When it comes to tea, Becky Strauss thinks outside the bag.

The Heidelberg woman is a consultant for Steeped Tea, a Hamilton-based company selling loose tea and accessories.

Tea is the most consumed drink in the world after water. Although coffee is the beverage of choice for most North Americans, tea is gaining in popularity on this continent and specialty teas are the fastest growing sector.

Strauss sings the praises of loose tea, which she says offer higher quality and richer flavour than teabags. She’s been a tea lover since she was a young girl, and selling tea was a natural fit. Strauss learned about Steeped Tea from a friend who had gone to one of their tea parties. First she hosted a tea party of her own, then decided to become a consultant herself.

“It’s new, it’s fun, and I was sure I wasn’t the only one looking for a good cup of tea,” she said.

Steeped Tea was started in 2007 by Tonia and Hatem Jahshan. The company offers more than 60 varieties of loose tea, including white, green and black tea, herbal and fruit teas, rooibos (bush tea) and oolong.

Strauss has tried nearly all 60 of the varieties, and her favourite is Crème Carmello. The rooibos tea has a rich caramel scent and Strauss likens it to “liquid dessert.”

Strauss has been in direct sales for 12 years, selling Tupperware, candles, scrapbooking supplies and now tea. The direct sale model allows her to balance working with being a mom to her three kids.

“It gives me the freedom to stay at home with my kids and work around their schedule as well as mine,” she said.

Since starting in March, Strauss has set up about 18 tea parties at customers’ homes. She said the tea parties are a good way to get together with family and friends, and involve no more work for the host than inviting people and boiling a kettle of water. Strauss advises on which four flavours of tea they should try and takes care of preparing both hot and iced tea.

“You provide the family and friends and I provide the tea and the teapots and all the accessories,” she said.

Along with sachets of tea, Steeped Tea sells teapots, cozies, presses, spoons, infusers, candles and soap. For dedicated coffee drinkers who need their fix of java, the company has added two flavours of organic, fair trade coffee from Guatemala.

Strauss herself enjoys a cup of coffee first thing in the morning and then switches to tea. Later in the day, she drinks herbal and other decaffeinated teas.

For more information, Strauss can be reached at 519-699-5652, or by e-mailing beckythetealady@sympatico.ca.