teaspoons & petals

well that ' s new: teaspoons & petals haiku teaware

I've experimented with a new font and some new cup styles that I hope you'll like. I've also welcomed a new ceramic duo to the teaspoons & petals' family, the cream and sugar set, inspired by creamy chai tea.

(these cups will be coming to my etsy shop soon!)

And over the next few months I will be seeking out the perfect vintage cups to add to my etsy shop (summer flea markets, where are you?) I'll also be adding a new limited edition tea haiku line shortly (since I was tickled pink when creating the Philadelphia line). But until the big reveal, I wanted to give you a hint about the new line before I release anything in my shop. Fill in the lyrical blank: "come on babe. why don't we paint the town. and all that _____." Hope you guessed correctly!

Have a lovely day filled with countless cups of tea!

a nibble & a sip: tea party baked goods

"Handpainted flowers atop almond royal icing on scalloped vanilla sugar cookies."

"Reminiscent of pretty vintage fabric or a lush blooming garden, these cookies are sure to delight. Scalloped vanilla sugar cookie rounds with almond royal icing."

My favorite Philadelphia Baker, Zoë Lukas of Whipped Bakeshop, is always tantalizing my taste buds by sharing photos of her latest sweet creations on her site or in her etsy shop. I was particularly drawn to her most recent batch of artistic sugar cookies (shown above), as I could envision them as the edible centerpieces for a summer tea party. The vivid colors and vintage floral patterns are so feminine and dainty! I would serve iced jasmine green tea and a formosa fancy on a wooden picnic table draped with an old lace table cloth. p.s. if you're not in the Philadelphia area, Zoë will ship her cookies to you whether you're near or far. lucky you!

teaspoons & petals father ' s day promo in Etsy Finds!

Many thanks to Etsy for all the love they have given to teaspoons & petals over the past week. I'm thrilled that they included my father's day promotion in their Etsy Finds:48 hours of Deals for Dads email and Storque article. I intended to share this promo via a blog post today, but I guess they beat me to it :) Looking forward to writing custom haiku for Father's day teacups this year!!

tea today: yumchaa ' s regent ' s park blend

My dear friend, Jolene, recently returned from a quick trip to London. While there, she picked up a Yumchaa tea blend to surprise me with when she returned. Much love to such a thoughtful lady!!! Here are my thoughts on Yumchaa's Regent's Park blend of green tea, papaya, pineapple, strawberry, raspberry and rose petals: The dry aroma is incredibly fragrant with intense fruity notes (although pineapple seems to dominate my sense of smell). Visually, the dry blend is quite beautiful with pops of pink and yellow fruits peeking from under vibrant green tea leaves. Considering that it's quite warm in Philadelphia today, I decided to brew an iced pitcher of Regent's Park blend. I added 5 spoons of the blend to the infuser of my Bodum iced tea pitcher, which I then steeped in just boiling water for 4 minutes. (Note: I only filled half of the pitcher with almost boiling water since I will be adding ice after the liquid reaches room temperature) It was beautiful to watch the leaves gently float to the top of the infuser as bits of pineapple and papaya lingered at the bottom, the anchors of the blend. After the 4 minute steep, the water transformed into a golden color with hints of green. I impatiently waited for the tea to cool to room temperature before filling it with ice cubes and popping it into the fridge. The berries also dominate the brewed aroma, offering a bright sensory experience. Sip #1: The first word that comes to mind is "refreshing," not just because it's chilled, but rather the grassy green combination with fruit creates a flavor that awakens my taste buds with crisp green notes and bursts of berry gently supported by tropical flavors of papaya and pineapple. I didn't identify the rose petal presence, but then again I am a bit of a novice when it comes to that particular ingredient. There is a smidgen of faint bitterness at the end of the first sip (that eventually disappears from my taste buds after a few more sips), but it was the risk I was willing to take with the first iced brew of a new green tea. I'm sure once I become more familiar with the tea after a few more steepings, I will find the perfect brewing process. overall, I truly enjoyed this fruity green tea blend. It's refreshing and has clean taste thanks to real bits of fruit that offer their natural flavor. On a scale from 1 to 5, I would give it 4 cups up!

teaspoons & petals on etsy ' s front page! hooray!

One of my haiku teacups was included in the list of "handpicked items" on Etsy's front page yesterday afternoon-May 21st (top right)! This was teaspoons & petals' first front page showing! hooray! I was thrilled to find out that etsy had a widget for such an occasion (noted in my sidebar). The featured haiku: tea leaves leaping through water gracefully as the steeping dance begins --------------------------- Thank You Etsy! UPDATE!! While I was out and about visiting family during the holiday weekend, I returned home to find a lovely tweet from @handmadeinpa letting me know that another haiku cup (shown below) was featured on etsy's front page at 10 am today (May 23rd). 2 front page honors in 3 days! I am so thrilled and thankful!!

tea today: narien teas ' formosa fancy

Formosa Fancy

"Formosa is a handmade oolong with carefully selected leaves from the Taiwan Island. Its sweet flavor and elegant aroma gives it the reputation of one of the finest teas in the world."

Formosa Fancy, organic handmade oolong from Taiwan, is one of my favorite tea indulgences. the dry aroma is that of a blooming garden; earthy with a hint of sweet floral notes. As it steeped in boiling water for 3 minutes, the leaves slowly colored the water to a deep amber shade. The taste strikes a nice balance between bold and smoothly elegant. Its flavor achieves a delicate sweet peach note rounded out by a soothing smoky quality. The tea is gentle yet invigorating to the senses. Simply stated, this tea lives up to its name, beautiful (the Taiwanese word "formosa" translates to "beautiful"). This fine tea stays with your taste buds minutes after the last sip, prolonging your tasting experience (one can hope that its lingering flavor is everlasting). I intend to greet several mornings by brewing a pot of formosa fancy and sipping it from a delicate cup.

sweet tea treats: green tea kit kat

as the weather warms, my sweet tooth seems to dominate my mind and senses, causing unexpected cravings for green tea ice cream. so, you can understand why my taste buds leaped in anticipation when I saw this picture of green tea Kit Kats. unfortunately, these limited edition edible delights seem to be discontinued. let the hunt begin...(FYI-my sweet tooth doesn't like to lose).

sweet tea treats: tavalon ' s menage a gummies

teddy bears and tea, the perfect pair at any tea party. now fast forward from days of finger painting and imaginary friends, and bears and tea are still the fabulous duo, especially when those bears are tiny, edible sweet tea treats. lucky for me I won a tin of Tavalon's tea gummies via a twitter contest. Tavalon's "menage a gummies" tantalized my taste buds with the trio of acai blue, pom white and peach green tea flavors. Along with organic sugar, these sweet treats are actually made with green tea powder and white tea. The peach green tea gummy bear has the most complex flavors, as the peach taste pops while leaving room for the green tea to have its shining moment. Overall these antioxidant-rich tea gummies achieve the perfect amount of sweetness thanks to "hand selected, organic ingredients" and "real fruit extracts. And if a sudden sadness looms as you realize the tin is bear (ah-silly pun!), then remember that the petite container can double as t0-go loose tea container. *tea party idea: make a tea gummy centerpiece by filling three over-sized teacups with each flavor. and if you don't have enough to fill up the cups (because you ate them before the guests arrived), place a few gummies in neat stacks on each saucer.

teacups light up my life

This beautiful cluster of "ted lights" was created by domestic construction. Here's what they have to say about their well lit wonders.

The vintage ceramic or porcelain teacups, acquired from flea markets and thrift stores all over the country, dangle delicately on the end of an 11 foot chord with an attached plug…ready to illuminate any space. Single teacup light too minimalist for your tastes? Don’t worry…domestic construction offers their ted lights in cluster and chandelier form. Ranging from 3-13 exquisite teacups, these bundles of beauty are hardwired and fully prepped for immediate installation in the ceiling. This gives the phrase “tea time” a whole new meaning.

join me for an early mother ' s day tea party

Join me for an afternoon tea tasting this Saturday at the Whole Foods on South Street in Philadelphia. I'll be selecting and brewing a variety of fine tea sold at WF (mighty leaf, two leaves and a bud, etc), talking tea and showcasing my haiku teacups. Whole Foods will be celebrating Moms a day early with this tea tasting and other in-store events. Come say hello!

if you were a tea....

while sipping on a fabulous blend, my imagination meandered as I tried to select the various elements that would make a signature blend that truly represented me. as my favorite teas floated in a thought bubble above my head, I decided to share this thought with my twitter community via my account @teaandpetals. I tweeted: "If you were a tea, what would you be?" and here are the fabulous responses: @MandyBee: If I were a tea I'd have to be a toasty black tea with hints of honey and something nutty... hmmm... almond? @FoodPreserver1: black currant because I want to be dark and mysterious @the_skua: I would be an aged full-leaf lightly-oxidized oolong, whose leaves open with subsequent steepings. @RedLeadTea: Herbal: it's complex but smoothing. There are so many sides to herbal tea @cupcakie: great topic! i'd be something fruity and sweet, like raspberry with petals floating in it! Over the past few days my signature blend has transformed (ah the wide world of tea), but at the moment I feel very springy and delicate like a light gyokuro. Although during the craze of Monday morning I might align myself with a hearty black tea blended with various fruits and dried nuts (as I approach the week ready to use my multi-tasking abilities). so glad that I (along with my fellow twitter community) can truly identify with tea! so, now I ask you: if you were a tea, what would you be?