Here are three choice blends (with food-pairing suggestions) designed to calm, cleanse and battle the flab:
Just relax
Looking to start 2011 in a blissed-out frame of mind? A good first step is a few sips of this high-quality jasmine-infused green tea that calms and promotes cell regeneration. To make it, jasmine flowers are stored in a room with green tea leaves, which absorb the flowers' scent as they bloom, resulting in beautifully scented, unbitter leaves.
The brew's delicate floral notes, says tea expert Richard Guzauskas of national chain Davids Tea, make it the ideal companion for fresh fruits such as peaches, apricots and nectarines, non-sugared rice cookies and cakes or low- and no-salt nuts including pine nuts, macadamias and almonds.
Organic Silk Dragon Jasmine Tea, $14 for 100 grams through www.davidstea.com. Ralph Lauren cup, $5.99, teaspoon, $0.99 at HomeSense (www.homesense.ca).
A clean start
Yeah, the past several weeks probably included one too many Champagne cocktails, but you can't turn back the clock. What you can do is help your body recover with this detoxifying blend combining vitamin-rich rooibos with antioxidizing sencha.
The lemon-flavoured brew is also spiked with ginger (a blood purifier known to cure hangovers), lemongrass (a potent liver cleanser), ginkgo (brain food to clear your mind) and juniper berries (to flush out any surviving toxins). Serve this tea, Guzauskas advises, alongside lightly steamed organic vegetables atop brown rice.
Organic Detox Tea, $13 for 100 grams through www.davidstea.com. Cup (including saucer), $15 at Pottery Barn (www.potterybarn.ca).
Think thin
Okay, you helped yourself to countless servings of buttery mashed potatoes last month, but don't fret: Address your growing waistline with a cup or two of this ancient Chinese weight-loss secret. A blend of oolong and pu-erh teas, which are reputed to suppress appetite and block fat absorption respectively, it's a go-to among dancers and athletes after particularly heavy meals.
Ginger and ginseng are also in the mix for their metabolism-boosting abilities. According to Guzauskas, good flavour matches for this robust brew include cranberry, orange and banana.
Organic Skinny Tea, $18 for 100 grams through www.davidstea.com. Gordon Ramsay by Royal Doulton cup, $124.99 (part of five-piece place setting) at the Bay (www.hbc.com). Maxwell & Williams teaspoon (face up), $2.95, visit www.samacotrading.com for retailers. Teaspoon (on its side), $0.99 at HomeSense.
Food styling by Heather Shaw/Judy Inc. (www.judyinc.com)