Tea Talk

Have you heard of Gunpowder Temple of Heaven Green Tea? There are various stories on how this tea got its unusual name. But I think I like this one the best. The grey-green balls are known as "zucha" or "pearl tea" to the Chinese. Many years ago, an Englishman whose business was to transport tea thought that they resembled gunpowder pellets, and the name stuck. In reality, the tiny pearls of this Gunpowder Temple of Heaven Green Tea are hand-rolled, leaf by leaf, and made of some of the finest quality Chinese green teas. Selected leaves and buds are rolled...

Wow! Mother's Day is May 9th, and it'll be here before we know it! There's something special in celebrating all our moms and grandmas for all the love, support, inspiration, dedication, and care they've poured into us. We all know there's not enough money in the world to compensate them for the job they do. Some days it's just plain hard work being a mom! I always enjoyed showering my Mom and Grandma with things they loved. Beautiful flowers from our favorite local nursery, chocolate - dark for Mom and white for Grandma, books for Mom as she was an...

I don't know about you, but my days start early and are jam-packed with family, business, dogs, and activities. I can't imagine how I would manage to get through the day without my teas. In the morning, I look forward to my first cup of tea. It sets the tone for my whole day. I rotate between a nice, smooth cup of black tea-like Imperial Breakfast, a blend of Darjeeling, Keemun, and Assam. If I'm feeling I need more of a pick-me-up, I'll head toward Breakfast Cuppa or Organic Rise and Shine. Breakfast Cuppa has Ceylon black tea with roasted...

If you haven't tried white tea yet, you're missing out on one of the nicest varieties of tea. The bud and top two leaves from the tea plant's newest growth are handpicked and become what we know as White Tea. It is harvested before the leaves of the tea plant fully open, when the young buds are still covered with fine white hair, hence the name "white" tea. White tea is one of the most delicate tea varieties because it is processed so minimally. Once the buds are plucked, they are allowed to wither and air dry in the sun...

I thought it would be fun to share some fun random tea facts with you. There's so much information about tea, both factual and folklore, that you could spend many happy hours pouring over books, articles, and blogs. These 10 fun tea facts just piqued my interest. Tea is the second most consumed beverage on the planet — after water! Globally, it has even greater consumption than coffee. In the U.S., tea is the 4th favorite drink behind water, coffee, and soft drinks. But its popularity is steadily climbing as many coffee drinkers now seem to add tea to their...