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Tea Blog

Official Blog of the English Tea Store


  • Comparing Pai Mu Tans

    Trends in tea abound, and white tea is one of them. One particularly trendy white tea is a style called Pai Mu Tan (also called “Baimudan White Tea,” “Pai Mu Dan,” “Bai Mu Dan,” and oddly “White Peony”). It seems that just about every tea vendor has a version available. So how do you choose… Continue reading

  • Tea — The Road to Happiness

    Some roads lead to Baltimore and some lead to the sports stadium. Some are dirt roads and some are asphalt roads. Some are superhighways or speedy Autobahns or roads where they drive on the wrong side (like in England). And then there is the tea road, the one road guaranteed to lead to happiness. You… Continue reading

  • Some Thoughts on Silver Needle Tea

    Silver needle tea, or Bai Hao Yinzhen tea, is a top quality tea produced in the Fujian Province of China. It is among the most expensive and highly regarded of the white teas, which are already a pretty exclusive bunch. Its high quality comes from the fact that it is made from only the top… Continue reading

  • Tea Chests — Ahoy!

      Ahoy, tea mateys, get those sea chests loaded up for adventure. Oh, wait, that’s tea chests. Gee, the difference a letter makes. Never mind, though, you can load up that tea chest and have a great TEA adventure. No Dramamine needed. The tea chests of today are quite different from those of yesteryear. This… Continue reading

  • The Tea Gadget Report

    How wild and/or zany and/or outlandish and/or just plain silly can tea gadgets get? The possibilities are probably only limited by the imagination and some of the people who are turning out this stuff are pretty imaginative – and then some. First, the novelty tea infuser category, which seems to always be a popular category… Continue reading

  • The Legend of the Sneaky Tea Drinker

    Once upon a time there was a Sneaky Tea Drinker. She fixed tea in a sneaky way, drank it in a sneaky setting, and shared it in a sneaky manner. Obviously, this is one of those tales that the Brothers Grimm failed to collect as they traveled thru parts of Europe. This Sneaky Tea Drinker… Continue reading

  • Coloring Up Your Teatime

    Spring is just around the corner (March 20th, according to my wall calendar), a time when color reigns supreme, at teatime and any time. While Winter is dressed in various shades of brown and whites, with some plants retaining their green even as the rest have gone bare, Spring is always an artist’s palette. Bulb… Continue reading

  • The Value of Tea Company Steeping Instructions

    Trying a new tea? Well, dive right in and get steeping! Just boil some water, pour it over the tea leaves and let it steep about 10 to 15 minutes. No, wait, that’s not right. The tea tastes really strong and bitter. Okay, let’s try this again. Heat the water just until it’s warm and… Continue reading

  • Are You Tasting the Tea or the Teabag?

    Tea bags are widely popular in the U.S., the U.K., and elsewhere. One day, I was taking out some tea bags to steep a potful and gave the bags a sniff. They smelled kinda like dried hay, with the usual black tea fragrance following weakly. At that moment, I wondered if the flavor of that… Continue reading

  • Steeped in Love

    With Valentine’s Day around the corner, many of us are trying to find new and creative ways to express our love. Flowers, candles, candy are all fine ideas, but have you considered expressing your affection through tea?  Perhaps there’s something about your lover that can be reflected in a blend of tea, which when explained… Continue reading