There are days when it feels as though we have been rushing from one thing to the next without really stopping.

Work, emails, family, dinner, messages, the endless list of things that need doing. Even when the day is finished, it can take a while for us to realise that we don't have to keep going.

For me, one of the simplest ways to create a pause is with tea.

Not because tea is a solution to everything, but because making a cup gives us a reason to stop for a few minutes. There is something about boiling the water, choosing the tea, waiting for it to brew and finally sitting down with a warm cup in your hands.

It creates a little space.

This is the thinking behind our Calm Tea Ritual, three of our teas chosen to accompany different parts of the day.

One for the afternoon, one for the evening and one for later at night.

Calm Day - Rose Pouchong

The first tea is Rose Pouchong, a blend of Chinese black teas infused with rose.

It is an elegant tea with the character of black tea and the beautiful fragrance of rose. I particularly like it in the afternoon, when there is still plenty to do but you feel you could use a little breathing space.

This doesn't need to be a long break.

Make your tea, step away from your desk if you can, and enjoy it without doing anything else at the same time.

Notice the fragrance of the rose as you lift the cup. Take your time with the first few sips.

Sometimes five minutes is enough.

You can then go back to whatever needs your attention, but perhaps feeling a little less caught up in the rush.

Calm Evening - Relax

As the day moves into evening, I find that what I want from tea changes.

This is when Relax comes into its own.

It is a botanical blend of lemongrass, skullcap, lemon balm, rose hips and orange peel. The lemongrass and orange peel bring a lovely freshness, balanced by the softer herbal notes of lemon balm and skullcap.

For me, this is the tea that marks the point where the day starts to wind down.

Make a cup after dinner or when you have finished work. If possible, leave your phone somewhere else for a little while.

You don't need to meditate or follow a complicated routine.

Just sit down.

Drink your tea.

Perhaps put some music on, read a few pages of a book or simply enjoy the quiet.

We often talk about needing to "switch off", but I think it is more realistic to give ourselves a gentle transition into the evening rather than expecting our minds to suddenly stop.

Calm Night - Relax & Recover

Later in the evening, the pace can become even quieter.

Relax & Recover is a botanical blend of rose, chamomile, hibiscus, nettle and marigold.

It is a very different tea from the Rose Pouchong we started with earlier in the day. There is no black tea here, just a beautiful collection of botanicals, each bringing its own colour, aroma and character to the cup.

This is the tea I would reach for when the day is really coming to an end.

Make a cup and take it somewhere comfortable.

Perhaps this is the time to put the phone away for good, pick up a book or simply sit quietly for a few minutes before bed and enjoy a 5 minute guided meditation that comes with the tea.

There is no need to make it into a big wellness ritual.

The simple act of preparing your tea and giving yourself a few uninterrupted minutes can be enough.

Why three teas?

We chose three teas because our needs change as the day goes on.

In the afternoon, we might simply need a moment to pause.

In the evening, we may want to leave the busyness of the day behind.

And at night, we naturally begin to look for a quieter pace.

The teas reflect those different moments.

Rose Pouchong brings the fragrance and character of rose together with Chinese black tea for the afternoon.

Relax moves into the evening with lemongrass, lemon balm, skullcap, rose hips and orange peel.

And Relax & Recover takes us into the quieter part of the night with rose, chamomile, hibiscus, nettle and marigold.

Together, they form our Calm Tea Ritual.

But you don't have to drink all three every day. There may be days when you only need the afternoon pause, or perhaps you go straight to an evening cup.

The idea is simply to notice what you need.

Making tea a ritual

I think the word ritual can sometimes sound rather grand.

It doesn't have to be.

A ritual can be something very ordinary that we choose to do with a little more intention.

For me, it is the difference between making a cup of tea while answering emails and making the same cup of tea and actually sitting down to drink it.

The tea hasn't changed.

But the experience has.

And perhaps this is one of the reasons tea has remained such an important part of so many cultures for centuries. It gives us a natural opportunity to gather, pause, talk, reflect or simply enjoy a moment.

We have always believed that tea is about much more than what is in the cup. It is about the experience around it…the aroma, the ritual of brewing, the people we share it with and, sometimes, the few quiet minutes we give ourselves.

So this autumn, as the evenings become a little cooler and the days begin to shorten, we're inviting you to slow things down a little.

Make yourself a cup.

Put the phone away.

Take a breath.

And enjoy your tea while it is still warm.