Don’t forget Dad enjoys tea too and The Tea Corner has a variety of tea gifts for Dads.   Spend some quality time with Dad this Father’s Day by having a Tea Party and presenting him with a special tea gift just for him.

The Tea Corner has sports themed teapots and mugs for Dad.

 

 Abby received the Flower Fairies Tea Set for Christmas and couldn’t wait to have her first tea party with her mom, Amy and brother, Adam.  They enjoyed peanut butter sandwiches and fruit with their tea along with quality time together. 

 Tea time with friends and family doesn’t have to be fancy.  Turn a lunch time into an impromptu tea time.  Put on a hat and enjoy the moment.  It’s also an opportunity to teach your children etiquette while spending quality time together.

Give your Sweetheart or Someone Special a real treat this Valentin’s Day and surprise her with a Red or Pink Teapot or Tea Set on this special day.

The Tea Corner has a variety of teapots and tea ware to choose from. 

Here are just a few suggestions:

 

Tis the Season of gift giving and we have some fabulous tea gifts that make fun stocking stuffers.  Here are a few of our favorites:

Make your tea time fun with Ducky Tea Infuser Loose tea goes into the stainless steel mesh basket, attach it to the ducky and set the ducky afloat in the hot water for several minutes. When steeping is done, rest the ducky in the blue drip cup. 

 Unique silverplate Teapot Pick Holder by Paul Revere with teapot style picks. Measures: 2.5″ total height w/ picks 3.25″ from spout to handle 1 1/4″ depth 

 Unique Kettle Style silver plated Teapot Clock with a quartz movement. Bezel is gold tone. Fresh battery included. Teapot measures 3.5 inches tall. Great tea gift for your tea loving friends.  Check with us for more Holiday Stocking Stuffers at www.theteacorner.com

 

James Labe, a  Professional Tea Taster and Tea Sommelier, was first drawn to tea when he was 9  in a Chinese tea shop in Philadelphia, the city where he grew up.  Wondering what made one jasmine tea more expensive than another, and fascinated by the beauty of the leaves and their packaging, he took several home to compare the taste, aroma, and color.  Now, as a tea sommelier in Manhattan, he has had a chance to share his enthusiasm with a larger audience.

Labe presents dinners with the, er, tea list at heartbeat, in Manhattans W New York hotel.  Though James Labe could fill volumes with his tea expertise, he boiled down his advice into the following tips:

ALWAYS use good, f resh water–either filtered or spring.

HOW MUCH tea to use? Teas vary in strength, so its hard to be precise, but for compact teas such as Indian black ones, try 1 heaping teaspoon per 12-ounce pot.  For looser-leafed green teas, use 2 heaping teaspoons.

IDEAL STEEPING temperature for most black teas is 195degrees, somewhat below that of boiling water (212), so before you stir hte leaves into the pot, pour in the hot water and let it cool a bit.  Many ceramic teapots absorb enough heat within the first minute or so to cool the water properly.  Fine, quality Japanese green teas are best steeped at even lower temperatures, between 125 degrees and 170 degrees; if you make them with boiling water, they will end up tasting like overcooked vegetables.  The easiest way to get the right temperature for these teas is to add 1/2 cup cold water to the teapot, then fill it the rest of the way with boiling water.

HOW LONG a tea steeps affects its character.  Try steeping the same tea in gradations of 2 to 4 minutes; the taste will tell you when you have brewed it right.

TRY TASTING fine teas when they have had time to cool, because they will have gained nuance and body.  Hot tea feels thin in the mouth.

 

The colors are breathtaking…there’s a chill in the air…it’s time to celebrate Autumn.  Welcome friends to a Halloween Tea Party.  Invite your guests to dress as their favorite character for a spook.tacular time!   Serve a bewitching blend of sweet surprises.  Dress up cupcakes with vanilla, orange and yellow frosting and decorate with Halloween candies. 

 Make witches’ hats cookie treats for party favors for each guest.  These chocolate temptations are made from ice cream cones and purchased cookies.  Each cone is filled with candy treats before it is attached to the cookie, making for a sweet surprise. 

 Witches’ Hats Cookie Treats:

 Supplies:

•  self-sealing plastic bag
• can of chocolate frosting
• chocolate ice cream cones (no. of guests)
• candy corn or assorted small candy
• (2-3 inch) chocolate cookies (for no. of guests)

 Instructions:

 Fill a small self-sealing plastic bag with some chocolate frosting.  Seal bag and cut a very small end off one corner of the bag and set aside.  Invert cone and fill with about 2 tablespoons candy corn or small candies.  Pipe some frosting from bag along bottom edge of cone.  Press a cookie against frosting.  Carefully invert right side up onto waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Decorate outside of cone with small candies, using additional frosting as necessary.  Refill frosting bag as needed.

Brew some flavored loose tea in an orange or black teapot to serve to your guests and serve in colorful teacups.  Add a touch of Halloween here and there from pumpkin centerpieces to haunting decorations from a festive wreath on the door to spooky candles that will add a haunting atmosphere.

Visit The Tea Corner for all your Tea Party Needs!

It’s no surprise Tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world next to water.  It is the only beverage enjoyable served hot or iced, anytime, anywhere, for any occasion.   Statistics show on any given day, over 154 million Americans are drinking tea. Popular Varieties of Tea include: 

Black Tea:  The most common tea type in the Western World.  Popular served hot or iced in North America, black tea goes through several processing steps including withering, rolling, oxidation and firing.  Black tea spends more time in the oxidation stage than other varieties of tea which helps give the tea its color and smell and full rich flavor.  Black tea contains a high level of flavonoids that have been linked to health benefits that include reduced risk of heart disease and  improved blood flow.

 Ceylon Tea:  Produced from the Island of Sri Lanka off the southeast coast of India.  The best Ceylon teas are typically black teas and are grown at elevations between 4,000 and 6,500 feet.  Much of Sri Lanka’s tea growing area was originally dedicated to coffee.  There was a coffee-rust epidemic that killed most of the island’s coffee plants in the 1870s.  Just after that event, Camellia sinensis was widely planted. 

Chamomile Tea:  Although commonly referred to as chamomile tea, the drink is actually a tisane because it does not contain any leaf from the Camellia sinensis plant.  This caffeine-free herb has daisy like flowers.  Chamomile tea  is often used to induce sleepiness, aiding digestion and boosting the immune system. 

Darjeeling Tea:   Produced in a region in West Bengal, India best known for black teas, which have helped Darjeeling get the nickname “the Champagne of teas.”  The highest quality Darjeeling teas are usually produced during the first plucking period occurring in February for March, and the second period of June and July.  These time periods are the first of the four annual harvests in this area.  Darjeeling teas are known for having a floral aroma and a spicy flavor known as muscatel.  This region of India now has 80 tea gardens and the only tea originated in these gardens may be labeled Dargeeling.

Dragonwell Tea:  A renowned green tea of China prized for its nutty flavor with overtones of grass, beans and orchids.  Grown and manufactured around the picturesque town of Longjing, near the historic city of Hongzhou.  Legend has it that the best water to produce Longjing green tea is the water from the sacred Dragon Well, an actual water source near West Lake (Xihu).  This well has also served as a pilgrimage site for many famous Chinese artists.  The best Longjing leaves are those that produce the sweetest tea and are plucked in early April.

Earl Grey Tea:  One of our best-selling flavored teas.  Earl Grey is black tea black tea blended with a potent oil extracted from the rind of the Bergamot orange which gives it a pronounced aroma that is citrusy and almost floral.  This blend was named after Charles Grey a British Prime Minister in the 1830′s, who  is said to have received it as a gift.

Flowering Tea:  A small bundle of tea leaves  and flowers typically tied together with thread.  This process originated in China and commonly utilizes green, white or black tea leaves paired with flowers such as chrysanthemums, lilies or jasmine.  This combination is bundled into an appealing orb and when placed in water for steeping, slowly unfurls to resemble a blooming flower.  Typically steeped and served in glass teapots to better enjoy the experience.  Flowering teas are also referred to as artisan, blooming, display or presentation teas.

Green Tea:  Probably the most recognized variety of tea linked to studies connecting it to a range of health benefits.  It is grown mainly in China and Japan and is the most consumed tea type in Asia.  Green tea is defined by the way they are shielded from the oxidation process.  Green tea undergoes a steaming or firing process soon after harvest, which fixes the leaves and largely prevents oxidation from occurring.  this process preserves the green color and ensures a fresh-tasting leaf.  Some tea tasters refer to the green variety as the tea in its most natural form.  Green tea’s taste can range from vegetal to smoky to nutty, depending on factors such as when it was picked and the conditions where it was grown.  It has a high concentration of EGCG, an antioxidant that has been shown to be effective in bolstering the health of cells in the human body.

Gunpowder Tea:  A Chinese green tea in which the leaf is tightly rolled to resemble a pellet.  Also called Pearl Tea in Zhejiang province where it originated, gunpowder tea is known as a strong green tea with slight vegetal notes.  It fares well at several water temperatures and does not take a bitter taste, making it one of the most forgiving teas to prepare.  The pellet-like makeup of the gunpowder tea also allows it to keep longer than other green teas.  Gunpowder tea was traditionally hand-rolled and is now largely rolled by machines in the shape of uniform-sized pellets.

Jasmine Tea:  Green tea scented with jasmine flowers.  The jasmine flowers are removed from the tea following the scenting, but some manufacturers leave dried blossoms in the mixture for the sake of appearance.  After the green tea firing process to prevent oxidation and blending of the jasmine flower, it is fired again to eliminate the moisture of the flowers and to prevent mold.

You can purchase these teas and more at www.theteacorner.com

Girls just want to have fun!  And you can provide that with our Themed Dress Up in a Box. 

Princess in a Box features a pink princess tutu gown, pink boa gloves, a princess crown and a wand.  All your little princess needs for a Princess Tea Party with her friends.

The Princess outfit arrives in a decorative box with a Princess motif so it’s ready for whenever your little Princess wants to play.

The Princess tutu is long and tappered strands of tulle with a spandex bodice and straps that adjust to size.

 

If you have a “dancer” in the house, she’ll love the Ballerina in a Box.   This decorative box includes a Ballet Shoes felt purse, Pink Tutu with spandex bodice and hot pink tulle bottom, and pink slippers.

 

 This Tea Party in a Box includes a silk flowered straw tea party hat, white gloves, pink feather boa, faux pearls and a hardback book “Let’s Have a Tea Party”.   Everything a girl wants for her next tea party is featured in a green strip, tea motif storage box.

Go to www.theteacorner.com and start planning your next tea party!