Silver Tips Tea Blog » Green tea

Double Happiness

Anupa — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 21:42:56 +0000

The Tea Room requested some new Flowering Teas – they said something dramatic please. In our quest to find the perfect bloom, we sampled many, some with beguiling names – First Love, Sea Shell, Butterfly Flowers, Silver Treasure, etc. We settled on a few, this one being a favorite. You can see why it’s Double Happiness – everything is in pairs – the gorgeous chrysanthemums, above which are the pink amaranth globes and finally the delicate white jasmine. Could anything be more wondrous to behold! The taste is a fresh, delicate cup with a hint of jasmine. It will be at the store very soon.

Coffee & Tea Trends

Silver Tips — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 11:49:52 +0000

The August 2009 issue of Specialty Coffee Retailer, a trade magazine for the coffee/tea industry just published 2010 trends. It noted that breakfast teas, non-caffeine (rooibos) teas and the healthy reputation of green teas continued to resonate with consumers, and that this segment was expected to grow. George Jage, President of World Tea Expo and our friend, was quoted, “Globally, tea is the second most-consumed beverage next to water, but only 7th in the United States.”

Among the other coffee trends:

More coffee was being prepared at home.
The industry was overbuilt by about 20% over demand and would contract to match that demand.
Healthy and sustainable options and actions count.

Yunnan Green Lily – New!

Silver Tips — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 20:17:00 +0000

We used to have a phenomenal tea called Jing Mai Green. It was an authentic ancient forest green tea from Yunnan from the Jing Mai region. Over the years, the price crept up until it became unaffordable and we were forced to discontinue it. Today, we received our first batch of its replacement – another ancient tea forest Yunnan Green which we call Yunnan Green Lily. It is certified Organic and Fair Trade and, in our view, exceptional. It’s from the Mannong region known for some of the best-preserved antique tea farms. The cup is a pale gold without a hint of astringency and a fruitiness that lingers on your palate. We recommend this for first-time green tea drinkers and for all those looking for a high-quality green. This one’s for you.

Jasmine Teas

Silver Tips — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 12:25:00 +0000

Jasmine is one of the best known teas in the world. The taste is soft, refreshing and magical. Unlike fruity, flavored teas, jasmine teas are scented – an important distinction. Teas are blended with jasmine blossoms to impart the taste. Often, layers of tea are placed on racks, interspersed with jasmine buds and flowers and scented for hours or, sometimes, days. One famous tea is Seven-Night Scented Jasmine. The longer it is left to be scented, the stronger the infusion. Flowers are usually removed from the tea but in some cases, left for aesthetic reasons.

The base tea used for jasmine can range from the everyday common leaf type to green tea pearls or the long silver needle. Jasmine Pearls are young green leaves hand-rolled with a jasmine blossom to form a small ball. Silver Needle Jasmine is scented on a full leaf Yin Zhen white leaf resulting in an amazing burst of fragrance that is incomparable. Although green tea is the normal base, Oolongs and Pouchongs can also be scented with jasmine.

It is a very good accompaniment to food, by itself and, here’s a secret, with chocolate! Shown in this image are Jasmine Pearls and Silver Needle Jasmine.

Being a part of the Community

Silver Tips — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 00:13:00 +0000

We’re a pretty gregarious bunch anyway but last week I realized it wasn’t just idle chatter. We are a part of this community. It shows up in a million ways. Sasha, the award-winning dancer from Fred Astaire Dance Studios two doors down, often drops in for a quick meal late afternoons. And our customers take dance lessons from him. Jacque, our Store Manager, gets a manicure from Joy Nails down the block and Joy asked Jacque to write out her wedding invitations in elegant long-hand. Mike and Alysia own Coffee Labs around the corner and we get our Smoothie mixes from them. In return they buy tea from us. We share stories, a commitment for Fair Trade, tips on vendors and the occasional horror story about Life as a Small Business Owner! Just about all of us have Verizon cell phones from Diane who manages the local Verizon store and we personally deliver Chai to our neighbor, Nikos, who owns the jewellery store right next to us.

I always wanted to have local artists hang their work on our walls. Our buddies, Margaret and Tim, organize this for us through the Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow Arts Council. We’ve had a continuous collection of original artwork grace our walls these past 8 years. They’ve run the gamut – from photography to oils to water colors to collages. Recently, the Council decided it would be fun to do one-man shows. Our current artist is a story unto himself. Gene Levine is in the prime of his life at 80. Having lost his wife recently, he seems to have discovered a new vibrancy through his art. The day after his show opened, his daughter, Janet, organized a reception for him. Mr. Levine was understandably overwhelmed. Since then, he, his daughters, his daughters’ friends and now their acquaintances have dropped in each week and soaked up the atmosphere.

Charlene, our Assistant Manager, also works at the famed Music Hall around the corner. Last week, she made a killer cup of Moroccan Mint for one of the performers. He was so won over that he showed up the following day to purchase the tea for himself! We contribute gift baskets for local raffles and silent auctions. We see children grow into young men and women and occasionally snatch them up as employees as soon as they are of age! Colleen, one of our earliest young customers, is one such success story. Her Dad always harbored a secret desire for his young daughter to enjoy a spot of tea each afternoon. Imagine his surprise when he found she was doing just that….but in our Tea Room! Now, years later, she can recommend teas with artistry and finesse.

We’re glad to be part of this community.

One more Convert to Tea

Silver Tips — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 03:57:00 +0000

This evening, we took our friend Alice out for her birthday at our local Japanese restaurant. They serve a great salad with their signature Asian ginger dressing and Genmaicha tea. We usually finish our meal with green tea ice cream. Today we got an extra order for Alice. By the way, I’ve noticed how many Japanese restaurants have switched from Sencha to Genmaicha.

Alice has our Zingy Tang tea each morning at work. This is one of our most popular green blends – green with ginger, orange and peach. To reduce caffeine, she always pours out the first cup and then enjoys the second cup. Recently, her co-worker, a dedicated coffee drinker, who believes tea is only for when you are sick, has been quietly enjoying Alice’s first discarded cup. She has now gone from reluctantly accepting the first cup to asking for it, then making a cup for herself and, finally, purchasing it for herself when last she visited our Tea Room.

Isn’t life grand!

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