July 2023 Newsletter

Hello all! I hope everything is well and you are enjoying summer so far :)

Gong Fu Tea Service is back!!! Our summer menu is now available and appointments for this seated service are being accepted. Please see below for details, along with the summer menu. I look forward to preparing tea for you during this relaxing and culturally enriching experience :)

In this month's newsletter we are going to do an exploration into the concept of terroir. We'll just be scratching the surface, but will provide a solid foundation and how it relates to tea. Hopefully it will inspire you to go on your own terroir tea excursions, if you aren't already. Another new origin tea has arrived at the shop and is available in the shop and online shop - see below in the New at the Shop section for details.

The shop will be now be open Thursday 7/6, so please disregard the notification in last month's newsletter. Please note that the shop will be closed Sunday 7/30 and from Monday 9/4 through Wednesday 9/13 for our last break of the year. All usual hours and operations have resumed :)

I've been organizing the "warehouse" and have been finding a lot of cool pieces of teaware that I forgot I had in inventory. All are one-off pieces that are defective in some way - designs are a little off, minor chips, missing parts, etc. - but all are perfectly functional as teaware or can used creatively as planters or bird feeders/houses. They'll be offered at clearance prices in the shop, so check out during your next visit if there are any treasures that you can use.

As a reminder, I apologize to those of you who have arrived at 11:00AM when the shop opens and you have had to wait. If you arrive on a day when the shop is supposed to be open, but it is just past 11:00AM, the blinds and door are still closed and there is no "family emergency" sign on the door, please wait if you can, as I will be there within 5 or 10 minutes. I am sorry in advance for the inconvenience.

I again appreciate your continued support of my small business and I wish you much health and great tasting cups of tea in 2023!

-- Kristine, FDN-P

Blended up fresh batches of Almond Vanilla Green Tea, Guayusa Hibiscus Berry Organic Herbal Tisane, Elderflower Strawberry Herbal Tisane, Bone Support Organic and Nervine Tonic Organic Herbal Tisanes! :)

Shop Schedule

Please note the following days that the shop will be closed:

Sunday 7/30

Monday 9/4 through Wednesday 9/13

Be sure to check your stash and stock up before the extended break! :)

As a reminder, current hours, along with future long-term schedule changes and policies, can always be found on our shop website infuseteabarny.com.

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 summer menu is now available:

• Bi Luo Chun Green Tea - Jiangsu, China
• Tan Huong Tea Co-op Green Tea - Thai Nguyen, Vietnam
• Himalayan Organic White Tea - Nepal
• Jasmine Scented Silver Needle White Tea - Fujian, China
• Si Jie Chun Formosa Wulong Tea - Zhushan, Nantou, Taiwan
• Huang Jin Gui Wulong Tea - Anxi, Fujian, China
• Wild-Grown Hand-Made Black Tea - Georgia (Asia)
• Champawat Estate Organic Black Tea - Kumaon, Uttarakhand, India

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 and put "Gong Fu" as the subject. 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. 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 be lost and most likely will not be seen until weeks after you are looking for them.

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

Terroir & Tea

When most people hear the word "terroir" for the first time, it is usually in the context of wine. In fact, if you've ever gone to a GOOD wine tasting or a whiskey, craft beer, coffee, or chocolate tasting....the person leading the event would have explained this concept and how it would influence what you were to experience.

Terroir is a French word that translates into English as "soil". It refers to the "taste of place". The word "terroir" is used extensively in the wine industry to refer to regional topographical, along with environmental and climatic conditions, that are responsible for the aromas and flavors of a particular wine. It is used similarly in the tea industry, where it includes each of the following components: soil; topography; climate and other environmental conditions; botanical selection; agricultural practices; cultural tradition and how the tea leaves are processed.

So you may be wondering why this is important. Well, terroir is what influences the complexity, diversity, and nuance in the aromatic and flavor profiles of tea and it is what makes tea even more complex than wine. It is terroir that makes origin and estate teas so interesting and magical to explore. As a result, I call it a journey to experience each of these teas because I feel like I can transport myself to each of the places of the tea that I am appreciating at that moment. Terroir is why all of the over 200 origin teas, including sixty origin black teas, that I offer are unique - there is no such thing as a "regular" black tea or green tea or any other tea.

So let's take a look at each of the components of terroir as it relates to tea and a few of the variables that effect the tastes, aromas, and other characteristics that get expressed:

• Soil - composition, mineral-rich volcanic soil vs rocky soil, moisture content, well-structured soil vs loose soil vs compact soil
• Topography - elevation, flat vs hilly/mountainous vs valley
• Climate/Environmental Conditions - temperature, humidity, rainfall, individual weather patterns, amount of sun or shade, natural shade from clouds, in mountains or near sea, other agricultural products grown in the area or possible industrial activities
• Botanical selection - type of tea plant (Camellia sinensis var. sinensis or Camellia sinensis var. assamica are two main types used in cultivation), cultivar within each type tend to have known "typical" characteristics
• Agricultural practices - cultivated or wild-grown; biodynamic, organic or conventional practices; planting under part-shade of trees or using man-made shade that is from bamboo or canvas coverings; pampering the plants with adequate irrigation or allowing them to struggle to find water; allowing insects (such as the leaf hopper) to nibble on the leaves
• Cultural tradition/processing - time of year the tea leaves are harvested, which leaves are harvested, hand- or machine-harvested, processing steps and techniques that may include steaming, pan-firing, rolling, baking, roasting, etc.

Some growers use some of these variables to increase the range of diversity in aromatic and taste characteristics within the teas that they produce. An example would involve taking advantage of microclimates that exist within the varying topography of a garden or planting different types of tea plants in different areas to produce micro lots. This is where the fun really begins!

Now that we have an understanding of terroir and its components, let's take a quick look at a few examples demonstrating how it is expressed:

• Darjeeling teas originate from the Darjeeling region in northeastern India in the foothills of the Himalayas. These are classic high-grown teas that are cultivated at elevations of 2,500 to 7,000 feet in a subtropical highland climate that is drier than lower-grown teas. The high elevation stresses the Camellia sinensis var. sinensis tea plants and influences them to produce highly aromatic teas and black teas that are not as strong and robust as typical black teas.
• The teas of Assam, which is only about 500 miles from Darjeeling, could not be more different from those of Darjeeling. Assam is a low-growing area whose elevations max out at 300 feet. The Camellia sinensis var. assamica plants thrive in the tropical monsoon climate. These teas are strong and full-bodied with some astringency and won't be lost with the addition of milk. For those who do not like black tea, drinking an Assam may just reinforce this.
• White Tip Bai Hao (Oriental Beauty) Formosa wulong gets its unique characteristics from the predation of an insect, the leaf hopper, that is encouraged by the Taiwanese tea farmers. After an insect bites the tea leaves, the plant responds by activating its chemical defense mechanisms. This reaction results in a unique flavor profile and sweet aromatic notes of peach and honey.
• Lu Shan Yun Wu (Cloud Mist) green tea originates from the mountainous Jiangxi Province in China. These teas are grown at elevations where there is extensive cloud cover that partly shades the tea plants. This shading encourages the plants to produce higher levels of caffeine and theanine, which results in a medium-bodied infusion with rich, vegetal and umami aromas and flavors.

Understanding the terroir of a particular tea is key to unlocking its characteristics and determining whether it would be a tea that fits with one's palate. Understanding terroir is also key to knowing how a particular tea should be prepared in order to extract out the desired constituents, while leaving the undesired ones in the leaves. An example of this would be Darjeeling teas. I NEVER use boiling water on Darjeeling teas, including black teas, which makes them bitter and astringent. Instead, I select a water temperature appropriate for the time of year the leaves were harvested. This ensures that the taste and aromatic compounds slowly get extracted into the water, resulting in a perfectly balanced cup of tea.

It is interesting and fun to learn about the various factors that influence the characteristics of tea - and it is a unique way to experience tea. The best way to learn is to experience and appreciate the teas. It is sometimes hard to identify a tea's characteristics or even to find words to describe it. If you decide to conduct your own personal tea tasting, it may work better to taste a couple of teas simultaneously. This provides a comparison and contrast of the teas and allows the differing characteristics of each tea to pop. Have fun with your journeys through terroir and let me know how your excursions go! :)

Do you or someone you know need a personal health detective to address chronic wellness issues that can't seem to be resolved? If you haven't tried the FDN approach, then you haven't tried everything. Make 2023 your best year yet!

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 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 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!

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 an 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, among many other issues that you or someone you know may be experiencing. 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 also email 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!

New at the Shop

A new tea from Indonesia has arrived! Bukit Sari Organic Black Tea is from the island of Java. It is available in the shop and online shop.

Our summer teas are still available and a few have already been restocked! Returning favorites include: Minted Coconut Lime Green Tea, Cherry Pineapple Herbal Tisane, Coconut Lime Herbal Tisane, Coconut Fruit Punch Fruit Tisane, Kiwi Peach Fruit Tisane, and Watermelon Fruit Tisane. All are available in the shop and online shop.

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 Healthy Gut Practitioner & Certified Terrain Advocate - Vitality Holistic Wellness