Steepedteablog.com

Has the Christmas Crunch Really Begun?

I distinctly remember it because it shocked me so much - Monday, September 15th a radio dj announced that there were 100 shopping days left until Christmas. Goodness, our family was just sort of falling into new routines for the fall with school back on and Sarah's dance classes, our studies etc. and we're s'posed to be thinking about Christmas. And of course, 2 weeks have lapsed since then, so there are even fewer shopping days now!

I can see the good sense of planning now. It would reduce the stress of December if I knew now who I was buying for, and, more importantly, what I wanted to buy. If I started to shop now, it would ease the strain on the wallet (i.e. family budget) by doing a bit each month rather than all of it in December.  If I shopped now, I wouldn't be standing in long lines at the mall, getting zippo service from inadequately trained sales staff who've just been brought in for the holiday crunch. This is not to criticize professional sales staff - there are some fabulous ones out there. But who hasn't been served (can I call it that) by the minimum wage, who gives a crap, is my shift over yet, when's payday, whatever, parachuted in just for December only to be laid off as soon as Boxing Week is over and they know it, sales staff? Pleasant, isn't it? If I shopped now, I'd have the time to buy from direct sellers and support other professionals in this field, most of whom are well-trained, know their product inside out, and care that I make the right choice in my gift selection.

If you are one of those organized ones who has started planning for Christmas already, kudos to you. I admire you. I don't know if I'll ever be you, but I'd like to be you! If you are a little apprehensive about Christmas because it means your family budget is going to be stretched, and you live in Ontario, I'd be happy to share with you some information about becoming a direct seller on my Steeped Tea team of consultants. We are paid in cash, not product and we could get you started very quickly so you can start putting away for Christmas right away.

If you'd just like to receive some teas and beautiful teaware for Christmas, I have a solution for that, too. Browse the catalogue and make up your wishlist - you can download a wishlist form, from the sidebar just to the right. Email me your form and I'll gladly let your contact(s) know what you are hoping to receive this Christmas. I'll work with them directly, so you can still be somewhat surprised! Don't wait 'til December and leave your honey too little time to shop for you - do it now. :-)

Blessings and happy sipping, Ann

More Health Benefits of "Tea"

Well, I put tea in quotation marks because today we're talking about chamomile tea, and in the strictest sense of the word, it's not tea, as it doesn't come from the camellia sinensis plant. In fact, chamomile comes from Matricaria chamomilla.

The chamomile plant has been used topically to heal all kinds of ailments including inflammations, irritations, and pains such as skin diseases, wounds, eczema, ulcers, gout, neuralgia, and rheumatic pains. Made into an infusion, tisane, or "tea", chamomile has for years been used to treat colds, tummy upsets and insomnia. Chamomile tea, it has been found, contains a large variety of polyphenols and studies have been initiated to determine what effect it may have against cancer and other ailments. There is substantial evidence that these compounds have suppressive activity on oxidative damage to skins, membranes, proteins, and DNA by inhibiting free radical scavenging activity and contribute to protection against chronic health disorders such as atherosclerosis and hypertension.

Recently as study was published proving that chamomile tea may help diabetics. The objective of the study is to "We investigated the effects of chamomile hot water extract and its major components on the prevention of hyperglycemia and the protection or improvement of diabetic complications in diabetes mellitus." The study was successful in as the "results clearly suggested that daily consumption of chamomile tea with meals could contribute to the prevention of the progress of hyperglycemia and diabetic complications." The study was published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry and you can peruse it here. If you or someone you know has diabetes, and you don't follow the scientific language in the abstract, why not print it off and show it to your specialist?

Questionable Anniversary?

Apparently, it it the 100th anniversary of the tea bag. What to say?

The popularity of the tea bag did not catch on until after tea rationing of the second world war was lifted.

And in his article, which you can read here if you want to, Alex Renton, a writer for the Guardian in the UK, suggests that because so many people, apparently 96% of hte UK tea drinking population, choose the teabag, it must be better. Does that logic make sense? I mean, MacDonalds claims over 1 billion served, does that make the Big Mac better than a homemade burger grilled on your barbecue?

I would suggest that it depends on how you define "better". If by "better" you mean convenient, well perhaps, the tea bag wins out. Although truthfully I don't find making a cup or pot of tea any more complicated than brewing a pot of coffee. But if by "better" we mean a quality cup/pot of tea with lots of taste and health benefits, sorry tea bag lovers, but the loose leaf wins, in most cases. I will concede that there are a few quality tea bags out there... ones that pack higher grades of tea in a larger bag. The average common tea bag though, just doesn't provide enough room for tea to fully open and swell in the water. Most ordinary tea bags contain the remainders of the tea industry, known as fannings, or dust. I am not being a snob about this - these tiny bits mean there are lots of edges exposed to the air, giving up their essential oils, their flavour - they are volatile. A leaf that is whole, or broken but in large pieces, will have lots of flavour and colour to surrender in the pot or cup. And studies are showing that the health benefits found in tea are greater when its the leaf, the large pieces, not the bag, the dust, that is used.

If you are a tea drinker - congratulations! You join many others in making tea the second most popular beverage in the world, second only to water. If you are still brewing your tea using a tea bag, may I suggest you give loose tea a try? You will find that most are no more expensive than your tea bags, by the cup and the flavour you experience will astound you! If you are in Ontario, feel free to browse the catalogues in the sidebar, and if you would like to order some tea, it would be my pleasure to help you out.

Tea Video - Afternoon Tea

If you love Afternoon Tea, or just wonder what they are referring to when someone speaks of Afternoon Tea, you might enjoy this video. The tea hostess is Rhys Bowen, an author, who in her new book A Royal Pain (A Royal Spyness Mystery), features many tea parties.

To watch the video, click here. To order your own scones for your own afternoon tea, just email me at annthetealady@rogers.com We have cranberry scones and plain. (Ontario only, for now, please.)

And the winner is - part 2

Thank you to everyone who stopped my table at MeFest in Waterloo this past weekend. i am having camera issues, so no pictures of my booth...

There was quite a diverse selection of exhibitors/vendors and it was a great day. Thanks to the organizers who did a fabulous job of promoting the event - the turnout, especially for a first show, was terrific. I enjoyed meeting so many tea lovers and hope to see some of you again at tea parties this fall!

Thank you to everyone who took the time to fill in a ballot for the draw I was holding at my booth. The winning entry, pulled from the ballot bag Saturday evening when I got home by my daughter, is....

Catherine W of Ayr, Ontario! Congratulations, Catherine. I tried phoning you and it just rang and rang, but I will try again to reach you so we can connect and get your basket of goodies to you!

Blessings and happy sipping - Ann

And the Winner is...

I held my catalogue launch/tea tasting this past weekend and really enjoyed visiting with several tea lovers. It was fun watching and listening to your reactions and responses to the new teas I had available to try.

Attendees tasted:

Earl Grey de la Creme White

Cinnamon Stick Green

Breakfast Muffin Rooibos

Amsterdam Licorice Black

Toffee Caramel Pu-Ehr

They took home a sample of each tea and a bundle of each of our honey sticks.

Can you see my plate of goodies in the lower left of the display? I baked the Earl grey tea loaf - the recipe appears on the Christmas insert. I substituted the White Earl Grey de la Creme for the Traditional Earl Grey and the flavour was subtle but delicious. I found my batch to be quite moist and had to increase the cooking time. You may not find the same thing, who knows? Funny how we can all follow the same recipe, yet get slightly different results. The loaf was yummy and I plan to bake it again, closer to Christmas, when I'll substitute dried cherries for the raisins (I have found them at Ayres in Waterloo in the past).

 

The door prize consisted of teas, an infuser, honey sticks, a metal tin, a candle, and of course, the new catalogue and flyer.

The winner is...

Lea-Anne! Congratulations! I know you'll love your new goodies!

Thank you to everyone who dropped in - there will be another tasting/Christmas open house in November.

What Are You Doing This Weekend?

If you have some free time on Saturday, the first MeFest is on in Waterloo and looks to be a great day!

 

It is being held at the Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex - Hauser Haus, this Saturday September 13th from 9 am to 5 pm. The address is 101 Father David Bauer Dr Waterloo (just off Erb St across from the old Seagram's building).

 

You'll meet all kinds of people who cater to, perhaps not exclusively but predominantly, women. There will be door prizes, give aways, pampering, speakers - just a fun and informative time.

 

We are also extremely happy to have Marisa McIntyre as a special guest for our show.  She starred in CBC's How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? & will be quite a crowd pleaser for our event. 

 

I will be there meeting people and giving away tea samples. I will also speaking on the health benefits of tea from 10 - 10:30. So come visit me at my booth or the speakers' area, if you get the chance.

 

Admission is $5 or $3 when you bring a non-perishable donation for the foodbank.

 

I'm looking forward to meeting lots of tea lovers!

The New Catalogue Starts This Week!

The new Steeped catalogue was originally scheduled to launch in January, but our founder, Tonia, decided to launch it to coincide with Steeped Tea's First Anniversary. Yes, a year of creating beautiful tea partnerships! The new catalogue is just about double the size of the previous catalogue with some beautiful new teas - black, flavoured black, green, rooibos, white, and even a flavoured Pu-Ehr.

If you live in the province of Ontario, and are not presently served by a Steeped Tea consultant, I would be happy to get the new catalogue, along with the Christmas insert off to you. Just email me your name, address and phone number and I'll do that right away - and then I'll give you a quick call about every 3 months to make sure you are all stocked up.

I'll work to get a permanent link to the new book and flyer up on the sidebar in the next month. Meantime, you can view the new catalogue here. To view the Christmas insert, just click here.

I'll be back next week to tell you my impressions of each of the new teas I've tried so far. But I don't want to spoil it for the people dropping by my open house this weekend. I'm hosting a new catalogue open house where we'll be tasting several new teas, you can check out some of the beautiful tea accessories, take home a little gift, enter the draw for the doorprize. If you are around the Elmira ON area Saturday between 10am - 11:30 am or 1pm - 2:30 pm or on Monday 7 pm - 8:30 pm, you are welcome to join in the tea tasting fun! Email me for directions.

annthetealady@rogers.com

Blessings and happy sipping - Ann