Valentines Day Tea

Valentine's Day can be a great way to enjoy tea! Here are a few ways you can combine the two:

Kulov Tea Festival

Ladies-Only Tea to Combat "Man Drought" in Australia

A V-Day flowers and cookies class over afternoon tea

Girls-Only Tea (or Tea & Spa) Events in DC

Sipping Romantic Teas with a Loved One (Feel free to add to my list!)

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Tea Sommeliers

I often have people ask me what "tea sommelier" means. My writing buddy Elin Headrick answers the question very well in her new article, Sommeliers Break Out of the Bottle on World Tea News. Excerpt:

Of French origin, sommelier means “wine steward” and has come to be associated with a high level of expertise. It makes sense to apply the term to tea, many believe, because of the cultivated palate required to discern subtleties in different varieties of tea.

Some of the best known tea sommeliers in the United States today are found in large, cosmopolitan hotels: the Boston Park Plaza Hotel and Towers, the Phoenix Ritz Carlton and the Park Hyatt in Washington, D.C. They educate guests on the hotels’ extensive selections of tea and help develop an appreciation for the drink.

Asked what it takes to succeed in their emerging field, these tea sommeliers agreed that it requires a mix of knowledge about tea – acquired through travel and study – and hospitality skills.


You can read more of Elin's article here. On a semi-related note, Elin just had a beautiful, healthy baby a few weeks back (and can now drink as much caffeine as she wants again)! Congrats, Elin!

PS -- My class at Urasenke Chanoyu yesterday was fascinating! I'll tell you more about it as it progresses.

NYC Coffee and Tea Festival

Now that the weather's warming up, I'm reminded that the annual NYC Coffee and Tea Festival is fast approaching. This year has an exciting line-up that includes:

A traditional Japanese tea ceremony demonstration
Tea Blending
Coffee and Tea Cocktails
Green Tea 101
Tea Leaf Reading
Coffee and Tea Exhibitors

Learn more on the Coffee and Tea Festival site, and remember: you can get half-off tickets with the promo code "VEETEA."

FAQs and Not-So-FAQs

Lately, I've been getting a lot of questions through my ask page. I've decided to post a few in my blog. If you have a basic tea question or a question about Vee Tea, feel free to ask me! For more complex questions, contact me to arrange an hour-long tea class or consultation (in person or via telephone).

"Where can I get your teas?"

I get this question a lot! The answer is, "in my kitchen." I don't sell tea. I am a tea educator. I offer tea tours as well as tea classes, consultation, and training, and I write copy for tea sites.


"Are you doing tea tours in India?"

At this moment, I only offer tea tours in NYC. However, I am interested in putting a group together for a trip to India in the near future. If you're interested, let me know early in the planning stages so I can be sure to include you and your interests. Otherwise, I am available for classes and events outside NYC. (Contact me for more info.)


"I'm a coffee drinker and want to drink tea instead. What do you recommend?"

Congrats on your decision to make the transition! I think you'll find that it is very beneficial to you. On to the answer! If you like the roasty flavor of coffee, try the Japanese roasted twig tea "houji-cha." If you like a robust flavor and more caffeine, try Indian Assam black teas. Is earthy and rich more your bag? Try a pu-erh (also spelled "pu'er") tea (unless you're on a tight budget!). If you want something really smoky and strong, opt for Chinese Lapsang Souchong, its more mellow sister Tarry Souchong, or its cousin Russian Caravan (also from China). If like spices and you drink your coffee with a lot of milk and sugar, try an Indian Masala Chai (commonly called "chai" in the US). If you want milk and sugar sans spices, try an Assam black, a "breakfast blend" (China Breakfast, English Breakfast, Irish Breakfast...), or one of the Ceylon (Sri Lankan) teas that says something like "takes milk and sugar well" on the packaging. If you don't want any caffeine, like the woody notes in coffee and don't mind a little sweetness, go with the African red "tea" (tisane) rooibos. If you usually drink flavored coffee, pick up a similarly flavored tea. Welcome to the world of tea!


"What is a low quality Chinese tea from the last of the crop called? B---A (five letters)"

Hmm... was this a crossword puzzle question?! I'll put the fact that I consider this to be cheating aside for a moment and answer your question. "Bohea." When Chinese tea first became immensely popular in England, a lot of it was mixed with other vegetable matter to increase profit. Excellent teas from the Wuyi region suffered badly from this kind of pollution and their name ("bohea") became synonymous with cheap, degraded tea. Sad, but true.


"I am so envious of your travels...how do you make your living? Are you an heiress? (I am smiling)"

Like a lot of other New Yorkers, I work two jobs. I'm not an heiress, but some guy called me "Paris Hilton" at the park last week. (I think it was my sunglasses. I just hope it wasn't all the weight I lost in India!)


"Does herbal tea have any caffeine in it?"

Generally speaking, no, herbal teas (a.k.a. "tisanes" or "infusions") do not contain any caffeine. However, yerba mate is VERY high in caffeine and any herbal teas with chocolate or kola but will have a little bit of caffeine. Blends with any "true tea" (white, green, Oolong, black, pu-erh, or (rarely) yellow tea) will also have caffeine, even if they're labeled "herbal." For more info, read my article on Caffeine and Tea.


I hope this clears a few things up! Contact me if you have any tea questions!

Back in NYC!

I've been getting some "Are you alive?" emails lately, so I decided to get into gear and start posting again. I'm back in NYC. India was absolutely phenomenal and I have a lot so say about that very soon. Between getting readjusted to the city, plannning a move for later this month (still in NYC, just in a different borough), and catching up on all my business stuff (I'm holding classes, tea tastings, and a video lecture for various people in the very near future, and writing copy for a client's website), things have been a little crazy. However, I will be filling in the missing posts from my trip over the next few weeks and I should be adding articles within the month. So check back soon!

Vee Tea in the News

TeaMuse just published an article about Vee Tea! Cool. Check it out to learn more about my tea tours and classes, and about Vee Tea in general. Enjoy!

July Discount: Educators

For the month of July, I'm celebrating teachers (and their summer holiday) by offering a 10% discount to all educators. It applies to tea tours and classes, so pass it on to all your teacher friends. They deserve a break!

World Tea Expo: Day Two's Classes

I just finished three more classes at the World Tea Expo. It's barely noon and I've already learned so much! Here's a quick rundown on each class.

The first class was "Pairing Tea with Chocolate." It was very amusing because most of the students were middle-aged women who felt very comfortable making extended metaphors involving chocolate and sex. What a way to start the day! We all laughed a lot, ate delicious chocolates, tasted some very nice teas, and learned about how to taste and pair tea and chocolate well. The seminar was well-organized and the speaker was clear and thorough. Overall, I'd say it was a solid class.

Next, it was time for "Romancing the Leaf," a lecture on using tea myths to increase sales. I was hoping for the focus to be on the tea myths. There were some interesting myths in the lecture, but a large segment was on the selling aspect. The selling bit wasn't terribly useful to me, but I could tell most of the other audience members got exactly what they wanted out of it. It didn't hurt that the speaker was very entertaining; he even went so far as to change costumes as he changed myth origins to set the tone and provide visuals. I'd highly recommend this class to anyone who sells tea, but it wasn't the right fit for me.

The last class was unplanned (for me). I knew someone who didn't feel up to attending their class, so I took his place. It turned out to be the best class yet! It was presented by Anupa Mueller (whom I adore) and it was all about how to conduct a successful tea tasting. She was thorough, precise, funny, and obviously very experienced in holding tastings. Though many people in the class had conducted tea tastings before, the general consensus was that Anupa is the queen of tea tastings and that we all had a lot to learn from her. I am so glad I got the chance to attend this seminar! It may just be the highlight of my trip.

Well, it's time for me to return to the exhibit hall. I have a lot of booths and people to visit! Check back for more on the Expo!

World Tea Expo: The First Two Classes

Despite the fact that I am running on tea alone, the World Tea Expo has been great so far. In my first and second classes, I tried 12 wonderful teas from Nepal and India. These were tastings that covered the countries' general information and geographies and the teas' origins, growing conditions, processing, aromas, and tastes. I found the Nepalese teas to all be very mellow, but the Indian teas were quite varied. The Indian tea tasting was lead by the Tea Board of India. The speaker was an administrator, so his tea knowledge was limited, but he was a great public speaker and the tasting was very enjoyable. I had the pleasure of speaking with the director of the Tea Board afterward. He was very friendly and has offered to help me plan my travels to the tea plantations of India. Now it's time for me to check out the exhibitors' booths! Exciting!!!

In Atlanta

I just arrived at my hostel in Atlanta. My flight was delayed by 7 hours. (LaGuardia: great mayor, terrible airport.) I'm exhausted and I need to be up at 6 AM to go to my first class (a focused tasting of Nepalese teas), so I'm off to sleep now!

Off to Atlanta!

My voice has finally returned and I'm about to leave my apartment for my 3-ish flight to Atlanta. I'm so excited about the World Tea Expo!!! I can't wait to meet new people, reconnect with friends, try new products, take classes, visit some of ATL's tearooms, and learn as much as I can about tea while I'm there. I'll tell you all about it over the next few days, so stay tuned!

World Tea Expo

The World Tea Expo starts this weekend. I can't wait!!!

While I'm there, I will:

Attend four intensive tea tastings
Learn about tea & chocolate pairing
Learn more about tea folklore and culture
Visit some of Atlanta's top tearooms with some of my colleagues
Check out tons of companies booths and products
Talk with loads of tea professionals
Go out to dinner at my favorite tapas restaurant with the owners of Urbana Cityspa & Teabar
AND
Start a new, yet-to-be-announced dimension of Vee Tea

Exciting!!! More news later.

Celebrate Food Service Workers!

This month, VeeTea is celebrating the people who provide the wonderful foods and drinks we love so much-- food service workers! From restaurateur to dishwasher, all food service workers get a 10% discount on tours and classes for the month of May. Take the opportunty to improve your knowledge and presenation of tea with a set or customized tour or class.