GOOD MORNING! And what a GOOD morning it is. I'm still sore from <a href="http://www.sothisisfitness.com/2014/02/no-limits-frosty-knuckle-5k-hyannis.html" target="_blank">this past weekend</a>...a reminder of victories past. Lately I've been starting my mornings a little differently and I wanted to share what that difference is. <br /><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Of1H9h8svrw/UwyNh_GFQ3I/AAAAAAAAGg8/Twkxo8TvmW0/s1600/cognitea.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="102" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Of1H9h8svrw/UwyNh_GFQ3I/AAAAAAAAGg8/Twkxo8TvmW0/s1600/cognitea.png" width="400" />&nbsp;</a>&nbsp; </div><a href="http://www.cognitea.com/" target="_blank"><b>CogniTea. </b></a>That is the difference. Normally I'm a coffee freak...I <b>love</b> coffee. I love its bold flavors, its delicious aromas, and how it kick-starts me to take on the day. There are things I <b>do not </b>like about coffee, however, so sometimes I have tea. But what about CogniTea?&nbsp; <b>What IS </b>CogniTea? What's so special about it? I could say that it actually makes your brain work and helps you focus...but that would be a <b>gross understatement. </b><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Oh, where to begin...</b></span><br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><br /><b>I have been a coffee drinker for a long time.</b> Like I said, it's delicious, it's flavorful, it smells great, and it gives me a great kick-start to my day...<b>it wakes me up</b>. Oftentimes I'll even have a second cup, and maybe a <b>third</b>.<b> Problem is</b>...while the coffee might wake <b>me</b> up...it doesn't exactly wake up <b>my brain</b> the same way. I just get wired and jittery...its kind of a diminishing returns thing where after a certain point, I'm not getting any more benefit and instead I'm getting hyper and jittery and just generally unable to focus or concentrate on anything. Sometimes I like green tea, but it doesn't have nearly enough gas to power my day, and it doesn't really help me focus.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Enter CogniTea.</b>&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yPC-ZwoFUw4/Uwy2tBQ0VoI/AAAAAAAAGiA/g_QrbNdnufs/s1600/IMG_20140225_085151123.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yPC-ZwoFUw4/Uwy2tBQ0VoI/AAAAAAAAGiA/g_QrbNdnufs/s1600/IMG_20140225_085151123.jpg" width="232" /></a><b>CogniTea is different</b>. <a href="http://so%20i%27d%20rather%20not%20just%20say%20all%20the%20same%20things%20they%20say%20there.%20i/" target="_blank">You can read all about CogniTea on their IndieGoGo crowdfunding campaign </a><span></span>(which you should check out anyway), so I'd rather not just say all the same things they say there. I <b>will </b>say, for a brief idea - CogniTea is an all-natural tea designed to help you think clearly, focus, and generally <b>help your brain function well</b>. It's not coffee, and it's not a regular tea. <b>It's brain fuel</b>.<br /><br />So what makes CogniTea different? What's it taste like? <b>What's the big deal? </b>I mean, it's just <b>tea</b>, right?<br /><br /><b>False.&nbsp;</b><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">To understand The Tea, you must first understand The Idea. </span></b><br /><br />I've had, at this point, many conversations with the founder of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Cognitea" target="_blank">CogniTea</a> - Alex Kravets. I asked him where this all came from, and his answer was simple. He was relying on coffee and energy drinks to power himself through work, as many people do. The more he tried to fuel himself with those, however, the more jittery, hazy, anxious, and just generally <b>unable to focus</b> he became. He saw a need for something <b>more</b>. Coffee brought jitters, but green tea was too soothing. <b>There had to be a middle ground.</b><br /><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qBnYA_2ZLxg/Uwy9OH4IQSI/AAAAAAAAGio/W_ohFrUo278/s1600/cogniteawings.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qBnYA_2ZLxg/Uwy9OH4IQSI/AAAAAAAAGio/W_ohFrUo278/s1600/cogniteawings.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b>CogniTea is about achieving your goals. </b>It's about reaching new heights, living life relentlessly, and making your dreams a reality. Sounds pretty big for a tea company, right? <b>It's about more than just tea</b>. Tea is just the tool to make it all possible. How?&nbsp; <br /><br /><b>Simple:</b> In order to achieve your dreams and reach your goals...you have to be able to focus and think clearly, right? You need to start your day properly? <b>That's what CogniTea is designed to do</b>. It's the key that unlocks your potential. Their slogan, which I smoothly borrowed for my <a href="http://www.sothisisfitness.com/2014/02/no-limits-frosty-knuckle-5k-hyannis.html" target="_blank">Hyannis Half Marathon</a> shirt, reads "I Can. I Will.". This tea helps you say it - and <b>mean it. THAT</b> is the idea.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>So How Does It Help You Think/Focus/Achieve?</b></span><br /><br /><b>It's all about the ingredients</b>. <br /><ul><li>Organic &amp; Fair Trade Guayusa Leaf</li><li>Organic &amp; Fair Trade Yerba Mate Leaf</li><li>Organic Peppermint Leaf</li><li>Organic Assam Black Tea Leaf</li><li>Organic Ginkgo Biloba</li><li>Organic Guarana Seed</li><li>Organic Stevia Leaf</li><li>Organic Goji Berries</li><li>Organic Panax Ginseng</li><li>All-Natural L-Theanine</li></ul>Some of those stick out to me right off the bat - I'm very familiar with Yerba Mate, Ginkgo Biloba, Guarana, Stevia, and Ginseng.&nbsp; Yerba Mate, Guarana, Ginseng, and Ginkgo Biloba are all commonly used to help with cognition, memory enhancement and the like. The one that sticks out like a sore thumb in this list, however, is L-Theanine.<br /><br /><b>What the heck is L-Theanine?</b><br /><br /><b>L-Theanine </b>is an amino acid found in green tea. In combination with caffeine and the other ingredients found in CogniTea, it is <b>proven to promote alpha brain waves</b>. What does that mean? Well...basically...<b>It helps your brain work better</b>. That is putting it SUPER simply, but that's pretty much the idea. This tea is literally designed to help you think clearly, focus better,&nbsp;<b> </b>and <u>get stuff done.</u> The combination is scientifically proven. <a href="http://jn.nutrition.org/content/138/8/1572S.long" target="_blank">You can find more details about the study here. </a><br /><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bgg5HI20UxY/Uwy9Gqo6ZPI/AAAAAAAAGig/YJHwDZklR1k/s1600/20140125160414-newintro6.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bgg5HI20UxY/Uwy9Gqo6ZPI/AAAAAAAAGig/YJHwDZklR1k/s1600/20140125160414-newintro6.png" width="400" /></a> </div>Alex researched very thoroughly to come up with this list of ingredients and consulted with tea experts to get the blend <b>just right</b>. What he got was a tea that achieves both his goal of mental clarity and a great taste too.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>What's That, You Say? Tastes Great, You Say?</b></span><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Oyk9ggwBf9c/UwzFe5roGEI/AAAAAAAAGi8/oOCNfZfrSZc/s1600/IMG_20140212_082957.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Oyk9ggwBf9c/UwzFe5roGEI/AAAAAAAAGi8/oOCNfZfrSZc/s1600/IMG_20140212_082957.jpg" width="240" /></a>Why yes, <b>yes it does. </b>I'm sure you noticed in the ingredients list "Peppermint Leaf". I will say,<b> </b>I am usually pretty picky about peppermint. When I like peppermint, I like it on its own - in gum, in mints, that sort of thing. I don't generally like peppermint and chocolate, I don't generally like peppermint ice cream, and <b>I don't do peppermint beverages.</b><br /><br /><b>Then CogniTea happened.</b><br /><b> </b><br />I know, I sound soooo dramatic. Honestly though, this stuff is blowing my mind (no pun intended). I really don't normally do peppermint drinks, and I've tried peppermint tea before - <b>I didn't like it</b>. I enjoy CogniTea. It's got a subtle peppermint flavor that is absolutely NOT overpowering. It's <i>just enough</i>. I happily drink this tea "black" - no milk/cream/lemon/sugar...no NOTHING. Just hot water and the tea. It tastes great on its own, probably due in part to the fact it includes stevia leaf - a natural sweetener. The only other tea I drink is green tea, and that's how I drink my green tea - "black". Honestly, the taste kind of reminds me of a pepperminty green tea. The tea has a gentle peppermint aroma as well. Smelling this tea, and tasting it, you wouldn't think it has the <i>cajones </i>necessary to propel you through your day...<b>but it does.</b><br /><br /><b>How About Re-Steeping? </b>I personally tried re-steeping the same bag and I thought I was able to still get pretty good tea out of the 2nd use. The longer you leave it in, obviously, the less use you get out of the 2nd steeping. I asked Alex what he thinks about re-steeping the same bag, and he sounded like he himself prefers to just leave the bag in his tea while he drinks it - <b>no re-steeping for him. </b>He also hasn't yet done any studies about benefits of the first steeping vs. subsequent steepings, so its probably safe to say you're better off just doing it once. <br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Sourcing &amp; Fair-Trade </b></span><br /><br />I know many people who actually <b>REALLY </b>care about this. <b>What is "Fair Trade"? </b>It's literally just that - fair. Farmers in far-off countries are justly and fairly compensated for the goods they provide instead of being taken advantage of. You can feel good about what you're drinking :). Sourcing is also important to many people - some like to know where it's coming from and some ingredients are apparently superior depending on which country they come from. CogniTea's ingredients come from all over the world. For specific countries for each ingredient I'm sure the company would be happy to answer. <br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">Shut Up And Take My Money! </span></b><br /><br />Unfortunately, right now it's not that simple. CogniTea is not yet available on store shelves. It's not even available for purchase on a website yet. <b>WHY NOT?!</b> CogniTea is still on the ground floor! Right now, as I mentioned waaaaaaay in the beginning, <a href="http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/cognitea-productive-energy-for-mental-clarity-focus" target="_blank">CogniTea is currently in crowdfunding on IndieGoGo! </a><br /><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XtUE_-VBCBs/UwzNwG7EiAI/AAAAAAAAGjM/fBpHYtiWFwY/s1600/IMG_20140225_085151123.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="125" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XtUE_-VBCBs/UwzNwG7EiAI/AAAAAAAAGjM/fBpHYtiWFwY/s1600/IMG_20140225_085151123.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><b><span style="font-size: large;">So How Can I help CogniTea Become A Reality?</span></b><br /><br /><b>You can help by telling everyone you know about CogniTea,</b> how great it is, and maybe <a href="http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/cognitea-productive-energy-for-mental-clarity-focus" target="_blank">by contributing and making a pledge!</a> There are different reward levels on <a href="http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/cognitea-productive-energy-for-mental-clarity-focus" target="_blank">indiegogo</a>, and most reward levels include tea! So, <b>essentially</b>, you can <b>pre-order CogniTea </b>by pledging to their crowdfunding campaign. You can also follow <a href="https://twitter.com/Cognitea" target="_blank">CogniTea on Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Cognitea" target="_blank">"like" them on Facebook</a>. <b>I encourage you to do both</b>. I love the mission and the ideology behind this company, and honestly, I LOVE the tea itself. I'd love to see this hit store shelves so I can go GET IT. Oh, and it's a local, Boston-based company, so I can feel good about helping a neighbor :)<b> Let's help make this a reality, ok?</b><br /><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sNiT1hV8V4w/UwzZ9DuHX9I/AAAAAAAAGjc/Qq6hidNfTyg/s1600/DOG2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="100" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sNiT1hV8V4w/UwzZ9DuHX9I/AAAAAAAAGjc/Qq6hidNfTyg/s1600/DOG2.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />