Felicitea's been STeaPed

Check out this informative post over at STeaP. 

Brandice asked me some questions about Felicitea and how I work. Very exciting. 

She's also announcing a little something I'm doing with STeaP... 

check it out!

Brandice talks about her Earl Grey

Brandice complained often and loudly about Earl Grey's on SteapTV. After a number of blending attempts of her own, (which didn't work out so great) I talked to her about making her a custom blend.

Now she has it in hand, and cup, and here's what she's got to say:

How do you feel about your Earl Grey Brandice?

I think that Felicitea has created a blend that is both perfect for me and achieves a very subtle and intricate level of flavor that I really enjoy. I like that the tea itself has a lot of body, while never being overpowered by the oil of bergamot, and the tea smells like absolute earl grey heaven when I open the tin. I occasionally just sniff the dry tea for a bit before making a pot.

Is it everything you hoped for?

Absolutely. This is a strong, full-bodied tea that manages to also remain complex. I love that I can drink this tea on the go with big gulps and get really good flavor, or I can sit and really savor the flavors. The tea lends itself to either type of tea-consumption, and that's something that I need, as a tea lover and a very busy person.

How do you drink it? What are your recommendations?

I drink the tea with a 4 minute steep, sometimes 4 and a half minutes if I know I'll be drinking the tea quickly. This, like most black teas, is a strong black that can become stronger (i.e. eventually bitter) if let to sit on a warmer for long periods of time, so I use a shorter steep time for a pot I'll be drinking slowly, and a longer steep time when I'm on the go and will be drinking the tea quickly. This is a black tea that still holds a good amount of flavor with even a three-minute steep, so worry more about over-steeping than under-steeping.

What was your favorite part of the custom blending process?

Trying all of the different blends to choose the final blend that would become Earl Grey Brandice was definitely a lot of fun, but I really enjoyed answering the questions that Summer asked to get a picture of what I wanted out of my custom Earl Grey. I felt as if she asked the perfect questions, and the questions actually helped me to better solidify what I really wanted overall from the tea she was blending for me. I liked writing out a description of what a great Earl Grey is for me, and then tasting the actual embodiment of what I'd asked for.

Did you enjoy the process?

Loved it! I plan to hopefully work with Felicitea to create other custom blends for me in the future, when I've stopped drinking Earl Grey Brandice almost exclusively. :)

Did you feel that Felicitea was clear through out the process about what was happening?

Absolutely. Felicitea was clear, helpful, allowed me many options and different samples to try, and if I asked for any further information during any part of the process, Summer immediately got back to me. It was a very easy and straightforward process, and I felt good about the process.

Would you recommend custom blending to someone else? Why?

I would recommend custom blending to anyone, even someone who's never really been that into tea. Summer is gifted at blending flavors, and the process is much, much harder than it looks. To get a custom blend of tea, you have to really know what you're doing, and unless you have eons of extra time on your hands to learn the ins and outs of flavor and tea, you should let Summer help you find the blend that's right for you.

Anything else you'd like to add?

Thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of this process! I'm unbelievably happy with the result and left feeling really good about seeking out further custom blends. Plus, Earl Grey Brandice will now make such a wonderful gift for loved ones and friends!

To see what both she and Joe had to say about it, check out this weeks SteapTV:

SteapTV Review of Floral Jasmine

Joe and Brandice will be sharing their review of Floral Jasmine on SteapTV in a couple weeks.

As a special treat, Felicitea is offering samples for a taste-a-long. The first five people to email me with "Free Floral Jasmine" as the subject will win a free sample!

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!

SteapTV Review is Live!

SteapTV's review of Sloth Tea is up! Check out what Joe and Brandice think.

If you like what they have to say you can order a sample here.

You can leave reviews and comments of you own on Sloth Tea here in the forums.

Try Sloth Tea with SteapTV

The lovely folks over at SteapTV are reviewing Sloth Tea on May 26th.

If you'd like to taste it with them, you can order a sample here or a full ounce here.

To receive your sample in time to try it with Brandice & Joe you'll need to order by May 19th.

And, if you haven't yet, stop over and check out SteapTV's ning forums. Interesting conversations going on over there daily.

Free Sloth Samples

To share in the happiness (because we're very happy here) of SteapTv reviewing Sloth Tea, we're giving away five free samples (shipping included).

The first five emails sent to summer@felicitea.com with "free sloth" in the subject line will be the winners!

SteapTV Reveiw coming up!

On May 26th, SteapTv will be reviewing Sloth Tea!