10.15.2011

Freebies2Deals App

OK, so this isn't totally tea related, but we all love saving money, right? (Especially when saved $$ can go into the tea fund!)

Freebies2Deals - hosted by the wonderful Melea - has an app! This FREE app (would she have it any other way?!) works on both the Android and iPhone platforms. (For the iPhone search the App store. Directions for the Android platform are provided on her site.)

Get all the details here. And let her know Keen Tea Thyme sent you! :)

Tea and Migraines

I suffer from champion and marathon migraines - ones that last at least four if not five days. I had one last week. It finally started to go away. I was free from pain for a good six hours.

Now it is returning.

Could it be the tea?

I will have to conduct an experiment with this... I already know I get migraines from red rooibos. My last cuppa was Awakening - vanilla green.

Ugh. Time for medicine and a coma.

Chai... Syrup?

There's a reason I rarely review teas on my blog. It's not that I don't drink tea every day, or that I don't drink a varieTEA of teas...it's that I'll never measure up to the awesome reviews done by SororiTea Sisters! Both LiberTeas and TeaEqualsBliss write some of the best reviews out there - and you can tell by their reviews that they are both die-hard tea fans.

I caught this review on Steepster and had to share it with my readers: chai tea syrup! This is an innovation from LiberTeas; my mouth is watering at the thought of baking up some pancakes and adding chai syrup!

If you haven't checked out the SororiTea Sisters yet, start here - but devote a good hour of reading time. They ROCK! :)

Happy Brewing!

10.10.2011

Escape to...Strawberry Island!




There are new tea things popping up at Rachel Carter’s tea site: iHeartTeas.com – including her first, exclusive blend Strawberry Island.
           Rachel recently took a trip to Maine, bringing back memories – and sample sets of teas from Maine-based tea shops. DobrĂ¡, Jacqueline’s Tea Room (with two sample packs), Bar Harbor Tea Company, Homegrown Herb & Tea all have selections available in her new shop. Plus she’s expanding her site to include teaware – coming soon she’ll have a cute set of small black and white tea cups.
            She’s taking on new ventures, too, such as offering a new feature on brewing methods – including a must-read article on how she made her Matcha – and Rachel said she’s focusing her time on many, many new reviews.
            But the most exciting news at iHeartTeas is Rachel’s new tea blend – created exclusively for and by Rachel herself! She mixed strawberry, coconut and vanilla black teas to create a tropical escape, Strawberry Island.
            Stay tuned as Strawberry Island is bound to be just the first in a whole slew of iHeartTeas blends, created by one of the tea community’s top tea tasters.
            “I am so happy I am able to do this…and it comes so naturally,” Rachel explained.
            Top on her list of Tea Priorities is a possible grand re-opening of her site (keep Keen Tea Thyme bookmarked as we’ll have the latest news). Rachel is also selling teas on Zibbet.com.
            Family always comes first for Rachel and iHeartTeas, but that’s one thing she loves about her tea business – that she can be a full-time Mom and a full-time Teaist, at the same time.

Find Rachel & iHeartTeas by visiting one of the links below:

www.iHeartTeas.com - Tea Shop & Blog

August/September - Company Profile


SpecialTea Brew



SpecialTea Brew
Company profile: August/September 2011




Running a tea business is a full-time job, but for Ami Soleau, owner of SpecialTea Brew, her new venture is just one of her many hats.
            “I am a just do it type of girl,” Ami explained. “I had the idea, talked it over with a few people, wrote out my plans and ideas, read about a million books, blogs, etc and then just decided to give it a go.”
          While she works full-time in another sector, Seattle-based Ami was looking for a business that was more challenging – and more fulfilling.
            Tea ended up being the answer for her.
            And the company has a lot of meaning for her. “The name is after my auntie who passed away from Breast Cancer,” Ami said. “She loved tea, love the arts and her name was Brooke; [but] we called her Brew.”
        She donates three percent of all sales of her company towards research in finding a cure for breast cancer, in her aunt’s memory.
          Right now SpecialTea Brew only sells teas online – but Ami said she does eventually want to open a brick-and-mortar store, when the time is right. Since she works full-time elsewhere she doesn’t have a lot of extra time to put into her tea company – not yet.
          SpecialTea Brew is part of the Tea Etc wholesale program, which means Ami doesn’t necessarily blend her own teas, but she does have plans to do that someday.
          The wholesale program provides an opportunity for smaller, independent companies to sell tea under their own private labels. For Ami, this was a perfect match – especially since she had trouble locating a Seattle-based tea manufacturer.
          But just because SpecialTea Brew isn’t her only job, don’t think Ami doesn’t take her company seriously. Her motto is “Brew what you love and love what you brew,” and Ami takes this to heart. She strives to make her tea company a success for herself, and for her customers.
          “My mission is to satisfy customers, with good quality and fast response time,” Ami explained. So if you email her, she’ll get back to you promptly. “If you need something I will make it happen if I am able to do so.”
          In addition to teas, Ami’s crafty in other ways – she offers custom-made greeting cards on her site as well. SpecialTea Brew is a one-stop shop for presents for tea fans; get a gift for your tea friend and a custom-made card at the same time.
          Since starting her tea business a few months ago, Ami has been happy with the success so far – as well as the friendships she’s made through this tea venture. “I have learned a lot about tea and yet there is still so much to learn,” Ami explained. “I like to learn from customers as well; they know what they want and how they want it and I like to help them with that.”
Ami added that the world of tea is a continuing education experience. “I don’t think there will ever be a point where I know it all about tea, but I do hope to be an expert in the field at some point.”
In the meantime, Ami is happy learning about tea, celebrating tea, and meeting more tea friends through her business. “I hope to gain experience, and knowledge most of all,” she explained. “I love the challenge of running my own business.”
She has been on the hunt for a business partner as well, not an employee but a partner, Ami stressed, someone who will share the workload – and the fun – 50/50. “I am looking for someone that not only has the passion that I have but someone that compliments my strengths. I have the passion and idea, you have the knowledge.”
But even without a partner, SpecialTea Brew is open for business. Check out her store here: SpecialTea Brew. For more information, including finding out if you could be a business partner for her, visit her Web site or contact her below.


Quick Links:
Twitter: @specialteabrew
Facebook: search "specialtea brew"

CelebriTEA for Aug-Sept


CelebriTEA ©: August-September 2011



CelebriTEA ©: August-September 2011


Name/screenname: Lu Ann Pannunzio



Occupation: Advertising Student & PR Intern.

Location: Ontario Canada!


Lu Ann Pannunzio, author of The Tea Cup of Life, may have just started blogging about tea, but she’s been in love with tea for over a decade.

          “My journey with tea began when my sister brought home this adorable wooden box with strawberry flavored tea bags,” Lu Ann explained, adding that she was answering the questions with a cuppa tea in her hand. “At the time my mom was a bit skeptical of letting me drink a caffeinated beverage when I was seven but thought one cup wouldn't hurt. It obviously didn't but after that one cup I did not stop just there! Strawberries are my favorite fruit and having it in a unique tea blend was absolutely delicious. Afterwards, tea times have always been a great get together and catch up for my sister and me.”

          She’s no stranger to blogging, explaining that she has several scattered on the Web but didn’t consistently write in the blogs for lack of a theme. “Just this summer I realized I should probably talk about something I love and that's when I came across the idea for this tea blog. I'm slowly putting my dreams from five years ago into reality,” Lu Ann said.”It's been my dream to open up my own cafe one day with tea 24/7 and live jazz music - I guess that piece of inspiration came from my jazz musician boyfriend who is also a fun tea lover.”

          Lu Ann may have just gotten started but she already has a devoted following and plenty of posts. “I love doing interview posts because I always find the most inspiration through other peoples' thoughts and journeys,” Lu Ann said. “I would have to say that I also enjoy doing my "creativi-tea" segments which is basically on really neat tea stuff I find in stores or on the webs that I feel I really need to share to others.”

          She also loves writing her daily tea party segments for a week. “I was in a tea party crazy the weekend before so I thought it was a perfect time to share some of my items on my to do lists. If you want to check them out you can here.”

          While Lu Ann recognizes she’s one of many tea blogs, she hopes her readers enjoy the uniqueness. “I did not create mine [blog] to compete,” Lu Ann said. “I merely created mine to document my adventures with tea and keep all my ideas in one to reference back to when The Cup of Life becomes a real cafe. I encourage others to write blog posts for my blog as well! I really love hearing other people's stories and inspirations and they don't have to just be on tea. I'm a lover of many things. You can find more information on how to be a guest blogger here.”

She’s a lover of many tea varieties too, but enjoys quite a few oolong teas, explaining, “. I find them to be perfect for a great relaxing evening (or even a lazy morning!) and I love the smell of most of them as they brew. But as the season changes, so will my favorite tea at the moment.”

What’s on the agenda for future postings at The Tea Cup of Life?  “The Cup of Life is working on some really neat tea etiquette presentations that can be presented in person or online for events,” Lu Ann said. “If anyone may be interested in this they may contact us here.

But to sum up Lu Ann’s take on tea, she refers to her favorite quote, which is also posted on her blog: You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me."~ C.S. Lewis. “The quote continues to inspire me with every idea I may have including some upcoming ones,” Lu Ann added.


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.
Wanna be featured or know of a great blogger? E-mail me at keenteathyme@gmail.com
Please note: all work is copyrighted by the author. Do not use without permission; just ask!

Keen Tea Thyme's shop - at Tea Trade!

I'm finally able to sell some of my teas online! YAY!

Thanks to Tea Trade, it's possible for lil ol' me - a non-tea company, just a teaist - to have her own shop. :)

Visit my shop here:
http://keenteathyme.teatra.de/store/products/

Pink Pearls is finally available for sale, and Summer Sunshine will be ready in a few weeks...

Got any questions? Just ask!

Special thanks to the folks at Tea Trade for making this possible. :) :)