Unique Gifts for Tea Lovers Part 1

Well 'tis the season of gift buying for many! It is also a time that our schedules are packed full and our to-do lists are long! I will keep it brief since leisure reading time is at a minimum as well. I wanted to give you two suggestions for unique Christmas/Holiday gifts for you and your tea-loving friends on your shopping list! This week is one suggestion and next week, I will offer my second suggestion.

I just love the products that Tea Tagent has come out with. I think their logo says it all, "Designing the Art of Tea in America."

All Tea Tagent's products are made of sustainably harvested wild cherry trees from the Allegany Forest in Pennsylvania.  Their wood contains no glues or plastic resins. 

To keep your Tea Tangent piece looking good over time, just clean with warm soap and water and add a bit of food grade oil to help it age well over time. 

I just love my Tea Nest Set that the company gave me this year at an industry event.  It just gives the Tea Nest a place to sit after brewing and for storing.  I keep it sitting out so that it is easy to use and it just looks good!!!

So if you are looking for a unique gift this season, may I suggest a product from Tea Tangent?

Happy Sipping and Shopping, Lisa

World Tea East Summary Part 2

I hope last week was a fun look at some of the new products in store for you tea lovers out there.  This week, I am continuing my virtual tour of World Tea East for you.  There was a beautiful art exhibit by Michele Brody called Reflections in Tea where participants could write prayers for Japan on tea-stained paper filters and post them on a model tea house! It was stunning and touching. 

We are going to move on now to tea accoutrements.  For those that like to keep their tea warm in the teapot, have you tried a tea cosy?

 Here are some from Set to a Tea

If you think tea or tea cozies need to be feminine, think again! These are known as HOBS by Thistledown Cozy!

How about a tea candle? THE LOVER, chocolate chai candle made in France has a unique long lasting scent of warm, sultry dark chocolate laced with complex notes of varied exotic spices and has top notes of chai tea blended with cinnamon, cardamon and vanilla.  This is made by Tracy Stern.

Here are some wonderful silk scarves with teapots and tea leaves on them made by Harshita Designs

I was so pleased to be given a Tea Tangent seen below.  I will be blogging specifically on this product in the near future.  So UNIQUE...

I hope you have enjoyed your virtual tour of some fun tea products!  Christmas isn't that far off so these might be easy finds for the tea lovers on your list-including youself!!! 

After a day of teaching and looking around the expo, I taught two days of classes for the Specialty Tea Institute (STI).  It was my first time as an instructor for them and it was exciting to teach Level I and II.  I have been a student of STI for over five years earning my Certified Tea Specialist title in 2008.    It is an honor to serve on the Educational and Certification Committee for STI's Advisory Board.  It is thrilling to be part of cutting edge tea education in the world! 

The students go through the coursework and they taste teas from around the world gaining insight into where the tea is grown, how it is processed, and the unique flavor profile to each tea. In the end a test is given.

To round out the trip, I did some sightseeing on the last day.  A trip to Philly wouldn't be complete without seeing the Liberty Bell.

I finished by trip with a visit to Love Park and taking in the tastes of the Food Truck Scene!

Thanks for coming along for the tour!  I hope you found some tea products you must have and enjoyed the review.  Do you have any new favorites?

For those of you in the Atlanta area, I will be doing a demo at Williams-Sonoma Lenox on Satuday from 1-3 pm.  We will be tasting teas and I will show you how to make a scone with tea in it.  I hope to see you there! 

Happy Sipping from Philly, Lisa