Tea Talk

I wanted to wish all of you a very Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving. I have so many wonderful things to be thankful and grateful for, and having all of you in my life is one of them. Since I opened Uptown Tea Shop, I’ve been welcomed and received into the tea community with such open arms. One of my true blessings is that I never wake up and dread going to work. I look forward to seeing and chatting with all of you who come into the store and those who connect with me online. Y’all are such fun and...

It's 10 days till Thanksgiving and 42 days till Christmas! But who's counting. I am, and I'm sure a lot of you are too. It feels like it suddenly went from early fall to being in the midst of the holiday season. I love the holidays! I enjoy Thanksgiving and Christmas, and all the get-togethers with family and friends, and the food and beverages that go with them. If I'm hosting, I have found that things seem to run much smoother if I do a smidge of pre-planning. This used to be a foreign concept to me, but a friend...

My sweet tooth has reared its ugly head. I don't know if it's the time of year with the days getting shorter or the weather getting colder that has triggered me. It may be a combination of both. Regardless, I don't want to give in to the cravings and raid the leftover Halloween candies. Instead, I've been reaching for my sweet or dessert teas to let me feel like I'm having a treat, but with no calories. So, what teas have I been enjoying? I have a nice variety of dessert teas with a sweeter flavor, but this time of...

As the weather cools off and we head toward the holidays, my taste buds start telling me it's Chai tea time. What exactly is Chai tea? Well, I guess that depends on where you live. In other parts of the world, the word "Chai" is synonymous with tea. While we commonly know chai as a "flavor" of tea, it actually translates to "tea" in Hindi. Masala chai is usually made with ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and black pepper, along with black tea leaves, hot water, and hot milk. Typically, you add a sweetener such as honey or sugar. I...

When I was a young girl, my Grandma made me black tea that we would enjoy together. That started me on a love affair that continues to this day. I personally like the robust flavor black tea offers. As fall makes its appearance, my tastebuds definitely kick back into black tea mode. I especially enjoy the fall flavors like Aunt Patty’s Pumpkin Pie, Caramel Karma Black, Cranberry Orange Ceylon, Apple Cinnamon French Toast, and Maple Harvest Ceylon, to name a few. If you’re more of a purist who prefers the natural flavor of tea with nothing else added, I also...