The Gift That Keeps On Giving

CaryTown Teas' Tea of the Month Club is the perfect gift for any tea connoisseur or those who are new to tea. We currently offer 3 memberships—12 month, 6 month or 3 month.

With your membership you will be enjoying CaryTown Teas classics, unique harvests and alluring blends that are hand crafted exclusively for World Tea of The Month Club members! Each month, 2-3 ounces (approximately 20-30 servings) of 3 carefully selected teas will be shipped to your door. The teas are seasonally selected and will alternate each month.

Summer Hibiscus Sparkler

Summer Hibiscus Sparkler Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

Hibiscus Tea Simple Syrup:
1/2 cup agave or honey
1 cup water
4 heaping teaspoons Sabdariffa Hibiscus

Summer Hibiscus Sparkler:
2 tablespoons Hibiscus Tea Simple Syrup
4 oz chilled champagne or sparkling wine
Raspberries or lemon twist, if desired

DIRECTIONS:

1. To make Hibiscus Tea Simple Syrup, mix agave and water in 1-quart saucepan. Heat to almost boiling over medium heat, stirring until agave dissolves. Remove from heat. Add Hibiscus; steep 10 minutes. Remove Hibiscus ( using a tea infuser or filtering into a seperate vessel); set aside 1 hour to cool. Transfer to a storage container. Cover container, and refrigerate up to 1 week. Makes 1 1/2 cups.

2. To make cocktail, add 2 tablespoons simple syrup to a champagne flute. Top with champagne. Garnish with raspberries or lemon twist.

Real Men Drink Tea

Tea isn't just for the ladies you know, real men, the really REAL men drink tea too.

Here are a couple ideas for that special dude in your life.

LAPSANG SOUCHONG

Smooth and clean with a powerful smoky scent. Traditionally dried with smoke from burning pine root. 

Many China teas have a subtle toasty note, but Lapsang Souchong has a dominating smoky flavor. Legend has it that the smoking process was discovered by accident. During the Qing dynasty, an army unit passing through a village camped out in its tea factory, which was filled with fresh leaves awaiting processing. When the soldiers left and the workers were able to return, there was not enough time to dry the tea the customary way. So they lit open fires of pine wood to hasten the drying. Upon taking the tea to market, to their surprise the new tea created a sensation. Today, Lapsang Souchong is first withered over pine root fires, then panfried, rolled and oxidized. The leaves are then placed in bamboo baskets and hung on wooden racks over smoking pine fires to dry and absorb the smoke. The result is a powerfully smoky aroma coupled with a sweet and mild taste. 

This is my favorite all time tea, it is comparable to a single malt scotch and appeals to scotch drinkers as well.

Don't drink tea? Well your in luck! Lapsang Souchong makes a wonderful rub for meat and makes a nice touch to any BBQ.

GUNPOWDER OSPREY

The boldest and darkest of the green teas, makes a great iced tea and is wonderful to infuse with vodka! Yes, I said vodka. Steep the tea loose in vodka for about an hour or two and then strain into a bottle, makes a great green tea vodka soda.

PUERH

Puerh tea is an aged tea that is amazing at lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol while raising HDL (good) cholesterol. Great for those men that love their red meat. Because it is aged the tannin content is extremely low making it a very smooth, earthy tea. You can drink it hot or cold and it also makes a good rub for lamb.

Peachy Keen !

 WHITE PEACH BLOSSOM COCKTAIL

You will need:

- 4-5 mint sprigs

- 1.5 oz.  Cognac

- 1 oz. simple syrup

- 1 oz.White Peach Blossom iced tea

***

Fill glass with ingredients, shake, and strain over fresh ice cubes. Garnish with mint sprig.

St. Paddy's Day Matcha-Tini Recipe

Matcha-Tini Recipe

Dissolve 1/2 teaspoon of Izu Matcha and 1 to 3 teaspoons of sugar into 2 tablespoons of water. Pour into a shaker full of ice, and add 2 shots of vodka or gin. Shake shake shake. Pour into a martini glass - garnish with seasonal fruit if you like.

If it's too strong, top up with a little sparkling water.

Happy Paddy's Day !!!

Dont Forget To Book Your Spot !

We only have a few spots left, reserve yours before its too late!!

Mother Daughter Tea and Tasting

" Soon to Become a True Richmond Tradition"

Presented by CaryTown Teas & Green Monkey Catering

Lisa Granger, Professional Chef- Green Monkey Catering

Patricia Guillouard Adams, Master Tea Blender- CaryTown Teas

Where; The Elgant Glave Kocen Gallery (www.glavekocengallery.com)

1620 West Main Street, Richmond VA 23220

When; Saturday, February 11, 2012

3:00 pm - 4:30 pm in the afternoon

Enjoy this monthly event with the regional teas paired with the tastings of delicacies from around the world. The February event features loving teas, paired and complimented with a delightful tasting menu.

Tasting Menu

Grand Marnier Infused Strawberries Dipped in Chocolate

Heart Shaped Strawberry Basil Scones w/Strawberry Cream

English Tea Sandwiches

Cheddar Cheese Straws and Fruit

Goat Cheese Chocolate Truffles

Teas

Black Rose

Chocolate Lovers

Plum Oolong

Mother's Bouquet

Make your reservations by calling 804.740.6659 Seating is limited to 35.

Reservations are $15 per person for children and adults(3 or more tickets are$13 per person).

Reservations are accepted until Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at noon or until seating capacity is reached.

Celebrate the Holidays with CaryTown Teas

We have extended our holiday hours for the month of December, Monday thru Saturday 10 am to 8 pm and Sundays 12 pm to 5 pm. We hope that these longer shop hours will help all of you that have crazy work schedules.

On top of our new hours, we have also started blending our holiday teas, including;

Holiday Chai

Winter White

Hot Cinnamon Spice

Cinnamon Plum

Holiday Blend

Turmeric Ginger

Icewine

Sage Bergamot

Fire Ginseng

And dont forget all of our tea accessories, including;

local tea pottery

glass tea pots & mugs

blooming tea sets

matcha sets

yerba mate sets

prepared gift baskets

custom tea sample chests

gift certificates

tea of the month club memberships

AND plenty of stocking stuffers.....

Yerba Mate + Bike Ride = AWESOME !!!

I was recently up in the D.C. area to visit some friends and I had the pleasure of bringing my bike along. I lived up there years ago and am kicking myself in the face for never using the W&OD trail . I never knew that northern Virginia had such a pretty hidden treasure.

I spent a lot of time on the trail and there are so many things that I love about it but I have to say my favorite memory is this picture. I stopped under a tree that was right next to these three guys and had a Yerba Mate stop. While they were busy trying to eat my bike I revved up my energy for the next part of my ride.

In remembrance of that awesome day, We are doing a September special. When you buy a Hand Carved Diamond Yerba Mate Set at the discounted price of $50 you will get 2 FREE ounces of both the Roasted Lemongrass Yerba Mate and the Tupa Yerba Mate !!! Also, if you have the chance, I really recommend you check out the trail.

We're BAAAAaaaaaack !!

And we have a whole shop full of freshly blended teas for you. PLum Oolong and Cranberry Autumn are back for the season, dont miss out!!!!

OFF TO THE FARMS !!!!!

Just a reminder, Patricia and I will be closing the shop from August 20th to September 6th. We will be visiting some of our various herb farms on the west coast.

If there are any teas that you are running low on now is the time to come snatch them up !! We dont want anyone to run out of tea while we are gone ( we know how much that sucks).

Come in any time Tuesday thru Saturday 11am - 6pm. But dont wait till the last minute, people are rrrreeeaaaallyy stocking up fast !!!

SUMMER HOURS

Starting July 15th we will be switching to our

Summer Hours

Sunday & Monday

CLOSED

Tuesday

11-6

Wednesday

11-6

Thursday

11-6

Friday

11-6

Saturday

11-6

And we will be CLOSED August 20th thru September 6th. We will be visiting some of our herb farms out west...soooo if you are getting low on tea then you might want to come by and stock up!!

JUNE = NATIONAL ICED TEA MONTH

It all began on a hot summer day in June 1904, in a city on the banks of the Mississippi River. It was the Worlds Fair and exhibitors throughout the grounds were working to attract fair goers to their booths and ultimately promote their ideas or products. Among them was Englishman Richard Blechynden, representing Indian tea growers; he was overseeing one of the opulent pavilions. Decorated in the finest silks, and staffed by Indian men dressed in traditional garb, who were all meticulously trained in proper tea service, Richard anxiously awaited the opportunity to introduce the finest black teas India had to offer to the crowd of fair goers. The U.S. tea market was dominated by China and believe it or not, green tea was the best seller in the Midwest.

When a heat wave hit St. Louis, Blechynden’s hopes for a successful tea party were dashed. Absolutely no one was lining up to sip hot tea in the sweltering heat and pavilion remained empty.

While contemplating what to do next, Blechynden noticed an ice delivery at a nearby food stand and the idea struck him! He purchased several blocks of ice, borrowed ice picks and put the well dressed staffers to work chipping away and filling glasses, first with ice, and then with brewed tea. The tea was a hit! Cold and refreshing was a sure fire winner on the hot, humid summer days, and crowds lined up to get a taste and cool off. India had finally made a dent in the U.S. tea market and iced tea clearly became the tea of choice for Americans; now 85% of the tea consumed in the US is served over ice.

Drink Recipe: Spiced Rooibos Punch

Spiced Rooibos Punch

Yields 35 cups of punch

If you do not have fresh, juicy oranges and lemons, use frozen lemon juice (defrosted) and a not-from-concentrate orange juice in a carton. The Rooibos can be placed in a teaball (metal or plastic infuser) or use teabags so you do not have to strain it out after brewing.

1 teaspoon whole cloves
2 cinnamon whole sticks
6 quarts cold water
5 teaspoons Rooibos
juice of 6 oranges
juice of 3 lemons
2 cups pineapple juice
3 cups sugar or alternative sweetener, approximate

(needless to say, use organic ingredients)

Place the spices in a cheesecloth or tea-infusion bag, and the Rooibos into a separate bag if using loose. Add both to the water and bring to a boil. Let stand five minutes, then remove the two bags and discard. Stir in the three fruit juices, then the sugar or other sweetener, adjusting to taste. Can be served hot or chilled.

Just Ducking Around

Really excited about these floating infusers, they came in yesterday and are definitely going in some Easter baskets..

By the White Moonlight

Moonlight White

Moonlight White is made with minimal processing, relying mainly on natura withering. Due to drought conditions this year, the fresh tea leaves had less moisture and during processing, the tea dried at a faster rate, so this lot seems a bit less oxidized and has a noticeably fresher edge to it. Still, this tea has a distinctive fruity, melon, honey and a bit flowery character. It has a truly unique character of ancient cultivated assamica with specific fruity, honey and brisk character that differs from the more savory Fuding white teas. Prepare like white tea or try infusing more leaf, a gaiwan and prepare using the gong fu cha method, similar to making puerh.

This is the first time I have ever seen a white tea fly of the shelf this fast. Truly an amazing tea.

"Tea Time" Mail Art Is Here Again !!

Patricia and I want to say thank you to all of you who sent us those wonderful pieces! And of course a H-U-G-E THANK YOU to Mim for putting the "Tea Time"mail art call out there. There are so many wonderful pieces!!!

We are Going Home !

Its been close to half a year and we are FINALLY going home !! We are hoping to be back in the shop at 24 S. Nansemond st. by the 1st of March. Here are a few pictures of what it looks like now.

" Crossed Eyes & Dotted Teas "

Here are some pictures of Richmond's FIRST optical / tea shop !!!!!!!!!!!

Come check us out, our holiday hours are 10-7 Mon thru Sat & 12-5 Sunday.

3506 W. Cary ( 2 doors down to the left on the other side of Burgers & Fries)

We are getting our signs in tomorrow, for now there is just a sign for Carytown Optical but we ARE here!!

A view from the window.

Changing some bulbs to brighten the space up.

Doing what we can to spice up a drab building.

I actually really love the neon glasses, at night it gives everything a soft glow.

New tea pots!

The optical shop is getting along pretty well, Cynthia is getting new inventory every day.

Neon lips that were once in a "business of the night".....

Stay tuned for the Tea Party/Fire Sale, awesome tea (duh), Designer frames for CHEAP and awesome local art and jewelry.........oh, and tea infused alcohol and wine!!!!

Fresh Off The Boat !!!

Just got in this morning and just finished blending...Yerba Mate !!! YAY!!!!

Now We Have..

Green Raw Mate

Roasted Mate

Tupa Mate

Lemon Ginger Mate

Carob Mint Mate