Brewing

In just a few short days I will be leaving for a long-planned trip which will take me to Japan for just three days, and then on to China for almost three weeks. This will be a once in a lifetime trip for me, I suspect. I will travel on a Tea Tour being led by Dan Robertson of The Tea House, a wholesale supplier in Naperville, IL. Dan has been traveling to China since 1994, and leading these tours since 2000.

We will visit  tea estates, as well as small family owned plots,  where we will see tea being grown, plucked, and processed by hand. We will have the opportunity to taste endless wonderful teas, many of which are never made available outside of China. This is the country where tea has grown wild for centuries and where it has long been celebrated for its medicinal and spiritual effects. We will be staying both at modern hotels and at more personal traditional guesthouses. While on our tour we will have the opportunity to spend time at many tea houses as well as at a calligraphy school, a porcelain factory, and a Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital. I am so excited to be undertaking this voyage, and I look forward to sharing stories, pictures, and tea knowledge for a very long time upon my return. In my absence, the shop will continue to operate smoothly under the care of Patricia of Cellar Door Floral Designs, and Shirley of Gallery 265. On Saturdays, you will have the chance to meet my daughter, Chrisy McKinney who will be filling in for me. Although my access to e-mail will be spotty while I’m away, I will be happy to try to respond to questions which can’t wait for my return if I can. Otherwise, I will look forward to seeing you all in October! Marianne

In recognition of the birthplace of tea almost 5,000 years ago, we encourage you to celebrate the Year of the Boar as it is ushered in.   Celebration of the New Year starts the long Celebration of Spring, with the beginning of new life.  The new tea crops of the year are awaited with great  anticipation.                                                           

I encourage you to visit www.chinapage.com to learn more about the culture and customs associated with China. And to all, I say “FU” (Good Luck) in China!   

Just in time for your last minute gift giving, the long awaited Japanese green tea sweets have arrived. Try these lovely and unique chocolates for their smooth, creamy texture with the rich, chocolate flavor cut by the slight bite of organic Matcha green tea from Japan. This is a taste treat you won’t want to miss. Available in bars of white chocolate blended with powdered Matcha Green Tea, small bite size chocolates of the same recipe, or Matcha Mountain, a mound of ground pistachio nuts blended with Matcha Green Tea and honey, covered with rich dark chocolate, then sprinkled with green tea leaves.

Fine Japanese green teas from Keiko Tea. This is a new source and a new type of tea for us. An area of exploration and education about the teas of Japan.

Also from Keiko, Green Tea Drops: hard tea candy flavored with mint, ginger, or cherry. Coming soon we will carry Green Tea chocolates.

Beautiful insulated travel tea glasses. Available in insulated glass with beautiful delicate design, or colorful outer layer with stainless steel inside, these have an infuser topped by a tightly screwed on lid, allowing you to brew your own high quality loose leaf tea when traveling. Be sure to check them out.

Latest Tea Shop Mystery by Laura Childs: Blood Orange Brewing, filled with her usual quirky characters, suspenseful plot, and tea time recipes. If you haven’t read any of her books yet, it’s time to get started. She’s not just a pretty face! We carry the entire series in paperback as they become available.

From The World Tea Expo: a variety of tea related items including baseball caps and round brimmed hats with the I Love Tea logo, gorgeous silk scarves in black with a white design of a tea cup silk screened on each end, well priced sterling silver bookmarks with a teapot dangle.

Fresh shipments of delicate white porcelain pieces, reasonably priced for your tea table, new teacup card designs from Kimberly Shaw Graphics, and new Tiny Teapot Jewelry designs. And of course, there’s always a new vintage linen or china piece from my auction or estate sale roaming!