Tea A Magazine Goes Digital

Exciting news for you internet addicts and eco-conscious readers out there. Tea A Magazine went digital! Those who prefer print can still get their paper issues through their website. Otherwise, let's welcome Tea a Magazine to the digital world!

P.S.1

Did anyone make it to the Michael Pollan lecture at P.S.1 over the weekend? I didn't get to go, but I DID make it over to P.S.1 on Saturday for Warm Up (their weekly Summer music event) to (finally) see their green "farm" installation. It was very cool! Plus, they had ITO EN's Pure Green Tea outside and more tea selections in the cafe. (I am thrilled to see more museums choosing quality teas for their menus.) Images from Warm Up:
























Solar energy plans












Green design plan









Planting pattern




















Planter structure




















My friend Laura enjoying the greenery

Warm Up runs every Saturday through September 6th. You can check out the P.S.1 calendar online.

Michael Pollan Lecture (The Omnivore's Dilemma) in NYC this Friday

P.S.1 (Long Island City's coolest attraction) and The Horticultural Society of NY are hosting a lecture by Michael Pollan (author of The Omnivore's Dilemma) that takes the plant's point of view in solving environmental problems. Fascinating! It's on Friday from 7-9PM in their green courtyard (which I've blogged about before) and there's a $5 suggested donation. If any of you readers make it out there, let me know. Oh, and while you're there, be sure to sip on the cafe's tea selections. :) Have a great weekend!

iTunes U

iTunes has launched a very cool new feature: free educational podcasts from major educational, research and cultural institutions like MIT, CMU, NASA, MoMA and Asia Society. My current playlist:

Water for Tea (NASA)
Sustainable Business (CMU) (Great quote... "It's completely consistent for self interest to be aligned with the public interest and where doing good is synonymous doing well. There's no contradiction between doing something that is good and making money.")
The Myths of Innovation (CMU)
Launching and Building an Entrepreneurial Venture (CMU)
Interaction Design (CMU) (This one has a bit about ordering coffee in a coffee shop. As you can guess, these concepts apply to tea as well!)
The Role of New Technologies in a Sustainable Energy Economy (MIT)
Eva Hesse (MoMA)
Arshille Gorky (MoMA)
Living in a Global World (Research Channel)

They have fascinating, illuminating podcasts on a wide variety of topics. As a consultant, I LOVE this kind of thing. It's a great way to get the best information from top experts from many fields in a condensed, hassle-free and clear manner... which is what I always try to do for my clients. If you're a business owner or just interested in learning more, I highly recommend you check it out!

Silver Tips Tearoom Blog

You may have noticed that I added another new blog to my blogroll. It's by a friend of mine, Anupa Mueller, and it's about her fantastic NY tearoom, Silver Tips Tea. She posts about going green, tea events, tearoom stories, tea recipes, Makaibari Estate and all kinds of other goodies. Be sure to check it out!

Slow Tea

The Slow Food Movement (kind of the opposite of fast food, with a focus on local, sustainable produce and the enjoyment of food as an essential element of culture and communion) has recently embraced tea, even when it is not grown locally. As you may already know, sustainability is an issue close to my heart, so this is a big deal to me. In my opinion, if a quality product can only be grown far away and it is a beneficial component of your diet and lifestyle, it can be OK if offset by other things (especially if it is fair trade and organic). I'm thrilled to see that tea will be included in the upcoming Slow Food Nation event in San Francisco this August-September. If you're in the area or planning on attending, they're looking for tea volunteers. From their latest post, "Tea People Needs: We need to work out a schedule with 5 tea enthusiasts plus 5 facilitators at each of the 5 sessions of the Taste Hall." If you are (or know) someone who can help, check it out!

Red & Green, Organic Tea

At the Expo, I was very glad to see that Red & Green Co launched a new line of organic teas (scroll down about 3/4 of the way). I have spoken with the owner, Chongbin Zheng, at his San Francisco location at length about his committment to quality tea and I am very glad to see the addition of this new line. I also quite like the packaging. (In addition to running Red & Green, Chongbin is also an internationally exhibited painter. He designs his packaging and much of his teaware himself.)

On Monday, I responded to a Wired Magazine article advocating that environmentalists "forget organics." It suggested that local produce is the better way to go. The two are not usually mutually exclusive, but in the case of regular produce that can be sourced locally, I opt for local over organic. However, there are many proucts that are simply not available locally or can not be well-produced locally. In the US, there are some areas that produce tea. I'm even trying to grow some in my living room, though we'll see whether or not that works out. However, the simple fact of the matter is that the growing conditions in the US are not condusive to producing quality teas. Tea's ideal environment is high elevation, hot, and humid. Unless you count my third-floor, no-AC apartment as "high elevation," I don't think it qualifies. Likewise, other tea growers in the US simply do not have the environment necessary for good tea. So how can you reduce your environmental impact if you can't buy quality tea locally? Buy organic tea. Simple. I'm glad to see another line out there to make it that much easier for us!

Have a good weekend, and enjoy your tea!

"Forget organics."

I normally talk about tea, but today I'm going to talk about something that is also very close to my heart--sustainability. Once I've posted a bit more on the Expo, I'll also talk about ways to make your tea more sustainable.

The cover of the 15th anniversary of Wired magazine called for environmentalists to "Forget organics." Inside the cover, it briefly discussed the methane output from organic vs conventional cattle, as well as the yield of beef, using this as a case-and-point argument against organics in general. It mentioned that vegetarian diets have a substantially lower impact on greenhouse gases, and then talks about how big agriculture has taken over much of the organic industry. The conclusion: local and conventional is better than far-away, big ag, and organic.

I agree with each of their individual points. However, find their sensationalist style of journalism to be irresponsible at best. The American public is already confused about how to green their lives. Too busy (or perhaps to lazy or disillusioned) to do much research on their own, the average American either blindly accepts all organics as created equal or is extremely wary of all of them. Those who accept organics often use organic products as an "get out of jail free" card for other offenses, such as buying a new Hummer, having three kids (even one child is unsustainable if raised in the US), or living on a carnivorous diet. Presenting information in this style will only make the problem worse and increase cynicism about the environment's future. "It's screwed already. I can't make a difference."

The fact of the matter is that the issues are not black and white, but they are a lot easier to understand than most people think. Yes, organics are often produced my big ag and, yes, that is bad. However, a little research can often yield local, organic/minimal-treatment farms in your area. CSAs and farmers' markets are becoming increasingly common in response to big ag and to the consumers' demand for local, sustainable, quality products. More and more foodies are made each day. Perhaps they read up on issues of labor force mistreatment, pesticide damage to individual and environmental health, the amount of fuel it takes to bring food to your table, and the amount of political lobbying big ag does in Washington each year... or perhaps they tried their first heirloom tomato and just couldn't go back to the tasteless, uniform GMOs they were used to.

One sentence about local produce at the end of an anti-organic rant does NOT give readers the impression that they have viable options. It is the opposite of empowerment through knowledge--it is the spread of disillusionment through limited information. Likewise, the brief mention of vegetarianism as a more sustainable option is not given anywhere near equal weight to the rant about how bad organic beef is for the environment compared to conventional beef.* Once again, this is not a black and white issue. Raised animals were traditionally used as secondary sources of food (milk, eggs, cheese), as OCCASIONAL primary sources of food (meat), and for regular labor (cattle for carrying or pulling loads, chickens for pest control, etc.). In factory farms, they are used primarily for meat and the reasons are clear in any fast food advertisement. I am a vegetarian not because I think that meat consumption is inherently wrong (sorry, PETA), but because I am trying to do my part offset the absurd levels of meat consumption in America. It is wholly unsustainable for so many people to eat so much meat, but telling people their only option is vegetarianism is just silly. They balk at the idea. Telling them they can drop a few pounds and help the environment if they opt for some sauteed veggies and whole grain bread instead of a massive burger every now and then... that's something the average American can relate to--AND act upon.

Of course, the fact that conventional fruit, grain, legume, and vegetable production is devastating the environment (massive loss of topsoil and available water, monocropping leading to the loss of biodiverity and sustainable ecosystems, increased dependence on chemical fertilizers and pesticides due to chemical-caused "super-bugs," the use of questionable GMOs, such as one that causes plants to be sterile...), but they don't delve into that. Sigh... I could go on and on about this, but I'll stop ranting now. If you're interested in these issues, I suggest checking out Slow Food and looking up Local Harvest. And, as always, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the issue.


*They do not take into account anything but methane production and beef yield in this comparison, by the way. Environmental damage done by antibiotics, pesticide-laden feed, high-density farming/concentrations of animal waste, etc. are not addressed.

Eat Out Awards: T Salon

T Salon is in its third NYC incarnation. After opening and closing in The Guggenheim and Lower Midtown, it has settled into Chelsea Market, home of the famed (and past-its-prime) Buddakan and a variety of gourmet and foodie-friendly shops. It is the kind of tearoom that aims for greatness on many levels and succeeds on some. It has eco-friendly policies (soy-ink packaging, potato-based cutlery), a generally pleasing ambiance (great color scheme, gorgeous upholstery, soothing music), and an exceptional variety of flowering teas. There are some wonderful things going for T Salon, but somehow it falls flat of expectations. This is, perhaps, best summed up by the scones, which are served with fantastic Devon cream and raspberry preserves. The scones themselves are decent, but their mediocrity is only highlighted by their superior accompaniments. If it weren't for the incredibly strong potential for such a place, I would not bother being so disappointed. I am glad it was nominated for "Best New Tearoom," but can see why it did not win. It is my hope that someday T Salon can live up to its aspirations. If it does, it may just be the best tearoom in NYC (new or otherwise). For now I will remain (mostly) unimpressed.

T Salon
75 9th Ave. (Chelsea Markets, toward the back), evening entrance at 459 W. 15th St.
Monday-Wednesday 8:30AM-8PM
Thursday-Saturday 8:30AM-10:30PM
888.358.0506

Investing in Tea

These days, it seems like everything's a commodity... even tea. From Dubai launching the world's first tea futures contract to the growing world of pu-erh investment, tea is hot despite the economy's general cooling. The World Tea Expo is getting in on the action with a new specialty tea rating system, which will be listed in The World Tea Buyers Guide^TM.* I think of tea investment in a few different ways:

Investment in myself--Tea is healthy and delicious alternative to many other beverages and it makes me feel good.
Investment in the planet and the future--Organic, fair trade tea is sustainable and benefits the land and people who produce it.
Investment in companies I appreciate--I think of each dollar I spend as a vote of sorts. Which companies do I prefer to support? These are the ones I spend my money on.
Investment in VeeTea--Obviously, I need to learn more about tea every day in order to educate my clients, whether they are companies or individuals. I think of my tea purchases are a business investment.

I was never one for collecting or for investing in particular assets. (Mutual funds are just fine by me!) However, I can see why tea could be (and is) an alluring investment for many. Although I prefer to think of tea as something much, much deeper than a money-making opportunity, it's exciting to see the love of tea spread through new businesses and investors. Happy investing, and enjoy your tea!


*Of course, just like wine rating systems, the scores depend very much on the preferences of the tasters, which may or may not be in line with our own preferences (or our clients'!).)

Planting Tea Seeds

Soon, some of you will be receiving (China variety micro) tea seeds from me. When you get them, here are the planting instructions. If you want a tea seed or two and haven't requested one yet, I have some left. Feel free to ask me.

Make a mix of 50% sand and 50% acidic soil.
Put the soil into containers that are about 7" tall by 5" in diameter. If the container is plastic (like, say, a yogurt container), be sure to poke lots of holes in it so the soil can breathe.
Plant the seed about 2" deep with the "eye" facing the sky. (You'll know what I mean when you see it.)
Place in medium sunlight.
Water very lightly every two days.

Enjoy!

Happy Earth Day!

So, it's Earth Day. Do you know your carbon footprint? After you've taken the quiz, check out a few sites with ways to go green for today and from now on:

World Watch

Tree Hugger's Guides to Going Green (My favorite: How to Green Your Coffee and Tea)

AND

CNN's 22 Little Ways to Go Green (These ones are really easy)

If you're interested in making a change in your diet that is healthy for you AND the environment, read about reducing your carbon footprint by eliminating beef from your diet.

Take some time for yourself and the planet to drink some fair trade, organic tea and do a little something (or big something!) to lessen your environmental impact. Happy Earth Day!

Local Food, Tea Plants

Local food co-ops have issued a challenge to their customers: eat local produce for 80% or more of your diet during the summer months. Excerpt from The Progressive Grocer:

Although "local" is a buzzword used by many retailers, the NCGA maintains that its member natural food co-ops cultivate "truly reciprocal, long-term relationships with local growers and producers."

Participating NCGA member stores will host Eat Local America challenges within their communities, encouraging individuals to visit their store, learn when their local challenge is taking place, commit to participate, and collect information on eating local foods. Because peak harvest time varies throughout the nation, the challenge duration may vary from a one-week to one-month period, according to NCGA.

Read more here.

Personally, I'll be getting most of my grocers from a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). As for my tea, I'll always love teamaster-made green tea from Japan, first flush black from Darjeeling, oolong from Taiwan, and white and green teas from China, but I'll also get to try some VERY local tea soon.


Soil from Darjeeling, kindly sent to me by a tea professional in India







Chinese-variety tea seeds, kindly sent to me my a tea educator in Japan





Planting of the tea seeds, for uber-local, "fresh from my apartment" tea



If anyone in the US would like a tea seed or two, email me with your address and one way you plan to go greener this year. Have a great Earth Day tomorrow!

More SXSW

So, I am finally ready to post more on SXSW. Unfortunately, Blogger is being weird and not letting me post all my photos. Once I'm on my own computer again, I'll try to remedy that.

I've been having way too much fun here! Between the great shows, fantastic (and, for a New Yorker, cheap!) food, and the gorgeous scenery, I've been having a blast.

Great Music

Slim Cessnic's Auto Club--The name sounds silly, but the band put on one of the best shows I've seen here! They played off of the Southern revival tradition and said things like, "This song is for good country folk like you and me" before launching into songs that can only be described as pure rockabilly fun.

Akron/Family--I saw a full set of theirs with some friends who missed them before. It was fantastic. They wore headdresses, got the crowd going, jumped into the audience, lead everyone on a march outside at the end of the show... Looking forward to seeing them in NYC (they're from Brooklyn) soon.

The 8-Bit Peoples Show--Gameboys and Segas and printers as instruments. Totally danceable. There were some sound difficulties with Anamanagichi (whose album I recently bought and love), but some of the earlier bands made it all worth it. Very cool.













Fantastic Food (and Tea!)



Vegan macrobiotic goodness at Casa de Luse (yoga center, spa, restaurant, etc.)



Genmaicha and an iced tisane blend at Casa de Luse






Foods from the local co-op (Wheatville):
Vegetarian Frito Chili Pie (a veg version of a Southern favorite that I have yet to see grace any NYC menu)
Sauteed greens (also Southern and delicious)
Tempeh taco (with all the local fixin's!)
Cashew-butter cookie





The local hangover cure











The original Whole Foods


One of the two local beers. The other one is Lone Star. Despite Lone Star's extremely cheap pricing and instant hipster points, I prefer Shiner. (Side note: Craft breweries are popping up all over the US. When I travel, I find that drinking local can be a fun way to try new things and stay more sustainable.)

I wish the other photos would load, but here's a taste:
More tea!
My friend Lauren's famous "Egg Goo" (the perfect post-bar snack)

Gorgeous Scenery


Barton Springs--This is an all-natural limestone spring the size of a football field. I went swimming when it was 91 deg F outside. The water is 68 deg F year-round. I can see why the locals love it so much!



Zilker Botanical Gardens bridge


Unlike NYC, Austin has way more birds than just pigeons. Here are some black ducks and grackles (mean but beautiful black and indigo birds)... and some pigeons.



Small skyline, but what a view of it!





Soon, you'll also see:
Tanaguchi (Japanese Tea) Garden
View from The Pedestrian Bridge
Flowering plants (NYC is still mostly barren)
Austin's rad landscaping

PS--Thanks to Steph for all the well-wishing!

SXSW Day One

Arrived safely in Austin. Got the party rolling last night with my Austin friends and their friends. Today, I:

Figured out the local transit system (which is better than you might guess)
Interviewed Sweet Leaf Tea (based in Austin) about their RTD sweet tea
Saw an art exhibit on growing edibles in your yard (and on sustainability in general... Actually there was an overlap between this exhibit and one I saw in London at The Tate Modern last summer.)
Went out for amazing tea and food with my friend Austin (Yes, his name is Austin and he lives in Austin. He's also a grad student at UT Austin.)
Visited the local food co-op, where they carry tea-kettle egg timers
Bought a gun
Went show shopping
Swang on a genuine front-porch swing
Drank some "tea" soda that turned out to only have tea extract (lame)

Tonight I'm going to some shows. Tomorrow I'll tell you who I heard and how they were (IMHO--I'm a tea expert, not a music expert!), as well as any more tea news I might have.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden and Sustainable Tea

This Saturday, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden is having a very cool local food event. They'll have workshops on the best foods to grow locally, how to grow in limited NYC space, sustainable watering practices, and more.

The only workshop addressing "tea" is "Brewing Compost Tea" (which, for those of you unitiated to the ways of composting, is nothing you'd want to drink!), but I think that this relates to the bigger picture of tea in that it has to do with the choices we make about what we consume. More and more people are turning to not only local, but organic, biodynamic, fair trade, and sustainably packaged foods and drinks. This is especially true of tea and other "luxury" or "specialty" foods. (I still find it funny that you can get an exceptional loose-leaf tea for about 25 cents a cup, yet it still gets pigeonholed as a "luxury item." Sure, it's luxurious, but it costs much less than your average soda!) This trend is growing in both the US and in the UK. Organic teas are becoming easier and easier to find (some companies, like Zhi Tea, sell only organic teas), and fair trade teas are following close behind in many areas. Sustainable packaging will be addressed at the next World Tea Expo and (I think) will become increasingly popular in the tea market. Now it's even possible to buy local tea in the US (if you live in South Carolina, Washington state, or Hawaii, or if you know the right people). Tea is one of the few (only?) foods that is closely linked to both foodie and health culture.

I am very interested to see where it will go as trends from both sides influence its production, processing, packaging, and marketing in the US and elsewhere. What do you see in the future of tea? Anyone care to read the leaves and speak up on the issue?

PS--The event I mentioned before rambling, Making Brooklyn Bloom, is free if you print out a flyer from their site.

England Goes Foodie, Tea Prices on the Rise?

England is following and surpassing the American trend of "going foodie." Acoording to a recent article on CNN, they are getting ahead of the American trend towards for organic, fair trade, and local: the British govenrment has even asked retailers to develop "eco-labels" that indicate the environmental impact of each product. The focus is much more on sustainability than on personal health. (It seems to me that most Americans are more interested in their own health than the planet's when it comes to organic food production.) The ethical treatment of animals (still a mojor taboo in the US, despite all of PETA's well-meaning efforts) has also gained some attention in the press on both sides of the issue.

I wonder how the foodie movement in one of the world's biggest tea-drinking nations will impact the tea market. Will more plantations and gardens go organic/biodynamic? Will packaging be altered to be more sustainable and will marketing begin to reflect the (in many cases, newfound) sustainability more? As tastes change in England, will the ubiquitous teabag be replaced more and more by loose leaf tea?

As for the prices, it is already predicted that tea prices will rise in 2008 due to civil unrest in Kenya. Of course, most tea production in Kenya is CTC at present, so it may not impact the prices of loose leaf. Perhaps a price increase in CTC black tea (Kenya's main tea product and England's favorite cuppa) will actually encourage a shift to loose leaf. We shall see!


EDITED TO ADD: A new article on the UK's efforts to make grocery stores more sustainable, ethical, and healthy. Yay!

Antimicrobial Tisane from Hops

Hops, one of the main ingredients in beer, are now being used to produce a naturally antimicrobial tisane. The variety used is called "Teamaker," and it is substantially less bitter than typical brewery hops. This is because hops have antimicrobial (bitter) alpha acids and (not bitter) beta acids, but whereas most hops have more alphas, Teamaker hops have more betas. Read more here.

In semi-related news, Queens' contemporary art museum, P.S.1 has announced a new, sustainable architectural plan for their courtyard. The whimsical design includes a large V-shaped (yay!) structure of heavy cardboard tubes, in which a variety of herbs, garden vegetables, and even (you guessed it) barley and hops will be grown. They intend to use fresh tomatoes for bloody marys, various vegetables and herbs for fresh juices (made at a juice stand in the courtyard), and the barley and hops for their very own P.S.1 beer. Now if only they would start growing tea!

Read more on P.S.1's plans.

Side note: I visited P.S.1 last weekend for their current exhibit of feminist art. It's a fantastic show! If you are into art and/or feminism and will be in NYC before the show comes down, I highly recommend checking it out!

World Tea Expo Forecast

The World Tea Expo is approaching fast. They have new programs lined up, including a New Business Boot Camp and an Executive & Technical Series. They will also continue to have the Exhibit Hall and the Core Conference Program, which I covered on the Vee Tea Blog last year (scroll down). Very exciting. Below are some of the Core Conference Seminars which I think will be highlights of the 2008 World Tea Expo.

Skill Building Workshop: Cupping
I think that everyone in the tea industry should have at least a basic working knowledge of cupping. If nothing else, it cultivates a fuller appreciation for the product.

2008 Tea Report
Tea trends of the past few years and tea forecasts for the upcoming one, all summed up in a neat little hour-long presentation. If you don't stay on top of the trends for yourself (which you should!), this is the "Cliff's Notes" way to try to stay on top of the game.

The Profound World of Pu-Erh
Pu-Erh is a misunderstood and under-represented tea in the West. I hope this seminar will help more tea professionals (and, in turn, their clients) understand this complex and sophisticated tea.

Tea Purchasing
Tea purchasing can be overwhelming for new tearoom owners. In fact, many of my clients come to me for consultation on this very matter. While a seminar can't provide much in the way of one-on-one time and customization, it may be a quick fix for sourcing woes.

Marketing Organic
Organic products are making up an increasingly large segment of sales revenue in many areas of the food and drink markets. This seminar addresses how to market organic teas effectively. This course would pair well with this is "Social Responsibility Panel Discussion."

Focused Tasting: Taiwan
This tasting is led by the renowned Jane Pettigrew. Need I say more?

Super Workshop: Tea and Chocolate Pairing
I attended last year's version of this seminar and it was pure fun. If you, like me, have a fairly well-developed palate and understand the concepts of pairing, then you probably won't gain much in the way of profound knowledge from this seminar. However, it is highly entertaining and also quite delicious.

Skill Building Workshop: Blending
This session addresses the art of tea blending, which is cool. I hope that next year, they also address the legality of blending, which is not so much cool as it is absolutely necessary for you to not get in loads of trouble for blending tea in your tearoom's back room.

Whole Body Tea Retailing
A few years ago, tea spa treatments were the hot new thing. Now, this trend is filtering down to the mainstream in the form of tea soaps, lotions, etc. This workshop addresses expanding your tea line to include tea body products.

Package Design for the Green Generation
Green packaging is huge (or, rather, tiny) in Europe. It seems that many American companies and designers have forgotten that bigger is not always better, and flashy and fast is not always the best way to win the race. However, this trend is changing, and not just in the local health food stores. More people are using totes for their groceries and noticing just how much they have to throw away to reach the product inside the packaing. This workshop seems like a good intro to sustainable packaging and its potential benefits to your brand.

How to Conduct a Successful Tea Tasting
I attended this workshop last year. It was so good, had to restrain myself from signing up again. The entire audience was so thrilled with the depth and breadth of information presented, as well as the clarity of the presenter. The question on everyone's lips afterward was, "When can we expect your book?" Even if you have held tastings before, this is a fantastic workshop to attend.

Tea and Meditation
I have the feeling this will be a hit or miss workshop with attendees. Personally, I think it will be amazing, but it all depends if you're into that kind of thing. If you are, check it out!

Super Workshop: The Way of Tea
This workshop is led by the Ura Senke Foundation. That alone is enough for me to give it the thumbs up.

Victorian Matrons, Fearless Flappers, and Chai-Sipping Executives: The History of American Tearooms
Despite the typical association of tearooms with the UK, the US also has a fascinating history of tearooms. Personally, I can't wait to attend this workshop.

Social Responsibility Panel Discussion
I think this seminar will be the most important one in the whole Expo. It will address key issues in the future of tea production which directly impact tea quality, not to mention quality of life on this planet. That aside, if you are looking for the dollar signs in your workshops, using marketing to highlight a socially responsibile aspect of your brand can be great for sales.

Social Media Marketing Strategies
Those around my age probably know a thing or two about this. Learn more. For those above their late twenties, welcome to the future. If you are at all interested in having a strong web presence, you should really take this course.


So, that's my forecast for the 2008 World Tea Expo. If you have anything to add, please drop a note in my blog!

Chic Tea Gifts

Looking for a chic tea gift? San Francicso-based Violet has some cute items including a flowering tea set, an American honey flight, and (my personal fave) The Teastick. Eco-minded folk will also love their sustainable gifts. Cool.