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New Year – 2022

Why we did not have a year-end sale for 2021….

I am sorry – I know many of you look forward to this sale each year. I hope to offer one this month to make up for it (January being “Hot Tea Month”).

My sister, Nanka Castulik-Byrne, died the week before Christmas. She passed on quickly with little pain and no long-term care or hospitalization. She died at home, with her husband (Bob) by her side.

We have always been rather pragmatic about death – and yet, there is a natural expression of grief – arising as a need for silence or pulling away from extra activity – the stillness of Winter. Between meeting the barest needs of the shop and my day job I had nothing left in me to attend to the behind the scenes pieces to implement and promote a sale. It seemed healthier and more important to me to respect the urges of my body/mind rather than the outward responsibility and routines of the business. There must be some benefit to being a business owner after all, to be able to make this call.

It is largely thanks to Nanka and her husband that Traveling Tea even exists. She gave me encouragement and support (emotional and financial) in the “getting started” hurdle – and then more, when I expanded into our storefront in Maplewood. She was a staunch supporter of buying local and regular attendee of the Tower Grove Farmers Market. She was also very passionate about women’s rights and safety – working for and with Safe Connections for many many years.

Nanka donated her body to SLU for the benefit of scientific research and, per her wishes, there will be no memorial service. Raise a cup of tea with your warm wishes for her memory and her family. She and Bob had a favorite “morning tea” of Earl Grey White Tip with milk and sugar. As a tribute from me, for her love and support, I will be donating a portion of proceeds for all Earl Grey White Tip sales from December 2021 through December 2022 to Safe Connections. If you would also like to make your own memorial gift, visit https://safeconnections.org/give/donate-now/

Too much black tea?

If you are like me, black tea is your primary Go-To beverage. Even so, sometimes my stomach says “too much” – needing something less acidic, more alkaline.

All tea has various health benefits, that vary due to harvesting and processing – it is a plant, after all. Green tea, being dried more quickly after harvest, has been most researched and found to have many more benefits. I can feel the difference in my stomach and in my body when I drink more (properly brewed) green tea.

It can be a challenge to drink more when the palate is more used to black. Black tea is more widely consumed in this country. The trick for me, is to blend them.

For a 16oz mug of tea, use 1 teaspoon black of choice, and 1 teaspoon of green (or adjust the ratio to suit your taste). Try starting with a Darjeeling or Assam green, or our Decaf Green (lower your caffeine intake at the same time). Use the same boiling water as for black (not a rolling boil though) and steep it for no more than 3 minutes, maybe even a little less. If using any of our teas, you will definitely be able to get a 2nd steep out of your cup (maybe even a third).

Darjeeling Green, Yanki Farms

It will still have enough of the black tea flavor to satisfy your palate, but will have less acidity. You may even be able to gradually shift it so that you are drinking more green in your cup than black. Note: If you do not like bitter tea, you usually cannot leave green tea to steep more than 3 or 4 minutes (even on 2nd or 3rd steeps). There are some green teas that are more forgiving. You will have to experiment to find them. [Our Baozhong Green, that is processed as an Oolong, and our new Mao Jian are both forgiving of forgetfulness]

Baozhong Green

YEAR end at the tea shop

We are going to take a bit of a season-end break this year. After close of day 7pm Wednesday 12/30 we will be closed for a full week for inventory and a rest. We will also be reorganizing & restocking throughout January so we can fill your orders more efficiently, making window shopping Quicker and Easier.

Shop will re-open 10am-4pm on Friday 1/8/2021 and Saturday 1/9/2021. Other days and times are yet to be determined. We are looking for feedback from our community. What days and times work best for you if we can re-open 1 or 2 days during the week? [email info@traveling-tea.com, let us know when you order next, or message me via FB or Instagram.]

Online pickup orders placed during this time will be fulfilled in order received. You should get a “Ready” response via email or text when your order is ready for pickup. Shipping orders will go out Priority Mail starting on 1/8/2021.

Delivery days/times will also be revised for 2021. We have heard from many of you how important this service has become for you and we are happy to continue providing it in whatever way we are able to.

Thank you for your continued understanding and support as we all navigate the New Year.