E-Zines

This is an archive of emails we have sent to our customers.  You can sign up to recieve our e-zine for information, recipes and coupons.

Dear Tea Lovers,

Can you believe the holidays are almost here?  As I sit here writing this e-mail I realized that my sons are out of school for Thanksgiving break starting next Monday.  Wow!  It also made me realize that I need to get moving on my shopping.  I hate doing everything at the last minute and since starting the tea room I’ve realized I need to be organized otherwise I feel absolutely crazy during this season.

It seems I go overboard every year with gifts so this year my focus for gifts will be authentic and sincere.  It’s really friendship and family that count - not what you give or get.  I’m really trying to enjoy living in the moment and not waiting for the future.  So here are a few ideas I’ve been working on for the tea room.

A Few Gift ideas under $16.00:

• One idea is to give a 2 oz. tin of tea, a few Tea Pockets, and a favorite recipe. Of course one of my favorite gifts to give is a tin of tea, but I’m never sure if the person already has an infuser.  It can get expensive if you buy an infuser for every tin of tea you give. Therefore, I have discovered if I buy a box of Tea Pockets (which has 50 pockets), I can give away 5 pockets with their tea and I can get 10 gifts out of one box. I also like to include a favorite recipe. This adds a very personal touch and if I received this gift I would be thrilled!  I love favorite recipes.  The cost for this gift idea is about $9.95 per gift.
• Elephantino tea pot and infuser - $11.95 - I love this pot!  I bought a sample at the World Tea Expo in May and have used it ever since.  It’s a 2 cup pot, perfect for one person.
• Prepackaged Gift Sets - $15.95 - These gifts are beautifully wrapped.  We have 3 styles:
  • A tea cup and a tin of tea
  • A tea cup and a box of decorated sugar
  • A teapot trivet and a tin of tea
• Scone Mixes - $5.95 basic, and $6.95 for the Cinnamon Pumpkin Pecan add a jar of our homemade lemon curd or Devonshire and you have a yummy gift!
• Cookbooks - These make wonderful unique gifts for anyone who likes to cook.  (“SORRY - EMAIL only customers“)

Upcoming Events and News Items:

• Learn How to Make Quiche - Wednesday, November 12th at 9:00AM
• Scone class - November 18th 9:00AM
• Sacramento and Company - November 20th - I’ll be talking about tea!
• Mandarin Festival - November 22nd - I’ll be a guest chef making Mandarin Orange Scones
• Sugar Plum Fairy Teas - December 5th, 12th and 19th 3:30-4:30
• Check out our brand new World of Tea Exploration Program - Bring the world of tea right to your door…
• Free shipping for online orders this month - Use the coupon code (“SORRY - EMAIL only customers“) at checkout
• We now offer Morning Tea - $6.95 per person Wednesday-Friday 9-10:30
• Don’t forget we are open on Sundays 11AM-4PM (seatings at 12PM and 2PM)

Have a wonderful week!

Amy

Cranberry Orange Scones from Creating an Afternoon to Remember

Scones

• 3 c. self-rising flour
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1 c. buttermilk
• 1/4 c. orange juice
• 1/2 c. chopped cranberries
• peel or zest of one orange

Glaze

• 1 c. powdered sugar
• 2-3 T. orange juice

Combine flour and sugar.  Cut in butter until mixture is coarse and crumbly.  Add cranberries and orange peel/zest.  Combine buttermilk and orange juice.  Add just enough of the liquid mixture to make a soft dough.  Turn out on a floured board and cut with a biscuit or cookie cutter.

Place scones close together on a cookie sheet sprayed with vegetable oil.  Bake at 400 degrees until lightly browned about 10 minutes.  Brush with glaze while still hot.  Enjoy!

Scones are served best warm and may be reheated in foil before serving.

Dear Tea Lovers,

Last week was such a wonderful one for me.  On Tuesday evening I picked up James Norwood Pratt and brought him back to my house for a nice dinner with my family.  We had such a good time getting to know him better.  On Wednesday we had a leisurely breakfast and then headed off to the tea room where he joined a few special guests for afternoon tea.  He really enjoyed getting to know everyone.  At 3:30 the first tea tasting began. Books were signed and at 6:30 the tea room filled again with eager listeners for the second tasting.

Mr. Pratt enthralled us with his knowledge of the tea world.  We learned so much about the tea plant, the processing of the tea as well as wonderful stories about tea. Keep checking the website for the video (I’m working on it as quickly as I can - Pat (Amy’s husband).) We recorded it, keep in mind that it is a new camcorder and we are amateurs.

During the tea tasting we tasted 6 exquisite teas:

• Tai Ping Green - which is produced only 1 week out of the year
• Master’s Choice Oolong - which can be infused many times
• Makaibari Darjeeling - one of my favorites - also in very limited quantities
• Zhen Qu - an absolutely beautiful fluffy golden tip tea - also in limited quantities
• Keemun Sechrna - a slightly smokey black tea
• Golden Bud Pu Erh - which we learned from Mr. Pratt that it lowers cholesterol significantly according to recent research in France.

Babette Donaldson, my good friend, and children’s author of Emma Lea books is on the World Tea Expo Board has written a nice piece about Mr. Pratt’s visit. You can read about it here.  For those of you who have children and are interested in her books she is now doing a children’s newsletter called Emma Lea’s Monthly Newsletter. She is also sponsoring a contest for children to write about their magic tea pot.

It was a wild week for me, not only did we have Mr. Pratt, we also had a dessert class and Miss Spider’s Tea Party. On Saturday I took a personal day and went to San Francisco to see one of my favorite authors, Martha Beck at the O Event.  I was thrilled to get her autograph and even more thrilled when Oprah herself paid a surprise visit to the event. So yes!  I got to see Oprah in person!  It was exciting!

The one exception to my wonderful week was that my son broke his arm riding his bike home from school while I was at the tea room hosting the Miss Spider’s Tea Party. Thomas is doing fine and will hopefully be casted tomorrow.

So let’s see what exciting things we have for next week!

• Taking Care of You - Class 2
• Holiday Open House - don’t miss it, new merchandise is arriving daily
• We still have space in our quiche classes
• Don’t forget about the Sugar Plum Fairy Teas in December - they are starting to fill up (need to add the event to the site…)

Finally, our Tea of the Month for November is Pumpkin Crème.  It will be 25% off for the entire month.

I hope you have a wonderful week and I hope to see you at the Holiday Open House next Thursday.

Enjoy life, drink a cup of tea!

Amy

Hi Tea Lovers,

We won Sacramento Magazine’s Best Tea Room!  Thanks to everyone who voted for us!  You’re the reason we won!  We are so honored!

To celebrate our win our e-mail special for the rest of the month is… (“SORRY - EMAIL only customers“)

We’re getting very excited for James Norwood Pratt’s visit on Wednesday, October 22nd.  If you aren’t able to come to the afternoon/evening event, come have tea at 11:00 or 1:00 and you may see him.  He will be here most of the day as Good Day Sacramento is coming out early Wednesday morning to do a live shot. For that matter, if you wish to be part of the excitement come have early morning tea at 9:00 am. It’s going to be a very fun day for us!  Come join in the fun!  Remember we will have his book for sale or bring your own copy for him to autograph.

Upcoming events:

• Hands-On Scone class on October 21st at 7:00 am-still have a few spaces
• James Norwood Pratt’s event on October 22nd
• Dessert class on October 23rd at 3:30 pm
• Miss Spider’s Tea Party on October 24th and 31st
• Holiday Open House on November 6th from 3:30 pm-6:30 pm

Have a wonderful weekend!

Amy

Dear Tea Lovers,

It has been a busy weekend.  My husband and I spent the entire weekend working on the website. We added new pictures to the premium tea section.  Take a look at our display teas. I’ve been wanting to share them with you for a long time. They are gorgeous and you wouldn’t even know it by the descriptions. A picture is worth a thousand words. It’s a time consuming process so more will be coming soon!

You will also notice the new blog section, Amy’s Blog on the left-hand side of the website home page.  Take a look and see all of news. It has been a very exciting last few weeks and looking ahead to the next two weeks, the excitement continues.  We start off this week on Tuesday with a big eWomen event with the founder Sandra Yancey. She’s my mentor and hero. And here’s the rest:

Upcoming Events:

• An Afternoon/Evening with James Norwood Pratt on October 22nd - every seat has been filled, my customers do me proud.  He’ll be impressed!
• Miss Spider’s Tea Party on October 24th and 31st
• Scone Making Class on October 21st

Shipping is free for online-orders until the end of November but you must use the code, (“SORRY - EMAIL only customers“), at checkout.

Come in a receive a 25% discount off of our tea of the month - Voodoo.

We’ve had so many requests for our Chocolate Raspberry Pie recipe and no one wants to wait until it comes out in next year’s cookbook.  So below is a sneak peak.  Enjoy and have a wonderful week!

Amy

Chocolate Raspberry Pie

• ¾ c. butter
• 4 t. sugar
• 2 c. flour
• 2/3 c. chopped nuts

Cream butter and sugar together.  Stir in flour; mix well.  Add nuts, mixing well.  Press into a greased 9″x13″ glass pan.  Bake at 375°F for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned.

Filling:

• 1 10 oz. pkg. frozen raspberries
• 2 cans sweetened condensed milk
• 1 T. lemon juice
• 1½ c. cool whip

Thaw raspberries enough to break apart into small chunks.  (Reserve a few for garnishing).  Place all ingredients except cool whip into large mixer bowl.  Beat on high speed 10-15 minutes until mixture expands in volume and thickens.  Fold in cool whip.  Place over pie crust and freeze at least 3 hours before serving.  (Can be made and frozen ahead of time.)  Cut into squares and place in small glass dishes.  Makes about 35-40 small tea desserts.

Chocolate Drizzle:

• ½ of an 8 oz. Hershey bar with almonds
• 2½ T. instant coffee
• 1½ T. Amaretto Liquor

In a glass bowl melt chocolate in microwave.  Add coffee and Amaretto.  Drizzle over dessert.

Dear Tea Lovers,

Our latest newsletter is out!  I wanted to let you know the holiday schedule, new holiday specials and events as well as information about the Open House.

Upcoming Events:

• Our first Oolong Class (Tea 103) is this Thursday, October 9th from 3:00-5:00. I’m so excited about this one! I can’t wait to share these teas with you.  They are so rich with history and information.  We still have space so sign up before Thursday.
• Next week is our holiday class. I know it seems early, but the holidays will be here before you know it.  Many of you are thinking of ideas to save money for the holidays.  One good idea is to have a holiday tea instead of exchanging gifts with your friends.  After all, isn’t friendship which matters most — not the gifts you receive or give?  So have a “Be Thankful for Your Friends” tea.  Come learn how to have the best holiday party ever!  We’ll give you time saving tips, recipes and ideas. Make your reservation now for October 16th.
• Stock up now on your fall teas, Pumpkin Crème, Masala Chai, Gingerbread Crème, Voodoo and of course our house tea falls into this category as well — French Caramel Crème Brule.  Remember shipping is free right now (through the end of November.) Be sure and use the code (“SORRY - EMAIL only customers“) at checkout.

Have a wonderful week!  I’m enjoying the weather, sitting outside on my patio, working on the computer and enjoying my second pot of Makaibari Darjeeling.  Boy, do I love this tea!

Amy

Dear Tea Lovers,

I wanted to let you know of our upcoming events and to pass along a wonderful recipe Dena created — perfect for the fall season.  Is it fall yet?  Everyone wants it to be fall, so maybe if we drink a cup of tea and make Dena’s Mini Rum Pecan Tea Cakes, the cooler weather will come.

So here’s what’s happening:

• Hands-on Scone class on Tuesday, September 30th at 7:00 AM, call Patti at 916-663-6358 for details.
• Tea 102 - Black Teas - October 2nd at 3:00 — my favorite class to teach!
• Miss Spider’s Tea Party on October 24th and October 31st.  We still have space available. Call for details. I can’t wait to see all the children dressed in their costumes!
• Sugar Plum Fairy Tea Children’s Event - Many people have asked about it.  Treat your child or grandchild to a special Christmas afternoon tea. Dress up in your holiday finest.  We will read a special story.  Make your reservation now as seating will be limited.  This is a pre-pay event of $19.98 per person including tax and gratuity (adult or child). No refunds or cancellations. Due to the popularity of this event last year, we will offer 3 different dates — December 5th, December 12th and December 19th from 3:30-4:30.
• Check out our website for our other classes.
• If you attended our anniversary party, don’t forget to use your $5.00 coupon. This is valid for gifts or afternoon teas.
• Don’t forget free shipping on on-line orders until the end of the month (use coupon code (“SORRY - EMAIL only customers“) at checkout.)
• If you haven’t been to tea in a while, come check out our new tea menu.  We have added quite a few premium teas — especially in the Oolong category.

Happy Fall!

Amy

Mini Rum Pecan Tea Cakes

• 1 c. chopped pecans toasted
• 1 box of yellow cake mix
• 1 pkg.  instant vanilla pudding
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 c. cold water
• 1/2 c. vegetable oil
• 1/2 c. spiced rum
• 1/2 t. ginger

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease mini bundt pans (These are the ones that have 12 cakes on a pan).  We like to use the flour spray.  Sprinkle nuts in the bottom of the pans.  Mix first together on low speed of mixer: cake mix, vanilla pudding, eggs, water, oil, rum and ginger.  Mix at medium speed for 2-3 minutes.  Pour batter over the nuts.  Bake 13-15 minutes or until done with a toothpick.  Let sit for 10 minutes.  Remove from pan, transfer to wire rack.  Spoon glaze immediately over the top and sides of the cakes. Garnish with a pecan on top.

Glaze:

• 1/2 c. butter
• 1/8 c. water
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/4.c. rum

Melt butter in microwave for 1 minute.  Add sugar and water and microwave for one minute. Stir and microwave again for another minute. Stir in rum.  (Do not microwave rum in mixture, it will scorch and leave a funny aftertaste).  Makes about 35-40 mini tea cakes.

Hi Tea Lovers,

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for fall!  I heard it was only supposed to be in the 80’s this week and the mornings are now cool. Yeah!  Finally!  For those of you who really know me, know I prefer unflavored and pure teas, but with the weather changing, I’m also ready for a change and a cup of delicious pumpkin creme tea with a nice hot pumpkin pecan scone. Can you tell I’m hungry?  Recipe follows at the end of this e-mail.

I wanted to remind you about our classes this week.

Wednesday - Taking Care of You Class this Wednesday from 3:00-5:00.  It’s the first one in our series and it’s all about you!  I’ll be talking about the tea experience, the health benefits, and how to make and decaffeinate tea.  Betsey Williams will discuss the four easy steps to reduce stress and making changes in your life.  In addition, we’ll have afternoon tea. It will be a great afternoon!

Thursday - Learn How to Make Scones - Patti will show you how!  Learn how to make our anniversary scones and how to adapt them for new recipes. This class is from 1:30-2:30 and a second class from 3:30-4:30.  An afternoon tea is included.

Next week - How to Make Delicious Tea Sandwiches

If you are interested, please call Patti at 916-663-6358 for more details.

Have a great week!  Enjoy a nice cup of tea and relax!

-Amy

Pumpkin Pecan Scones

Scones

• 3 c. self-rising flour- 1/2 c. sugar
• 2 T. cinnamon
• 3/4 c. of toasted pecan pieces
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1 c. canned pumpkin
• 3/4 c. buttermilk

Glaze

• 1 c. powdered sugar
• 2-3 T. water or milk

Combine flour, sugar and cinnamon.  Cut in butter until mixture is coarse and crumbly.  Mix in pecans and pumpkin.  Add just enough of buttermilk mixture to make a soft dough.  Turn out on a floured board and cut with a biscuit or cookie cutter.

Place scones close together on a cookie sheet sprayed with vegetable oil.  Bake at 400 degrees until lightly browned about 8-10 minutes.  Brush withglaze while still hot.  Enjoy!

Scones are served best warm and may be reheated in foil before serving.

Dear Tea Lovers,

The anniversary pictures are up!  Take a look at them and download the ones you want.

Also, I wanted to let you know that the Evening with James Norwood Pratt is almost full but we’ve added another time. I talked to him this week and he agreed to do another tasting on the same day at 3:30. So if you’re interested in hearing him speak, call us at 916.663.6358 to sign up soon.

September classes start next week. If you’re interested in learning more about tea or how to make our amazing scones - this is your chance!

Finally, I just wanted to remind you that from now until the end of September, we have free shipping on all web site orders.  Simply use the coupon code (“SORRY - EMAIL only customers“) at checkout and the shipping charges will be taken off of your order.  If you don’t have your copy of our latest cookbook, Drop by for Tea, or need to get some more tea this is the perfect way to do it and save yourself some money.

Have a wonderful day!

Amy

Dear Tea Lovers,

Check out our latest newsletter with new events and classes.  Inside are also details about our new morning tea.  Drop by for a scone and a pot of tea Wednesday-Friday from 9-10:30AM.  Perfect after dropping off the kids at school or that early morning appointment.

If you have a coupon from our “Buy one in July and get one free in September coupon” don’t forget to book your September reservation.

Finally, from now until the end of September, we have free shipping on all web site orders.  Simply use the coupon code (“SORRY - EMAIL only customers“) at checkout and the shipping charges will be taken off of your order.

Have a fun and safe Labor Day weekend and come visit us soon!

Amy

Dear Tea Lovers,

Just wanted to let you all know that “Drop by for Tea”, the new cookbook is finally in! Purchase it online or stop by and pick yours up today. For those of you attending our 5th year anniversary party, you might want to pick them up this weekend when you have tea.

We do still have a few spaces left for the anniversary party so if you wanted to add someone or wanted to come yourself, call us soon.  I know at this point we still have space on Friday and Sunday.

Have a beautiful day and enjoy the great weather!

Amy