Nu es Teetiet, teatime in good old Germany

As the days get darker and colder, it is time to bring out the teapot, keep it warm over a tea light and enjoy the ambiance, aroma and taste all evening long.
You might be surprised to know that Germans aren't only champions of brewing and guzzling beer, roasting and drinking coffee but also are known for manufacturing and sipping tea.

First of all there is a tea remedy for everything, I know I told you those Schnapps bitters, like Buhlenschluck cure everything, well surprise, surprise, they believe in nonalcoholic herbal wonders too.
You don't even have to buy the tea from a Apotheke, or health food store, you can get a tea for whatever ailment you have directly from your neighborhood grocery store. Kräuter tees are not just for crazed health freaks, everyone drinks herbal tea. Even hairy macho men (like LLW) drink tea regularly and babies are given Fenchel tee, fennel tea for upset stomachs.


This is the "remedy tea" section at the grocery store. Sorry cannot see properly have to click on photo to enlarge if you want to read the labels.
Teas are so well known for the medicinal purposes, that even med profis recommend them. When I have had a mild bladder infection my doctor recommended Nieren und Blasen tee. It works. Last winter I had a stomach flu and the pharmacist gave K, Magen und Darm tee, for the stomach relief and gravol for the nausea. The tea took away the bloating and the cramping immediately.

This is the regular tea section at the grocery store, the loose teas are at the end. I assume the tea connoisseurs buy their tea by weight at a Teehaus. It smells so good in there you want to try and buy everything. Yes Frieda I said I would get to showing you the tea section, just took me a few months.

There are teas to help you relax, sleep, vitalise, feel young, be strong, you name it there is a mix for you, I think this is a bit über don't you think? Well Stef Graf and Teekanne hope you buy it.
Lousy weather? Well then one drinks Schietwetter tee, it is a popular blend for the winter months. Yes my low german speaking readers, you got it, that tea is really called that, I have some at home from a fancy schmancy Teehaus. Like I said it's for lousy, or as they say here Schiet, "sh*tty weather".
There also is a special German blend of tea, that carries the name of the region it comes from. Ostfriesen tee, from Ostfriesland. There is a special way to drink this tea with special sugar that looks like crystal rocks, white or brown and with a thick cream that when poured in your cup, forms a cloud. It is described well here with photos.
The Ostfriesens have their own culture and identity this site, explains them and their tea in english, in german and in Ostfriesisch which is like a Plattdeutsch. Eastfriesens say that only the Irish drink more tea than the Frisans. This perhaps could be debated but what is more certain is that this small sparsely populated North Sea area drinks more than a quarter of the tea consumed by all Germans.
Around these parts people say, "Nu es Teetiet", it's teatime, and it is that three times a day. They even have their own china photo here.

Nothing to do with tea but of interest about Ostfriesland is that it is has Mennonitische significance. Menno Simons debated theologians here in Emden church which is the oldest Mennonite church. It has served Mennos since 1530. In Leer-Oldenburg is another Mennonite congregation that has been there since 1540.
Anyone want to come with me and visit these congregations? Both are about 2.5 hours from our place. Wouldn't that be interesting to sit in a church where Mennonites have been worshipping for almost 500 years?