La Conner Tea Company Blog

Where In The World....

Sun, 23 Jan 2022 10:57:55 GMT

Where in the world???

Not having a brick and mortar commercial building by choice, we distribute our luxury tea blends via farmer markets, consignment with valued partners, wholesale, again, to valued partners and our online website store. Farmer markets provide us with the opportunity to interact with tea customers face to face. In the course of conversation it is not unusual to be asked where our tea is grown and whether we grow our own tea (I wish!). Our tea is grown in different regions of Sri Lanka. The climate and variation of elevation in Sri Lanka works together to produce rich varieties of tea.

Furthermore, the gardens and estates that grow our tea have high ethical standards both for growing the product and in the treatment of their employees. We are proud to support and partner with them to bring luxury, whole leaf tea to the palate of our customers. Tea is a ceremonial beverage whether you're alone or with company. Tea brings our thoughts and our breathing to center. It gives us a brief moment of calm and mindful rest. Good stuff during this unprecedented time in our world!

Being a passionate lover of the arts, Rebecca knew she wanted to make a blend for those who practice their creative process. Fortunate to have a baker's dozen of friends who are published authors, she took a survey asking each of them what kind of tea they would prefer to drink while writing. With all the collective answers, our Writer's Blend was created. Not surprising, Writer's Blend has become a top herbal tea seller. Combining lemon and peppermint this caffeine free blend offers a gentle stimulant that opens the mental channels to allow the creative process to flow naturally. Regardless of your creative discipline, Writer's Blend will support your creative journey.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and to show our appreciation, we would like to offer free samples of Writer's Blend to you, or someone you would like to gift. Please send us a name and address and we will gladly send free samples.

We all have noticed supply issues and price increases in our everyday goods and services. La Conner Tea Company is well stocked as we just received our shipment of tea with no backordered items (yaay). Unfortunately, the price of our tea has seen an approximately 8% increase. February 1st we will be increasing our retail prices accordingly. Thank you for your understanding.

Cheers

Bob and Rebecca

And... I get paid for this???

Sat, 13 Nov 2021 15:04:27 GMT

And... I get paid for this???

It has been a few months since we last communicated with our fan base of tea drinkers. We would like to take this opportunity to update everyone on what has been happening over that time. We have added a few blends to our menu that you may find quite delightful for your tea inventory!

Which brings me to the headline.... And I get paid for this???

When we begin the process to add a luxury blend, it requires research to associate flavors with the geographical area that we will be utilizing as our blend name. For instance, naming our Orcas Island Luxury Blend was inspired by stories I heard that my grandmother, back in the early 1900s, traveled to Orcas Island to work in the strawberry industry. The Marshall Strawberry was being grown on the island and was found to be a variety that was small, sweet, firm and shipped well. The Marshall Strawberry is still today being grown on Orcas Island. It seemed appropriate to use the strawberry Ceylon black tea and blend with white chocolate to make a perfect smooth, delicious tea. Hence, Orcas Island Luxury Blend is added to our San Juan Island's collection.

Adding our Pacific Northwest Breakfast Blend was inspired by listening to our customers. When the rain is coming down, the wind is howling and it seems that the light of day is short lived, having this strong, smooth delicious black tea can help conquer your day! Our breakfast blend is a South African Assam black tea, characteristically a strong, robust tea leaf.

Like a hike in the Cascade mountains, our Cascade Chai has quickly become a fan favorite. A Rooibos base with a chai recipe blend from India, this blend is delicious, healthy and supports what is important to the human spirit...piece (peace) of mind and vitality!

Finally, it is part of our duty to taste test any new blend before it becomes available. Not a bad gig! Work, Work, Work!

The Truth of Rooibos

Wed, 28 Apr 2021 03:25:07 GMT

The Truth of Rooibos

Pronounced (Roy-Bus)

Rooibos tea is an herbal tea also known as red tea or red bush tea. Rooibos means “red bush,” and comes from a shrub in South Africa called Aspalathus Linearis, usually grown on the western coast of South Africa. Rooibos has a naturally sweet, earthy, and slightly nutty flavor. Adding rooibos to our luxury blends was a must. I have enjoyed drinking rooibos tea since I was first introduced to it back in 2009, by a friend. That same year I traveled to India and drank their traditional chai beverage which was made with black tea. With these combined experiences, I knew I had to create a rooibos chai for our luxury blends, hence our delicious Cascade Chai. I would like to share information about rooibos that may not be known and the amazing health benefits of consuming rooibos tea! Here is a list of researched and documented health benefits to drinking rooibos tea.

*Caffeine Free

*Low in Tannins

*Rich in Antioxidants (most notable antioxidants in the tea are Quercetin and Aspalathin )

*Heart Health (studies show, lowers LDL’s, the bad cholesterol and lowers blood pressure)

*Diabetes Management (keeps blood sugar levels under control)

*Weight Management (calorie free! and increases levels of Leptin, the hormone that signals the body that it has had enough food. The tea also stops the formation of new fat cells and encouraged quicker fat metabolism) woo hoo!

You can enjoy rooibos tea iced as well as hot; it is very refreshing full bodied beverage and delicious! The chai spices used in our blend are from India using their traditional mix

Our Cascade Chai will soon be ready to order online, but if you can’t wait please call us and you can order over the phone

(360) 770-3626

Cheers to your Health!

Rebecca Strong, tea blender

Green Tea

Mon, 08 Feb 2021 21:13:30 GMT

The unique and delicate nature of green tea, a plant I believe was originally designed to improve overall health when consumed. A drink some cultures use in ceremony, illuminating it as a sacred beverage. Appropriate to its vast range of health benefits, it is no surprise green tea is chosen for this role.

When I was first introduced to green tea, I didn’t favor it, primarily due to it not being prepared to its natural balance. What makes green tea delicate is the 1-3 minute steep in just before boiling water. I once hesitated to indulge in green tea because I prefer my tea strong in flavor, hence why I originally steeped green tea up to 7 – 10 minutes, and didn’t like the results. Green tea leaves are not oxidized like black tea leaves are, and you should never use boiling water as it will scorch the leaves and you’ll miss out on the teas full flavor. Once I understood the nature of green tea I gave it a proper chance to impress me. To my delight, I absolutely love green tea, especially blended with delicious flavors.

There are about 14 types of green tea. I have chosen my three top favorites to use as the bases for our green tea blends. In our Swinomish Savory blend we use Sencha, a Japanese green tea, which is needle like in shape, dating back to the 17th century when first discovered. Our Washington Spring blend is a Hyson green tea, also known as Lucky Dragon. Hyson is a Chinese green tea that comes from the Anhui province of China. It is made from young leaves that are thinly rolled to have a long, twisted appearance that unfurls when brewed. Hyson means “flourishing spring,” and has a sweeter finish. Our Washington Summer blend and Emerald City blend have a pekoe Gunpowder green tea as their base. Gunpowder is a form of Chinese tea in which each leaf has been hand rolled into small round pellets giving the appearance of gunpowder. It is one of the stronger and bold flavors of the types of green teas.

Green tea is steamed then fired to stop the oxidation process as what makes black tea. The hand rolling of green teas are done after the steam process, and the firing locks in its characteristic flavors.

I welcome you to try our green tea blends, especially if you had a first experience with green tea as I had. Green tea when properly prepared will surprise you with its delicate, yet bold flavors. Green tea makes a delicious, crisp, iced tea, sure to impress the palate and quench your thirst. For luxury, gourmet iced tea sure to impress! Just follow our brewing instructions for proper steeping times and chill.

Rebecca Strong – Tea Blender

Tea History and Knowledge

Wed, 07 Aug 2019 20:46:24 GMT

According to legend tea was discovered over 5000 years ago in China by Emperor Shang Nung around 2737 BC. When leaves from the Camellia Sinenis plant fell into a pot of boiled water. This accidental discovery developed into a fully fledged consumer beverage as its valuable health properties began to dawn on the populace and generations that followed

The La Conner Tea Co. purchases tea leaves from the top 3 growing regions of Sri Lanka - Nuwara Eliya, Dimbulla, and Uva. These high- grown districts (tea grown at 3,500 to 7,500 in altitude) produce teas that have classic “Ceylon” tea character which is bolder and darker than Darjeeling teas, but slightly lighter and less malty than a typical Assam. Prior to independence the island nation of Sri Lanka was known as Ceylon. The people of Ceylon started cultivating and manufacturing tea during the British era.

High altitude loose leaf tea “Camellia Sinenis” has elevated levels of antioxidants compared to common teas. Ceylon tea is known as an excellent base for flavored teas.

I am pleased to share the quality and nature of my luxury tea leaves that I use to prepare my blends. I am confident my blends will give you an impressive, full flavor tea whether it is hot or iced. I create my blends with a lot of thought and consideration to offer the consumer a memorable, tasteful experience as if they were visiting the location the tea blend is named for. Tea is the one beverage that refreshes the spirit when iced and calms the spirit when hot. I can't help to believe that Tea is the beverage of higher consciousness, harmonizing with your body, mind, and spirit with every cup.

Rebecca Strong – Tea Blender