For quickest in-shop service, please feel free to pre-order your must-have teas in our online shop at www.pleasuresoftea.com!
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Hello all and Happy New Year! I hope your holiday season was wonderful and that 2022 is off to a great start. Just a reminder that the shop is closed until Thursday, January 13th for the annual post-holiday break. The usual business hours and bar service will resume on Thursday. I look forward to seeing you and preparing tea for you upon my return :)
Ceremony and ritual are important practices that we can incorporate into our lifestyle. They can bring about a richness, grounding and mindfulness in our daily lives, and are great to reduce stress. In this month's newsletter I discuss how you can include tea rituals into your own practice, if you are not doing so already.
I appreciate your continued support of my small business and I wish you much health and great tasting cups of tea throughout 2022!
-- Kristine, FDN-P
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I ran low on many teas and ran completely out of a few during the holiday season, but I am working to get everything (or at least the majority) fully re-stocked before opening on Thursday. I have also been busy blending up many more teas that got low, especially the entire Wellness Line. I'm making sure to have ample inventory for all your stress-reducing and immune-supporting needs! :) |
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10th Annual Holiday Raffle
The annual holiday raffle is a way for me to express my appreciation for your support throughout the year and I thank you for participating in it! The winners of 2021's raffle are Mary Ferdinando and Jennifer McHale - congrats!! :)
Here is Mary picking up a tea set that she has had her eye on.
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COVID Policy & Pre-order Reminder
Normal business operations continue at the shop. The wearing of masks is not required, but you may continue to do so if you prefer. It is requested that everyone please bring a mask to the shop that may be worn during the times that we are packed. I request that you do not come to the shop if you are feeling under-the-weather or please wear a mask, if you do stop by.
Winter continues to be a busy time at the shop and, as a reminder, pre-orders of loose leaf teas are encouraged in order to streamline the preparation of your custom orders and reduce your wait time, especially if the shop is busy when you arrive. Orders also continue to be shipped nationwide and all (pre)orders can be placed in our online shop www.pleasuresoftea.com. Please place orders at least 24-hours ahead of desired pick up time, if possible, to ensure that I will see your order in the portal and have the time to pull it together in time for your arrival. Indicating the approximate date and time of pick up in the Comments section in the Cart helps ensure that your order will be ready for you upon arrival. If you plan to browse at the shop or grab a cup of tea, then please do not pay online - select the Pay at pick-up option. You will receive an emailed notification once your order is ready for pick-up.
Thank you for your continued cooperation in helping to serve you in the most efficient and expeditious manner possible! :)
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Tea Ceremony and Ritual
Ceremony and ritual are important practices that we can include in our lifestyle on a regular or semi-regular basis. Ceremony and rituals have been such an important part of our collective history and evidence exists that our earliest ancestors incorporated them in their lives. It is important to step outside of ourselves to connect with others and/or our environment and, on the contrary, to look inward to rebalance and ground ourselves. We can accomplish all of this through the incorporation of ceremony and ritual. These practices can reduce stress, bring value, focus, appreciation and a richness to our experience and some can even offer a connectedness with others. We can create our own ceremonies and rituals around anything that interests us, but I am biased and believe tea is a wonderful tool to be used during the process.
Tea ceremony and rituals are a part of Eastern culture - whether it be Gong Fu Cha, Senchado, or the traditional Matcha ceremony. There is also a rich tea culture in the Middle East and northern Africa. In South America, there is ceremony around the serving of yerba maté with the traditional cuia (gourd) and bombilla (straw). Of course you can practice these ceremonies and rituals at home or feel free to schedule a Gong Fu Tea Session in the shop when this service returns in February!
I love to turn my tea preparation into a mindfulness meditation practice. In fact, I am meditating every time I make tea for you in the shop - I am focusing and putting good intentions into your tea :) When I prepare tea at home, I usually follow this simple meditative practice to rebalance my mind and body, especially when I am blocked and need focus, or whenever I need a pick-me-up or to calm down. Basically, I use this practice whenever I want! :) Even though I have a very busy schedule, I ensure to prioritize and incorporate this practice daily in some form - it can be done in as little as 10-15 minutes. Feel free to follow it or adjust as needed to fit into your lifestyle:
- Fill tea kettle with freshly filtered water and bring to a boil
- Look inwardly to figure out which tea or tisane is perfect for the moment - I usually make my selection based on the time of year, time of day, the weather, my mood, how I'm feeling, etc.
- Select the appropriate teaware
- Admire the leaves - how do they look, what color are they, what shape(s) are they, notice the aroma of the leaves
- Once the water comes to a boil, pour a little into the teaware to warm the vessel - swirl, let sit for 10-20 seconds and then pour out
- Measure/weigh the leaves
- Get the water to the proper temperature (I use a candy thermometer because I'm not into fancy gadgets)
- Pour water over the leaves, cover and let steep for the appropriate length of time
- When tea/tisane is done steeping, extract/strain the leaves
- Look at the color of the infusion, notice the aroma
- Breathe deeply and focus on the infusion as it begins to cool
- Once the infusion is cool enough to drink, take a small sip and swoosh it around in your mouth
- Notice how it tastes, what is the texture, how does it make your mouth feel, does it leave an aftertaste
- Continue the process of breathing deeply, focusing on the infusion, and experiencing its aroma and tastes until it is finished - notice if it changes as it cools or does it remain the same
- Feel refreshed, calm, focused, etc.
If you decide to incorporate this simple tea meditation or any other tea ritual, let me know how they work out for you! And as always, feel free to share what other tea practices you incorporate into your life - either on the facebook page or during your visit in the shop :)
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Do you or someone you know need a personal health detective to address chronic wellness issues that can't seem to be resolved? Make 2022 the year you find results for good!
As a Certified Functional Diagnostic Nutrition (FDN) Practitioner, I see clients to help them get to the root of their health and wellness issues and reclaim the vitality that they very much deserve. I offer fully customized, programs that are unique to each client and that incorporate holistic protocols addressing body, mind, spirit and senses. This is an extension of my work in tea and herbalism for the past fifteen years, but I will now be able to help those of you who need it at a much deeper and personalized level than I can offer in the shop. In addition to the new tools in my toolbox, I will continue to draw from my experience in using tea for health, along with my herbalism training, during the development of the comprehensive protocols that will be specific to the bio-individualized needs of each client. I want to be the last wellness practitioner you see and my ultimate goal is to put myself out of business. I look forward to showing you what I can do to help you achieve your wellness goals and enjoy continued vitality well into the future!
To learn more, please visit https://vitalityholisticwellness.net. If you are ready to make the investment in your wellness, then I would be happy to discuss the potential opportunity with you. You may book a complimentary discovery call directly through the website so I can learn about your issues and you can learn more about how I work and how my approach is different from the conventional medicine and/or alternative approaches that you have already experienced. I also have a new email address specific for Vitality Holistic Wellness business and I ask that all inquiries regarding these services be directed to kristine@vitalityholisticwellness.net.
The website also shares My Why - the reasons why I am so passionate about this approach to health and wellness. This is a very personal experience for me and I share my 32-year journey toward finding health and wellness and dealing with autoimmunity and a compromised immune system. I hear from so many of you about your own chronic wellness issues and I share my story as a way to connect and open the door and show that there is hope…even after 32 years! If you would like to read my health story, please click here. It is long, so make sure you have a big mug of tea :)
I will also be emailing out a newsletter with health and wellness tips that do not fit within the scope of this newsletter. If you are interested in receiving the Vitality Newsletter, then feel free to sign up while you're at the website.
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New at the Shop
Nothing new at the moment - just working on getting the shop fully re-stocked before opening on Thursday! Limited supplies remain of the following autumn and holiday teas: Apple Molasses Black Tea, Christmas Blend Black Tea, Chocolate Peppermint Black Tea, Pumpkin Pie Black Tea, White Chocolate Peppermint White Tea, Rooibos Christmas Cookie (Vanilla & Walnut) Herbal Tisane, Rooibos Orange Gingerbread Herbal Tisane, Rooibos Pumpkin Creme Herbal Tisane, Rooibos Pumpkin Spice Herbal Tisane, and Holiday Punch Fruit Tisane.
The following seasonal teas will be in stock until the weather begins to get warmer in late March/early April: Gingered Vanilla Toddy Black Tea, Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Black Tea, Roasted Chestnut Black Green & Yerba Mate Blend, Maple Walnut Green Tea, Rooibos Maple Walnut Herbal Tisane, and Candied Pomegranate Herbal Tisane.
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106 Main Street
West Sayville, NY 11796
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500+ Loose Leaf Teas & Herbal Tisanes
Certified - Tea Professional, Tea Sommelier & Tea Health Expert
Student of the Art & Science of Herbalism
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