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It's a Green Christmas!

Well, the weather outside has not been frightful here in Ontario, and it could very well be a green Christmas this year.

I know regardless what the weather does, it will be a green Christmas for me as I enjoy some wonderful Steeped Tea green teas this month!

I placed an order recently (it arrived as I prepared this post - how cool is that?) and I am looking forward to restocking a favourite green tea, Snow Cap, as well as the classic standby Japanese Sencha. That's the Snow Cap in the picture - isn't it gorgeous?

I'm also going to be trying a blended green/rooibos when Holiday Treat arrives. This tea also incorporates the tastes of caramel, coconut and vanilla. Dessert in a cup! In fact, I bet you could add a bit of this tea to whipping cream as you are making whipped cream and it would be just dreamy!

 What teas are you looking forward to savouring over the Christmas season?

I'll leave you with a song about a green Christmas. This is a live performance a few years ago - Green Christmas by the Barenaked Ladies. (Canadian tea company, Canadian band, Canadian performance site.)

Tea Spiced Pecans

These will add a festive touch to your seasonal gatherings this Christmas, and offer a healthy alternative to the rich foods that often grace the table this time of year. The recipe comes from the Mele Cotte website, and you could use any Steeped Fine loose tea you're presently favouring.

 

Tea Spiced Pecans

1 lb pecans
¼ cup raw sugar (regular, granular sugar would work)
2 Tbsp. loose tea (or preferred flavor/blend) - how about Strawberry Shortcake or Raspberry Cream
½ tsp fine sea salt
1 egg white
1 Tbsp water

Preheat oven to 325°F.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper.  Place the pecans in a large bowl; set aside.

In a spice grinder, finely grind the sugar, tea and salt. Transfer the powder to an airtight container and set aside. (You will have more than you need for this recipe.)

In a small bowl, whisk egg white and water until combined and foamy. Add the dry ingredients and whisk until incorporated. Let stand for 10 minutes.

After the wait time, the sugar should have (mostly) dissolved. Stir again, and then pour over nuts. Toss to coat, stirring several times to glaze pecans. Transfer to baking sheet, in an even layer, and bake for about 35-45 minutes, or until crisp.  (To test, remove a few nuts from oven and let cool 3-4 minutes before tasting.) Store in airtight container. Yield: about 8 servings

Cook’s  Notes:
This will work with any flavor tea or spice.
Pecans can be substituted with other nuts of choice.
Cooking time may vary according to climate and crunch preference.

 Why not give it a try, and let us know what tea and nut combination you create!

Great Offers for new Steeped Tea Consultants and Full-fledged Consultants!

Steeped Tea has offers for those who are ready to start their own Steeped Tea business, and for those who already are Steeped Tea consultants.

If you have been considering becoming a Steeped Tea consultant and running your own home business offering Steeped Fine Loose Tea, the time to start is now:

 
Start your business during the month of November and start earning income in time for the Christmas season. All you have to do is purchase or earn your starter kit. Within 45 days, hold a party where sales (pretax and shipping) are $250 or more and choose which colour of Henley teapot you would like to add to your kit! So easy!

How about this? Get signed up right away and get the qualifying parties done quickly so that you are a full-fledged consultant and are eligible for this offer, too:

 
Consultant can earn the scarf set, the scarf set + laptop bag, or the scarf set + lap top bag + jacket, based on sales submitted between October 1st and December 31st! Wearing Steeped Tea logo wear while you are running errands is bound to generate more interest in your business!

To become a Steeped Tea consultant, just contact your consultant about booking a starter party. If you do not have a consultant, click here and we'll be happy to help you.

 

Christmas Message?!

The PG Tips monkey is at it again. In this commercial he parodies the annual message from the Queen, and I detect a little bit of a very old Lucille Ball sketch, too - the Vitameatavegamin commercial. Enjoy!

Truffle Season!

We've shared a number of truffle recipes here on the blog, and I recently came across this one posted at TChing - sounds delish! Steeped Tea offers gunpowder tea and peppermint tea, so I'm thinking that you could probably do a little mixing to create a gunpowder mint like she used in her recipe:

A Winter Wonderland of Tea and Chocolate

by Laura Logsdon

For the holidays this year, I decided to combine my two passions and make gunpowder green mint tea and dark chocolate truffles to give everyone I know an elegant holiday indulgence.  They so completely satisfied both the tea lover and the chocolate lover in me that I felt compelled to share the recipe.  They melt in your mouth and explode with tasty tea goodness.

Gunpowder Green Mint Tea Dark Chocolate Truffles

Ganache:
    4 tablespoons loose gunpowder green mint tea
    2 sprigs fresh mint, washed and dried
    9 tablespoons cream
    12 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped
    6 tablespoons corn syrup
    6 tablespoons butter, softened
    A pinch of salt

To Finish:
    8 ounces dark chocolate, melted
    Dark cocoa powder (as needed)

Method:

1. In a small sauce pan over a medium heat, cook the tea, mint, and cream until the liquid boils.  Remove it from the heat.  Cover and let it stand 3 minutes.  Strain out the tea and discard.  Let it stand with the fresh mint until the liquid is room temperature.  Strain the cream and discard the mint.  Reserve the cream.
2. Place the chocolate in a medium-sized bowl.
3. Combine the cream and corn syrup in a small sauce pan and bring it to a boil.
4. Add the cream mixture to the center of the chocolate.  Using an immersion blender or a whisk, begin mixing in the center and gradually incorporate the rest of the chocolate and cream into the elastic core of the emulsified ganache.
5. When all the chocolate and cream have been completely combined, mix in the softened butter and salt.
6. Cover the ganache with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for 1/2 hour until the ganache is firm.
7. Use a melon baller or cookie scoop to make a ball of ganache and place it on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.  Repeat until all ganache is used.
8. Place the ganache balls in the refrigerator for 1/2 hour until the balls are firm.
9. Spread a thin layer of cocoa powder on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
10. Place a small amount of melted chocolate on the palm of your hand.  Roll the ganache ball in the chocolate and then roll it in the cocoa powder.  Place it in a nice serving dish.  Repeat until all the balls are covered.
11. Refrigerate the balls until 1/2 hour before serving.  Serve at room temperature.  Makes 50 small truffles or 25 large truffles.

Tea over the Holidays

Maria Uspenskie shares the following upbeat article on T Ching - some of these tips we've shared here before, just not within the context of Christmas holidays. Here's a fun list of ways to enjoy loose leaf tea over the holidays. Enjoy whichever ones you decide to partake in!

10 Ways to Brighten Your Holiday with Loose Leaf Tea 

1.    Throw a traditional holiday tea party.

The most obvious, of course, as they’re dominating the newspaper holiday events page these days.  But putting a tea party together for friends can be a truly memorable way to welcome them.  You can go as fancy as you like, but there are easy ways to get festive with a tea party as well.  Serve up at least two different types of tea – it’s always good to have a caffeine-free variety – peppermint’s a great holiday choice – and then steep up a pot of your own favorite.  The best part of holiday entertaining isn’t gifting, but sharing, and we tea lovers do like to share our newest finds!

2.    Consider Earl Grey cookies - they’re delicate and delicious.

They’re perfect for your holiday tea party, or as a uniquely spiced sugar cookie addition to your Christmas cookie platter.

3.    Spruce up your hardwood floors.

As if there wasn’t enough to keep us busy this season, the holidays seem to be when we’re cleaning house the most.  However, you can lighten your load and deodorize your house by throwing some of your least favorite (!?) teas on your hardwood floors an hour or two before you plan to sweep.  You’ll be surprised – the tea leaves help you gather more dust than you’d ever manage otherwise.  And, even if the tea you used is less than stellar for drinking, it’ll freshen the atmosphere.

4.    Use tea for potpourri or incense.

Here’s another way to take advantage of the absorbent quality of tea leaves.  Here again, a tea that turned out not to be your best friend in the cup will do wonders for your home.  In the evenings, after cooking, I love to burn tea leaves in an incense burner in the kitchen.

5.    Roast a turkey with tea.

6.    Make an Egg Nog Tea Latte.

We suggest a Breakfast style loose-leaf black tea at and have a special place in our hearts for this tea latte’d up with some amazing egg nog.

7.    Sip an Irish Earl Toddy.

Try some Bailey’s splashed into a mug of hot Earl of Grey.

8.    Remember that tea-infused vodkas make lovely after-dinner drinks and holiday hostess gifts.

9.    Gift some tins of tea.

Your friends will never tire of it, and nor will you.  The beauty and variety of loose-leaf teas are nothing short of amazing.  Package it up in a pretty tin, and you don’t even need to wrap it.

10.    Darjeeling, Darling.

I couldn’t finish a holiday teas post without mentioning my favorite tea-time tea.  In my world, there’s no better tea than Darjeeling to pair with almost any baked holiday dessert – be it fruity, spicy, or chocolaty.  And to ring in the New Year, you can bring tea to the party - just chill down some Darjeeling, and turn your champagne into tea cocktails with a 50-50 mix of the two.  You’ll love both the sophisticated color and the flavor.

Happy Steeping to all, and to all a good night!

Christmas Ideas with tea

Are you ready for Christmas yet? It's just over 1 week away? Are you giving tea to anyone?

We have wonderful tea samplers as a way of introducing your love of loose leaf tea to friends, teachers, party hostesses, etc. that include an infuser and tea measuring spoon.

 

Or for a smaller token of appreciation, you could make small packets of tea. The Canadian Scrapbooker site had this idea credited to Martha Stewart.

You could use T-Sacs, sold by Steeped Fine Loose Tea, or stiff muslin circles wrapped closed with string, to customize your little gift.

 

 

 

If you have a few tea cups missing their saucers, and a few half burned candles around, why not turn it into a a gift or use it for holiday decor and ambience?

This idea is also found at Martha Stewart and we've shared it here before.

Look, she even wraps a packet of matches with paper!

Tools and Materials
Nested pans
Partially burned candles
Candy or candle thermometer
Tongs
New wicking
Teacups
Wick sustainers
Wooden skewers

Teacup Lights How-To
1. In a small pan set over a larger pan of simmering water, melt down old candles; clip the thermometer to the upper pot, and keep temperature at about 185 degrees. Remove old wicks with tongs.

 

2. Cut a piece of wicking to the cup's height plus 2 inches. Clamp one end to a wick sustainer; tie the other end around a skewer. Dip wicking and sustainer into melted wax to coat them. Remove and stick sustainer to cup's bottom.

3. Pour in the wax, stopping 1/2 inch below the cup's rim. Allow wax to set, about 1 hour. The candle will harden with a well in the center. To even it out, use another skewer to prick a circle of holes about 1/16 inch deep around the wick. Pour in melted wax until surface is 1/4 inch below rim. Cut wick.

So grab that cup that's missing a saucer or hunt one down at the thrift store and make a quick gift or two!

Christmas Morning Tea idea

 How about waking up to this on Christmas morning, or any chilly wintery morning, for that matter?

This recipe is accredited to Emeril Lagasse and has been shared both on ABC television, and via Tea News Direct.

 Servings: 6-8

 Difficulty: Easy

 Cook Time: 1-30 min

Spiced Orange Tea

Ingredients

• Thinly peeled strips of orange peel, about 1/2-inch wide, from 1 orange
• 3 cups freshly squeezed orange juice, about 6 large oranges
• 3 cups water
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 small toe of fresh ginger, 1/2 ounce, sliced into 1/4-inch slices
• 1 teaspoon whole cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch of salt
• 3 Orange Pekoe teabags [As you can see, Emeril hasn't learned the pleasures of fine loose tea - we suggest you substitute your favourite Steeped Fine Loose black tea, about 3 tsp, in an infuser]
• 1/2 cup sugar

In small pot combine the orange peel, orange juice, water, lemon juice, ginger, cloves, cinnamon and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove pot from the heat. Add the tea bags [or loose tea in an infuser] and let steep for 5 minutes. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Strain the tea through a fine mesh sieve set over another pot or into a warmed tea pot. Serve hot.

Yield: 6 cups, 6 to 8 servings

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, courtesy MSLO, Inc.

Hot Beverage for a Cold Winter's Night

I saw this recipe in the current issue of Food & Drink magazine. In fact, it's part of an article about hosting/having a festive tea. The idea sounds lovely, and this recipe sounds delish, so I thought we'd better share it here!

Honeyed Hot Tea Punch

Tea is always refreshing whether hot, cold or in a deep ruby-red punch! Alas, your crystal punch bolw cannot take the heat so opt for a heatproof glass container on a warming tray and refill from the stove as needed. A crockpot is a utilitarian alternative.

1 orange

1 bottle (1.89L) cranberry apple juice blend

19 cinnamon sticks, divided

4 whole cloves

4 c. (1L) boiling water

4 tsp black loose leaf tea, you could try any of the breakfast teas or Queen Elizabeth

1/2 c. honey

1. Using a vegetable peeler, take off 4 or 5 long strips of orange zest. Heat cranberry-apple juice with orange zest, 3 sticks of cinnamon and the cloves, over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until steaming hot, but not boiling. Set remaining cinnamon sticks aside as garnish.

2. Meanwhile, place loose leaf tea in a strainer or tea ball infuser. Boil the water and pour it over the leaves, allowing them to steep for about 5 minutes. Remove the strainer. Pour the tea into the hot juice mixture. Stir in honey; keep warm.

3. Serve in mugs, using a cinnamon stick as a stirrer. Provide a pot of additional honey for guests to stir into their tea as desired.

Makes 12 c (3L), about 12 -16 servings.

For a festive tea event, consider pairing the punch with a combination of sweets and savories. Bake up a batch of Steeped Tea scones and serve with clotted cream,whipped cream, or cream cheese, and topped with delicious Steeped Tea jams.

How about some tea sandwiches such as, walnut, pear & cheddar, or olive, roasted pepper and arugula on rye. We have wonderful carmelized onion chutney that pairs well with chicken or turkey breast - roll together in a wrap, and then slice to make pinwheels.

Add some tea loaf and assorted cookies and bars to round out your afternoon!

Christmas is coming, it's practically here!

Welcome to December and to the fabulous December specials offered by Steeped Fine Loose Teas!

If you haven't tried this delectable tea yet, now is the time. We only offer Swiss Truffle rooibos on our Fall/Christmas flyer. And to get it for free is a wonderful bonus! A wonderful, sweet, soothing afternoon pick me up, or lovely evening tea as you settle down for the evening.

 

 

Our hostesses earn free product of their choice - the amount is based on the party's pretax sales.

On top of that, each month hostesses are offered exclusive products at special prices that only they can take advantage of. 

Book a show now to get some Christmas shopping done for free!