Prepare Your Tea

Mindfully prepare your tea.

Don’t multitask. Immerse yourself into the experience.

You can use a mug, a teacup, a bowl–whatever you enjoy.

Pro-tip: Don’t overfill your cup or bowl so you feel comfortable holding it without fear of spilling.

When your cup is a comfortable temperature, hold it with two hands.

Then, recite the gatha/practice poem as you coordinate it with your breath.

Tea Practice Poem

This cup of tea in my two hands,

mindfulness held perfectly.

My mind and body dwell

in the very here and now.

Breath in while reciting (out loud or silently) the first and third verses.

Breathe out while reciting the second and fourth verses.

Then, in subsequent breaths, you can shorten the verses:

In: tea

Out: mindfulness

In: mind and body

Out: here and now

If you try this tea practice poem with mindful tea, I’d love to know how it goes! There are many ways to practice mindful tea, of course. Building mindfulness or meditation into your tea practice–especially if you drink tea daily or weekly–can be a convenient “trigger” or “cue.” When I prepare my tea, I am mindful. When I drink my tea, I do so meditatively, etc.

I find mindfully preparing and meditatively drinking tea such a beautiful and meaningful part of my day. Tea is so lovely and friendly–it’s a wonderful meditation partner.

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Preparing for a trip during which I knew I’d be drinking tea mostly outdoors, I decided to take a good thermos. That way, I could fill it with water to drink or hot tea–one vessel would work for either. This was going to be a more rugged trip than my usual traveling style, so I didn’t pack as much teaware as I usually do.

My old thermos leaks, so I wanted something better. I’d heard good things about Zojirushi, so I bought their 16 ounce “stainless mug.” I don’t know why they call it that and not a thermos!

Slim Profile

Let’s start by reviewing this Zojirushi thermos to note that it has a slim profile that’s easy to hold. It is also thin enough to slide into my water bottle pocket of my backpack. It comes in a number of different colors.

Lid

I liked how the lid was designed for drinking. It released a nice, careful flow of liquid through it.

The Zojirushi stainless mug lid was easy for me to screw on. I also appreciate the locking feature so the lid doesn’t accidentally pop open while transporting the thermos. I never had any leaks.

Zojirushi Heat Retention

It is excellent at retaining heat. In fact, I realized I wouldn’t be able to sip tea directly from the thermos even hours after making it because it would still be way too hot! So, I carried a teacup to pour the hot tea into or to steep my tea with the hot water so it could then cool to a safe drinking temperature. I prefer to drink my tea out of a cup anyway. (P.S. I also bought separately and added the “breathe” sticker on the thermos in the nearby photo.)

The other solution would be to let your tea cool to near comfortable drinking temperature before pouring it into the thermos. But, read on for my thoughts on that.

Size

I reviewed Zojirushi thermos sizes. They sell thermoses or “stainless mugs” in bigger sizes, so if you need hot water or tea for more people, you may want to size up from the 16 ounce version.

Prop 65 Warning

When I received this thermos, there was a [California] Prop 65 warning listed on the box. According to the California government’s website, “This law requires businesses to provide warnings before people are exposed to chemicals on the state’s Proposition 65 list.”

I emailed Zojirushi. I wrote:

“[T]he box the thermos arrived in has a Prop 65 warning for cancer and reproductive harm. But, it doesn’t saw [sic] what parts of the bottle or materials necessitated that warning. Can you please provide me this information?”

I definitely wanted to have this information before using or reviewing the Zojirushi thermos!

Support at Zojirushi responded on 3/10/26:

“Thank you for contacting Zojirushi America.
 
The stainless steel in the interior of the vacuum mug and spring in the lid contains nickel. Nickel is an important alloying element in food-grade stainless steel. It provides high anti-corrosive properties to the stainless steel (surgical steel contains nickel).  The sticker on the bottom of the outside of the vacuum mug contains DBP.
  
Please note that the bottom of the vacuum mug does not come in to direct contact with food or beverage.  For further information, please go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov 
  
Proposition 65 enables Californians to make informed decisions about their exposures to certain chemicals. This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.  For further information, please go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov
… 
Please note that the warning does not mean that our products will necessarily cause harm or that they violate any product-safety standards by the FDA. In fact, the California government has clarified that ‘the fact that a product bears a Proposition 65 warning does not mean by itself that the product is unsafe.'”

Nickel & Stainless Steel

I didn’t even know that food grade stainless steel (18/8-18/10) contains some nickel until researching this issue! If you have a nickel allergy–you probably already know this and might already avoid stainless steel water bottles and thermoses, etc. Otherwise, everyone should research the issue and come to their own decision.

I am guessing most stainless steel thermoses will have this warning. It’s a matter of reading the fine print and following up. As I thought over this issue with the Zojirushi thermos for this review, I’ve decided to keep and use it; however, I’ll probably stick to using it to transport hot water to make tea in a cup or teaware instead of putting acidic tea directly in the thermos.

The post Zojirushi Thermos Review for Traveling with Tea appeared first on Tea Infusiast.

• I’m exploring whether I’ll be contributing new Tea Mindful Cards to another tea festival.
• I’ve got a tea tasting or two planned for my campus.
• Another teacup should arrive soon so I can review it for accessibility. (Still looking for the perfect cup for my relative with hand issues and sharing what I find so it might help others.)

And, I’m excited to prepare to take my first one-on-one tea session with a teacher in a while!

So, lots of preparing for good things to come…and lots of sipping tea and admiring the blooming orchids.

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Develop your palate by tasting lots of different foods—different fruits, vegetables, spices, etc. I can’t say something tastes like a ripe persimmon, for example, unless I’ve tried a ripe persimmon. The same goes for understanding tasting notes. If I don’t have a point of experience with a food or flavor, a tasting note that references it doesn’t tell me anything.

I was thinking about this issue of enhanced tea tasting after trying burdock root tea for the first time last month (and many times since then). Before I tried it in a tisane, I didn’t understand the tasting note on a white tea I have that included “sweet, earthy like burdock.” If you grew up eating more East Asian cuisine, you may already be familiar with this flavor. But, somehow, I wasn’t.

Interestingly, exposure to a flavor over time can change our enjoyment of it. The first time I ate cilantro, decades ago, I did NOT like it. It kept showing up in food I otherwise liked, so I learned to tolerate a tiny bit of it. Over time and with exposure, I’ve come to LOVE cilantro. Lots and lots of it! (I know cilantro is one of those controversial flavors. I’m not saying this will work for everyone or that we all have to learn to love every flavor.)

You can still enhance your tea tasting without loving every food, of course!

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What’s Mindful Tea

Starting with a definition, or understanding, of mindful tea is a great way to begin.

What’s Mindful Tea?

Slowing Down: Countercultural Inspo

So many aspects of American culture work against cultivating rest and presence. Awareness and intentional resistance are explored in these posts.

Rejecting a Culture of Scarcity

Suggestions for Mindful Tea

There are so many ways to use tea to cultivate stillness, presence, and rest. These posts can help give you ideas to start.

Ideas to Invite Stillness into Your Life

Five-Minute Tea Bubble Meditation

Meditation Incorporating Tea Imagery

Video

Bonus Suggestions for Mindful Tea

1. Focus on PREPARING your tea. Don’t listen to music, or a podcast, or multitask. Give full attention to all the steps from filling your kettle until pouring your tea. Use all of your senses to immerse into the preparation.

2. Focus on DRINKING your tea. Notice the appearance of the tea, the feel of your cup, the sound of the pour, etc. Don’t do anything except be with and enjoy your tea.

3. Focus on PREPARING and DRINKING your tea. (See 1 & 2, above.)

4. Another suggestion for mindful tea: Hold your mug or teacup and LOOK OUT A WINDOW. Enjoy what you see outside between savoring your sips of tea.

5. Turn on a meditative or favorite piece of MUSIC. Sit comfortably and drink your tea while listening to the music.

6–Finally, take your tea OUTSIDE. Sit on your front steps with your tea. Or pack a thermos and cup and go to your favorite local park.

Connect with Me and Mindful Tea

I hope you find these resources and suggestions for mindful tea helpful, Tea Friend! We could all use a little more calm…and tea…in our lives.

If you subscribe to my monthly newsletter for tea lovers, Tea Infusiast News, you’ll find more tea content–including information about my regular Tea Mindful Together online tea meditations. These events are usually free to all subscribers.

You can learn more about me here, including my training in tea and meditation.

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Tempted to Try

Burdock root tea wasn’t familiar to me. It’s more common in cooking and as a tisane in East Asian cultures. Interestingly enough, I also read that some Native Americans also used burdock root. Given my excellent experience with the other herbals I’ve tried from Soocha Tea, I was eager to try.

The first thing I noticed about the tea was how the dried root looks like chipped wood. Next, I was surprised how little burdock root it took to create a very flavorful brew that could be steeped many times.

Steeping and Tasting Notes

How to Steep Burdock Root Tea

I followed the advice on Soocha Tea’s package to steep the burdock root tea, while figuring out how to convert the gram measurement so I wouldn’t have to break out my scale every time I’d like to enjoy this tisane.

• Amount of dried burdock root: 2 grams (about 1 tsp of burdock root, gently shaken to fill efficiently)
• Quantity of water: 8 ounces (about 250 ml)
• Temperature: Boiling (212 F or 100 C)
• Steep time: 3-5 minutes
• Number of steeps: I enjoyed 3 and stopped because I had enough liquid (lol). But, Soocha Tea’s website says you can steep it more than 5 times, increasingly the length of each steep.

Tasting Notes for Burdock Root Tea

To me, burdock root tea has wonderful and nostalgic aromas and flavors. It reminds me of roasted peanuts and caramelized corn–taking me right back to my childhood and the special occasions when I was given a box of Cracker Jack.

Roasted sweet potato and a touch of hickory smoke round out the aroma and flavor notes for me. The notes rebalance over multiple steeps, but I could still find all of those flavors in the first three steeps.

It’s a lovely tisane that packs a lot of flavor over multiple infusions.

This root tea brews up a rich amber color–a color that reminds me of some black and darker oolong teas.

Potential Benefits and Warnings for Burdock Root

Any natural herb or root can have possible positive and negative impacts. So, let’s overview the potential pros and cons of burdock root tea. This research, of course, should not replace consulting your health care provider.

WebMD reports that burdock root has been studied for its potential to reduce chronic inflammation, slow or prevent some cancers, and help some skin conditions. Healthline also reports the root “may lower blood sugar levels.”

Healthline also notes that burdock root hasn’t been studied enough to know safe use in children. Thus, they counsel against giving it to children without consulting a pediatrician. They also caution that pregnant or nursing women shouldn’t use it without a doctor’s advice.

Additionally, people allergic to chrysanthemums or daisies, they point out, could “be at an increased risk of having an allergic reaction to burdock root and should avoid it.” Soocha Tea’s website expands this warning to people “allergic to the Asteraceae/Compositae family (ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigolds, daisies, and many others).”

Finally, burdock root is naturally a diuretic. So, WebMD and Healthline both urge avoiding it if you are dehydrated or taking diuretic medicines.

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This year, I have been deeply moved by the compassionate actions and support for social justice I’ve seen small tea companies perform–acts of love and deep care for wider humanity. So, I’m thinking about love in a more communal sense and showcasing the work of a few tea companies.

Here are some companies I’ve watched share love through tea.

Anna Ye Tea

Anna Ye Tea is based in Queens, New York. This company sells tea and teaware. It also offers classes and events. I’ve fallen in a love with a number of their single origin Vietnamese teas over the years. I’ve written, for example, about their Wild Silver Tips (pictured in the nearby photo) and Lũng Phìn Small Leaf Green.

The company has been supporting charitable work and sharing love through tea for years. For example, in 2020, the owner started “Virtual Tea Classes for a Good Cause.” These early classes raised money for undocumented workers and the Chinatown community of elders.

Anna Ye Tea is back at offering a virtual class to raise money for a good cause. This time, proceeds from their Vietnamese Tea class on February 22, 2025 will be “donated to NYIFUP, the nation’s first and largest program providing legal representation to detained immigrants, and NYIC, a statewide coalition advancing immigrant rights.”

Being Tea

Being Tea offers tea education and trainings. The company is deeply committed to creating inclusive and supportive spaces for members, in their teacher trainings, and at their online offerings. They also have a wonderful tea tasting box club. I am a proud graduate of Being Tea’s Tea Teacher Training, by the way!

Sooz Hammond, the solo tea professional and entrepreneur behind Being Tea and in the photo generously provided by them above, does so much to offer inclusive and accessible online spaces. They offer sliding scale pricing for many events, model inclusive and accessible practices, and infuse trauma-informed teaching how they train future tea educators. Sooz also raises money for scholarships to help more folks with Being Tea membership, access the Tasting Box Club, or join the Teacher Training.

Another initiative that Sooz uses to share love through tea is their “community care box,” also supported through scholarships. Members can nominate themselves or others going through a hard time for a box. Then, Sooz lovingly puts together and sends that person “a personalized selection of 4 teas…and a hand-written card, plus other goodies like stickers, mindfulness practice cards, seasonal coaster, etc.” Making compassion a centerpiece of Being Tea, Sooz also includes a curated list of mental health resources at the bottom of their emails to members.

Cha House

Located in Birmingham, Alabama, Cha House is a “community hub centered around a tea house.” Their mission is “to connect the disconnected.”

Cha House encourages all kinds of collaborative events. Their website notes they have “weekly events with a variety of local teachers & facilitators.” They also share: “we want to provide space for you to express yourself and share your passion with the community.” Here’s another example: they offer “pay what you can events and teas at every price point.”

I’ve been lucky enough to be in online spaces to hear the founder, Cierra Lober, talk about her community outreach and how hard she works to cultivate Cha House as an inclusive, welcoming space. I really hope to visit one day!

(Photo provided by Cha House.)

Volition Tea

Volition Tea is based in Chicago, Illinois. Volition has lovely teas! I featured one of their white teas aged in a gin barrel, for example, in my Surprise Teas of 2024 post. They mainly sell tea, but also offer some tea ware and other merch. Volition Tea explicitly says that their company’s “ethos is grounded in humanity.” That’s a mission to share love through tea, for certain! What’s more, they back that up with action.

They designed and sell a t-shirt, for instance, which says “Humanity Behind Your Tea” on the back. The message is to encourage tea drinkers to think about the folks involved in producing and bringing the tea that we drink from the farm to us–from the growers, pickers, and processors, all the way to the folks who sell it retail. Additionally, Volition donates 10% of the proceeds of the shirt sales to Brave Space Alliance, “the first Black-led trans-led LGBTQ+ Center located on the South Side of Chicago.” (Photo from Volition Tea’s website.)

Volition Tea also recently offered a giveaway that exemplifies their commitment to spreading love and justice through tea. To enter the giveaway, people had to call their U.S. Senators and encourage them to vote against additional funding for ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) in light of the inhumane actions and human rights violations that ICE has been perpetrating against immigrants and peaceful protestors. (Full disclosure: I was one of the lucky winners of this giveaway!)

Love through Tea

Being part of a generous communiTEA like this has inspired me! For four years now, I’ve organized and led a yearly online fundraising event, Story of a Teacup. Each year since 2022, I pick a nonprofit to support. So far, this series has raised money for Erie Neighborhood House, Caring Across Generations, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and World Central Kitchen.

Tea–so embedded in many cultures as a gesture of hospitality and a cup of comfort–is perfectly paired with opening our hearts to others and taking action to care for their dignity and well being.

Let’s all work to share love through tea!

If you know of other tea companies doing work to support social justice work and create inclusive communities, I invite you to share in the comments.

Other Tea and Valentine’s Posts

I’ve written a number of tea and Valentine’s posts that share love for tea in other ways. They might interest a tea lover like you.

• Valentine’s Teas and Tisanes
• Korean Balhyocha for Valentine’s Day
• Tea-Infused Chocolates
• Tea Love Stories

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I’m still searching for and trying out mugs for accessibility. A family member who has issues with hand-swelling and soreness inspired this quest. I reviewed the CURVD wide-handled mug about a month ago.

This review is of the ceramic Handwarmer Mug from Neher Pottery. I would like to emphasize that the company was not advertising this mug as accessible. In their description on Etsy, they emphasized the “Handwarmer Mugs are designed with an ergonomic pocket so you can wrap your fingers in comforting warmth while you enjoy your favorite beverage.”

In my photos, you can see the mug’s “pocket” into which you can slide your dominant hand. (My family member and I are both left-handed. So, I bought a left-handed version.)

I thought this mug might be more comfortable than a regular mug for the issues my relative has. So, I ordered one for us to try.

Handwarmer Mug Specs

I bought the mug on Etsy. It was regularly priced $24 and on sale for $19.20 at the time I bought it in December 2025.

• Volume: If you fill it reasonably below the top, it holds 16 ounces (450 grams) of liquid.
• Size: 5″ (12.7 cm) tall, diameter about 3.75″ (9.5cm).
• Weight: 1lb. 1 ounce (480 grams) empty. Adding 16 ounces of tea or brings the total weight up to about 2 pounds (918 grams).
• Materials: Stoneware/ceramics, listed as “lead-free.” I chose the “Mystic Water” glaze. At the time I am writing this, this mug is available in 6 other glaze colors on the Neher Pottery shop on Etsy. When I found their Clay in Motion website, I saw they have this handwarmer mug available in over 20 different glazes!
• Care instructions: Listed as dishwasher safe, microwave safe, and ovenproof.

My Thoughts on This Mug

I immediately loved this mug. The vibrant glaze is fun. I also really like being able to wrap my hand around a mug like this, sliding my left hand into the “pocket.” (Again, it’s also available in a right-handed version.) As long as the mug isn’t too hot, to me it’s very cozy and comforting to hold. You’ll want to be careful though–without a handle to give you some distance from the hot liquid, it wouldn’t be safe to hold right after pouring boiling liquid in.

I also immediately suspected that this mug wouldn’t be great for the specific physical challenge that my relative has with her hands. The pocket is fun, but I could only slide my fingers in about up to the knuckle closest to my fingernails. So, if you couldn’t grip around the mug well, that pocket probably isn’t going to help keep the mug steady.

The handwarmer mug is also slightly heavier than the previous CURVD mug that I previously reviewed. I already knew that the weight was the one downside my relative reported about that CURVD mug, even she uses it often and prefers it to her other, regular mugs.

User’s Reaction and Bottom Line

As I suspected, the pocket wasn’t wide or deep enough for my relative’s swollen hands. She held it, went to put her fingers in the pocket and immediately said it wouldn’t work. I know the weight would have also been an issue since it’s heavier than the previous mug.

I’d like to conclude this mug review by declaring that for me, this mug is lovely and feels great to hold…if you don’t have swollen and weakened fingers. So, my hope that it might be accessible–even though it wasn’t advertised that way–didn’t pan out. On the other hand, I gained a beautiful new mug that I enjoy to use to warm my hands and sip tea.

So far, the CURVD mug (the white mug with the wide handle in the nearby photo) is the most accessible for my relative, but not perfect for her needs. I’ll keep searching for the perfect accessible mug for her!

If you have any suggestions, I’d love to hear them! Please share them in the comments.

Check out other posts on my blog about accessibility and tea:

• Why Tea Bags Stay in My Cupboard
• Accessible Mug Review: CURVD

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After years of experimenting–and my kids growing out of the stage where they preferred things very sweet–this version has become my favorite hot cocoa recipe. It’s sweet, but not nearly as sweet as most store bought cocoa mixes.

This recipe is delicious as it, and also delightful topped with whipped cream or marshmallows. (I had it with rose marshmallows once. Yum!)

Print

Traci’s Favorite Hot Cocoa

After years of experimentation, this is my favorite hot cocoa recipe. My Great-Great Grandmother, Naomi, inspired me to add a little coffee. She was an excellent cook and often added a touch of coffee to her chocolate desserts!

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa or cacao powder
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 3 tbsp boiling water
• 1.5 cups whole milk (or alternative)
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp strong brewed coffee
• 3 tbsp cream (or alternative)

Instructions

• Put the dry ingredients (cocoa, sugar, and salt) in a saucepan, then whisk in the boiling water.
• Put the dry ingredients (cocoa, sugar, and salt) in a saucepan, then whisk in the boiling water.
• Stir in the milk, heating to very hot. Avoid boiling.
• Remove from the heat.
• Stir in the vanilla and coffee. Then, stir in the cream.
• Pour the hot cocoa into mugs.

Notes

For the best results, use a high quality cocoa powder.

There’s only a touch of vanilla and coffee in this recipe because the goal is to augment the deep cocoa flavor, not make other flavors share the stage with it.

If you use lactose-free cow’s milk, lower the added sugar from 3 to 2 tbsp for 2 servings.

From the kitchen of: Traci Levy

Adopted from: Allrecipe’s Creamy Homemade Hot Cocoa

Not sure whether to use cocoa or cacao powder? Here’s an article comparing them that could help you decide.

If you try this hot cocoa recipe, I’d love to know what you thought!

Looking for some cookies to pair with this hot cocoa, check out my Orange Zest or Earl Grey Shortbread recipe!

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Tea Inspiration List

• Have tea with someone you love.
• Have tea with a group of friends.
• Try a tea that is new to you.
• Savor your favorite tea.
• Go on a “tea walk” and drink tea outdoors. (Here are some tea walk tips.)
• Use your fanciest teaware.
• Use you coziest, easiest teaware.
• Arrange your tea space to make it visually appealing.
• Try mindful tea or a tea meditation. (Here’s a winter playlist I made to accompany mindful or meditative tea time.)
• Attend a tea festival, take a tea class, or visit a teahouse. Or, do all three!
• Exchange tea with someone you know and trust.
• Support a local tea vendor, tea shop, or teahouse.
• Check out a tea blog. (Congratulations, you’ve already accomplished this one! )

Are any of these ideas from the tea inspiration list new to you–or already favorites? I’d love to know!

If you are interested in finding out about online and in-person tea events, tea meditations, notice of new blog posts, giveaways, and more, consider subscribing to Tea Infusiast News. It’s my monthly newsletter for tea lovers.

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