A Tahitian Breeze Moment

There's a reason so many of us are drawn to tropical vacation destinations. I had nearly forgotten how intoxicating such places can be. Recently, I was able to escape to Hawaii for a couple of days with Gene, and I couldn't believe that delicious scent in the air as you're deplaning in Honolulu.

Now, every city truly does have its own signature scent. Paris is cigarettes, diesel fuel, freshly baked bread with a soupcon of doggy doo. Which has its charms, and is certainly memorable. But Hawaii is a heady mix of tropical fruits and flowers. It's a scent that soaps and candles have tried to replicate - and they can come close - but it has a magical impact on you. On me, anyway. I move more slowly, I take in the sights and sounds around me. I soak it in. And having a view like this doesn't hurt.

Unfortunately, vacations don't last forever.

So when a package arrived from Teanzo 1856 with a sample of Organic Tahitian Breeze Dessert Tea, and I opened the package to brew my first cup of tea, I was suddenly transported back to my vacation state of mind. Heavenly!

While I'm not usually one to consume much rooibos, the incredible scent combination of chocolate and coconut and a light fruity sweetness (which I discovered is apple), gave me pause. I was looking forward to having a change of taste.

 

I could have inhaled the aroma all day long. But I forced myself to get a grip and take that much- anticipated first sip. While the sharp rooibos flavor is there, the mix of black tea, coconut and apple round out the edges and smooth it out to a mellow friendly brew. At first, the lack of distinct chocolate and coconut flavor was surprising, but as I continued sipping, I found myself appreciating the subtlety. I also had to remind myself that I have been nearly snorting the dry tea blend for a good 5 minutes, so my head was full of that intensity.

I've never been to Tahiti, but this tea blend takes me on a tropical excursion that melts away the hustle and bustle, the "musts" and the "what-ifs" and all those rat race realities that turn our hair prematurely grey.

A vacation in a cup. That's what this boils down to (forgive the pun). And if I didn't enjoy drinking it so much, the remaining blend would be in great danger of becoming my office potpourri. Though, that would be ill-advised, as I would probably lose all productivity as I kicked back in bare feet, breathing in that seductive Tahitian Breeze.

A Tea Lover's Festival Moment

A Tea Festival! Practically in my own backyard? Call it an early Mother's Day gift, but my family agreed to journey to Pasadena on May 5th to visit the Tea Lover's Marketplace being held at the Armory Center for the Arts in Pasadena, California.

It was fun to see so many people enjoying the day and visiting the different tea and tea-inspired booths in the marketplace.

 

Edie was in love with Sencha Naturals, who has mints made with green tea extracts. There were some amazing flavors, and although I figured Edie would like one of the fruit flavors best, she actually loved the Bombay Chai the most.  

 



She was also happy to try out a variety of teas at Glenburn Tea Direct's booth.

 

And we were thrilled to be able to say hi to our new friends, Michael and Elyse from Tealet, who were at the Mountain Tea booth! (And Edie and Anne Marie scored Tea Fairy stickers from Elyse!)

 

 

And finally, I had the surprise pleasure of meeting a long-time Twitter friend, @LibreTea, aka Wendy Weir, who was showcasing their Libre Tea Glasses.  Let me tell you, these were a hot item! There was a line waiting to check out the display, and with half the day to go, the Libre glass 'n poly Mugs with handle were nearly sold out!

 

 

Although we didn't have long to chat, it was so great to meet Wendy live-and-in-person after "knowing" her via Twitter for so long. I look forward to catching up with her more in the near future! After all, we both love a good "Tea Moment!"

 

If you missed the Tea Lovers Marketplace, don't worry, there's still a couple of weeks left of the Tea Lovers Festival! This is a month long event that has workshops, classes and events throughout the Los Angeles area.

 

I love finding out about these types of tea events and festivals. If you hear of one, please let me know and I'll add it to my own list of Tea Events.

 





A Neem Nectar Moment

Inspiration is a funny thing. It can come from the oddest places: a stranger offering you a bright, uninhibited smile, a cluster of roses growing in a perfectly formed bouquet, a last minute getaway that allows you to think about nothing, some unexpectedly good feedback on a project that you thought was horribly off track.

I've had a few of those moments recently, and I feel like many tiny bubbles of inspiration are about to hit full boil.

Maybe that's one of the reasons I was instantly drawn to Teatulia's Neem Nectar Tea, as it is subtitled, "Black Tea Inspired to Greatness by the Magical Neem Tree."  How could I resist a proclamation like that?

While there are organic Neem leaves in this Black Tea blend, I love that it's really about the inspiration of it all. It's aspiring to greatness, and it's asking us to participate in the journey. I'm happy to oblige.  The Neem tree, I learned, is a tropical evergreen tree that is native to India. It has long been a cornerstone of Ayurvedic medicine (and when I say "long," we're talking 4,000 plus years), and is known as "the village pharmacy" because of all of its medicinal, household and agricultural uses.

The dry leaves have a bright and almost spicy scent to them. And I love the rich, deep color of the liquid. And then, the first sip. There's a deep earthy undertone to this hearty black tea, but it has a brightness to it. It's that large, gregarious chap at the party who has a constant crowd gathered round him for half the night.

Yes, inspiration. I'm excited at some things that are currently in the works, and I'm looking forward to sharing some of them here very soon. Which leads me to wonder, what currently is inspiring you? Would love to hear!

A Tea Blogger Roundtable Moment

A Tee to Tea Moment

It is a rare treat when I am ready, willing, and able to join Gene at the end of one of his business trips to steal a day or two of togetherness sans bébés. But I need all in place, and this week the stars aligned so that my parents could come for a visit and be the familial anchor my worrying mind needs. Also, it is the end of one of my busiest work months on record, and the destination? Hawaii. 'Nuff said.

A quick trip - arriving Wednesday night and departing first thing Saturday morning - there were just a few things penciled into the itinerary:
 - Golf at Oahu Country Club
 - A tea experience of some kind
 - Multiple hours on the beach
 - A fruity drink or two

The tea community being what it is, I asked where I should go for tea, and Nicole Martin, of Tea For Me Please, responded immediately that I needed to contact Elyse at Tealet who knows all things Hawaiian Tea.

So, on Thursday, we started the day at the Oahu Country Club, a beautiful place that was founded in 1906.

 

The staff was incredibly friendly and engaging, and despite both of us playing the absolute worst 9 holes in the history of mankind, we thoroughly enjoyed the lush, beautiful surroundings, the amazing variety of birds (though shocking lack of birdies), and the breathtaking views.

 

 

 

Then Gene headed off to a meeting and I headed from tee to Tealet.

 

Now let me just stop here and say that I was so struck by Elyse, her team and what they are accomplishing that I will be writing much more extensively about them in the near future. But for now, I'll focus on our tea moment.

 

Over the past year, the Tealet team has been working with small, independent tea growers around the world in order to help them gain access to the U.S. market. As I sat and listened - enraptured - to their story, Elyse's brother, Michael, brewed some tea.

 



 

The first was Japanese black tea, from Osamu Ueda, Tea Grower in Wazuka, Kyoto, Japan. (Check out his video interview to get the true flavor of his larger than life personality!) Kyoto, and Japan in general, is known for its green teas, so the idea of a Japanese black tea is exciting and new! This black tea had the delicate nature and coloring of a Darjeeling, but is extraordinarily smooth and velvety on the tongue. And while it is characteristically a black tea, there are threads of spring grassiness woven into the background, giving it a true mark of its Japanese origin.

 

 

The second was a Hawaii Rain Forest White from Bob Jacobson, Tea Grower on the Big Island of Hawaii. (Not currently available on Tealet.com, but you need to be aware of this tea!)This tea is a mere babe, being plucked from tea plants that are only 3 years old. And though young, this tea makes its presence known! A very full flavor, it hits every point on your palate, and there is the smallest floral nuance that makes me think of an oolong profile. But, being a Hawaiian-grown tea and thinking of the "terroir"- the soil, made up of such rich tropical fruits and flowers - it makes sense that essence would be absorbed into the tea's very being.

 

Though I only spent an hour with the Tealet team, I now consider myself to be a super-fan. One could even say I am an uber-fan. Their story is unique, inspiring and it makes the world a better place. I look forward to telling you all about them. Stay tuned!

 

The Tealet Team: Cody, Elyse and Michael 

 

 

 

 

A Tea Fantasy Moment

On a week such as this, I give myself a moment or two to indulge in a brief fantasy. One that involves sitting at a little French table outside a little French sidewalk cafe, drinking a hot, French cup of tea. I watch the people walking by, the worker bees marching quickly to work, parents patiently guiding their dawdling little ones along to school, old men strolling along to their bar of choice, "comme d'habitude," some with little dogs, some without.

And there I sit, soaking it all in, luxuriating in the moment. Away from meetings, away from responsibility, away...

Just me and tea.

A Tea and Testimony Moment

There were many things I knew, from a very early age, that I would absolutely never do. Deep sea diving. Getting married. Having children. Well, I was right about one of them. So far, anyway.

So now, being married with children, I have been exposed to entirely new and foreign worlds. One of them being Moms' groups. I was first wrangled into one by a former co-worker's wife who happened to have a newborn daughter at the same time I had Edie. It was a very informal group, all first time moms, all needing an outside activity. Then I was invited to a more formal group, known as MOPS, by that same former co-worker's wife. (She's a bit of a connector, you see. Over half of our MOPS group is there because of her!) I was hesitant about joining. I envisioned arts and crafts by the boat load, exchanging meat loaf recipes, and gossip sessions revolving around what idiots the men in our lives were.

As it turned out, it has been a very pleasant surprise to be a part of a group of women who are all in similar places in life (we all have small children), though with different backgrounds and roles (some are stay-at-home moms, some work part- or full-time, some grew up in California, some - like me - are transplants), and who are just as interested as I am in meeting new friends and asking for and sharing advice on the ever-changing landscape that is family life. The arts and crafts are almost nil (Hallelujah!), recipe exchanges are warmly welcomed by all (30-minute meals, anyone?), and the topics of conversation revolve around life in general, not male-bashing in particular (Hooray!).

For the second year, I have been involved in the annual Tea and Testimony night where we indulge in an evening tea and listen to a guest speaker. This year's menu included:

Menu:

Refreshing cucumber sandwiches (see recipe below)

Waldorf salad sandwiches (see recipe below)

Roast beef tea sandwiches with horseradish cream (recipe by Midwest Living)

 

Hummus, cucumber and tomato cups

Gluten-Free Strawberry and Spinach Salad (recipe by Gluten Free Goddess)

Fruit Platter

Gluten-free cake

Dessert platter

Our tea was provided courtesy of American Tea Room. We chose no or low caffeine options because it was an evening event:

Decaf Earl Grey - I love this blend because it has all the full-bodied loveliness of its caffeinated counterpart, the light, citrus-y bergamot scent, and it works well with milk and sugar. (And yes, I brought sugar cubes!)

Lemoncello - You either love rooibos or you don't. Many of the moms loved this caffeine-free discovery that has hints of lemon, orange, and caramel-vanilla. And it smells just like its namesake!

Immortal Green - Always a favorite, this Japanese green tea with peach is very lightly caffeinated and is perfect for sipping hot or cold.

And as a special treat, American Tea Room provided its Bento Box Red Tea Collection as a door prize, which was given to our very special speaker.

 

The best tea moments are those that are shared, and the 30 women who gathered for this special evening had plenty of sweets, savories and sips to share, courtesy of the team of women who prepared the tea spread. Thank you to Dot, Megan, Rebecca, Julie and Sara for your culinary magic! As you can see, the result was happy Mamas!

 

 

The evening wrapped up with a guest speaker. This year, our speaker was extra special, in that she was one of our own group who had survived the kidnapping - and recovery - of her oldest son. Hearing her story and recognizing God's grace in each moment of what could be every mother's worst nightmare was incredibly moving and encouraging.  We were extremely blessed to be able to learn from what she and her family have been through. Thank you to SC for your words of strength and wisdom.

Whether you are a mom, a sister, a daughter or a friend, take some time to bring the special people in your life together over a cup of tea. Enjoy the conversation. Enjoy their presence. Enjoy a tea moment!


Additional Recipes

Refreshing Cucumber Sandwiches

Ingredients

 1 – (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

 1 medium cucumber, peeled, and thinly sliced

 1/2 teaspoon dried dill

 8 white sandwich bread slices

Preparation

1. Spread cream cheese on each slice of bread

2. Layer cucumber slices evenly on 4 slices of bread

3. Sprinkle dill lightly on remaining 4 slices of bread

4. Assemble sandwiches

5. Cut crusts from bread, using serrated bread knife (gentle back and forth sawing motion), discarding crusts.

6. Cut sandwiches diagonally into quarters. Store cucumber sandwiches in an airtight container for up to 1 hour before serving OR

 - Place slightly damp paper towel over the top of the sandwiches before placing the airtight lid on container for up to 12 hours.

Waldorf Salad Sandwich

Ingredients

Salad:
3/4 cups walnuts (or pecans) coarsely chopped
3/4 cup Granny Smith apple, finely diced
1/2 cup golden raisins
2 stalks of celery, finely diced
2 scallions finely sliced
Salt to taste

Dressing:
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp cup apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp honey

Preparation:

1.      Prepare dressing in small bowl and put in refrigerator to chill.

2.      Prepare remaining ingredients and place in larger bowl.

3.      When ready to assemble sandwiches, pour salad dressing over other ingredients and combine well.

4.      Butter 8 slices of whole wheat bread.

5.      Spread salad in a quarter-inch even layer between 2 buttered slices.

6.      Cut crusts from bread, using serrated bread knife (gentle back and forth sawing motion), discarding crusts.

7.      Cut sandwiches diagonally into quarters. Store sandwiches in an airtight container for up to 1 hour before serving OR

 - Place slightly damp paper towel over the top of the sandwiches before placing the airtight lid on container for up to 12 hours.