TEA TASTING: Body in Motion

Rainy weather makes for aching bones and joints and tends to increase our desire for catnapping. But what to do when napping is not an option?

Reach for some tea and get that body moving!

Tea -- it's like a massage for the insides....

And certain teas, herbs and spices can help motivate that overall feeling of wellness.

So join me tonight for the unveiling of my latest blend:
BODY In MOTION.

We will be tasting and discussing this Fall-inspired brew!
(available for purchase tonight too!)

WHEN: Tuesday, Oct 27th
TIME: 7-8pm
WHERE: Page Chiropractic & Wellness
Rt 36 in Atlantic Highlands, (200ft south of First Avenue)

oh...and this event is FREE and open to the public!

And the winner is....

For the 3rd year in a row, the US Tea Council has been offering scholarships to students who submit a 1-2 minute video about the health benefits of tea. This is a wonderful idea in that it brings together the time honored tradition of tea with the ever-amazing powers of technology and social networking. I recently blogged about another couple who had thrown there tea bags into the ring. I can't imagine the amount of clever videos the judges had to pour threw and how difficult it must be to select the top one.

They recently announced the winner of the 2009 Calm-a-Sutra Video Scholarship.

The comedy is brilliant (though the over use of pop song references was a bit over-steeped for my taste) and it is very well done.

Enjoy!

New Blend: La Foret Curieux

Take a walk in the forest, just after it has rained.

It is a cool Spring evening
and the stars are just starting to come out.

Lost in a work of your own --

A world of peaceful thoughts

and of curious questions.

Welcome to the Curious Forest.

La Foret Curieux simply means : The Curious Forest. (so much more sophisticated in French, n'est pas?). I take great dedication in making sure that every bit of the custom blended teas reflect the person for whom they have been created, and so it is with much excitement and joie de vive that I introduce to you my latest blend.

It took awhile for this blend to work itself out. Given such sensory-laden responses gave me plenty to work with, and plenty to balance just right. The girl whose blend this is had the most interesting answers for favorite scent: fresh grass, forest after rain, wood smoke, old books, sage, honey and roses.

She told me she liked strong plain tea the best. As I only create complex blends, it was obvious that her self-described curiosity is what must have urged her to fill out the PersonaliTEA form.

Not only is this a very aromatic blend, but it is also one of the more colorful ones I have created as of late. I must admit I am rather fond of it myself. It's certainly woodsy, with a top note of floral earthiness and a bottom note of smokiness. Having spent many many summers in the woods and Autumn days hiking forests I guess this is one of my favorite places to be transported to in a cup of tea.
The Feedback from Our Tea Lover in Paris: It's done, i've tried out your tea and now I can say it "you've found MY tea!" It's just delicious, I drink a cup of it at least twice a day, and I really feel like I am in a Forêt Curieuse, full of flowers and ferns, wood smells around me...Thanks again for that.

Au Revoir,

Madam Potts

Wanted Madly: Pourtensious Tea Lights

It was my very special honor to sit down recently with artist Eric Sternfels, of Pourtensious.com, at the Hill Tea Bar in Philadelphia's Chestnut Hill area. Eric's tea-themed lighting sculptures are truly unique: not only is every lamp or chandelier different by way of the variety of chosen tea wares, but every piece looks as if the tea is being being poured from a tea pot!

To look at one of these creations fills one with excitement and whimsy, the depth of which I have yet to meet. This is by far, and no doubt will continue to be, my most coveted "Wanted Madly" item. I want all of them. I want my own tea cafe so that I can fill my space with them. I want everyone I know and has a tea house to buy one of them....

I am madly, madly in love.

The origins of his tea-themed sculptures came from his Mom's wedding shower in the 1950's. Each of her girlfriends gave her a different English floral china cup and saucer. It was his childhood chore to dust these (along with other knick-knacks). After his parents passed away, he found it hard to dispose of the array of cups and saucers that he never remembers ever being used, mind you... Further inspired by a group of Philadelphia found-object sculptors, and needing to replace a bland dining room chandelier, Eric designed his first "pourtensious" fixture, incorporating some of those cups. The rest, as they say, is history.

Each lamp, be it table side or hanging starts with a pot from which it visually depicts tea (or coffee, as he has worked with both themes) being poured into a cup, sitting upon a table or books. He generally works with pre-50's wares, giving each piece an antique flair. My favorite is this piece with the tablecloth (made of copper or brass).

The Hill Tea Bar has about 5-6 of his pieces on loan, although I can't imagine them wanting to get rid of these charming creations. Talk about setting the right ambiance in a tea house!!! Eric also creates collage pictures and greeting cards, also available on his website.

He has a few of his pieces in a few tea shops across the country. He would love to design the lighting for entire cafe, restaurant or bed & breakfast.

And ideas keep pouring in. Next up for Eric is a lone of plant holders which ingeniously use the chain and crystals pouring out from a watering can....another "Wanted Madly" item.

I cannot say enough great tings, not only about the humility and gentility of the artist, but every time I see his work, my face lights up!

The Teacup Tango

What's a girl to do when she wants to go back to school and needs to find money to do so? Once again, as in most things in life, she turns to her teapot for the answer.

Or at least this is what Elizabeth Houston and her husband did in their creative search for financial aid scholarships -- they entered the 3rd Annual Calm-a-Sutra Scholarship.

Houston and her husband were not tea drinkers, albeit with all the education they gave themselves they have recently delved into the marvelous mad world of tea. Their 2 videos also marks their video making debut.

The Calm-a-Sutra Scholarship asks students to produce & upload a 1-2minute video describing the health benefits of tea and doing so with the utmost of creativity. Entries are judged on their health-related messages, creativity, individuality and popularity (which is influenced on the number of hits each entry receives on YouTube).

The winner will be announced September 29th! So stay tuned.

Meanwhile I would like to share this one entitled:
The Teacup Tango.