Tea from Iran - Persian Gold

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

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

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!

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!

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!