May 2025 Newsletter

Hi everyone and I hope all is well! :)

Mother's Day is this Sunday, May 11th and I wish a beautiful day to all you moms, grandmas, and pet moms.

Everything has been progressing toward re-opening the online shop! It's been eighteen years since I started the business in NY and I needed to reacquaint myself to the process in a different state. But I now have the Sales & Use Tax Certificate, my business license, placed lots of orders and tea inventory has been arriving - it feels like Christmas! The shelves are getting stocked and organized with most of your favorites, including the summer teas and tisanes. I know many of you are getting low on your tea and I don't want to hold up the re-opening any longer waiting for everything to be perfect, so I am looking to have the website live again on Monday, May 12th! :)

Please note that some of the teas are going to take some time to arrive, since they are coming from overseas and there are still delays and uncertainty due to the tariff situation. This issue is predominately affecting some of the origin teas, but I have such a large selection from all over the world, that this may be a great opportunity to try something new if your favorite is not yet in stock. Managing my tea inventory is an involved process - probably why most tea purveyors do not offer as large a selection as I do. Over the next several days, I will need to update 500 teas, tisanes, and functional herbs and blends manually, so it is possible that some get missed being fully updated. If you experience any issues while trying to place an order, please do not hesitate to email me at kristine@infuseteabarny.com. There are also some important details regarding order fulfillment and shipping that are outlined below.

Toward the end of last year I mentioned in one of the newsletters that I would be writing about the bioactive compounds in tea in an upcoming newsletter. In last month's newsletter, I discussed some of these compounds, which can be found under the Newsletter section at https://www.pleasuresoftea.com. This month we are going to dive into the remaining two bioactive compounds - terpenes and phenolic acids.

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

-- Kristine, NBC-HWC, FDN-P

Getting restocked! I feel like it's Christmas getting all these delicious teas :)

Important Info for Order Fulfillment & Shipping

To ensure smooth and seamless fulfillment and shipping processes I am implementing a shipping schedule and order deadlines. I am also still setting up and will re-open the online shop before everything is completely ready, but I do not want to hold up you being able to restock your teas!.

• I have not yet had the time, nor will I have the time through Monday, to blend up my blends (there's about 35 of them). I will enable these to be ordered and I will blend up fresh big batches as they are ordered. Please keep in mind that, initially, orders containing my blends will take a little longer to pull together, as blending does take time.
• As mentioned above, I need to manually update every item to make sure that they are accurate regarding inventory levels and other changes that need to be made with the new location. If I happen to miss an item and you are having difficulty ordering it, please don't hesitate to email me.
• Some teas will still be out of stock or have low inventory because I haven't yet received the new stock. Out of stock items will be indicated. If an item is low in inventory and you try to order more than what is available, then you will get an error message. To get the order through, you can lower the amount until you no longer get the error message. My apologies up front if you are not yet able to get the amount you are looking to purchase. One specific tea where this will be an issue is the Glenburn Estate Autumn Crescendo Black Tea - should be fully restocked in a few weeks.
• I ship using USPS to provide you with the best prices for shipping. Postal service on the mountain can be a little inconsistent, so I am implementing a shipping schedule and cut-off times.

*Orders will be shipped out on Mondays and Thursdays.

*Deadlines are Saturdays at 5:00PM EST for Monday shipping; Tuesdays at 5:00PM EST for Thursday shipping.

*If the orders are not picked up by my postal carrier on either of these days, then they will ship the next day.

*You will continue to receive an email with the tracking number once the order ships.

*I'm going to see how this schedule works and will communicate any adjustments, if necessary.

*As always, I fill and ship orders as quickly as I can. Even though there is a schedule, if I am able to fill an order that comes in past the deadline then I will!

I thank you for your patience as I get operations under way again. Please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions!

Ovarian Cancer

May 8th is World Ovarian Cancer Day. It's hard to believe that it has been a year since my own ovarian cancer diagnosis and cancer journey. I am feeling very blessed that I am still here healing and celebrating one more trip around the sun this month.

Ovarian cancer is one that truly needs more awareness. As with other cancer types, ovarian cancer diagnoses and deaths are on the rise. Unfortunately, increases are occurring particularly among younger women who traditionally were not in the high-risk group. Ovarian cancer is not among the top in number of women who get diagnosed; however, it is among the most lethal and is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths among women. The American Cancer Society estimates for ovarian cancer in the United States for 2025 are:

• About 20,890 women will receive a new diagnosis of ovarian cancer, an increase of 1,210 from last year equivalent to 6%.
• About 12,740 women will die from ovarian cancer, which is the same as last year.

Even though this is a rare cancer, the odds of survival are not great due to the late stage when most cases are finally diagnosed. The lethality of ovarian cancer results from poor diagnostic options and symptoms that are non-descript, mimicking other issues - digestive issues, bloating, bowel and/or urinary habit changes (very common symptoms in women). These symptoms usually arise in the later stages of the cancer when few options exist. Early stages, when it is more treatable, are usually asymptomatic or subtle symptoms get missed. And generally, it is an aggressive cancer that can get to Stage 4 in under a year. Unfortunately, the approach that many doctors may take is to wait and see before recommending additional diagnostics that may provide more insight - and this is time that is critical and should not be wasted. It is not always the case with cancer, but with this specific cancer, time is of the essence!!

It is important to know the risks and how they may apply to you and the women in your life. But don't limit yourself just to the risks - I had a risk factor that was elevated and many factors that reduced my risk. As with the majority of cancers, one of my root causes is based on environmental factors (a risk that is not even identified for this particular cancer); however, this aspect is not part of the treatment plan in the conventional cancer sphere. More about this later in the year, so stay tuned!

I shared my story last year in the hopes that all of you women who read my newsletter and the men who have women in their lives will be aware of this cancer and take the necessary steps to understand your own potential risks, if any. Be informed and advocate for yourself - it is well-worth the effort!

Ladies - speak with your gynecologist to understand your risk and, if you do not have a gynecologist, get one! See if you can get pelvic ultrasounds annually, if you aren't already. Baseline scans are important and, for the life of me, I cannot understand the hesitancy with doctors wanting to have on file to compare when there is an issue. I was fortunate and informed to know that there was an issue when the tech performing my ultrasound last year said "both ovaries were looking good". I questioned her because I knew she shouldn't be able to see my left ovary - we hadn't seen it on a scan in years. It didn't make sense why all of a sudden it was visible and I was able to pursue further, saving my life in the process.

To learn more and understand the risk factors, visit National Ovarian Cancer Coalition or Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance.

Bioactive Compounds in Tea Part II

As discussed in last month's newsletter, tea is an extremely complex product, with over one hundred constituents having been identified so far in its leaves. Some of this complexity is a result of the bioactive compounds that are present in tea, which are constituents that have a biological effect on the body. Last month we explored the bioactive categories of alkaloids, polysaccharides, amino acids, vitamins, minerals and trace elements. This month we take a look at the much larger categories of terpenes and phenolic acids. These are two massive categories with subcategories and subcategories within the subcategories. Luckily for us, tea does not contain every single compound classified in these subcategories, but we are still only going to cover at a high level the compounds that are found within tea.

Terpenes are a large category of compounds, which are the main source of the floral, citrus and woody aromas that are expressed in the dry and wet leaves and the resulting infusion. Almost all essential oils contain monoterpenes, one of the subcategories of terpenes. Monoterpenes comprise many constituents that bring about a multitude of different aromas in tea and all other plants. Linalool is one example that imparts fresh, sweet, citrus aromas; while geraniol imparts sweet, fruity, and rose-like aromas. Tea also contains two types of sesquiterpenes, another subcategory of terpenes, only when the leaves are damaged by an animal. This serves as a defense system to protect the plant. Of importance to us regarding effects in the body, linalool has relaxing and antispasmodic properties. While these effects are fairly mild in tea because this compound is not present in large amounts, the relaxing and antispasmodic effects are stronger in the herb lavender due to a higher linalool content. Geraniol exhibits anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial effects.

The phenolic compound category comprises a multitude of constituents, and as with terpenes, not all are found in tea. This is an extensively studied category of compounds in tea as these constituents offer potential beneficial effects on human health. There are several phenolic compounds in tea and they predominantly contribute to the antioxidant effects in the body. One example is gallic acid, which is a type of phenolic acid. The most abundant type of phenolic compounds in tea are the flavonoids, which are also referred to as tea polyphenols. There are several subtypes of flavonoids in tea:

• Flavan-3-ols - these include catechin, epicatechin, gallocatechin, epigallocatechin (EGC), and the most studied epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). These compounds have strong antioxidant and anticarcinogenic action and are found in all teas, but higher levels are in green and white teas. This compound can also provide an astringency to the infusion.
• Flavan-3-ol-Derivatives - theaflavins and thearubigens are derivatives of the flavan-3-ols, especially catechin, as the leaves are oxidized. These two compounds are found predominantly in black teas, but are also found in varied levels in wulong teas, particularly higher-oxidized wulongs. These have strong antioxidant effects and are responsible for the darker colors found in these teas.
• Theabrownins - fermented tea polyphenols, although I have yet to find the specific ones. Theabrownins contribute the very dark colors in Pu-er teas. Studies on this compound demonstrate that it may have effects on lowering blood lipids.
• Flavonols - quercetin, myricetin, and kaempferol have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic properties.

I hope this helps to shed some additional light on just some of the bioactive compounds in your daily cup of tea and gets you inspired to explore how they present themselves in the cups that you are enjoying!

New Teas

Most teas and tisanes are back in stock and summer blends are now available! Returning summer favorites include: Minted Coconut Lime Green Tea, Cherry Pineapple Herbal Tisane, Coconut Fruit Punch Fruit Tisane, Kiwi Peach Fruit Tisane, and Watermelon Fruit Tisane.

The Pleasures of Tea

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

NBWHC Board-Certified Health & Wellness Coach, Certified Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner, MRC Certified Healthy Gut Practitioner, Certified Terrain Advocate, & Certified in Functional Nutrition - Vitality Holistic Wellness