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Hello everyone! I hope all is well and that you have been able to enjoy the beautiful autumn days we've been having so far. It is hard to believe that Thanksgiving is only a few weeks away and I wish you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving.
Holiday teas will be available on Monday 11/18!! Returning favorites are listed below and assorted samplers and the popular mug gift sets will also be available. If you would like any custom gift baskets for the holiday season, the deadline for orders is Wednesday 12/18. I can put pretty much anything from my offering in a gift basket and they are purely custom, so email me to discuss your needs. Autumn teas are still available and they are also listed below, as well. We're continuing to add teaware every week, trying to get as much there as possible in case you are looking for holiday gifts. Unfortunately, this has been a much slower process than we would like; however, if you saw something in the shop and it's not in the online shop yet, please let me know as much detail as possible and we'll get it figured out. Most of the teaware will not be restocked, even once I get to TN, so now is a great time to grab any of the tea sets or teapots that you may have had your eye on. And my annual holiday raffle will be back next month, so stay tuned for those details in next month's newsletter! :)
I will be participating in one last vendor fair - an artisanal craft holiday fair at the Suffolk County Historical Society Museum. It is taking place on Saturday 12/7 and pre-orders are highly recommended again to ensure I have what you need. Please see details outlined below. I look forward to seeing whoever can make it to the event!
Our move to Tennessee is still on track for March 2025 and, as promised, below are details and key deadlines to keep in mind in preparation. My primary goal before the move is to ensure that you are able to purchase all the tea you need to get you through the duration of the service interruption, which will be longer than the one everyone experienced after the close of Infuse Tea Bar. I have already begun putting an insert in everyone's orders, whether being shipped or picked up, that informs about the upcoming transition. This will continue until the transition and I apologize beforehand to those of you who may get duplicate inserts over the next several months - trying to cover all bases.
As you know by now, Camellia sinensis is the plant from which teas are crafted. But did you know that there are several varieties of Camellia sinensis? Well this is what we are going to explore in this month's newsletter.
As always, I appreciate your continued support of my small business!! :)
-- Kristine, FDN-P
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Artisanal Craft Holiday Fair!!
This 12th annual Wooden Wonderland Artisanal Holiday Fair also serves as a fundraising event for the Suffolk County Historical Society Museum. Admission is free to all attendees for the day and vendors will be nestled among the museum exhibits. The timing is perfect for the upcoming holiday season, so be sure to stop by to experience some of Suffolk County's history and get some gifts knocked off your list.
When: Saturday, December 7th
Time: 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM
Where: Suffolk County Historical Society Museum
300 West Main Street, Riverhead
To learn more about the museum and for additional fair details, please visit their website https://www.suffolkcountyhistoricalsociety.org/.
Please note: If you are planning to stop by to pick up anything particular, please place your order in the online shop and indicate Holiday Fair in the Comments section. A shipping charge will be applied, but I will remove it. I will not be able to bring as many teas as I would like to prepare and the focus will be on holiday, autumn, and some other teas, samplers, mug gift sets, small gift baskets and a few other items. To ensure you get everything you would like, please be sure to place your orders no later than Tuesday 12/3. After this and depending on the volume of orders coming in, I cannot guarantee that I will be able to pull your order together in time to bring with me - although I will do my absolute best to do so.***
I look forward to seeing you there!! :)
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Pick-Up Option
Donna from West Sayville Flowers (my former business neighbor) has generously offered her shop as an option for order pick-ups! This service will ONLY be available on Wednesdays from 9:00 to 5:00, so as not to interfere with Donna's business. Orders will need to be placed before the end of day on Sundays so that I will have the time to pull them together and get them over to her. If you would like to take advantage of this option, please indicate so in the Comments section of the cart. Please note that a shipping charge will be applied when you place your order, but it will be removed when I manually finalize and charge the order :)
Please be advised that, at times, her shop may be closed for a short period of time while they are running deliveries. They will have a sign posted stating this, so please be aware that this may happen if you decide to use this service.
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Gift Certificates
You may redeem any outstanding gift certificates in the online shop! 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, not forgotten in a pile of paper ;).
Need to purchase an e-gift certificate? Feel free to email me at kristine@infuseteabarny.com - be sure to include name from and to and the gift certificate amount. I will email you an invoice that you may pay online.
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Blended up a fresh batch of Almond Vanilla Green & White Tea and Turmeric Spice Organic Herbal Tisane!
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Our Upcoming Move Details
The move in March is going to require significantly more logistics and there will be a longer interruption in service than what occurred at the closure of Infuse Tea Bar earlier this year. Preparation has already begun and here are some key things to keep in mind as the time draws near:
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The last day to place orders in the online shop at https://www.pleasuresoftea.com/ will be Friday, February 28, 2025 at 10:00PM EST. There can be no extensions to this date or time, so please make note and place your orders before. All orders placed near the deadline will be shipped no later than early in the next week. Ordering before then will ensure the best selection of teas and quantity that you are looking for.
- I am anticipating to have the website back up for you to place your orders no earlier than May 1, 2025; however, I will not know if this is a realistic date until I have made the move and get everything back up and running. As many of you know, we have a "cat rescue" and my main focus once there will be getting them situated and used to their new home - a monumental feat ;). Getting the business back up and running will most likely be a slow process and I will start the set-up as soon as I will be able, along with getting teas restocked. I will continue to keep you all updated at that time.
- We looked into the possibility of the website remaining live only for browsing and adding items to the shopping cart during the interruption in service; however, this is not feasible. Instead, there will be a message on our page stating that we are moving and anticipate being back up to receive orders around May 1st, etc.
- I am managing my tea inventory very tightly - trying to keep enough so you have what you need, but not so much that I have to move it all with me. I am already out of several teas and anticipate running out of more. This is a goal, so that I can restock once in TN.
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For those of you who are planning to stock up in January or February with larger amounts (8oz or more) of any particular teas or purchasing amounts larger than what you typically order, please email me or reply to this email before Sunday 12/22. Let me know the name of the tea and the quantity you are looking to purchase. I plan to place restocking orders the first week in January, only if I need to, in order to meet your requirements. I will let you know if your request will be possible, as many of my suppliers have large minimums that I may not be able to meet if I only need to order a small number of teas.
I am hoping to make this transition as smooth as possible, while still being able to support you and your tea needs. Reminders and any new details will continue to be communicated over the next several months. If you have any questions or need clarity on the above, please feel free to email me at kristine@infuseteabarny.com or reply to this email.
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Varieties of the Tea Plant | | |
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Tea drinking began in China thousands of years ago, where it is believed to have been first discovered. The tea plant, Camellia sinensis, is indigenous not only to China, but to other parts of Southeast Asia as well. It is closely related to Camellia japonica, which is a common horticultural plant used in gardens. | |
It is an evergreen plant, of which there are three main varieties: Camellia sinensis var. sinensis; Camellia sinensis var. assamica; and Camellia sinensis var. cambodiensis. Each of these main varieties can be further subdivided into hundreds, if not thousands, of subvarieties or cultivars. Each main variety has different physical traits and the teas that can be created from them have their own distinctive characteristics. | |
Camellia sinensis var. sinensis originates from the Yunnan province in the southwestern part of China and is known as the Chinese tea plant; however, this variety can be grown in many other parts of the world. This plant is usually cultivated in tea gardens, as pictured above, and pruned to a height that allows for easy plucking of the leaves; however, left to grow in its natural state, this plant can reach a height of 20 feet. Its leaves tend to be small, thick, and dark green. It is a hardy variety and can withstand low temperatures, making it ideal for cooler climates and higher elevations. The leaves tend to yield a tea that is aromatic and not particularly full-bodied. This is the primary variety used in the teas of China, Taiwan, Japan, countries of the Middle East and states of the former USSR, the Darjeeling and Nilgiri regions of India, and some tea estates in Sri Lanka. | |
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Above: Cultivated tea plants with prominent new growth.
Below: A tea tree in Yunnan, China that is used to produce Pu-er tea.
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Camellia sinensis var. assamica originates from the Assam region in the northeastern part of India and is known as the Assam tea plant; however, this variety can also be grown in many other parts of the world. This variety is also primarily cultivated; however, left to grow in its natural state, this plant can reach a height of 50 feet. Its leaves tend to be large, broad, and a paler green than those of Camellia sinensis var. sinensis. It is less hardy than var. sinsensis and prefers to grow in jungle-like conditions with lots of rainfall and temperatures that average 85 degrees. The leaves tend to yield a tea that is full-bodied, robust and strongly flavored. This is the primary variety used in the teas of the Assam region of India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Africa, and South America.
Camellia sinensis var. cambodiensis is found in Cambodia and parts of Thailand and Vietnam. There is debate as to whether it is a subvariety of Camellia sinensis var. assamica, a naturally occurring hybrid of the prior two varieties, or an ancestor of the prior two varieties. It prefers to grow in subtropical climates and, in the wild, this plant can reach a height of 30 feet. This variety is cultivated to make some teas, but it is not used nearly as much as the prior two varieties. Its leaves tend to be medium-sized and yellow-green in color, yielding a tea that has characteristics similar to the var. assamica. This varietal is used in some of the teas produced in Indonesia and other countries in Southeast Asia, along with a few tea gardens in Kenya.
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Mug gift sets pictured above and samplers are pictured below. Pictures are old - haven't done new ones yet. | |
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The following holiday favorites will be returning on Monday 11/18:
- Christmas Blend Black Tea
- Chocolate Peppermint Black Tea
- White Chocolate Peppermint White Tea
- Rooibos Chocolate Peppermint Herbal Tisane
- Rooibos Christmas Cookie Herbal Tisane
- Rooibos Orange Gingerbread Herbal Tisane
- Candied Pomegranate Herbal Tisane
- Holiday Punch Fruit Tisane
Assorted samplers and the popular holiday mug gift sets will also be available in the online shop and the upcoming holiday fair.
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Your favorite autumn blends are still available and are perfect holiday teas too: Apple Molasses Black Tea, Gingered Vanilla Toddy Black Tea, Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Black Tea, Pumpkin Pie Black Tea, Roasted Chestnut Black & Green Teas with Yerba Maté, Maple Walnut Green Tea, Rooibos Maple Walnut Herbal Tisane, Rooibos Pumpkin Crème Herbal Tisane, Rooibos Pumpkin Spice Herbal Tisane and Mulling Spice Organic Tisane. | |
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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
Certified Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner, MRC Certified Healthy Gut Practitioner, Certified Terrain Advocate, & Certified in Functional Nutrition - Vitality Holistic Wellness
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