How did I know Summer was ending? I went for a cup of tea this afternoon and instinctively put on the kettle; I didn’t reach in the fridge for the iced tea. This inadvertent action made be realize that Summer is fading away and Fall is right around the corner. I took a look outside in surprise and it confirmed this notion; the trees are ever so slowly fading from vibrant green, the weather has a little cold snappiness in the early morning and evenings, and my gardens have changed from lupines, peonies and monarda to sedum, black eyed susans and goldenrod. Fall is coming people, so put on the kettle for Teas for Changing Seasons – the pumpkin, the chai, the apple teas. I went looking in […]

Simpson & Vail, is thrilled to announce that their popular Blueberry Cinnamon Crumble Dessert Tea has won a Gold award as part of the Specialty Food Association’s (SFA) 2021 sofi™ Awards, a top honor in the $158 billion specialty food industry. Blueberry Cinnamon Crumble Dessert Tea was one of 130 winners selected from nearly 1,500 entries across 49 product categories. This dessert tea was sampled in a blind taste test, against competitors in the Tea category, by a panel of judges consisting of food professionals such as chefs, specialty food buyers, food journalists and culinary instructors. Teas were judged based on flavor, appearance, texture and aroma as well as ingredients used in the blend. “This dessert tea has been a winner with our customers and we are honored […]

Tea in the Time of COVID – From teas and coffee beans to paper products and packaging, importers are reporting on the various reasons that COVID-19 is slowing international logistics to a crawl. Covid-19 is making the imports of products from international markets more difficult, and our products are no exception. Increased demand for tea over the last year has been a blessing to mail order companies such as ourselves.  At the same time, the disruption in the supply chain, causing shortages and an increase in the time it is taking to secure and receive products, has increased our workload and our anxiety (hence our new Calm herbal blend!).  All supplies from teas, herbs, bags, tins etc. are increasing in cost and are decreasing in availability.  These shortages have […]

Hooray!  April 2nd is International Children’s Book Day!  And today (like most days actually) we can incorporate two of our favorite things: books and tea! Since 1967, on or around Hans Christian Andersen’s birthday, 2 April, International Children’s Book Day (ICBD) is celebrated to inspire a love of reading and to call attention to children’s books. With so many of us indoors these days, we find ourselves drinking more tea and reading a lot more books.  So if you’re looking to introduce your kiddos to the tea world, here are some fun books to add to your library. Cloud Tea Monkeys Tashi lives in a tiny village at the foot of the mountains, below the tea plantations where her mother works. When her mother falls ill, Tashi goes alone […]