Mason Jars of Tea

I've mentioned my love for Tazo teas many times before. 

My faves:

Passion: A blend of hibiscus, lemongrass, rose hips, mango and passion fruit

Refresh: Mint with tarragon

Green Ginger: Sweet ginger and pear

Thrive: Green tea, yerba mate, spearmint, green rooibos, rose hips, and black pepper.

YUM.

As anyone who followed Monday's Boston Marathon coverage would know, the temperature here spiked this week, rising from weeks of 50-ish temps with overcast skies quickly into the high 80s and low 90s with blazing, bright sun.  I thrive on such weather, so you won't hear me complaining (although I did feel sorry for those poor runners gutting it out through Monday's extreme heat), but sudden summer weather also calls for sudden summer beverages.

I love to brew sun tea, but life is busy these days, and sun tea jars are oft forgotten on the back porch and of little use when they are really needed, right around lunchtime and in the lull of the early afternoon.  So my new ritual has become brewing multiple quart jars of tea as I do my morning puttering in the kitchen.  As I unload the dishwasher, I boil a pot of water and brew a jar of Thrive.  As I put breakfast together for everyone, I brew a jar of Passion.  As I do the breakfast dishes and finish my coffee, I brew a jar of Green Ginger.  

By the time I'm ready to hit the shower and get ready for my day, my teas have all steeped.  I take out the bags, screw on the tops of the jars, and throw them all in the fridge.  If I am feeling saucy, I add some honey before I put them down to chill. When I'm back from my morning excursions, they're delightfully cold, and ready for a handful of ice, a wedge of lime or lemon, and a straw.  I've been sipping these lovely concoctions all through the afternoon and into the evenings (particularly the caffeine-free versions), and finding them so much more appealing and thirst-quenching than water.  There is also something beautifully satisfying about drinking out of a jar.  I can tell already that I'll be swilling down these icy jugs of tea all summer long. 

Cheers to summer!