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4 Other Uses for Tea

If you're like me, you've only recently made the switch from teabags to loose leaf. And, if you're really like me, you still have some tea bags left. 

Following my upgrade to loose leaf tea, I can no longer enjoy anything less than fresh-brewed tea and so I've researched a couple of alternative uses for my leftover bags of dried tea.  At this rate, I should finish up the stash by the wintertime ;) enjoy:

(1) Gargle the Herbal way. Let peppermint tea cool and use it as a mouthwash whenever a toothache strikes. It'll not only fresh your breath, but soothe the pain too.

(2) Put on, cool off. The tannins present in black tea can help with superficial burn injuries and sunburns. If you happen to hit the beach a couple more times before Labor Day weekend, and get sunburned, apply a cool, damp cloth soaked in tea where it hurts. Teabags seeped in the bathtub can also help if you need full-body therapy.

(3) Shine on. Forget Windex, to make mirrors really sparkle brew a pot of tea, let it cool, and then use the liquid to clean your mirrors. Dampen a soft cloth, wipe it on the glass surface and buff with a soft, dry cloth for a streak-free shine like never before.

(4) All teas go Green. If you have a compost pile, why not pour a few cups of strong tea in the heap?  It'll hasten decomposition and encourage bacteria to create the perfect compost.

(5) Give Your Plants a Boost. Acid-loving plants including Dogwood trees, Pieris and Gardenias get a big boost when watered with brewed tea. You can also try mixing and burying teabags around the base of the plant.

Don't throw away your used green tea leaves!  You can make your own green tea incense creating a wonderul aroma and eliminating bad odors.

Follow these steps to make your own green tea incense:

1) Roll your used green tea leaves into a small tight ball.  The tighter the ball, the slower the burn.

2) Place the used tea balls on a small tray and dry them in the sun on a window sill or outside. 

3) After your used, green tea balls are dry you can store them in a cool, dry place.

4) When you're ready to use your home made tea incense.  You can purchase a Japanese tea-leaf-burner, also known as a 'cha kouro', or any other candle based incense burner. 

The style of incense burner you need is one that elevates the dry tea leaves above the candle flame in a steel cup and the leaves are heated from below, but not directly lit.  I've even heard of people heating the leaves on a iron skillet on the stove.

The tea incense ball will smoke lightly.  Green tea incense has a very nice, smell and also absorbs pet odors!

Interested in making your own tea incense?  Experiment with used tea leaves from other tea types as well and let us know the result by commenting below.