Calling All Tea Lovers: This Valentine's Giveaway is for YOU!

Before the days of employment, I was averse to all warm beverages except one, hot chocolate. As a child, my beverage consumption was limited to water and fresh nonfat milk. Sodas I drank sparingly, perhaps once every few weeks. Whenever my mother brewed tea or herbal infusions like aniseed, I would run the other way. I couldn’t reconcile the sweet wafting aromas with the virtually tasteless hot water. It felt like being duped.

As you grow older, your taste buds certainly evolve, and you become more tolerant of the tastes, flavors and textures you may have abhorred in childhood. The reality was that when I moved into an 8-5 office setting, I quickly noted how nearly everyone around me needed a cup (or three) of hot coffee to get their mornings revving. 

The banes of coffee, however, are numerous: it’s addictive, thanks to its high caffeine content; it stains your pearly whites; and it’s just not that tasty unless you load it with creamer, sugar, and/or milk.

So I started experimenting with teas, everything from green tea with ginger and lemony Earl Grey to infusions like rosehip, mint with licorice, and verbena. I was instantly hooked.

Kusmi Tea Sweet Love Blend: Black China tea, licorice roots, spices,
Guarana seeds, pink pepper, flavors

Today I consume anywhere between one to three cups of tea daily, spacing them out over mid-morning and late-afternoon. Tea is also a perfect, calorie-free concession if you want to suppress poorly-timed pangs of hunger. 

I haven’t even started extolling their innumerable health benefits, like clear skin, an increased metabolism, better digestion, and the presence of flavonoids, which may prevent cancer. I particularly love pairing tea with baked goods, such as a muffin or banana bread, to help wash them down.

So this Valentine’s season, I want to share my love of tea with you, dear readers. I’ve partnered with world-renowned label Kusmi Tea to give away two 125-g tins of Sweet Love loose leaf tea.

Kusmi has been offering connoisseurs high quality traditional teas since 1867. Sweet Love blends spices, guarana, licorice and pink peppercorn to produce a naturally sweet taste. It’s smooth, pleasant and an unrivalled addition to your tea pantry.

Here’s all you have to do:

• Follow me on Instagram at @beirutista

• Follow Kusmi Tea Lebanon at @kusmitealb

• In a line or two, share your tea habits either in the comments section below or on my Instagram Kusmi Tea post. For brownie points, upload a photo of your tea ritual and use the hashtags #ShareTheLove and #BeirutistaSipsTea. Be sure to tag me in the photo so that I can see it!

Participants must reside in Lebanon to ensure delivery. Winners will be contacted early next week.

To discover the entire repertoire of Kusmi Tea merchandise available locally, check out their outlets in ABC Dbayeh and ABC Achrafieh. A selection of products are also available inside gourmet supermarkets like TSC Signature in Beirut Souks.

Go get sipping!