June 14, 2013
STIR-FRIED BOK CHOY WITH SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS Recipe from Cooking with Green Tea by Ying Chang Compestine 3 dried shiitake mushrooms 1 lb baby bok choy or regular bok choy 2 Tbsp canola oil ½ Tbsp Mao Feng green tea 2 cloves garlic, minced ½ Tbsp rice wine 2 Tbsp rice milk or soymilk Salt and black pepper, to taste Soak the mushrooms in warm water until softened, about 15 minutes. Rinse the undersides of the soaked mushrooms under cold running water to clean them of any dirt or sand. Squeeze the mushrooms in your hand to thoroughly wring out the water. Discard the stems. Cut the caps into 2” chunks. Wash and drain the bok choy. Cut it lengthwise into 3” pieces. Heat the oil in a nonstick cooking pan or […]
June 3, 2013
New elegant packaging for over 300 types of quality teas and tisanes! New Elegant Packaging Simpson & Vail of Brookfield, CT has been a purveyor of quality loose leaf teas since 1929 and selling bulk teas has always been the focus with only a small emphasis on packaged product. For many years our tea has been sold in bulk to consumers who used their own containers for tea storage. But with tea’s popularity soaring in America consumers are seeking elegant, functional containers for tea. We’re thrilled to be launching our New Elegant Packaging and newly designed labels for our screw-top 4oz tea canisters. ALL 300+ teas and tisanes that we offer are available in these elegant containers. Five colorful labels are available for: Black Tea, Green […]
May 6, 2013
RASPBERRY OAT BARS WITH BURGUNDY BLAST HERBAL TISANE Burgundy Blast Herbal Tisane – This refreshing blend brews to a bright cherry red color with a sweet, tart taste. Comprised of hibiscus flowers, mango, papaya, lemongrass, safflower, mallow blossoms and acai and pomegranate flavors, this tea is fabulous both hot and iced. Certified Kosher, Caffeine Free! For information visit our website 2 tsp Burgundy Blast Herbal Tisane , ground 1/2 cup melted butter 1/2 cup light brown sugar 1 cup flour 1/4 tsp baking soda 1/8 tsp salt 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder 1 cup oats 3/4 cup raspberry preserves Preheat the oven to 350. Grease an 8×8 glass baking dish. In a medium sized bowl mix all of the ingredients together (except the jam). Press 2/3 of the mixture into the prepared […]
April 9, 2013
It seems that most towns across the country celebrate the advent of Spring with a Spring Tea party, a time for everyone to shake off the hibernation of winter and come together as a community. We all have our Spring-time rituals. Usually when I hear the Spring birds singing, I start seeds indoors and plan this year’s garden. One of the plants that is essential in any garden I create is lavender. I love the aroma of lavender and the variety of ways lavender is used: from cosmetics and culinary recipes to medicinal purposes. And while it doesn’t bloom here in CT until later in the Spring season, I still associate the taste and smell of lavender as a harbinger of the season of new growth, color, light, […]
March 25, 2013
Enjoy the sunny flavors of the Caribbean with this blend of papaya, mango, hibiscus, orange peel, lemon peel, orange blossoms and flavorings. Caribbean Splash is a strong blend of citrus fruits that will make your taste buds jump and leave a tingly feeling in your mouth. Great used in recipe below for a refreshing summer treat! Caribbean Splash Smoothie 1 cup water 1 heaping tsp. Caribbean Splash herbal tisane 1 large banana, cut into quarters 1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt 1 kiwi, peeled & quartered 3 frozen strawberries Boil 1 cup water and pour over Caribbean Splash. Steep for 5 minutes. Strain out the herbs and chill the “tea”. Pour the brewed tea into a blender. Add the fruit and yogurt and blend until smooth.
March 13, 2013
St. Patrick’s Day is almost upon us, and while the beverage most associated with this holiday is Guinness or (shudder) green beer, it seems like an opportune time to talk about the beverage most consumed in Ireland, tea. My best friends (Amy and Michael) moved to Dunmore East, County Waterford, Ireland 15 years ago and lived there for ten years. I was fortunate to be able to visit them at least once a year while they were there and every visit was wonderful. During the second year of living there they opened a café called The Melting Pot in Michael’s family’s house. Amy asked me on one of my visits to bring over some loose tea that they could serve in the café since teabags were the only […]
January 29, 2013
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet.” – William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet History of Rose Petal Tea Why do we offer so many rose petal tea blends for Valentine’s Day? Because roses, throughout history, have been considered symbols of love, romance and beauty. And because these rose combinations are aromatic and delicious! Fossil evidence shows that roses have been around for 35 million years, so it’s no surprise that roses are popular themes in paintings, poetry, music, and rose petal tea (of course!). Roses began their recorded history in Greek mythology. Aphrodite, the goddess of love, (and her Roman counterpart, Venus) is associated with the rose and is credited with bestowing on the rose certain attributes […]
January 24, 2013
In one of the tea chat groups I belong to (Teamail), a woman mentioned that she had recently been served Chai tea oatmeal at a restaurant on the West Coast. She said it was delicious and I could well imagine that it would be pretty tasty. So since it’s winter and I do love a warm bowl of oatmeal in the morning, I brewed up some chai this morning and gave this a whirl. Oh my gosh – Yum! I will never make oatmeal without chai again! I brewed up 1 1/2 tsp of Chai Black Tea in 8oz water and steeped for 5 minutes. Then I poured the brewed tea in a saucepan, added 1/2 cup of oats, returned to a boil, then simmered. I added a little maple syrup […]
January 14, 2013
Do you make New Year’s resolutions? Here’s a thought for a resolution that is easily attainable and will be fun to put into action. Resolve to take the time for tea every day. That’s it. Just a little time to stop every day and take a breath, take a sip, take a look around. You can start this tradition of making time for yourself or for making time to enjoy tea with a friend or a family member right now. You can make the commitment that you will break long enough to stop worrying about what you need to do next. As with all changes we’d like to make, starting is the toughest part, but each time it will get easier. Soon you will find that this time […]
November 22, 2012
Thanksgiving is here again, which means that after this day of family and food and counting our blessings, we will be thrust into full fledged holiday craziness. The pull will come from all directions – parties to attend, concerts to enjoy, presents to buy, food to prepare, traveling, and more. So in the spirit of enjoying this time of the year, I thought I’d share something my very busy, stressed out friend’s 10 year old daughter just told her: “it’s your choice”. There is some truth in that. We are the only ones who are in control of how much crazy we allow into our lives. I’m reading a meaningful book by Thich Nhat Hanh called Happiness. He offers this exercise in practicing mindfulness to bring us into […]