CelebriTEA for May: Rachel Carter
iHeartTeas blog: http://www.myteasandmore.com/ or http://www.iheartteas.com
What is a CelebriTEA? This Keen Tea Thyme post features popular tea bloggers and their histories, passions, stories. Why? The online tea community is a vast resource of knowledge, tips, experiences – a place of conversation and sharing of passion.
Meet Rachel Carter: dedicated wife to Ralph (of 14 years!) and adoring mother to four-year-old Alexandria.
Lately, her plate has been chock full. Or should I say her tea cup runneth over?
This tea enthusiast combines her passion for the world’s most popular beverage with her natural inclination to share knowledge and enjoy what brewing tea has to offer.
“I love my tea friends,” said Rachel. “It is great to read their blogs. Everyone has so much to share. I love reading and hearing about new teas, accessories, and what business someone is starting. I find our tea community is tightly knit like a family. We support each other.”
Rachel’s been blogging too here: http://myteasandmore.com/. This site, which is under a makeover to transform into iHeartTeas.com, offers her take on fave teas, new accessories and everything else tea. She reviews a variety of tea, anything she can get her hands on. Tea reviewing can be a subjective matter, but Rachel has a system. “I review teas based on flavor, accuracy based on description and tea type,” she explained. “I also consider the visual appearance of the leaves.”
Rachel doesn’t just blog, though. After joining Tea Trade – an online tea trading, selling, sampling Web site – Rachel decided to start selling teas in sample packs, under her new brand name, iHeartTeas. Check out her many products here: http://teatrade.tinypay.me/#q=
Plans are underway to eventually create a company – maybe, Rachel said. “I’m working on it, but I want to take things slow. I want to do this right. I am glad I am in a position where I can do it right.”
Business is booming. She’s a hit at Tea Trade, and is grateful for the opportunity to belong to the site. “I will eventually have a site dedicated to my teas which at this point come from my personal stash. The idea is if you place an order you click on the item and are directed to Tea Trade. I don't want to forget my friends there. If it weren't for their support and of those associated I wouldn't have this success.”
Rachel, a stay-at-home mom, spends lots of time with her daughter – sampling teas and taking her to swim lessons and preschool. Little Alexandria has already shown a penchant for tea, like her mom. Rachel said her daughter helps her put together orders from Tea Trade and is developing a tea-tasting palate.
So what kinds of tea does Rachel (and Alexandria!) recommend? She lists the following teas as her go-to brews:
- Milk Oolong - thepuriTea
- BenShan - Chicago Tea Garden
- Sweet Velvet Fog - Adagio signature blend by Rachel
- Genmaicha - Obubu Tea
- Matcha - DoMatcha
With all these things to keep her busy, Rachel still finds time to enjoy other activities such as scrapbooking. In fact, she is a representative of Close to My Heart, an in-home scrapbooking company. “But honestly, I do that for myself,” she added.
She also loves to travel, enjoys sampling different wines and is a self-proclaimed “tech geek.” “I love my gadgets especially my iPad, I don't even have regular TV everything I do is streamed,” she said. And what TV shows would that be? SyFy channel mainstays: Warehouse 13, Star Gates, Battlestar Galleticas.
But what it comes down to for Rachel is that her love of tea is a permanent part of her life – always has been and always will be. Originally from India, Rachel said tea is like water in her home. “Tea runs through my veins and it always has been,” she said. “I love the constant discovery tea brings me. Every cup is a new adventure. It is a newly discovered treasure with every cup.”
Want to be featured on Keen Tea Thyme as a CelebriTEA? All you have to do is be a tea blogger and want to share your love of tea. E-mail me [at] keenteathyme@gmail.com for more info.
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