Bigger Better Coffee to Tea Convert Contest

June was a busy month. Weddings, graduations, baby showers, babies, more weddings, trips to the beach or up to the mountains. No one was home. No one had free time (consumed by the travel between said showers, weddings and graduation parties). So, sadly, no one was able to enter the video section of the contest. (Apparently one can not edit video and attend a baby shower at the same time. At least, not and get invited again.)

This is a boon for you, my tea and coffee drinking compatriots. This means that we here at Felicitea have extra prizes to give away!

So here's the new deal:

Write: We're looking for poetry, prose, whatever you like. Feel free to haiku or make up a limerick, or write out a concise little paragraph. Just write about tea and it's relationship to you, your friend, or your last cup of coffee.

We want to connect new drinkers to tea, convert a coffee drinker (or other non-tea drinking people) or two over (at least get them to try good tea!) and reconnect tea lovers with what it is they love about tea.

• Tea drinkers it is your responsibility to help the coffee drinkers of the world. You are charged with helping them understand the joy of tea. If you are a convert tell your story. If you love tea, but still enjoy an occasional cup of coffee it's okay, but what about the tea keeps you coming back to the pot all day? Share with the Internets why they should kick that coffee habit. If you have a friend you're nominating, be specific.
• Coffee/Non-tea drinkers this is your chance to tell us why you drink coffee (or something else) instead of tea. This is your chance to tell all us tea drinkers what it is that makes you go for the espresso instead of the Earl Grey. Did you have a bad tea bag experience? Convinced all green tea is bitter? Are you willing to give it a shot but don't know where to start?

The details:

1. It's got to be words. (However, if you want to go wild and make a video of yourself reading your prose, we encourage such blatant acts of attention getting.)
2. It's got to be clear which side of the line your on - do you love tea, or do you need converted.
   
3. You may enter someone else, by proxy, by writing about why THEY should be converted to tea. They then will win the coffee drinker's prize. You are welcome to enter as many friends as you like, and enter your own self in the tea loving side. (If you write something especially brilliant for a friend, we might just find a little something to pass along your way too.)
4. You may only enter once for yourself.
   
5. It must be no longer then one screen load. We shouldn't have to scroll to read any of it.
   
6. Post it online. Either to your blog (comment with your linkage) or if you don't have a blog, post it here in the Felicitea Forums.
7. Your words are due by July 31st. That gives you over two weeks to come up with something to say!

In return for your generous elucidation about why tea is awesome, or why you don't get all the hype, you'll get something in return. (Because really, what's a contest without a prize?)

Just for entering you'll receive a sample tin from Felicitea. We'll contact everyone who submits an entry, and you'll be able to pick out a sample that you'd like to try - for free.

And whoever write the most interesting, intriguing, whimsical, heartbreaking or overall just awesome entries on both side will win:

2 Grand Prizes containing:

• A sampler set from Felicitea's current tea selection
• A haiku tea cup
• A custom blend, for a 1/2 pound of tea.

2nd place in each category will receive:

• A eight(8) tea sampler set from Felicitea's current tea selection
• Two(2) 1oz tins of their choice

Write about tea - there's happiness to be had!



The fine print:

1. To be eligible for prizes, the winners must be US Citizens.
   
2. All entries must be post 12pm EST on July 31.
   
3. Eligibility to enter may be prohibited by law or loved ones (Disobey at your own risk. Felicitea will not be held liable for any actions you or your crazy friends take.). Immediate family of Felicitea employees are ineligible to win (though they are encouraged to enter!).
   
4. Keep the language PG-13. Children read the Internets. R-rated language in postings will result in linkage being removed from Felicitea's site.
5. Winner's will be contacted directly by August 7th. If for some reason, a winner does not respond by August 10, 2008, the prize will be transferred to the next entry. After all winners have been notified, the winner's will be announced on Felicitea's blog.
6. Have fun!
   

New Yummy Things

I enjoy the quiet moments between the storms of tea orders (blend, pack, label. Rinse. Repeat. Reorder.) because they give me a chance to work on new things. New, yummy things. There are number of new, and delicious, coming out the kitchen.

First up, in an attempt to make happy Brandice, of SteapTV, I have been blending up something special. Brandice likes Earl Grey, as any good Trekkie ought, and has searched far and wide to find one that was perfect for curling up on the couch and getting down to work. She is currently taste testing the five sample blends I made up for her, and soon we'll be able to announce when it will be available on the site as she has very kindly agreed to share! Assuming you can get some before she orders it all! Her exact words:

I think that Felicitea has made me fall in love with Earl Grey again.

You can't ask for anymore then that. That's what Felicitea does people, helps you fall in love again. Can you get any happier?

As a follow up to this delightful new tea blend, we're sharing it with The Secret Chocolatier. He's going to make Earl Grey Truffles. Yes. Truffles. For those of you in Charlotte, I will pass on the date when they will be released at the Tailgate Market. For those of you not lucky enough to live the Queen City, I've asked if he's able to ship. He's not able to with summer's heat, but later this year, if you get lucky, shipment options will be in place.

Also, in response to the wonderful response the Rooibus Sweet Tea has been getting, I'm working on some more Rooibus blends. As soon as they're ready, we'll share details with you right here.

Soon there will be even more ways to find your very own moment of happiness!

Happy Reviews!

Following on the heels of SteapTV's wonderful review, several of the super tea people who won Sloth Tea samples shared their own thoughts and reviews of Sloth Tea in the Forums:

Reply by Brandice
Here's my review: TASTY! :)

Reply by John

I was one of the lucky few who got the opportunity to try this wonderful tea. The flavors of the gunpowder green tea, chamomile, catnip and peppermint blended perfectly. As the tea cooled it kept its wonderful flavor and I think it would make a great iced tea also. All in all, I think Summer has got a winner with this great blend and would recommend it to anyone who wants a great tasting cup of tea.

As well as Masto's SteapTV Taste-a-long video that you can see here.

In addition, Alexis of My Tea Cups wrote an amazingly expressive review:

The first sip greets my tongue with a light dose of chamomile that’s punched up with a bit of peppermint. I really enjoy the mint/chamomile combination, as the soothing taste is balanced perfectly with a refreshing tongue tingle (no competing ingredients here). . .

A few cups and longer steeps later, I can taste more of the green tea coupled with a stronger peppermint sensation, as the aroma and taste seem to hit the tongue with more of a punch. After each sip, the mint seems to slowly expand across my taste buds like a ripple in a lake. Along with the minty aroma, there is a stronger smell of sweetness. I absolutely love the tea chameleon process, as longer steeping transforms flavors and aromas, offering up a new appreciation for the many tastes of the ingredients. (view the whole post here)

In addition to all that splendid response, The Tea Pages posted a lovely review of Carol's Tea and Day Dream Teas.

We'd love for you to check out all the wonderful folks who've said such nice things about us.

Do you agree with them? Have thoughts of you own you'd love to share? You can share your thoughts at our forums.