The Chinese New Year open house was a blast on Sunday with an estimated 150-200 people stopping in to celebrate! The food was good, the tea was excellent but best of all was the company, thanks to all who attended to celebrate with us. For those of…

This post has been in my head for weeks and while it may be a bit dated I thought it was great news for tea in the US. Tea is definitely gaining popularity and becoming more mainstream which was never more apparent then when I was sort of watching…

About a week ago I came across and interesting story on a teahouse in Shanghai, China. The name of the teahouse, roughly translated, is "Frog Keeps a Mistress", which according to a Shanghai newspaper, is brewing up some controversy, pardon the pun.…

Over the past couple of months the tea idustry in Sri Lanka has been plaugued by striking workers, bad weather and upheaval among tea board officials. The reduction in overall tea production caused by the recent round of bad weather may have the…

Last Tuesday, January 9th, I was engaging in mindless relaxation with my husband watching Law & Order SVU, it was a pretty good episode so I made it to the end. I was thrilled when in the final scene both detectives where sitting on a stoop…

This past Saturdays green market, the first of 2007, was dry, the only one this season I have attended that it hasn't rained! The unseasonably warm, wet weather has put a damper on this seasons market, for vendors and shoppers alike. But the start…

I can't believe that it is over! It seems as though every year the holidays go by faster than the last. We had a great holiday both personally and professionally. The web site kept us busy right up until the 22nd, wrapping, making bows and shipping…

As you may have noticed, we did not send out an October edition of the tea newsletter. Busy upgrading the web site, we are pleased to unveil our new look with many added features and even easier navigation. Look for an upcoming e-mail inviting you…

Sorting out the Facts Reinforcing the many potential health benefits of tea consumption, a recent review of black tea research, sponsored by the United Kingdom Tea Council, has gained a great deal of attention over the last few weeks. The findings,…

As I sat down to write this newsletter I thought about my first Yixing tea pot. I was leaving my job to open Teas Etc. and my co-workers bought me a Yixing pot as a farewell gift. Despite the question that they all asked "WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO…

Tuesday night was another fun oolong workshop with some new and familar faces in attendance. We sampled everything we intended too and slipped in a couple of Indian oolongs samples that we had just received. Brewing with a Gaiwan and Gung Fu style…

Here are some more great ideas to jazz up cold tea brews. I hope you will enjoy them. Mix a hearty black tea, like organic Nilgiri, China OP or a breakfast tea, with lemonade for a refreshing summer beverage. Or get really creative and use a fat…

Not to state the obvious, but boy it's been hot! Interestingly South Florida, when compared to the rest of the US, has been one of the cooler places to be. A great way to quench your thirst in this sweltering heat is by drinking iced tea. Unlike…

As we prepare for tonight's Oolong workshop, one of our most popular and certainly one of my favorites, I was thinking about the workshop series that ended in June. Here are some of the pictures and my thoughts from that awesome class. I really…

It was great to see so many friends at the openhouse! Unlike the January openhouse, where we had a huge crowd, we were able to sit down and have tea with our guests. We had the laptop set up and shared some of the pictures from China. We had fun…

When I was in China I so enjoyed taking time to sit down and write for the blog and promised myself that I would continue this new found ritual once I returned. As sometimes happens life dictated otherwise and I have not done as well as I had hoped.…

You may have read or seen on television that the FDA has recently rejected a petition for a qualified health claim for Green Tea. Unfortunately the media plays this up as if the FDA is saying that green tea does not have any health benefits, when…

As our trip begins to wind down there is still a lot to see and experience. Today I had the pleasure of traveling to Changsha in Hunan Province to visit with one of the largest Chinese tea exporters in the country, Hunan Tea Company. I have known…

Up early and on our way to the Qixia Shan, the sacred Buddhist Mountain,the Qixia Si Temple and the Thousand Buddha Cliffs. About 9 miles northeast of Nanjing is one of the largest Buddhist seminaries in China, home to 200 Buddhist monks. As one of…

Let me point out that the blog is out of order. The download times can be long and as much as I enjoy sharing my trip and the wonderful world of Chinese teas it is sometimes difficult to sit and blog vs being out to see new sights! Barb and I…