Tea Talk

It's almost time to ring in 2023 and celebrate the start of the New Year. I thought it would be appropriate to brew a cup of Shangrila Iced Oolong, one of my favorite Oolong Teas, look back on 2022, and reflect on some of the good things that have happened. First and foremost, I want to say thank you for all the support, good wishes, and shopping small with us during 2022. Y'all never cease to amaze me, and we couldn't have done it without you! The biggest accomplishment this year was the start of our High Teas. We launched...

Wow, it’s almost here. Just another couple of days and Christmas will be upon us. It seems time just flies by in the blink of an eye. I wanted to take this time to say how thankful I am for all of you who’ve embraced me, my family, and the Uptown Tea Shop. I enjoy all the decorated trees, holiday lights, and festivities, but these connections are what the season is all about. I’m truly blessed for everyone who’s in my life! If you have some last minute shopping to do, I will be open this week, Tuesday through Friday,...

Every day I get people who ask me how I make such good tea. I know that sounds like I'm bragging, but I'm not. People are genuinely interested in learning how to make good tea at home, so I will share my secrets with you. Making great tea isn't rocket science. You only need to follow a few simple steps and have a few basic tools. The Better Tea You Buy, the Better Your Cup of Tea The first thing I tell people is that the better tea you buy, the better your cup of tea. I also tell them...

Oh, the wonderful smells of holiday baking! I love walking into a house when someone has been baking. It always smells heavenly! The scents make my mouth start watering for the cakes, cookies, candy, and goodies loaded with cinnamon and other spices that are part of many family holiday traditions. But did you know that cinnamon is also one of those amazing spices that is so good for you? People have been using cinnamon in cooking and baking for hundreds of years. It has also been used as one of the most popular medicinal spices since ancient times. In fact,...

It’s official. The holiday shopping season is now well and truly underway, with Black Friday and Shop Small Saturday behind us. A tip that a good friend gave me years ago and that I have since adopted is to watch for gift items all year long. She is much better at this than me and is already done with all her holiday shopping. Annoying, right? Plus, she keeps reminding me how many days till Christmas...and so you can be in the loop with me, the count is now at 28 days. I’m never completely done early and always find I...