Short Sands Chai Beach Campout Giveaway!

Smoky. Sweet. Two words that aren’t usually together in a chai blend. But like the magic felt when camping at the coast around such places as Cape Lookout here in Oregon, where secret beach hideaways like Short Sands Beach (aka Smugglers Cove) are a short walk away, something special to be peacefully in the moment is called for.

Our newest caffeinated chai blend, Short Sands Chai, is smooth, with a smoky flavor from our pine smoked Lapsang Souchong black tea and our organic Roasted Yerba Máte. Like the joy of smores at a campout on the beach, our Short Sands Chai rounds out with a sweet vanilla flavor from the addition of our Vanilla Bean Rooibos and other sweet spices.

Beach Campout Giveaway!

Photo courtesy http://www.oregonstateparks.org

Post your favorite beach memory here on our blog or our Facebook page to enter to win a 4 1/2oz tin of Short Sands Chai & a $30 gift card good at any of the 50 beautiful Oregon State Parks.   

Campout at the beach on us!  Contest ends April 25^th, 2011 at midnight and the winner will be announced & notified on April 30^th,2011.

Sweet Energy from Blue People

When Dominic showed me this tea, I initially thought the beauty of the “moss colored stones” was enough to entice me to try this unique jade oolong. Then he told me the tea leaves are coated in Ginseng powder and Stevia, and my nose scrunched up and a few doubting comments came out of my mouth. I will admit I am not a fan of Stevia Leaf. Years ago, when we first started carrying Stevia Leaf in our shop, I had one too many unfortunately strong brewed sample cups as we tested it out to get the steeping time right. As much as I loved providing it as an alternative to sugar for our customers, I swore it off personally after that. But fate had other plans for my taste buds when these tiny little matte green pebbles arrived and I just can’t turn down a chance to try something new. 

Why Blue People? No ties to any of the different Blue People you may be thinking of, rather, this high mountain jade oolong tea from Taiwan is pressed tightly into little mounds, then coated in a blend of Ginseng and Stevia powders to give its blue pebble like appearance and memorable name. But the Ginseng and Stevia bring something far greater to this oolong than just a unique look. Upon first infusion (steeped 3 minutes with 180ºwater), this tea has a crisp, slightly cooling (almost minty fresh) flavor with a strong and sweet stevia leaf aftertaste. The first few sips yield an energizing and uplifting feeling while the last few leave a sweet and fulfilled taste in the back of your throat. Not one to waste the opportunity to re-steep tea leaves, I found the second infusion really brought out the best in this lovely jade oolong as the tea leaves completely unfolded, and the sweet aftertaste became more subdued. The third infusion is far more mellow, but still has a nice aroma to it.

Blue People tea is energizing, sweet and uplifting- a terrific way to start off any morning or to drink as an early afternoon pick-me-up.

Now available in our teashop and online.

Sen Cha Fukamushi: When Only a Deep Steam Will Do.

Amazing illustrations like the one of the mystical Asian mountain escape above can be found at AppWill, a great iPod wallpaper application.

 A new sencha I have been enjoying for a nice flavor and caffeine burst is our Sen Cha Fukamushi. This deep-steamed style of sencha was developed 35 years ago and is rarely seen outside of Japan.  The deep steaming of the tea leaves creates a vivid emerald green infusion that is strong and full bodied, without bitterness.  The terroir (or combination of soil, climate and environmental factors) of the Shizuoka tea region of Japan gives this sencha a sweet, rich marine taste.  Like walking in a rainy forest in Southern Japan, this tea is quickly become a new favorite for me. 

This tea can be found now both on our website & in our tea shop.