Some Special Events For Your Mommy

As everyone knows, May 12th is Mother’s Day   A day to say to your mothers out there, “Mom, you went through hell and highwater for me and because of me, and I just want to tell you how much I love you and how much that means to me.”

Well, what better way than to treat your dear mommy to a cup of tea?

Mommy and daughter sharing some tea.

If you live in the New Jersey area, there are three tea events that you might be interested in attending:

Wednesday, May 8th – Mother’s Day Afternoon Tea – Liberty Hall Museum - 1003 Morris Avenue, Union, New Jersey 07083

Liberty Hall Museum‘s Afternoon Tea is the perfect place to sip tea, lunch on finger sandwiches, and nibble on delectable desserts while gazing at the formal English garden from the comfort of our glass-enclosed porch. A tour of Liberty Hall Museum will follow tea service.

Reservations required; $40 per person. Please call 908-527-0400, or visit www.kean.edu/libertyhall for more information.

Saturday, May 11th – 12PM – 2PM – Mother-Daughter High Tea – Ramapo Reformed Church - 100 Island Road, Mahwah, New Jersey 07430

The Ramapo Reformed Church invites mothers and their children of all ages to celebrate Mother’s Day with a Tea on Saturday, May 11th, from noon to 2PM. Sandwiches, activities, and a gift for “Mom” will also be provided. Cost is $5.00 per person or $15.00 per family. Please call the church office at 201-529-3075 for more information or to reserve a place for tea.

Sunday, May 12th – 1PM – 4PM - Mother-Daughter Tea – Acorn Hall - 68 Morris Ave Morristown, NJ 07960

Treat your mother to something special and different this year! Special exhibits and themed items for all ages will be on display. Tea and desserts will be served; tours of the Hall will be available.

Enjoy!   If anyone does attend one of these fantastic events, be sure to comment here and let us know how they were

People In Kalasa, India Should Start Stock-Piling Their Tea!

The idea of running out of tea, having tea shortages, etc, is simply horrific.   After all, this beverage that is becoming a staple part of many people’s drinking diets is valued both for its historical capacity and its many health benefits.

Sadly, in Kalasa, India, there has been a lack of rainfall that has affected tea.   The tea plant requires a hot, moist environment in order to grow, preferring an annual rainfall of 1800-3000 mm, or 72-100 inches.   However, this year, the typical rainfall started in March but did not continue into April.   On top of this, the temperatures are on the rise, which will result in a drier crop.   Already, the crops are starting to show the reduced amount and quality.

Throw on top of this a pest problem and a labor issue in the area, and there’s going to be a problem with the Kalasa tea this year.

A View of a Tea Plantation in Kasala, India

Now, the small town that relies heavily on agriculture is concerned over their crops.   Darjeeling and Assam have already succumbed to the dry season and now, the issue spreads.   Tea production is already predicting a huge hit this year due to the weather.   Assam alone produces 13% of the world’s tea.   Slowly, it seems that tea production will be struggling.

Therefore, the best to do is be ready for rising tea prices.   With the weather conditions, sub-par tea might be pushed more in the marketplace, so be choosey about what you are looking at.   Maybe even try your hand at growing your own tea, depending upon your region.

What do you plan to do to prepare?   Or are you hoping this is worse than it sounds?

Happy Easter From Tea Love!

First and foremost, HAPPY EASTER!!!!   Here is a picture of some tea-dyed Easter eggs   Learn how to make them here!

Some Lovely Tea-Dyed Easter Eggs

 

Second, I want to thank everyone who came out for my Tea 101 – A Brief Introduction this past week!   We had about 20 people total show up (a full house!) and I am in the works of planning other talks across New Jersey   Stay tuned!

I want to give a thank you to the librarians at the Hickory Corner Library for their delicious scones, wonderful tea pots and lovely set-up for the event, as well as the Friends of the Hickory Corner Library, who made it all possible.   Make sure you keep your eye on their calendar of events for more fun talks on their website!

I also want to give a shout-out to my friends over at Tea Spot, who provided the tea that everyone was raving about!   The owner always does a fantastic job and knows her tea well.   If you ever find yourself in Cranford, New Jersey, pop your head in for a cuppa

While at the talk, there are two questions that I wanted to follow-up here and address:

Q – One person mentioned that her mother had the unfortunate diagnosis of kidney stones and was instructed that she would need to give up tea.   Why tea?

A – Tea, it turns out, contains oxalates, which primarily makes up a kidney stone.   These nasty-little buggers can be found in high concentrations in the plant, but low to moderate concentrations in the brew due to the small amount of leaves used for brewing.   Teas do have different amounts of oxalates depending on the type, according to the Asia Pacific journal of clinical nutrition with black tea in tea bags and loose tea leaves measuring 4.68 and 5.11 mg/g tea, respectively, green teas and oolong tea ranging from 0.23 to 1.15 mg/g tea, and herbal teas ranged from not detected to 3.00 mg/g tea.   If black tea is imbibed with some milk, then the calcium binds to some of the oxalates and cuts down on the amount that you are drinking.   All the same, it’s best to keep away if that’s the doctor’s orders.   If you REALLY cannot give up tea, make sure you mention this to your doctor to find out what the best plan is for you.

Q – How much caffeine is in a cup of tea?

A – While at the talk, I explained that depending on the tea, you’ll have different amounts of caffeine content.   There’s no set, “Oh, each tea has this much caffeine.”   However, the caffeine content of tea is typically much lower than coffee.   Find a comprehensive list of caffeine content at The Mayo Clinic, in case you have a sensitivity to caffeine or you just want a tea that will not keep you up all night if you drink it at midnight.

Thank you, all, again!   I’ll keep you posted for more tea talks soon

Seminar Alert By Yours Truly!

Come See Tea Love Speak On Wednesday, March 27th!   I, Catherine Felegi of Tea Love, will be speaking at my first-ever seminar on Friday, March 27th, 7PM at the Hickory Corner Library, 138 Hickory Corner Rd, East Windsor, NJ 08520.

Picture of Your Speaker

Come here my seminar titled Tea 101—A Brief Introduction, where I will be explaining the different types of tea, how tea goes from the plant to your tea tins, and how to brew a proper “cuppa”.   I promise that it’ll be a fun, informative seminar!

Dessert and, of course, tea will be served.

Please bring your own tea mug or favorite teacup.

The program is brought to you by The Friends of the Hickory Corner Library.

Registration is required, so make sure that you go and register now to get a spot!

Call (609) 448-1330 or register online at http://www.mcl.org.

Hope to see you there!

A Time To Celebrate, A Time To Love, A Time To Drink Tea!

Perfect Holiday Tea

It’s that time of year again!   Scrambling for presents, decorating houses with Christmas trees, menorahs and/or snowflakes, and hosting holiday parties to gather friends and family in order to exchange gifts and share happiness.

Well, what kind of a “tea-o-phile” would I be if I did not prompt you to have a Holiday Tea Party?

There are plenty of cute ideas that you can do in order to make this holiday merry, bright and tea-rific!   Why not try to…:

• Have an area where people can decorate their own tea mugs!   You might have seen the pin on Pintrest suggesting this fun activity.   All you need are some mugs (found cheap, about $1.29 at The Christmas Tree Shop), some assorted colored Sharpies and an oven to throw your mugs in once you are done decorating.   This activity is fun for both children and adults.
• Stock up on some holiday tea.   Just go in Google and type, “Holiday tea” and watch the onslaught of tea!!!   Personally, I love Celestial Seasoning’s selection.   A green choice and all very tasty.
• We all know about mulled wine, but what about mulled tea?   Check out Food.com for a yummy recipe.
• Sit down and watch some tea-inspiring movies, such as Alice in Wonderland, or some nice Beauty and the Beast.
• These recipes made with Bigelow Tea are bound to make you drool, whether you choose to serve appetizers, a meal or some sumptuous desserts.   Personally, I am contemplating persuading my family to let me try Jasmine Green Tea Truffles.
• Make cute gifts for your party guests, such as a tea traveler pouch!   Need ideas?   Go on Tea Love’s Pintrest page.
• And of course, relax, and enjoy your good company.

Whatever holiday you celebrate, however you choose to celebrate, make sure that it is a happy one!

HAPPY ONE-YEAR, TEA LOVE! – A Photo Highlight.

Tea Love is officially celebrating its 365th day in existence!   Thank you so much to all my dedicated readers and followers who have kept faith and felt that this blog would become something great

Stats for the Year As Of October 20, 2012

Can you believe that we are almost up to 7,000 views on this blog?!   I just think that’s wild!

Map of Stats Since February 25, 2012

Viewers from all around the world.   Too bad I can’t post the full list, but this is definitely impressive!

Tea Love Earrings – I Do Wear Them In Public!

Can’t say I love this picture of myself but I definitely love the picture of the earrings   Yes, I do still wear them in public.   If you see me walking around, feel free to stop me to chat!

Tea Love Necklace – Donated To A Friend

No, I do not still have my Tea Love necklace, though I do want to make one for myself.   This was donated to a friend who wears it happily

An Array of Tea From Artemesia – Such Variety!

A local store that sells all organic, American-made materials, including boasting a wide variety of tea!   The owners now know me as the tea girl   So glad they opened!

Tea And Cookies From The Tea Spot – LOVE This Place!

And of course, last but not least, The Tea Spot, also located in downtown Cranford, New Jersey.   Another favorite that I love going to!

Again, thank you so much for all that YOU have contributed to this blog!   Without your interest, your reading and your dedication, this would not happen.   Let’s root for another year!

A Visit to the Miller-Cory House Museum

Hello fellow tea sippers!   This past Sunday, I went over to the Miller Cory House Museum in Westfield, New Jersey for a seminar on tea.   While sadly, I was not allowed to take photographs inside the house, I did get some nice ones outside.   We also will hopefully have a guest blogger sometime in the future!

Welcome!

A very simple sign.   Admittedly, I drove right past and had to do a few U-turns before I actually found the house!   The houses in Westfield sometimes have that luxurious, antiquated feel to them and this was no exception.

Gorgeous Day!

The house, built in 1740, was built by Samuel Miller after getting married.   It was bequeathed through the family until it was sold in 1784 to Joseph Cory by Samuel’s son, Jesse Miller, for 579 pounds.   Since then, it has changed hands until the Westfield Historical Society obtained the deed in 1972.

A View of the Cory-Miller House Museum

Sadly, I was not able to take photos of the actual tea event.   However, the presenter brought in some amazing pu’erh tea, which were in bricks!   I had always read about tea in bricks but never saw it until that day.

The tea was brewing for a few hours and had a rich color, almost the shade of coffee.   It had a delightful earthy taste with a sweet undertone to it.   As the speaker said, as with wine, it simply gets better with age.

Did anyone else go to this event?   Share your thoughts, comments, photos, etc!

News In The Tea World!

Hello, fellow sippers!

This is a post to make you aware of some of the amazing tea events going on this weekend!

An Array Of Tea Offered By Tea Spot

Tomorrow, February 23rd, Tea Spot in Cranford, New Jersey will be hosting a French and English poetry read!   Go experience some amazing poetry while sipping equally amazing tea   The event starts at 7:00PM.   The store is an intimate setting, so make sure that you arrive early to get ample seating.   Clara Ngo, owner, creates a welcoming atmosphere, delivering any tea and tasty treats to you herself while you enjoy the company of your friends and the delightful entertainment.   (Personally, as a tea lover and a francophile, I hope this becomes a regular event!)

Then on Saturday, February 25th and Sunday, February 26th, New York will be hosting its 7th annual Coffee and Tea Festival!   Tea and coffee companies from around the world will be there.   Since this show is available for both the trade and the public, make sure you get your tickets!   Programming surrounding green teas, master classes teaching how to serve tea and tastings (or “cuppings”) will be held throughout both days.

You can find out more information and buy tickets at http://www.coffeeandteafestival.com/.

While sadly, I won’t be at either event, I do plan on going to the following French/English poetry night and I plan to attend the Coffee and Tea Festival in Atlantic City in November!   See you there!

Happy sipping!