Friday Knows Tea

Today we'll answer some frequently asked questions in the tea industry. These are queries I have received repeatedly over the years, so don't worry. You're not alone in wondering how to Tea! How much leaf should I use?      Depending on the cut of the leaf, the quantity of water and the method of brewing. As a general rule of thumb, start with a teaspoon of leaf per 8 oz. of water. With larger cut leaf, you'll need a bit more, due to all the air that exists between the curlicues of a bigger cut. With small cut leaf, you can get away with a little less due to the lack of much air space between leaves. The strength of a good cup of tea is highly subjective, so start at the 1 tsp/8 oz. baseline and adjust to taste as you like. How hot should my water be?      Once again, this depends on a number of factors. We always say, "The darker the leaf, the hotter the water." White teas, yellow teas and light steamed greens will scald over 185°F, ...

Hello and happy mid-February, lovelies! Earlier this week, my dear friend Rebecca (owner/operator of The Shrubbery ) and I co-taught a mocktail/cocktail workshop here at the tea room. It was a fabulous success and a grand time was had by all. We intend to run this as a seasonal event, with new recipes tailored for each time of year! As promised, here are the recipes from this event. Enjoy, and let us know your favorite mixed drinks for this time of year! Shrub, bitters, rosewater and tea! All valuable components of any cocktail arsenal. Faded Rose ( Makes 2) 2 oz Rhubarb shrub .5-.75 tsp rose water, to taste 2 dashes Peychauds bitters Cold seltzer or cava OPTIONAL: 2 oz gin In a mixing glass combine shrub, rose water and bitters. Stir well with ice. Strain into two coups. Top with chilled seltzer or cava. XVII (Makes 2) 3 oz strong brewed Houjicha tea 1-1.5 oz Elderberry syrup by taste 4 dashes Aromatic bi...

Today's featured blend dissection holds a very deep special place in my heart. This was the first blend I ever developed. It was also inspired by my late grandmother, Ann K. Elliott. Grandma Annie with my cousin Ayla in 2012   My Grandma Annie was an incredible woman and a huge part of my youth and upbringing. When I was little we lived in central California and most of my formative memories happened out on the spiritual retreat/family homestead called Murray Creek, way out in the rural foothills that divided wine country and the great redwood forest. Gold Rush country ( read more about Murray Creek here ). My grandparents lived on a sixty acre spread along with myself, my three siblings, my parents, and whatever cousins/aunts/uncles/friends that happened to be visiting. There were also countless goats, chickens, dogs, cats and one particularly vocal peacock named George. My parents, sibs and self lived in the small two-bedroom log cabin down the hill from my grandparents...

First of all, a HUUUUGE thank you to all our friends who have contributed to our GoFundMe and bought truly obscene quantities of bulk tea on our site. Thanks to you all, we've made a lot of progress toward resolving our construction debt crisis. We managed to negotiate a couple extra weeks of time with the contractors, so our new immediate debt deadline is February 23rd. We're now only short by about $7k and I would like to encourage you all to spread the love to your friends and family. The big wave of orders on our website has been a fun kind of mad dash to fulfill orders. Adrenaline City, keeping on top of them all! We are currently completely caught up on orders and ready to pack and ship more. Now is an ideal time to pick up tea for your special someone! We just put together a darling little Valentine's Day gift box, which you can pick up in-store or online . It features all three of our seasonal romantic teas and six super tasty Lindt truffles! Sweetie's G...

A little over a year ago, we ran a super successful Kickstarter campaign to open up our nerdy tea shop in Wallingford, Seattle. Everything went great and we have indeed opened a fantastic spot that is rapidly becoming a favorite source of tea and community in the neighborhood. Our revenues are right on track with projections and things look sunny for our future. Unfortunately... Due to a series of unfortunate events, the most damaging of which was a six-month wait to get our permits, we have been drained of our operating safety net before we even had a chance to get the doors open. We had to pay rent on an empty space for nearly half a year longer than anticipated and our landlords were unable to negotiate with us on those payments. There goes well over $10k. A break-in during our first operating week meant the loss of operating equipment and funds. Our payment plan with our contractors has been abruptly shortened, meaning we suddenly find ourselves with around $13...