New oolongs in the shop

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!

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

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

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

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!

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

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!