I'm back!

Trying new teas is so exciting for me. I really have to hold myself back from ordering everything I see. When my former oboe teacher (and fellow tea enthusiast) sent me the link to Upton Tea Company, I knew I was in trouble. Luckily they have $1 sample sizes of most teas, so ordering 16 new teas didn't break the bank. :) I love reading the descriptions in their catalog. Having attempted to describe the different subtleties myself, it amazes me that someone can make 50 kinds of Ceylon teas each sound so completely different! The full catalog is available online, but I'm going to have fun with the physical catalog, keeping track of what I've ordered and tried. Their newsletter also contains facts about the history of tea, which I find fascinating. Their prices are very reasonable and the shipping is flat-rate, no matter how much you order (under $5)...which is just another justification for me to order lots!

Stay tuned for some new reviews! I'm going to need to keep track of everything I try! I've already tried two, but I need some "second steeps" before posting anything. Let me just say, I'm so happy to have found another gem of a tea supplier! This is going to be fun!

Tea News

News you can use:

Teavana is coming out with 30 new teas next month! Stay tuned, but also check their website for discontinued (and possibly clearance prices?) teas.

Adagio Teas is having a sale between now and Labor Day:

"We are adding new teas and invite you to try them free of charge. Simply place a $19 order between now and Labor Day to receive four samples, regularly priced $12, absolutely free. Black Pearls is just one new tea. Please visit us soon to see others."

The new tea sampler includes 1 black and 3 green varieties:

black dragon pearls - subtle cocoa notes whisper gently as each pearl unfurls delivering a superior tea experience not to be missed.
kai hua crescendo - a crescendo is a musical peak not unlike each sip building toward its pinnacle with lovely orchid notes and a light bodied, semi-sweet character.
xue ya ballad - this tea features gentle chestnut notes and complex fruit-like, mellow sweetness with a delicate yellow cup color.
gunpowder - tea from the Guangdong province of China. Gunpowder tea, as the name implies, is made up of leaves hand-rolled into tiny pellets.

The thing about tea is...

...it still contains caffeine!! As much as I love tea, in my excitement to try all these new teas I've bought, I'm drinking way more than I normally do. I'm always wanting to get to that next tea, but I also want to try "second steeps" so I can keep good records of everything I'm testing. I'm not a market researcher! I will not take a few sips and throw the rest of it away! Therefore, I must slow down.

My bladder will also thank me.

I am excited to try the four new teas I bought today at Gong Fu Tea in Des Moines!

Wish list

Friends are emailing/Facebooking me with suggestions of tea stores--thank you all, and keep them coming!!

There's a store in Des Moines that I hadn't heard of!

Gong Fu Tea

They have an extensive selection, so I've narrowed it down to the following for sniff & taste tests:

Absolute Almond
Lord & Ladies Tea Blend
Le Tour de France
Keemun Hairpoint
Kenyan Safari
Organic Ceylon Black Tips
Prince of Wales
Garden Grove
Ginger Peach Organic
English Breakfast
Constant Companion
Chocolate Mint
Black Beauty
Black Currant
Black Mango

I can't buy them all, but now I have a bit of a wishlist!

I may even go there tomorrow! We'll see how Harry's nap day goes. :)