Cruising The Tea Scene With The Tea Lover Chic

Royal Wedding Tea Party

2011-04-30T12:34:00.001-07:00

I planned on a quiet early morning viewing of the Royal Wedding with a tray of English style scones, Double Devon Cream, jam, Eccles cakes and a pot of Yorkshire Gold English style tea. That was not in the cards as Kate Larsen from Channel 10 contacted me on Tuesday about a Royal Wedding Watch Party. The plan was to gather together my Ladies Traveling Tea Society to watch the wedding and comment on it. I had two days to gather the ladies together and prepare my outfit for my first TV appearance.

It took me most of a day to find the navy blue dress and a matching hat. Even though Navy blue hats are hard to find in Sacramento I was determined to wear a blue dress in tribute to Kate Middleton. I had blue shoes, bag and jewelry to wear so I just needed the dress and hat and I would be set.

I can't believe that I actually pulled this off as it was last minute! The station changed the arrival time twice so I ended up being early to the Tea Anytime Tea Room. Two ladies who were coming by before work had to leave before the station showed up.

We had a great time speaking to each other in a British accent and listening to Margaret's experience with the Queen. She gave us lessons on how to curtsy which was one of the clips used on News 10 morning show.

I invited my Mom to the party. I did not tell her that I wanted to find a blue dress. I was surprised that she chose a blue dress with a fitted empire style and looked quite smashing in it. With no discussion of what we were wearing we chose the same color!

Thank you to my friends for coming at the last minute and indulging me with this last minute call to celebrate the Royal Wedding! It was great fun!

To watch the video of the party

Two New Tea Rooms In Northern California

2010-08-13T19:01:00.000-07:00

Paul Furnas contacted me recently to let me know about a new tearoom in Davis. It is called the Tea List. He liked the food, atmosphere and the host. You may read his review "A Local Treasure" on Yelp. I will be posting his review on Tea Lover's Room. The Tea List is a modern tearoom that serves Afternoon Tea. Head out to this college town to sip tea.

My friend Bette Sawyer told me about a new tearoom in Dixon. It is called Linde Lane Tea Room. It is owned by Dr. Christina O' Reilly who is a dentist. Her office is upstairs and the tearoom is downstairs. CW31 TV show Good Day Sacramento featured the tearoom which I recorded to watch later. My tea society will be visiting this tea room. It is Victorian style with Victorian furniture and a custom couch that is made to look like a tea cup. Check them out as they are getting good reviews.

The Demise of the Afternoon Tea Room

2010-05-23T15:22:00.000-07:00

The Sacramento area has been experiencing the slow death of the afternoon tea room. This is my tribute to the tea rooms that closed. I will start with The Elegant Garden & Afternoon Tea Room. It was moved from it's Birdcage location in Citrus Heights to a beautiful Victorian house. It was one of the most popular tea rooms in the Sacramento area. This was the first tea room that my newly organized "Ladies Traveling Tea Society" went to.

I would call Elegant Garden a modern tea room as they didn't present the food on a traditional three tier stacker but brought out the food in courses. Instead of the traditional Devonshire cream on your scones crème fraiche came with a wide variety of entrees such as puff pastry and pinwheels. The menu only changed monthly.

Many customers e-mailed me asking about this tea room and mourning its closure. I had many wonderful moments with my husband and friends in this lovely tea room. Please let me know if this was one of your favorite tea rooms. I would like to hear your experiences and memories of special times spent in this tea room.

Drinking The Leaves of Your Garden

2009-04-28T18:11:00.000-07:00

There's nothing better than sitting in your flower garden watching the birds, butterflies and bees flying in to enjoy the flowers! Did you know that in addition to drinking tea in the garden, you could be drinking tea made from the leaves in your garden? Plant a Chinese evergreen plant of the Camellia genus and watch the flowers of white petals bloom. Guess what? This is the same plant that produces the leaves that we process into "tea".

I received a tea plant as a gift which I planted in my flower garden but it didn't survive! I'm thinking about trying it again.
Look for tea plants at your local nursery or buy them online!

In mid May buy a tea plant from Camellia Shop
or Camellia Forest Nursery

Next project after ordering the plant and planting it is to find out how to process it at home!! Any ideas?

World Tea Expo 2008

2008-06-07T14:54:00.000-07:00

I have a lot of information about the World Tea Expo so I will be blogging about different things in the next couple of weeks.

I counted 285 exhibitors on the show floor. Most of them were tea companies selling tea. There are so many it is hard to choose one tea vendor. Since I have a small business packaging, variety of teas and small minimums are important to me. I don't want to purchase a huge amount of tea that might spoil before I sell it! I tasted so many excellent teas it is hard to remember which was the best without taking detailed notes!

I will be telling you which teas won awards and links to the tea sites where you can purchase the tea.

Today I brewed one of the tea bag samples that I received at the Expo. I am really curious to sample organic teas because I know that many young people are into organic or "green" products. I brewed an Organic Mango Ceylon tea with vanilla. It was a standard tea bag with small pieces of black tea but the tea was smooth with just the right amount of vanilla. It tasted much better than other teas that I have tasted in the tea bag. If you are interested in this tea go to their site www.choiceorganicteas.com. I would take this tea to work or traveling but prefer larger pieces brewed loosely in a tea pot.

ZEN Green Tea Liqueur Taste Test

2008-05-04T20:36:00.000-07:00

I have mentioned this liqueur before but this is the first time that I have tasted it! I have one word for it "fabulous"! The liqueur has an unique flavor which is hard to describe. Infused within it is Kyoto green tea leaves, herbs and lemongrass. It is slightly sweet and 20 percent alcohol. I prefer to sip it chilled on the rocks but it is good in a Zentini cocktail also. A Zentini cocktail is 2 parts Zen Green Tea Liqueur, 2 parts SKYY Vodka, and 1/2 part fresh orange juice. I was pleasantly surprised that this liqueur tasted so good! So now you can sip a tasty drink and get your antioxidants from green tea at the same time! Happy sipping with moderation! Want more information?

Visit www.zenliqueur.com
Thanks to Alison Hoiem for the chance to taste this delicious drink!

2008 World Tea Expo Back in Las Vegas!

2008-03-06T13:46:00.000-08:00

The World Tea Expo is coming up from May 30th to June 1st at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV. I have already registered for this event.
This year proves to be more organized with Core Seminars, Skill Building Workshops, Focused Tastings, and Super Workshops.
The classes seemed to be organized by level of need such as classes for new business owners or executive and technical people.
One of the most exciting events is the World Tea Championship which is going to be conducted by professional tea tasters. A new rating system will be used to judge characteristics of the teas and then that information will be published in a guide!
The World Tea Expo is bringing professionalism to the tea trade as well as education!
I can't wait to attend this one!!

March Tea Event

2008-03-06T13:32:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year to celebrate Spring with a tea party! This annual tea is presented on behalf of the Strauss Festival of Elk Grove as a fundraiser! I love this event because I enjoy helping out by decorating one of the tea party tables! We all choose a theme and decorate our table with dishes, party favors and items from our own collectibles! This year I am decorating with a lighthouse, ocean, ship theme! I will post a picture from the event. You can still attend the party this Saturday, March 8, at 2:00 p.m. It will be held at Laguna Town Hall. Tickets are $30 per person. Call 916 714-2527. For more information www.straussfestival.com.

World Tea Expo Seminars Available

2007-08-31T20:11:00.000-07:00

The World Tea Expo was held in Atlanta, Georgia in June of this year. I didn't plan on attending this year and that is a good thing since I became ill and was hospitalized during that week.

While doing research for my recent podcast I noticed that I could purchase MP3 recordings from the seminars. I purchased the Sales/Marketing series and now I can listen to them on my IPOD. I love this service! Bravo to the CEO on being up on technology this year!

Listening to these seminars fires me up for next year when the Expo will return to Las Vegas.
I can't wait!

Tea Lover Chic MIA

2007-08-18T20:50:00.000-07:00

Hey Everybody! You haven't heard much from me lately. I checked my podcast page on ITUNES and someone said I was MIA with the podcast and they missed it! I miss doing it but stuff happens! Like being in the hospital and being so ill that I had to return to the ER twice after being released. I'm still not 100 % but I'm limping along. UGG! I hate being sick.

So we did manange to celebrate our 5th Wedding Anniversary with a trip to the coast between hospital visits. My husband and I dined at the Pelican Inn (English Inn) on Prime Rib with Yorkshire Pudding. We had such a great time I hope we will return to this romantic spot next year!

This Inn also offers High Tea:

Cucumber Sandwiches
Ham & Mustard Sandwiches
Scottish Smoked Salmon Sandwiches

Scones
Devonshire Cream
Raspberry Jam
Mango Chutney

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries
Tea Cakes

Loose Tea:
English Breakfast
Earl Grey

So hopefully I will be able to get back to the podcast as there has been alot of stuff going on in the tea scene! Wish me luck!

Operation Tea Time

2007-05-02T19:25:00.000-07:00

On June 8, 2007 volunteers led by Deborah Bonelli will be hosting a tea party for the wounded military men and women who are at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. They need your help! Please send them new and slightly used china tea pots and china tea cups and saucers. Ship the china through June 1st to:

Army Community Services
Attention: Judith Markelz/OTT
2010 Stanley Road-Suite 95
Ft. Sam Houston, Texas 78234

After the tea party is over, the china will be donated to Fisher Houses, where families of the patients' reside during the patients' recovery. More information

Help bring comfort to our warriors and their families.

Thank you!

Check Out This Tea Blog

2007-03-27T22:12:00.000-07:00

I received an e-mail from Marty in Ohio letting me know that he has been listening to my podcast for over a year and he finds it "very informative". He has his own blog and says that tea is the "greatest beverage on earth". Yeah! I love to hear that another person has found pleasure in the tea leaf. Check out the entry that he wrote about my podcast. Thanks Marty for the great comments that you made. If you love tea be sure to check out his blog. There is a lot of interesting information there.

I love to hear from tea lovers out there! What is your favorite brew at the moment? I think "Golden Yunnan" with a lot of golden tips is my number one tea of the moment. It changes weekly!

Tea Lover's Room Teacast- The Orginal Teacast

2007-03-21T15:12:00.000-07:00

Have you noticed lately there are video podcasts out there that call themselves the "Teacast"? One of them is produced by Adagio. A couple of months ago I e-mailed them about my podcast and asked them to sponser my podcast. Instead of supporting me they decided to use the "Teacast" phrase and produce their own show. Looks like they like my ideas.

Other people also are using "Teacast". Search "Teacast" in Yahoo and you will see what I mean. Just remember that I am the orginal (my first teacast was produced in February of 2006) and I haven't copied anyone. I have had plans for some time to produce a short once a month video. If I only had more hours in the day. So check out the other "Teacasts" and let me know if you like them!

Hina's Tea Is The Place To Hang Out

2007-03-18T12:25:00.000-07:00

Haven't been to Hina's in Midtown yet? Better get down there and check it out! It is across from Rick's Dessert Diner. Buy a sweet treat from Rick's and take it over to Hina's for a cup of tea to drink with it! Choose a Darjeeling or a Tippy Yunnan to compliment the sweetness of the dessert!

Everytime I go into Hina's and belly up to the bar I meet other tea people! I met two male hair dressers who own Ronny Hair City in Sacramento and had an interesting conversation. We were trying to put a label on Hina's decor. I said it was miminal like Japanese decor and they said the Jetsons meet IKEA. We agreed it was terrific no matter the label. I'm terrible at remembering names but I hope to see them at their shop!

Another fun moment at Hina's is when I met a writer for Mainline Magazine named Ryan who wanted to interview me about my podcast. I found out that he is a podcaster also! We drank tea and spent a couple of hours talking about tea and podcasting! Ryan and his photographer came by my "Tea Barn" to take pictures of me in my podcast studio. I can't wait to see the article!

How sweet it is to meet new and interesting friends over tea!!!!

Another event I attended was the Strauss Festival of Elk Grove's Spring Tea! I was invited to be a table decorator for the tea. I took tea with five ladies and once again we bonded over Afternoon Tea.

What's The Buzz in Sacramento?

2007-02-09T15:01:00.000-08:00

Sacramento tea lovers will be happy to know that Hina's Teas is opening tommorrow, February 10, 2007. Hina & Gerd will be unveiling their modern urban tea bar with a flourish! Don't miss out on this gorgeous tea bar! I had the priviledge of getting a sneek peak and this shop will blow your socks off! In addition to a selection of over 200 teas you will relax in a modern space featuring a waterfall and tea leaf designs suspended from the ceiling!
See you there!

For a sneak peak of the building go here www.hinasteas.com

Hina's Teas
2319 K Street
Sacramento, CA 95816

Drink To Your Health This Year!

2007-01-21T12:42:00.000-08:00

Well It's time to get back to work! I took a long break from doing the podcasts and hung out with my hubby. I'm rested and ready to roll!
Hope everyone is working on having a great 2007.
Hopefully you will be drinking more green tea this year and using it in skin products.

CBS News reported on the Early Show that green tea has been shown to improve the skin of people who have skin damage from radiation therapy.

Dr. Emily Senay who is the medical contributor for the Early Show says that researchers found that drinking green tea can lower your chance of heart disease by 26%.

So drink up everyone!

Sacramento Magazine article

2006-10-21T15:30:00.000-07:00

Cat days in the Butterfly Garden

Last night my husband and I went to see the movie “Marie Antoinette”. I love historic period movies and this one was great! There were alot of fancy dresses, fans and beautiful hats modeled throughout the film.

In one scene in the movie the Queen is having tea with her brother. She tells him that she received the tea from the Emperor of China. The tea that they are drinking is an artisan type tea that is hand tied with a flower. When you steep the tea the flower pops out. Not only is this good tea but it is beautiful also. Back to the movie- it shows the Queen and her brother drinking out of fine bone China with an artisan bundle in each cup. Cool!

After the movie I went into Barnes & Noble to see if they had the Sacramento Magazine yet and they had just put it out! Dana did a great job with the article and Beth's photo really captured my style! I'm in the Best of Sacramento issue! How blessed can you be? I'm thankful for the chance to promote tea drinking and being a lady. You can be strong, feminine and gracious!

I want to thank my friends and podcast listeners for being supportive! It is so encouraging to have people around you that believe in you! Being in a magazine is a big deal to me! It may never happen again! If it encourages people to start drinking tea it will be worth it! I'm convinced that tea is a health elixir as well as a calming brew!

How many times in your life do you feel passionate about something and the passion grows? Hobbies come and go but drinking tea and everything about it intrigues me. Time to go have tea in my Butterfly Garden - my cat is waiting!

Getting Closer!

2006-10-19T19:43:00.000-07:00

My tea "barn" is almost finished and ready to move my tea office into. My online store is almost ready to launch and within a week and a half my photo and interview with the Sacramento Magazine will be published! Whew! I'm tired! I've been working hard!

Episode 27 The History of Tea was uploaded around 11:30 p.m. last night! I always find new facts about tea culture when I dig in and study my many books or do research in the library's databases. Did you know that if you have a Sacramento Public Library card that you can search databases from your home computer? Yeah! Cool! You won't bring up any commercial websites or inaccurate information either! Check out your local library because most of them pay for databases of information that you can access if you have a card! I have found alot of out of print tea books in the library too!!!

Speaking of books about tea or tea parties, here are some of my favorites:

James Norwood Pratt's New Tea Lover's Treasury - known as the "bible" of tea.

The New Tea Companion by Jane Pettigrew & Bruce Richardson - A Guide to Teas Throughout the World

A Social History of Tea by Jane Pettigrew

The Protocol School of Washington Tea & Etiquette Taking Tea for Business and Pleasure by Dorothea Johnson

These are all essential books you should have in your library!

I need a nap! Check out the new podcast!

Flash Player

2006-10-11T20:27:00.000-07:00

The Tea Lover's Room Teacast Flash Player

www.tealoversroom.com

It's Late!

2006-10-02T23:38:00.000-07:00

Stay tuned for the next podcast about Darjeeling tea. I'm enjoying my studies but I'm pretty tired and need to catch up on some sleep!

I took my Mom to the new tea room in Tracy called Primrose Lane II Tea & Crumpets. I'm writing the review now!

An Afternoon To Remember Tea Parlor in Newcastle has announced in their newsletter that as of October 1 the tea room will be open on Sundays. What great news! My friends and I have been wishing for this news! Now The Ladies Traveling Tea Society will be able to visit this tea room more often. They have two seating times at 12 pm and 2 pm. I have not been able to visit this tea room lately and I'm looking forward to it! They now have an expanded gift shop just in time for the holidays!

Check out my new French style riding hat from the Village Hat Shop in Old Sacramento. It is now one of my favorites!

It Happened Again!

2006-09-25T22:12:00.000-07:00

What happened again? I had a very busy weekend with a photo shoot for Sacramento Magazine and my friend Quin hosted a tea buffet in her beautiful back yard yesterday (Sunday).

Once again my podcast hasn't been recorded. Never fear - I'll be up to midnight the rest of the week after working all day at the library, recording and editing my podcast! What is that saying about finding the busiest person when you need something done! What can I say I'm crazy about tea and the traditions surrounding it!

The photo shoot was work but was fun! Beth (the photographer) is a busy local wedding photographer here in Sacramento. It was fun to hang out with her! She is very good at what she does! She showed me a few pictures! Wow! We got out some of my teapot and teacup collections, a hand fan and other props from my Butterfly Garden private tea room. She took several snaps to provide one perfect pose for the article about my "personal style" in Sacramento Magazine. What a kick! Me in a magazine? Hope it inspires someone to go to afternoon tea!

Our Traveling Ladies Tea Society is always fun and I always meet new people that are brought as guests. Quin our hostess, did an excellent job serving afternoon tea and will do well with her business plans. Stayed tuned for details about her exciting new tea business in our area!

Working Hard on Episode 25- Masala Chai

2006-09-17T18:48:00.000-07:00

Masala Chai is one of the topics for the current podcast that I am working on. When I talked to my Indian acquaintances about "Chai" they thought that I was saying "tea" when I was talking about Masala Chai or Indian Spiced Tea.

The Indian word for tea is "chai". When you say "Masala Chai" to a native they know you mean the black tea simmered with spices and milk.

I have tasted the genuine Masala Chai (prepared by a native of India) and it had no black pepper in it. If you go to Starbucks and order a chai you will be given a "Chai Latte". Their version is a premade concentrate from Tazo tea and steamed milk is then added to it. Starbucks version is o.k. but I didn't like the black pepper in it!

You may buy a Indian Spiced Chai tea from The Metropolitian Tea Company at your local tea merchant. It contains black tea and spices. Brew the tea for 5 minutes and add warmed milk like you would drink coffee. If you want to make your own from scratch you can buy the book "Chai: The Spice Tea of India" by Diana Rosen. I purchased mine from Amazon.

Thanks to Bill of the Tea Guy Speaks blog for putting a link to my website in his links section. Be sure and check out his blog about tea. Look in my links section for the link to his blog!

Be sure and check out my website and podcast if you haven't yet!

I better get back to work! The listeners are waiting!

Hi All of You Tea Lovers!

2006-09-16T18:59:00.000-07:00

I hope you will enjoy reading about my podcast and what's new in my world! I've been called a "Sipping Webmaster" and a "Tearoom Guru" by Lisa Heyamoto, writer with the Sacramento Bee.

I cruise to tea rooms within 100 miles of Sacramento in my red 2005 Ford Mustang. Check out my Tea Rooms Reviews, Tea Tips and Afternoon Tea Directory.

On my "Tea Lover's Room Teacast" show I talk about a variety of topics involving tea and tea culture.

I consider myself a lifelong student of tea! What have you learned about the leaf ?

Settle down with a cup of your favorite brew! Be sure and visit often!