The Perennial Tea Room

Sakura Sencha is on its way!

2012-01-26T10:46:00.000-08:00

Great news! Our seasonal Sakura Sencha, cherry scented Japan Green tea, will be arriving earlier than usual this year. The tea will be in the U.S. the 1st of February and we should have it shortly thereafter. Looking forward as we do every year for this delightful and beautiful tea.

Happy Birthday Robert Burns!

2012-01-25T11:09:00.000-08:00

Celebrate the birthday of Scotland's most famous poet - put your kettle on and have a cuppa. In shop - take a 15% discount on Taylor's of Harrogate Scottish Breakfast tea and Glenfiddich Mince tarts! On-line and on the phone mention the Robert Burns offer for your discount. Offer good today through Friday January 27th.

Meet a Bergamot - Earl Grey week

2012-01-09T13:15:00.000-08:00

If you are in the Pike Place Market stop in this week through Saturday January 14 to meet a real live Bergamot, the heart of Earl Grey! And, enjoy a 10% discount on all of our Earl Grey blends - online or by phone, mention the Earl Grey offer, in store- your discount is automatic. From Harney and Sons Paris to Lavender Earl Grey, from Irish Earl Grey to our Earl Grey Extra, this is the week to stock up on one of the best known and best loved of all the flavored teas. All of our loose bergamot teas are naturally scented with the oil from this fragrant fruit.

Bergamots are traditionally grown in sunny Italy, but we have found a wonderful grower in California, Rising C Ranches, ripetoyou.com, and we are able to actually order bergamots to show off in the store.

If you do stop in, we have only a few bergamots left to sell - use the zest to add to chocolate truffles, the juice and zest in pound cakes, no end to what a bergamot lover can do!

Ruby 18 at the Perennial Tea Room

2012-01-04T11:30:00.000-08:00

You may have heard Bill Waddington talk about Ruby 18 on NPR's Splendid Table last weekend.

Ruby 18 is a tea we have enjoyed here in the shop for several years - it's a black tea, unusual for Formosa, known for it's oolongs. It's actually a hybrid that apparently took 40 years to develop and comes from the Sun Moon Lake region of Taiwan.

Definitely worth tasting so be sure to stop in, order some from us online, or call toll free - 888-448-4054.

Seasonal Musings

2011-12-06T09:51:00.000-08:00

Hello again, I am sipping a cup of Meizong China Black and musing about this season in retail.
This is one of my favorite times of the year. The shop is filled to capacity with pots, mugs, books, cozies and much more tea than most of the rest of the year. I love the decoration in the windows and the tree in the tea department. Then, there are the customers, some with lists, some with questions, all of them looking for the perfect gift. How fun!

I like to recommend the hand carved Japanese mugs to brighten up a winter morning table. Then there are the "Fiesta" style tea sets for children 5 and up! Great for girls and boys who enjoy tea parties. For the office tea lover there are infuser mugs in multiple colors to add cheer without taking up desk space. For stocking stuffers I recommend "ten packs" of tea bags Earl Grey, Green Tea, Chamomile, there are lots to pick from. This year We also have a China tea Immortal's Oolong. A 10gm "bud" of tea which will make a 4 cup pot and can be re-steeped several times.

For the really "steeped" tea lover we have bird house teapots and other whimsical dragonfly pots had made by local artist Marissa Motto. Drip-less, stainless steel teapots are terrific.
As you can see, I am overflowing with tea-ish ideas for this holiday season. I invite you all to come in to see our "teapot fountain", another amazing event.

I'm going to finish my cuppa and get some work done here before the fun begins.
Talk to you later,

Julee

Julee

Re-entry Thoughts and musings

2011-11-29T16:34:00.000-08:00

Hello Again: Welcome to Tea Talk Tuesday! Sorry for the missed episodes, last week was a bit overwhelming after being away for a week! Anyway, I think I am on top of it all now and have time to sit, stare at the screen and sip my Buddhist Tea. I wish you could all join me, this is one of the nicest green teas I have tried. The leaves are delicate and aromatic with just a bit of dustiness in the jar. It brews up light, with a touch of spiciness (enough to taste, not enough to identify) and leaves my mouth wanting another cup. It's a good thing I can get 2-3 cups from one measure of dry leaves! If you are a fan of green teas, I invite you to stop by an get some for your holidays!

Now that Thanksgiving is past, the shop is looking like a winter wonderland! I love this time of year! Our supply of Yi-Xing pots has expanded to the most it will be all year and they are creating lots of interest. If there is one you or a loved one wants, now is the time. We also have Children's tea sets (functional one and all), Welsh Tea, Cozies, Mince Tarts, Eccles Cakes, Typhoo Tea and PG Tips 240's for a REAL tea lover!

Well, enough for now, enjoy your tea on this frosty afternoon, stay warm and dry and come by the shop soon and say "Hi".

See you Friday,

Julee

Tea Fact Friday - Revolutionary Tea Parties

2011-11-11T11:19:00.000-08:00

Hello again! Happy Veteran's Day! In keeping with the celebration of veterans, I am going to talk about the Revolutionary Tea Parties that were over-shadowed by the one in Boston.
patriots disguised themselves as Indians on one occasion when tea meant for Philadelphia was secretly unloaded in Greenwich, New Jersey. The secret was discovered and the cargo burned.

Charleston consignors chose not to pay tax or accept delivery on a shipment which was stored in a damp cellar to rot. A year later when another ship arrived with seven tea chests, the chests were chopped open and the tea thrown overboard. On December 26, 1773 Captain Ayres of the "Polly" was taken to a protest meeting in Philadelphia where it was made clear to him that he would not be allowed to land his cargo and he sailed back to England the next day. Similar scenes were repeated in New York in April, 1774 followed by one in Annapolis, Maryland where the ship's owner, a Scottish merchant, was given the choice of burning the ship and cargo or being hanged.

Shortly thereafter in Edenton, North Carolina a group of society ladies, led by Penelope Barker, bound themselves not "to conform to the pernicious custom of drinking tea, until such time as all Acts which tend to enslave our Native Country shall be repealed."

It is amazing that we drink tea at all!
Thanks to Norwood Pratt's Ultimate Tea Lover's Treasury, his latest and greatest and available at the Perennial Tea Room! Published by Devan Shah and Ravi Sutodia for Tea Society, San Francisco and Calcutta.

I will be out of town next week so no Tea Talk Tuesday, or Tea Fact Friday. I will see you the week of Thanksgiving!!! With more trivial

Julee

Tea Talk Tuesday - Fair Trade

2011-11-08T09:48:00.000-08:00

Good Morning: Welcome to Tea Talk Tuesday, on Tuesday this week.
Today I am going to talk about Fair Trade, a good idea with a controversial side to it.

Fair Trade is an international system intended to guarantee fair wages and decent working conditions for farm workers and promote the use of sustainable farming methods. So far so good. To be certified fair trade, tea estates first have to meet specific standards concerning wages, child labor, working conditions and labor organization. FAIR TRADE teas rebate a portion of the purchase price directly to the workers of that tea estate.

It sounds great, but it is a bit like using a sledge hammer to crack peanuts. Which is not to say I don't believe in fair trade. I certainly support the goals of fair trade. I also know that many small tea farmers cannot afford the certification process and are working already to support their employees in ways that meet the goal, if not the standard. These farmers need a place at the table too.

Thanks to James Norwood Pratt's Tea Dictionary for the basic information. Published by Tea Society Press, San Francisco, CA 2010, printed in India.

See you Friday!

Julee

Tea Fact Friday - Georgan Tea

2011-11-04T09:29:00.000-07:00

Hello again welcome to Tea Fact Friday. Today I want to talk about tea from the Republic of Georgia in the Caucasus. These plantations are in a unique location between the Caucasus mountains and the sub tropical Black Sea creating a lovely spot to grow our favorite Camellia.
In one of the villages in this area lives a woman named Natela Guzabechi (spelling is my creation!) who as a young woman was sent by the Soviet Government to China to learn the art of making tea. She learned and returned and made a career out of making tea for the government and possibly others. When the Soviet Union imploded, she retired to her village but saw acres of tea falling into ruin. She began tending some tea plants, making tea in her kitchen and teaching other people in her village to do the same. Then, along came Nigel Melican of Tea Craft with his years of experience in tea and he helped make this "kitchen industry" available to a wider audience. Today there are five or six different teas manufactured in or around the village. We are delighted to tell you we have just received a shipment of the 2011 "GOLD STANDARD" by Natela. Look for a picture on our Face book page and website within the next few days!

Thanks to Norwood Pratt's Tea Dictionary, published by Tea Society Press, San Francisco, CA, printed in India 2010 for the general information about the Georgia Tea Region. The information about Natela and her village is my own version of what Nigel Melican told me.

See you Tuesday (finally) for Tea Talk Tuesday.

Julee

Tea Talk Tuesday - Ancient Tea and Horse Trail

2011-11-02T10:34:00.001-07:00

Good Morning and welcome to another beautiful fall day in Seattle.
The ancient tea and horse caravan routes date to around 700 CE under the Tang Dynasty.
The trade consisted mainly of tea from Sichuan and Yunnan and horses from Central Asia. The Tibetan diet, mainly meat, needed tea as a source of C and other vitamins and as a digestive aid, while Imperial armies found Asian horses indispensable. Until trade in horses stopped in the mid 1700's, China's government intermittently regulated trans-border trade in tea and horses. At one point under the Ming Dynasty, a high-quality horse could bring 120 pounds of tea. The trail "starts" at the market town Pu-Erh and has two main branches, one to the Sichuan province and on to Mongolia and the other through Yunnan to Tibet. There are endless offshoots, some leading as far as Myanmar, Nepal and India.

Remind me to talk about Norwood Pratt some Friday! This is another of his selections from the Tea Dictionary, published by Tea Society Press in San Francisco, Calif. Printed in India 2010.
Thanks again Norwood! See you all Friday.

Julee

Tea Talk Friday - Pu-Er

2011-10-28T10:55:00.000-07:00

Good Morning! Welcome to Tea Talk Friday. I need to start with a correction. I reversed the process on my arithmetic Wednesday and 11kilos would be closer to 22 pounds than 5. It is still a VERY pricey tea.

Anyway, on to Pu-Er (pu-erh) A category of it's own, like green, black or oolong. It has been produced in Yunnan from ancient times and shipped from the market town of Pu-Er until the tea acquired this name outside Yunnan. Pu-Er is a "made" tea, either green, black or white, which is sprayed with an unknown bacterium and allowed to undergo a sort of secondary fermentation. It may be compressed into many shapes or left loose and unique among teas, it improves with age.

In celebration of fall, and no other reason, we have a few (5) premium Pu-Er bricks. If you are interested in having one please let us know.

Thanks, as always, to the Tea Dictionary of James Norwood Pratt for the information on this unique tea. Published by Tea Society Press, San Francisco, 2010, printed in India.

See you Wednesday for Tea Talk Tuesday!

Julee

Tea Talk Tuesday - You won't believe this!

2011-10-26T12:18:00.000-07:00

Hello - Tea Talk Tuesday is on Wednesday this week due to schedule changes at the tea shop.
This will happen again next week, then be back to regular blogging schedules. Thanks for your understanding.

So, I was speaking this morning with one of my tea vendors in England, ordering some of this year's Natela's Gold Standard, YUM!!! It will be here by next week! Watch for it!

Anyway, we were talking tea (of course) and he said that Harrods of London purchased the entire crop of Hawaiian tea for this year! It was not a large amount, only 11 kilos (which is about 5 pounds), but they did some fancy advertising and sold the entire amount in one day for $90,000.00 (approx). That comes out to $18,000.00 per pound, more or less! Pretty amazing!
It makes some of our more high priced teas seem pretty reasonable in contrast. I wonder what the difference is between this type of pricey tea and any other tea we could try?

See you Friday, for Tea Facts

Julee

Tea Fact Friday - Orthodox Manufacture

2011-10-21T11:01:00.001-07:00

Good Morning - Happy Friday and welcome to Tea Fact Friday. Today I am going to discuss the facts of orthodox manufacture of tea. Orthodox Manufacture is the traditional method of tea manufacture by machines which mimic by-hand methods employed in old China. Each batch of leaf is withered and then put into rollers, which bruise and shape the tea prior to oxidation. Following oxidation "fermentation", the leaf is fired to arrest further chemical change and preserve it free of moisture. The tea is then graded by leaf size (op, bpoe,bopfp,etc). All of the world's great black teas are produced by orthodox manufacture, which preserves the integrity and full flavour of the leaf. It is expensive and time-consuming compared to CTC manufacture, but the taste and visual difference is apparent.

Remember our Da Hong Pao! Have a great weekend! See you on Tea Talk Tuesday!

Thanks to the Tea Dictionary by James Norwood Pratt for the information presented. Tea Society Press, San Francisco, Calif. 2010 Printed in India.

Tea Talk Tuesday - Da Hong Pao

2011-10-18T10:09:00.000-07:00

Hello, Happy Tuesday! Another week to explore and develop! Today I am going to be very specific and talk about Da Hong Pao (Big Red Robe) oolong tea unique to Wu Yi Shan China and perhaps it's most celebrated and expensive Yancha (rock Tea). Clinging to Jiulongke Cliff in the Tianxinyan area of the Wuyi Mountains, the original three or four Da Hong Pao tea bushes still survive, with leaves slightly thicker than others' and slightly pinkish buds. In a canyon called Nine Dragons' Nest the sun shines directly only a few hours per day and a small stream from a nearby spring seeps through a slit in the rock into the sandy soil, creating an ideal place for tea growing. The ancient plants are centuries old and their offspring grow here and there in the canyon, though almost nowhere else. Commercial production of Da Hong Pao cultivars only began in the 1960s. What made this tea famous and inspired its name was a Ming Dynasty mandarin who attributed his recovery of illness to its curative powers and in thanks, draped his official's scarlet robe of high office over the bushes and repectfully kowtowed before them.

So, what a story! What a tea! I am talking about it specifically because I have received 11 ounces of it from a colleague and I would like to offer it to our customers. It is a very rare oolong and I will sell it by the ounce for $15.00/ounce. An ounce will start at least 14 -20 cups, the re-steeping times are up to you. Let me know, just phone the store 206 448-4054 if you would like some.

Thanks to the Tea Dictionary by James Norwood Pratt for the information about this fine tea.
Published by Tea Society Press, San Francisco, CA 2010, printed in India.

Tea Talk Friday - Russian Caravan

2011-10-14T10:40:00.000-07:00

Good Morning and happy weekend approaching! Today I am going to talk about Russian Caravan Tea - historically, the most important drink after vodka in old Russia. During the time of the Czars, tea would travel by camel from China to Moscow. The tea was famous for the smoky smell of the campfire it would absorb along the journey. In 1689, Russia and China signed the Treaty of Nerchinsk establishing their common border and enabling regular camel caravans to transport tea via Mongolia. The caravans took a long and difficult overland route of over 6000 miles and lasted 6 months. The completion of the Trans-Siberian Railway in 1905 shortened the trip to mere weeks and sent the camel caravans into oblivion. It also changed the tea and today it is any black tea blend with a dash of Lapsang added.

Thanks to James Norwood Pratt's Tea Dictionary - Published by Tea Society Press, San Francisco 2010 - printed in India - for the information.

Tea Talk Tuesday - Famous Name Teas

2011-10-11T10:09:00.001-07:00

Hello again: It's been an intense week traveling with Mr. and Mrs. Pratt, but I am finally settling back into my regular fall routine. I thought today I would talk about some famous named teas, Earl Grey, Prince of Wales, Queen Anne and Queen Mary. Earl Grey is the West's most popular tea, most popular black tea, and most popular scented tea, in that order. Named after the 1830's Prime Minister it is traditionally any tea flavored with bergamot. Corfu was the center of bergamot trade during the time the British Meditererranean Fleet was headquartered there and commanded by Lord Grey from London, Bickering still continues between Twinings and Jacksons of Picadilly as to who rightfully has the original recipe. Prince of Wales is a proprietary blend created by Twinings for Edward VIII, the abdicator. Edward apparently granted Twinings permission to resell his personal blend using his royal title in 1921. Queen Anne is a popular tea blend created in 1907 by Fortnum & Mason to commemorate the reigning sovereign at the time company was established in 1707 (must have been a bicentenial). It is a blend of some of the best gardens of Assam and Ceylon producing a strong, smooth tea suitable for all day drinking. Queen Mary is another proprietary Twinings blend consisting of muscatel Darjeelings, and much beloved by the wife of George V.

WOW! That's a mouthful (of tea). Keep drinking and I will keep bloging. See you all at Tea Fact Friday. Thanks to James Norwood Pratt's Tea Dictionary, published by Tea Society Press, San Francisco, CA, printed in India, for the information provided.

Julee

Tea Fact Friday - Report on NW Tea Festival

2011-10-07T09:55:00.000-07:00

Hello again, nice to be back. What an experience the Festival was! We received wonderful comments on the new location and the workshops and tastings were a terrific success. A few highlights for me were: the Tea Somalier class in which Norwood Pratt gave a history of tea followed by tasting all the varieties from white, yellow, green, darjeeling first and second flush, China black and pu-erh. The Chinese Tea Terms was well received as was the tea roasting class.
There are so many events that it is difficult to single many out - tea blending, cupping, gong-fu for children, and more. It was terrific. If you were not able to be there, mark your calendar for next year, October 6 - 7 at the Fisher Pavilion. A real treat.

See you Tuesday,

Julee

Tea Talk Tuesday

2011-09-27T16:21:00.000-07:00

Hello again: Sorry for the delay today, I am focusing so completely on the NW TEA FESTIVAL that I am having difficulty doing anything else. It is going to be a terrific event! Norwood Pratt is arriving Friday and his presence will be felt throughout the festival. His Tea Somalier and Organoleptic Tea Tasting Classes are filling rapidly! Lisa Boalt Richardson will be staying for the weekend after helping with the Specialty Tea Institute Certification Class and her Paring Tea with Chocolates is filling quickly as well. Tea Chemistry, Roasting Tea, The Cupping and Tea Blending classes are all on schedule to be full and well attended. If you have an interest in expanding your knowledge and experience of tea, this one event will set you up for the year! At least, until our next one.

I will be out of the shop next week but will be back Friday, October 8 for Tea Fact Friday.

See you at the Festival,
Julee

Tea Fact Friday

2011-09-23T11:51:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to Tea Fact Friday, again! Today's fact is about Hagi stoneware.
Hagi-yaki is high fired stoneware that originated in Korea and was brought to Japan in the 1550's by two Korean potters, Li Sukkwang and Li Kyong. The Daimyo Lord Mori Tenumoto gave them permission to buil a kiln in exchange for Hagi pieces which could be used in the tea ceremony and for gifts. Hagi-yaki is made from soft clay with a milky white glaze.

At the NW Tea Festival next weekend (October 1-2) at Fisher Pavilion the World Green Tea Association will demonstrate the Japanese Tea Ceremony on Sunday afternoon, October 2. Come see this pottery used in it's intended manner by an expert in the ancient art of tea!

Thanks also to James Norwood Pratt's Tea Dictionary for this information. Published by the Tea Scoiety Press, San Francisco, Calif. Printed in India 2010.

Talk to you Tuesday,
Julee

Tea Talk Tuesday

2011-09-20T12:23:00.000-07:00

Good Morning, or afternoon it appears!

Welcome to Tea Talk Tuesday. Today all the talk is about the NW Tea Festival which takes place Saturday and Sunday, October 1 & 2 at the Fisher Pavilion at Seattle Center - right beside the fountain! Many things are coming together for this event, the Tea Room is planning big things! Lots of tasting Coconut Pouchong and Peppermint Bark. Samples of many teas to take home and try! A Book signing with Lisa Boalt Richardson immediately following her presentation on Teas paired with chocolates on Saturday afternoon!

As if that weren't enough, There will be a tea blending class in which participants will get to create their own signature tea blend! Teas for this are coming from the Perennial Tea Room. You can sign up for this class at their website: NWteafestival.com and go to the program link.

Make sure you have these dates marked on your calendar!! October 1-2, (10:00am to 6:00pm on Saturday, 10:00am - 4:00pm on Sunday). We are looking forward to seeing you there!

Julee

Tea Fact Friday - Longjing - Dragon's Well

2011-09-16T09:40:00.000-07:00

Hello again and welcome to Tea Fact Friday. I am sipping a cup of Buddhist Tea while I contemplate the fact(s) of today, Longjing or Dragonwell Tea. One of China's 10 Most Famous Teas and certainly, the best known of all China Greens. First grown in Hangzhou in the west lake region of Zhejiang. It is known for its "four uniques" - jade colour, vegetative aroma, mellow chestnut-like flavor and singular shape. The pan fried leaf is flat, slick to the touch and smooth; a classic leaf style for many pan fried green teas. Besides different seasons, there are up to 8 grades of traditional Longjing: "Lotus Heart" is the rarest, consisting of bud only; then comes "flagged spear." a bud and single leaf; then "bird's beak," a bud between two leaves. Much Longjing is now produced in Fujian and elsewhere outside the classical area of origin and much of this is very good quality tea.

Thanks again to The Tea Dictionary, by James Norwood Pratt, published by Tea Society Press, San Francisco, California; printed in India.

See you Tuesday for Tea Talk,

Julee

Tea Myth Tuesday - Revamped

2011-09-13T11:33:00.000-07:00

Hello, welcome to Tea Myth Tuesday. Sorry to say, I am out of myths at the moment, so I thought I would just do a regular tea chat with this space.

Today I want to talk about the NW Tea Festival and how excited I am to be coordinating it! The Perennial Tea Room has been a sponsor of the festival since we were thinking and planning how to do it! Now the festival is in it's fourth year! And, we have moved from the NW Rooms at Seattle Center (we took them all over last year) to the Fisher Pavilion, a much larger space and much easier to find. More space for people to walk around in, more tea to taste and more interesting people to meet and talk tea with.

This year we are presenting workshops as well as open presentations and tea tastings! Two of these, which are most exciting to me, are the Tea Somalier and Organoleptic workshops being presented by Norwood Pratt, the most knowledgeable tea person I know. The classes were originally designed for restaurant staff and now are available for anyone with a serious interest in tea! Imagine 2 hours with him in a group of 10 - 20 people! Plenty of time to ask questions and generally discuss tea with this master of the art. Check out the website: nwteafestival.com to find out how to register for these workshops along with pairing tea with chocolate, a tea cupping class, a tea blending class and much, much more.

Check back on Friday for Tea Fact Friday! See you then,

Julee

Tea Fact Friday

2011-09-08T13:07:00.000-07:00

Hello welcome to Tea Fact Friday:
Today's fact is about the London Tea Auctions which operated from 1679 - 1998. The world's first tea auctions began as quarterly events controlled by the East India Company. In 1835 they became independent from company control. By the mid 19th century tea had become so popular that auctions took place monthly and ultimately, weekly. Tea was sent from India, China, Sri Lanka and Africa for sale at the auction and as the auction grew busier a practice developed of devoting particular days of the week to the sale of teas from each individual country. By the 1950's, a third of all the world's tea was bought through these auctions. The sales finally ended because tea was increasingly being auctioned in the producing countries.

Thanks to James Norwood Pratt, Tea Dictionary, Tea Society Press, San Francisco, CA. Printed in India, 2010

Tea Myth Tuesday - No More Myths

2011-09-06T08:46:00.000-07:00

Good Morning: Here we are at Tea Myth Tuesday and I have no myth!
I could talk about tannins in tea (there aren't any) but I don't have the information to back it up.
I have emailed my friend Nigel Melican and when he gets me the information I will get it to you.

In the meantime, if you have myths you would like verified or debunked send them to me as comments on this page and I will have a go at it.

See you Friday - there are endless facts about tea.

Julee

Tea Fact Friday - Oolong

2011-09-02T10:47:00.000-07:00

Hello and happy Friday:
Oolong is one of China's six categories of tea, originating in Wuyishan (Fujian).
Oolong tea falls between the green and black tea categories with degrees of oxidation ranging from 7% to 70%. Oolong has been produced since the end of the Ming Dynasty.

Thanks to James Norwood Pratt's Tea Dictionary, Tea Society Press, San Francisco printed in India, 2010.

See you Tuesday
Julee

Tea Myth Tuesday

2011-08-30T09:39:00.000-07:00

Hello again:
Today the myth is the 30 second steep to remove 80% of caffeine. This is one of those "too good to be true" stories. Testing with black tea three different researchers found that after 30 seconds 11%. 20% and 23% of the caffeine was removed. Testing green teas, three other researchers found that after 30 seconds 6%, 24% and 29% of the caffeine was removed. No one, so far as I know, has come close to 80%. If you want decaffeinated tea, you will have to buy it!
BUSTED

Thanks again to Nigel Milecan at Teacraft , Bedford, UK for the information presented

See you Friday,
Julee

Tea Fact Friday/Saturday

2011-08-27T07:59:00.000-07:00

Well, someone was asleep at the switch! Tea Fact Friday will be on Saturday this week. Sorry to keep you waiting. Today's Tea Fact is about the Opium War waged by Great Britain against China in 1840-41. Opium was the primary trade commodity of the East India Trading Company. The Company grew opium in India and sold it in China. China moved to outlaw the sale of opium and Great Britain declared war in defense of the Trading Company. After losing the war, China was forced to cede Hong Kong to Britain and open 4 ports to British trade which was opium. Ultimately Britain/East India Trading Co. gave up opium production for tea production, but that is another fact.

Thanks again to James Norwood Pratt's Tea Dictionary, Tea Society Press, San Francisco, California. Printed in India

See you Tuesday - Julee

Tea Myth Tuesday - Back Again

2011-08-23T10:15:00.000-07:00

Hello again! It feels like ages since I have looked at tea and myths, but it was just one week.
Amazing our perceptions of time. OK! Here we go! Today's myth is: White Teas have less caffeine than green or black teas. Here are some figures from my friend Nigel Melican that I got at the World Tea Expo:
White teas had a caffeine range of 3.4 - 5.7% with a caffeine mean of 4.9%.
Green teas' caffeine ranged from 1.7 - 3.9% with a caffeine mean of 2.9%
Black teas' caffeine ranged from 2.0 - 5.4% with a caffeine mean of 2.5%.
The same amounts of white and green teas were measured with slightly MORE black teas measured. Therefore, I declare this myth BUSTED! See you Friday for Tea Facts!

Julee

Thanks to Nigel Melican at Teacraft, Ltd. , Bedford, England

Tea Fact Friday

2011-08-19T09:25:00.001-07:00

Hello! I am back to Tea Fact Friday! Had a wonderful experience at the 1st annual Los Angeles Tea Festival. Two full days of nothing but tea with people who love tea and can talk about it all day long!! Over 1000 people attended which is terrific! I can't wait for our 4th annual NW Tea Festival, October 1-2 at Seattle Center! Mark your calendars!

Here is a fact: There is nothing to make me more exhilarated than drinking and discussing tea with other tea lovers for several hours a day!

Another fact: Ceylon is the colonial name of the island of Sri Lanka. The ancient Sinhalese name was re-adopted by the island when it became a Sovereign Republic in the Commonwealth in 1972. It was always known to the Arabs as the Ilse of Serendip. World-famous teas grown on the island continues to use the colonial name.

Thanks to James Norwood Pratt's Tea Dictionary, The Tea Society Press, San Francisco, Printed in India 2010/

Tea Fact Friday - Grading

2011-08-05T09:57:00.000-07:00

Hello, welcome to Friday again:
Today's tea fact is Grading: The final step in the manufacture of black tea. The made tea is passed through several sieves of progressively smaller mesh sizes to separate the leaves into different sizes called: GRADES. Machines have been invented to do this work but all of them use the basic principal of shaking screens with varying mesh sizes.

Thanks to The Tea Dictionary by James Norwood Pratt, The Tea Society Press, San Francisco, Calif. Printed in India 2010

Tea Myth Tuesday - Caffeine Tea vs Coffee

2011-08-02T12:58:00.000-07:00

Hello and late again:
Today's myth relates to caffeine: Tea and Coffee have the same amount of caffeine.
OK this one has two parts:
Part One: Dry product caffeine (g/kg)
R&G Arabica 9 - 12
R&G Robusta 18 - 22
Typical green/black tea 29 - 35

Part Two: Prepared product caffeine (mg/250ml)
Drip Brewed Coffee 106 - 173
Percolated Coffee 128 - 216
Starbucks Decaf 15
Assam 86
Green 59
White Bai Mu Dan 75

So, there you have it - partly Busted partly accurate. I guess it depends on whether you drink your tea dry or wet. See you next time.

Oh, Thanks to Nigel Melican and Teacraft for the information

Julee

Tea Fact Friday - Fruit Infusion

2011-07-29T12:50:00.000-07:00

Hello: Running a bit late today, it seems everyone I know needed to talk to me before noon today! Oh well, I am here now. Today's Tea Fact - Fruit Infusion: concoctions made without Camellia sinensis, caffeine and tannin-free. Many are blended on a base of hibiscus, rose hips and various other fruits, berries and flowers. Can be enjoyed hot or cold and frequently make exquisite iced drinks. They are ideal for people who are caffeine intolerant.

Thanks again to The Tea Dictionary by James Norwood Pratt, The Tea Society Press, San Francisco, CA 2010.

Tea Myth Tuesday - Green Tea is better than Black

2011-07-26T09:42:00.001-07:00

Good Morning, again: Nice to greet you once again.
Today's myth is that green tea is better for you than black. This myth is about antioxidants and the way we are being manipulated by media groups with a specific agenda not necessarily related to tea.
This myth has several parts:
a) Antioxidants are removed by processing making green teas better than blacks. At this point there is no indication that processing removes ANY antioxidants. BUSTED
b) White tea has significantly higher antioxidants than green or black. Also not true. BUSTED
c) Black tea has far less antioxidants than Green Teas (see #a) NO. BUSTED
d) Milk wipes out the antioxidant benefits of tea - NOT AT NORMAL LEVELS. BUSTED
e) Green tea pill supplements are as good for you as drinking tea - NO - A pill provides only tea extract and a few cathecins but does not provide the full spectrum of elements that you receive in a cup of tea - whatever style. BUSTED

Thanks again to Nigel Melican at Teacraft for his inspiration and facts. He is curreently in Uganda and when he gets back I will regale you with more stats than you can imagine.

Please check my spelling!

See you Friday,
Julee

Tea Fact Fridays - Long in the mouth

2011-07-22T09:54:00.000-07:00

Good Morning: Today's tea fact: Long in the mouth - a tasting term for "finish" or 'aftertaste". Tea aromas that linger in the back of the mouth and create a pleasant impression that remains after swallowing.

Thanks again to James Norwood Pratt's Tea Dictionary, 2010 printed in India, Tea Society Press, San Francisco, Calif.

Tea Myth Tuesday - decaffeinate tea in 30 seconds

2011-07-19T09:46:00.000-07:00

Good Morning: I can see that I need to do a better proofing job before posting. Robert Fortune was in China in the 1840's. Sorry for the errors.

Today's Myth: You can decaffeinate tea by steeping 30 seconds, tossing the liquor and re-steeping. This is more complex, but it is essentially BUSTED!

You can, in fact, remove some caffeine by limited steeping, BUT, you also remove other things which provide flavor and some of the antioxidant benefits you may want. Specifically: epigallo catechin gallate or epcg. Here is what you get:

Steeping 30 seconds at 160: 14% caffeine and 13% epcg removed
Steeping 30 seconds at 185: 29% caffeine and 23% epcg removed
Steeping 30 seconds at 212: 27% caffeine and 24% epcg removed

Steeping 60 seconds at 160: 38% caffeine and 33% epcg removed
Steeping 60 seconds at 185: 53% caffeine and 42% epcg removed
Steeping 60 seconds at 212: 51% caffeine and 44% epcg removed

If one of the reasons you drink tea is for the antioxidants, it seems silly to take it out along with the flavor.

Thanks to Nigel Melican at Teacraft for the information.

See you Friday,
Julee

Tea Fact Friday - Tea Folk We All Need to Know

2011-07-15T09:24:00.000-07:00

Good Morning, time for Tea Fact Friday:

Robert Fortune: one of the "Fathers' of Indian Tea", this Scots botanist and traveler was one of the first Europeans to penetrate Cnina in thea840's and 50's. He shipped more than 20,000 tea plants and seedlings from China to India, thus helping to establish the Indian Tea Industry.

Information found in James Norwood Pratt's Tea Dictionary, Tea Society Press, 2010 San Francisco, California. Printed in India

Tea Myth Tuesday - Factory Floor Sweepings

2011-07-12T09:41:00.000-07:00

Hi:
Welcome to Tea Myth Tuesday - on Tuesday this time. Today's myth: Tea Factory floor sweepings are used to make teabags. This is an arithmetic problem:

There are about 4000 tea factories in the world.

Each of them produces about 4 tonnes of tea per year.

Factory waste is 1-2% or about 15 tonnes of waste

Total sweepings are 60,000 tonnes.

3 Trillion tea bags are produced each year! This would require 750,000 tonnes of sweepings! So, BUSTED.

As a side factoid of interest, most floor sweepings go back on the tea fields as fertilizer, and CTC tea is primarily used for tea bags.

Thanks to Nigel Melican at Teacraft for this information.

See you for Tea Fact Friday -

Happy Tasting

Julee

2011-07-08T10:26:00.000-07:00

Hello, welcome to Tea Fact Friday - I will use this space to regale you with tidbits of tea information and lore for fun and fancy.

Today's fact is about the Robinson Tea Chest: On the morning of December 17, 1773, a young John Robinson collected a souvenir tea chest from the Boston Tea Party the night before. Passed down from generation to generation for over 200 years, the Robinson Tea Chest has endured as a symbol of American freedom and the birth of a nation. It is now in the Boston Tea Party Museum.

From: The Tea Dictionary by James Norwood Pratt, Tea Society Press, San Francisco, CA, 2010

See you Tuesday for Tea Myth Tuesday
Julee

Tea Myth Tuesday - On Wednesday

2011-07-06T14:50:00.000-07:00

OK! Here it is! Tea Myth #1" Drinking Tea will help you lose weight. BUSTED!!!
While the components of tea canprpoduce a slight weight loss effect, 5 cups of tea will ONLY
burn 67 calories. Since a standard diet is about 3000 calories, that would be a lot of tea!

The ONLY way to lose weight is to take in less calories than you need to go about your daily events.

Sorry this is posting on Wednesday. The blogmaster and I are learning to deal with each other and I have not triumphed, YET!

See you Friday for Tea Fact Friday and really on Tuesday for Tea Myth Tuesday.

Julee

2011-07-02T14:30:00.000-07:00

Just back from the World Tea Expo in Las Vegas (go figure!). I had a grand time seeing old friends and meeting new ones. One of the workshops I took was about Debunking Tea Myths and I have decided to share some of them with you. Watch this space for "Tea Myth Tuesday", starting Tuesday, July 5 for some interesting mythologizing.

Mexican Mango Tea

2011-04-03T16:14:00.000-07:00

We've got a new tea in the shop, just in time for the (slightly) warmer weather!

Mexican Mango is a lovely black tea blend, flavored with mango and just a hint of chile. The chile doesn't really make it spicy, it just adds a nice background note to help punch up the mango flavor.

We think this would make a great iced tea, perfect for a party on those nice Spring weekends. It's a seasonal tea for us, though, so it won't be in the shop forever. Grab some for yourself in the shop or on our website.

Hugo the Robot

2011-04-03T15:55:00.000-07:00

We'd like to introduce you to the newest addition to the Perennial Tea Room staff -

Hugo the Robot!

Well okay, he might not actually be on staff here, but he does provide a valuable service - infusing tea, and looking darn cute while doing it.

He hangs out in your cup to infuse your tea (kind of like relaxing in a hot tub) and comes with a little dish to stand in so he doesn't drip tea on your counter.

You can get your own Hugo the Robot tea infuser in the shop and on our website.

New Teas!

2011-03-08T12:01:00.000-08:00

We've got a rather eclectic group of new teas that have arrived recently, and we are quite excited about them!

First, a lovely Taiwanese tea returns to the shop: Ruby #18!

A black tea from Taiwan, this very special tea is a hybrid of the Camellia Sinensis Assamica from India and the wild Taiwanese variety growing near Sunmoon Lake. A chameleon of flavor, sometimes chocolatey, spicey, or sweet and caramely. It is always complex and wonderful.

Also returning is one of our most very special seasonal teas: Sakura Sencha!

This tea is always a quick seller, and we only get a limited amount each year, so get it while you can! The combination of Japanese sencha green tea and cherry blossoms is sure to make you feel like it's springtime (even if it's 40 degrees outside!)

We also have a brand-new tea in the shop: Almond Sugar Cookie!

This Ceylon-China black tea blend has a wonderfully nutty almond flavor, and the aroma of freshly-baked cookies! Great on its own, but add a bit of sweetener and a splash of milk and you've got a truly decadent dessert tea.

Also remember we still have some Irish Cream tea in the shop, but we might sell out before St. Patrick's Day. If you want some, now's the time to get it!

New Lemon Curd - Hogan's from Wales

2011-02-13T11:06:00.000-08:00

Sometimes in life, simple is best. With that in mind, we brought in this great lemon curd from Hogan's in Wales.

It's all natural, with just 7 ingredients; sugar, eggs, lemon juice, butter, fruit pectin, citric acid, and lemon oil. It's great on toast, pancakes, waffles, scones, in desserts, or on just about anything else you can think of.

Come by the shop and pick up a jar (or two, since it'll disappear faster than you think!)

New Irish Stuff!

2011-02-13T10:45:00.000-08:00

We just got some great new products in the shop in preparation for St. Patrick's Day!

Returning this year are a couple of favorites; our delicious Irish Cream black tea, with the great flavor of rum and cream, and Butlers Irish Whiskey Truffle Bars, made with luxurious dark chocolate.

New for this year are Sticky Toffee bars from Lily O'Briens, yummy little bars of milk chocolate filled with gooey sticky toffee, and Connemara Irish Whiskey and Heather Marmalade made by Crossogue Preserves in Tipperary, Ireland.

Remember, these products are limited seasonal items, so if you want some, get them now while they're still here!

New - Peach Fairies Display Tea

2011-01-17T14:43:00.000-08:00

We've got a new tea in the shop, and it tastes just as beautiful as it looks!

This unassuming little ball of hand-tied tea leaves blooms like a flower when steeped in hot water, producing a lovely show and a tasty pot of peach-scented green tea!

The real show-stopper is the string of jasmine blossoms that rises to the top. This would be a great tea to serve in glass teapots at the end of a fancy dinner party, or just an afternoon tea break with a friend.

We sell these in packs of four for $5.00. Each blossom is enough to make two or three cups. Check it out in the shop or online!

Bergamot Week is Back! Jan 7 - 17

2011-01-08T10:22:00.000-08:00

That's right, it's time for Bergamot Week once again here at the Perennial Tea Room!

What's Bergamot Week, you ask? Well, for the past few years around this time in January, we have brought in some bergamot fruits so people can see and smell them firsthand. What's a bergamot, you ask? Well...

That's a bergamot. Looks like a lemon, huh? It may look like a lemon, but one sniff of the peel and you get the unmistakeable fragrance of Earl Grey. The oil from the rind of the bergamot fruit is what makes your Earl Grey tea taste the way it does.

The finest bergamots (Citrus bergamia) are grown in the Calabria region of Italy (the tip of the "boot"). The particular soil type brings out the most flavor in the oil. It's pretty difficult (and expensive) to get them from Italy, so we bring in some grown in California by a grower who specializes in rare citrus fruits.

The flesh of the fruit is rather sour, so it's not so great for eating as is, but the zest is wonderful to use in baking and cooking. Try adding some zest to a shortbread, or in chocolate truffles; anywhere you use lemon or orange zest. You could even try a twist of bergamot peel in a martini to give it a unique hint of flavor. I wonder if anyone makes bergamot bitters... Hmm.

Anyway, in honor of bergamot season, we're declaring the 7th - 17th of January Bergamot Week! We'll have bergamots in the shop for you to see and smell, and all of our Earl Grey teas will be 10% off! That includes Earl Grey Extra, Lavender Earl Grey, Victorian Earl Grey, Irish Earl Grey, Imperial Russian Caravan, Paris Blend, Decaf Earl Grey Extra, and Decaf Victorian Earl Grey.

So come on in, meet a bergamot, and pick up some Earl Grey and celebrate Bergamot Week with us!

Winter Teas Are Back!

2010-10-09T11:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, the weather is getting cooler, and the grey and drizzle are returning to Seattle. That can only mean one thing: our seasonal winter teas are back in stock!

Winter Chocolate Spice and Winter's Eve Rooibos have become customer favorites over the years, and it's easy to see why. The perfect blend of spices and chocolate are sure to warm you up on a cool Fall or Winter day. The chocolate flavor comes from cacao nibs (roasted cacao beans), so it's a very real, natural taste. We're already nearly sold out of our current stock, but we'll be getting more in soon, so check back with us!

Another personal favorite of mine is Peppermint Bark, a tasty blend of black tea, vanilla and peppermint. And how can you not love the tiny candy canes? We'll have this one in the shop soon, so keep an eye out for it.

New Glass Tea Tumbler

2010-08-21T11:15:00.000-07:00

We just received some of these great new glass tea tumblers - something customers have been asking about for some time.

They are dual-walled to keep your tea hot and your hands cool, and they're super easy to use. To make tea, remove the lid and strainer, add loose tea and hot water. Replace the lid and strainer, let steep for the appropriate amount of time, and remove the lid to drink right from the tumbler! The strainer holds back the tea leaves. The tumbler holds about 10 fluid ounces.

The tea tumblers are made of sturdy borosilicate glass, and are free of lead, cadmium and BPA.

Check them out in the shop and on our website.

Rubber Duck Tea Infuser

2010-08-15T10:45:00.000-07:00

Sometimes we see a product in a catalog from one of our vendors and we say "We have gotta have that in the shop!"

Well, this is one of those times.

Isn't that just about the cutest darn tea infuser you've ever seen? Just unscrew the bottom, put in a teaspoon of loose tea, and float it in your cup to steep! It even comes with a little base to put it in to catch the drips when you're done steeping.

It makes a great gift, and a good way to introduce kids to loose tea. You can find it in our shop and on our website.

Steven Smith Teas

2010-08-08T09:54:00.000-07:00

Ask just about anyone who's really into tea, "which is better, loose tea or teabags?", and the answer is invariably loose tea.

And, admittedly, that's true about 99% of the time. It's hard to get big, high quality tea leaves into a little paper sack, and even harder to get a decent infusion out of it. That's why most teabags are made with "fannings", very small bits of tea leaf that play nicely with teabagging machines, and infuse quickly in water.

In recent years, however, there have been many advances in the world of teabags, including pyramid-shaped sachets made of a silk-like mesh material that allows for better infusion.

So what is this all leading up to? Well, we think we may have found just about the best tea in teabags yet. Say hello to Steven Smith Teas, a line of teabags made with lovely high-quality tea leaves (no fannings or dust here!)

Those in the tea industry will recognize the name; Steven Smith started Stash teas, and subsequently Tazo, and sold both businesses. Now he's doing his own line of teas and herbal infusions, hand packed in small batches in Portland, Oregon.

One of the really neat things about these teas is that there's a label on the bottom of each box with a batch number, and if you go to his website you can enter the number and find out when the tea was packed and by whom, which tea garden tea came from and when it was harvested.

We have 12 different types to choose from:

Tisanes:

Red Nectar- South African Rooibos and Honeybush, with light fruit flavors.
Peppermint Leaves- The highest quality peppermint from Oregon.
Meadow- Chamomile and rooibos, with other floral herbs.
Big Hibiscus- A blend of Hibiscus, Sarsparilla, ginger, elderflowers and rose.

Black:

Lord Bergamot- Ceylon and Assam, with natural oil of bergamot.
Kandy- Named for a city in Sri Lanka, a blend of Dimbulla, Uva and Nuwara Eliya Ceylon teas.
Bungalow- A blend of high grown Indian Darjeeling first and second flush teas.
Brahmin's Choice- A blend of Indian Assam, Ceylon Dimbulla, Ceylon Uva and China Keemun.

White and Green:

White Petal- China white tea, Osmanthus, Chamomile and natural flavors.
Mao Feng Shui- Spring harvested Mao Feng green tea from Zhejiang China.
Jasmine Silver Tip- Fujian China green tea, scented with jasmine.
Fez- Mao Feng China green tea, Oregon spearmint and Australian lemon myrtle.

Each box contains 15 sachets. We have them in the shop and on the website.

Tea from Iran - Persian Gold

2010-07-30T12:54:00.000-07:00

We try to get tea from as many different countries as we can, because each region has its own unique flavors. Soil conditions, climate, elevation, tea varietals; all these things work together to give each tea its particular taste.

So when a gentleman came into the shop recently with a sample of black tea from northern Iran, we couldn't pass up the chance. I didn't even know Iran produced any tea, so this was definitely a chance to try something we'd never had before. And oh man, I'm glad we did. I haven't been this enamored with a tea for a long time.

The leaves are large, dark and wiry, and you can tell that they're hand-processed. They infuse to a light golden color, with a rich aroma on par with the best Indian black teas.

The taste is heavenly. It's smooth as silk, with almost no bitterness even when steeped for several minutes. I'm drinking some in a gaiwan right now and after several infusions of varying length, I have yet to experience an unsatisfactory cup. There is a light, honey-like sweetness that lingers in the background, rounding out the flavor. We've been told that in Iran the tea is often mixed with saffron or native rose petals, but I can't imagine adding anything to this tea.

I really can't say enough good things about it! Try it yourself and see. We have it here in the shop and on the website. At $7.00 per ounce, it's not inexpensive, but it is absolutely worth it.

New Irish Products in the Shop

2010-07-24T10:24:00.001-07:00

We have a couple of new arrivals from the Emerald Isle today.

First is Bushmills Irish Whiskey Marmalade!

In our highly scientific taste testing, we found the Bushmills to be a bit more fruity and slightly less bitter than the Jameson Marmalade. It's lovely on Digestive biscuits, scones, pancakes, crepes, and just about anything else you can think of.

We also have a new 80-teabag size of Bewley's Irish Afternoon Tea.

We often are asked what the difference is between Bewley's Breakfast and Afternoon teas; contrary to what you'd expect, the Afternoon is actually stronger than the Breakfast blend. I guess the theory is that you need a bit of an extra push to make it through the rest of the day!

Website Inventory

2010-07-16T12:08:00.000-07:00

We've been having a problem with our website inventory updating properly, so some of the products that we have in stock are not showing up on the website.

If there's something that you'd like to order, but it's not on the site, call or email us and we'll see if we actually have it.

Hopefully we'll have this problem worked out soon. Thanks for your patience!

ECCLES CAKES ARE BACK!

2010-07-09T14:50:00.000-07:00

I try to avoid using all caps for anything, but I think this blog post warrants it.

Eccles Cakes, everyone's favorite raisin-and-currant-filled Lancashire pastry is finally back in stock! For real this time! We've been trying to get these back in the shop for the better part of a year, so we're super excited to be offering them once more.

For those who are unfamiliar with this delicious English treat, it's a small flaky pastry filled with raisins and currants. Here's a closer cross-section to give you an idea.

I'm not ashamed to say that I've eaten three of them since we got them in this morning. They're good right out of the package, but they're even better if you warm them up slightly. Just stick them in the microwave for about 15 seconds. I also have it on good authority that they're quite tasty when heated up and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

You can pick them up in the shop or online. They come in packages of 4 cakes (each cake is just under 3" in diameter).

Come get them before we eat them all ourselves!

Iced Tea!

2010-07-06T10:24:00.000-07:00

It seems summer has finally made its way to the Pacific Northwest *knock on wood*, and just in time, we have some absolutely fantastic fruit blends, perfect for icing!

Orange Grapefruit is a lovely blend of citrus flavors with just the right amount of zing.

It brews up a bright pink color, so it looks great in a big pitcher at a summer barbecue!

This next one totally wowed us when we first tasted it. We knew we just had to bring it in for the summer! It's called Mango Sunshine:

This sweet and fruity blend is sure to be a hit at your next party! A luscious mix of dried fruit and a bit of citrus to really punch up the flavor. It's so good, I'm drinking some iced right now!

These are limited seasonal teas, so get them now, while the weather's warm!

Tulsi - India's "Holy Basil"

2010-06-26T15:05:00.000-07:00

One of the most interesting things we found at the World Tea Expo was Tulsi, an herb from India with a distinct flavor.

Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum) is also known as Holy Basil. It is part of the basil genus and is often used in various ayurvedic remedies. Tulsi is also naturally caffeine-free. It seems to have a number of health benefits, but what attracted us to it was its unique taste. It's hard to describe; slightly spicy, sweet, floral and minty, all at the same time.

There are two varieties of Tulsi, purple and green (the green is pictured). We've brought in six different blends in bulk; the pure green and purple varieties, as well as Cooling Mint, Marigold Lemon, Orange Fennel, and "House Blend", a mix of green and purple Tulsi.

We've also brought in some boxes of unbleached teabags; Pure Tulsi, Tulsi & Lemongrass, Tulsi Chai and Tulsi & Ginger, as well as an assortment pack of all four.

Oh, did I mention they are all Certified Organic? Our supplier also works with small farms to help support Sikhya - a free school for homeless, underpriveleged chlidren in Northern India.

We don't have it on the website currently, but we'll be brewing it up in the shop quite often, so come in and give this unique herb a try!

New Summer Teas

2010-06-18T14:02:00.000-07:00

We've got two great new tea blends here for the summer! They both make fantastic iced teas, so we're just keeping them in stock while the weather is warm.

First up is a returning favorite, our Lime black tea.

A black tea blend with a bright and zesty lime flavor, this one is sure to please at your next summer tea party.

Also returning is White Champagne Raspberry, a white tea with, you guessed it, flavors of raspberry and a hint of champagne. We had it in the shop last year for a very brief amount of time, but it's back for real this year!

The champagne flavor is very light, and just serves to make the tea a little more complex. It's really quite lovely, especially over ice.

We'll be brewing these up in the shop (especially on the hotter days) so come in and try some!

News from World Tea Expo

2010-06-15T14:32:00.000-07:00

Greetings to everyone: I just returned from 3 days in Las Vegas at the World Tea Expo where I was able to meet old friends and make new ones. The Expo is the only place I can meet my suppliers in person. The rest of the year it is phone or fax. So it is a treat to meet and greet, so to speak. Here are a few of the highlights:

WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO PAY $25.00 FOR AN OUNCE OF TEA? Tea grown in Hawaii is available!!! Developed as a replacement for the failing sugar cane industry, Tea has adapted and developed to the stage where it is available commercially. This will be the first year of commercial production and the tea tastes great!! There are green, white, oolong and black teas available. The price is quite steep, so I would like to know how much interest there might be in this initial offering of what promises to become a staple of the US Tea Industry. This is the Ground Floor of this venture. Please email me (tealadies@perennialtearoom.com) or phone 888-448-4054 with your response.

Steve Smith, Creator/Developer of Stash Teas and TAZO Teas is back in Portland creating Tea again. This time, he has created Steve Smith Teas, a new and exciting group of tea blends that are entirely hand made and packaged in "silk" bags that are finer mesh than I have seen elsewhere. He blends only enough tea to sell in a month's time and places a supply code on each box that can be looked up on his website to see when the ingredients were purchased and blended. Freshness and flavor are his hallmarks. I look forward to making these bags available soon.

Tao of Tea in Portland is packaging Tulsi, a basil grown as a houseplant in India where it is considered almost sacred. It is used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine and contains anti-oxidents but no caffeine. There are two varieties, purple and green leaf. It is available blended with ginger, as a chai, with lemongrass and plain. It comes in bags and in bulk. Some of the proceeds are being used to help educate underprivileged children in India. We will be promoting this drink as a summer beverage both hot and over ice. Stop in and check it out!

Tea grown in the Pacific Northwest is seeming closer to commercial production. I met Richard Sakuma, President of Sakuma Brothers Farms in Burlington, WA and will be visiting his field of tea within the next few weeks to see his set up. I will let you know here first as soon as his product is commercially available. Pretty Exciting Stuff!!

I'd love to talk to you more about the faces and events of the expo, drop into the shop and let's chat over a cup of tea.

Julee

Apple Sencha is here!

2010-05-28T11:11:00.000-07:00

I am so excited about this new tea!

It comes from one of our favorite Japanese tea suppliers, and is a fantastic combination of bright, fresh apple flavor with a high-quality sencha green tea.

It's just what I like in a flavored tea; a high-quality tea base, a clean, crisp flavor, and a perfect balance of tea and fruit flavors. The apple flavor doesn't overwhelm the sencha, and the sencha compliments the freshness of the apple perfectly.

Because of the high-quality tea used, it is a bit more pricey than some of our other flavored teas, but it is absolutely worth it. Pick it up in the shop or on the website here.

PS- It also makes a fantastic iced tea!

New teas from India

2010-04-16T14:40:00.000-07:00

After a long wait, the Makaibari Estate Autumnal Flush 2009 Darjeeling is finally here! Well, almost. We got samples and tasted them, now we're just waiting for it to arrive and it should be any day now.

UPDATE: It's here! You can get it on our website or in the shop.

We usually get the Autumnal flush sometime around January or February, so you may be wondering what the hold-up was. Well, they had a very good excuse; in May of 2009, Cyclone Aila ravaged several tea estates in Darjeeling, including Makaibari. They have done a remarkable job of recovering, though, and were still able to produce an Autumnal flush.

It has a lovely smooth flavor with less astringency than most other Darjeelings. The liquor is a bright golden color. It's a bit lighter than one would expect in an Autumnal, but it's still a good, well-rounded tea. We'll have it in the shop and online soon, but remember, it's a seasonal tea so we won't have it forever.

Darjeeling may be the most famous tea-producing region in India, but it's certainly not the only one. Nilgiri, in southern India, is quickly becoming more well-known in the tea industry for its unique flavor. Nilgiri teas tend to have some similarity to Ceylon teas (which makes sense, they're practically neighbors), but Nilgiri teas have a fragrant, woodsy quality not found in other teas.

For quite some time, we had a wonderful tea from the Havukal Estate in Nilgiri, but sadly we can't get that particular picking anymore. So recently we tasted several samples of Nilgiri teas to try to take its place. This OP (Orange Pekoe) grade tea from the Korakundah Estate was the winner of our taste test, and so here it is!

The flavor is a bit lighter than our Corsley Estate, but still has that exceptional woodsy fragrance that Nilgiri is known for. This would make a lovely afternoon tea, perfect for relaxing in the bright Spring weather. And not only does it taste good, but it's TransFair certified and grown using organic farming methods. The Korakundah Estate Nilgiri is available in the shop and online.

New oolongs in the shop

2010-03-26T10:15:00.001-07:00

We've had some great oolongs in the shop over the years (and still do), but often because of the quality they tend to be on the expensive side.

A lot of customers have come in wanting a good, everyday drinking oolong that won't break the bank. So, we've been doing some tasting and we found a couple that fit the bill nicely.

The Blue Spring Oolong is a nice Tie Guan Yin from Fujian China. It's a rolled oolong with a bit of a roast to it to give it a slightly toasty flavor, but it still has the smoothness you expect from a Tie Guan Yin. It also has some pretty blue flowers blended in to give it a little more visual interest. The flowers don't add to the taste, they just look pretty. The mild flavor of this tea makes for a great "gateway" for those looking to move from black to green teas.

The Formosa Oolong is a bold, heavily roasted oolong from Taiwan (Formosa is the old word for Taiwan). This one makes a great accompaniment to a meal, and you could really have fun pairing the toasty flavor with different foods. If you've ever had tea at a Chinese restaurant and thought "man, what kind of tea is this?", our Formosa Oolong is probably pretty similar to what you had.

You can find both the Blue Spring Oolong and Formosa Oolong in our shop and online for $10.00 per 4 ounces. That comes out to about 25 cents a cup, and that's if you only steep it once!

Sakura Sencha is here!

2010-02-12T12:14:00.000-08:00

We've had a very mild winter here in Seattle (unlike almost everyone else in the country), so the cherry trees have already started blooming! Much like the cherry blossoms, the Sakura Sencha tea is here early as well!

This has become a yearly tradition for us, and is eagerly awaited by our customers. Sakura Sencha is a Japanese green tea scented with cherry blossoms (the word "sakura" means cherry blossom in Japanese). The result is a tea with a lightly sweet and floral cherry flavor with the bright, grassy richness of a quality sencha.

To celebrate, we'll be brewing it up every day the week of February 21-27, so come in and try some! You can also find it on our website here.

Valentine's Teas

2010-01-29T10:00:00.000-08:00

It's a lovely Seattle morning here, overcast but not too chilly, and calm and quiet here in Post Alley. I'm having a Nice Cup of tea and a Sit Down with one of Sue's delicious bergamot shortbread cookies.

Sometimes my job is so hard. *sigh*

Anyway, on to business! We have some fantastic teas here for a limited time in honor of Valentine's Day!

The return of an old favorite: Harney & Sons' Valentine's Blend. As with many of our seasonal teas, customers eagerly await the arrival of this tea. It's an exceptional blend of chocolate and rose flavors, with a high quality black tea base. If you've ever had Harney's Florence tea, you know just how good they are at combining chocolate and tea. You can pick up this 4 ounce tin of loose tea here at the shop or online.

Continuing with the chocolate theme is Bling Fling, a chocolate and cherry black tea blend. With the aroma of chocolate-covered cherries, this one's sure to please. It even has real chocolate bits blended right into the tea! The "bling" comes from the golden sprinkles that dissolve in the tea. This one's available loose, online and in-store.

This one's called Rooibos Love Affair, a bright combination of caffeine-free South African rooibos and strawberry flavors, with just a hint of chocolate. The rose petals and candy hearts add a fun visual treat, making it a perfect gift for your sweetheart. Again, this blend is available loose, online and in-store.

Remember, all of these teas are limited seasonal blends, so once they're gone, they're gone til next year!

Now if you'll excuse me, I have some important biscuit tasting to attend to.

Bergamot heaven, what I'm baking

2010-01-17T11:03:00.000-08:00

Just bought my bergamots and yesterday my whole kitchen smelled like Earl Grey, an aroma that makes me incredibly happy. January might be chill and rainy and grey outside but inside it's "Earl" grey.

We still have 6 bergamots left for sale in the shop - in store customers only - no shipping since this is a perishable item - $2.00 each.

To use my four bergamots: for my first recipe I was up to my elbows in semisweet chocolate adding zest of bergamot to the cream and chocolate blend, then rolling the truffles in cocoa powder. Made a day ahead the bergamot flavor actually increases in strength giving you a mouth full of chocolate-bergamot goodness.

Next I took a basic pound cake recipe - lots of butter and sour cream - adding zest to the batter and topping the warm out of the oven creation with a sugar/bergamot juice glaze. Again, aging increases the flavor.

Ran out of time to try my ice box cookies and muffins - but that's next.

SUE

Bergamot Week Jan 14 - 24

2010-01-10T10:40:00.000-08:00

Hey there, long time no see! Did you have a good holiday?

Things sure have been busy around here the last month or so, but now that it's a little more calm I have time to write up another blog post. And just in time to tell you about Bergamot Week!

What's Bergamot Week, you ask? Well, for the past few years around this time in January, we have brought in some bergamot fruits so people can see and smell them firsthand. What's a bergamot, you ask? Well...

That's a bergamot. Looks like a lemon, huh? It may look like a lemon, but one sniff of the peel and you get the unmistakeable fragrance of Earl Grey. The oil from the rind of the bergamot fruit is what makes your Earl Grey tea taste the way it does.

The finest bergamots (Citrus bergamia) are grown in the Calabria region of Italy (the tip of the "boot"). The particular soil type brings out the most flavor in the oil. It's pretty difficult (and expensive) to get them from Italy, so we bring in some grown in California by a grower who specializes in rare citrus fruits.

The flesh of the fruit is rather sour, so it's not so great for eating as is, but the zest is wonderful to use in baking and cooking. Try adding some zest to a shortbread, or in chocolate truffles; anywhere you use lemon or orange zest. You could even try a twist of bergamot peel in a martini to give it a unique hint of flavor. I wonder if anyone makes bergamot bitters... Hmm.

Anyway, in honor of bergamot season, we're declaring the 14th - 24th of January Bergamot Week! We'll have bergamots in the shop for you to see and smell, and all of our Earl Grey teas will be 10% off! That includes Earl Grey Extra, Lavender Earl Grey, Victorian Earl Grey, Irish Earl Grey, Imperial Russian Caravan, Paris Blend, Decaf Earl Grey Extra, and Decaf Victorian Earl Grey.

So come on in, meet a bergamot, and pick up some Earl Grey and celebrate Bergamot Week with us!

New Teas for the Holidays!

2009-12-04T13:28:00.000-08:00

Boy, have we got a bunch of new teas! We always bring in some great seasonal blends, perfect for yourself or as a gift for the tea-drinker in your life.

So, let's get to it!

First is Peppermint Bark, a black tea flavored with vanilla and peppermint. It even has tiny candy canes blended right into it! This one always sells quick, so get it before it's gone!

Next is Sparkling Sugar Plum, a very special black tea with a lovely bright plum flavor. It tastes wonderful, but the best part is that it really sparkles! There are little sugar crystals blended into the tea that, when dissolved in hot water, release glittering sparkles into your cup! You really have to see it to believe it!

Next is Winter Chocolate Spice, a seasonal blend that has become a favorite since we first brought it in a few years ago. It's a black tea blend with real cacao nibs for an authentic chocolate flavor. It also has ginger, cardamom and other chai spices for that "chocolate chai" flavor. Great with a splash of milk on a cold winter morning.

We also have a wonderful herbal version of the same tea, Winter's Eve Rooibos. The same spices and flavor as the black tea version, but with an herbal Rooibos base. Makes a great evening cuppa!

Don't forget, we've also got some great teas in teabags, like Harney & Sons' Holiday Tea and White Christmas Tea, and Taylors of Harrogate Spiced Christmas.

November Blend of the Month

2009-11-06T15:56:00.000-08:00

Hey, it's been a while since we had a blend of the month, hasn't it? We've been so caught up in all the stuff we're getting in for the holidays that we sort of had to put it on the back burner. Until now, that is!

I've had this particular blend in my mind for a while, but I've been waiting to make it available until the weather was just right. This month's blend is Amaretto Spice, a warming blend of Rainbow Rooibos (our almond scented rooibos) and Rooibos Chai.

Perfect for cozying up next to the fire in the evening while the wind blows the leaves around outside. This blend really says "Autumn" to me. Even the color reminds me of fallen leaves. Oh, and it's naturally caffeine free!

You can pick this tea up in the shop throughout the month, and after November we're happy to blend it up to order as long as we have the ingredients on hand.

Happy tea drinking, and stay warm!

New Teapots from Bali

2009-10-23T13:16:00.000-07:00

We just recently received these fantastic teapots made in Bali!

They're imported by a local company, and they're handmade from the local river clay in Pejaten in south central Bali.

The little animals on the cups are all made individually by hand, and each rattan handle is made to match the pot.

One of the best things about these teawares, though, is that they're all fair trade, and of course FDA certified lead-free.

Come and see these charming teapots in the shop!

Winter Seasonal Teas

2009-10-17T10:37:00.000-07:00

Well, it certainly seem to be Autumn here in Seattle. It's been pouring rain the last few days, perfect for sitting inside looking out the window with a nice hot cup of tea. In fact, we just happen to have a couple of seasonal blends perfectly suited to this situation!

First up is our Winter Chocolate Spice, a black tea blended with cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and other chai spices, along with real bits of roasted cacao beans.

It's great served as-is, but with a little milk and sugar, it's wonderfully decadent.

We also have Winter's Eve Rooibos, a no-caffeine version of the Winter Chocolate Spice, made with a rooibos base. The rooibos makes it a little lighter and gives it a slightly different flavor.

This blend also has pieces of cinnamon sticks, a lovely visual treat. Since it has no caffeine, this blend makes a great after-dinner drink to warm you up on those chilly evenings.

Both of these blends are also wonderful when made like a traditional chai; simmered with milk for a few minutes and then strained and sweetened to taste.

You can find them on our website as well as in the shop.

Just a quick note

2009-10-17T10:35:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all the folks who came to the 2nd Annual Northwest Tea Festival!

It was a great success, and we hope to see you all again next year!

They grow up so fast...

2009-09-19T16:42:00.000-07:00

Well, Summer is almost over and Timmy has grown quite a bit since we last saw him. Here's what he looked like last time I blogged about him back in April.
And here's a picture I took this afternoon.

Just look at all those new leaves! Now that the first (Spring) and second (Summer) flushes are over, he probably won't grow much more until next Spring. Come say hi to Timmy next time you're in the shop!

NW Tea Festival Cups

2009-09-19T15:37:00.000-07:00

Do you know about the Northwest Tea Festival? It's happening at Seattle Center on October 3-4th. There will be all kinds of tea tasting, vendors selling teas and teawares, tea experts doing presentations, tea classes and a bunch of other stuff! You can check out the festival website at www.nwteafestival.com.

For just a $5 donation (which goes to help fund next year's festival), you get a porcelain tasting cup so you can taste all the wonderful teas at the show. We just got the cups the other day and they are beautiful!

Our supplier says they're made in one of the four cities in China most famous for high-quality porcelain. The porcelain is so fine that if you hold it up to a light, it will shine through the cup.

Here's a picture for size comparison.

$5 is a steal just for the cups, but then you get to taste all the fantastic teas at the festival, too! You can only get the cups at the Northwest Tea Festival, so come by and see us at our booth while you're there!

Best of Western Washington

2009-09-11T10:50:00.000-07:00

We've been nominated for best tea house in King5's Best of Western Washington!

You may have noticed the little button at the right side of the blog. Click on it to vote for us! You have to register with their site, but it also lets you vote for businesses in other categories, too, like our good friends around the corner from us at 94 Stewart. They're nominated for best French restaurant (although they're not exclusively French, more contemporary American...) so show them some love, too!

We managed to get 4th place last year, so let's see if we can make it to number one in 2009!

New Forlife Teapots!

2009-08-28T14:29:00.000-07:00

We just got the new teapots from Forlife, and they are great! It's called the "Hospitality" line.

They all have a white ceramic body, with a colored spout. The really cool thing is that the spout is made of silicone! You definitely don't have to worry about breaking the spout on this teapot! In fact, they were originally conceived as teapots for restaurants and cafes, so they're made to take some abuse. The silicone also helps to make the pot drip-free.

And when I say drip-free, I mean it! I tried pouring out of this teapot and I couldn't make it drip if I tried! You're welcome to come to the shop and try it yourself if you'd like. It really is amazing.

The teapot also comes with a stainless steel infuser with a superfine mesh, so you won't get bits of tea dust in your cup. The pots hold about 12 ounces of tea, enough for a big mug or two small cups.

There are 7 spout colors to choose from: Red (pictured), Paprika (kind of a bright orange), Lime, Marine (a rich blue color), Black, Brown, and Grey.

We'll have these on the website soon, so keep an eye out for them.

Hey, long time no see!

2009-08-21T15:08:00.000-07:00

It's been pretty busy in the shop, so I haven't been able to do as much blogging as I'd like. We've got some new stuff in, though, so I managed to squeeze in some time!

I think this new kid's tea set is just about the cutest thing I've ever seen, or at least the cutest thing we've sold in the store.

It includes service for four, with silverware, napkins, even a tablecloth! And it all comes packed in a lovely wicker basket, perfect for a picnic tea party.

You can find it on the website here, as well as in the store.

We're also expecting a new line of teaware from Forlife, the company that makes those great Curve teapots. They're really good at making high-quality, functional teawares. You can really tell that the designers understand what a tea drinker needs in a teapot. And the best part? Almost all of the teapots they make are drip-free! Hopefully we'll get the new stuff soon, and we'll let you know when we do!

Bye for now, and happy tea drinking!

Blend of the Month - August

2009-07-31T15:58:00.000-07:00

It's certainly been great iced tea weather lately here in Seattle! On Wednesday, SeaTac Airport reported a record-breaking temperature of 103F! It's cooled down today, just in the mid 80s, but it's still important to keep hydrated. And why not drink iced tea? It keeps you hydrated, and you get the bonus of all those healthy anti-oxidants!

Anyway, on to the Blend of the Month - Peaches & Cream!

It's a 50/50 blend of our Vanilla Cream black tea and Decaf August Peach. It may seem odd to blend a decaf tea with a regular black tea, but the peach flavor in the August Peach seemed to match up the best. And really, how could we pass it up for the August blend of the month?

You can get it here in the shop and online all this month.

Caramel Pu-Erh

2009-07-21T16:26:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know, we can often special-order teas that we don't normally carry, or seasonal teas in the "off-season". We usually have to order at least a pound or two, so if you have a few friends who want to go in on a special order, that's a great way to make it work.

Anyway, one of our customers recently special ordered a kilogram (it's a Canadian company) of Caramel Pu-Erh, a tea we carried last Winter. They never came to pick it up, so now we're selling it in the store!

Now, I know what you're thinking; "caramel pu-erh? Seriously?" It sounds crazy, but it's actually pretty good. The earthy richness of the pu-erh pairs nicely with the caramel flavor, making it a very satisfying cup. It's probably better in cold weather, but if you store it in an airtight container it should stay fresh until it starts getting cool again.

It's available here on our online store as well as our shop in Seattle.

Blend of the Month - July

2009-07-21T16:06:00.000-07:00

Apparently I completely forgot to blog about the blend of the month for July!

This blend is Berries Noir, a blend of our Blackberry, Blueberry and Blackcurrant black teas. Perfect for iced tea, and a lovely hot tea as well.

Berries Noir is available in our shop at Pike Place Market, as well as online.

You'll find it there until the end of the month, but if you don't get some before then, don't worry! As with all of our monthly blends, we can always blend them to order any time of the year (as long as we still have the ingredients.) Just give us a call and ask, or come in the shop.

New Tea Books

2009-07-11T14:09:00.000-07:00

We just got some great new tea books in the store!

First is Tea with a Twist by Lisa Boalt Richardson. As befits the name, it is about different ways of preparing tea and food for tea parties in ways you may not have thought of before. In particular, her Tea Sangria sounds quite refreshing this time of year. This book is packed with beautiful pictures and delightful recipes.

Next, Tea For You by Tracy Stearn (also author of Tea Party). This new book is a guide to blending your own custom teas, for yourself or for gifts. It's one of the only books I've seen that is specifically about blending your own teas, and it's got lots of great info. There are also a few recipes for teatime treats tucked near the back of the book.

Digestive Biscuit Review

2009-06-23T12:33:00.000-07:00

There's a certain time of day in between breakfast and lunch where I can't quite wait until lunch to have something to eat. A cup of tea and some biscuits fits the bill quite nicely, so today around that time I decided to do a review of a classic biscuit, the Digestive.

This was also a great time to test the new "%50 less saturated fat, same great taste" claim on the package.

First, a little history about the Digestive. It was invented by Alexander Grant at McVitie's in 1892. McVitie's is still one of the largest biscuit brands in the UK, now owned by United Biscuits.

The name "Digestive" came from the high amount of baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, used in the biscuit. Sodium bicarbonate has antacid properties, so it was thought that the biscuits would aid in digestion.

But enough history, let's taste some biscuits. As said in the book Nice Cup of Tea and a Sit Down, "Tea without biscuits is a missed opportunity". I would assume that the reverse is true as well, so I made a cup of tea to go with my biscuits. Since the Digestive is considered the "quintessential" English biscuit, it seemed only right to have the classic English tea, PG Tips.

Now, let's take a closer look at our biscuit.

McVitie's is very fond of stamping their name on biscuits, and this is no exception. Since the Digestive is copied by so many other biscuit companies, this serves as a sort of "certificate of authenticity".

The Digestive is also a rather large biscuit, measuring about 2 3/4" in diameter. This can pose a bit of a problem when dunking in a small cup, as you tend to get a situation like this:

So make sure you have a good size cup if you plan on dunking. Speaking of dunking, the light, crispy texture facilitates rapid tea absorption, so don't leave it in too long or you'll end up with a cup of biscuit sludge.

The flavor of the Digestive biscuit is probably best described as being very similar to a graham cracker. It has just a touch of sweetness, so it goes great with a wide variety of toppings, from lemon curd and jam to sliced cheese. They're also great to use in recipes. Try using them in place of graham crackers for a cheesecake crust, or make s'mores with them!

Truly, the Digestive is a versatile biscuit, and a wonderful accompaniment to any cup of tea.

You can find them in our shop in Seattle, or online here.

Happy dunking!

Decaf August Peach

2009-06-09T16:27:00.000-07:00

Boy, we sure have been getting a lot of new teas in lately! Today we received our new Decaf August Peach, a lovely decaf black tea bursting with peach flavor.

This makes a great iced tea, too! Since it's decaf, you can have it on a warm summer evening and not worry about it keeping you up all night. We've definitely had iced tea on the brain lately with all the unseasonably hot weather here in Seattle!

This tea will be up on the website soon, and is available in the shop now.

Blend of the Month - June

2009-06-01T12:26:00.000-07:00

Well, it's that time again; time to unveil our new Blend of the Month for June!

This month we've blended up some Lemon Jasmine, a lively mix of jasmine-scented green tea and Lemon Myrtle, an herb from the rainforests of Australia.

The combination of floral and citrus flavors makes a unique and refreshing iced tea, and a wonderfully aromatic hot tea.

We'll be brewing it up in the store periodically, so come give it a try and take some home!

New Teas!

2009-05-21T10:15:00.000-07:00

Holy cow! We have got a bunch of new stuff in the store, including four new teas! I'm going to show the teas off here and I'll post some of our new tea wares soon as well.

First up is one of two new wine-scented teas that Julee found at the World Tea Expo a couple weeks ago. This is called Pink Sonoma, a lovely white tea with rose petals and jasmine flowers, scented with cabernet.

I admit, I was skeptical at first about this tea. I mean, wine-scented tea? But after tasting it, I discovered that it had a wonderful fruity aroma, with a nice grape-like flavor. This one is excellent iced, wonderful for a hot summer day.

The second wine-scented tea is called Wild Monkey Marsala, a China black tea with cinnamon and scented with Marsala wine.

You can tell that a high-quality black tea was used for the base, because of all those lovely golden tips. The aroma is spicy and rich, with just a hint of wine. The flavor reminded me of dried fruit, and something I couldn't quite put my finger on. Then it hit me: mince pie! The wine flavor adds that slight tanginess that mince pie has, and the spice and dried fruit flavor make a great combination. I don't know if we'll keep this for the summer, but I definitely think it will make an appearance this fall as a seasonal tea.

For something a bit more conventional, we have the Gopaldhara Estate Darjeeling. This is a first flush tea from this year, so it's one of the most recently picked teas we have.

As you can see this is a very "green" black tea, in fact I'm almost hesitant to call it a black tea. It has a light flavor with a bright, fresh aroma. The taste is unmistakeably Darjeeling, though.

And finally, a tea that I have been looking forward to for some time: Shincha Kunpu. This is a "first flush" tea from Shizuoka, Japan. Shincha literally means "new tea" in Japanese, and Kunpu translates to "fragrant breeze".

This tea has beautiful shiny dark green leaves with an intense vegetal aroma. There is a sweetness hidden in the flavor which can be accentuated with careful brewing. The color of the liquor is a bright, almost lime green. It's really got just about everything one could ask for in a Japanese green tea. We only brought in two pounds of this special tea, and when it's gone, it's gone until next year. I might do another blog post with a more in-depth review and photos of the brewing, so stay tuned!

That's all for the new teas right now, but I'll post some of our new tea wares soon!

Blend of the Month - May

2009-05-04T11:10:00.000-07:00

This month's blend is Blueberry Citrus Mint, a blend of our Blueberry black tea with Sweet Citrus Mint tisane.

The licorice root in the tisane adds a pleasant sweet aftertaste, while the blueberry adds a hint of fruitiness. It makes an excellent iced tea, but it's great hot too.

This blend is available in the store as well as on the website this month.

Meet Timmy

2009-04-28T15:46:00.000-07:00

Spring is the time for tea plants to send out new growth, an event known as "flushing". That's where the term "first flush" comes from. Our resident tea plant, Timmy, is no exception! We noticed that Timmy has some new little leaves just making their way out now.

Timmy is still pretty small, just about a year old. In about 3 or 4 years, he'll be big enough to harvest leaves from. Timmy came from Rockridge Orchards in Enumclaw. They grow all sorts of things there, and even make their own wine and cider. You can say hello to them (and even buy a tea plant to grow at home yourself) at the University Farmer's Market.

Next time you're in the shop, be sure to say hello to Timmy and his new leaf buds!

Makaibari Autumnal Flush Back in Stock

2009-04-24T16:02:00.000-07:00

The 2008 Autumnal Flush Darjeeling from Makaibari Estate just arrived today! We were quite pleased with this picking when we tried samples, so we're excited to finally have it in stock.

The Makaibari Estate is a truly spectacular garden. It's certified organic, biodynamic, and fair trade certified. You can find more info at www.makaibari.org.

We only received ten pounds of this tea (and 2 pounds are already spoken for!), so if you'd like some, now's the time to buy it! We'll have it in-store and on the website.

Den's Tea Visit

2009-04-21T15:16:00.001-07:00

One of the nice thing about the tea industry is that it's very close-knit. There's sort of a "we're all in this together" attitude, rather than a competitive feeling. Because of that, even a small tea shop like us often gets to meet the owner or CEO of one of our suppliers. And that's just what happened the other day.

Den Shirakata, president of Den's Tea happened to be in Seattle and stopped by for a visit! We get a few of our Japanese teas from him, including the Sakura Sencha and my personal favorite, Guricha. We chatted about tea for a bit and asked him a few questions we had about Japanese teas. We also preordered some Shincha, the highly-prized first picking of tea in Japan. We should be getting it sometime in mid-May.

Mr. Shirakata took some photos of the shop to show his staff in Japan. He said they love to see where the tea they produce is going. He also brought us a little gift, a lovely tin full of delicious cookies! Yum!

Fox's Viennese Biscuit Review

2009-04-14T12:21:00.000-07:00

Looking through the catalog for our British Import supplier, I spied some tasty-sounding biscuits from Fox's. We carry their Ginger Crunch Creams (which are quite delicious and very gingery), so I was excited to see what other biscuits they had to offer. I popped over to their website and saw the Viennese Chocolate biscuits were at the top of their user-picked ranking. Well, you can't get a much better recommendation than that, so we ordered a case.

I was charged with the oh-so difficult task of reviewing the biscuits and blogging the results. It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it. With a cup of Yorkshire Gold tea in hand, I sallied forth.

My first impression is that it's quite a bit like a Pepperidge Farms Milano cookie, only more buttery, and less crispy. The biscuit part is almost the consistency of shortbread, but lighter and more airy. The chocolate filling is also quite pleasant, with a light creaminess.

Of course, we must also test dunkability.

The shape of the biscuit makes it a lovely candidate for dunking, and the lightness helps to maximize the tea absorption. The ridges also help to keep your grip on the biscuit, which is quite convenient, since there's nothing worse than dropping and entire biscuit in a cup of tea and trying to fish it out before it loses all structural integrity.

Overall, I'm very impressed. The combination of light, airy biscuit and creamy chocolate filling is a really nice balance. The only problem is that they are highly addictive, and very rich. I could easily see myself sitting down with a package of these and a cup of tea and suddenly realizing that I had eaten all of them in one sitting.

This may be my new favorite biscuit, so please come buy some so I'm not tempted to eat all of them in the store.

Test-Drive a Teapot Today!

2009-04-14T12:01:00.000-07:00

We recently got some more Lomonosov teapots in the store, and Lisa and I were curious about how well they pour. So of course, we had to try it!

It actually poured quite nicely, with just a slight drip at the tip.

Perennial Tea Room staff are not the only ones who get to try this though; you're welcome to test-pour any of our teapots in the store! We try to bring in teapots that pour well, but sometimes they vary from teapot to teapot, so if it's a concern of yours, give it a try! If you can't make it into the shop, just give us a call and we'll pour-test it for you.

Blend of the Month

2009-03-30T14:07:00.000-07:00

Lately we've been having a lot of fun here in the shop, blending up various combinations of our loose teas to create new exciting flavors. We're having so much fun, in fact, that we'd like to let you in on the fun as well! Starting this April, we're going to spotlight a "Blend of the Month". We'll blend some up and sell it in-store and online, with a new creation each month!

Our first tea is Strawberries & Cream, a delicious blend of our Fresh Strawberry black tea and Vanilla Cream black tea. With a bit of sweetener and milk, it's like a dessert in a cup!

Look for it on our website as well as in the store this April!

Perennial Tea Room Tea in Tins

2009-03-20T10:59:00.001-07:00

In addition to our Seattle Breakfast, we now have three other loose teas packed in 4-ounce gift tins!

There's our Earl Grey Extra Aromatic, double-scented with natural oil of bergamot. This is just about the best earl grey we've found, and it's the only one Sue (our resident earl grey nut) drinks!

It comes packed in an elegant black tin.

Next up is one of our favorite herbal blends, Market Rooibos Chai. It's a caffeine-free blend of South African rooibos (also sometimes called red tea), cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and a hint of vanilla. It's a sweeter, smoother spice blend than most other chais, so it makes a great after-dinner drink. Of course, it's also great any other time of the day!

It comes in a pretty burgundy tin.

Last, but certainly not least, is our Victorian Earl Grey. It's a blend of earl grey (with natural oil of bergamot, nothing artificial) with rosemary, lavender, and rose petals. The rosemary gives it a unique aroma that blends nicely with the rose and lavender. Perfect for a garden tea party with your best china, but it's just as good in a sturdy mug to start your day.

Comes in a vibrant violet tin.

All of these tins, as well as our Seattle Breakfast, are on our website.

Teaposy - Blooming Tea

2009-03-20T10:49:00.000-07:00

Recently we got the Teaposy "blooming teas" back in stock, so we took the opportunity to take some pictures of one of the teas in action.

The tea starts out looking like this, a little ball of hand-tied tea leaves.

Add some hot water (not quite boiling, around 175 degrees F) and it starts to open up.

This one is called "falling water", a calendula flower with a little chain of jasmine blossoms floating up from the center. You can see the flowers just peeking out now.

Isn't that beautiful?

The tea itself has a nice jasmine scent. Even though it steeps for quite a while (around 10 minutes for it to open fully), it doesn't taste bitter. Display teas like this are great for parties and special occasions. You could even get a big fish bowl or punch bowl and put several of them in as a centerpiece for a table.

We have assortments of different kinds available on our website here.

Did you know?

2009-03-20T10:15:00.000-07:00

We are trying to show as many of our new products on the blog as possible, but we can't always get them all on the website. If you're in the Seattle area, you can come by and visit us if you'd like to buy something you see on the blog.

For folks who can't make it into the shop, you can always call us at our toll-free number (888) 448-4054, 9:30am-6:00pm Pacific Time, and we can probably ship just about anything in the store to you!

So remember, if you saw something here that you just can't live without, but you don't see it on the site, just give us a ring! We'll be happy to send it to you!

Sakura Sencha is here!

2009-03-01T12:18:00.000-08:00

It's almost Spring again, and that means that the highly anticipated Sakura Sencha is here!

This wonderful flavored Japanese green tea is flavored with natural cherry blossoms, with little heather blossoms to add a dash of pink. It has a lovely sweet and floral taste, but it isn't overpowering. The base tea that is used is a good quality sencha that seems to be complimented by the cherry flavor, rather than being covered up by it.

This tea is sourced from a company in Shizuoka, just south of Tokyo. Their tea is transported by air to the US rather than by ship, so it gets here much faster. That means better-tasting, fresher tea!

The Sakura Sencha is produced in limited quantities this time of year to celebrate the arrival of cherry blossoms (sakura) in Japan. The Japanese love cherry blossoms, and having a picnic sitting under the cherry trees is one of the most popular activities in the spring time.

The Sakura Sencha is $5.00 per ounce. If you want some, get it soon because we only have a limited amount in stock!

New Products Roundup

2009-02-23T15:46:00.000-08:00

Spring is on its way, and we've got some great new products here in the shop!

Here's a neat kid's tea set from Green Toys. It's made entirely from recycled milk jugs! How cool is that? It's a good usable size, too. The teapot stands about 4 inches tall. Because of the material, you can't really brew tea in it with boiling water, but you could brew some tea separately and cool it down a bit before you serve it in the pot. You could also serve juice or milk in it.
$27.00 for the set.
*UPDATE* So it turns out that the tea set is actually fine for use with hot tea, as well as dishwasher safe! The company had not originally tested for use with hot liquids, but after the packages were printed they did some testing and they worked fine!

Here's another kid's set we just got in stock - the "Flower Fairies Friends" set. It's made of porcelain and is quite a bit smaller. The teapot stands about 3 inches tall. It includes the teapot, creamer, sugar bowl, and four cups and saucers.

$22.50 for the set.

New owl tea set colors! In addition to the grey, we now have white and brown owl sets. They include the teapot (with infuser basket) and two cups.

So cute!

$48.00 for the set.

Just in time for St. Patricks day, we've got some delicious Irish Truffle bars from Butlers Chocolates in Dublin. They come in two flavors: Jameson's Whiskey (with real whiskey!) and Mint. Come in and buy some, or we'll eat them all ourselves!

$2.25 each.

Tea-For-One sets! Great for relaxing with some tea and a book. These come in four color combinations and are packaged in wonderful round hatbox-style gift boxes.

$19.95 each.

We also received some new colors of Waechtersbach (that's pronounced "vek-ters-bock" if you were wondering). We now have them in Caramel, Black Crackle, Red Crackle, and Pistachio. These are some great mugs, and the colors are just amazing, especially the red. They feel really nice in your hand, and they're durable too (these are the mugs we use to serve tea here in the shop.) $12.00 each.

Launch!

2009-02-22T17:19:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Perennial Tea Room blog!

We'll be showing off new teas and tea wares we're bringing in, as well as in-store events, sale items, and just about anything tea-related that pops into our heads.

So stay tuned, and keep drinking tea!