Almost 20 years in the making! Barb's Tea Service hosts Chocolate and Tea Pairing in Ann Arbor

BTS' Chocolate &Tea Pairing includes a specially curated sweets from Michigan chocolatiers.

A chocolate and tea pairing is always delicious fun, but add a wonderful group of women in a beautiful home in Ann Arbor and the event was made even sweeter. And the "referral" was almost twenty years in the making.

Rob G., longtime BTS team member, served tea and tech support.

Last week, Barb's Tea Service presented a "Chocolate Tea Pairing" to an organization connected with the University of Michigan.  As we served up four different teas with a variety of specially curated chocolates from three of our favorite Mitten State chocolatiers, we talked about the history of Camellia sinensis and its importance to many cultures.

We brewed four different teas, including BTS' double ginger.

Longtime BTS team member, Rob G., prepped, brewed and poured the tea in addition to providing on-site tech support. 

And, speaking of longtime, Laura C., member of the U of M group, who extended the invitation to BTS last year, told us she had initially heard about us from an article in the Detroit Free Press from 2007. She still had the article!

Almost 20-year-old "referral" brought us to this group!

Well, how about that? So do we. 

I started Barb's Tea Service (then Barb's TEA Shop) in 2005. As I was venturing out to museums, schools, libraries and other venues, outside of house parties, I received an invitation from the Free Press to be the focus of their Sunday feature "Five Things". It was a one-page highlight of a job/pastime/curiosity that could be boiled down to five short paragraphs.

Wondaful U of M org. We had a great time!

From the land of my paternal relations, there's a Swedish proverb that states, "all the flowers of tomorrows are in the seeds of today".  The Free Press article, which I long ago matted and framed and now hangs in my office, was "planted" almost twenty years ago and it's still producing fruit - or to be more specific, tea paired with chocolate-covered orange peels and Michigan cherries.

This group of women were absolutely awesome and many shared some of their favorite tea, tea accoutrements and tea travels. We thank them for inviting us to be part of their afternoon.  

And, for hanging on to that article for so long!