New ProjectsNew Projects We’re excited about a few new projects we have in the works. First off, TeaMan and I updated our marketing plan for 2012 and one of our goals was to expand into Wellness Teas. We wanted to consult with an expert in herbs and come up with a new line of products. In the past few months, we have had several people ask for different types of wellness teas such as milk thistle, red clover, yerba mate (which we have) and white teas (which we also have currently). We’ve connected with a local herbalist who has a successful herbal business-making tinctures and teas. She’s going to consult with us to help us develop this line. Those products should be available in our store by June 1st. Another very cool project is also something we’ve been talking about for a while. I will be hosting an Afternoon Tea Party at the Ansorge Hotel in Curlew, Wa at the Artist’s Affair. The Ansorge is a turn-of-the-century historical hotel and the dining room and kitchen are furnished in authentic antiques from that period of time. I will have tea, scones, china cups and saucers and tea for sale. Now looking for a Victorian outfit of some kind, and maybe something for my son who I will try and persuade to assist me. Patience and planning does have a point….I get frustrated because I would like to keep moving the business forward but as many of you know, businesses are very time-intensive and things can move slowly. We’re excited about these new projects. On another note, we brought in “Mom” tea envelopes, a card for mom with a gift of a teabag enclosed-just $1.00 each. We’re hosting tea and scones this Saturday and also having a sale on all organic and fair trade teas, in honor of Earth Day. Changes are in the air, as we say good-bye to the business that was next to ours-and the business owner who helped us so much get started. I have to remember that change can be good…..and tea is good for you.

We’re excited about a few new projects we have in the works. First off, TeaMan and I updated our marketing plan for 2012 and one of our goals was to expand into Wellness Teas. We wanted to consult with an expert in herbs and come up with a new line of products. In the past few months, we have had several people ask for different types of wellness teas such as milk thistle, red clover, yerba mate (which we have) and white teas (which we also have currently). We’ve connected with a local herbalist who has a successful herbal business-making tinctures and teas. She’s going to consult with us to help us develop this line. Those products should be available in our store by June 1st. Another very cool project is also something we’ve been talking about for a while. I will be hosting an Afternoon Tea Party at the Ansorge Hotel in Curlew, Wa at the Artist’s Affair. The Ansorge is a turn-of-the-century historical hotel and the dining room and kitchen are furnished in authentic antiques from that period of time. I will have tea, scones, china cups and saucers and tea for sale. Now looking for a Victorian outfit of some kind, and maybe something for my son who I will try and persuade to assist me. Patience and planning does have a point….I get frustrated because I would like to keep moving the business forward but as many of you know, businesses are very time-intensive and things can move slowly. We’re excited about these new projects. On another note, we brought in “Mom” tea envelopes, a card for mom with a gift of a teabag enclosed-just $1.00 each. We’re hosting tea and scones this Saturday and also having a sale on all organic and fair trade teas, in honor of Earth Day. Changes are in the air, as we say good-bye to the business that was next to ours-and the business owner who helped us so much get started. I have to remember that change can be good…..and tea is good for you.

April Update

Love April, it’s my birthday month and usually the start of spring weather. Weather is one of those things, just out of our control, so we’ll just enjoy it as it comes. We are going to continue our new hours for April, M-F 12:30-5:30 pm and Saturdays 10-2. We are closed on 4/14 and on 4/23, but otherwise here. Our Seattle Marketspice teas are $1.00 off this month. We’re having an egg hunt on 4/7-search for the egg with the golden ticket in it, one per customer, all eggs will have surprises and coupons inside. We are celebrating Earth Day on 4/21, with all organic and fair trade teas $1 off. Join us for tea and scones at 2pm, as close to a proper English afternoon cream tea as we can get in Republic, WA. RSVPs are appreciated. Drop by, we’ll put the kettle on….

Treasures

March is a transition month, with the winter lingering a bit longer than usual.
Tea Man underwent a major surgery last month and this month we’re open fewer
hours and not taking on too much ‘extra.’ We did enjoy participating in a
progressive dinner party with two other businesses, and an artist’s showcase of
necklaces. I modelled one which was voted as the favorite necklace in the show
and won a door prize. I loved the chai tea latte i made for that event and plan
to make again on the first Saturday of April. We’re having a ‘find the prize’
egg hunt, one per customer please, look for an egg with surprises, coupons and
special sales inside. Gotta have that chai tea again….with those ginger crisps,
those were tasty! In a few quiet moments, had time to make new gift
baskets for spring. Also want to show off a few new treasures found in
March. I spotted a dainty blue and white set in a thrift store-saw the bottom
markings and knew it was Royal Albert ‘Dainty Blue.’ I didn’t know that included
in the set was a Shelley ‘Dainty Blue’ dish, until I got them home and could
unwrap the set. What a find! They are all lovely, but it’s such an unexpected
delight to find Shelley. Then, a few days later, I had to make a quick trip to
the neighboring town and ran into a thrift store there. One little cup caught my
eye, a cute scene and green handle, flipped over, peeled away the price tag and
BOOM, there is was! Another ’shelley’ piece to add to our store’s collection.
Very spring and lovely. We’ve also added some new tea, Yerba Mate. Interesting
flavor-very earthy and grassy. I’m working on a new blend, a lemon chamomile
blend, thinking of adding hibiscus and orange, see if we can get the blend just
so. Treasures, transitions, thinking forward….

In Like a Lion...

How much more snow will we get, I wonder? We’re still looking for green, floral and springy decor for the tea store even though there’s like 8 inches of snow on the ground. I keep treasures stashed away for seasonal decor and it’s fun to go through the box and find the treasures for that season-shamrock plates and bowls and a cool serving platter from Johnson Brothers. All of our green teas are $1.00 off in March. We have Harney & Sons organic green, Japanese Sencha, English Tea Store granny green apple green tea & Bohemian Raspberry-and our private label blends of jasmine green, moroccan mint and gunpowder. We’re getting ready for the progressive dinner and artists showcase next Saturday. Artistic jewelry by Diane’s Designs will be on display on live models in three stores, the Tea Store, Borderlands Trader and New Voices Books-stores near ours. In the evening, the three of us are hosting an invite only private event, with dinner at Borderlands, tea and cookies (possibly a chai tea latte and ginger cookies) and desert at New Voices Books. Our hours are changed slightly in March: 12:30-5:30pm M-F and 10-2 on Saturdays. Tea Man is recovering from surgery and should be back in the store on the 12th or so. He’s doing great-can’t have caffeine so he’s enjoying decaf earl grey from Marketspice and decaf Typhoo. We’ll have free cuppa tea on Pete’s bday, 3/30, come in and say hi.

Crafting Spring

OK, it's still winter here. We got several inches of new snow last night. Yet I was in the mood to get out the crafting supplies and make a new shadowbox in spring colors. I picked up the supplies to make this last year sometime and I remember chatting to the clerk at the scrapbook supply store-how much is too much? How much embellishment and frou frou to put into a project? She had good advice-variety-as what's too much for someone might be just right for someone else. I enjoy finding the supplies to show off a unique saucer-esp if you don't have the cup, it's fun to use the saucer anyway. We are looking ahead to March now-and planning to collaborate with a few shops on the block. There's an artist showcase on 3/10 and we'll have teas to sample, maybe even scones. We're featuring green teas in March and Irish Breakfast. Think spring, and start enjoying pastel colors and floral designs.

Festival of Teas

January was National Hot Tea Month and aside from the in store specials we had, we enjoyed our first sit down tea tasting. Even with a small group, we enjoyed the chance to share our knowledge of teas and learn from each other. We tried caffeine free and low caffeine options. First, an herbal tea of choice including the Green Rooibos, Rooibos Darling & Winter Berries. We took a commercial tea bag apart to compare the leaves inside to the whole and broken leaf black tea we have in stock. We then tried white tea in the tea press so we could watch the leaves unfurl as the tea brewed. I was surprised that this tea actually did taste better when it was brewed that way, rather than in the tea bag. We moved on to gunpowder green because it is so interesting to watch the rolled balls of tea unfurl and expand in the 185 degree water. We offered our guests a Walker’s Shortbread cookie for in between courses, which provided a nice treat. While we didn’t move on to the black teas, as we were catering to caffeine free options today, we shared how we would brew both loose tea and teabags in little pots. Gotta warm up the pot first and dispose of the water. We plan to have more tea tasting events through out the year and have ideas for an overview of teas, tea tasting that features one type of tea such as several different black teas, or fruit flavored tea and such. It was nice to meet another tea lover and expand the types of events we can offer in the tea store. There really is a lot of information to learn about tea-the different types of tea, the ways to store tea, brew tea, how hot to boil the water. Slurping is allowed at a tea tasting, although we were all pretty well behaved in that area. Teas, like wine, can vary by taste based on where they are grown, which is interesting as well. Kettle River Tea Store is here to help you find the tea you love, and try new teas. February’s special is chocolate teas, including a custom blend of chocolate & strawberry flavored tea. Put the kettle on and relax, tea is good for you!

Thinking of Valentine's Day

Getting ready for Valentine's Day, we have blended a chocolate and strawberry tea, that is delish! We've made tea envelopes that can be used as a valentine's gift for your sweetie. We can make custom tea envelopes for special ocassions such as birthdays, weddings, parties and so on-custom to the ocassion and choice of tea. We'll have a few more custom gift baskets coming in, including one with scone mix, devon cream and jam. Planning a tea for two special on Feb 11, 2012-for you and a friend or a sweetie. Drop by and we'll put the kettle on!