Mexican Mango Tea

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

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!

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

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!

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

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

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!