Tea Time with Amy
I spent an Afternoon to Remember last week with Amy Lawrence.
Amy Lawrence is the owner of An Afternoon to Remember. She formerly operated that popular tea room in Newcastle, CA and now specializes in selling her fine loose teas from her new home in Seattle. Amy was back in Northern California for several special events...all tea related, of course.
I attended Amy's talk on the Health Benefits of Tea held at my favorite local antique store, The Antique Trove in Roseville, CA.
Amy Lawrence
Amy's talk on the Health Benefits of Tea was very informative. She began by saying
"all tea is good for you!"
Amy's talk included not only the health benefits of tea but also a lesson on all the different types of teas. All true tea must come from the Camellia Sinensis plant. I was amazed to learn that there are over 3,000 teas in the world. Looks like I have a lot more teas to try!
Amy was wonderful in giving valuable information on how to properly brew and steep the different types of teas. I've been trying to drink more green tea these days and have found that sometimes my Sencha tea is a bit bitter. Now I know why. I was using boiling water and steeping it for 4 minutes. Amy says green tea should be made with 180 degree water (not quite boiling) and only steep for 3 minutes. I've been following Amy's advice now and my Sencha tea is no longer bitter. Thank you, Amy!
Amy's talk on the Health Benefits of Tea was very informative. She began by saying
"all tea is good for you!"
Amy's talk included not only the health benefits of tea but also a lesson on all the different types of teas. All true tea must come from the Camellia Sinensis plant. I was amazed to learn that there are over 3,000 teas in the world. Looks like I have a lot more teas to try!
Amy was wonderful in giving valuable information on how to properly brew and steep the different types of teas. I've been trying to drink more green tea these days and have found that sometimes my Sencha tea is a bit bitter. Now I know why. I was using boiling water and steeping it for 4 minutes. Amy says green tea should be made with 180 degree water (not quite boiling) and only steep for 3 minutes. I've been following Amy's advice now and my Sencha tea is no longer bitter. Thank you, Amy!
Afternoon to Remember Teas
Amy loved having her tea room but she says now "she is really just into tea"!
She is an avid tea drinker and personally enjoys exotic teas from around the world. One of her favorite places to visit is Red Blossom in San Francisco where you can find a tea for $400.00 a pound! While I have never had tea that expensive, I certainly agree that once you have enjoyed the finer teas in the world...there's no going back to tea bags!
When you have a chance, check out Amy's online store. It's filled with over 120 fine loose teas. I'm currently enjoying her Duchess Anna blend. It smells divine and this black tea is flavored with coconut creme, strawberry, kiwi and blue flowers.
Amy says Creme Brule is her number one best seller. Amy graciously gave me a 1 oz. bag of Creme Brule for one of my lucky readers to win. To enter my little Afternoon to Remember contest, all you have to do is visit Amy's online store and make a comment on this blog post which two teas of Amy's you would love to try and why. I'll put all the entrees in a teapot and select a winner on next Tuesday, January 25th.
Only one entree please. The deadline for comments is Monday, January 24th and be sure that I can contact you via your comment or leave an email address in your comment.
Tuesday 1/25/2011: I have a winner....Congratulations to Annemieke for her lovely comment on Afternoon to Remember teas. Your Creme Brule tea is on it's way to you!
Amy loved having her tea room but she says now "she is really just into tea"!
She is an avid tea drinker and personally enjoys exotic teas from around the world. One of her favorite places to visit is Red Blossom in San Francisco where you can find a tea for $400.00 a pound! While I have never had tea that expensive, I certainly agree that once you have enjoyed the finer teas in the world...there's no going back to tea bags!
When you have a chance, check out Amy's online store. It's filled with over 120 fine loose teas. I'm currently enjoying her Duchess Anna blend. It smells divine and this black tea is flavored with coconut creme, strawberry, kiwi and blue flowers.
Amy says Creme Brule is her number one best seller. Amy graciously gave me a 1 oz. bag of Creme Brule for one of my lucky readers to win. To enter my little Afternoon to Remember contest, all you have to do is visit Amy's online store and make a comment on this blog post which two teas of Amy's you would love to try and why. I'll put all the entrees in a teapot and select a winner on next Tuesday, January 25th.
Only one entree please. The deadline for comments is Monday, January 24th and be sure that I can contact you via your comment or leave an email address in your comment.
Tuesday 1/25/2011: I have a winner....Congratulations to Annemieke for her lovely comment on Afternoon to Remember teas. Your Creme Brule tea is on it's way to you!
Thank you for letting me know about Amy and her teas. I have signed up for her newsletter and look forward to purchasing some tea from her. I enjoy green teas so my picks would be her Jasmin Flowers and I also thought the Houjichan sounded very interesting. I also would love to get some of the Phoenix Dragon Pearls. Who doesn't love watching a show in your tea cup!!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to my faithful reader Annemieke. She is the winner of my Afternoon to Remember tea contest.
ReplyDeleteYour Creme Brule tea is on it's way to you!