Amy’s Blog

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Hi all,

Since I’ll be on Sacramento and Company next week, I’ve been doing more research about the health benefits of tea -especially Pu-erh teas. After hearing Norwood Pratt speak about a research study in France during his visit to our tea room, I decided to pursue Pu-erh tea a bit further. I discovered more specifics. In France a blind study was conducted with 500 patients with advanced cholesterol conditions, usually controlled with medication. Half of the controlled group consumed 3-4 cups of Pu-erh tea daily, while the rest of the participants were given something else. After a 30-day period the results showed that drinking Pu-erh on a regular basis could significantly lower cholesterol and further research confirmed that Pu-erh was as effective as the most advanced cholesterol lowering medications available. I think this is exciting news! More research definitely needs to be done in this area, I can’t wait to find out more!

Pu-erh tea is definitely something to experience. It is processed in a similar way as black tea but it does belong in a category of its own. Here is a bit of information for you:

The tea leaves are picked, processed and partially fired (in contrast to black tea which is completely fired to stop oxidation). This partial firing allows the leaves to retain moisture. The slightly moist tea is then piled. The natural bacterium on the leaves creates a reaction similar to that of a compost pile.

Next the tea is aged in special underground rooms or caves, which adds to its unique character. One unique distinction is that pu-erh tea tends to get better over time. Aged Pu-erh teas are prized and can be found in vintages like wine with some dating back 40-100 years.

Pu-erh tea can be found in several forms: loose or in cake form. The one we have at the moment is Golden Bud Pu-erh which is in loose form. It has beautiful golden tips and has a honey-like taste. For those who haven’t yet experienced a pu-erh tea, be forewarned. It may take a bit of getting used to. Most often times it tastes much better than it smells. It definitely has an “earthy aroma.” For those who love earthy foods such as mushrooms, this will be the tea for you! It is also great with a bit of Chrysanthemum flowers mixed in. Just ask and we can blend it for you.

Hi all,

I have to admit, I’m very disappointed in a new research study about decaffeinating tea. For years I’ve been telling my customers that you can decaffeinate tea by steeping it first for 30 seconds and then resteeping it for the correct amount of time (black 4 minutes, greens/oolongs 3 minutes). Now after reading a recent article from a well respected colleague Bruce Richardson, it was found that it takes 6 minutes to remove 80% of the caffeine -which will take out most of the flavor of the tea. The study didn’t give an exact percentage for the 30 second method but two other studies cited said the 30 second method only decaffed the tea 9-20% which is much less than previously thought.

So I guess the 30 second method does take out a bit of the caffeine and it’s better than nothing. But for those very sensitive to caffeine I’ll definitely have to recommend an herbal tisane such as Rooibos. Luckily at least tea contains much less caffeine than coffee, so for those trying to cut down on their caffeine intake, tea is a great way to go.

To read more about the decaf research read the article.

Have a wonderful day!

Amy

Hi Everyone!

We’re getting ready for our holiday open house on Thursday.  My family and I will be going up to the tea room tonight to decorate for the big day!  Today I’m busy working on our new tea club program.  We’ll be announcing the details on Thursday during open house.  Hope to see everyone there!

Hi all,

Just wanted to let you know that I’m working on a few new things.  My husband and I are playing around with our new camcorder and we hope to bring some educational videos to you soon.  Our afternoon/evening with James Norwood Pratt should be up soon.  Some other exciting videos we hope to include are a scone-making video with recipes and a tea education video including steeping times and how to make a perfect cup of tea.  I’m also working on a tea club membership which I’m hoping to introduce next week during our Holiday Open House.  Keep checking back to read about our progress.

James Norwood Pratt’s visit was absolutely wonderful!  We all were mesmerized by his stories about the tea, the tea history and his enthusiasm.  It was a magical afternoon and evening.  I learned so much.  He continues to inspire me about the world of tea.  Stay tuned for more on the home page of the website, pictures and a video. I can’t wait to share all of the details with you!

Good morning everyone!  It’s an exciting day around here.  Our special guest is coming in tonight.  I had a thought this morning.  If any of you have questions for our tea expert, James Norwood Pratt, please feel free to e-mail me at amy@afternoontoremember.com.   I’ll ask them for you and let you know his answers. Stay tuned!

Here it is 5:20 am and I’ve been up since 4:00 am. I’m so excited about tomorrow! I’ll be picking up James Norwood Pratt tomorrow evening. I just can’t wait to chat his ear off about tea. I have to pinch myself that it’s really happening. I remember when I first met him. It was at my first World Tea Expo (formerly called, “Take Me To Tea”) in 2004. I was looking at one of the tea booths and overheard they were getting ready to do a tea tasting. I decided to stay and listen. It wasn’t a very big booth. At first there were only a few people, but eventually it was packed so much so that everyone decided to sit on the floor and listen. Norwood was so mesmerizing. He described the tea, the taste and even the country from where the tea originated. It was then that I fell in love with tea. Prior to that, I had opened the tea room not because I loved tea, but because I loved to cook and entertain. I had always “liked” tea, never cared for coffee, but after that tea tasting session, I fell in love with tea.

Since that first time, the expo has grown tremendously. The tea vendor now has a huge booth and even barstools for us to sit on while we listen to Norwood and taste tea. It’s always the highlight of my trip. This year was particularly exciting as Norwood introduced Rajah Banerjee-owner of one of the oldest tea plantations in Darjeeling, India. He owns the Makaibari Estate where we get our Makaibari Darjeeling. Norwood has talked about him for years and this past year I was finally able to meet him.

It was also at this expo where I talked to Norwood about coming to our tea room. I had wanted to have him come speak to my customers for years, but this year I finally felt comfortable enough to ask him. I think it was because he remembered me by name this year. I felt so special! So now you can see why I can’t sleep. The man who really introduced me to tea is speaking at my tea room! I am so grateful and honored!

Hi all!

It’s official, I can finally announce our big news because I saw it on their website this morning. I knew a few weeks ago, but couldn’t tell until it came out officially. We won Best Tea Room in Sacramento Magazine’s Best of the Best. Thanks to all of my wonderful customers who voted for us! You are the reason we won. Thank you so much for your loyalty and dedication!

So much has happened in the past two weeks, my head is spinning! On Wednesday I found out that I will be teaching a class at the World Tea Expo with Babette Donaldson author of Emma Lea Books. We’re very excited!

I was invited to be a guest chef at the Mandarin Festival in November. I will be making mandarin scones on Saturday, November 22nd for them.

Our new cute little white tea pots with infusers came in this week. They are darling! They’ll make a great Christmas present as they are only $11.95 each.

I’ve been chatting back and forth with Norwood Pratt about our tea tasting event on the 22nd of this month. I can’t wait for everyone to meet him. Fran found a wonderful article about him in Fresh Cup Magazine.

I found out another piece of exciting news but can’t share this one until late October. I’ll let you know as soon as I can. Stay tuned!