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Cotton Candy Black Tea

Frank — Tue, 15 May 2012 02:04:26 +0000

This week’s tea of the week is a real gem. I am enjoying a big icy stein of it as I write this. I’m sure it’s good hot too, but as an iced tea, it’s amazing. A friend of the family is over visiting and he insists it’s “like a carnival in your mouth.”

I’m having a hard time trying to come up with words to describe the aroma and flavor, except that it tastes like cotton candy–which is basically spun sugar that has been a bit caramelized in the process.

This week, we are also testing a new black tea base which is a blend of Chinese, Assam, and Darjeeling black teas. I’m quite enjoying the depth of the blend even with the very strong and captivating cotton candy flavor dancing on my tastebuds, there is still a rich and complex black tea base that is definitely present.

This is a tea you’re not going to want to miss out on, particularly if you want an awesome iced tea that’s sure to garner appreciative remarks from whomever you serve it to.

Incidentally, we have more iced tea blends coming in the near future. I’m working out the final packaging details, but I believe we are going to be dividing it up into actual teabags that yield two-quarts of iced tea! Stay tuned for those.

Did You Know?

Cotton candy was first recorded in the 18th century. At that time, spun sugar was an expensive, labor-intensive endeavor and was not generally available to the average person. Machine-spun cotton candy was invented in 1897 by the dentist William Morrison and confectioner John C. Wharton and first introduced to a wide audience at the 1904 World’s Fair as “Fairy Floss” with great success, selling 68,655 boxes at the then-high price of 25¢, half the cost of admission to the fair (equivelant to $6 today). Fairy floss was renamed to “cotton candy” in the 1920s….

The United States celebrates National Cotton Candy Day on December 7.

–Wikipedia

Our Tea of the Week for the week of May 14, 2012

Just $8.99 for 1.75oz. with FREE shipping to the US!

Check out all of the amazing blends we have in stock HERE And don’t forget about our Tea of the Month / Tea of the Week Plans

Concord Grape Bai Mu Dan

Frank — Tue, 08 May 2012 01:47:56 +0000

So, I’m a little extra excited about our new freeze-dried grapes. I can’t help it, they are just too much fun to blend with. I’m hoping our customers will forgive me and enjoy this deliciousness.

Here’s a blend of our naturally sweet bai mu dan white tea with freeze-dried grapes and natural flavors.

Our Tea of the Week for the week of May 7, 2012

Just $8.99 for 1oz. with FREE shipping to the US!

Check out all of the amazing blends we have in stock HERE And don’t forget about our Tea of the Month / Tea of the Week Plans

Flaming Chocolate Mate

Frank — Tue, 01 May 2012 02:02:28 +0000

Ready for a bit of heat and a bit of sweet? How about a nice caffeine kick to boot? Here’s some roasted yerba mate blended with organic cacao nibs and cayenne pepper for a delicious, caffeinated kick in the mouth.

As always, this is a limited edition so don’t miss out.

From Wikipedia The infusion, called mate in Spanish-speaking countries or chimarrão in south Brazil, is prepared by steeping dry leaves (and twigs) of the mate plant in hot water, rather than in boiling water. Drinking mate with friends from a shared hollow gourd (also called a guampa, porongo or mate in Spanish, or cabaça or cuia in Portuguese, or zucca in Italian) with a metal straw (a bombilla in Spanish, bomba in Portuguese) is a common social practice in Uruguay, Argentina and southern Brazil among people of all ages; the beverage is most popular in Uruguay, where people are seen walking on the street carrying the “mate” and “termo” in their arms and where you can find hot water stations to refill the “termo” while on the road…

The flavor of brewed mate is strongly vegetal, herbal, and grassy, reminiscent of some varieties of green tea. Some consider the flavor to be very agreeable, but it is generally bitter if steeped in boiling water.

Our Tea of the Week for the week of April 30, 2012

Just $8.99 for 1.75oz. with FREE shipping to the US!

Check out all of the amazing blends we have in stock HERE And don’t forget about our Tea of the Month / Tea of the Week Plans

Lemon Cardamom Chun Mee

Frank — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 02:52:53 +0000

I love the buttery Chinese sencha we use to create most of our flavored green teas with, but occasionally I like to try starting with different base teas. This week, we’ve blended Chun Mee green tea with organic green cardamom pods, lemon peel, lemon myrtle, lemongrass, lemon balm and lemon verbena for a delicious lemony citrus treat with a nice cardamom kick. The aroma of this blend alone is at once soothing and invigorating. As a beverage, it seems to walk that line brilliantly. It’s amazing hot or iced. Be sure to get yours today. Like all of our weekly teas, this is a limited edition.

Chun Mee is a Chinese green tea that is a slightly less sweet and more acidic than most Chinese green teas. Chun Mee (zhēnméi) roughly translates “precious eyebrows” which is what the tiny rolled leaves look like.

According to Wikipedia: ”Cardamom (or cardamon) refers to several plants of the similar genera Elettaria and Amomum in the ginger family Zingiberaceae. Both genera are native to India, Nepal and Bhutan; they are recognised by their small seed pod, triangular in cross-section and spindle-shaped, with a thin papery outer shell and small black seeds. Today, the majority of cardamom is still grown in southern India, although some other countries, such as Guatemala and Sri Lanka, have also begun to cultivate it. Elettaria pods are light green while Amomum pods are larger and dark brown.

It is the world’s third most expensive spice by weight, outstripped in terms of its market value by only saffron and vanilla.”

Our Tea of the Week for the week of April 23, 2012

Just $8.99 for 2oz. with FREE shipping to the US!

Check out all of the amazing blends we have in stock HERE And don’t forget about our Tea of the Month / Tea of the Week Plans

Mothers’ Day Special!

While supplies last, get one of our Box of Chocolate samplers for just $24.99! That’s $10 off our regular price! Click here to check out the samplers.

Sweet Merlot Black Tea

Frank — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 23:07:19 +0000

Here’s an extra special treat I’ve been working on for a while now, a sweet Merlot flavored black tea with real freeze-dried grapes. My wife and I just recently started getting into wine, and it seems Merlot is a good compromise for us. I’m not necessarily all about those uber-dry wines, but nor do I care for the super-sugary-sweet stuff either. A little sweet is good. Anyway, I think this strikes a nice balance, and more than that, it makes a great compliment to our premium black tea base.

Our Tea of the Week for the Week of April 16th, 2012

Just $8.99 for 1.75oz. with FREE shipping to the US!

Check out all of the amazing blends we have in stock HERE And don’t forget about our Tea of the Month / Tea of the Week Plans

WHITE SALE!

Since JCPenney appears to have given up on having sales, we thought maybe we should pick up the slack. Right now, through this Sunday, for every $20 in individual tea pouches (Not plans or accessories/gift items) you purchase, we’re going to send you a free pouch of one of our white tea blends (we seem to be a little overstocked at the moment). Feel free to make specific requests in the special instructions box–we will try to honor them on a first-come, first-served basis. Please note the new Forest Berry Silver Needle will not be given away–sorry.

Doggy Tea

Frank — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 01:46:55 +0000

Does your canine companion crave your tea? Here’s a blend specially formulated just for puppy-dogs. Passion flower, oatstraw tops and valerian root (chosen for their reported calming effects), blended with natural BACON flavoring. This is sure to be a hit with your furry pal. Walter (English mastiff), Frodo & Samwise (Chinese pugs) think it’s a great treat.

A special mid-week blend, just for fun

Just $8.99 for 1oz. with FREE shipping to the US

Custard-filled Maple Long John Honeybush

Frank — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 00:13:09 +0000

Continuing our tradition of bringing you guilty-pleasure baked goods in tea form, here’s our take on a custard-filled maple long john (one of my personal guilty-pleasures). Sweet, caffeine-free honeybush blended with marigold petals and natural flavors. Sweet, maple-y, bake-y goodness in a guilt-free, caffeine-free and 100% vegan treat!

Our Tea of the Week for the week of April 9, 2012

Just $8.99 for 2oz. with FREE shipping to the US!

Check out all of the amazing blends we have in stock HERE And don’t forget about our Tea of the Month / Tea of the Week Plans

VIT: Forest Berry Silver Needle

Frank — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 01:59:40 +0000

Here’s another Very Important Tea. Ultra-premium Silver Needle white tea blended with freeze dried strawberries, blackberries and raspberries. I don’t think any other blender would dare to tamper with as exquisite a white tea as this, but we’re not any other blender.

This is an extremely limited edition blend, and I have a feeling it’s going to go fast, especially at this price. Can’t wait to see your reviews of this one.

Get one ounce for just $14.99, or two ounces for $24.99 (while quantities last!)

Cherry Garcia

Frank — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 02:38:55 +0000

I’m hoping this is a good idea and doesn’t just get me into a lot of trouble. It will probably just get me into trouble. I seem to attract it. Anyway, you might want to snap this up before we get sued.

[A brief plea to the good folks at Ben & Jerry's: Please don't sue us. We don't have any money. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, you know.]

I’m not going to say anything more–no sense in giving the lawyers any more ammunition.

MADE WITH A BLEND OF WHOLE LEAF AND CTC TEAS FOR EXTRA BODY!

Our REAL Tea of the Week for the week of April 2, 2012

Just $8.99 for 1.75oz. with FREE shipping to the US!

Check out all of the amazing blends we have in stock HERE And don’t forget about our Tea of the Month / Tea of the Week Plans

Fried Chicken & Waffles Black Tea

Frank — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 05:00:14 +0000

Here’s a suggestion I recently received from a dear customer. It might sound a little crazy, but wait til you taste it! Best of all–it’s actually VEGAN!

Hot, buttery waffles with a touch of maple syrup form a perfect synergy with the flavors of down-home, fried chicken. This is going to go fast, so order yours now, and be sure to tell your friends.

Our New Tea of the Week for the week of April 2, 2012

SPECIAL PRICING! With FREE shipping to the US! Add to cart to see price.

Check out all of the amazing blends we have in stock HERE And don’t forget about our Tea of the Month / Tea of the Week Plans