With the onset of a cold October this autumn, we are slowly approaching the festive season. On the not so bright side, the continued Covid-19 spikes could mean spending this winter in lockdown. While reading news on Covid 19, Denmark popped up as one of the countries that have weathered the Covid-19 pandemic with a relatively low rate of infection and death. While looking deeper into it, I came across a very interesting fact that their “hygge lifestyle”, an integral part of Danish cultural identity, has greatly benefitted them in managing the pandemic.
Mike Wiking, the CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen wrote a book called “The Little Book of Hygge”.
After years of studying the Danish people’s habits, Mike explains that it is hygge that makes the Danes some of the happiest people in the world, despite the cold and dark winters.
Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. As a participant in the Amazon Associate Program, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means If you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own.
When it comes to measuring happiness and the world happiness index, they have consistently ranked in the top 3 happiest counties in the world.
Hygge encompasses a lifestyle that revolves around the idea of attaining contentment through the enjoyment of the simple things in life.
The hygge lifestyle can be as simple as staying in their warm cozy homes and enjoying “hyggelige moments” – the simple things that life has to offer, such as sharing comfort food with family.
Furthermore, winter in Denmark can come with up to 17 hours of darkness. Given that most of these days are spent in darkness, this can be hard to bear for many. That paired with spending prolonged periods at home can cause anxiety and depression.
Living in lockdown this year has felt very similar to a Danish winter. Looking back at this lengthy period hardly brings back good memories, and many are likely feeling depression, anxiety and stress. While this past winter Covid-19 caught us unprepared, the anxiety and stress that came from a financial burden pushed many to the brink of despair.
However, we’ve had the time to reflect and adjust our lifestyles to suit the new normal.
Considering that there are many similarities between Denmark’s cold season and the Covid-19 lockdown, there are quite a few happiness habits we can adopt from the Danes to help us weather another winter lockdown.
Since most of their time is spent indoors, in order to maintain positivity, the Danes had to create an environment that stimulates happiness indoors. That is how “hygge” was born.
This winter we can do some things differently, by consciously choosing to relax, enjoy, and care about ourselves from the coziness of our homes. I believe there is no better way to achieve this than by introducing hygge, the Danish concept of happiness into our lives to beat the quarantine blues.
What Exactly Is Hygge Lifestyle?
Pronounced “Hoo-ga”, Hygge is a lifestyle concept that loosely translates as a sense of comfort, togetherness, and well-being. It is the pursuit of everyday happiness by finding enjoyment in the simple pleasures of life.
Hygge can be associated with variety of things as long as this sentiment is present.
It is creating cozy atmosphere at home by introducing bright colors, candles, lights and blankets;
Enjoying a cup of hot chocolate and reading a book while cuddled up on a cozy nook during the crispy dark mornings;
Hygge can be as simple as spending quality time with friends and family.
By indulging in coziness at home and enjoying comfort food with people you care about, you consciously choose to give yourself a break from the demands of everyday life as well as the stress that comes with it.
Though hygge originated out of the need to make the cold and dark Danish winters slightly more bearable, it can be practiced by people from by anyone all year round.
Hygge is all about being present in the moment and practicing mindfulness. It is a holistic way of living that engages our senses deeply and makes everyday moments more enjoyable.
Simple Ways to Add Hygge to Your Lifestyle to Beat the Quarantine Blues
Slow Down. No Multitasking. Be Grateful
Hygge is about being present in the moment and enjoying it. That’s all it matters. It is the absence of all pretense and worry. Forget about your worries, work, and tasks you haven’t completed. Minimize distractions such as checking email, social media, and try to enjoy life even just for a moment.
Take time to appreciate the good things in your life. Hygge is about expressing gratitude. So taking a moment to reflect and write a gratitude journal is a great place to start practicing hygge.
Cozy Up Your Home by Creating a Hyggelig Environment
We spend most of our time at home, so making it more comfortable is an essential part of the hygge lifestyle. The hygge home décor style is a very distinct one. Encompassing the Danish way of life, it creates a simple, peaceful space free of clutter.
It borders mainly around warm textures: cream, brown and light gray tones.
The main idea behind the hygge décor is to create a cozy living space that would help us feel less anxious and promote a sense of emotional well-being.
Make your home more inviting by decorating it with neutral tone objects: rugs, pillows, soft fluffy blankets, etc. Add candles, lamps or twinkle lights rather than using bright, fluorescent lights.
The Hygge Nook: Your Escape Through the Day
Hygge doesn’t require you to remodel the whole home and can be done even on a shoestring budget. You can simply choose the corner of a sofa, a comfy chair or the window seat of your room and transform it into a cozy hygge nook. Make it comfy by putting some soft throw blankets, cushions, lamps, and flickering lights. Curl up and enjoy your favorite book with a cup of hot chocolate.
Bring Greenery Indoors
The Danes are nature-loving people. Regardless of whether you have a garden or not, you can recreate natural scenery by bring green plants or artificial ones to your home. Ferns, spider plants, potted moss, weeping figs and snake plants are a great choice.
Wear Comfy Clothing
To feel the most hyggelig during the winter, it’s recommended that you get your favorite socks, woolen socks, sweaters, and leggings. Do not feel ashamed for getting into your worn-out loungewear, as long as you wear clothes that make you feel comfortable, but you wouldn’t wear them outside. If you still keep your grandma-knitted sweater, that is the hygge lifestyle.
Comfort Food: Indulge Your Guilty Pleasures
Most people strive to eat healthy and maintain weight, though there are times when this creates added stress in our lives. Sometimes we feel the need to unwind and indulge our favorite eats, without feeling guilty about it.
It’s been a stressful year. While we wouldn’t encourage you to overdo it, adopting a hygge lifestyle means occasionally enjoying the foods that are “bad for you”. As the philosophy goes, “You only get one life.”
Hygge takes that thought and says “So you better enjoy some things once in a while.”
Candy, cakes, pastries, and all manner of savory, indulgent comfort foods are fair game so long as you’re taking care of yourself otherwise.
We could all use a little more hygge in these fear-filled days, and there’s nothing more hygge than a good old-fashioned hobby.
There’s some art or craft that you’ve always wanted to do, or that you always did. It’s likely you didn’t have much time for it when you were frantically running about managing life and occupation. Like it or not, you have time to pick it up.
Also, hobbies encourage hygge and are an important part of the hygge lifestyle.
Now during the pandemic, there’s nothing more hygge than a good old-fashioned hobby. Be it knitting, baking, gardening, making clothes, or painting décor for the house. Now is perfect to indulge your creativity and rekindle your fascination with your hobbies.
Hygge is all about bringing people together. Playing board games helps to encourage friends and family to share their stories and bond over discussions of the big and small things in life. That is a great way to bring hygge to your life.
Alternatively, the book suggests Netflix and chill. Cuddling up with loved ones on a soft sofa while watching a movie and sharing a bowl of popcorn is very hygge. Also, it is a great way to spend quality time with people you care about and unplug from social media.
Hygge Lifestyle: Final Word
The good thing about the hygge lifestyle is that it is simple and affordable even if you are on a shoestring budget. Hygge is not about the things we buy. Rather it’s striving to feel the hygge in your life.
Even though hygge seems simple, it doesn’t mean you have to part your favorite things.
Even though it originated out of the need for Danish people to keep positive during long and dark winters, hygge can be practiced throughout all seasons.
Hong Kong Milk Tea is one of the most popular drinks in Hong Kong (HK) and can literally be found on every block. It is made of strong black tea with the addition of evaporated and condensed milk. The condensed milk adds a dash of sweetness and makes it all the more palatable even for those who don’t like drinking tea straight. It can be consumed hot or cold during every season.
Hong Kong milk tea is a great choice for breakfast due to its high content of caffeine. It can also be enjoyed as an afternoon tea, as it is a great mood enhancer. Especially if you are taking an afternoon break after a moody day in the office.
I first tried the Hong Kong milk tea on one of my visits to HK. It has since become an item on my itinerary each time I visit HK. But one day while I was looking for a place to spend an afternoon here in Beijing, I came across a Singaporean place that was offering a great afternoon tea deal.
“What could be more mouthwatering than HK milk tea paired with black sugar egg tarts?”, I thought. Surprisingly, the flavor was exactly the same I was used to getting in HK. It never occurred to me before that I could make this drink at home. In this way, I could enjoy it more frequently while waiting for my next trip to HK.
Where the East Meets West: The Origins of HK Milk Tea
Milk is not typically part of the Chinese cuisine, in fact, a big amount of the population is lactose intolerant. While Chinese tea is drunk straight, and the idea of milk tea arose only in HK.
The origins of its creation can be traced back to when HK used to be a British colony. The British soldiers being used to drinking black tea with a dash of milk at home wanted to recreate this habit in HK.
Which Tea Should You Use?
Though most of the black tea varieties originate from China, authentic flavored HK milk tea uses Ceylon tea, which is sourced from Sri Lanka, packaged, and sold in tea bags. By the time the British arrived in Hong Kong they had already developed a preference for Indian varieties of tea and brought them along as the Empire expanded.
Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. As a participant in the Amazon Associate Program, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means If you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own.
Like adding milk to tea, using tea bags is not inherent to the Chinese tradition. Tea bags are generally frowned upon in Chinese tea culture. Chinese tea culture looks at tea brands such as Lipton in the same manner that a seasoned sommelier looks at boxed wine.
Tea enthusiasts in China pick and consume the whole tea leaves. They are both high quality and very expensive. Even Chinese black tea is made using the whole leaf. These are oxidized forms of the green varieties.
How Do You Make an Authentic Hong Kong Style Milk Tea?
Preparing HK milk tea isn’t complicated. Though it requires few more steps than just soaking a Lipton black tea bag into hot water and adding milk to it. You could certainly try, but even if you add evaporated milk, the flavor would be far from authentic.
The secret behind its amazing, rich flavor lies in the robust brew of the black tea leaves. For this purpose, good quality Ceylon tea leaves should be used.
In order to extract the maximum flavor from the tea leaves, fine brewers tend to boil the tea in hot water for about 10 – 15 mins. Then they use a cloth strainer and pour the boiled tea through it multiple times in order to extract the maximum, robust flavor.
Finally, they add evaporated milk to the tea at a ratio of 3:1 (tea to evaporated milk).
“Black and White” is the most common evaporated milk brand in Hong Kong.
After adding the evaporated milk, you should keep stirring for about 30 seconds in order to get it to blend with the strong tea. During the process, you should be using hot tea, so as to make the milk blend well with the tea. Evaporated milk doesn’t blend in well when the tea is cold.
If you don’t like it sweet, then your HK milk tea is ready to be served. However, to get the extra creaminess to its taste and rich flavor, the locals add a dash of condensed milk to it. It is supposed to make the flavor even smoother.
The final look is a brown-caramel color with a consistency that is creamy and thicker than regular tea. You can serve it hot or cool, just by adding ice cubes to it.
Another popular variety is the bubble tea.
By adding tapioca pearls to it, you get bubble tea. Tapioca bubbles are usually made of tapioca starch and come in white. But if you’d like to get the popular look for the bubble HK milk tea, you should use black bubbles. Find out how to make your own home-made black tapioca bubbles.
I believe the pandemic has brought a lifestyle change for everyone. On the bright side, people have been exploring more meaningful ways of spending time with themselves, such as finding new hobbies to try from home. With an increased amount of time spent at home and the anxiety it brings, trying new hobbies during a pandemic has multiple benefits. It helps to relieve stress, eradicate boredom, learn something new, and is a means to connect with like-minded people even in times of social distancing.
In my opinion, the pandemic presents us with an opportunity to learn something new, enrich our lives, and be more productive by trying new hobbies.
From yoga to exploring virtual reality, to cooking or starting a blog, after 9 months of pandemic I’ve realized that this has been one of the most productive times of my life.
The hobbies I recommend trying in this post are the hobbies I’ve personally tried from the four walls of my home during the pandemic. I feel they have enriched my life and broadened my horizons even at times when the whole world seemed to stop.
Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. As a participant in the Amazon Associate Program, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means If you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own.
Learn From the Best With Masterclass
One of the first hobbies I tried at the onset of the pandemic that seemed perfect to do at home was to learn new skills on Masterclass.
Masterclass is an online educational platform that provides pre-recorded tutorials. It is done by experts in various fields such as culinary arts, photography, business, design, science, and technology, etc. These world-renowned personalities teach skills by sharing their stories and demonstrating their experiences in their respective fields.
You can perfect your culinary skills with Gordon Ramsey, master the art of makeup with Bobbie Brown, explore writing with Margaret Atwood, take up photography with Annie Leibovitz, or explore science with Neil deGrasse Tyson. Masterclass has a lot to offer to satisfy everyone’s curiosity.
Each Masterclass is about few hours and is recorded in short episodes of 10-15 minutes. The classes are typically not interactive; Though each session comes with PDF transcripts as well as exercise workbooks and assignments.
Masterclass is regularly updated with new courses. Currently, it costs $180 USD for an All-Access Pass in the form of an annual subscription, and you can get a 7-day free trial.
I personally watched and recommend Gordon Ramsey’s course for anyone who’d like to try cooking as a new hobby to try from home. It’s okay, he doesn’t scream at you once.
Stretch Into a New Hobby With Yoga
I’ve always wanted to try yoga, but somehow never had the opportunity for it. Trying an online yoga course seemed to be a great choice for a new hobby that I can do from home during the pandemic at my own pace.
Furthermore, yoga seemed to have a very positive effect on relieving stress, anxiety, and back pain caused by long hours of sitting at home.
What is Yoga?
There are many styles of yoga. Some take on a more meditative form, while others are more physically intense. Hatha Yoga is a great starting point for beginners that provides a good home workout. What all the yoga forms have in common is a tendency to focus on breathing. Challenging the body physically appropriated by a synchronized, mindful breathing is the key to achieving physical and spiritual strength and stamina. All this without the exhaustion that comes with exercising in the gym.
Comprehensive yoga practice can be equivalent to a workout in the gym. It focuses on muscular strength, physical endurance, cardiovascular flexibility, as well as weight loss.
Consistent yoga practice offers many health benefits: some of which are improved body strength, mental focus and clarity, stress and anxiety relief, weight loss, and minimizing the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
While searching for hobbies I can do at home during lockdown, I stumbled upon the “Yoga International” community. They offer a free month, which is enough to see if yoga is for you and if you are going to be persistent with it. At Yoga International they have many qualified yoga instructors who offer different styles of yoga classes, courses, programs, and articles.
What I like about this platform, and what is so helpful for yoga beginners, is that each time you are ready to start your practice you have the option to use filters that help refine your search.
Whether your goal is to relax, relieve muscle pain, build strength and stamina, calm down from anxiety and stress, improve mental clarity, or simply sleep better, you will be able to find the most appropriate yoga class in accordance with your level of experience, goals, and mood.
For example, you can choose from the most popular yoga styles: Hatha Yoga, Ashtanga, Acro Yoga, Guided Meditation, Breathing exercises, Yoga practice, etc. They include several levels: Beginner, Level 1,2 and 3, the option to choose an instructor, props as well as which body part you’d like to focus at a time. One of my friends wrote a comprehensive post on the positive impact yoga can have on your health.
After practicing yoga for about half a year, I am so glad I took up this hobby at the early onset of the pandemic. Not only is it helpful with building body strength, but it is also very effective in channeling stress and anxiety during these uncertain times. If you are also thinking of taking yoga as a hobby you can do from home, get your free month and see if you like it.
Photography
Photography has always been on my hobby bucket list. The thought of mastering the lighting parameters such as ISO, aperture, shutter speed always sounded a bit daunting to me. Though I thought I had found a shortcut when I got the new iPhone 11 which came with 3 cameras.
I took many photos that looked great on the phone. When I transferred them to my laptop and started photo editing, they just didn’t look as good. Professional cameras can be costly, but the investment is totally worth it. IPhone can’t replace the effect of the professional camera yet.
Mastering photography is the perfect hobby to try at home during the pandemic. There are so many resources available online for those who’d like to learn photography. The lengthy time in lockdown seemed to be the right moment to sit down and address some of the technical challenges that amateurs face.
Even if you’ve taken a lot of courses, watched videos, read books on photography, nothing will happen without practice. The pandemic and social distancing have led people to try out many new things at home. For example food & cocktail recipes, which can be a great opportunity to practice and perfect your photo shooting.
However, if you are still worried about the technicalities of using a professional camera and the time it takes to master them, there are quite a few easy options to make your photos look crystal sharp even though you’ve been taking them in the “auto mode”.
If you are taking indoor shoots, one thing that can immensely increase the quality of your photos is the lighting. Investing in an LED light bright/neon equipment, together with photography backgrounds and props can really make your photos stand out and look professional even though you’ve taken them in auto mode.
Another hurdle when it comes to photography is the post-editing process. It requires familiarity with photo editing software such as Photoshop. Fortunately, there are ways to edit your photos without it. You could buy photo presets on Etsy, which are essentially filters you can apply over your photos. They come in a package for numerous occasions: autumn, selfies, city, beach, winter, summer, and other tones. Also, the presets are available for both mobile and desktop.
Explore New Worlds in Virtual Reality
You may be stuck at home, but ours and other worlds can easily be made accessible through the miracle of modern technology. Virtual Reality is quite an investment. First, you’ll need a VR capable PC, and then of course you’ll need to purchase the VR set itself. However, if you are open to splurge on the expense, VR is an amazing way to get over those lock-down blues.
Unlike conventional gaming, VR has something to offer almost everyone. There are games of course, but there are also fitness apps, tools for meditation, creative software, educational experiences, and programs to simulate everything from a quiet walk in the woods to a day at the amusement park. Given its ability to make you think you’re anywhere but your own living room, Virtual Reality is an albeit expensive but great hobby to take up during the pandemic.
When purchasing any technology, it is always considered wise to invest as much as you can up front to ensure that your investment lasts for as long as possible.
Right now, the top of the line looks to be the Valve Index 2. It boasts the unique ability to detect your exact finger position on the controllers and reflect it in game. The Index set admittedly comes with a hefty price tag. The good news is that people wanting to get into the hobby have several less pricey options that would work great as an introductory set. These include older models from Occulus such as the original Rift set and the Vive line from HTC.
Regardless of which set you go with, VR is a unique hobby that makes being stuck at home slightly more bearable. It’s in its early stages, but the future of VR and its potential practical applications are too important and exciting to ignore.
Start Blogging
I started my blog during lockdown. At the time I treated it as a hobby to try at home as I had so much free time. As time passed, I realized that blogging has a bit of a learning curve. After learning how blogging works and making some small investments that helped increase productivity, I think I’ve managed to turn my blogging hobby into a business idea.
After just a few months of blogging, I’ve even earned a few commissions from affiliate links. Though this amount is not enough for me to retire yet, the possibility of how far I could take this quarantine hobby has motivated me to stick with it.
Starting a blog can literally be a 5-minute process. It is as simple as securing a domain name for your blog and choosing a web hosting service. That’s all it takes! Now you are ready to start writing your first post.
For better, quicker results, however, there are some other resources that I personally use and recommend for new bloggers. They can make your blog look awesome and help you monetize quickly.
Let me give you a short overview of what you might need when you are first starting off with blogging. Again, you won’t be needing these if you are just trying blogging and treat it as a hobby during pandemic.
The Divi Theme
To avoid looking like an amateur blogger, do not go with the free default WordPress theme. There are many paid themes available on the market. They come with opportunities for customization that will make your website look professional. I personally use and recommend the Divi theme. It comes with many options and it’s easy to customize even if you are a beginner. I managed to launch a website without contacting support once.
Web Legal Policies
In order to protect yourself from unwanted lawsuits, legal policies for your website are a must. This is self-descriptive, and you might start off with the free legal policies, though you will always be at risk. Especially when you join affiliate programs in order to monetize your blog.
Yoast SEO
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is super important in order for Google to display your content to the right audience. As a beginner, you probably won’t be very familiar with SEO, and neither was I. The Yoast plugin directs you through all the necessary steps. It is easy to follow even if you are a beginner. There is a free version as well as a premium one that comes with added benefits.
Canva
Images are crucial for blogging. They help to break the wall of text and capture readers’ attention more effectively than text does. If you aren’t a photographer or designer, then Canva is the right tool for you. It offers a lot of great images. Also it provides you with easy to customize templates for all kinds of social media posts. It takes away the technical challenges of Photoshop. It is easy to use and helps save time. Try Canva for free.
Pinterest Course
After you’ve found your niche and set up your blog, the ongoing challenge for bloggers is blog promotion. We’ve found out that Pinterest is the go-to platform for new blog promotion. It is simple to use, though you’d want to take a Pinterest course and familiarize yourself with the journey.
Pinterest operates with pins that get saved to boards. You can design them quickly and easily with Canva. Then you can use Tailwind, a pin scheduler tool that will save you a lot of time.
To enable your readers to easily share your pins to Pinterest, you might also need a Pinterest share button plugin.
Also, check this additional list of tools to help you make the most out of your blog. If you’d like to read more about how to start a blog, check out this tutorial.
Start an Online Business
If you’ve been blogging for some time but have felt discouraged by how long it takes before you monetize your blog, then Amazon FBA is a great way to sell your own products and start earning quickly even if you have no prior experience in ecommerce.
If you’ve already started gaining a steady number of monthly views but you haven’t reached the 50K views required to be accepted by the ad agencies in order to display ads on your blog, you could direct your existing audience towards your products on Amazon. On the other hand, we all know that monetizing your blog means having numerous ads across your blog posts. This might annoy or even alienate your readers.
Amazon FBA works perfectly if you’ve decided on your niche and have created content around it.
The difference is, instead of selling other people’s products and earning a small commission, you would be selling your own and earning much more than just a commission.
Learning to navigate Amazon FBA became one of the hobbies I tried from home since the onset of the pandemic. While in lockdown, I actually took an Amazon FBA course and learned about the process. From researching product ideas, getting your product made in China, to shipping and selling it on Amazon, there is a bit of a learning curve there. There are some useful tools available to help your Amazon FBA journey, such as Helium 10. They offer a very comprehensive Amazon FBA course when you sign up. The course explains all the steps in detail. Also, there is a huge community of Amazon sellers to ask for help.
Amazon FBA doesn’t require a huge upfront investment to start. Also, you don’t need to worry about the real estate and logistics of it. Amazon stores your product in their warehouses across the world and delivers it for you. All you have to do is find a product that your audience needs or wants to buy. Amazon FBA has great potential and you can scale it globally.
As the pandemic forced many stores into closure, eCommerce platforms have played a very important role in the attempt to meet the rising customers’ demand during the lockdown.
We all know that Amazon has been one of the most profitable businesses globally during the pandemic.
So, learning to navigate Amazon FBA and the world of eCommerce as a hobby during the pandemic might be a great opportunity.
I live in China and speak Chinese so sourcing a product from China is familiar territory for me. Even if you don’t, I can assure you this is not a problem. Most of the factories have English speaking staff. My husband is a designer and since we plan to focus on the home décor niche, we chose to start with literary-themed drink coasters as our first product. They also make a great gift for booklovers. Look how they turned out:
Learn a Foreign Language
Whether you speak only one language or many languages, it’s never too late to add one more language to your list. When it comes to choosing a language, asking yourself what your future goals are might help to make that decision. If you plan to visit a new country, find new work opportunities, or if you are a digital nomad and would like to spend a longer period of time in a new country, you might find learning new language quite beneficial.
Learning a new language requires time and effort. I thought this might be a new hobby that I can do from home during the pandemic.
The online platform Duolingo offers daily courses in most of the major world languages. They claim that 34 hours of DUOLINGO equals one semester of university language instruction.
You can do it at your own pace, starting from 5-20 minutes a day, no matter where you are.
I decided to try German. Since I already speak Chinese, I figured I should be able to learn German easily.
Having ESL experience myself, I know that focusing on listening can be very beneficial for second/foreign language acquisition. So, I chose study materials that included an audio version of the text files. I didn’t push myself too hard at the beginning to remember everything from the lesson. Just by spending time listening, I noticed that I’ve started to develop some sense for this difficult language. Now I am ready to dive into the complex German grammar. Also, I’ve been thinking to get myself a one to one teacher to help me shorten this journey.
Maintaining Wellness During Pandemic
The onset of a global pandemic brought to light the importance of self-care and strengthening our immune system. Maintaining wellness simply means building healthier habits around nutrition, physical exercise, our mental health as well as social contact.
I am not a health expert but since I got to China, I became very curious about green tea and its health benefits. We know that green tea contains antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and chlorophyll, which are the key factors to its multiple health benefits.
Though I knew that there are many varieties of green tea, I’ve always stuck with my favorites. During this time in lockdown, I decided to get and try its other varieties. The beauty of green tea is that there are so many different kinds, that you never get bored. So drinking green tea is a great hobby for the pandemic.
I kept drinking green tea throughout lockdown and I found not only did it help me maintain weight without too much exercise, but due to its calming effect I found it very beneficial in helping reduce stress and anxiety, especially during these times of uncertainty.
My curiosity about green tea led me to try and brew my own kombucha at home. Kombucha is essentially a fermented tea; it comes with all the health benefits of green tea with added probiotic qualities. Also, it has a refreshing taste; it is an interesting hobby that you can do from home, enjoy and share with friends.
Green tea also comes in powder, known as matcha. Due to the special method, it is harvested, matcha is packed with antioxidants, catechins as well as amino acids that prevent cell damage, neutralize chemicals in the body, and have a calming effect on the mind and body.
Matcha which is essentially green tea leaves in powder gives the same benefits but offers a lot more room for experimenting. You can make matcha smoothies, cookies, puddings and many other things.
Bring the World to Your Kitchen by Learning to Cook
If you’re still reluctant to go out to eat, now is the perfect opportunity to learn how to cook something interesting. You may not be able to travel to a foreign country at the moment, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t bring that country into your kitchen.
For our house the cuisine was Indian. My husband is English-American and inherited that characteristic British craving for a “proper curry”. Lacking options for decent Indian food where we live, he took it upon himself to do the research and gather up the necessary ingredients to sate his appetite.
Living in the internet age has its benefits, and it wasn’t long before he had gathered the necessary recipes and ingredients. Before long he had mastered several dishes, which are now a mainstay in our household. It doesn’t hurt that the Indian diet comes with a litany of health benefits as well given its penchant for spices and vegetarian dishes.
Whatever cuisine it is that you and your family crave, it is likely that save for a handful of unique (but easily substituted) ingredients, everything you need to cook your favorite foods can be found online or at your local food market.
The lengthy lockdown has challenged us to cook varieties of food in order to maintain nutrition and avoid eating fast food.
I thought this was a perfect chance to learn how to cook my favorite dishes from the world’s cuisines at home: Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Korean, Indian, Mexican, Italian, etc.
In fact, I’ve come to realize that tasting different food makes me really happy. Also it is one way to enjoy life in its varieties. Knowing how to cook dishes outside your country’s cuisine can make dinners more exciting. It helps to maintain health and develop more diverse palettes.
Cooking is a wonderful skill that brings people together. It’s not just a hobby for the pandemic, it’s a hobby for life. Being locked in is the perfect time to brush up on these skills and learn something new.
Learn to Mix Drinks and Start a Bar in Your Living Room
2020 has ruined our plans. While in lockdown, you may be tempted to pass away the hours by drinking yourself into oblivion. However, if you’re set upon the goal or just want a little reprieve through a tipple, we suggest you at least do it in style.
Now is the perfect time to learn how to make your favorite cocktails and even discover some new ones. Who knows, you may even find something to pair with all those new and exciting dishes you’ve been learning.
You don’t need a full bar to become a cocktail master. In fact, you might be surprised how many drinks only require one or two liquors to make. Mixing drinks is all about understanding the flavors of what is going into the beverage and what ratio is required to make everything come out perfect. Once you get a feel for it learning how to make a new drink becomes simple.
It’s a great new hobby to start practicing at home during the pandemic. This may even net you a job after everything blows over.
If you’re just starting out, there are plenty of great books online that will guide you through the art of the cocktail. Some even dedicate themselves to themes such as three ingredients, one specific type of alcohol, or even book pairings! Regardless of where you start, being able to craft a well-mixed drink is an essential skill for social gatherings, or showing hospitality at home.
Final Word:
I live in China. Even though life here seems to be getting back to normal, the new normal is far from over. Most of the quarantine habits such as social distancing and working from home still remain in place. So do my hobbies.
Unfortunately, we might need to spend the following winter at home too. So if you haven’t found any hobbies to try from home during the pandemic, it’s still not late.
In one of my previous posts about green tea, I wrote that after tasting green tea for the first time I felt like I’d discovered my elixir of life. Since then my fascination with exploring green tea in all its shapes and forms hasn’t ceased. I’ve been constantly tasting different green tea varieties; I also experimented a bit with fermenting green/black tea to make my own kombucha; After that, I discovered the powdered green tea variety – matcha, and started using it in literary everything: from matcha smoothie bowls to lattes, cookies, puddings.
I first tried a matcha latte in Starbucks, but the amount of sugar they put into it made me look for homemade options. After I followed that impulse, I started to really enjoy matcha. The fact that I live in China and speak Chinese made it convenient to reach out to the local suppliers of organic matcha. There happened to be a place called “Matcha Village” in one of the major tea growing regions.
Now that I have so much matcha green tea powder at home, I can further my matcha experiments. A matcha smoothie bowl in the morning has recently become one of my favorite breakfasts. It’s quick and easy to make, full of nutrients, and keeps energy levels high.
But First, What is Matcha?
Matcha is also one of the members of the big green tea family. Like green tea, matcha is also derived from the plant Camellia sinensis. The tea that is intended to become matcha is protected from direct sunlight. In this way, the tea leaves produce more chlorophyll which results in dark green tea leaves with a higher content of amino acids than normal leaves.
The biggest difference between matcha and green tea is in the way the tea leaves are used.
We make green tea by infusing the tea leaves in warm water and removing them before drinking the tea. While matcha, on the other hand, is derived from entire tea leaves. Upon harvest, their stems and veins are removed, and finally stone-ground into a fine green powder known as matcha. In this way, the benefits of drinking matcha outnumber those of drinking green tea as we consume the whole leaf.
Matcha Smoothie Bowl and Nutrition
You might not be a fan of the green tea flavor, and there aren’t that many options for mixing green tea with other ingredients in order to make it more palatable. However, matcha which is essentially powdered green tea leaves, gives the same benefits but offers a lot more room for experimenting. You can make matcha smoothies, cookies, puddings, and what not.
A matcha smoothie bowl is a great way to start your day. You can use your favorite fruits, nuts, and seeds of your choice. Mixing in matcha powder makes your breakfast healthier and more nutritious. By choosing sweeter fruits as a base for your smoothie, such as banana or mango, you are offsetting the savory, earthy matcha flavor. A matcha smoothie bowl is very quick and easy to make; it only takes about five minutes.
How to Make a Matcha Smoothie Bowl: The Recipe
This is a recipe for a quick, nutritious smoothie bowl made of fresh fruits, avocado, and matcha green tea powder, sweetened with honey or maple syrup.
Prep time: 5 minutes
Servings: 1 – 2
Recommended Course: Breakfast Smoothie, Snack
Cuisine: Gluten Free, Vegetarian
Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. As a participant in the Amazon Associate Program, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means If you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own.
What Goes into Matcha Smoothie Bowl
Ingredients:
For the Smoothie Bowl
1 peeled, sliced banana (you can freeze the banana to make the smoothie colder)
1. Slice the banana, avocado, mango, then put them in the blender together with the baby spinach.
2. Use ½ cup of almond milk at first, then add more if you need to adjust for density
3. Add 1-2 tbs of matcha. Remember, matcha contains caffeine, so 2 tbs might be great in a breakfast smoothie, but 2 tbs might deprive you of sleep if you are making an afternoon snack. Use it accordingly.
4. Blend until creamy and smooth. Taste and adjust flavor and density as needed. If you want it sweeter, add a dash of honey or maple syrup. If you like it more fluid add the rest of the almond milk.
5. Divide between two serving bowls. I like to use coconut bowls, as they are eco-friendly.
6. Decorate your matcha smoothie bowl with your favorite toppings. I went with the fresh fruits I had in my fridge, granola, chia seeds, pine nuts, and pecans.
7. Best served while fresh.
I use coconut bowls for my smoothies, simply because they are completely natural, eco-friendly, BPA, and toxin-free. By using coconut bowls at home you save millions of coconut shells being wasted each year.
How to Make Matcha Granola In 30 mins
Do you like granola? I never did until I made my own. Whenever I tried the usual suspects in the supermarkets, they were either too dry, the fruit tasted off or some of them were simply too sugary.
People often have most of the ingredients for making granola at home. All it takes is a combination of whatever ingredients are left at home, a bowl to mix them, and a spreadsheet for baking. Trust me, making your own granola is much tastier than the store-bought. Granola is the perfect breakfast when you are in a hurry for work or want to snack in between meals.
If you decided to try this matcha smoothie bowl recipe, let me know below in the comment section. I’d love to know what you came up with. If you took photos, I’d love to see them. Tag me on Pinterest or Instagram @thehobbithold
Kombucha tea is a fermented drink considered healthy and very beneficial to health. What makes kombucha so exotic is the SCOBY, which stands for “symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast”. When added to black tea and sugar the SCOBY causes the mixture to ferment within 7-10 days. The fermented tea is rich in B vitamins, antioxidants, and probiotics which is why it is considered beneficial to health.
The Science Behind Kombucha Fermentation
The SCOBY is the sum total of the science behind the kombucha fermentation process. Rubbery like and round in shape, together with a starter kombucha tea from a previous batch, they act essentially as an ecosystem of microbes. The SCOBY contains yeast whose role is breaking down sugars from the black tea mixture and release probiotic bacteria. After fermentation, the kombucha tea becomes a carbonated, fizzy cocktail. Other chemical components Kombucha contains are sugars, tea polyphenols, fiber, amino acids, vitamins, etc.
This is What Happens When You Drink It
Nothing….
There are a lot of claims towards the health benefits of drinking kombucha tea. While there have been some studies on the matter, there isn’t enough scientific evidence currently available to support or refute all of them. However, this is not a reason to dismiss it. Kombucha tea has a very refreshing taste and making it at home is a very interesting hobby.
Health Benefits of Kombucha
Kombucha’s popularity owes to its probiotic properties which are claimed to be beneficial to health. Some of the claimed benefits to health include: 1
Source of probiotic lactic-acid bacteria
It contributes to the improvement of liver and gastrointestinal functions.
Source of antioxidants
The fact that it’s largely made of tea and contains similar compounds allows kombucha tea to inherit all its health benefits.
Anti-inflammatory potential
A high acetic acid content, which may act as an antibiotic against some potentially pathogenic bacterial species.
The reduction of cholesterol levels and blood pressure
Potentially lowers low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels, the “bad” cholesterol often connected to heart attacks.
Stabilize blood sugar in diabetics
Slows the digestion of carbs, which may help prevent insulin spikes in diabetics.
Improves the immune system, skin, har, nails
Contains B vitamins and other compounds.
Reduction of cancer propagation.
How to Make Kombucha: The Beginners’ Guide to Brewing Kombucha
Despite what the scientific findings about kombucha might be, the process of making it is a very interesting one. If your reason for drinking kombucha is not purely the pursuit of evidence to its proclaimed health benefits, you might find making kombucha a very enjoyable hobby.
From getting the necessary brewing equipment, picking the right kind of tea, learning to grow your own SCOBY, and experimenting with flavoring your kombucha drink, brewing kombucha can be quite an involving process. There is a bit of a learning curve to get all these steps right. But once you get there, you won’t be disappointed by its refreshing taste, and the joy you get from sharing it with family and friends is limitless.
Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. As a participant in the Amazon Associate Program, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means If you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own.
Necessary Precautions Before You Start Brewing Kombucha:
Clean Tools
Before you start the brewing process, it is essentially important to be using clean tools. Also, it is a good idea to disinfect your hands prior to handling the SCOBY. If any bacteria finds its way into the mixture, it might react with the SCOBY, which might kill it in the process or even bring about other problems.
Glass jars are recommended over metal and plastic for the same reason. For example, chemicals from ceramic or lead-containing vessels could contaminate your kombucha, which is why this drink should only be stored and prepared in glass containers. Also, the bacteria in the SCOBY can feed on non-glass containers, which can poison your kombucha. So, remember, “clean” is the number one requirement for success when it comes to kombucha brewing.
Clean Water
Use clean, purified water, devoid of chlorine.
Use Proper Sugar, Don’t Cheat
When brewing kombucha for the first time, you might think that a lot of sugar goes into it and try to find ways to cut corners by cutting down on the amount of sugar or even using other kind of sweeteners. I thought this myself when I started. I used less sugar than the recipe said and ended up starving the SCOBY in the process. Both the mother and the baby were so thin by the end of the fermentation that I had to get a new one for the next batch.
I had to learn at the expense of my first batch that SCOBY must be fed properly, and that starving it is not a good idea. Since most of the sugars are used to feed the SCOBY and throughout the process the sugars get broken into alcohol so the brewed kombucha drink is not sweet at all.
Artificial sweeteners or honey won’t work, but organic brown cane sugar is a good substitute.
Black Tea or Green Tea
As far as tea goes, for your first kombucha batch, it is recommended to use black tea. This is simply because black tea contains more caffeine and more of the necessary enzymes for the SCOBY to feed on. You could also add green tea, though keep the ratio to about 80% black tea 20% green tea. I usually mix in a bag of loose leaf Oolong tea, which has a dominant flavor and works well when mixed with black tea.
Only after the SCOBY becomes thick enough green tea can be used on its own.
The SCOBY
If you have a friend to give you a SCOBY for your first batch, or if you have the opportunity to buy one then you are ready to start brewing immediately.
If you don’t, then growing your own SCOBY by buying a bottle of regular kombucha is a great option too. The process of growing your own SCOBY is similar to the brewing process. To begin, find a glass jar. Fill it half with black tea, sweeten it and let it cool down to room temperature. Then, stir in the bottle of regular kombucha you got from the store. Cover it with a cotton cloth and put a rubber band around the opening to secure the cloth.
Monitor the growth of the SCOBY but do not stir. After a few weeks, the SCOBY “mother” should form at the top of the jar. Keep growing it until it becomes 2.5”/3cm thick. This signals that the mother is ready to be used for your first kombucha tea batch.
How to Brew Kombucha
The first step to brewing your kombucha is to prepare the tea. Heat water and bring it to boiling. Then, stir in the sugar and add the tea bags.
Leave the tea and let it cool down to room temperature. After that, add the kombucha starter tea and lastly add the SCOBY. Cover the glass jar with a cotton cloth and tie it with a rubber band.
Store the jar in a cool, dry place at room temperature. Normally it takes about 7-10 days for the kombucha to ferment.
During this process avoid checking and stirring the liquid as this might interfere with the formation of the new SCOBY. It is generally safe to start taste testing after the fifth day. By that time, if you followed all the steps you will notice a new SCOBY has formed at the top of the jar.
After the kombucha tea has fermented, pour it into bottles and leave a cup of it to use as a starter for the next batch. Both the mother and the new SCOBY can be used together in the next batch. The process repeats itself with every batch.
SCOBY Hotel
With every new batch of kombucha a new SCOBY forms, but the mother SCOBY is still in a good condition and shouldn’t be thrown away until it changes to a darker color. After a period of regular batches, you might be wondering what to do with all the remaining SCOBY’s.
You can certainly throw them away, but there are more fun things to do with them. You can share them with your friends so they can start brewing kombucha too.
Another idea is to “open a SCOBY hotel”. Take a separate, smaller jar, fill it with sweetened black tea and add the SCOBY’s as they come. Occasionally you will need to refill it with sweetened black tea so as to keep feeding the SCOBYs in the hotel. The stack of SCOBYs will continue to grow new SCOBYs, while the liquid can be used as a starter tea in case you run out of it, or after taking a break from brewing kombucha.
The SCOBY hotel should be kept in a dark place at a room temperature and covered with a cotton cloth. Placing it in a refrigerator will dehydrate the SCOBY. You should only do this if you plan to take a break from brewing kombucha. If you plan to restart the brewing process after it’s been dehydrated, the SCOBYs will need to be rehydrated or brought to life before the next fermentation.
How to Flavor Kombucha or The Second Fermentation
Another fun thing about the process of making kombucha is that you can add flavor to it. Once you get bored with drinking the same plain kombucha, it is a good idea to flavor it by adding your favorite fruit to it.
It is as simple as it sounds.
After the first fermentation has ended, remove the SCOBY. Mash some of your favorite fruits (or use juice instead) and as you bottle the kombucha, pour a little bit of the mashed fruits/juice in the bottle and then add the freshly fermented kombucha. Do not fill it to the brim. This time close the lid completely and store in a cool, dry place – not in the fridge, yet.
This is the beginning of the so-called “Second Fermentation”. This process makes the kombucha more carbonated. It usually takes about 3-4 days for the kombucha to feed on the sugars from the fruit. After 3-4 days it’s ready for drinking and you’ll be able to store it in the fridge.
One thing to be careful about during second fermentation is that since the bottle is tightly closed and filled with fermenting liquid, it might explode when you open after 3-4 days. So be careful when opening it. Do it in the sink with a towel. After adding fruit for the second fermentation it is recommended that you don’t fill the bottle to the very top with kombucha. Leave some space and check it daily to avoid a fruity explosion and the nastiness that comes with cleaning the kitchen.
How Much / How Often Should I Drink Kombucha
While the exact amount has not been specified, it is not recommended to overdo it. As delicious as it tastes, there might be side effects to drinking too much kombucha. To be on the safe side one shouldn’t drink more than the amount of a bottled kombucha bought at a store (about 200 ml), or about a glass of it per day.
Also, because kombucha is sour, it probably isn’t best to drink it in the morning, especially not on an empty stomach. Kombucha tea is best enjoyed throughout the day as a refreshing energy booster.
