We are delighted to introduce you to the first in our new Bestow Organic Tea Range – two beautifully blended therapeutic teas Luminositea and Eternitea. Luminositea and Eternitea will support healthy skin from within and the Bestow ‘Time for Me’ Tea Ritual we invite you to embrace, will further enhance your personal wellness journey.

THE STORY BEHIND THE TEAS | Janine Tait

I used to be addicted to coffee. It was hard on my nervous system and I knew my body didn’t respond well to it. Giving up coffee was a gift I gave to my body and I have never looked back.

I have since enjoyed exploring the colourful and therapeutic world of herbal teas. A simple tea-break can give you an extra boost of anti-oxidants, calm and relax you, cleanse the body or give you a burst of energy. It all depends which tea you choose.

At Bestow, we gather to drink herbal tea together each morning and afternoon. We take turns making it, getting out our vintage china and serving tea on a silver tray. It is a beautiful ritual which gives us a joyful pause in our busy day. Nutritionally, it is a great opportunity to hydrate and get some added vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients.

It was important to me to know that we were all drinking quality organic tea so that our skin and body received maximum goodness and none of the pesticides and chemicals that can creep into supermarket herbal teas.

The best way to know what we were drinking was to develop our own range – so that’s exactly what we did! We were lucky enough to discover a Sri Lankan company with established organic tea plantations. I visited them in January. The people there are even more passionate about tea than we are!

The tea plantation is biodynamic and full of life with organic cattle providing compost, wild camphor in the hedgerows as a source of organic spray and the rich fragrance of tea leaves, basil and rosemary in the air.

Back home in New Zealand, we spent happy hours as a team drinking and researching our favourite therapeutic blends and we are happy to share these first two teas in our range with you.

LUMINOSITEA | Your Morning Glow

Ingredients 100% Organic White and Green Tea (Camellia Sinesus)

Flavour + Colour A pale colour and gentle flavour

Therapeutic BenefitsWhite Tea is an anti-aging tea thanks to anti-inflammatory phytochemicals which help to prevent the breakdown of collagen and elastin in the skin.

Green Tea contains a particular type of antioxidant which has been scientifically proven to increase the hydration of the upper layers of the skin, resulting in enhanced enzyme action and increase natural moisturising factors. A moist, hydrated skin reflects the light which gives healthy skin its luminous glow. That is why this blend is called Luminositea!

Best Time of Day Enjoy Luminositea in the morning to get the stimulating benefit of the low levels of non de-hydrating natural caffeine and to get your morning glow on!

ETERNITEA | Your Anti-Ageing Tea

Ingredients 100% Organic Hibiscus (Hibiscus sabdariffa), 100% Organic Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum)

Flavour + Colour A pretty pink colour and a tangy, fresh flavour with a hint of cinnamon.

Therapeutic BenefitsHibiscus is a super-tea, containing more anti-oxidants than any other tea. These anti-oxidants help to combat the ageing affects of free-radicals in your body. Do your body a favour and arm it with goodness.

Cinnamon helps to stabilise your blood sugar which is essential for anti-ageing. When blood sugar levels are rocketing around it causes glycation, a process where oxidised sugar attaches to collagen molecules, curling and tangling the fibres. Cinnamon protects your skin by keeping your blood sugar levels sure and steady throughout the afternoon, and your collagen resilient and smooth throughout the years.

Best Time of Day to Drink Enjoy Eternitea in the afternoon. Instead of putting yourself on a sugar roller coaster at 3pm, drink this sugar stabilising tea and eat a small handful of nuts to sustain you through till dinner time.

THE BESTOW ‘TIME FOR ME’ TEA RITUAL

What makes a tea-break more than a tea-break?

Intention! A tea on the run only offers you one-half of the benefits. We invite you to embrace the Bestow ‘Time for Me’ Tea Ritual as a way of building mini-retreats into your busy day. This relaxing ritual helps you to introduce a healthy self-care rhythm which is so important in pursuing a life of wellness and wholeness.

THE RITUAL

Put the kettle on.* Select a beautiful tea-cup to enjoy your tea in.* Steep your chosen Bestow Organic Tea in boiling water.* While you wait for your tea to steep, take 5 slow, deep breaths. Put your hands on your belly and feel your belly rise and fall as you breathe all the way down.* Sit quietly and sip your tea slowly, savouring this moment of blissful pause.

FAIR TO ALL

It was very important to me that Bestow teas were not only organic, but were sourced from a supplier that was fair to all of the the people involved in producing it. Many of the workers in tea plantations in third-world countries are poorly paid, and treated like second class citizens. I am pleased to report that the Sri Lankan company who supply our tea operate within a fair-trade business model. This means they pay their workers a living wage, provide housing and make sure they have access to medical services and education. For me it is not about beating the supplier down to get the bottom dollar but paying a fair price for a good quality product that is produced ethically.

FEEDBACK

Robyn Marshall | Beautiful Hush

I have never liked the flavour of green tea. Because of this I have so enjoyed drinking the Eternitea, Hibiscus and Cinnamon blend, which is also very high in antioxidants and has a delicious taste! I find it uplifting and the cinnamon definitely helps to stabilise any sugar cravings. I don’t even need to have anything to eat when enjoying this tea. Our clients all loved it and said it shouldn’t be called tea but a refreshing juice! We are looking forward to serving it chilled in our waiting room during the warmer months.

Jose Kakebeeke | Beauty With Substance

I am a big tea drinker. I prefer it over water so drink it morning, afternoon and evening. I really enjoy the Bestow Luminostea. It is much milder in taste than other green teas I have tried. This combination so so simple and delicious and the fact that it contains so many anti-oxidants is a real added benefit. Having a cup of tea is a comforting ritual for me, as well as a thirst quencher. If I am stressed or need to have a breather there will always be a cup of tea with it.

Ashleigh Scott | Ashleigh Scott Facialist

I have never been a coffee drinker, but I do occasionally enjoy a cup of herbal tea. Especially in winter there’s nothing better than sitting down at the end of a busy day with a nice warming cup. It helps me relax and sets me up to have a good night’s sleep. I love that these teas have been carefully curated to ensure maximum health benefits, so I know I am doing something good for my skin and body. We have been serving both Luminositea and Eternitea to our clients for the last couple of weeks and have had amazing feedback. Our clients can’t wait to get their hands on a tin themselves!