Here are two articles from last year that I've been meaning to link for some time. They are both from The New York Times and they cover very different aspects of tea. The first is similar to my recent Tea Muse article on tea in Austin. Its focus is Portland and it is written by the talented Ceil Miller Bouchet. The second is about the owners of a specialty foods store who, like me, love to teach tea and who, unlike me, recently published the wonderful book “The Story of Tea: A Cultural History and Drinking Guide."
Excerpt from Beyond Tea and Crumpets in Portland:
"... that's why I came to Portland: to connect with this moist metropolis through my favorite brew. Building on the success of established Portland tea businesses like Tazo Tea, Stash and Oregon Chai, the city is host to one of the most distinctive tea scenes in the country. Locally owned tea spots have sprouted throughout the city, supported by an epicurean population that travels miles for the perfect cup. From mushroom tea to tea paired with sake, these citizens of the Pacific Rim are thinking way beyond tea and crumpets. And no tea bags allowed."
Excerpt from Lessons From the Professors of Tea:
"In Shanghai they visited a bustling regional wholesale tea market that was featuring first-of-the-season teas from the eastern provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui. (Cramped in the back of a van full of Chinese passengers, no officials saw them as they rode through the checkpoint into a Chinese-only wholesale section of the city.)
On a boat ride on the Lake of a Thousand Islands, in Zhejiang Province, a woman named Wei Cui Lan, one of China’s leading tea authorities and one of the last women to graduate from tea school before the Cultural Revolution, showed them the methods required to brew at least 30 different varieties of green and oolong tea."
PS--I still have two free tickets left for the Coffee and Tea Festival. Email me with your name and a comment or suggestion for Vee Tea to win them.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Alice's Tea Cup
A little while back, The Daily News did a story on Alice's Tea Cup, which is one of NYC's best-known tea businesses. Excerpt:
Their concept was born a few years ago, when the women - native West Siders - were living in Los Angeles. Haley worked in film production, while Lauren was, and still is, an actress. They frequented a tea house, and wondered how such a place might fare back home.
"We didn't understand why you had to go to a hotel to get afternoon tea," Lauren said.
It's an interesting glimpse into a tea business in one of the most competitive cities in the world for food businesses. Read more on Alice's Tea Cup, and enjoy your tea!
Their concept was born a few years ago, when the women - native West Siders - were living in Los Angeles. Haley worked in film production, while Lauren was, and still is, an actress. They frequented a tea house, and wondered how such a place might fare back home.
"We didn't understand why you had to go to a hotel to get afternoon tea," Lauren said.
It's an interesting glimpse into a tea business in one of the most competitive cities in the world for food businesses. Read more on Alice's Tea Cup, and enjoy your tea!
Monday, April 7, 2008
NYC Coffee & Tea Festival
Exciting news! The NYC Coffee & Tea Festival is this weekend! Don't forget that you can get half-price tickets with the promo code VEETEA. Also, the first four people to email me their full name and a comment about Vee Tea (it could be a post idea, a comment I can add to the testimonials on my site, or a suggestion of some kind) get a free pair of tickets to the Festival!
PS--I recently got to interview the Coffee & Tea Festival's organizer, Lynda Calimano. You can read the full interview on Vee Tea.
PS--I recently got to interview the Coffee & Tea Festival's organizer, Lynda Calimano. You can read the full interview on Vee Tea.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Teaware Sale
NYC-based home shop Clio is having a sale starting today. Check out their teapot collection (the quirk award goes to their "iron" teapot, the Mirza) and other cool tea products ("shattered" cup, tea towels, and more). Have a great weekend!
92 Thompson St., b/t Prince & Spring Streets
212.966.8991
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Food Blogs, Tea Blogs
The Associated Press recently released an article industry trends with food blogs. The trend of sending merchandise to food bloggers has become very popular amongst major food companies. "Courting one blog with a couple of thousand daily readers may not have a huge impact, but marketers can easily reach several such blogs with little effort, said Debbie Weil, a corporate blogging consultant based in Washington, D.C."
The same trend can be seen on many tea blogs across the net. So far, it is mostly limited to tea samples, however, some companies are now sending out teaware and other tea-related merchandise. In this era of splitering media and a return to tribalism (in terms of ideas and information) through new media, I think that this shift in corporations' (and smaller companies'!) attitudes toward marketing reflects a significant change in how information is disseminated and received. After all, how many people still buy a particular tea or tea product because they saw an ad for it? And how many people buy a tea or product because someone whose opinion they respect raved about it?
Lately, a lot of tea companies have been starting their own blogs. This is due to blogging's overall rise in popularity, but I'm sure the recent New York Times article on business blogging didn't hurt. I've been lucky enough to work with a few companies as a tea blogging consultant, and I have to say that it is a very exciting trend in the tea world! It personalizes the companies for the clients, and it ensures that clients will check back regularly for new products, events, and other updates. Just as the NYT article says, it can be a major marketing tool at a low cost to even small businesses. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next, and to being a part of it!
The same trend can be seen on many tea blogs across the net. So far, it is mostly limited to tea samples, however, some companies are now sending out teaware and other tea-related merchandise. In this era of splitering media and a return to tribalism (in terms of ideas and information) through new media, I think that this shift in corporations' (and smaller companies'!) attitudes toward marketing reflects a significant change in how information is disseminated and received. After all, how many people still buy a particular tea or tea product because they saw an ad for it? And how many people buy a tea or product because someone whose opinion they respect raved about it?
Lately, a lot of tea companies have been starting their own blogs. This is due to blogging's overall rise in popularity, but I'm sure the recent New York Times article on business blogging didn't hurt. I've been lucky enough to work with a few companies as a tea blogging consultant, and I have to say that it is a very exciting trend in the tea world! It personalizes the companies for the clients, and it ensures that clients will check back regularly for new products, events, and other updates. Just as the NYT article says, it can be a major marketing tool at a low cost to even small businesses. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next, and to being a part of it!
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
NYU on Tea
NYU's paper, Washington Square News, recently published an article on tea spots near their campus, and included my top picks for a quick cuppa in the area. Excerpt:
"As The New York Times recently reported, tea shops are on the rise and have become increasingly popular places to wind down. We chose some of our favorites and asked Lindsey 'Vee' Goodwin, owner of VeeTea and licensed New York 'tea tour' guide, to help us compile a list of the best tea spots near NYU."
They go on to talk about Tea & Sympathy (which I recently blogged about), The Adore (which I reviewed a few months ago for TeaMuse), and Tea Spot, and to list some other "Vee-recommended" tearooms for tea near NYU. Read the full article here.
"As The New York Times recently reported, tea shops are on the rise and have become increasingly popular places to wind down. We chose some of our favorites and asked Lindsey 'Vee' Goodwin, owner of VeeTea and licensed New York 'tea tour' guide, to help us compile a list of the best tea spots near NYU."
They go on to talk about Tea & Sympathy (which I recently blogged about), The Adore (which I reviewed a few months ago for TeaMuse), and Tea Spot, and to list some other "Vee-recommended" tearooms for tea near NYU. Read the full article here.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
New VeeTea Article on TeaMuse
There's a new Vee Tea article on Tea Muse this month! It's a two-part article that covers my recent tea excursions in Austin and trends in tea in the US. Excerpt:
"In order to learn about tea trends in Austin, I started where coolness often originates-near the college campus. On Guadalupe near downtown ('The Drag,' as the locals call it), there are two boba tearooms on the same block, Tapioca House and Coco's Cafe II. Boba tea, for those who are unfamiliar, is a sugary concoction which is, as Douglas Adams put it, 'almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea.' It is a frothy drink made of tea, sugar, milk, and (often, but not necessarily) tapioca flour spheres, it comes in a variety of flavors, and it is also known as 'bubble tea' and '(tapioca) pearl tea.' I jokingly refer to it as a 'gateway tea,' because young people try it, get really into it, and then move on to the more serious stuff. Although the two tearooms (and the boba teas I sampled from each place) are remarkably similar, they are both popular enough to be supported by a steady stream of college students seeking their sugary fixes. In many ways, this is indicative of the nascent stages of tea culture in the US-a sugary something for when you're on the go, like a cola but 'better for you.'"
Read more on tea in Austin on Tea Muse!
"In order to learn about tea trends in Austin, I started where coolness often originates-near the college campus. On Guadalupe near downtown ('The Drag,' as the locals call it), there are two boba tearooms on the same block, Tapioca House and Coco's Cafe II. Boba tea, for those who are unfamiliar, is a sugary concoction which is, as Douglas Adams put it, 'almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea.' It is a frothy drink made of tea, sugar, milk, and (often, but not necessarily) tapioca flour spheres, it comes in a variety of flavors, and it is also known as 'bubble tea' and '(tapioca) pearl tea.' I jokingly refer to it as a 'gateway tea,' because young people try it, get really into it, and then move on to the more serious stuff. Although the two tearooms (and the boba teas I sampled from each place) are remarkably similar, they are both popular enough to be supported by a steady stream of college students seeking their sugary fixes. In many ways, this is indicative of the nascent stages of tea culture in the US-a sugary something for when you're on the go, like a cola but 'better for you.'"
Read more on tea in Austin on Tea Muse!
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