Friday, January 31, 2014

Tea and Chocolate: The Perfect Match

Join Storehouse Tea for a
Tea and Chocolate Tasting
Saturday, February 1st
10:00am Whole Foods Market
 
27249 Chagrin Blvd, Woodmere, OH 44122
(216) 464-9403
 
 
Pearl Dexter, editor and publisher of Tea, a Magazine, says “there are three ways to look at tea and chocolate pairings. The first is as ‘friends,’ teas and chocolates with similar characteristics. The second is as ‘lovers,’ teas and chocolates that complement each other through their differences. The third happens when both combine ... a ‘Perfect Match.’” Lucky for us, it doesn't take an expert to find a wonderful tea and chocolate pairing. Many experts have helped the ordinary tea and chocolate lover by making recommendations of some of the most popular tea blends and the types of chocolate that they think taste best together. Here are some tips to guide your own palate, and help you find your own “perfect match” of tea and chocolate!

Storehouse Tea Recommendations
for Tea and Chocolate Pairing

1. Russian Caravan, Organic Fair Trade Black Tea: Origin – India, China. Dominant flavor – malty, slightly smoky. Pair with -- dark chocolate, milk chocolate.
 
2.  Indian Masala Chai, Organic Fair Trade Black Tea: Origin – India. Dominant flavors – cardamom, cinnamon. Pair with -- milk chocolate.
 
 3. Irish Breakfast, Organic Fair Trade Black Tea: Origin – India. Dominant flavor – malty. Pair with -- chocolate cake.

4. Chocolate Coconut, Organic Black Tea and Rooibos: Origin – China, South Africa. Dominant flavor – bright, sweet coconut, chocolate, earthy. Pair with -- milk chocolate, dark chocolate.
5. Wuyi Rock, Organic Oolong Tea: Origin –China. Dominant flavors – sweet, earthy, roasted. Pair with – white, milk, or dark chocolate. 

6. Genmaicha, Organic Green Tea: Origin – China. Dominant flavors – nutty, vegetal. Pair with – white or milk chocolate.
7. Citron Jasmine, Organic Fair Trade Green Tea: Origin – China. Dominant flavor – flowery, citrus. Pair with -- chocolate madelines, white or milk chocolate.                 

8. Ginger Pu-erh, Organic Green Tea: Origin – China. Dominant flavor – earthy. Pair with -- dark chocolate. 
9. Pomegranate, Organic White Tea: Origin – China. Dominant flavor – sweet vegetal and fruity. Pair with -- white chocolate, dark chocolate

10. Amazon Mint, Organic Yerba Mate, Guayusa Tea: Origin – Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador. Dominant flavor – sweet vegetal, minty. Pair with -- milk chocolate, dark chocolate

For more information click here to see these teas on our website:

Monday, January 27, 2014

Taiwan Tea Trip Summer of 2013, in Search of Amazing Oolongs


In the fall of 2012 I was asked by our church's high school youth pastor to be a chaperone for the international missions trip to Taiwan in June of 2013. I was very honored and excited but also knew I would have to take two weeks off from the tea business to attend and told him I would think and pray about it over the weekend. That Monday I received an email with some pricing from Blanche Chen, a possible supplier of some amazing oolongs that I had just tasted and was interested in purchasing for our website. After I hit the print button to review the pricing I realized that the entire email conversation was printing out and the first page I read was from three months prior, explaining the Chen families 45 year tea company history, having a presence in Taiwan and mainland China. They operated their own organic tea farm and factory in the famous Huang Shan Mountains of Anhui Province in China. But their headquarters are located in Nantou province, in central Taiwan, Blanche and her brother ran that part of the tea business, factory and garden. As my heart started to beat faster, I looked up the company's address on Google maps I remembered that part of our trip would take us to Sun Moon Lake which was about 1.7 miles from where Blanche and her brother's tea factory was located. I was blown away at how quickly God answered my prayer… should I go on this trip? Well obviously YES! I quickly emailed Blanche back to thank her for the tea and pricing and asked if I could visit her in June of 2013! Visiting a tea supplier was something I had always dreamed of doing for our business but never would I have dreamed that it would be at this time in our business, it was financially out of the question, but God found a way, combining it with a missions trip which made it even more exciting and life changing. I was ecstatic to say the  least!

Blanche and I conversed for the next few months prior to our visit and exchanged photos so that the day we would meet in Sun Moon Lake we knew how to find each other! The best part was my daughter Haley, (Senior in HS) would be coming with me! She is now a freshman at Oho University, studying plant biology, and I hope she will join me someday in the tea business with her knowledge of medicinal herbs!
 


 
Blanche took us on a tour of Sun Moon Lake, a beautiful lake resort area nestled in the central mountains. We visited Wen Wu Temple, and the Sun Moon Lake Assam Tea Garden where we got to see huge drying racks of tea leaves and learn more about the processing.
 


 

 
 

We went to lunch at a local noodle restaurant, and then back to the Chen family tea factory and tea tasting room, where Haley and I drank so much tea our heads were actually swimming and spinning! The teas that we tasted that day were so amazing we knew we would be purchasing them soon!
 
 
The Chen Family tea gardens in China are certified organic, but not in Taiwan because of the pollution levels, since Storehouse Tea Company is 100% organic we knew the teas we would purchase would be coming out of the family's Chinese garden's.


The Chen Family tea gardens and factory are located in Anhui, a few kilometers away from the outskirts of Huang Shan, China. The 165 acre tea estate is reminiscent of Taiwan, with  the tea trees in curvaceous lines that follow the contour of the terrain. This is not the usual configuration in China, at least in Anhui. The gardens are beautiful, and huge, covering a vast area of rolling hills with ponds, woods, a few houses here and there, and marshlands with a great diversity of different styles of vegetation spread all through the terrain. I found it so interesting that Mr. Chen is Taiwanese and chose to plant Taiwanese cultivars to make Taiwanese style teas right in the middle of China, and he decided to go organic right from the start, over 12 years ago. Mr. Chen has an outstanding reputation of being a master Taiwanese Oolong manufacturer and we are so proud to have his remarkable oolongs available on our website.

 

Haley and I were treated like royalty when we visited Blanche, her generosity and hospitality were so appreciated. I am so grateful to Blanche and her family for sharing their knowledge of tea with our company and for supplying us with world class Oolongs. Haley and I had a life changing experience, one we will never forget and hope to someday go back to visit Mr. Chen's tea garden in China!

Oolong teas help improve vitality and life span, here are some details on the health benefits of all types of Oolong teas
Weight Loss Benefits, Researches show that the polyphenols in oolong tea, are quiet effective in burning fat.

Skin Benefits, Oolongs may perfect your skin via slowing down the aging process. Free radicals may cause dark spots and wrinkles on the skin as well as accelerate the aging of the skin. Oolong teas have antioxidants which have the ability to destroy free radicals. Oolongs are also beneficial for treating skin problems such as eczema and rashes.

Oolong teas are beneficial for preventing heart disease & cancer, Oolong tea is rich in antioxidant, which is said to be a very strong dilator of blood vessels. As the antioxidant may help the blood flow more easily through arteries, it is very useful to assist protecting against heart attacks, strokes and cancer and may lower the risk of high blood pressure.
 
Benefits for Diabetes Patients, Scientists concluded that the consumption of oolong tea is a good way to control blood glucose levels safety and enjoyably, as well as lowering blood sugar levels.

Oolong tea benefits include helping in relieving physical and mental stress as well as improving brain power.


Here are 3 Oolongs we have purchased from the Chen Family, not only do they taste amazing, but have incredible medicinal properties!

Dong Ding, Organic Oolong - The name Dong Ding means Frozen Summit or Ice Peak. Dong Ding is a mountain in Nantou County, Central Taiwan, where the Chen family has their headquarters and tea factory. The single tea leaf is rolled into a tight ball using a deeper level of oxidation resulting in an aroma of roasted chestnuts and a flavor of bitter sweet, nutty chocolate. Dong Ding has powerful weight reduction qualities. Excellent for multiple infusions.

 



 

GABA, Organic Oolong - GABA Oolong has a wonderful inviting aroma of fruit and raisins. The special, oxygen-deprived environment that increases the content of GABA while oxidizing the leaves, also smoothes out the tannins leaving a crisp, slightly tart, but never bitter feeling in the mouth. Excellent for multiple infusions.

So, What is GABA and what Does GABA Do Exactly?
GABA (Gamma Amino Butyric Acid) is one of the main neurotransmitters for the CNS (Central Nervous System).  It acts as a kind of brake, in that it prevents over-excitement of the nervous system. For example, many common medications prescribed for stress or anxiety actually stimulates GABA receptors to provide greater relaxation. Decreased GABA levels in a human brain have been well documented by medical studies to be associated with many psychiatric or nervous system disorders.

GABA not only works on the nervous system, but it also affects the endocrine system as well. Human Growth Hormone have been found to increase naturally with people taking GABA supplements.
While there are many benefits attributed to including GABA rich foods in your diet, one of the main benefits is that it increases alpha brain waves. This, in turn, will help to improve a person’s mental focus and activity. In other words, it will promote a greater sense of well-being. Here are some of the documented benefits of GABA:

Circulatory System
- Lowers blood pressure, making it perfect for people suffering from high blood pressure.
Mental and Stress Related
- Provides stress relief, lowers anxiety levels
- Helps alleviate symptoms of bipolar disorder and depression
- Aids in better memory retention
- Is said to also increase overall mental alertness
- Has been proven to help people undergoing alcohol detox programs by making the withdrawal symptoms lessen. (By the same token, it also is meant to be a great cure for a hangover!)


Health and Beauty
- Aids in weight loss (as does most oolong teas)
- Has natural anti aging properties and as such helps to improve the elasticity of skin and prevent wrinkles  from forming
- Is a natural sleep aid, not only helping you go to sleep faster but also ensuring that your quality of sleep is great.


Other
Aside from those benefits, there are a few other advantages enjoyed when your GABA nutritional requirements are met.
- Increases your energy levels
- Great for providing extra endurance when needed
- Has anti bacterial properties
- Increases sexual performance (perhaps that goes along with the extra endurance and energy levels?)


The great thing about GABA is that these benefits are actually very well documented through years of scientific study. Because there is valid proof of the health benefits of GABA, and no side effects, supplemental GABA is increasingly being prescribed by workers in the health industry.
In summary, aside from the regular health benefits that all organic tea has, such as the abundance of antioxidants and other healthy compounds, GABA tea also has exceptionally high levels of natural GABA. The processing involves the special, oxygen-deprived environment that increases the content of GABA while oxidizing the leaves. This combination makes organic GABA tea one of the healthiest choices available when it comes to organic tea.



 

Wuyi Rock, Organic Oolong - Wuyi Rock oolong tea is composed of dark curly brown leaves that yield a light amber hue and have a smooth, light body with a sweet earthy roasted flavor and aroma. Perfect as a daily slimming tea. Excellent for multiple infusions.
 
 
For more information go to:
 

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Storehouse Tea in the News

Crain's Cleveland Business December 9-15,  2013
Equitable Approach
Businesses that participate in Fair Trade face some challenges, but strongly believe there is an alternative way to do good
By Sharon Schnall


After meeting reporter Sharon Schnall at the Geauga Fresh Farmers Market one Saturday afternoon,  I was excited to get a Linked in invite as well as a phone call asking if she could interview me for a piece on businesses who practice Fair Trade. I am a strong believer in what you put out there comes back to you, so supporting Fair Trade was a no brainer for me. I am a female business owner who wants to be paid fairly for our high quality organic fair trade teas. I purchase Fair trade certified teas because it ensures that  the beautiful women who pick my tealeaves are being treated ethically and paid fairly too!  Supporting  Fair Trade is more than nice branding for my business, it's quite simply how the world  should be conducting business, fairly!


Crain's Cleveland Business January 13-19, 2014
Making a large Leap onto the Shelves
Companies can reap benefits from working with big-box stores, but there are plenty of challenges
By Sharon Schnall

 Storehouse Tea has been on the shelves of Whole Foods, Earth Fare and Market District stores around the state of Ohio for the past 2 years.  All of these stores include local companies like ours on their shelves but there are challenges.  Grocery stores are like mini retail spaces, it's all about location. We have to fight for consistent and decent shelf placement, a lot of times our product is moved to make way for the bigger brands who have marketing dollars to pay for advertising, prime shelf space and running sales and coupons. Often we are placed in areas of the store not anywhere near the tea aisle like in a "local section" making it hard for shoppers to find us let alone compare pricing. We pay a high percentage to these stores just to carry our teas and we invest time each month to demo our teas in their stores. The pay off has been slower than we thought, mostly because we are still building brand awareness and educating their customers of the health benefit  of loose leaf teas vs. tea bags. We are excited to launch our new packaging in the next 30-60 days , and hope to create  better brand awareness and visibility.  We will keep you updated on our progress. In the meantime, if you're having trouble finding our product in these stores or your happy that they are carrying our teas, please send us an email at info@storehousetea.com so we can forward them to the manager of that store. 

Saturday, January 18, 2014

Do You Know What’s Really In Your Tea?

This is a great article to read it pretty much sums up why we think it's so important to drink fresh Certified Organic loose leaf tea.


Some information about the flavors we use in some of our tea blends:
The flavors that we use in Storehouse tea blends are natural (non-synthetic) / organic compliant flavors. The ingredients used to make up the flavor are derived from raw or living materials or extractives obtained from plants, (essential oils), spice, fruit or fruit juice, herb, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material. USDA Organic certification requires that only 4% or less of a flavoring is allowed to be used in the total tea composition. Our flavor company certifies that our flavors are Allergen - Free which means they do not contain wheat or gluten products, wheat, rye, barley or their derivatives, milk products / dairy products, dairy derivatives, eggs / egg products, soy / soy products, seeds, tree nuts, peanut products, and other legumes or seafood products / fish or shellfish. Our organic compliant flavors are also certified not to contain genetically modified organisms or animal derivatives.
Our teas are safe for Gluten Free and Vegan customer.














Thursday, January 9, 2014

Be Restored and Help Restore with the Gift of Tea


Storehouse Tea, is partnering with Destiny Rescue an organization that  rescues children from human trafficking and sexual exploitation. There are an estimated 27 million slaves in the world today. Destiny Rescue,  a joint US & Australia faith based non-profit organization, is committed to liberating and restoring enslaved and abused children.
Storehouse Tea is featuring five teas on our website that we have renamed and rebranded to increase awareness and assist in fundraising for Destiny Rescue.  We  will contribute 40% of the sale price to Destiny Recue for their life-saving efforts in six nations: Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar (Burma), India and Mozambique.
Visit Destiny Rescue's website if you'd like more information about how you can help restore kids lives.  destinyrescue.org
Storehouse Tea participated in a few Holiday "Giving with a Purpose Events" where we sold Destiny Rescue Teas. People were excited that they could purchase teas that they really wanted and they felt even better that so much of the profit went to such a worthy cause. Literally, sips help save lives. Visit our DestinyRescue Page on our website to read more about  the teas we offer:
Rescue, Indian Masala Chai, Black Tea
Restore, Sweet Almond Green Tea and Yerba Mate
Rest, Chamomile Blend
Refresh, Zesty Ginger Lime, Green Rooibos Tea
Royal Tea, Pomegranate White Tea

2014 Winter /Indoor Market








Countryside Winter Farmers' Market
Old Trail School 
Saturday's January till April 2014  
        
2315 Ira Road, Akron, OH 44333
cvcountryside.org

Please note there are NEW winter market hours:
10am - 1pm
Saturday Dates: January 18, February 8 &22, March 8 & 22,
and April 19

Storehouse Tea will be returning to Old Trail School for our indoor market! We usually bring our entire collection of 50 teas …including our NEW Oolongs from our trip to Taiwan this past summer! There is a wonderful array of fresh organic produce, meat, cheese, bakery and many other wonderful things, so come visit us and taste some real tea, we always have samples!