Favorite of the Week: Oat Straw

I have been having a lot of fun with my new favorite herb: Oat Straw.

Full of minerals and vitamins, this soothing nervine does wonders for the mind and body. Tastes a touch grassy (as the name suggests), but synergizes nicely with other herbs for a relaxing blend and calming aroma. I'm even starting to steep my Oat Straw overnight and then heating it up again in the morning for a strong shot of the soothing pleasantries this herb offers.

I seem to be at no loss for Oat Straw blends. And everyone who has tried them has always asked for more. That's no surprise given that it is a nourishing herb and one that most people are not familiar with (and novelty has a unique effect within itself)

So, just reporting from the kitchen...

Stay tuned as I report on further ideas and herbs that I am using.
I'm looking forward to making my blends available for purchase in 2006.

Happy Sipping!

Spotlight: Essencha Tea Company

It was my good fortune to stumble upon a tea company at the end of last year - an online merchant, who is quickly becoming my new favorite. I rarely do recommendations but this is well-worth your time and interest, so check it out: Essencha.

You gotta love their name, which the website (under tea house info) explains:

Just as our name implies, we chose to focus on the "essence of tea (cha)": water, fire, leaves, and you, freeing you to create your own tea experiences and rituals. At Essencha, we find joy in the celebration of the mundane, believe in the beauty of the simple and natural implicit in tea culture, and are eager to share this with the world.

From the enticing (and accurate) photos of the product, to the helpful (and oft amusing) descriptions, you can feel confident with each purchase. The site is easy to navigate, the hardest part is choosing which (how many) teas to purchase. and did I mention that they have a full satisfaction guarantee?

I got my order last week of the Monkey Picked Oolong, and I couldn't be happier. Its legendary name refers to Buddhist monks who trained monkeys to harvest the youngest leaves from the top of the wild tea trees. Now, never having ordered from them before, ordering what is known to be among the highest quality of oolong may have been risky, but as I said before, everything about Essencha is quality and it shows. From their website to their packaging to select choice of teas....Quality - and isn't that why we drink tea in the first place? To truly enjoy the experience?

They are opening a Tea House in the Spring of 2006 in Cincinnati, Ohio. I've never thought of visiting Ohio before, but I may just have to. And if any of my readers happen to live around those parts, do me a favor and send me your review.

So, if you'll excuse me I 'm going to have tea with my Monkey!

I have just had this blog over a year. As I spent some time recently re-reading past entries and taking into account all that has happened in 2005, it was exciting to see a marked progress. I really was a complete newbie to tea in January 2005. I knew I liked mixing herbals and that loose tea was infinitely more desirable than teabags....since then I have upgraded my teawares, filled out the tea shelf, studied herbalism, started a Yahoo group, subscribed to a tea trade magazine, I have invited people to tea, encouraged people to trade tea -- I have brewed mad pots of tea.

Through this blog I have chatted with people from across the country and each encounter has been enriching. I am still excited about the prospect of bonding with someone I've never met over something as simple as tea, thanks to the web.

So, I want to thank everyone who's stopped by to read and share and email me. There will be more to read...much more! Good things are brewing....new things for the new year.

Warmly,
Madam Potts

Nothing I love more than a day spent sipping tea, stretching out, taking walks about the neighborhood. This weekend, I have been sipping a Magnolia Oolong. The flora tones are reminiscent of a jasmine, but with the brassy tones an oolong. Talking of which, I have found an excellent new website Oolong Fetish. It is listed as a link on the side as well. I recommend checking it out.