I'm headed out to San Francisco for a week starting tomorrow. Planning to meet with a number of tea people, which is always a treat. I'll also be checking out a few more coffee places for my work with About.com's Coffee/Tea site. If you have any suggestions for places to visit, I'd love to hear them!
Happy sipping!
~Lindsey
PS -- If you want to follow my SF coffee/tea adventures, you can check them out on the VeeTea Twitter page.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Celebrating Tea in 2010
Happy New Year! I hope that your new year, like mine, has gotten off to a great start!
One of the things I look forward to each year is the idea of getting back to basics in January. I like to take the opportunity to simplify and clarify things in my life at the beginning of each year. I step back and look at my life and my business. I make goals and strategize on how to reach them. While looking at the big picture, I try to appreciate the little things.
This year, part of my simplification for January involves celebrating Hot Tea Month. Each day in January, I'm focusing on a different tea. For example, on New Year's Day, I drank a silver needle from Teance. The next day, I drank a silver needle from American Tea Room. Today, I drank a Bai Mu Dan. During the next week, I'll drink a different green tea each day... and so on it goes. Each day, I'll take on the simple act appreciating a different tea, but there's an overall goal to the exercise -- to re-educate my tea palate in a very straightforward way by reacquainting myself with a range of teas.
Of course, there are plenty of other ways to celebrate hot tea month. (In fact, I came up with a list of 31 ways to celebrate hot tea month for About.com.) How are you celebrating Hot Tea Month or using January as a time to rekindle your love of tea?
One of the things I look forward to each year is the idea of getting back to basics in January. I like to take the opportunity to simplify and clarify things in my life at the beginning of each year. I step back and look at my life and my business. I make goals and strategize on how to reach them. While looking at the big picture, I try to appreciate the little things.
This year, part of my simplification for January involves celebrating Hot Tea Month. Each day in January, I'm focusing on a different tea. For example, on New Year's Day, I drank a silver needle from Teance. The next day, I drank a silver needle from American Tea Room. Today, I drank a Bai Mu Dan. During the next week, I'll drink a different green tea each day... and so on it goes. Each day, I'll take on the simple act appreciating a different tea, but there's an overall goal to the exercise -- to re-educate my tea palate in a very straightforward way by reacquainting myself with a range of teas.
Of course, there are plenty of other ways to celebrate hot tea month. (In fact, I came up with a list of 31 ways to celebrate hot tea month for About.com.) How are you celebrating Hot Tea Month or using January as a time to rekindle your love of tea?
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Black Friday/Cyber Monday Tea Sales
Looking for an awesome deal on tea and teaware for the holidays? Check out this list of Black Friday & Cyber Monday Tea Sales I wrote for About.com. It includes deals from Adagio, Rishi, Samovar, Teance, teas, Etc. and more. If you have a tea company that's offering a deal for the holidays, please add it to the list! Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Tea & Cheese Pairings
If you're reading this, you probably love tea and, more likely than not, you're a foodie. If you're a foodie, you probably love cheese. Lately, tea and cheese pairings have been a fascination of mine. I think there's no better time to share them than the holidays -- they're perfect for parties and meals as an alternative (or addition) to wine and cheese pairings. Whether you're a tea business owner looking to spice up your events or a host/hostess looking for a new culinary path for your guests, I think you'll enjoy this approach to pairing.
I recently wrote about the topic for World Tea News. Here's an excerpt from my article, with pairing advice from David Barenholtz (Le Palais Gourmet/American Tea Room), Cynthia Gold (Boston Plaza Hotel, lecturer at the World Tea Expo and other venues) and Mim Enck (East Indes Tea Company, lecturer at the World Tea Expo and other venues):
*Pair opposing flavors – the salty, fruity flavor of Taleggio with the peppery, chocolaty notes of Risheehat First Flush Darjeeling (Barenholtz), or sweet Lychee Black or Pouchong and with salty Gorgonzola or Shropshire Blue (Gold).
*Play on similarities – the grassy-sweetness of Nevat with grassy-sweet Japanese greens, or the herbaceous Vento d’Estate with the honey-hay notes of Golden Needle Yunnan (Barenholtz).
*Consider texture – the fat of a rich Brie with a brisk, palette-cleansing Darjeeling First Flush (Gold).
*Bring out sub-tones and sub-textures – well-aged Comte emphasizes the cleanliness and chestnut tones of Dragonwell (Gold).
* Follow the seasons – seasonally available Irish whiskey cheddar with cold-weather teas like Lapsang Souchong (Enck).
Yum! What are your favorite ways to pair tea and cheese? Interested in doing this with your tea business? Read more on World Tea News.
I recently wrote about the topic for World Tea News. Here's an excerpt from my article, with pairing advice from David Barenholtz (Le Palais Gourmet/American Tea Room), Cynthia Gold (Boston Plaza Hotel, lecturer at the World Tea Expo and other venues) and Mim Enck (East Indes Tea Company, lecturer at the World Tea Expo and other venues):
*Pair opposing flavors – the salty, fruity flavor of Taleggio with the peppery, chocolaty notes of Risheehat First Flush Darjeeling (Barenholtz), or sweet Lychee Black or Pouchong and with salty Gorgonzola or Shropshire Blue (Gold).
*Play on similarities – the grassy-sweetness of Nevat with grassy-sweet Japanese greens, or the herbaceous Vento d’Estate with the honey-hay notes of Golden Needle Yunnan (Barenholtz).
*Consider texture – the fat of a rich Brie with a brisk, palette-cleansing Darjeeling First Flush (Gold).
*Bring out sub-tones and sub-textures – well-aged Comte emphasizes the cleanliness and chestnut tones of Dragonwell (Gold).
* Follow the seasons – seasonally available Irish whiskey cheddar with cold-weather teas like Lapsang Souchong (Enck).
Yum! What are your favorite ways to pair tea and cheese? Interested in doing this with your tea business? Read more on World Tea News.
Friday, November 20, 2009
East/West Tea Tour Ends: Tao of Tea
My last stop on my East/West tea tour/move was my new home, Portland, Oregon. I visited Tao of Tea's gorgeous location in the Portland Classical Chinese Gardens. Here's an excerpt from my review on World Tea News:
The buildings, plants and pond interacted in a distinctive way, completely unlike Western gardens (which often come across as more rigid and controlled) and classical Japanese tea gardens (in which tenuous structures play up a Wabi-Sabi sense of impermanence, while ponds and plants may appear more manicured).
The garden was bustling with visitors, yet a sense of tranquility permeated the space. Peeking into one pavilion, I saw Verinder Chawla, Tao of Tea’s owner, instructing two-dozen people how to grow, process and brew tea. Outside, people gazed at the lake, crossed covered bridges and observed the plants. On our way to the tea house, Marko and I stopped to shake Chinese fortune sticks with other visitors. Mine said something about being tempted; it must have foreseen where I was headed!
It was a lovely end to my journey, and a great beginning to my new journey of tea in Portland. You can read more about Tao of Tea and my visit there on World Tea News.
The buildings, plants and pond interacted in a distinctive way, completely unlike Western gardens (which often come across as more rigid and controlled) and classical Japanese tea gardens (in which tenuous structures play up a Wabi-Sabi sense of impermanence, while ponds and plants may appear more manicured).
The garden was bustling with visitors, yet a sense of tranquility permeated the space. Peeking into one pavilion, I saw Verinder Chawla, Tao of Tea’s owner, instructing two-dozen people how to grow, process and brew tea. Outside, people gazed at the lake, crossed covered bridges and observed the plants. On our way to the tea house, Marko and I stopped to shake Chinese fortune sticks with other visitors. Mine said something about being tempted; it must have foreseen where I was headed!
It was a lovely end to my journey, and a great beginning to my new journey of tea in Portland. You can read more about Tao of Tea and my visit there on World Tea News.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
East/West Tea Tour: The Tea Grotto
My next-to-last stop on mt tea tour/cross-country move was in Salt Lake City at a charming place called The Tea Grotto. Here's an excerpt from my review:
The Tea Grotto is located in Sugar House, a suburb dating back to the 1850s. From inside and outside The Tea Grotto, it was evident that small business culture was an integral part of the neighborhood. The large space was shared with a small gelateria, which increased the patronage and indie business cred. Tisanes included Ayurvedic and medicinal blends formulated by a local naturopathic doctor. Local regulars streamed in for tea to go, lively discussion with the staff and food that ranged from vegan sweets to a Brie plate paired with Dragonwell.
The food and tea were good, but what really set The Tea Grotto apart was its vibrant warmth. The space – large with high ceilings, whimsical aesthetic touches (including an enormous, colorful tea menu and a lighting fixture made of stemware), free WiFi, local art and plenty of nooks for customers to burrow into – was certainly a factor in the sense of community.
It's rare that I see a tea business that has cultivated such a sense of community. Congrats, Tea Grotto! You can read more about them (and my visit) on World Tea News.
The Tea Grotto is located in Sugar House, a suburb dating back to the 1850s. From inside and outside The Tea Grotto, it was evident that small business culture was an integral part of the neighborhood. The large space was shared with a small gelateria, which increased the patronage and indie business cred. Tisanes included Ayurvedic and medicinal blends formulated by a local naturopathic doctor. Local regulars streamed in for tea to go, lively discussion with the staff and food that ranged from vegan sweets to a Brie plate paired with Dragonwell.
The food and tea were good, but what really set The Tea Grotto apart was its vibrant warmth. The space – large with high ceilings, whimsical aesthetic touches (including an enormous, colorful tea menu and a lighting fixture made of stemware), free WiFi, local art and plenty of nooks for customers to burrow into – was certainly a factor in the sense of community.
It's rare that I see a tea business that has cultivated such a sense of community. Congrats, Tea Grotto! You can read more about them (and my visit) on World Tea News.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
East/West Tea Tour: Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse
On my trip across the country, I stopped mostly at smaller tea businesses filled with charm and community. My visit to Boulder included a larger, glossier tea house with the potential unrealized for greatness on an international scale. Excerpt from the review:
After visiting Seven Cups in Denver, my husband Marko and I drove to the famed Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse in Boulder, Colo. I had read rave reviews of it, and I do not disagree with them. However, Dushanbe wasn’t what I expected. While I would recommend it to others, I doubt I will return.
I can sum it up this way: People are sometimes surprised that the World Tea Expo is in Las Vegas. They say, “Vegas isn’t a tea town,” but they mean, “Vegas seems too glitzy and hollow to capture how I feel tea should be.” Boulder feels more like a tea town, but if there is ever a tea house on the Vegas Strip, it will be something like the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse.
This was a rather controversial review. Personally, I think it was balanced and that the tea industry is grown enough to handle reviews that do more than pat backs, but, hey, to each his own! Read more on World Tea News.
After visiting Seven Cups in Denver, my husband Marko and I drove to the famed Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse in Boulder, Colo. I had read rave reviews of it, and I do not disagree with them. However, Dushanbe wasn’t what I expected. While I would recommend it to others, I doubt I will return.
I can sum it up this way: People are sometimes surprised that the World Tea Expo is in Las Vegas. They say, “Vegas isn’t a tea town,” but they mean, “Vegas seems too glitzy and hollow to capture how I feel tea should be.” Boulder feels more like a tea town, but if there is ever a tea house on the Vegas Strip, it will be something like the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse.
This was a rather controversial review. Personally, I think it was balanced and that the tea industry is grown enough to handle reviews that do more than pat backs, but, hey, to each his own! Read more on World Tea News.
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