I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This #AmericasTea shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client.

While some people are all about tea time, I make no secret of the fact that I LOVE coffee, and specifically, iced coffee. It is my near-constant companion throughout my day, starting well before the sun rises (between 3 and 4 am when I start my work!). I usually have my second coffee between 9-11am, just depending on how tired I am feeling, and then I have a third coffee around 2pm.

Time to Switch to Herbal Tea?

It’s the third coffee that causes the trouble, though. You see, by that time of day, I’m starting to feel groggy and feel the effects of a headache (caffeine withdrawal, I’m guessing). I feel sort of gross without that last cup. But I also feel sort of gross after I drink it. I feel sort of like an exhausted person who got a cold splash of water and was giving marching orders. That’s not at all how I feel with my first two cups of the day. But what to do?

I was recently offered the opportunity to give Bigelow Tea products a try, and to see if I could make the switch from coffee to tea. Now I’m telling you true, those first two cups of coffee aren’t going anywhere, thankyouverymuch! I feel as happy as a lark with them! But I was definitely willing to try something new for my third cup of the day, and I thought transitioning to something with less caffeine but that could be equally as refreshing would be smart. After all, there’s a reason that so many people partake in the afternoon ritual of tea time. They must be on to something, right?

But for me, tea time was going to have to happen on MY terms, and that meant that it was going to be iced. Sounds strange, I know, but the Bigelow website has some great recipes and tutorials for making a delicious glass of iced tea using their products. I don’t like hot coffee, so I don’t think I’d like hot tea, either. But if I could find the right iced recipe, we just might be in business! I really appreciate how many creative options Bigelow Tea presents to consumers. It can help a tea novice like me find the right drink choice, and it can even help an herbal tea aficionado make new discoveries! Definitely check out the Bigelow Tea blog for lots of great ideas and inspirations.

My Bigelow Tea Experience

I purchased several different flavors of Bigelow Tea so that I could easily find the right blend for me (you can check out my entire shopping trip at Walmart here). I started off with Vanilla Chai based on the smell alone. Oh it smelled DIVINE!!! I heated up my kettle and poured a small amount of water into a glass, and then let the tea bag steep for 3 minutes. Then I added 1/4 cup milk and a spoonful of sugar (yes, I like it sweet!), and then I poured the contents over a glass full of ice.

Y’all, it was GOOD! I was honestly surprised at just how much I loved it. And after I realized that it was a winner, I transitioned the contents into my see through iced beverage tumbler (that is a BIG honor, and the tea had to earn the right to it!).

While I still rock my coffee in the morning hours, I actually find myself looking forward to my afternoon tea. I’ve been truly shocked by just how many fun flavor combinations I can dream up, which gives me something different and full of flavor to power through my afternoon. One of my favorite concoctions is what I call the Bigelow Chocolate “Mintea” Beverage. I steeped a bag of Mint Medley tea in about 2 ounces of boiling water for 3 minutes. Then I added 1 tsp chocolate sauce (oh yes I did!), followed by a splash of milk, and a cup full of ice. Give it a try; it tastes like a yummy treat!

Since I have been having tea for a few weeks now, I actually noticed a difference in my overall disposition in the afternoons. We actually just got back from a vacation where I didn’t have easy access to caffeinated beverages, and the afternoons didn’t give me one bit of trouble. I definitely attribute that change to the fact that my body is now used to low-caffeine Bigelow Tea.

So, what’s in your cup or glass around tea time each afternoon? Is it time for you to switch to something that tastes incredible and won’t leave you feeling cranky?