February 2024 Newsletter

Hello everyone and I hope all is well! :)

I would first like to thank you for all of the comments that you have shared regarding the news that I communicated last month about the shop. I have been truly touched by your outpouring of expressions of sadness, along with the support and well wishes. I have to make a correction to the date, as March 31st is Easter. So the last day that the shop will be open will be Saturday, March 30th and we will be online only thereafter. Please make note of the new date and be sure to check your inventory and stock up before then. I anticipate to be back up and running shipping out orders by May 1st. There are some additional logistical details below. If you are new to my community or missed the announcement in January's newsletter, please click here.

It is also important to note that the wait time at the shop has increased tremendously and now is a fantastic time to take advantage of the pre-order process through the online shop. Pre-orders are also highly recommended if you are planning on stopping by toward the end of our operational hours, as some have been inconvenienced to come back to pick up their orders or chose to ship their orders when the amount of time to fill the orders would have gone much beyond our closing time. The shop needs to close promptly at 5:00 on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and 4:00 on Sundays in order to get to all the other obligations that I need to then turn my attention to. Details for pre-orders are listed below. Please do not email orders to me, as I will most likely not see them - I am currently many weeks behind in my emails and not sure when I will catch up given the volume I receive daily.

Gong Fu Tea Service is available and details for this appointment-only service, along with the winter menu are outlined below. As a reminder, the last day for Gong Fu Tea Service will be Sunday, March 24th. At this time, all the tasting workshops that were announced last month have a waiting list.

I continue to be busy restocking and blending teas to ensure that you are able to purchase what you need. Many of the autumn and holiday teas are still available, but some are in limited supply. All that are currently available are listed in the New at the Shop section, so grab them before they are gone :) Even though it is still winter and you are probably not thinking about summer teas just yet, I have decided to bring in these teas early so that you have the option to purchase them for pick up at the shop. They will all be available before the end of the month and the returning favorites are listed below in the New at the Shop section.

Now that January is over, I thought it would be a nice time to address the practice of "detox". Many of you have stopped into the shop and have asked if I have a detox tea or showed me a detox tea, wondering if I had something similar. This most likely turned into a much larger discussion and one in which I shared my issues with the word "detox". We explore this topic below.

As always, I appreciate your continued support of my small business!!

-- Kristine, FDN-P

Pineapple Lemon Decaf Black Tea and Greek Mountain Cut Leaf Organic Herbal Tisane are back in stock! Blended up fresh batches of Jasmine & Mint Organic Green Tea (yes, this popular blend is now organic!), Bone Support Organic Herbal Tisane, Immune Support Organic Herbal Tisane and Turmeric Spice Organic Herbal Tisane! :)

Gong Fu Tea Service

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 be able to offer this cultural aspect of tea and guide you further through your own tea journey.

This is an appointment only, seated service and, at the moment, is limited to four appointments at a time. Each session lasts approximately 1-1/2 hours (allow 2 hours in case it runs long) and costs $30 paid upon booking. It includes multiple infusions of the tea that you select from the Gong Fu Tea menu and there are 4-7 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 is crafted and rotated seasonally and curated from the larger origin tea offering available in the shop. The winter menu is now available:

• Laoshan Village Green Tea - Shandong, China
• Satemwa Estate Antlers White Tea - Malawi
• Ben Shan Medium Roast Wulong Tea - Anxi, Fujian, China
• Wild-Grown Ancient Tree Wulong Tea - Vietnam
• Golden Curls Black Tea - Guangxi, China
• Kanoka Estate Black Tea - Assam, India
• 2013 Shou Pu-er Brick - Yunnan, China

Gong Fu Tea appointment start times are available:

Thursdays - 11:30 through 3:00

Fridays - 11:30 through 3:00

Sundays - 11:30 through 2:00

Please note that there are no appointments on Saturdays and the last day for Gong Fu Tea Service will be Sunday 3/24.

If you would like to make an appointment for this unique experience, please email kristine@infuseteabarny.com or reply to this email and put "Gong Fu" as the subject so that I can find your email when I do a search. Please let me know how many the appointment needs to be made for and the date and start time you are looking to schedule. I look forward to preparing tea for you! :)

Pre-order Reminder

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 and there is somewhere you need to be. Orders also continue to be shipped nationwide and all (pre)orders can be placed in our online shop pleasuresoftea.com.

• Please place orders at least 24-hours ahead of desired pick up time, if possible, to ensure that it will be seen in the portal and there is enough 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. Pick-ups can only be done during shop hours.
• 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.
• DO NOT send orders to my email or leave on voicemail - they will most likely not be seen until weeks after you are looking to pick up your order.

Thank you for your continued assistance in helping to serve you in the most efficient and expeditious manner possible! :)

My Issues With "Detox"

Every January and even other times throughout the year I see promotion of detox programs and products that make many promises. I even get lots of questions in the shop about whether I have teas that I recommend for detox. This very simple question then leads to a discussion that most are not expecting to have, since they figure I will simply suggest a tea or blend for them.

I tend to be skeptical of most trendy things and detox products and programs are among them. Not that I don't believe in the body's natural detoxification process; but I am very leery about the marketing and hype around such products and programs. One of my issues is that my initial questions, "Why do you feel the need to detox?" and "What are you trying to cleanse?", have usually been met with silence. And this leads to why I absolutely dislike the word "detox". Very few seemed to understand, or be able to explain, what they were trying to accomplish when following a detox protocol or drinking a "detox" tea. And this is concerning to me, as there can be some very unpleasant side effects from these protocols and teas and some detoxes can be dangerous if not done properly or with adequate support.

It is important to note that we have several organs whose job is to cleanse our bodies by processing and removing metabolic and other wastes. The liver is the organ that probably first comes to mind when we think of our body's detoxification process; in fact, everything that we are exposed to - eat, drink, breathe, or touch gets processed in the liver. There are, however, other organs that are part of our cleansing/detoxification processes, including the kidneys, colon, skin, and lungs. It is extremely important to understand and address a detox process in a holistic manner or disastrous results can occur. For example, doing a "detox" protocol or drinking a "detox" tea when there is a chronic issue with constipation can result in headaches, body aches, and other unpleasant flu-like symptoms due to the inability for waste to be excreted from the colon. Detoxes should never be performed in this circumstance. Therefore, it is important to keep these other organs functioning as optimally as the liver.

There are many herbs that can help support these organs and many of the herbs have an affinity for one organ or another - i.e. there is generally not one herb that broadly supports detoxification or cleansing. While most of the herbs gently support the organs, some can be very strong and cause side effects. Dandelion leaf is a lovely herb to support the kidneys and dandelion root is great at supporting the liver in a gentle way. Laxative herbs like senna, however, can cause dependency - an unwanted side effect and the reason why I do not offer this herb or any other laxative herbs. Some people have brought samples of "detox" teas to me and when I looked at the ingredients I was horrified at the expense they paid for such a useless product. One such example had a list of about ten ingredients with the first one being apple pieces. Dandelion leaf was listed at about number eight in the ingredients and all the other ingredients were for flavor. This product would do nothing to help with detoxification and she paid $30 for a box of 20 teabags - a complete rip off! In another "detox" tea, senna was within the first three ingredients and the directions were to drink two cups daily for three weeks. I guess their customers feel that they are "detoxing" because they are running to the bathroom several times a day with some very uncomfortable sensations that may resemble those during the prep for a colonoscopy. While this blend would help gets things moving, it did not qualify as anything more than providing a laxative effect.

So now that I have shared what I do not like about "detox", what is my approach? A holistic one, of course! Your liver naturally performs its detoxification role, so diet and lifestyle practices that support this natural process are ideal, along with limiting the practices that may reduce its performance. This is a complex topic that does not necessarily fit within the scope of this newsletter; however, here are just a few suggestions:

1. Be mindful of your inputs. Reduce/eliminate processed foods, alcohol, and chemical-laden body and scented home products. These foods and products result in a sluggish liver, what is known as a congested liver in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Reducing the garbage going in also reduces your need to do unpleasant detox practices.
2. Eat whole foods that provide the nutrients necessary for the metabolic processes that take place in the body, including the different detoxification phases that occur in the liver. Dark green leafy veggies, cruciferous veggies and beets are particularly beneficial for the liver.
3. Ensure ample different types fiber is consumed to help keep things moving. A minimum of 20 grams daily is recommended, but 30-40 grams is ideal.
4. Your body cannot efficiently and effectively eliminate wastes if you're dehydrated! Drink an adequate amount of fresh, filtered water daily. A good target in ounces is about half of your body weight. So if you weigh 150 pounds, you should be drinking around 75 ounces of water. It is best to fill a glass or stainless steel water bottle to reduce the chemicals that are contained in bottled water. These chemicals can reduce the effectiveness of the detoxification process. Caffeine-free herbal tisanes can also be counted toward this volume, but be careful with drinking too much tea as caffeine can be dehydrating in some.
5. Our Liver Support Organic Herbal Tisane is a nice blend that supports and nourishes the liver. It also includes some alterative herbs, also known as blood cleansers, which have multiple beneficial effects on the body's systems.

Diet and lifestyle factors can effect the liver's detoxification performance, but so can genetics. Some, myself included, may be genetically predisposed to not detoxify efficiently or effectively. In these cases it is necessary to follow the suggested steps to optimize detoxification capabilities, while also potentially supplementing the deficiencies; thereby eliminating the need to perform potentially harsh detox protocols. Detox programs serve an important role, but I think it is important to reserve them for when it is absolutely necessary and to be sure that they are well-structured to minimize negative side effects.

In Preparation for March 30th

I know the next month and a half will go by fast and there are some key additional things in preparation to move to the online format:

1. Pre-orders in our online shop at pleasuresoftea.com are highly recommended due to the increase in the wait time as your custom orders are prepared! This is also ideal if the amount of tea you plan to purchase is greater than what I have available at the shop and I need to bring in from the warehouse. If you have not yet placed an order in our online shop, this is a great opportunity to test it by creating an account and placing an order, while still having the option to ask questions when the shop is open. You don't need to place your entire order online - just the teas you know you definitely want! The process is super flexible and you can add anything else you want at the shop. Just remember to select the Pay at Pick Up option (DO NOT input credit card info if you plan to add to your order at the shop).
2. I have not been able to test the linking of accounts created online with the ones that I have created in the shop; however, some feedback I have received from some of you over the past several months is that your purchase history in the shop was linking to the account that is created online. This is an ideal situation so that you will be able to see all of the teas that you have purchased in the past. Please feel free to share with me if you are seeing your purchase history when you create your accounts online. I will be able to manually link them, but this will take some time.
3. Some teas have recently gone out of stock or are running low; however, I have been trying to keep up with keeping everything in stock and blending teas and tisanes in case you plan to buy larger quantities as March 30th approaches. I am also bringing in the summer blends early so that you may opt to grab them while the shop is open. The teas will store well for quite some time.
4. I am anticipating a 3-4 week interruption in service after March 30th, so it will be best to stock up beforehand. I anticipate being fully operational shipping out orders by May 1st, but will not wait if everything is in place before then. As always, I will keep you all posted :)
5. If you have had your eye on any particular teaware in the shop, now would probably be the best time to purchase it. Much of what remains are one-of-a-kind pieces and I am not planning on continuing to offer the diverse selection of teaware once it is all sold. This is also a great time to purchase teaware for Mother's Day, Father's Day, and birthday gifts, and, even though it's super early - this year's holiday teaware gifts.
6. I have stocked up on Double Devon Cream, which is a great accompaniment with scones. The expiration date is August of this year, so it will keep (unopened) in the fridge for any spring or summer tea events that you may be hosting or attending.
7. Effie's Biscuits, honeys, chocolate-covered fruit confections from Spain, and macarons will all be discontinued upon closing. Grab these products while still in stock. Many of you have inquired about the scone mixes and I am on the fence about continuing to carry them, mainly due to the wholesale minimum. Please let me know if you plan on continuing to purchase them and I will be able to make a decision as to whether they will remain available.

Re-post of last month's logistics:

1. It will be very difficult to continue to manage the volume of teas and tisanes that I currently offer. Some will no longer be carried because they are no longer being produced or I don't have a way to purchase any longer. I have a really good sense on the teas that you may want to continue to purchase; however, I would love to hear your must-haves. Please feel free to reply to this email with your favorites and I will make note!
2. For all outstanding gift certificates - feel free to redeem them in the shop before March 30th. Or you may also redeem them in the online shop before or after this date. To redeem, please input the following information in the Comments section in the cart: compliments of, especially for, gift certificate number, amount, and date. You will still need to input your credit card, but only the balance will be charged, if there is one. Gift certificates never expire - I put an expiration date on them because I want them to be used and not forgotten in a pile of paper ;)
3. I always put love in every cup of tea that I prepare for you, but extra love will be put in everyone's cup moving forward :)
4. I will also be selling some of the pieces in the shop that I will no longer need. I will be making more definite decisions as March approaches, but I already know that the commercial stainless steel 3-compartment sink will not be needed. Please let me know if anyone is potentially interested in purchasing it.

I am not currently taking on new clients, but will have the availability to do so after the shop closes. As a Certified Functional Diagnostic Nutrition (FDN) Practitioner, I help clients 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 functional lab testing and holistic protocols addressing body, mind, spirit and senses. This is an extension of my work in tea and herbalism for the past seventeen years, but I will now be able to help those of you who need it at a much deeper and more 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 will educate and empower you to make the choices that are best for YOUR health so that you can be your own health advocate moving forward. 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!

Over the past few years I have had the extraordinary opportunity to study with and be mentored by some leaders in their field. I am excited to incorporate this new information to help my clients and will be using the skills and knowledge gained from these certifications to roll out new programs later this year when I will begin to accept clients again:

• Functional Nutrition Certificate with Chris Kresser - world-renown integrative medicine practitioner; based on this knowledge I will be using functional and ancestral nutrition to support the needs of the body and educate clients about the foods that create the environment for chronic inflammation and disease. Clients will also have the option to obtain diet and lifestyle practice reports based solely on their genetics.
• Certified Terrain Advocate with Dr. Nasha Winters - world-renown Naturopathic doctor who uses an integrative, metabolic approach to help her clients survive and thrive with cancer; I will be using the principles of the Metabolic Approach to address internal and external underlying drivers in the cancering process, but also with autoimmune disease, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, dementia, and other inflammatory chronic conditions.
• MRC Healthy Gut Specialist Certification with Dr. Jason Hawrelak - among the preeminent international researcher/clinicians in the realm of gut microbiome testing and addressing GI issues using natural methods; using the extensive new tools in my toolbox, I will be able to help my clients better address a broad array of GI issues and enable them to balance their gut microbiome for optimal wellness.
• Art and Science of Herbalism Certificate with Rosemary Gladstar - the "godmother" of herbalism here in the US; I will be able to use the extensive herbal and natural remedies knowledge gained from this program in developing my own protocols.
• FDN Advanced Course Certificate - Coaching Skills and Teaching Emotional Wellness
• FDN Advanced Course Certificate - Functional Blood Chemistry Analysis
• FDN Advanced Course Certificate - Blood Sugar Management
• FDN Advanced Course Certificate - Advanced Guide to Mitochondria Dysfunction and Support

To learn about my health and wellness services, feel free to visit the Vitality Holistic Wellness website https://vitalityholisticwellness.net. New programs and additional information about my health and wellness services will be added in a few months, so stay tuned!

I haven't had the time to craft and distribute the Vitality Newsletter in over a year, but am planning to pick this back up after the shop closes. The newsletter will include health and wellness tips that do not fit within the scope of this newsletter. If you are interested in receiving it, then please feel free to sign up while you're at the website!

New at the Shop

Nothing new at the moment, but some of our autumn and holiday teas are still available in the shop and online shop! The following teas are still available, some in very limited supply: Chocolate Peppermint Black Tea, Christmas Blend Black Tea, Gingered Vanilla Toddy Black Tea, Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Black Tea, Roasted Chestnut Black & Green Tea with Yerba Maté Blend, Maple Walnut Green Tea, White Chocolate Peppermint White Tea, Rooibos Chocolate Peppermint Herbal Tisane, Rooibos Christmas Cookie Herbal Tisane, Rooibos Maple Walnut Herbal Tisane, Rooibos Orange Gingerbread Herbal Tisane, Rooibos Pumpkin Spice Herbal Tisane, Candied Pomegranate Herbal Tisane, and Holiday Punch Fruit Tisane.

Summer teas will be available in the shop and online shop before the end of the month! Returning favorites include: Minted Coconut Lime Green Tea, Cherry Pineapple Herbal Tisane, Coconut Fruit Punch Fruit Tisane, Kiwi Peach Fruit Tisane, and Watermelon Fruit Tisane.

Infuse Tea Bar & The Pleasures of Tea

106 Main Street

West Sayville, NY 11796

www.infuseteabarny.com - shop

www.pleasuresoftea.com - online shop

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500+ Loose Leaf Teas, Herbal Tisanes & Functional/Medicinal Herbs

Certified - Tea Professional, Tea Sommelier & Tea Health Expert

Forever Student of the Art & Science of Herbalism

Certified Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner, MRC Certified Healthy Gut Practitioner & Certified Terrain Advocate - Vitality Holistic Wellness