That's Some Bloody Good Tea!

As many of my readers know, I love blending tea for musicians and bands because the added inspiration that comes along with the music adds a level to the blending process.  I also love that when the final product has been created that you can Hear AND Taste the music.

Upon opening the form that The Bloody Jug Band emailed me, the first thing I noticed was that all of their answers were in a Red Font and naturally wanted a red-hued tea.  These guys were serious about their branding.  And they were seriously into creating something you've never had before. Other stand-out answers included that they wanted a "Florida Swamp Noir" feel to their blend...and the pleasant request that their tea be "bad ass".

They sent me a CD, which helped me understand what they meant by "bad ass" and "swamp noir". Who would have thought that songs about robbing graves, the walking dead, death and disease could be so catchy?  I get a thrill out of cruising around town listening to their EP "First Drops".

(EDITOR's NOTE: this EP is the most outrageously fun $5 you're going to spend all month)

We ended up making not one tea....not two teas....but three Bloody Jug Band "Jambor-Teas" - because you simply can't cram all this bad ass inspiration and enthusiasm into one blend. It goes to show, the more personality you let shine through on your form, the more inspired your tea becomes.

The 3 Jambor-Teas are:
The Bloody JamborTea - this spicy herbal blend brews up bloody red. Designed to get you going, wake you up, get the blood flowing with the use of spices.  Caffeine-free.  This tea is Hot Blooded!!!

BBQ JamborTea -  It's a BBQ you can drink. With 13 ingredients in this hickory smoked concoction, this tea is good enough to eat!  (it also doubles as a spice rub, so technically I guess you can)

Swamp JamborTea - yes, I said swamp. And sure enough this green tea, roots & valerian mix is every bit as earthy in taste and smell like a Florida Swamp at Midnight.  If you like earthy teas, then you'll be curious to try this one.

What more can I say?...

It's been a hell of a lot of fun for me as a blender to create a color, a food experience and a topographical location.  You never know what sources of inspiration will come your way.

Because these 3 Teas, dare I call them "bad ass blends", are ONLY available on the Bloody Jug Band website, you'll have to order them there.  And while you're at it, pick up a copy of their first EP and give yourself a true multifaceted experience.

Taste & Hear the music.

Music needs a Party...Why not make it a Tea Party?

Travels (to Italy) From a Tea Cup

When I was only 15 years old, it was my experience to travel to Italy.  My travels led me to Florence, Venice. and Milan as well as the picturesque Lake Como region.  This extraordinary adventure marked the first time I had ever been in a plane, the first time I had ever left the country, and was this magnificent opportunity which sparked my life-long love of travel.  

My readers know that I have always loved the unique way in which my experiences with tea have brought me in touch with people from different parts of the world and at times have allowed me to travel from a tea cup.

So it is with all the excitement and sparkle that my tea-sipping, travel-loving spirit can muster and shine that I share another chapter of Travels From A Tea Cup.  Recently I got the chance to design a blend for a tea lover (and fellow ATB member), who happens to live in the Tuscan region of Italy.

It is always with a heart of gratitude that I share any and all of the reviews that I have been fortunate to receive this past year.  And this time is no different.  I was taken by the care that she takes to explain the PersonaliTEA form and process, as well the artistic photographs taken of the tea leaves floating, and the words of inspiration by which this blend SereniTEA was created.

There was a magical feel about this tea.  There seemed to be a measure of mystery and fantasy wrapped up in this blend, perhaps because she wanted her tea to transport her to a Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale, through a forest and across a meadow.  SereniTEA is a pleasurably peaceful blend that is light and sweet and delicate. 

Read the Whole Review Here on SereniTEA.

Review: Anne's Creative Cup

Making tea for a custom tea blender is no doubt one of the most challenging blends I've had to make...ever.  So when I first got the chance to make a PersonaliTEA blend for LiberTEAS, I was honored to say the least. 

Admittedly, LiberTEAS had sooooo much information that ideas for her blend jumped off the page.  Seriously, my kettle started brewing and herbs and teas started magically brewing themselves, and all I did was follow the inspiration given me.

Words of jasmine, chocolate, and lavender created such wonderfully aromatic themes to play with!


I am waiting until the end of the year to make product changes to my website.  I will pick the top 2 or 3 blends, which may not be easy to do.  As always, anyone can email me a requested order or sample of any of my blends should they be so curious. 

I wasn't aware until tonight that she had posted a review on Steepster, as I spend less and less time on line these days...so while this may be old news for some, it excited me to see that my tea was indeed reviewed and duly talked about. 

So thank you for reviewing Anne's Creative Cup!

Review: Orange Avenue Tea

I'm always excited when a tea blend comes together - especially when one is designed for a hard-working rock band, like Orange Avenue, out of Central Florida.

The good folks at The Tea Review Blog gave both the blend and the band a solid Thumbs UP review.

They were even awesome enough to download and post Orange Avenue' new video: Just Refrain

From the Tea Review Blog:

I happen to love Mad Pots of Tea.  Madam Potts, purveyor of tea and tea blender extraordinaire has created yet another delicious custom blend of tea for the band Orange Avenue, which brings a citrus treat to her current custom blends lineup. 

Read MORE....

Orange Avenue was a 2009 Qs House Artist of the Year Winner.  Qs House is a weekly Internet Radio Show dedicated bringing musicians and their fans together and celebrating the rock-n-roll lifestyle, humor and sensibilities.  Listen every week or subscribe to the podcast.

Review of Indigo Dreams

It's always a pleasure to find out that someone tried and liked one of my teas. This specific tea has always been a favorite of mine, and was one of my first tea blends I made as a gift for someone I had never met. The tea sat unnoticed on the site all year until recently. Within a 2-week period, I've had two orders for it, and with one of orders came a subsequent review.

Indigo Dreams is a floral and fragrant blend of jasmine pearls, lavender, violets and jasmine petals. It is a romantic tea, that smells and tastes soft and sensual.

Drinking it before bed will give you Deep Purple Dreams...

The Review for Indigo Dreams

Purchase Indigo Dreams

Mad Pots! on the Tea Review Blog

Most every tea lover must turn to the web to purchase teas - especially as there are so many teas available. As such, having a reliable site to review teas becomes of utmost importance. Recently, The Tea Review Blog has added Mad Pots of Tea! to the roster of reviewed tea companies.

The first review was for Lemon Trance, which is based on my favorite metal rock band.

"Tea and rock n roll! Why not?...So when I read that this was a tea blend based on a metal/rock band called Spiral Trance it naturally piqued my curiosity. Were they any good? And beyond that, was their TEA any good? After all if you are going to have a tea inspired by your metal rock band, it better stand up to some REAL criticism!...."

READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW HERE!


After scoring this review, the founder of the Tea Review Blog site had me create her a tea. Quite a daunting task for someone who has tried and rated over 300 teas...

The result was the blend, Fleur de Grey.

"My favorite all-time overall tea. Why? Well, I suppose because it was blended just for me, based on my Personali-TEA profile at Mad Pots of Tea!....I can’t say that I honestly could have thought up any better blend for me than this. It’s fabulous, it’s fantastic, it’s FREAKING AWESOME! ....I love this tea so much that it’s the ONLY tea I’ve drank for 4 days straight. I’m already out and have ordered more! ..."

READ THE WHOLE REVIEW HERE!

I'd like to thank the Tea Review Blog for the support. It's been great to get my teas professionally reviewed and this has created some welcomed new buzz for my company. As I create teas based on people's personalities and each tea blend is unique to the person, it is especially exciting that other people are discovering these teas.

I have found numerous interesting teas on their site and I hope that you actively use, read, and comment on their site as a show of support. It's a lot of tea to have to drink and they do a great job of sorting through it all.

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A PersonaliTEA Review: Sweet, Sweet Hawaii

A lot of people request that their tea bring them to somewhere tropical. I am finding it a constant challenge to come up with essences and tastes that are uniquely beach-like or tropical. But seeing as I wish I was on an island at any given time of the day, it's a challenge of the happiest kind.

One of my latest PersonaliTEA blends was based on clues that specifically included Hawaii. Often I will hear that people liked their tea, but rarely do I get actual PersonaliTEA reviews from orders that are Gift orders. I was glad to hear from the giver and recipient how much they liked the tea!

Check out what Tea for Today had to say about
Sweet Sweet Hawaii

Recent Reviews: Steepster

I was surprised to find that I had received some reviews on the tea-tasting journal/social site Steepster. Only 1 of the 4 reviews on Steepster are of PersonaliTEA blends for which I am known. The other three are the simpler Christmas blends that I made. As I was not expecting to find myself on this site at all, I was overjoyed that someone had taken the time to review my blends. I thank all of you who have sipped and given feedback.

So here are some recent reviews for Mad Pots of Tea!

Harvest Dreams (aka: California Harvest) -- this herbal concoction is like running through a field of sunflowers. There's a taste of Autumn, of sweetness, of hiking through a forest.

NOTE: This review written by the person for whom it was designed. It is the only blend on Steepster that reviews a PersonaliTEA. She has since ordered a half-pound of her blend because she felt it was just that damn good. [excuse the blatant self-promotion, but I am extermely proud of this tea]


Peppermint Dreams -- a surprisingly refreshing minty blend of white tea, candy canes & peppermint. This is strictly a holiday blend and is not currently available.

Silent Night - I call it my liquid chill pill. Made of 5 organic herbs all known for their soothing properties. This is by far the most relaxing blend I have ever made and it has been one of my most popular holiday blends two years running. Also a popular blend with kids, especially as it has no caffeine.

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Have you sampled a Mad Pots of Tea! Blend - please share with me your review.

If you have not sampled a Mad Pots of Tea! blend and would like to review it for your website/blog, email me!

I Love Jasmine Tea!

I just can't get enough love....I mean tea...I mean I just love tea! I guess I just can' t get enough of either.

Face it, I'm Madly in Love....
...and the object of my affection recently is Jasmine Tea.

Read all about my Romance With Jasmine Tea here.

And if you're like me and just can't get enough of it check out this Mad Pots of Tea! blend (pictured above)

Indigo Dreams

Let the Romance Begin...

Are You in Love?

Are you in love with tea?

It's okay to love tea, because tea loves you back....


And for some truly romantic Mad Pots Blends, check out:

Carribean Delight

Indigo Dreams

New Blend: Anyone's Tea

Musicians and singers rely on drinking (mad pots of) tea in order to maintain and soothe their voices - so when I get the chance to design a tea for a music artist, I get particularly excited. The inspiration comes not only from what they write on their form, but also from their art.

This next blend is truly unique brew inspired by an alternative rock band out of Orlando, Florida called Anyone's Guess. I heard them on the Qs House Radio Show (listen live every Tuesday night or podcast here) and should they ever make it up to the Northeast I look forward to rockin' out with them in person.

This blend struck me as especially mad and eccentric and unlike any blend I had made prior. It is sweet & warming with a soft finish and altogether surprisingly good. The base of this tea a licorice root - which is a sweet flavored root which is known to be medicinally beneficial for the throat. Add a touch of orange peel, cardamom, fennel and lavender and you have Anyone's Tea.

Maybe it was the mix of the band itself -- 4 members from different genres having some together in 2006 to form an alternative rock band with a strong female vocal lead. That's right -- Listen up because Sanja kicks ass!

The band has already had requests from their loyal fans about purchasing the tea, which at this time is not up on the website. So until the time that I can get that updated...

Get your own stash of ANYONE's TEA

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My favorite quote, taken from their website:

Anyone's Guess is a female fronted, musical love child of Alanis Morissette, The Cranberries, 30 Seconds to Mars and The Police.

TEA TASTING: Body in Motion

Rainy weather makes for aching bones and joints and tends to increase our desire for catnapping. But what to do when napping is not an option?

Reach for some tea and get that body moving!

Tea -- it's like a massage for the insides....

And certain teas, herbs and spices can help motivate that overall feeling of wellness.

So join me tonight for the unveiling of my latest blend:
BODY In MOTION.

We will be tasting and discussing this Fall-inspired brew!
(available for purchase tonight too!)

WHEN: Tuesday, Oct 27th
TIME: 7-8pm
WHERE: Page Chiropractic & Wellness
Rt 36 in Atlantic Highlands, (200ft south of First Avenue)

oh...and this event is FREE and open to the public!

New Blend: La Foret Curieux

Take a walk in the forest, just after it has rained.

It is a cool Spring evening
and the stars are just starting to come out.

Lost in a work of your own --

A world of peaceful thoughts

and of curious questions.

Welcome to the Curious Forest.

La Foret Curieux simply means : The Curious Forest. (so much more sophisticated in French, n'est pas?). I take great dedication in making sure that every bit of the custom blended teas reflect the person for whom they have been created, and so it is with much excitement and joie de vive that I introduce to you my latest blend.

It took awhile for this blend to work itself out. Given such sensory-laden responses gave me plenty to work with, and plenty to balance just right. The girl whose blend this is had the most interesting answers for favorite scent: fresh grass, forest after rain, wood smoke, old books, sage, honey and roses.

She told me she liked strong plain tea the best. As I only create complex blends, it was obvious that her self-described curiosity is what must have urged her to fill out the PersonaliTEA form.

Not only is this a very aromatic blend, but it is also one of the more colorful ones I have created as of late. I must admit I am rather fond of it myself. It's certainly woodsy, with a top note of floral earthiness and a bottom note of smokiness. Having spent many many summers in the woods and Autumn days hiking forests I guess this is one of my favorite places to be transported to in a cup of tea.
The Feedback from Our Tea Lover in Paris: It's done, i've tried out your tea and now I can say it "you've found MY tea!" It's just delicious, I drink a cup of it at least twice a day, and I really feel like I am in a Forêt Curieuse, full of flowers and ferns, wood smells around me...Thanks again for that.

Au Revoir,

Madam Potts

New Blend: English Autumn

This latest blend is true tea drinking delight. Not all of the PersonaliTEA blends I create are my new favorite -- but this one is. Perhaps the timing for this tea is right -- as we leave the summer behind us and (at least here on the Jersey Shore) the cooler weather descends fairly quickly. This warm and hearty ceylon & darjeeling black tea blend has been inspired by images of England and Nova Scotia, by stormy mornings and cool Autumn breezes. Hints of clove, vanilla & walnuts make this an especially inviting cup.

I will have to send some of this to my friend in England and ask her if it truly reflects a Fall Day in England...

This is the first of many custom blends I made over the last few months. New Blends will be featured with more regularity, and in time made available directly through the website. I have a wealth of things to blog, so if you don't see the blend I made for you up here, be patient with me.

Happy Sipping!

New Blend: Sassy Island Mint

Its not evey day you get to name a tea "SASSY",
but when the Tea fits, drink it! ... and sure enough, this fits to a Tea!

When asked on the PersonaliTEA form to list 3 words to describe her, Sassy seemed to leap out from the page...and so...along with some other choices and words listed, lo and behold it became known as Sassy Island Mint.

Resplendent of a refreshingly cool tropical wind, soft, cooling and minty with an exotic aroma (which to many of my friends smelled like Andes Mints). This marks my first use of an all-natural flavoring, which gives it that warm and spicy vanilla essence (mistaken often for a chocolate essence). I was given some high-powered product from my friend, who is a commercial baker and told me to have fun experimenting with it!

This white tea based blend is a unique mix of a warm tropical vanilla with a cool lavender and mint undertone. It has quickly become a new favorite blend of mine. I will have to get this up on the site for purchase...but in the meantime, please enjoy the photo.


(and if interested in trying it for youself, just email me!)

New Blend: Morning Dawn

One of the great things about being a custom tea blender is, that if your friends happen to like tea (albeit most of my friends didn't realize how much they liked tea until they met me....), that I can always whip up the perfect gift.

Well...we hope for perfection...actually blending for friends & family always carries with it a subtle layer of pressure...but really, what blend that I send out doesn't make me tingle with nervous excitement, hoping that the blend does in fact match the sipper.

But I digress.....

Such was my opportunity to blend a friend a tea for her birthday. No doubt that I will be blending her more for all she has done for the Mad Mad Tea Party and beyond....

Morning Dawn is a bright and fruit-forward tea. A good morning starter with a touch of sweetness. A very unassuming tea, not overly bold, but full of flavor -- strangely reflective of the bright, happy aura that is the goodness and sweetness of my friend Dawn.

(Happy Birthday!)

New Blend: Vintage VarieTEA & Tea Party recap

I got the opportunity to design a blend of tea on a place of business, which I have always wanted to do. It is similar to designing a blend on a person (especially when the business in question has a lot of character) but it is more challenging and requires more intuition. The usual method of simply using the PersonaliTEA Form does not really apply.

However, my latest blend, Vintage VarieTEA was created for the host of the Mad, Mad Tea Party -- a unique shop called Vintage Variety. This artsy edgy vintage shop lended itself quite easily to a Mad Tea blend. And while it is easy to say that all I did was mix a little bit of everything, whether your mixing tea or paints or liquors - simply adding a little bit of everything is not a easy as it sounds.

Vintage VarieTEA is a mix of 2 types of tea (White and Black), plus Rooibos, 2 types of roots, 2 flowers petals and 3 dried fruits -- it is by far my most experimental blend ever.

Having had this blend samples by over 50 people in its short time of existence, I am more than pleased to say that the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. The taste of the blend is fruity and sweet without being predominately so. The color brews up a beatiful reddish pink hue. And as one friend remarked of the aroma of the dry blend, that it"smells oddly enough just like a vintage store". While that comment could sound less than complimentary, it was indeed meant as a statement of excitement that the blend truly matched the inspiration in every way.

Vintage VarieTEA is available for purchase at Vintage Variety in Atlantic Highlands, NJ.

As for the party, I would like to thank all those who helped to make it happen, and all those who came to be a part of this CommuniTEA.

I sensed a real need for social outlet, a way for people to take little journey in their day to experience something different, to try something new, to meet fresh faces, to hear some live music..to do something fun and random....and the Mad, Mad Tea Party is certainly all those things.

I'd especially like to thank Mr. Ron Santee for lending his musical talents to the party, for setting a fun, relaxed atmosphere. I look forward to working with more musicians and varied styles of music for future parties. Music and Tea just kinda go together....

The Mad, Mad Tea Party has been asked to return to Vintage Variety next month!

::Happy Dance!::

So I will keep you all posted. Next month will feature the cool side of tea as we delve into the hot summery months on the shore and brew up some crazy-blended iced tea...

Pictures of the Mad, Mad Tea Party
can be found here: Mad, Mad Tea Pix!

New Blend: Sweetly Sings the Blues

This next blend was also created for a singer, Clayton Senne. I met Clayton through Qs House, after he won Resident's Choice Artist Award for 2008. His soulful blues-pop style was a lot of fun to listen to and even more fun to create into a tea blend.

Clayton's PersonaliTEA is entitled: Sweetly Sings the Blues. Based on sage & hyssop (two herbs used to take care of the throat) this blend is reminiscent of Spring -- a time of sweetness, where things pop! pop up! pop open!...and the world is a more colorful place because of it.

This red-tinted blend of sage, hyssop, red clover, hibiscus, osmanthus and berries brings this artist to life in a teacup!

Thank you Clayton for your inspiration and your songs!

Tea Party Alert!

Snow, snow go away and let's all hit the beach and play!
Who couldn't use some tropical island warmth this month?

So we're going to the islands in a teacup --
featuring the Tea and the Music of
Bishop Wayne's own PersonaliTEA ~
Caribbean Delight

The Tea Party is happening this Sunday, March 15th at

Madam Pott's Mad Tea House
(in Highlands, NJ)

RSVP only: Contact Madam Potts

New Blend: Lemon Trance

Solidly proving my point that tea is for everyone and that it is far from stodgy, my latest PersonaliTEA creation is based on a metal rock band called Spiral Trance.

These 4 guys are a dedicated group of rockers, touring the country from Milwaukee to New Hampshire and areas in between, living the rock-n-roll lifestyle which, indeed, includes lots of tea. After all, you can't be on stage every week singing and not take care of your throat!

And now, they have their own tea: Lemon Trance.

Now, I don't listen to hard rock. But in the same way I hear people tell me, "I don't drink tea" there is something inherently gained in trying it out anyway. You never know when you will be pleasantly surprised. After all, I have surprised a lot of "non-tea" drinkers by having them sample some true quality brew. So I am happy to report that Spiral Trance got my pot rockin' and I have been playing their new CD non-stop in my car...and that it made for a lively tea party last week.

Even if Spiral Trance's music isn't your cup of tea, I encourage you to try their new blend: Lemon Trance. This energizing, throat comfort tea is sure to go the distance to keep you going. In the yerba mate based blend is a spiral of lemon-y herbs and a touch of echinacea.

Own Spiral Trance's new CD -- click to order: www.ratpakrecordsamerica.com/spiraltrance.