January 13, 2015
Chai Masala originated in the areas in and around India and Tibet thousands of years ago. There are a few legends surrounding the invention of masala tea. One is that an Indian king was made this tea by his chef and so loved the drink that he banned the chef from revealing the recipe to anyone else. After his death, the secret recipe was given out, whereupon it was changed based on the ingredients people had available to them. Another legend claims that the Tibetans were the originators of this recipe, using it as an offering and as a sign of hospitality. Their recipe used spices with salt and whatever dairy products were available (goat’s milk, yak butter, etc …). Whoever was the originator of chai and masala […]
November 20, 2014
The Gift of Tea Blending This holiday why not surprise the tea lover in your life with a holiday gift that keeps on giving … all the ingredients to make their own custom tea blends! Create your own thoughtful gift that combines teas with spices, herbs, fruits and flowers and let your loved ones make their own blends. Tea blending is a fun way to create teas suited to your taste. There are thousands of different blend combinations that they can create. Start with a base tea (black, white, green, oolong or herbal (like rooibos, tulsi or olive leaf)) then add flowers, fruits or spices to create a unique look and taste. For flavored tea lovers, you can start with a flavored base tea and add different […]
November 14, 2014
Bring the aroma of Spring and Summer into your house this winter with some of our floral teas. Are you new to floral teas and how they are made? Here’s a little introduction. Our floral tea blends are a combination of either teas that are just blended with herbs or teas that are blended with herbs and flavorings. Jasmine Teas All of our Jasmine teas are produced by infusing the tea leaves with fresh picked Jasmine blossoms. The process of producing Jasmine tea started in China sometime during the Song Dynasty (960-1279) using tea blended with Jasmine blossoms. Jasmine teas are created using different types of tea: white, oolong and green predominantly. The base teas used are picked, depending on the type of tea, from March to June, […]
September 2, 2014
September 3rd is the anniversary of the birth of Anna Russell, the Duchess of Bedford, and the woman credited with creating the tradition of afternoon tea. While tea drinking in England, and meals with tea, certainly existed before Anna was born, she has been credited as the inventor of this pastime for a few reasons. Anna Russell was born into a prominent family, both in terms of wealth and their position in society. She was a great friend to Queen Victoria and as such held an influential position in society herself. The ritual of afternoon tea began when the dinner meal in England started to be served later in the evening (around 8 pm). The time between lunch and dinner was so long that people began having a […]
August 6, 2014
We all know that the best cup of tea starts with good water. If your water contains chlorine or heavy minerals, it’ll be impossible to achieve the tastiest tea brew. I am fortunate that I have access to clean, delicious water at home and at work. Most of the time I take it for granted. When I turn on the tap, I expect that I’ll receive decent, healthy water. Every once and awhile though we need to step back and look at these things we take for granted. Imagine if when I turned on the water I did not enjoy good water. Imagine that when I turned on the taps brown water came out, or water with harmful chemicals, or bad tasting water . Imagine if I turned […]
July 3, 2014
Well it’s the heat of Summer again, which means my garden is going crazy and my herbs are ready to pick. I’m sure I’m not alone in my love of fresh dried herbs during the winter months. I don’t know where I read this but I found a great article last year on a homesteading website about drying herbs. It worked so well I thought I should pass it along. Pick your herbs in the morning when the flavor is at its maximum. I like to cut long stems of herbs so they hold together better when drying. Place the herbs on a mesh screen. If I’m drying a small leafed herb (like dill) I place a broiler pan or cookie sheet under the screen. Then place the […]
June 9, 2014
Wait a minute, you’re discussing coffee plant disease on a tea blog? Yes I am, but I promise I can tie this in to the world of tea! Coffee rust is caused by a fungus (Hemileia vastatrix) that attacks the leaves of coffee plants, eventually killing the plant if left untreated. It is easily spread from plant to plant and can devastate a coffee plantation. This disease has been a problem for coffee growers in every region on the planet at one point or another. In 2008 Colombia’s coffee plants showed evidence of coffee rust and by 2011 plantations were suffering major losses. In fact, this year Colombian growers are expecting to finally have production levels back to where they were prior to the catastrophe. Today, growers in […]
June 9, 2014
Wait a minute, you’re discussing coffee plant disease on a tea blog? Yes I am, but I promise I can tie this in to the world of tea! Coffee rust is caused by a fungus (Hemileia vastatrix) that attacks the leaves of coffee plants, eventually killing the plant if left untreated. It is easily spread from plant to plant and can devastate a coffee plantation. This disease has been a problem for coffee growers in every region on the planet at one point or another. In 2008 Colombia’s coffee plants showed evidence of coffee rust and by 2011 plantations were suffering major losses. In fact, this year Colombian growers are expecting to finally have production levels back to where they were prior to the catastrophe. Today, growers in […]
May 12, 2014
Located in South Asia, and bordered by China and India, Nepal is home to some of the largest mountains in the world, including Mount Everest which is the highest point anywhere on Earth. Nepal is comprised of 75 districts, and traditionally the tea gardens were mostly found in the eastern part of the country (dubbed the “Tea Zone), which borders the Darjeeling region of West Bengal, India, and enjoys the same soil and climatic conditions as Darjeeling. The five districts that make up the “Tea Zone” are Jhapa, Ilam, Panchthar, Tehrathum and Dhankuta. With increasing interest in the teas of Nepal, tea farming has expanded now to districts west of the Tea Zone in areas including Nuwakot, Dolakha, Lalitpur, Sindhupalchok, and Kaski. Nepal has a close proximity to […]
March 28, 2014
We’re excited to be launching our latest beautifully packaged line of herbal tisanes …. Our Herbal Benefits line. This line of 10 tisanes contains 6 of our most popular Wellness blends along with 4 new concoctions. Our line of Herbal Benefits blends are: Detox Pomegranate Detox Echinacea Blend Energy Moonlight Snooze Men’s Herbal Tonic Women’s Herbal Tonic Sniffle Slayer Tonsil Tamer Lemon Tonsil Tamer As with all herbal tisanes that we sell, we recommend that everyone research the herbs themselves and definitely check with your doctor prior to drinking, especially if you have a specific health concern or are taking medication. It’s easy to think that because it’s “just a plant” it is safe for use all the time regardless of one’s medical history. This is, however, not […]