Our Blog about All Things Tea

Tea time is peaceful for me and it made me wonder if my first visit to the Victoria Tea Festival would be a mellow affair with people chatting in hushed voices between tiny sips.

I did have one worry. I’m sensitive to overpowering scents and was concerned that I would walk in, take a breath, be consumed by an urge to sneeze and bolt for the nearest exit.  Admittedly, a sneezing fit ranks low on the personal catastrophe scale so I set this concern aside, put a few tissues in my pocket and set out for the afternoon. Continue Reading →

I was standing in the Kunming Wal-Mart many years ago when an RCMP constable told me that I should buy some Pu’er tea to take home to Canada.

I probably should explain.  You see, we were attending an international trade show in southwestern China and I had tagged along on a noon hour stroll with two RCMP who were dressed in full red serge.

We managed to make it a block to the nearest store after being stopped every few feet by people who wanted to take pictures with the RCMP and the mysterious lady they must be protecting (or maybe arresting, who knew?) Continue Reading →

I can’t remember where I was when I had my first sip of chai.  It’s mostly a taste memory and my mouth waters when I think of it – creamy, comforting and spicy.

Hot chocolate used to be my cold weather soother but chai overtook it when chocolate wasn’t looking.  I’ve learned a thing or two about chai along the way.  Order a chai tea and find out that it can be served black, without a drop of milk.  Discover that for many people in Asia, chai is just the everyday word for tea.  What I’m dreaming of with warmed milk and spices is called Masala Chai.  What I like on a special treat day with lots of frothy (soy) milk is a Chai Tea Latte. Continue Reading →

There comes a time when any beginner to the world of tea has a choice to make: to steep another tea bag or to journey into the mysterious, delicious, soothing world of loose leaf!

As one who was introduced to Tetley’s Orange Pekoe and Black Currant at a very young age, I found the decision to try steeping loose leaf tea was kind of a daunting one. As silly as it sounds, I was a little concerned about all the little details – I’m no culinary genius! Would I end up with a ton of loose leaf tea particles slipping through the holes of my tea infuser ball with each sip? Are tea infuser balls even the best way to steep tea or should I steep the loose leaf tea directly into the teapot and find an appropriate strainer to do the rest? It just seemed like so much work for a cup of tea that may not even turn out right. I could just imagine myself serving ill-prepared tea to guests and having each one precariously sipping so as not to accidentally ingest any of the little leaves floating around at the bottom of their cup.

Continue Reading →

It’s tough when people start calling you a Tea Granny when you’re 12 years old.  Sure, I was considered mature for my age but this label seemed extreme and I soon began to wonder if drinking tea was bad for my pre-teen image. I loved tea so much though that I didn’t give it up and never started drinking coffee.

In university, I hung out with my sweet boyfriend Earl Grey while my friends worked on developing a taste for their morning java.  Most of them couldn’t be with caffeinated coffee past noon unless they needed help to study through the night.  Meanwhile I could hang around with tea all night over a good book or over ice on a hot summer afternoon. Continue Reading →