Black Friday or Cyber Monday?

Everyone knows that Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving. Even more importantly, it is the retail shopping event of the year  and the kick-off for holiday shopping. But have you ever heard of Cyber Monday?  For you techy types, you are probably well aware of the term Cyber Monday. However, for those of you who are still in the dark…

Cyber Monday is the Black Friday of e-commerce. It is the Monday following Thanksgiving and represents the kick-off of Internet holiday shopping. So if you missed Black Friday… No problem! Pull out your computer and begin e-tailing!

In honor of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, I have compiled a list of fantastic tea companies, who in the spirit of holiday shopping are offering some awesome deals.  Find great gift-giving ideas for your friends, family and co-workers. Don’t forget to add a little something special in the shopping cart for yourself.

Let the shopping begin!

Company Name:	Golden Moon Tea
Sales Event:	Visit Golden Moon Tea and get 10% off all orders from November 27th – December 25th.
Promo Code:	ESCAPADE (use at checkout)
Company URL:	http://www.GoldenMoontea.com
Company Name:	Kamelia Luxe
Sales Event:	Get 15% discount on all black teas, which includes the whole StripTeas flagship line! Promotion runs November 26th – December 4th.
Promo Code:	blackfriday
Company URL:	http://www.originalstripteas.com
Company Name:	thepuriTea
Sales Event:	Now until 12/1, we’re offering 10% off on all orders and Free Shipping on order of $50 or more. Just in time for the holidays, thepuriTea Gift Box is now available. Choose from 6 different sets, designed for all kinds of Tea Lovers!
Promo Code:	CYBMON09
Company URL:	http://www.thepuritea.com
Company Name:	Red Leaf Tea
Sales Event:	Get 20% OFF all teas from November 26th – December 1st.
Promo Code:	thanksgiving (use at checkout)
Company URL:	http://www.redleaftea.com
Company Name:	Teas Etc
Sales Event:	Beginning November 26th – November 29th  11:59PM EST Teas Etc is taking 20% of everything with FREE shipping on orders of $60 or more.
Promo Code:	GIFT2009
Company URL:	http://www.TeasEtc.com
Company Name:	Tea Forte
Sales Event:	*  Purchase our Tea-Over-Ice Brewing Pitcher and one box of Twelve-Over-Ice Iced teas for $39 from November 27th – December 1st.
Promo Code:	Iced39 (use at checkout)
Sales Event:	*  Receive Six Free Exotics Duos with $100 purchase, while supplies last.
Promo Code:	FREEDUOS (use at checkout)
Sales Event:	*  Receive Free Solstice Cup & Saucer with purchase of Winter Solstice Gift Set, while supplies last.
Promo Code:	FREECUP (use at checkout)
Company URL:	http://www.teaforte.com/
Company Name:	Teavana
Sales Event:	Shop Teavana’s Holiday Gift Center for Gifts with Meaning. Starting Thursday, 11/26 through Monday 11/30, receive a 2oz bag of Rooibos Rose Garden tea with any order at Teavana.com! As always, you can get Free Shipping on all Teavana orders over $50.
Promo Code:	No coupon code is required
Company URL:	http://www.teavana.com/Tea-Gift-Center/Gifts-with-Meaning/
Company Name:	The Simple Leaf Tea
Sales Event:	Get 20% off your order (before shipping and tax). Limit 1 per person now through midnight November 30th.
Promo Code:	simple2009
Company URL:	http://www.thesimpleleaf.com
Company Name:	Two Leaves and a Bud Tea Co
Sales Event:	All loose teas (14 new exclusively loose teas) 15% off from November 26th through December 1st.
Promo Code:	THANKS09 (at check out)
Company URL:	http://www.twoleavesandabud.com
Company Name:	White Lion Tea
Sales Event:	* Shop White Lion Tea for $1 shipping on all orders, any product, no minimum purchase from November 26th – 29th.
	*  Receive a complimentary Winter Tea Sampler Gift Box with all orders of $150 or more from November 26th – December 18th.
Promo Code:	No special codes or coupons necessary for either promo.
Company URL:	http://www.whiteliontea.com
Company Name:	Yogic Chai
Sales Event:	Annual sales event, enjoy 40% off your entire purchase on November 26th.
Promo Code:	Must visit website and sign up for Yogic Chai Newsletter
Company URL:	http://www.yogicchai.com

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Organic Peppermint Tea

Today was the day for doing things that make no sense. Last Friday, I purchased a fish entree from the Kroger Marketplace near my home on a recommendation from my mother. Okay… sidebar… The Kroger Marketplace near my house has wine tastings every Friday and Saturday night. Bizarre? Additionally, there is a chef who makes entrees for purchase by the patrons of the wine tastings. Bizarre? Also, there are tables and chairs set-up for all of the patrons. Bizarre? For those of you who don’t live in the Midwest, the Kroger Marketplace is a grocery store and there are regulars who meet for wine tasting every Friday and Saturday night. There’s even a server and they both dress in black and white uniforms. Bizarre? The regulars include my mother… hence the recommendation.

Now back to doing dumb things… Today, almost a week later, I decided to eat the fish entree I purchased last Friday. Why? Is, “it looked really tasty”, a good excuse? So, I ate the fish and started on the carrots that were included in the entree. Not only did the carrots taste odd, I developed major nausea within minutes. So bad that even the smell of the leftover food in the trash made me feel like I was going to vomit. It was at that moment that I wanted nothing more than a hot cup of tea to soothe my sick stomach. I decided on Organic Peppermint Tea.

Composition: 100% Organic Peppermint

Dry Visual: Very green broken peppermint leaves. No other details available as Organic Peppermint is loose tea in a biodegradable sachet.

Dry Aroma: Absolutely minty!

Flavor: A true lover of Peppermint Tea I eagerly anticipated my first sip and I must say Organic Peppermint tea did not disappoint. Truly minty, this tea was robust from the first sip to the last. Leaving a soft peppermint aftertaste. There was no need to add sweetener – I was able to enjoy Organic Peppermint tea pure. Not only was it delicious, Organic Peppermint soothed my stomach and eliminated the nausea. 

Liquor: A golden brown – leaning more towards brown.

Brewing Time: Recommended brewing time is 1 – 3 minutes. I brewed Organic Peppermint for the recommended 2 minutes.

Manufacturer: Two Leaves and A Bud

Caffeine: No.

The next time you think about eating week old fish… DON’T! But, even after my sage advice you decide to do so anyway, please be sure to have a cup of Organic Peppermint tea close by. It will soothe your stomach and produce a great cuppa tea.

If you have had an opportunity to experience a cup of Organic Peppermint tea, stop by and share your experience. Until then… Happy Tea Drinking!

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Organic Mountain High Chai Tea

My Saturday morning tea was Organic Mountain High Chai Tea. A lover of chai tea, I could not wait to taste and remininsce about my first loose tea experience. It was Indian Spice (a yummy chai tea) from Harney and Sons. So with eager anticipation, I tore open the see-through pouch containing the nylon tea sachet.

Composition: Organic Single Region Assam black tea, Organic cinnamon, Organic cardamom seed, Organic cloves, organic orange peel, natural flavor.

Dry Visual: Full of earth tones Organic Mountain High Chai contained a mixture of oranges, browns, and creams. I could not discern any additional characteristics as this is loose tea in a biodegradable nylon sachet.

Dry Aroma: Yummy! A distinct aromatic spiciness characteristic of chai teas. 

Flavor: Organic Mountain High Chai Tea was flavorful, yet a bit milder than I expected. The various spices blended together well giving a true chai tea experience. I initially sipped without sweetener and found Organic Mountain High Chai Tea to be naturally sweet. However, as a true lover of chai, my cuppa tea just wasn’t right without some sort of sweetener – at a minimum. Adding Sugar-In-the Raw enhanced my chai experience. While I would have loved to incorporate milk or cream, Organic Mountain Chai was not robust enough to add.

Liquor: A reddish-brown hue.

Brewing Time: Recommended brewing time is 3 minutes. Initially I brewed for the recommended 3 minutes, but added an additional 2 minutes.

Manufacturer: Two Leaves and A Bud

Caffeine: Yes.

If you have never enjoyed chai tea, let me first tell you that the word “chai” is Hindi for tea. There are no other teas I would add both milk and a sweetener to other than chai. The complexity in taste is amazing. Some call the concoction “chai tea latte” (like Starbucks) I usually drop the latte. Sounds too much like coffee.

So, if you have had the opportunity to enjoy a cup of Organic Mountain High Chai Tea please stop by and comment. I would love to hear your experience. Until then… Happy Tea Drinking!

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Jasmine Petal

Many hellos to my fellow tea lovers! With all the things going on in our lives, its nice to enjoy a hot cuppa tea. One of my newest teas that I had the opportunity to taste was Jasmine Petal. 

Composition: Green tea grown on the Fujian Coast in China and Jasmine petals.

Dry Visual: Predominantly very green twisted tea leaves with golden flecks that I assume are the Jasmine Petals. Considering this tea is contained in sachets it I did not have the clearest visual. Thanks Two Leaves and A Bud for the picture.

Dry Aroma: Mildly vegetal with a hint of Jasmine. However the wet aroma was very floral – Jasmine of course.

Flavor: Jasmine was the predominant flavor; however, this tea was a little more vegetal than I expected. I believe the green tea undertones were fighting for presence which created a slight bitterness. Jasmine Petal can be enjoyed with or without sweetener, however, I added a little honey which rounded out the flavor and eliminated the bitterness.

Liquor: A dark amber color.

Brewing Time: Recommended brewing time is 4 minutes. I brewed for the recommended 4 minutes.

Manufacturer: Two Leaves and A Bud

Caffeine: Yes.

If you have had the opportunity to enjoy a cup of Jasmine Petal Tea please stop by and comment. Until then… Happy Tea Drinking!

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Tamayokucha

This week has been a difficult one – too much homework, too much work, too much of everything. Posting tea reviews somehow kept falling to the end of the list. So tonight, I decided not to do anything else on my list until I reviewed the most recent tea I had the pleasure of drinking. I admit – I opted for “ease of use” when I grabbed the Tamayokucha tea bag to brew and taste last night. Now let me tell you all about it…

Composition: Organic green tea – nothing more and nothing less.

Dry Visual: Bright green tea leaves. I wish I could have had a better view, but Tamayokucha is a loose tea in a silk sachet thus any distinct characteristics were difficult to ascertain. 

Dry Aroma: Very mild vegetal smell… very mild.

Flavor: Tamayokucha is a delicious green tea. I was impressed by the flavorful, yet mild vegetal taste. I have steeped and enjoyed several cups of this tea, at times adding sweetener and at times playing around with steeping times. I enjoyed one cup with Sugar-In-The-Raw, but prefer drinking with no sweetener at all. Ironically, sweetener takes away from the vegetal quality that surprisingly I enjoyed tremendously.

Special note, the teabags contain enough loose tea for mug size brewing, so be sure to put away your dainty teacups when enjoying a cup.

Liquor: A unique lime green hue.

Brewing Time: Recommended brewing time 4-6 minutes.  I brewed for each of the recommended times… 4, 5, and 6 minutes. The best cup of Tamayokucha Tea was brewed for 5 minutes.

Manufacturer: Two Leaves and A Bud

Caffeine: Yes.

If you want to enjoy a cuppa green tea on the fly, grab a bag of Tamayokucha by Two Leaves and A Bud. If you have had the opportunity to drink a cup, stop by and let me know. I would love to hear about your experience.  Until then… Happy Tea Drinking!

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Organic Acai White Tea

Over the past few days many have been affected by the hurricane force winds that traumatized the Midwestsection of the country – in particular Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky. My portion of Ohio was hit hardest with 84 mph wind gusts – remnants from Hurricane Ike. My family was fortunate to have not been one of the nearly 700,000 people who lost power. While our home sustained some minor damage and we lost phone and Internet service for three days, we are truly blessed that this is the extent of our impact.

Over the last few days, I have pondered this as I steeped and drank several cups of Organic Acai White Tea. Even as we opened our home to those in need, I could not help but to thank God that none of my family (parents, in-laws, and siblings included) sustained any serious damage or injury.

Composition: Organic traditional Chinese silver needle white tea, hill grown in the Fujian Province China, conventional acai berries, natural flavor.

Dry Visual: Broken silver needle leaves with dried pieces of red acai berries – quite colorful. Organic Acai White Tea is a loose tea in a silk sachet thus distinct characteristics are difficult to ascertain. Thanks to Two Leaves and A Bud for the picture above.

Dry Aroma: Somewhat vegetal – not strong but mild. The acai is undetectable.

Flavor: Organic Acai White Tea has a nice white tea taste – a little more robust than other white teas previously enjoyed. The acai berry adds an unexpected bitterness to the tea. I think I was anticipating a natural sweetness that Organic Acai White Tea lacked. I have steeped and drank several cups of this tea, at times adding sweetener and at times playing around with steeping times. I preferred drinking Organic Acai White Tea with Sugar-In-The-Raw.

Special note, the teabags contain enough loose tea for mug size brewing, so be sure to put away your dainty teacups when enjoying a cup.

Liquor: A unique yellow hue – not gold but a rich yellow tea.

Brewing Time: Recommended brewing time 4-6 minutes.  I brewed for each of the recommended times… 4, 5, and 6 minutes. The best cup of Organic Acai White Tea was brewed for 4 minutes.

Manufacturer: Two Leaves and A Bud

Caffeine: Yes.

What is Acai? 

This tiny, dark, round fruit is about the size of a blueberry (with a large, inedible seed) and tastes like chocolate and wildberries. Acai (pronounced ah-sigh-ee) is grown in Brazil and enjoyed mostly as juice in health drinks, smoothies or dried and mixed with granola. Called a “superfood”, acai is rich in anthocyanins (responsible for its royal purple color) and essential fatty acids, both believed to provide many health benefits.

If you indulge in fruit teas, you may really enjoy the flavor of Organic Acai White Tea. If you have tried this tea from Two Leaves and A Bud or another acai white tea, stop by and comment on your experience. Until then … Happy Tea Drinking!

 References: Tropical Fruits Pictures Slideshow: Photos of Exotic Fruits. (2008, May 1). In WebMd. Retrieved September 17, 2008, from http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/exotic-fruits-slideshow

Image by: Rogerio Assis / SambaPhoto / Getty Images

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