Local Tea Company Owner Becomes Washington, D.C’s 1st Certified Tea Professional

NEWS RELEASE

WASHINGTON, DC,  May 27, 2009 – Elise E. Scott, Chief Leaf of online tea merchant, Pearl Fine Teas, has completed the Specialty Tea Institute’s (STI) 2 year program and is now the first Certified Tea Professional (CTP) in Washington, D.C. Ms. Scott was one of 8 people who completed the certification during the 2009 World Tea Expo, which was held in Las Vegas in May. To date, STI has certified only 23 Tea Professionals worldwide.

The three level, eight-course certification process, included classes that covered sensory evaluation, white, green, oolong and pu’erh teas and culminated with the black teas of China, India and Sri Lanka.

Upon completing the certification, Ms. Scott said, “It was a long 2 year journey filled with a lot of travel; sipping and study time–basically a total immersion into the world of tea. I loved every minute. More importantly, this training adds to my credibility as a tea professional and I take that very seriously.”

Ms. Scott has studied under many notable tea industry professionals, including Bill Waddington, Owner, Tea Source; Donna Fellman, Tea Education Alliance; Phil Parda, Owner­, Zhong Guo Cha; and Richard Guzauskas of Tea Forte, QTrade, Shangri La and STI Advisory Board Chairman. She also studied under Cynthia Gold, Tea Sommelier at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel and will spend 9 days in Taiwan this June studying oolong teas with Thomas Shu, 3^rd Generation Tea Master and Vice President of ABC Tea House.

About Pearl Fine Teas
Since 2006, Pearl Fine Teas has been providing premium, limited edition and rare loose-leaf teas along with custom creative blends and tea ware to tea lovers worldwide. The company focuses on top notch customer service, education and information about the world of tea. The company’s blog, TeaLove®, was launched on August 2008 and has received national attention for its posts on tea and politics.

For more information, visit www.pearlteas.com, www.tealove.wordpress.com or follow Pearl on Twitter at www.twiter.com/pearlfineteas.

About STI and The Tea Association of the USA
The Specialty Tea Institute is a division of the Tea Association of the U.S.A and is dedicated to serving the needs of purveyors in the specialty tea industry. The primary objective is to provide a credible source of information which will allow merchants to decide if entry into the world of specialty teas is the correct choice along with protecting their best interests, creating an environment conducive to growth, and developing positive marketing and media impressions about the world of tea. The tea industry looks to the Tea Association of the USA, Inc, The Tea Council of the USA and the Specialty Tea Institute (STI) for its wholesale and retail needs.
Website: http://www.teausa.org

 

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Pu’erh Tea and the Year of the Earth Ox.

Happy Chinese New Year! Finally, we have closed the door on the Year of the Rat. *whew*

Bye Bye, Rat! Hello, Ox!

As I sit here contemplating the new year (which is today if you go by the Chinese lunar calendar) I am filled with optimism as we welcome the Year of the OX. It must be better than the Rat. Don’t  you think? I hope. Let’s look on the bright side…

Though times may be challenging, each day we get the opportunity to make a new choice! Every single morning, we can create a new reality… amend previous decisions… be more kind… save a bit more money… keep promises… maybe try something new…

Which brings me to my choice of tea tonight as we usher in the Year of the Earth Ox: Golden Tip Pu’erh. What a natural partnership! Rich, smooth, woody, earthy. Lacking the unpleasant mustiness of some pu’erhs.  It’s a perfect introduction into the mystical world of pu’erh. A few cups a day is said to have the highest in health benefits. We’ll let you know when we start glowing. If you haven’t tried this magical tea from China, we recommend you dive right in.

Golden Tip Pu'erh

Ok, now back to Chinese Astrology.  The Chinese Zodiac is said to follow the stations of Jupiter’s orbit around the sun, which is just shy of 12 years. The animals mark years in a 12-year cycle that begins with rat, followed by ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and boar. According GoToAstrology.com:

“The coming 2009 year of the earth Ox also called 2009 year of the Bull or Buffalo is around the corner. It looks like we’ve got honest, candid and open natured year ahead. As you might guess, coming 2009 year of the earth Ox is dependable, calm and modest. Sun sign horoscope for the 2009 year of the Ox like his animal sing is unshakably patient, full of hard work and tireless though need financial support to fulfill your ideas and make your desires.

2009 year is the year of the earth Ox and 26 year in sixty-year cycle. As the Chinese astrology tells us, the Ox sign is the sign of prosperity found through fortitude and hard work. Such year as 2009 year of the earth Ox has a straight and unprejudiced nature though sometimes reveals hidden secrets without due thought, inadvertently hurt someone’s feelings and offend others. It should turn out to be the prosperous year for those hard thinkers and active planners who believe in and relay on a teamwork, running own business or work independently.”

OK! Well that sounds like good news to me!

Check out your Chinese Horoscope for the upcoming year. Don’t know your Chinese Sign? Click here.

Happy New Year! Happy Sipping!

Give The Gift of Tea… for 20% OFF!

gift the gift of tea

It’s cyber-monday and we are doing our part to stimulate the economy by offering a 20% Discount on tea and teaware from today through December 24th! Just enter Code TLB20 at checkout! And… If you order totals more than $100, shipping is FREE!

Need suggestions on what teas to give? How about…

Earl Grey de la Creme or Earl Grey Lavender
Perfect for the Earl Grey lover who might be interested in trying something different. de la Creme is smooth and creamy with notes of vanilla. Lavendar is light, refreshing and very aromatic. Both blend nicely with the oil of bergamot!

Counting Sheep
Know someone who needs to chill? Having trouble relaxing and falling asleep. We aren’t sleep doctors, but we have to admit… Counting Sheep seems to relax the TeaPeeps here at Pearl Fine Teas. The blend is light and fresh and has strong notes of citrus. The aromatherapy alone should have you sawing wood. Caffeine Free to promote total relaxation and a peaceful end to your day. Just don’t sip and drive with this blend… you could fall asleep behind the wheel!

Bora Bora
Did your plans for a tropical vacation fall by the wayside this year because of the economic climate? No worries. Sip Bora Bora and imagine yourself on a tropical island… sun warming your skin… We know its no substitute for a real vacation, but why not sip this healthy green tea blended with passionfruit to warm you from the inside out?

Ceylon
One of the most outstanding Ceylon teas you will ever drink. Our Ceylon is from Shawlands Estate in the Uva region of Ceylon (Sri Lanka). Takes well to milk although best drunk black. Full bodied, soothing and complex. Superb!

Maojian
Maojian is one of China’s most famous green teas, grown high in the mountains in misty tea gardens with brief sunlight and cold nights. The difficult conditions yield strong leaves that can withstand rolling and high roasting which creates its wonderful rich flavor and aroma. If you haven’t tried this green tea, you are missing something special.

Silver Needles
Long, soft and downy, Silver Needles are the first spring buds of the Da-Bai tea plant. It comes from Fuding, a serene region with soothing waterfalls and crystal clear lakes. The peaceful setting is reflected in the flavour: soft, mellow, with the sweet freshness of honeydew melon. A classic not to be dismissed.

How about a teapot to go with all this loose leaf tea? We’ve touted the virtues of the wonderful iPot and still stand by our recommendation. Choose from a 17 oz version in Scarlet, Jasmine, Pink, and Eggplant Damask. Or a 24 oz version in Scarlet, Pistachio, Ocean Blue, and Sky.

There’s a lot more tea on the website so have a peek!

Happy Sipping! Happy Shopping!

Obama v. McCain Tea Tweets on Twitter

Top Selling Teas

An article put out September 15, 2008 by World Tea News discussed the state of the economy for the tea industry. To paraphrase:  “…the results indicate that tea businesses are doing fine, despite the faltering economy.” I’m curious to see the survey after WTN reviews the Q4. October is just a mess.

According to the survey, the average gross monthly sales over the last 12 months were the highest for tea bars which reported $43,031. Tea rooms came in 2nd with $33,126 and tea retailers were last with $17,343.

Included in the article was an interesting chart of top selling teas.

Top Selling Teas Chart (World Tea News)

I wasn’t surprised by black tea as the leader at 48% and green tea falling behind at 18% but I was surprised that Rooibos wasn’t far behind green in consuption. Puer or Pu’erh was in last place with 0% – not surprising.

Twitter about Tea

We are Twittering about Tea.
Follow us at: http://twitter.com/pearlfineteas

Discount Tea

The other day I found myself wandering around in one of those well-known discount stores. You know the kind: Designer names for less. Anyway, I was browsing the home goods section and came upon a few shelves dedicated to Tea, Tea Foods and other treats. This got me thinking about  how certain brands of tea end up in places like this and how people end up buying them BECAUSE they end up in places like this. The “discount” isnt significant but the fact that its priced lower does tend to bring out the desire to buy.

Some of the brands I did not recognize and some were well known. The one that caught my eye and prompting this blog was none other than NUMI. Yes. NUMI flowering teas were being sold… at a discount. Im curious to know how Numi would feel about this if they knew thats where their tea ended up.

As a new tea merchant, I was disheartened by the fact that tea was cast aside as an item to be discounted and that those who would buy were going to taste some very old, lifeless leaves. Of course, one could argue that perhaps someone who doesnt know anything about tea would be exposed to it via this venue thereby creating an opportunity for a person to try something new.

Perhaps. But most of us know that many teas have a shelf life and there is NOTHING better than STEEPING a lusicious cup of fresh tea leaves.

One of my missions at Pearl, is to try to educate anyone that will listen to me wax on and on about the virtues of tea. To try to open their minds and expand their palates and try new flavors. I almost love trying to figure out what someone might like as much as sipping tea myself.

So I dont know. Discount Tea: A good thing or a bad thing?

Curious if anyone has a thought on this.

To Steep or To Brew?

Every time I see the word “brew” it immediately conjures up images of vats of lager and mounds of coffee beans waiting to be turned into heavy brown liquid, yet many tea companies refer to the process of making tea as “brewing”. This got me thinking… and I just spent the last hour doing google searches on the difference between steeping and brewing tea. This is what I gathered from the Free Online Dictionary…

Steep (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/steep)

1. to soak or be soaked in a liquid in order to soften or cleanse

2. steeped in filled with: an industry steeped in tradition

Brew (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/brew)

1. To make (ale or beer) from malt and hops by infusion, boiling, and fermentation.

2. To make (a beverage) by boiling, steeping, or mixing various ingredients: brew tea.

3. To concoct; devise: brew a plot to overthrow the government.

Did that make sense? Apparently to brew tea involves steeping but to steep tea doesn’t involve brewing. Interesting and confusing. So what is the correct way to make tea? Both seem to be the answer and I suppose it comes down to preference.  I will continue to steep my tea while others are welcome to brew theirs. For me it just comes down to the simple fact that I like the way “steeping tea” sounds as opposed to “brewing tea.” I’ll be steeping my morning tea (jade oolong) shortly, while some of you will choose to brew yours.