Twinings Lady Grey Tea and our Sense of Smell

Welcome to Tuesday, tea time in blogland and welcome to NatashaInOz.com! I am so happy that you came to visit. I have just put a new candle melt in my burner and the house smells like Autumn!

It is so important for me to be able to smell nice things. I don't think that I would say that smell is the most important of the senses but for me it, and taste of course, are the two senses that my life seems to revolve around.

Taste and smell are part of our chemosensory system, or the chemical senses. When it comes to taste, the four taste receptors that we know the most about detect sweet, salt, sour, and bitter. A fifth receptor, for a sensation called umami, was first theorised in 1908 and its existence confirmed in 2000. The umami receptor detects the amino acid glutamate, a flavour commonly found in meat and in artificial flavourings such as mono sodium glutamate.

For me though, the most interesting thing to remember when it comes to taste is that taste is not the same as flavour; flavour includes the smell of a food as well as its taste. Smells reach the olfactory sensory neurons by way of two pathways. The first pathway is through your nostrils. The second pathway is through a channel that connects the roof of the throat region to the nose. When we chew our food, aromas are released that access the olfactory sensory neurons through this channel. If the channel is blocked, such as when our noses are stuffed up from a cold or flu, odors cannot reach the sensory cells and much of our ability to enjoy a food’s flavor is lost. Source: NIDCD

Which leads me to the sensation of smell, something that I am passionate about!

Humans can distinguish over 10,000 different odor molecules! We utilize our sense of smell for a multitude of activities from enjoying the aroma of freshly brewed coffee to deciding where to sit on the bus or train on a hot summer afternoon!

Now, I am not a scientist! I am an english and religious education teacher so I am not going to tell you about the science of smell because most of the information goes right over my head!

What I do know is that when I used to light scented candles in my classroom my students loved it!

When I wanted them to relax I would burn lavender candles. When I was teaching them something new and I needed them to concentrate I would burn citrussy candles and in cold and flu season I would often burn candles that contain Basil as it is a well known medicinal herb with components that stimulate the nervous system and contribute to general well being.

 

The new range of Jo Malone Candles.

When I would occasionally forget to light the candle at the beginning of a lesson my students would be quick to remind me to do so!

Some studies have shown that vanilla and pumpkin pie scents are the most desire enhancing. Many also believe there's romance in the air if you burn floral and woody scents as they give a romantic feel to a room.

Autumn is a great time for burning pumpkin spice candles, as well as other baked-good candle scents, as is winter. Fresh candle scents such as cucumber melon are great for spring, as well as fresh cut grass candles which carry into summer. Source:Article emporium

I also think that our senses of smell and taste work closely together and that is why an aromatic cup of tea in the afternoon can really invigorate you and give you some energy for the rest of the day.

So, now that my house smells like Autumn I think I need a cup of tea and some spiced biscuits for an Autumn morning tea!

Since I need a dose of aromatherapy I think I will have some Lady grey tea and almond biscuits.

Lady Grey tea is a delicate, fragrant variation on the more famous Earl Grey blend. It consists of black tea scented with oil of bergamot, lemon peel and orange peel.

Very citrussy indeed!

Lady Grey tea was named after Mary Elizabeth Grey, the wife of Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, for whom Earl Grey tea is named.

 

Here is a rather beautiful TV advertisement for Twinings Lady Grey Tea. It captures an extraordinary performance by the artist, Ilana Yahav, as she draws in tea and light.

To engage more of the senses today I am taking my tea in china cups. I am sure you agree that tea always tastes better in vintage tea cups, especially when both sets only cost me $20! I love going to antique shops!

Now I think that I need to have some more pretty things around me so as to delight my sense of sight!

I think a pretty crystal dish might look nice on the table.

I bought a new Stuart crystal compote when we went antiquing. It was not as cheap as the china but I feel in love with the beautiful bird etching and knew I had to have it!

I just have to find a special place to put it. I have just decorated my sideboard so I can't put it there.

I think it can stay on the dining table for now....

The final sense that I think I often take for granted is the sense of hearing. Music means so much to me and I think it is important to have an appreciation for all kinds of music. I have been selecting some songs each Tuesday for my weekly #TuesdayTune Post.

 If you share a song on your blog, even if it's only once in a while, please feel free to link up with me on Tuesdays so we can share some songs and perhaps even find a new favourite artist!

Take a music bath once or twice a week for a few seasons.  

You will find it is to the soul what a water bath is to the body.  

Oliver Wendell Holmes

Thank you also my dear friends for visiting today and for spending time with me. I know your days are busy so I am so very happy that you chose to spend time with me today!

You have made my day!

Best wishes for a beautiful week,

Natasha In Oz 

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