A Day in My Tea Life

I've been asked a number of times to show a little bit of how I do what I do. Apparently it's novel to spend your day playing with tea leaves. So for those of you who've been asking, "what exactly do you do?" here's a little peek behind the curtain.

Many days aren't full of cuppings and taste testing new blends with four different kinds of sweetner. (I believe in rigorous taste testing.) Mornings start off with a cup of tea and a quick read of what's going on in the tea world - keeping up on the employment issues in India, who's tasting what (there are so many tea blogs out there), and a peek at new stuff coming out.

I handle everything on the tea side from start to finish - which means I unpack every box, stick on every label and fill every tin. As you can imagine, this can be a long process when there's a couple hundred tins to prep. (I crank up the sing-a-long tunes and rock out while labeling your teas. Happiness indeed!)

Once all the tea tins are labeled, they're ready for their tea. Each tin gets filled with tea and then packed up either for market or to head off to a lucky customer.

On days when tea needs blended, things become a whirlwind of activity - teas and herbs in their containers waiting to be blended, the top secret recipe list comes out and the bins await their precious cargo. Teas and herbs are measured out and mixed one batch at a time, literally, by my two hands.

Market days are the busiest. Tea must be made for iced tea samples, stock has to be checked and filled if we're out of something from last week. Mugs must be carefully wrapped and soap has to be prepped for the sometimes dangerous journey to market (this have this tendency of slipping around in the car). Market days are wonderful fun because it's a chance to talk to and focus on the customer, catch up with returning tea drinkers, and find out what's going on in the local food scene. It's always bustling, and I'm always exhausted after it's over.

I love the mornings I get to taste test new blends, try out new teas, and work on custom blends for customers. There's something very exciting about creating something new and special just for you.

And all of this mixed in with massage clients, writing haikus on tea cups and all the work of keeping a small business running.

I hope that helps to answer the "what do you do?" question. "A little bit of everything" is the answer. You can be sure you're get the best quality teas and tea inspired products from start to finish - I'm there making sure it happens. My goal each day is to help bring you a taste of happiness.

That's my biggest reward - the happy smiles on faces when someone tastes their tea. The mmmm's and wow's are what make this the best job in the world for me.

Scrub-a-dub-dub

Good news : Rose, Felicitea's Soap Lady, is working up soaps so they'll be available at Tailgate Market in a couple weeks. We'll have a few different types of soap, bath salts and bath bombs. Stop by and check them out!

Does natural soap kill germs?

Not exactly. It is not antiseptic. It is not anti-bacterial. It can remove some bacteria when the glycerin breaks down their cell walls. Other bacteria may be washed away with the slipperiness of the glycerin.

You don't actually want to use an anti-bacterial agent on your skin everyday. This would destroy the ecosystem that lives on your skin and helps protect you from disease.

We suggest, if you are particularly concerned about germs, keep a bottle of anti-bacterial detergent to use as a hand wash before meals and a tube of antiseptic cream to treat cuts.

Why should I buy handcrafted soap rather than regular soap?

These handcrafted soaps are superior to commercially produced soaps because:

-they are handcrafted with love and care.
-they will not dry your skin.
-they will not leave stubborn soap scum on your tub or shower.
-they are made with all natural ingredients and healing essential oils.

Side note:

Actually, the "soap" you buy at the store generally (with the exception of other natural soaps) does not really fit the original definition of soap. Soap, back in the day, was glycerin, rendered from animal fat, mixed with oil and water. It was designed to break up dirt, oil and grease on your skin to leave you feeling clean. It was never meant to destroy the delicate ecosystem that lives on your skin. We now use vegetable glycerin instead of animal fat (because that's just not something I want on my skin). Other than that it is pretty similar to the old recipes. It's just glycerin, olive oil, water and essential oils and plants for fragrance.

What you buy commercially generally would be considered detergent rather than soap.