How original can you get for a title. lol

5:49 here in the beautiful pacific northwet...it has taken me 50 minutes to wake up enough to get the first cup of tea going.

Tons of samples here to cup, and frankly, ehhh not. I'll do some later in the studio.

Cause the plum from yesterday is too good to pass up. We did get it added to the site last night. Plum Dreams

Today is newsletter day, which always takes several hours. We did get a head start on it earlier in the week. Watch for a tea blending tutorial and other neat articles.

Writing newsletters can be a very time consuming process. Thankfully we have some excellent article volunteers each month. I say kudos to whoever else has this job. Coming up with content that is interesting, pertinent and stimulating is not always an easy task. Do you go with a seasonal theme, news, recipes, and jokes, all of the above? We hope to get more feedback from our valued customers on what they like to hear. The one thing I really enjoy is our daily quotes. This week or so all of the quotes are about freedom in honor of Passover for my friends and acquaintances of the Jewish faith. Freedom applies to everybody, and it is an important thing for us to remember. Many pay a very high price for it. I thank Spirit each day for mine.

To me freedom is more than the physical body, but our minds and spirit. We are free to think what we like and from that create any reality in our lives or any situation we choose to. What a powerful gift! The power to free our minds from sorrow and grief. The power to build the things we want in life. The power not to suffer. The power to help others and the power to grow.

I was saying the other day, how would I ever have time to write down all the things I think about on a daily basis, heck an hourly basis in a blog format! "I am much too busy". Then I realized I was making an active choice not to make the time and not to be honest with myself about it. Often we get so caught up in the day to day grind that we begin to feel helpless to change the pattern. So, I chose to sit down and map out my day and the way I was spending it to find time to do our blogging.

Getting up at 4:00 am instead of 5:00 LOL Seriously, I am glad that I have chosen to do this. In doing so, I empower myself further by taking an active role in my life and therefore achieve more freedom.

Something to definitely ponder....

Pack my bags! I am on the way to Tea Heaven!

The genies were restless..that would be me. :)

Of course my passion still is in blending teas and herbs.
Always turning new ideas around in my head.
There are lots of teas that never make it on to our website because
they end up in different blends as components and "secret ingredients".

Let your taste buds picture this.....

Plum, chocolate pieces and vanilla wrapped up in a lovely china black tea.

Now to name it and write the copy. The eternal challenge. I think we should leave it up to our customers on this one. Or maybe I won't share it at all! Not even with the helper monkeys.

Lets just say, I am on my second cup (bring me the BP meds!) I haven't come out of my trance like tea state. LOL

Off to find a guinea pig to test this out on. he he

It is super early for us to be awake, but nonetheless here we are.
Planning out the days activities and work schedule.

But first I have to say how much I love our wonderful customers. To come to work and find another testimonial like this one, literally brought tears to my eyes.

We go through each day hoping that on some level we touch people’s lives yet never really knowing how much. Then somebody takes the time out of his or her busy life to write something so heartfelt and wonderful that doesn't even know us. It re-affirms we are on the right track and that we just need to be who we are.

Thank you Robin and all those who have taken the time to make us feel special. :)

This is something that we have been wrestling with for months now.

How to provide products in packaging that is re-usable and environmentally responsible.

There is a new rage in the tea world of a fancy albeit cool looking new tea bag or some call it a tea sachet (how elegant).

It contains (usually) quality loose leaf tea and is in the shape of a triangle. It allows you to have loose teas "on the go". What the manufacturers and merchants don't tell you is the bags are made of are made of a "high quality nylon that is heat tempered" and are NOT biodegradable.

Worse yet is the fact that large manufacturers are now "private labeling" these "revolutionary" bags so they are now available to every tea Tom, Dick and Harry to propagate our land fills with yet more plastics.

If there were going to be a revolution in tea, I would prefer it to be focused on Fair Trade implementation and less exploitation of tea estates, people and the planet.

The earth doesn't need a revolutionary tea that fills our dumps with more plastic products. Besides who knows what the long term effects of drinking plastics that have had boiled water poured over them or even been put in a microwave?

We have finally started to see major players in the tea arena get away from the bleached tea bags that they have been using for years. A step in the right direction... is this a classic case of one step forward two steps back?

Something to ponder over a cup of tea that is for sure.

Good morning!

I am up before the sun as usual and into my first test cup of tea.

Let me first say this, having a poor cup of tea that tastes worse than store bought tea (which is no small feat) at 4:30 am is NOT my way of starting out the day. LOL That's why we test all of our teas on ourselves before our customers. he he
This was a caramel type black tea that I had high hopes for. Right out of the bag it smelled tainted (like it was exposed to something else, possibly a pan fired tea). I am thinking hmmmmm okay; I will give it a try, maybe (hopefully) it will taste like toasted caramels. uhhh NOT. The fairly simple blend of black tea, caramel, and other goodies gets three thumbs down. Couldn't even hide it with Splenda.
Wooohheee that was definitely not my cup of tea.

Next, (after tossing the previous sad brew out) slightly gun shy (remember I still haven't had a dose of caffeine yet worth mentioning) out comes a hopeful flavored green. Flavored with cranberry cream and laced with cranberries. Smells excellent out of the bag. This Sencha holds a glow of the promised land.

Steeped 1 minute at 180 the cup is fragrant with a lovely green shade that is slightly copper tinted (color). Taste is magnificent! Not a strong green vegetative taste at all (though some like that flavor), not fishy, just smooth and not overly flavored. Perfect, this is a definite consideration for our green tea selection.

The trick with green teas is not to oversteep them. Most folks out of the green tea gate don't make it to the first quarter mile because of over steeping. Most are excellent at 1-minute maybe 2 depending on the tea. Anything more than that the tea becomes bitter and almost unpalatable. Definitely read the instructions before brewing on any tea. I tend to always go conservative (1 minute) no matter what the producer says. The neat thing about greens is that they can be steeped a few times, the flavor is less and less, but enjoyable nonetheless. You really get your money's worth that is for sure!

Moving right along to my next favorite topic is scents!
Later today I have a date with whipped shea butter production.
Our whipped shea moi is going gangbusters, which is a good indicator that some portion of the population is well moisturized and looking good ;)

We have been tossing around which scents to add to our line next and the possibility of removing the "sleepers" up for review on the guillotine end are:
Voodoo Queen
Love Potion #9
Blue Lagoon
Lord of the Green
Sensual (possible renamed, reformulation)

Never fear, this is a long process, so if you see something on the list you love, be sure to email us if you want it to stay. And usually we keep scents on hand 3-6 months for custom orders.

Up for consideration in the "must be added now category" are:
Patchouli Orange
Lavender Essential Oil
Sandalwood with Sweet pea (decadent)
And a couple more Essential Oil blends

After a hectic day of packing orders, paperwork, phone calls, dog calls (don't ask), finally I sit down to a relaxing cup of fruit tea.

Or more properly recognized in the “new” tea arena as "Tisanes". In the eternal slide show of human "naming" we now have "tisane" instead of tea when the beverage in question is comprised fruit and herbs. Instead of calling it herbal...because well, fruits aren't herbs right? What on earth would we do if the herbs and the fruits married together...what would they be labeled...somebody (I am still trying to find out who) fixed it all for us with the word Tisane.

I say ToeMayto you say Toe Mat O..... either way, I will know what they are referring to. ;)

Without further ado, this tea is without caffeine and delish!

I am testing this out and it is up for overall evaluation for potential addition to our growing line of fruit teas.
Apples, hibiscus, rose hip, caramel, yogurt, blueberries and lovely mallow blossoms.
This is a blueberry muffin flavor. You can smell the muffin cake as you take a sip, but it doesn't translate to the actual beverage. Which is genius in my book! The blueberry taste is sweet and mellow with the hibiscus giving it a lovely pink hue.
Unsweetened it is nice. Add sweetener (splenda for me of course) and it really pops those flavors out and turns into an exquisite brew.

Next up is a new rooibos sample we are thinking of bringing in.
And WOW is it good.

Organic rooibos with coconut pieces, caramels, passionfruit and flavored with banana.
At first I was like...Oh no another banana....the other two we carry are actually good and we got lucky with those. So skepticism was mine as I poured my first cup.

Well I proved myself wrong (not the first or last time). This is the most flavourful rooibos sample I have tasted in a very long time! Full bodied, sweet but not overly so, you can taste the banana and it is GOOD. The smell is firm yet not cloying as is want to be with most rooibos. The one thing about this blend that stands out is that you can still taste the almost woody note of the actual rooibos base. It hasn't been drowned out by over flavoring.

If you are new to rooibos it is a plant (not technically a "tea") that grows off the cape of Good Hope in South Africa. A member of the legume family and should probably be avoided if you have severe nut allergies. You will sometimes hear this beverage referred to as "red bush" or "red tea" (not to be confused with Chinese red teas).

It is full of anti-oxidants and is an immune system booster. What we love about Rooibos is that it helps relieve anxiety. With all the stress we face each day, this is a BONUS. Tastes good and good for you. It can help alleviate skin irritations. I have actually bathed in it. Very refreshing either way. :) And the best bonus of all is that it contains NO caffeine.

There is rooibos that has been oxidized (exposed to air and sun) and green rooibos that does not go through the oxidation process. Some scientific research points to the green rooibos as being even more beneficial to the overall immune system etc.
If I run across those articles and publications the will definitely be posted either here or on our forums. My hope is to see more tea vendors offer more options of green and red flavored teas. Though they are delicious without flavor or sugar.

Some may be shocked (or not) to know that I prefer flavored teas over plain. Never completely a purist at heart, I may be burned at the proverbial tea bush by most tea connoisseurs. Now that being said, I do enjoy an excellent cup of black, oolong and green tea as well. There are many varieties of tea in the market place and I encourage anybody and everyone to sample them at least twice. Once for the experience and twice for the confirmation of said experience. lol

Flavors are like colors to me and I prefer to experience as many as I can create or get my tea mits on. ;)

Hey, I have an idea! If you have a tea that you would like me to taste and review, send it to us and we will post it here. Email me directly at: rachel@scentbyspirit.com with the words Tea Addy in the subject line (so the spam filter doesn't eradicate your email into the black hole) and give us your name and information and we will send you our mailing address.

Today is tea tasting day at Scentbyspirit.com

First up is a new sample of flavored oolong tea. The tea is half fermented meaning it is just between a black and green tea.

It is a fairly complex and fragrant blend consisting of:
oolong, aronia berries, mango, rose petals and flavoring.
It has a passionfruit flavor with a note of nice sophistication.

Out of the bag it is a beautiful aromatic blend. The first steeping was 4 minutes, but this may actually be better at a 5 minute brew time.

Pleasing to the palate and a nice coppery liquor. Excellent without and with a dash of sugar (I used splenda).

If you are wondering what the "liquor" reference is to, trust me it is not my morning shot of hooch! LOL
It is the "flavor and color" of the tea after steeping.

Greetings one and all!

Welcome to the random musings of the Head Genie of Scentbyspirit.com! I am sure the helper genies may post too.

There are many random thoughts and ideas that run through my head each day, so we thought this may be an excellent way to capture them for ourselves. It may also give you some insights to the inner workings of our company or just my brain. (scary I know!)

Today as I was packing up orders I found yet another object in a tea bag. You may think WHAT? OMG that is soooo gross.... I am here to assure that this is quite common. My mind has turned this over and over wondering how to educate and help customers and the public at large understand this phenomenon if it ever happens to you.

First we are dealing in organic matter that comes out of the ground, a variety of plants to be exact. The plants are typically hand harvested and put into large woven baskets. Then they are taken through whatever processing they need for the type of tea they are to become. Then they are put into large burlap or plastic type burlap bags or other containers to be shipped to auction. From there to distributors and packaging plants. Millions of pounds of tea are harvested and processed every year. At some point, somewhere there is bound to be a twig, string, rock or some other object may end up in a bag. When we re-package and make our blends we do work hard to sort anything we find (it doesn't happen often) out. Alas, occasionally you may find one of these inanimate objects in your tin or bag. If so, simply throw it out. We have it on good authority that they do not effect the taste of the tea or compromise its integrity at all. :)

So, again waiter there is a rock in my tea and thanks for fishing it out for me. ;)