This is a revised post and video to the Perfect Cuppa Lapsang Souchong from 2021.    Here is a link to a video of this post. This time we’re going to use a French Press to make the Perfect Cuppa, and still with our Lapsang Souchong Black Tea.   I should tell you, soon after I made the last video my teapot broke.  And I started to use a French Press, and I now much prefer a French Press to a tea pot, and I’m going to tell you why in this video.  I’m also going to tell you what I do, how I do it, why I do it and all the tools I used to make the Perfect Cuppa L ..read more

Here is how to make the perfect Cuppa tea, that is Lapsang Souchong black tea. Not just how to make a cuppa tea, but rather the PERFECT cup of tea. Why does Tea Lapsang Souchong make the perfect Cuppa? My version of the perfect cuppa tea Lapsang Souchong is an ideal balance of smoky, sweet, and creamy. It’s my morning beverage, and I think it’s a great way to start the day. The smokiness reminds me of the peat fires in Ireland and Scotland. As they have done for centuries, people in the Irish and Scottish countryside light the stoves and fireplaces with dried peat bricks or turf fires, a ..read more

The name Organic Strawbango Black Tea Patience was needed back in 2009 when we started to search for a name for our Organic Strawbango Black Tea, a clever blend of strawberries and Mangoes with a suggestion of calendula.  A quote from T.S. Eliot served as a starting point with his 'Naming of Cats' poem, though we made tea the subject.  Not to be confused with Bruce Boston’s excellent poem, 'Naming of Teas' which I will save for another post.   Our version, influenced by Eliot, is... The naming of teas is a difficult matter, it isn't just one of your everyday games--- Some m ..read more

Drink Goji Green Tea every day and look like this? On the label of Goji Green tea, after sharing the ingredients and describing the subtle sweetness of this glorious tea, the label states, “live a long healthy life drinking this tea.”   Li Qing Yuen Our old blog shared the story of the Chinese herbalist Li Qing Yuen who was said to have consumed goji berries daily and lived to 252.  You have to smile after considering this statement.  Have you ever wondered what you might look like at 250 years old? The story is too good not to have in this version of our blog.  Call it a T ..read more

Rooibos Tea Details RooibosTea is the most popular tea we sell at Local Tea Company.  As I rebuild our Sip Locally Tea Journey blog, Rooibos Tea Details is the first topic I want to share with you.   Long ago, I reached the stage where my love of Rooibos Tea is such that it would be hard to imagine life without Rooibos Tea, so lemme share some Rooibos Tea Details with you. All About Rooibos Tea I am a black tea drinker, specifically Lapsang Souchong.  You may know this from the video I made about making the ‘Perfect Cuppa Lapsang Souchong.”  I love the taste of tea, t ..read more

The Queen is dead. Long live the King. But who’s going to tell the Royal Bees? Here is a link to an article explaining this Apiarian tradition. You may know that I keep bees at home. Currently, I have a single beehive sitting on a second-floor terrace outside our bedroom. The honey is lovely, a strong gamey sweetness that I love in my perfect cuppa Lapsang Souchong every morning, in my greek yogurt, and in the vinaigrette Dianne whisks up a few times each week. The hive is easy to access, and I do like to come home from a long day in the Tea Lair and watch the girls come and go. I share parts ..read more

More White Teas? As many of you may know, during the pandemic we experienced shipping delays with our Pear Mu Tan White tea. Our shipments were stuck in transit. You may have seen the post we did when it came back in stock in February, Welcome Back, Pear Mu Tan. It is a delicious tea that people love. The bright spot in this mini-crisis was showing us how popular White Teas are with you. Perhaps human nature is such that you want what you cannot have? And, in case you need some right now, Morton’s Market is the one Serving Partner we have here in Sarasota that offers this wonderful tea by the ..read more

Gorgeous pix of the gorgeous guesthouse where I live with Dianne Glass. Sarasota Magazine wrote about the space in their March-April cover story ‘Guesthouses we Love’. The actual article is titled “Peek Inside Three Dreamy Local Guesthouses” and here is a link. 4 Guesthouse Teas Dianne has a wonderful style that she infuses into her house and guesthouse. And, yes there are tins of Local Tea in the cupboards; Organic Sarasotan, Goji Green, Selby Select, and Mote Beach Tea. Lilly is ever-present, wagging her tail, and patrolling the grounds. Lilly of Lantana…Lucky Me ..read more

Strawberry meets Rooibos and you get Strawberry Rooibos Tea, a long-overdue addition to our popular, caffeine-free selection of rooibos teas. What took so long? An excellent question! Strawberries are included in our most popular flavored teas; Organic Strawbango Black Tea (we invented that name, I think), Organic Strawberry Smile Green Tea, Siesta Tea, and our Tahitian Red Tea. But none of our rooibos teas have strawberries. Until now, I know Glynis looked high and low for a rooibos strawberry tea worthy enough to join the team of 9 spectacular rooibos teas. And now we finally found one. Rooi ..read more

We live in north Sarasota, so our travel time is usually 45 minutes. If we lived closer, we would visit more often, of that I am certain. We have a new tea to share with you, Evergreen Peach Tea, but I must first admit, Cafe Evergreen is a place I love to visit. Typically we, (Dianne Glass and me) visit Cafe Evergreen after a soak at Warm Mineral Springs. Your sulfur scented skin is welcome here! The Fountain of Youth Balboa was searching for and the many European soakers clinging to pool noodles with their unique and colorful hats, Warm Mineral Springs is ‘Old Florida’ at its finest! Juice Ba ..read more