Mindful Tea Drinking - Grey's Teas

Mindful Tea Drinking: The Art of the Afternoon Pause

Discover mindful tea drinking or the art of the afternoon tea pause and return your inner calmness. Learn how slowing down with a simple cup of tea can restore calm and focus to your day. This is in line with our theme #making-time-for-good-things.

Rediscovering the Pause

If your world, like mine, rarely stops moving, the simple act of pausing can feel like a luxurious indulgence – but it is important to gather your thoughts. Between screens, meetings and endless to-dos, afternoons often blur into endless activity. Yet across centuries and cultures, one quiet ritual has endured — the taking of tea.

At its heart, tea time isn’t just about refreshment. It’s a rhythm reset. When you take those few minutes to boil water, measure your chosen tea and let it infuse. Then pour… You’re granting yourself a small but powerful permission: to breathe.

The sound of the kettle, the warmth of ceramic in your hands, the aroma of good quality tea leaves: these sensory anchors bring you back to the present. In that small pause, calm finds its way back to you.

The Mindful Cup: A Simple Daily Tea Habit

Mindful tea drinking doesn’t demand ceremony or silence — only attention, attention to one thing at a time. Try these simple steps next time you reach for your afternoon cup:

Choose your tea with intention. What do you need — focus, comfort, or calm?
Watch the leaves unfurl. As they open, so can your breath. A glass teapot is perfect for this.
Sip slowly. Notice the temperature, the flavour notes, the aftertaste.
Breathe deeply. Savour the taste. Let the steam rise, as your shoulders fall.

This five-minute practice turns a routine break into a restorative ritual — not an escape, but a return to yourself.

Which Teas Help You Reclaim Calm?

Afternoon teas are best when they steady rather than stimulate. These are our favourite blends for finding peace in the middle of your afternoon:

• Darjeeling Second Flush – Floral, refined and smooth. Ideal for quiet focus.
• Formosa Oolong – Smooth, naturally grounding, with honeyed notes.
• White Peony (Bai Mu Dan) – Soft and refreshing, the definition of gentle calm.
• Rooibos – Caffeine-free, warm, and soothing; perfect for late afternoons.

Each cup tells a story of patience and balance — exactly what our afternoons too often lack.

Creating Your Own Afternoon Tea Habit

Make your pause a daily habit. Choose one time each afternoon — perhaps 4 p.m., when energy dips — and commit to stepping away for a few minutes. Afterall, a tea break has always served a purpose!

Turn off notifications. Set the phone aside. Fetch your favourite teacup, open the tin slowly, and immerse yourself in the aroma. Be patient and enjoy the anticipation of your tea whilst it is brewing. Pour, wait, breathe and sip. This habit doesn’t need to be ornate or a stiff ritual; it only needs to be your moment.

As you slow the pace, you’ll find what generations of tea drinkers already know: peace isn’t something you chase — it’s something you let infuse. Too often this has been forgotten in our increasingly busy world where the scourge of the teabag and preparing tea as a reason to relax has been forgotten.

Try These Calming Grey’s Teas

• Darjeeling Second Flush – there are several to choose from here.
• Formosa Oolong – famously complex semi-oxidised teas from Taiwan
• White Peony (Bai Mu Dan) – the best value of our range of new style white teas. We have traditional style, budset white teas too.
• Rooibos – we have green rooibos and two flavoured versions too.

Loose Leaf Tea Videos

See our video page on the theme of #making time for good things