Falling for Fall

We are so excited for the arrival of autumn here at the Teashop! Who doesn’t love a brisk fall breeze and leaves changing from green to fiery shades of orange, yellow, and red. There are few things better than sitting on the porch with a nice warm cuppa while watching dutiful critters rush hither and yon as they prepare for winter. With all of the wonderful outdoor experiences come yummy indoor ones too! Fall and winter bring a wonderful tradition of recipes bursting with seasonal produce, warm homey spices, and ooey-gooey goodness! Some of our family favorites are already in our Recipe Box so that we could share them with you.

For warm savory flavors we love this Roasted Carrot Soup recipe from Tea Time Magazine. It was a hit at our Tea on the Farm Tea Party a few years back! On the sweeter side we’ve got even more goodies. They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away so we are always looking for new ways to enjoy them. Stewed Apples are one of our favorite ways to enjoy them, but we try not to do it every day. 😉 However, in our opinion some of the best recipes are usually dessert. If you’re craving a s’more but don’t want the hassle of a bonfire try these Indoor S’Mores Cheesecakes, complete with a graham cracker crust and a golden marshmallow right on top!

Our lovely Molly in her favorite surroundings!

While we all have a special place for the season, our Molly might just love it the most.! She has been working on special ways to celebrate the season and has come up with a yummy seasonal bundle. Cleverly named, our new Falling for Fall Tea Bundle has something for all autumn lovers. This sampler has teas from our collection that are especially good this time of year like Pumpkin Bread Rooibos, Autumn Blooms (our own private blend!), and more! It’s available now on our website and in store at 9 W. Franklin in Liberty, MO! It won’t be around forever so hurry and get yours before all the leaves have fallen!

It’s never too early to start planning for the holidays! Join us for our Holiday Open House November 2, 3, and 4 where we will be hosting classes to round out your seasonal preparation.

Watch our Facebook page, website, and future newsletters to stay updated on details! As always we’ve also got a full calendar of tea parties this season. Check out our calendar here!

By Megan W|2017-10-23T12:55:27-05:00October 23rd, 2017|Drinking Tea, Events, Recipe Box|Comments Off

Celebrating with ESU!

Over the last few months we have been thinking a lot about all of the wonderful interpersonal aspects of tea. From tea journeys to Tea Joy, there is so much more to a lovely cuppa than just leaves and water. Relationships and experiences that come to us through tea is one of our favorite things about being in this business. One of our most special relationships is with the Kansas City Chapter of the English Speaking Union (or ESU for short)!

An ESU Tea Party Fit for a Queen

Every year we are privileged to host the Kansas City Chapter of the English Speaking Union for an annual British Tea Party. They are always a wonderfully English tea experience, complete with a toast to Queen Elizabeth II! As always, this regal event will be complete with Brenda’s Signature Scones and endless tea.

There’s lots to celebrate this year in the monarchy including Queen Elizabeth II’s 91st birthday and the Queen and Prince Phillip’s 70th wedding anniversary.

Don’t worry, the fun is open to everyone! Just like all of our monthly tea parties, anyone can join us in the 1913 house on Liberty Drive for an ESU Tea Party Fit for a Queen.

Tea with a British Lord!

This year we are also hosting a second exciting event in conjunction with this wonderful group.

In November, we are honored to be hosting Lord Alan Watson!

Lord Watson will be speaking about his newly published book Churchill’s Legacy: Two Speeches to Save the World.

How thrilling to be able to enjoy tea with a genuine British Lord!

Just like our other ESU tea parties this is not limited to members of the ESU. Don’t miss this once in a lifetime opportunity to take tea with Lord Watson! We can hardly wait!

By Megan W|2017-09-26T10:58:53-05:00September 26th, 2017|Drinking Tea, Events, Tea Parties|Comments Off

We Are Finally Home!

That’s right folks, we finally found our forever home!

Pat working in the new space!

Join us for our GRANDEST Opening Saturday, July 15th from 10am-6pm at 9 W. Franklin just off the square in downtown Liberty! We are so very excited for our new space and hope that you will celebrate with us. The various members of our Teashop family have been hard at work preparing our new home and we can’t wait for you to see it. Not to worry, we aren’t moving very far, only next door! You can still drive or walk down Franklin Street and spot our signature gold teapot in the window! Of course we will still be hosting our monthly themed tea parties at 343 W. Liberty Dr in Liberty, MO, that will not change!

As it happens we will also be hosting our July Tea Tasting event on the same day. Stop by to enjoy some of our caffeine free favorites and check out our new Caffeine Free Sampler!

New Shop at 9 W. Franklin in Liberty, MO!

Speaking of Monthly Tea Tastings we hope you’ve been enjoying them! June’s theme was Backyard BBQ Crowd Pleasers and we featured some of our favorite iced teas including our brand new Iced Tea Sampler! We’d love to hear what you would like to see over the next coming months. There’s lots going on at the Teashop these days! This summer may end up one of busiest we have had yet! As a result there are lots of new and wonderful things we’d love you to both taste and see! There may even be a new private blend introduction at our Grandest Opening as well!

We will also be hosting a special Christmas in July Event! This fun season swap will take place July 27-29 with a special Christmas Tea Tasting on July 29th!

Stay tuned to our Facebook and Instagram pages for more information on our upcoming schedule and exciting events!

By Megan W|2017-06-28T13:11:51-05:00June 28th, 2017|Events|Comments Off

The Joyful History of Tea Parties

We’re very lucky to feature guest writer Sandy Lane! Sandy is a longtime tea friend as well as a wonderful human being. Please enjoy her piece on the history of tea parties below!

If you have had the pleasure of attending a tea party at Anna Marie’s Teas in Liberty, Missouri, you may be wondering how tea parties actually got started. It is believed that sometime between the late 1830’s and early 1840’s, taking tea in the afternoon, along with assorted edible treats, became a new English social event which provided some nourishment during the long hours between lunch at noon and the evening meal. Legend has it that Anna Maria, the 7^th Duchess of Bedford, experienced afternoon “sinking feelings” which led her to seek relief from her hunger. She requested her footman to bring to her private room a tray of “tea things” (probably something similar to the Buckingham Breakfast or Kenilworth Estate blends sold by Anna Marie’s) and something to eat, possibly bread and butter and cake. She so enjoyed this refreshing afternoon indulgence that she began inviting her friends to share it with her. Over time, afternoon tea became an enjoyable and well-established event in British countryside villages as well as in the court of Queen Victoria, an enthusiastic tea drinker.

As the years passed, tea party rituals evolved and included such things as tea times and invitations, tea selections, standard menus, equipage (or, “tea things” as Jane Austen referred to them), china, attire, hats, and etiquette. The format, gentility, and popularity of tea parties spread to other countries and cultures, and today, tea parties remain a most pleasant pastime for tea lovers of all varieties.

When you attend a tea party at Anna Marie’s, you will notice tea tables beautifully set with tablecloths and napkins, china, silverware, decorations, clotted cream and jam. The servers deliver to each table a three-tiered cake stand containing three courses of traditional tea party treats: first, savories, which are usually tiny tea sandwiches; then, scones; finally, sweets, which are an assortment of pastries.

Throughout the tea party, the servers will visit each table to keep tea cups filled from steaming teapots of nicely steeped loose-leaf tea. Brenda Hedrick, owner of Anna Marie’s Teas, strives to create a welcoming, friendly, and satisfying experience for tea party attendees.

If you’re in search of an opportunity to be greeted by some lovely people, to have a relaxed visit with friends or family, to be served delicious tea and tea treats, to spend some time in a grand and gorgeous 1913 historic home . . . come to tea at Anna’s!

Two wonderful books were used in preparing this blog entry:

Tea & Etiquette, by D. Johnson & B. Richardson; and

A Social History of Tea, by J. Pettigrew & B. Richardson

By Megan W|2017-07-15T15:22:36-05:00June 3rd, 2017|Drinking Tea, Events, Tea Parties|Comments Off

Grandma Diane’s Southern Sweet Iced Tea

Growing up I loved any chance I got to go over to my grandma’s house to spend the night. Grandma Diane was always having a good time and made sure I did too! With spring upon us and summer right around the corner I realize there is a lot about iced tea season that makes me think of my southern-born feisty & lovable grandma!

In fact, when I was really young, I never thought I got in trouble at her house and I never once saw her get mad… that’s because I was too young to understand that my grandma was a true southerner (she grew up in Alabama) and with that came the southern sayings. Instead of getting mad at me she would sit back, smile, and say in her best southern accent, “Oh, Avery! Bless your heart.”

That being said, I grew up influenced by every aspect of the south like good southern hospitality (good manners were always expected), good southern food (my grandma hands down makes the best fried chicken), and of course SWEET ICED TEA! At my grandma’s house there’s a pitcher of sweet tea out at all times just waiting to be poured into a glass. Most little kids drink water, milk, or juice out of their sippy cups but as for me and my siblings, we walked around with sweet tea in ours! As my sister and I got a little older, we would have a tea party with my grandma every time we came over. It would generally consist of cookies we would make and, you guessed it, sweet tea! Now that I am getting older I have ventured out and really began to like all kinds of tea, hot and iced! Working at the Tea Shop has certainly helped me be able to try all different kinds and flavors. Lately I have been enjoying Jasmine Monkey King green tea as well as making iced tea out of our Lavender Grey black tea.

Gentle Hints of Summer Tea Party – April 22 at 10:30am or 2:30pm

Adding fruit to your iced tea is a great way to sweeten up your tea without adding sugar. Any fruit will work but my favorites are fresh peaches, blueberries, oranges and of course raspberries! Using Frozen Tea Cubes made with fruity or scented teas also adds lots of yummy flavor without the sugar.

So, getting back onto memory lane and my southern Grandma Diane. It didn’t take me long to realize that “Oh, Avery! Bless your heart!” was not always a good thing and usually had an edge to it. My vocabulary quickly grew to include “it’s blowin’ up a storm!”, “pretty as a peach”, “madder than a wet hen”, and “hold your horses!” among countless others.

Mark your calendar to pop into the Tea Shop, this Saturday, April 1 for our FREE Fruit-a-Licious Iced Tea Tasting or gather up friends, take a walk down your own summertime memory lane and find a new favorite iced tea at our Gentle Hints of Summer Tea Party on April 22!

By Avery C.|2017-03-27T12:33:34-05:00March 21st, 2017|Drinking Tea, Events, Family Stuff|Comments Off

Finally “on the square” – Woohoo!

Thank you D’Agee Co & Florist for the beautiful welcome bouquet in our Gold Teapot!

Finally…on the Liberty Square! Last Saturday, was the Grand Opening for our little Tea Shop now located right on the square.

7 W. Franklin. What a fun filled day of new and old tea friends.

Needless to say, after 22 years of shop keeping “just off the Square” it is quite exhilarating to Brenda as she now can say her shop is “on the Square”! And it is also quite pampering to be able to “sneak up stairs” and have Alex and his Hammerhand Crew brew us up a cup of one of our own teas. Out of the Anna Marie’s tea selections that Hammerhand carries Brenda says to be sure to try her favorite…Organic Genmaicha.

We hope you stop in soon to check out our new little Tea Shop then pop upstairs for a little tea-pampering at Hammerhand Coffee. Be sure to check out more of our Grand Opening Photos on our Facebook Page.

Love, love, love our welcome bouquet from our Tea Suspects!!

Amazing Tea Shop Hours

Tuesday 10-5
Wednesday 10-5
Thursday 10-4
Friday 10-6
Saturday 10-5
Open till 9pm each 4th Friday! 🙂

By Selena S.|2017-03-08T12:18:09-06:00March 7th, 2017|Events, Family Stuff|Comments Off

New Hours & New Location

We already know we have the best local customers in the world…so we couldn’t be more excited to finally share that YES we are expanding the Tea Shop Hours!

We will be closed a few short days while we are moving and setting up the new little Tea Shop. (Street-side Tea Shop!) But, we get you…no one can mess with your mornings. If you find yourself in a serious bind with your tea tin empty please email Selena and she will take care of you! [email protected]

Feb 21 – open 10-4 at 124 S Terrace
Feb 22-24 – closed
Feb 25 – open 10-4 at new Tea Shop on the square

New Hours at 7 W. Franklin St ~ Liberty, MO 64068

Tuesday 10-5pm
Wednesday 10-5pm
Thursday 10-5pm
Friday 10-6pm
Saturday 10-6pm

By Selena S.|2017-02-20T17:25:41-06:00February 20th, 2017|Events|Comments Off

March Events at Anna Marie’s Teas

Lots and lots of things happening at the Tea Shop in March! Be sure to check out the Event Calendar for more information or to purchase tickets.

March 4 – Grand Opening at our New Location! 10-5pm 7 W Franklin St, Liberty, MO. Super excited to be moving to our street side tea shop and back to our roots on Historic Downtown Liberty Square. We are on the north east corner of Main and Franklin. Next door neighbors to Hammerhand Coffee and Casablanca Salon. Join us on March 4 as we do our Free Monthly Tea Tasting. Megan will be brewing some of our favorite tried-and-true Old-English inspirations such as Blackberry Mint Private Blend & Earl Grey Supreme; along with several light and floral-y tea blends such as Prince Henry Floral Melange and Lavender Lemon!
So, please pop in, say hello and take a peek at the new Tea Shop! Sampling will be from 10-5pm. Enjoy 10% off the featured sampling teas, too!

March 11 – Living Well with Essential Oils Workshop at 12:30pm. Come and join our small group essential oil workshop. Discover how therapeutic grade oils can make a difference in your daily self-care over a cup of delicious tea in a small group setting.

March 17 & 18 – A British Tea Party. Sit, savor and drink in cups of rich premium black tea, milk and a tasty hand crafted traditional full tea menu. Always complete with crumbly scones topped with dollops of rich cream. An evening British Tea on March 17 at 6:30pm and a morning tea on March 18 at 10:30am.

By Selena S.|2017-02-16T13:51:44-06:00February 16th, 2017|Events|Comments Off

New Tea Shop Location & Grand Opening

New Tea Shop Location – March 4

Our little Tea Shop is moving to a cozy new location!

7 W. Franklin St – Liberty, MO 64068

New Hours /// Tuesday-Thursday 10-5pm /// Friday-Saturday 10-6pm

So excited and feeling very blessed to be returning to our roots – the Downtown Liberty Square. Truly a joy to once again be located and a part of the amazing Historic Downtown Merchants and Liberty Square. We say thank you to all the Small Business friends who have continued to embrace and support us these past 8 years while we have been off the square and busy inn-keeping! 🙂

Other than our Tea Shop moving EVERY other part of our tea business continues to be business-as-usual.

Monthly Themed Tea Parties – Still in Brenda’s 1913 Home
Online Tea Ordering
Free Delivery – Liberty Area
Free Shipping on $50
Living Well Workshops – some workshops will held in the same location as the Tea Parties and some will be held at the new Tea Shop location.

Historic homes seem be in this tea shop family tree – and we will surely miss this 1928 Dutch Colonial home. But, super excited to be moving to our street side tea shop on the north east corner of Main and Franklin. Next door neighbors to Hammerhand Coffee and Casablanca Salon.

Be sure to call 816-792-8777 or email us at [email protected] if you plan to visit the Tea Shop between Feb. 24-28. Now would be a great time to try out our Online Tea Ordering and take advantage of the Free Shipping or Free Delivery!

Can’t wait to see you at 7 W. Franklin St and be sure to read about our NEW HOURS!!

Historic Downtown Liberty since 1994

By Selena S.|2017-02-21T13:38:46-06:00February 16th, 2017|Events, From Brenda|2 Comments

Living Well Workshop Series

It’s no secret that we love tea for many reasons, but one of the most poignant reasons is health! Tea is chock full of antioxidants (compounds that work to neutralize tissue and cell damaging free radicals that our body produces naturally), not to mention it serves as a wonderful alternative to sugar laden juices and sodas. To help further our mission of sharing how tea can positively impact health we have started our Living Well Workshop series this year.

Over the course of the year Brenda and other guest experts will offer workshops about how tea and other things such as essential oils can be incorporated into our daily lives in ways that benefit our health. The three part series will be repeated throughout the year so don’t fret if you miss one!

When I first approached Brenda about offering a rotating workshop series her response to me was “I would love to share some of the roads I have taken on my journey to solve health issues. It began with a tea journey but has also progressed to a better understanding of nutrition and essential oils.”

Part one is Living Well with Matcha & Green Tea. Brenda shares focused information about matcha and demonstrate preparation. Attendees will also have the chance to learn more about green tea and sample different varieties. In Part two Living Well with Essential Oils Brenda and a guest speaker discuss the benefits and various uses of essential oils. Participants have the opportunity to learn about essential oils from an over 30 years of combined experience, perfect for beginners or veterans! Different healthy teas will be sampled and discussed such as relaxation herbal teas. In the third and final portion of the series Living Well and Cooking with Tea Brenda will discuss nutrition for living well and share fun and unique ways that tea can be included in our diet aside from drinking it.

We hope that you’ll join us on this journey to Living Well and find the information we share interesting and hopefully useful! Admission to each workshop is $5.00 which includes the workshop takeaway reading materials and plenty of sampling throughout each workshop! Watch for the workshop dates on our website Events Pages or follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

The Living Well Series will rotate throughout 2017 and don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions! Join us as we sip our way to health!

By Megan W|2017-03-15T11:32:44-05:00February 13th, 2017|Events|2 Comments

It’s never too early to start planning for the holidays! Join us for our Holiday Open House November 2, 3, and 4 where we will be hosting classes to round out your seasonal preparation.

Watch our Facebook page, website, and future newsletters to stay updated on details! As always we’ve also got a full calendar of tea parties this season. Check out our calendar here!

Don’t worry, the fun is open to everyone! Just like all of our monthly tea parties, anyone can join us in the 1913 house on Liberty Drive for an ESU Tea Party Fit for a Queen.

In November, we are honored to be hosting Lord Alan Watson!

How thrilling to be able to enjoy tea with a genuine British Lord!

That’s right folks, we finally found our forever home!

As it happens we will also be hosting our July Tea Tasting event on the same day. Stop by to enjoy some of our caffeine free favorites and check out our new Caffeine Free Sampler!

Stay tuned to our Facebook and Instagram pages for more information on our upcoming schedule and exciting events!

We’re very lucky to feature guest writer Sandy Lane! Sandy is a longtime tea friend as well as a wonderful human being. Please enjoy her piece on the history of tea parties below!

If you’re in search of an opportunity to be greeted by some lovely people, to have a relaxed visit with friends or family, to be served delicious tea and tea treats, to spend some time in a grand and gorgeous 1913 historic home . . . come to tea at Anna’s!

Two wonderful books were used in preparing this blog entry:

Adding fruit to your iced tea is a great way to sweeten up your tea without adding sugar. Any fruit will work but my favorites are fresh peaches, blueberries, oranges and of course raspberries! Using Frozen Tea Cubes made with fruity or scented teas also adds lots of yummy flavor without the sugar.

Mark your calendar to pop into the Tea Shop, this Saturday, April 1 for our FREE Fruit-a-Licious Iced Tea Tasting or gather up friends, take a walk down your own summertime memory lane and find a new favorite iced tea at our Gentle Hints of Summer Tea Party on April 22!

Finally…on the Liberty Square! Last Saturday, was the Grand Opening for our little Tea Shop now located right on the square.

7 W. Franklin. What a fun filled day of new and old tea friends.

We already know we have the best local customers in the world…so we couldn’t be more excited to finally share that YES we are expanding the Tea Shop Hours!

New Hours at 7 W. Franklin St ~ Liberty, MO 64068

Tuesday 10-5pm

Wednesday 10-5pm

Thursday 10-5pm

Friday 10-6pm

Saturday 10-6pm

Lots and lots of things happening at the Tea Shop in March! Be sure to check out the Event Calendar for more information or to purchase tickets.

New Tea Shop Location – March 4

7 W. Franklin St – Liberty, MO 64068

Other than our Tea Shop moving EVERY other part of our tea business continues to be business-as-usual.

Over the course of the year Brenda and other guest experts will offer workshops about how tea and other things such as essential oils can be incorporated into our daily lives in ways that benefit our health. The three part series will be repeated throughout the year so don’t fret if you miss one!

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