Hello, Beautiful!

Is anyone else completely swooning over this beautiful Autumn weather we’ve been having lately? The weather in the Carolinas has been inching closer to the perfect Fall weather I crave all year long, and I am here for it.

Until Sunday – which happened to be the first day of October – the mornings and evenings were cool and lovely, but the majority of the day was still unbearably hot and humid. These past three days (*pleeease don’t let me jinx this!*) have been absolutely perfect, and I hope that kind of crisp October weather is here to stay!

This cream mug with gold flecks is from Anthropologie!

October is my favorite month of the year for so many reasons. The perfect Fall weather has been an always, but it’s also now – and for always – our wedding anniversary month! I can’t believe we’ll be celebrating one year of marriage this weekend, but I am so ready to celebrate that with my husband, ya’ll! It’s still so fun and new to say, “husband.” I like to think the giddy feeling that word brings me won’t ever quite wear off.

Speaking of husbands, I know of one hubby in particular who has a surprise planned for me this weekend . . . EEEK! I adore surprises and can’t wait to find out what he has planned for us for our anni. I was told to take this Friday off work, and I did . . . but I don’t know much beyond that. I’ll of course keep ya’ll posted on Instagram during our . . . I don’t know!?!?!?!?!

With the changing of seasons comes the changing of my coffee and tea temperatures . . . LOL, but really. I can be pretty seasonal when it comes to my coffee and tea orders. During the summer months, I am all about cold brew coffee and iced tea all day. But once the weather cools . . . there is absolutely nothing like a warm cup of tea to start, continue, and end the day.

Normally I spend, well, let’s just say way too much time in Trader Joe’s, Publix, World Market, Home Goods, and just about anywhere else you can find a decent assortment of teas. Smelling the boxes, reading the boxes, studying the artwork on the boxes, putting 10 different boxes in my shopping cart, putting back all but one or two, you know the “trying to find the perfect blend” drill. I can never decide on the right one – or just one – and I usually have buyer’s remorse for the blends I left behind.

The sample packs are always way overpriced, so that’s not an option, but I use to wish it was because different teas speak different languages. Green teas can help with weight loss and brain function, black teas can help with everything from low-concentration to poor blood circulation, Earl Grey teas are good for combating anxiety and depression, and the list goes on and on . . .

How perfect is the Fantastica Tea logo on each tea tag? I love the the classic leaf emblem and simplistic chic black and white lines. Be sure to use code “elle20” at checkout for a special discount!

Enter Fantastica Tea, a sweet little gem of a company that I am so glad to have connected with. For starters, I’m in love with the company’s motto:

“Once you choose hope, anything’s possible.”

Fantastica Tea is the “tea of hope,” and everything in their work reflects that idea. From their customer service to the exploration and thought they put behind their tea blends, Fantastica Tea is the growing business you need to know about. Oh, and:

SPOILER ALERT: BE SURE TO USE CODE ELLE20 AT CHECKOUT FOR A SPECIAL DISCOUNT ON ME!

Fantastica Tea leaves come from the high mountains of Sri Lanka, where the air is clean and pure. The tea leaves selected by Fantastica Tea have the highest quality and purest flavors. In Sri Lanka, the tradition is picking the tea leaves by hand, so you are absolutely guaranteed that the leaves selected will be the very best, with the most mellow taste and a much better, stronger aroma.

This sweet little deer mug is from Pottery Barn. I got it last year on sale after Christmas time! 😉

A lot of time and thought – and countless cups of tea – were put into this one, very special cup. After much time spent drinking various teas, Fantastica Tea found the perfect blend of Ceylon tea that went beyond even their own expectations. It’s my joy – and theirs – to share it with you! After all, ya’ll are my cup of tea. 😉

Fantastica Tea comes both in loose leaf tea by the jar and sample packs, both in classic packaging that truly honors the history of tea. The glass jar packaging of the loose leaf tea is elegant and practical. It will look nice wherever it’s stored, and the sealed lid will keep the tea leaves free from oxygen, humidity, and other smells that could ruin the high quality of the tea.

The paper tea bags don’t contain any dust or fannings. If you’re not a tea fanatic, dust and fannings are terms used in tea leaf grading. Think: cut and clarity for diamonds. Fannings are small pieces of tea that are left over after higher grades of teas are gathered to be sold. Traditionally these were treated as the rejects of the manufacturing process in making high-quality leaf tea. Fannings and dusts are considered the lowest grades of tea, period. Yuck.

Have you ever had a cup of tea and as you get toward the bottom, you realize the tea water is cloudy and filled with gritty little bits? That’s the dust in the tea you’re drinking. But really, yuck.

None of that at the end of a lovely cup of Fantastica Tea, I promise. In fact, Fantastica Tea‘s various blends are the most perfectly blended tea I’ve tried yet . . . and this written by the girl who pretty much brought home an entire carry-on full of tea after a summer abroad in Lithuania. From the Ginger Black Tea to the Smoked Black Tea allll the way to the Coconut Tea, there is no harsh or unexpected aftertaste . . . only one smooth cup of tea, from start to finish.

No matter how early I get up in the morning, I’m always in a rush toward the last few minutes when we really prepare to leave the house, like grabbing our to-go cups, breakfasts, and lunches, making sure we have our work briefcases and all that. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve ripped open a tea bag just in the process of transferring my tea from a mug to a traveler. I’m so thankful that hasn’t been happening since I’ve been using Fantastica Tea, because it can really put a damper in the getting ready process (+ talk about anti-cup of hope right there).

Fantastica Tea‘s sachets are made of high quality paper and are modeled after old-fashioned classic square packaging. Also, the infusion level is unreal. I don’t even have to swirl the tea bag around in the cup, and in fact, the company recommends you don’t. All you need to do is add hot water, whether it’s from your kettle or your Keurig, and you’re ready to enjoy the perfect cup of tea.

My favorite part of Fantastica Tea‘s products is their SAMPLES! I love that you can order a sample bundle of five different teas for under $15! You guys, that’s a total steal. Take it from a tea freak: it doesn’t get better than 15 sachets of different teas for under $1 per sachet. If I’m spending under $1 per cup for my caffeine fix or evening downtime, I am doing more than just fine. Especially when it’s almost $4 per tall cup at Starbucks.

I’ve been loving BUNDLE 1, which is a really cool combo of smoked black tea, English breakfast tea, coconut black tea, mint green tea, and ginger black tea. I have been so into the ginger black tea, because it’s the first-ever ginger black tea I’ve tried that isn’t too gingery and doesn’t have a harsh ginger aftertaste! LOVE!

I hope you all try out Fantastica Tea for yourselves . . . I can’t wait to hear if you love it as much as I do! If you’re a tea lover, then spoiler alert: you’re going to become completely obsessed, love at first smooth, smooth cup.

BE SURE TO USE CODE ELLE20 AT CHECKOUT FOR A SPECIAL DISCOUNT ON ME!

A fantastic-a bundle of tea at a sweet discount? Yes, please!

Be sure to leave me comments with your thoughts on Fantastica Tea. The company’s customer service couldn’t be more kind, and they are always looking for feedback, reviews, and input. Join the Fantastica fam! 🙂 And be sure to use #FantasticaTea on all your photos for a chance to be featured on their page!