Now that we are almost two months into the new year those resolutions can seem so far away! Many (like me!) are lucky if we get through the first two weeks let alone the first month. It can be hard trying to break old habits let alone start new ones. The good thing is it’s never too late to start over or augment what you are already doing. This year I had adopted the general (and perpetual goal) of “being healthier” but didn’t get off to a very encouraging start.

But I digress, back to the new year’s resolution. One of the subparts of my “being healthier” goal was to drink more green tea. I have always liked the less fermented sibling of traditional black tea, I use it in as many ways as I can! I love using it in soups and putting matcha in smoothies but I wanted to make an effort to drink more of it. I’m not generally too picky when it comes to greens, I love how versatile they are and that they take so well to re-steeping. Other than teas where the main note is some sort of perfume or scent (jasmine, rose, bergamot, etc just as a personal taste preference) it’s rare that I meet a green tea I don’t like. Also, as many of you may know, within the last six months I have moved to Atlanta, GA which means I am much too far away from my favorite teashop for my liking.

Luckily I was able to visit a couple times over the holidays and stocked up on lots of yummy teas and let me tell you, our little teashop has been stepping up it’s green game!

Historically my favorites have been the Cherry Green, Genmaicha, and, Lung Ching Dragonwell. I like a fruity green tea year round but also revel in the roasty-toasty nutty notes of Genmaicha come winter. But when I visited the shop during my trip home I was greeted by some shiny new labels in the green section. Gojiberry Green and Strawberry Green (decaf). Of course I didn’t leave without stocking up on an embarrassing amount of my staples but I also snagged a few ounces of each of the newcomers to give them a try. Folks, I’ve managed to make room in my heart for these two gems! The Gojiberry Green is just what I wanted from a berry/fruity green both hot and cold. Hot it’s a lighter take on some of my cold weather favorites, perfect for the transition to spring (let us hope that comes quickly) or just a nice break in the afternoon. However, its Strawberry decaf companion might be on its way to a place in my top three.

New Gojiberry Green

There’s just something about the taste of green tea that I find so soothing and calming but I could never drink it before bed as the caffeine would keep me up (I’m pretty caffeine sensitive). But this little jewel has reconciled these opposing wants! For those who have had our Strawberry Cream Green, I find the taste pretty similar. It has an even green base with a delicate touch of strawberry to finish. It’s perfect hot or cold!

I can’t wait for spring to finally arrive (it might even already have arrived in Atlanta) so I can sit on my porch and sip some of this wonderful brew with some fresh mint or basil!

If you’re someone who has hesitated when it comes to green tea or just haven’t found one you like I encourage you to give these a try! For now they are available in-store at our shop in Liberty, MO but we’ve got lots of other wonderful greens on our website (like my other two favorites Cherry Green and Genmaicha). Just remember, even if we can’t win the war of overhauling our lives to fulfill every new year’s resolution, it’s not too hard to incorporate the small things!

Happy Steeping,

Megan

We here at the Tea Shop love a good DIY project, especially when it involves tea! A couple of months ago I decided that I wanted to have a more dedicated space for my near constant tea brewing. And with iced tea season quickly approaching I knew I wanted the space to keep both iced and hot tea at the ready.  

I began to list the items I wanted to include in my snazzy new set-up; electric kettle, mug tree, a place to store my tea, Perfect Cup of Tea (measuring spoon), my tea infuser, and signage. Here comes the tricky part, I was on a graduate student’s budget, ugh. Luckily I had already received the kettle (the most expensive item on the list) as a birthday gift so there were just the rest of the items to hunt down.  

Over the course of a several weeks I slowly acquired all of the “necessary” components. I was able to find a fairly priced storage box at Ikea and combined that with a re-purposed gift box to store the tea itself. One day an email came through that boasted a sale on kitchen items at Target.  That lead to a great deal on a quirky copper mug tree! Big Lots kitchen aisle also played a starring role providing jars with locking lids that I put chalkboard labels on to use for storage on the counter top. Finally, came the signage. I found an old frame at Goodwill and covered the glass in the chalkboard contact paper. Then with a chalkboard marker I made an abbreviated tea menu (it would be nearly impossible to list EVERY one of my teas and it still be legible) that would serve as both a reminder to me and a list of options for any guests. It was also, of course, full of tea puns. I also included basic brewing instructions with general outlines for temperature and time for different variaTEAs (sorry, I couldn’t resist)! 

All in all it came together quite nicely and my lovely little tea station has proven its usefulness on the daily. I hope that the story of my tea station might inspire you to put together one of your own and that you can do it on a budget!

I believe that tea is just as much about the experience as the taste and creating a specially dedicated area has enhanced my tea-making experience!  And come by the Tea Shop on April 1 our Free Fruit-a-licious Iced Tea Tasting!

If you put together your own tea station, or already have one we would love to see it! You can share it to our Facebook or Instagram pages and be sure to tag us at @annamariesteas. Happy brewing!

Items needed:

• Tea
• Perfect Cup of Teaspoon
• Brewing Basket or Brewing Pockets
• Tea Storage
• Signage/chalkboard
• Electric Kettle
• Mug Tree