For best service, please feel free to pre-order your must-have teas in our online shop at www.pleasuresoftea.com!
|
|
Hello all and I hope that everything continues to be well!
Since we are actually having a spring this year and we have had some beautiful days, I decided to bring the summer teas in early. They are all available in the shop and online shop and you can see the complete list of returning favorites and new options in the New at the Shop section below!
Mother's Day is this Sunday and I wish all you moms and pet moms a wonderful day! For those of you looking for a personalized Mother's Day gift, our tea samplers, infuser mugs, gift certificates and macarons make great gifts!
Please note that the shop will be closed this Sunday for Mother's Day and there are some additional upcoming shop closures. Please see the schedule that is posted below. And Gong Fu Tea Service at the bar is back!! :) Details for this unique service are outlined below as well.
Preparing a good-tasting cup of tea is not so simple a task and it is a blending of art and science. Of course, you always want to start with high quality, loose leaf tea leaves; however, there are other considerations that are equally important during the preparation of your tea. Last month, in the first of a two-part series about different factors that are important to consider when preparing a delicious cup of tea, we discussed the importance of water quality and water temperature. This month we dive into the importance of amount of leaf and steep time.
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. Your order is not finalized until you pick up, so there is no need to input your credit card info. This allows flexibility to browse the shop, add more teas, a cup of tea, or some of our goodies to your order. In last month's newsletter, I announced that while the COVID policies and procedures remain in effect to ensure the best possible experience in the shop, I did relax some of them. For easy reference, all the details, except for the new update, can be found on the shop website www.infuseteabarny.com. The updated policy that was communicated last month has been provided below for your reference.
I appreciate your continued support of my small business and I wish you much health and great tasting cups of tea!
-- Kristine
|
|
Updated Shop Schedule
Please note that the shop will be closed on the following days:
Sunday, May 9th for Mother's Day
Monday, June 7th through Wednesday, June 23rd
Sunday, July 4th
Be sure to stock up on all your favorites before our break in June!
|
|
Gong Fu Tea Service
Gong Fu Tea Service may once again be enjoyed at the bar!! This Chinese method of tea preparation means "done well" and it requires time and focus, delivering a more aromatic and flavorful infusion than those prepared using the more familiar western method of tea preparation. I am happy to again be able to incorporate this cultural aspect of tea into the shop and guide you further through your own tea journey.
This is an appointment only service and, at the moment, is limited to two appointments at a time. Three may be accommodated if from the same household/group. Each session lasts 1-1/2 hours and costs $30, including the tax, paid upon booking. It includes multiple infusions of the tea that you select from the Gong Fu Tea menu and there are 3-7 infusions, depending on the tea selected and as time allows. It also includes a Gong Fu lesson, if you like, so that you may incorporate this method into your own tea ritual at home.
The menu will be crafted and rotated seasonally and will be curated from the larger origin tea offering available in the shop. Our spring menu is now available and the following teas are being prepared Gong Fu:
- Pre-Qing Ming Premium Longjing Organic China Green Tea
- Arakai Estate Pan-Roasted Australian Green Tea
- Ya Bao China White Tea
- Vietnam Imperial Wulong Tea
- Luye Charcoal Roast Organic Formosa Wulong Tea
- Jin Xuan Organic Thai Black Tea
- Shizuoka Organic Japanese Dark Tea
Gong Fu Tea appointments are available:
Thursdays & Fridays - 11:30 through 3:00
Sundays - 11:30 through 2:00
Please note that there are no appointments on Saturdays.
If you would like to make an appointment for this unique experience, please email kristine@infuseteabarny.com or reply to this email. I look forward to preparing tea for you! :)
|
|
The Importance of Leaf Amount & Steep Time
Last month we discussed the important role that water quality and temperature play in the preparation of a good-tasting cup of tea. As always, quality tea is a must, and this month we are going to look at two additional factors that will also ensure a flavorful and balanced infusion - amount of tea leaf and steep time. I thought this would be a good opportunity for us to take a closer look at the instruction label that is on the back of the pouch when you purchase our teas. Just remember that this instruction label is a guideline and you should tweak how you prepare your tea based on how you like it.
The amount of tea leaf to use for a cup of tea may seem complicated, but it does not have to be as long as we understand a few basic principles. In any discussions I have with customers regarding the amount of leaf to use per cup of tea, I always ask customers how big their cup of tea is. I usually get a questioning look and a response of "it's a normal size", so then I go to the visuals and show cups with volumes ranging from 8oz to 18oz. I ask which cup is closest to the size of their cup and their cups are almost always larger than they think. This is extremely important because the amount of leaf to be used for an 18oz cup will be twice the amount as that used in an 8oz cup. Here are a few tips when determining how much leaf to use:
- Our preparation instructions indicate how much leaf to use per 8oz. cup of water, which is usually smaller than what most people are drinking from. So be sure to adjust the amount of leaf based on the volume of the cup, mug, teapot, or pitcher in which you prepare the tea. This amount can also be adjusted to taste - use less tea for a weaker cup and more tea for a stronger cup.
- For some teas, using the "correct" amount of leaf for larger volumes of water results in an infusion that is way too strong and bitter. For example, using 3g of Bai Mu Dan white tea for an 8oz cup is perfect, but using 12g in a 32oz teapot is not. A more palatable brew would be achieved with less leaf in the larger preparation. This is why teas can taste different based on the volume that is prepared. Experiment to find the perfect amount for you, and if it's too strong, just dilute it to the desired strength.
- You'll notice that we offer a range for some teas and indicate that the larger amount should be used for "fluffy" teas. Teas that are light and fluffy, for example Bai Mu Dan white tea, will not lay in the measure spoon as easily as a smaller leaf black tea or herb such as rooibos; therefore, it appears that we need to use more leaf for these teas. One way we address this in the shop with origin and fluffy teas is to weigh the leaves using a gram scale. To ensure consistency, you can use 2.5-3 grams of tea per 8oz. cup. This is a good way to work with our teas because we do not have a lot of other ingredients added to them. If your teas have a lot of dense and heavy fruit pieces in them, then you may need to play around to find the right amount to use by weight. Measuring flavored black and green teas is fine because the leaf styles are usually pretty consistent.
Steep time is the final important factor when preparing tea. In the green tea scenario above, not only did I use boiling water, but I steeped the green tea for about three minutes. It's tea - it gets steeped for three to five minutes, right? Wrong! As with the temperature of the water, steep time is also determined based on the type of tea that is being prepared. Green teas require a much shorter steep time than black teas. The chart on the back of our pouches will provide you with standard steep time recommendations. Many people lengthen the steep time in order to get a stronger infusion. While this may work sometimes, especially if you are using fewer leaves, lengthening the steep time will usually just extract out more of the bitter compounds that naturally occur in tea leaves. Remember to use more leaf for a stronger infusion, while keeping the steep time the same.
- You may also notice that we indicate whether a tea is good for multiple infusions. This means that you can add more water to the leaves to get a second, third, even fourth cup using the same leaves of some teas. Usually the steep time is lengthened with each additional infusion, but you can play around with the steep time to get your ideal strength - I usually use the strength of the prior infusion to gauge how long I should steep the next one. You may even try to infuse our teas and tisanes for a second time even if we do not indicate multiple infusions - just be sure to lengthen the steep time a bit.
- The instructions we provide are based on the most popular method here in the US for preparing tea - the Western method. Asian methods of tea preparation using the Gong Fu or Senchado techniques usually entail using more tea leaf and altering the steep time to be much shorter.
One trick that you can try if you're not quite sure what the temperature of the water is - shorten the steep time and keep checking how the strength is developing. There is a direct correlation between these two variables. I know I have been adamant about not using boiling water on green tea, but I use boiling water when preparing green tea Gong Fu style and I only steep it for about two to three seconds. Yes, seconds! If you plan to steep green tea for the full length of time, then please be sure to use the proper water temperature to avoid bitterness and astringency from infusing into your cup.
Following the tips provided in this newsletter, along with the ones last month, should greatly enhance your tea-drinking experience at home. Let me know how they work out for you or if you have any questions!
|
|
COVID Procedures and Pre-Order Reminder
The COVID procedures remain in place, but one of the procedures is being revised. As a result of the latest information about COVID, I am slowly relaxing the policy on the number of people that can be in the shop at a time and drinking at the bar is now back (with some restrictions)!! Please note that I may need to make immediate adjustments to this policy during your visit, if conditions warrant it. There will still be some requirements with the relaxed policy:
- Due to constraints of space in the shop, no more than four can be accommodated to drink at the bar (may be subject to change based on the traffic at the shop at a given time). This will also enable additional customers to come in for pick-ups and to browse. I may ask you to shuffle around or wait outside if the traffic at the shop picks up. I apologize up front for this inconvenience, but will always try to strike a balance in each unique situation.
- Time restrictions may be implemented so that the bar is available for all who would like to enjoy a cup in the shop again, i.e. no camping out at the bar. I ask that you please be respectful of other customers and be mindful of those who are waiting to drink at the bar, especially if you have been there for a while.
- Masks will continue to be required in the shop, even if you have been vaccinated. Yes, I agree it's not ideal to be fussing with the mask while drinking your tea, but it is the only way to open the bar back up responsibly.
As a reminder, mine is not an off-the-shelf shop; instead, I offer a customer-focused approach where everything is custom prepared to order and I offer the unique option of having any of my 500 teas prepared fresh for you either hot or iced. The benefit to this approach provides the greatest flexibility to personalize your experience and best meet your needs, but the downside is that everything takes time to prepare and there are no shortcuts. It is strongly recommended that you continue to pre-order your teas for pick-up in the online shop at www.pleasuresoftea.com, especially if you prefer to shorten your wait time. Pre-orders of one or two teas are no longer necessary, but appreciated. Larger orders are still requested to be pre-ordered. Any teas or herbs that are not currently on the website yet can always be added to your order at the shop, along with anything else you would like to add. I am not putting the pre-order tips in this newsletter because they have been included in the newsletters over the past six months. These newsletters are all available for reference by clicking here.
I continue to stay current on COVID-related information and will make adjustments to the remaining policies when I believe it is acceptable to do so. I will be sure to communicate any relevant changes in future newsletters, on our facebook page Infuse Tea Bar by The Pleasures of Tea, on the shop website www.infuseteabarny.com and the online shop website www.pleasuresoftea.com.
|
|
Summer teas have arrived!! The following popular blends from years past have returned: Cherry Pineapple Green Tea, Minted Coconut Lime Green Tea, Rooibos Guava Citrus Herbal Tisane, Cherry Pineapple Herbal Tisane, Coconut Fruit Punch Fruit Tisane, Kiwi Peach Fruit Tisane, Pomegranate Lime Fruit Tisane, Raspberry Blackberry Fruit Tisane, Rhubarb Cooler Fruit Tisane, and Watermelon Fruit Tisane. Two new blends for this year are Berry Crush Herbal Tisane and Coconut Lime Herbal Tisane. All are currently available in the shop and a few will be added to the online shop within a day or two.
Two new house-blends have been added to our menu Lavender Rose Petal Green Tea and Provence Organic Herbal Tisane. Two new origin teas have also just arrived - Si Ji Chun (Four Seasons Spring) Formosa Wulong and Kumaon Organic White Tea from India. Several aged white teas have also just arrived and they should be available within another week or two after I get them cupped and ready for sale in the shop and online.
|
|
106 Main Street
West Sayville, NY 11796
**************************************
500+ Loose Leaf Teas & Herbal Tisanes
Certified - Tea Professional, Tea Sommelier & Tea Health Expert
Student of the Art & Science of Herbalism
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
