Drinking Tea Archives - Page 3 of 4

Herb Iced Tea

Herbs are loved almost as much as tea leaves around here at Anna Tea Shop. Each one of our families has some sort of an herb garden. When you attend our summer time tea parties the savory tea sandwiches are pretty much over the moon in flavor all because of that amazing fresh herb twist!

Brewing tea with herbs is not only delicious but oh so healthy. Herbs naturally add flavor without any extra sugar or artificial flavors.

Mint and peppermint are yummy and most people enjoy them with iced tea. Basil is a delicious herb although, we haven’t met many herbs we don’t instantly fall in love with. The recipe below can be made stronger or weaker by changing the amounts of basil and tea leaves. Don’t stop with just basil. I can’t wait to try my fresh Lime Mint this summer with some freshly brewed Buckingham Breakfast!

Recipe for Herb Iced Tea

6 teaspoons of rich premium loose leaf tea – Kenilworth Estate, Buckingham Breakfast, or Nilgiri
A handful of rinsed fresh basil leaves
2 quarts of water
Scoop tea leaves and basil leaves into a large T-Sac. Tie off with string.
Cold brew overnight in the refrigerator. Sun tea is good too – but the safer recommended method is to cold brew in the refrigerator.

By Selena S.|2016-05-31T16:26:05-05:00May 31st, 2016|Drinking Tea, Tea Drinks|Comments Off

Midwest Tea Fest – Kansas City’s affinity for tea

People love their affinities. Call us hobbyists, collectors, or connoisseurs. Affinities encompass – the accouterments, pursuit of, hidden treasures, and sharing & expanding of knowledge. We enjoy our affinities and the satisfaction that comes with a shared experience with others who have the same affinity as our own. That satisfying place where we can say “Yes, these are my people!”

Tea Drinkers…come and find your people on Saturday, May 7. The 2nd Annual Midwest Tea Fest. Kansas City’s very own shared affinity for all things ‘Tea-ing‘ in the Midwest. How we drink our tea, why we drink tea, the accouterments, tea sippings, and simply connecting with others who share your affinity for tea.

All types of tea, all types of tea drinking life styles, all types of people. The tea community – gathered together in one place sharing the experience of “tea-ing” in Kansas City.

The Teashop Family is excited to be a part of this amazing event in Kansas City! We will be in our Anna Tea Shop booth sampling 20 of our favorite teas through out the day. Look for Brenda over at the Cafe Tea Tastings and Two special Tea Presentations. We look forward meeting new faces and embracing old tea friends. A place where we say “Yes. These are my people”.

Anna Tea Shop’s Presentations:

Flavoring Your Tea Naturally at 1:00PM and Lifestyles of “Tea-ing” in America at 3:00PM.

By Selena S.|2016-04-28T13:21:05-05:00April 28th, 2016|Drinking Tea, Events, Family Stuff|Comments Off

Tea we love to serve at Easter Brunch

4 boys who fell in love with Peach Apricot Honeybush. Haden, Carter (hiding behind plate), Vinny, and Weston making their way through the smorgasbord line.

How are you enjoying these early spring days? Sometimes March can feel so…grey. With Easter falling early this year it is nice to know spring and summer are close!

How do you spend Easter? Here at the Teashop we love to celebrate Easter. It’s really important to us. The Saturday before Easter as tea customers pop in they are quickly purchasing tea to serve at their own holiday meal. The joyful atmosphere is wonderful!

Our own family gathers with an eclectic group of our loved ones – family, friends, extended friends of family….and we do a super casual Swedish style smorgasbord.

Everyone brings their own favorite dishes and we make it a meal to remember. Of course iced and hot tea is always served. And this is when we discovered one of our teas that EVERYONE loves… all ages – iced or hot. Peach Apricot Honeybush.

Peach Apricot Honeybush is a naturally caffeine free honeybush, filled with all kinds of fruit – peach, apricot, pineapple, papaya and rose petals. We knew we had a winner when the adults AND kids kept coming back for more. Rooibos is so easy to brew – very forgiving if you happen to not be a good tea timer or have the perfect water. The leaves are tiny so a disposable T-Sac is a great way to keep your leaves from escaping. Brew it the night before Easter and chill it in the refrigerator. Or cold brew your iced tea anytime. Serve from a pitcher .

By Selena S.|2016-03-09T16:12:07-06:00March 9th, 2016|Drinking Tea, Family Stuff|Comments Off

Warm and cozy.

Over at the Teashop we are thoroughly enjoying this early spring! With one of our Teashop girls graduating high school being able to start spring cleaning out in the yard is going to be a great help. But as a born and raised Missourian we know that Missouri likes to maintain the element of surprise. Yesterday, I was cleaning up my yard. Today, I am tucked inside bundled back up reaching for my hot cup of green tea.

Chilly days remind us how much more enjoyable hot tea is when it stays hot. For life-long tea drinkers there are two reasons a good tea cozy is super important.

First, most of us like our tea either hot or iced – lukewarm is not so good. And microwaving a cold mug of tea does change the flavor and alter the brew. Since the late 19th century era keeping your tea hot with a tea cozy was simple and it still is today. Green Tea is by far the growing trend in the tea world and green tea is much more challenging to keep hot. Green tea leaves unfurl and brew at a much lower temperature then black tea so the brew tea starts off much cooler to begin with. Covering your teapot with a cozy allows you to enjoy all that good green tea at the nice hot temperature.

The other good reason to choose a tea cozy is our custom designer fabrics and trims. We have our tea cozies hand made by local artisans. Brenda chooses designer fabrics and trims – which become quite a centerpiece for your kitchen and dining area. Yet several are kitchen-whimsical or unusual like the camouflage.

Starting this week we are celebrating with a March Madness sale! 20% Off of all cozies and snuggles. Follow us on FB as we post our tea cozies. If you see one that fits your kitchen, office, or personality – send us a message and we can save it or ship it to you! Remember most are one of a kind !

By Selena S.|2016-03-09T16:34:19-06:00March 1st, 2016|Brewing Tea 101, Drinking Tea|6 Comments

Top 5 Reasons to choose Premium Loose Leaf Tea

A commercial tea bag vs our Kenilworth Estate Black Tea

Shopping for groceries can be a hassle.

Many of us simply do not have the time or want to spend our time running to different stores. We totally get it.

Life can be chaotic and busy.

So, what makes a tea drinker choose to go out of their way to shop at a small business when there are hundreds of boxes of tea sitting on the shelves of every big box store?

Top 5 Reasons to choose Premium Loose Tea vs. Tea Bag:

Our teas are produced in the artisan orthodox method. A commercial tea bag is produced in the machine-driven non-orthodox Crush-Tear-Curl (CTC) method.
Premium loose teas are whole entire leaves, high quality grade tea. A commercial tea bag is a cut leaf, dustings, and fannings.
Deep flavors and subtle flavor notes are extracted from these whole tea leaves as the leaves fully expand in hot water. A commercial tea bag is a single flavor meant to handle lots of milk and sugar.
One of us (the Teashop Family) hand packages your tea loosely in air-tight, dark, sealed containers. Your tea has freshness sealed in. A commercial tea bag is often found in a bleached paper teabag, brewed and then consumed.
Premium loose tea is produced seasonally in small quantities in the artisan method that involves hand-picking and hand-sorting the quality leaves. A commercial tea bag is produced in high volume to be stored and warehoused for long periods of time.

It all boils down to quality.

Quality equipment like reusable brewing baskets or unbleached tea bags. If you want the convenience of ready-to-go tea bags try ours! And if you don’t drink our tea bags be sure the ones you buy are unbleached tea bags and whole leaf tea.

We hope you will choose local, small business, and premium loose leaf tea! Don’t forget – we offer Free Shipping and Free Local Delivery.

By Selena S.|2017-02-06T14:31:25-06:00February 12th, 2016|Brewing Tea 101, Drinking Tea|Comments Off

Meet Joyce

Joyce with Kayla her “granddaughter of the heart”

Joyce King Vazquez. On our Teashop List of our “favorite things” Joyce is right there in the teashop song and in our family’s hearts!! Delightful, spunky, loving, caring, compassionate. These words barely touch the tip of the iceburg and seem almost trivial when describing our Joyce. She is a woman after God’s heart and her passion to love and care for people move mountains.

Just as I am writing this post (no kidding) Joyce phones the Teashop to order “her teas”. She has two favorites and blends them together to create her own favorite. This special “Joyce Blend” she shares with neighbors, church family, and probably anyone who will stop and enjoy a cup. Her cup is full of love and health!

This is Joyce’s story. When I invited her to share her testimony I told her to only share the short version. We are excited to invite Joyce to a Green Tea workshop someday – where everyone can hear a little more. From her own heart and soul.

“My name is Joyce King-Vazquez and here is my story of what I think about the effects of consuming green tea, has had on my recovery and continued maintenance of nourishment I require to feel good every day and to thank God for letting me live to tell my story.

In September of 2004 I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Throat Cancer. This was followed by 2 surgeries to locate where exactly the cancer was. They found out it was where my tonsils should be. Then came 6 1/2 weeks of Radiation and Chemo therapy. After all of the treatment I was alive, (which I was told they didn’t expect me to survive), I started the long road to recovery (that would tell whether the treatment was effective). My step daughter (Yvonne) was fighting her own battle with stage 4 breast cancer) called me and suggested I try all of the antioxidant foods drinks, etc. I could find to build up my body, because I have no immune system in my body to guard against any virus that would make me even more ill. Yvonne told me about all of the good antioxidants in green tea. I of course bought the bags of green tea. I added a black tea to the green tea and was very happy to find out it replaced after awhile my coffee craving. Then sometime later I found Anna Tea Shop.

Earlier in my life, I had drank some really wonderful Chinese teas and remembered the effect it had on my energy level and just a warm wonderful feeling every time I drank it. I went to Anna Teashop and purchased Mountain Mao Feng (Chinese green tea) and Golden Pu-Erh (a premium black Chinese tea). The first cup of the green and black tea answered all of my cravings for coffee and I have noticed how it boosts my energy level even more than before. This has helped with my oxygen level. I have COPD and have difficulty keeping my oxygen level up.

What I am about to tell you cannot be claimed by your doctor, but I can tell you what I can be very excited about…

After I had been on my Chinese green and black teas for about a month, I had my three month visit with my doctor. While checking my lungs and oxygen my doctor did a happy dance! He ask what I had been doing differently since I last saw him. I ask him why, the doctor said to me “Your oxygen level hasn’t gone over 87%, today it registered 98%.” I told him the only thing I had been doing differently was using the tea I had purchased from Anna Tea Shop. He told me I could not make that claim medically, which I knew, but I can make that claim because that was the only thing that I had done differently since I last saw him!”

By Selena S.|2016-01-05T13:44:04-06:00December 19th, 2015|Drinking Tea|Comments Off

Holiday Pick Me Up

Well…here we are – nearing that last week before Christmas. The holiday entertaining and events have been in full swing now. Maybe you still have a few Christmas gifts left to find, purchase, and deliver. Probably a holiday gathering to cook for or prepare a dish for. Hmmm…or maybe you have two or three of those to complete. And oh man…we want to fit in that cool Christmas light show before its too late! Christmas programs at church and school. Add on top of all that what about those few minor Christmas decorations that you know you don’t have to do but you really wanted to do??

How are you doing? Even more..how do you feel? How is the holiday preparations working for you? Probably more than a few of us are getting a bit draggy at this point of the month. A little more run down and maybe even a little annoyed we can’t seem to sit down without our minds racing with our “To-Do” list! I can’t fib. I know I do. Some days in this frolicking month of December it seems as though I wake up in the morning with the afternoon cobwebs already being woven! You know that feeling in the late afternoon when you need an extra pick me up to clear the mind and wake up?

Well here at the Teashop this is when the three of us tea ladies kind of get “back to the basics”. Those basics of tea that aren’t all that fancy sounding on the outside but we know will not only make us feel good but will make us feel fantastic, alert and ready for the next round of fun. Each one of us has our favorite basics but they all have a few things in common. The teas are basic, premium, and give us a small amount of caffeine!

So if you are feeling a big draggy and your holiday oomph is sagging consider a cup or two of good premium tea. Doing this just for yourself will help you slow you down for just a moment. Brewing premium leaves takes only a few minutes – yet is a ‘slow’ food not a fast food. In a matter of minutes a hot cup of tea can take you from Saggy Draggy to Alert and Awake! Plus, if you reach for a green tea you receive the added benefit of more L-theanine. An amino acid that literally peacefully calms you down just as the tea wakes you up with a nice little dose of caffeine. No jitters here.

So, give your self a little R & R in a cup. Reach for a cup of healthy premium tea and start enjoying the season again!

By Selena S.|2015-12-12T18:53:39-06:00December 7th, 2015|Drinking Tea, Family Stuff|Comments Off

There’s just something about that cup of tea

Holiday entertaining. In my mind flashes a beautiful spread in a vast open home, sparkling with glitz, glitter, and glam. The holidays are so magical…this time of year when we can don an apron, turn on that Nat King Cole CD, and escape to yesteryear. We love the beauty of the meal crafted to perfection, gorgeous decor, and of course those perfect hand-picked gifts.

Along with the entertainment side there is another side to the holiday party. It’s really the most important side – yet with all the busy-busyness it’s easy to miss it or not be as prepared for this other side. The heart of holiday entertaining – no one means to skip it…yet it can happen to all of us…The heart of the party is hospitality. Hospitality isn’t the outer beauty – the pinterest-y decor, recipes and gifts. The heart-filled hospitality is that inner beauty of the party. Without a hospitality heart during the holiday entertaining well then – it’s really just a plain old party. The heart is when you genuinely care about the people coming into your home. Sometimes it is hard to keep life simple enough so we don’t miss the opportunities to show genuine hospitality. Keeping it fun. Genuine. Real. This makes me think of one of my most favorite annual ‘holiday parties’. This party takes place by happenstance every year. The spontaneous moment in December when I am sure I don’t have time to fit one more thing in…when my neighbor drops by to ask a quick question about her dog or asks to borrow an ingredient for dinner. I beg her to stay, brew a pot of tea and pull out a few of my nicer cups. We catch up on life, Christmas, our kids, and rants on our busy schedules. That pot of tea is what we gathered around and it became my sweet offering to my dear neighbor.

Adding in a pot of tea to any holiday gathering can be just that sweet offering of hospitality. And the great part about that is it really is just that simple and yet it makes our guests feel warm and welcomed. A hot pot of tea nestled in a snugly tea cozy and some pretty mugs or teacups simply says I want you here and thank you for coming!

So, here are the basic elements to adding a festive…warm and welcoming Tea Bar to your Holiday Party:

Teapot or Mugs
Brewing Basket or Fillable Tea Bags
Selection of Premium Loose Leaf Tea – try our Classic Christmas Tea Sampler
Perfect Cup of Teaspoon (or pre-fill the Fillable Tea bags)
Filtered water
Hot pot to heat your water in. A good carafe that maintains temperature will do in a pinch!
A tea tidy or two to hold used tea bags or brewing basket

Locate your Tea Bar in a place of interest in your home. Lay out the bar on a tray and use a cake stand or cute basket to hold your tea selections. Use little signs to show the different types of tea. Print off our How to Brew directions or make your own. We have over 80+ premium selections and we would love to help you create the perfect Tea Bar for your event!

So as your making your Holiday Entertaining plans… round it out with some genuine Hospitality. And if you get a chance to brew a pot of tea for a friendly pop-in that is even better!

By Selena S.|2015-12-01T12:56:30-06:00November 30th, 2015|Brewing Tea 101, Drinking Tea, Family Stuff|Comments Off

Personalized Christmas Gifts – Tea Bag Tins

Tea makes a fabulous gift. It’s healthy, yummy, and luxurious. With over 80+ tea varieties you can also make your tea gifts very personal. Truly a gift with heart and soul.

We have a couple of new Tea Collections and some new tea products. Our Classic Christmas Tea Sampler is a all 8 of our best Christmas and Wintry Teas bundled together in one price. One ounce each which is 80 cups of tea! Another new item for us is Tea Bag Gift Tins!

Under $10, ready to go tea bags tucked inside a tea tin. The perfect gift for corporate gifts, teachers, neighbors, coaches and more! Each tin is filled with a dozen tea bags and priced right around $7-9.

Additionally we can personalize your tin label with a minimum order of only 10!

Add your personal sentiment such as”Merry Christmas from the Smiths” or “Thank you from Spencer Financial”.

By Selena S.|2015-11-21T05:26:24-06:00November 17th, 2015|Drinking Tea|Comments Off

Decorating with Larry

People comment to our family how amazing it is we work together. The truth is sometimes we get too busy and have cranky days. Throw in the ever changing moods of 3 teenagers and extended family can get a little too close for comfort. 🙂 So, one of the things we are most thankful for in November is a family friend named Larry. Once again we review our Thankful-Giving month – first we remember our loved ones around us, our hometown Liberty, and this satisfying cup of tea. Then Larry is close to the top on all our lists as a reason to be thankful!

An important member of the Teashop Family except Larry isn’t pouring tea, shipping tea, or packaging tea. Every November he comes to spend two weeks with us to work with Brenda preparing the 1913 home for Christmas Tea Parties and Tours. Along with a beautiful talent for decorating, Larry enjoys gardening, and was even written up in the October issue of the The Kansas City Gardener! Be sure to check out the article “In the Garden with Larry Harmon”.

Larry keeps Us Calm as we Decorate On. Truly a cherished friend and a true blessing! We share lunch and tea every day “we get to have Larry over”. Enjoying two pots of Larry’s favorite teas. Pineapple Upside Down Cake and Red Velvet Rooibos.

So, today at lunch as the last cup of Red Velvet was drank Brenda and Larry went back to Christmas decorating. While Sarah and I continued working on stock orders for Christmas and creating Christmas Gift Baskets and Personalized Tea Bag Gift Tins for Liberty’s Hometown Holidays on November 28!

In case you haven’t heard about it yet, Hometown Holidays is a brand new event sponsored by Historic Downtown Liberty, Liberty Parks and Rec and over 24 local downtown merchants. Along with just enjoying a beautiful Saturday afternoon and evening down on the square this is a totally free event with many fun opportunities for the whole family. We hope to see you at Hometown Holidays and we thank you for Shopping Small on Small Business Saturday, November 28.

Hometown Holidays is a free event and includes:

November 28
Passport Giveway – a total of 6 drawings for $80 worth of gift cards each from downtown businesses. Grab your passport on the Liberty Square corner and come to Anna Marie’s to get your passport stamped!
2-4pm Santa at the Corbin Theatre, bring your own camera!
2-4pm Horse Drawn Wagon Rides
S’mores & Refreshments
Crafts for Kids at Blanc Palette and Morning Day Cafe (hosted by the Orange Easel)
Small Business Saturday Shopping and Passport Drawing

Live music and entertainment to include:
2:30 – 3:30pm: 5 Star Jazz Band
3:30 – 4pm: Stars of Tomorrow
4 – 5pm: Liberty Community Chorus 5 – 6 p.m.: Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony

In closing. We are thankful for our Hometown Liberty. Thankful for the other hard working merchants and HDLI staff helping put on such a great event!

By Selena S.|2015-11-19T16:34:37-06:00November 17th, 2015|Drinking Tea, Family Stuff|2 Comments

Recipe for Herb Iced Tea

Starting this week we are celebrating with a March Madness sale! 20% Off of all cozies and snuggles. Follow us on FB as we post our tea cozies. If you see one that fits your kitchen, office, or personality – send us a message and we can save it or ship it to you! Remember most are one of a kind !

Top 5 Reasons to choose Premium Loose Tea vs. Tea Bag:

It all boils down to quality.

Additionally we can personalize your tin label with a minimum order of only 10!

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