert interviews and of course an in-depth look at tea, the tea industry and the future of tea.
I have reference her book often and then I thought, I bet there are others out there that could benefit from the book. I picked seven things that I learned from The Healing Powers of Tea. I’ve already mentioned more than that in just the first few paragraphs. The book is just THAT full and THAT good. Oh did I mention the added information on tea and aging, yep, it’s in there.
The first amazing thing in her book are all the factual tidbits that fall at the end of each chapter. These short sentence facts could in themselves make a book. If you’d skip by them you’d be missing a wealth of information like:
The fruitier the tisane, the more antioxidants and stronger in flavor and aroma.While tea is known for countering common health ailments. Tea is also used for pets, kids and household uses. Tea as a furniture polish can clean your entire house.There is so much more. In fact there are approximately 150 little “tea-centric” tips throughout the book.
Another thing that fascinated me was the chapter that detailed The Mediterranean diet. While the diet does not include tea it includes all things tisanes are made of. Herbs and spices are a big part of the Oldways Mediterranean Diet. Tisanes, not a tea but a brew w/ hot water and that makes tea a big part of that diet plan as well. Tea and Tisane are the healthiest drinks that I know. We can make tea unhealthy with what we add (sugar, additives and synthetic). The basic teas and tisanes are one of the most beneficial drinks we can consume.
There are also a few conversations with some world renowned tea experts. The one that I enjoyed most was Dr. Joe Wilson. Dr. Wilson talks about the incredible white tea. When he was asked if he felt White Tea would ever become more popular than green tea, his response was No. Why? Because it’s too expensive. That made White Tea even more valuable in my book. I love a good single origin white tea. The Dr. and Cal also talked about the healthy benefits of white tea. They also discussed what exactly makes white tea as beneficial as it is.
The health benefits of tea are astonishing. Cal covers so many of them in her book. There is a section on the health benefits of herbs and spices. These are often used in our warm brews. This is always so helpful to me as I am always looking for healthy choices in healing what ails me. Since I’m so into teas, I often get asked what to use for this ailment or that. This book has an easy reference section that is a useful source. From Calendula to Sage and Coconut to Strawberry. The book also has a long list of Tea-Centric teas to be used as a benefit for that ailment. So beneficial. I’ve used some of her herbal benefits in my Tea In a Minute Series. My Tea Is A Minute Series is where I cover the health benefits of tea and tisanes in a simple fast minute on YouTube.
If you ever needed some substantial references about the history of tea or the benefits it’s in this book. There are also several sections that talk about leaders in the industry. Like the 20-21st century movers and shakers in the tea industry. One of those movers is John Weisburger MD, Ph.D. Dr. Weisburger, supported the goodness of tea and its positive contribution to human health.
The history of tea is covered as well. The history of individual categories of teas are also explained. These in depth sections allow you to get a real sense of what you are drinking as well as the history behind it. I believe it is important to not only know what you are drinking, the area it’s from as well as the history surrounding it.
Do any of you Feng Shui? I know I’m not complete in my desire, yet accomplishing this in my life is a goal. What is Feng Shui? Feng Shui is the practice of placement of property in you home. Feng Sui is often related to furniture positioning to allow the flow of positive energy or Chi. Cal hits the spot when she takes Feng Shui into our tea collections. I have talked to many people over the years as they agonize over organizing their tea shelves and cupboards. When they find that one packet of tea they received a year or two ago and wonder if it’s still drink worthy. How about the storage of all those tea containers, tea mugs (my cupboards overflow) as well as tea kettles, strainers, spoons and the list goes on and on.
Feng Shui shows us there’s a place for it all and gives suggestions for them. It’s a great way to store, show it all off and bring a little peace into our sometimes over collective world of tea. I mean, honestly, who does not need at least 5 different black teas to add to the collection of greens, whites.. yes, well.. I am sure you get the point.
Finally the thing that drew me into Cal’s book the most was the way she presented it to us. It’s not a reference manual or a book “just about tea”. From the opening to the end we are following a transgression. From a young child’s tea party to an adolescents desire to spread her wings. To a woman whose matured, looking back and realizing tea was with her throughout her journey. We follow the journey of Cal as she transitions through life. Tea either follows her or meets her along the way.. It’s a wonderful story and I’m so glad she took the time to share it with us. I encourage you to add The Healing Power of Tea to your collection.
For more information on purchasing The Healing Power of Tea click HERE
