Afternoon Tea Talk for your next Bridal Shower. . . or other special event

If you are planning a bridal shower and looking for a fresh alternative to the lets-get-it-over-with-shower-games, consider a Tea Etiquette Talk* from Barb's TEA Shop. Treat your guests to an informative and entertaining tea talk and avoid those tired wedding-themed brain teasers and quizzes.

Make your bridal shower an elegant afternoon tea affair that needn't exceed your budget. Barb's TEA Shop will create a program based on your needs. We can provide everything from tea consultation to full-service tea brewing and pouring for your guests.

Let Barb's TEA Shop take the guesswork out of which tea to serve and how to prepare. Based on your menu, we can offer a variety of teas, at a range of prices, and brew and serve to your guests on-site. With Barb's TEA Shop, afternoon tea with freshly brewed tea is easier than setting tea bags on the table, but, so much more elegant.

When planning your next shower, contact Barb's TEA Shop and let's talk about what would work best for your special bride, guests and venue. You can select from the full package or any individual component:

Full Package: Tea Etiquette Talk, 2 varieties of loose tea, teapots and teapot warmers, tea preparation and wait staff.

But, don't feel you need to wait for someone to get married. The same afternoon tea package is available for your next group event: book club, girls night out, couples evening or church group.

Contact us today: 248-840-4356
barb@barbsteashop.com
barbsteashop.blogspot.com
barbsteashop.com

*Barb Gulley is a Tea Etiquette Consultant, with training from the Protocol School of Washington. She is an authorized tea etiquette consultant from PSOW.

Tranquil Teas for the Holiday Season at Faith Lutheran in Troy

The first of four Tranquil Teas for the 2010 – 2011 season was held last Thursday and Barb’s TEA Shop was invited to present its “Afternoon Tea Etiquette” program to a sold-out group of 50 guests. The tea events are hosted by Faith Lutheran Church on selected Thursday afternoons and each has a seasonal theme presentation accompanied by tea and tasty sweets.

Guests will enjoy the detail in décor as a meeting room is converted into a tea room with tablecloths, three-tiered trays, and silver tea pots. October’s event brought the beauty of a Michigan fall day indoors with tablescapes accented in vibrant yellows, oranges and gold. Attendees were served freshly brewed loose tea by friendly hostesses, and, if all the tea is wonderful as the Darjeeling sampled last week, future guests are in for a real treat. Candle lit tables and tea garden displays added to the tea room ambiance, and, like the Drake Hotel in Chicago, you will even remember the lovely accents in the powder room.

We had a wonderful time and met so many great women. Thanks for inviting BTS to be part of the Tranquil Teas at Faith Lutheran.

Upcoming Teas (times for all teas are 1:00 – 3:00 pm)

December 9, 2010 Christmas Reflections Tea
Featuring: Sue Czischke

February 10, 2011 Valentine Tea

April 7, 2011 Daffodil Tea

Featuring: Master Gardner, Suzanne Huening

Teas are $7.00 per ticket in Room 10/11/12 at Faith Lutheran Church, 37 635 Dequindre, Troy, Michigan. Deadline for purchasing tickets is the Sunday before scheduled tea, but please note, tickets are selling quickly. Bring your own teacup or a disposable one will be provided.

For more information contact Kathy Briscoe at kabriscoe@wowway.com.

Barb G. in the center, between Kathy B. and Sue C. along with all the other beautiful women of Faith Lutheran.

How to Make a Mint: Show me the Monet

Hello Tea Friends,

Now that it is officially Fall in Michigan, it's time to clean up the garden, bring the tea plant indoors and store away summer memories for another year. Our mint and chamomile plants thrived in our newly cultivated tea garden/vineyard up north, as did my prized Camellia sinensis. Another bonus to our improved grounds this summer was the Pemberly Pines pond, which, only in its second year of existence, showed signs of approaching our source of inspiration, Monet's amazing water lily pond in Giverny.

A little over two years ago, my husband and I went to Paris and took a day trip to Monet's home in Giverny. It's here we learned how the artist spent much of his time creating a real life masterpiece of rows upon rows of brightly colored flowers around his estate and manipulating a local water source to benefit his own personal pond. (The latter was made famous by Monet's water lily paintings.) We were also told on our tour that Monet enjoyed not only painting in the landscape of his own design, but taking tea there as well.

So, this summer, we picked homegrown mint, brewed fresh herbal tea, and sat back in Adirondack chairs near the pond to watch our one water lily in bloom sur le jardin de thé, just like our favorite French impressionist artist. C'est magnifique!

Herbal Mint tea (derived from various google searches and our own personal tastes):

6 mint tea leaves per cup

Add boiling water to mint leaves and steep for 3 - 5 minutes

The refreshing lift of fresh mint tea will soon be replaced by warming chai lattes and the pond will soon look more like Monet's La Pie, Effet de Neige than a free flowing pool of water lilies. We're packing it in for the summer, but looking forward to the Fall pallet of vibrant colors from nature's brush; another masterpiece to take in with a hot cup of hearty tea.

Monet's water lily pond, France ******************* Pemberly Pines pond, Michigan

A History of Social Tea Time with Jane Pettigrew

Hello TEA Friends,

I first met Jane Pettigrew, tea historian, writer, and former tea room owner, back in 2004 at the World Tea Expo (then called "Take Me 2 Tea") in Rhode Island (see picture below). She was captivating to watch and listen to: a petite, pretty woman with close-cropped cut blond hair and a charming English accent, her enthusiasm for tea was truly inspirational.

At that time, Barb's TEA Shop was only several pages of notes and outlines in a three-ring binder. After meeting and talking with Jane, her knowledge and encouragement sent me home with plans to go from paper to real world in a few short months.

Jane Pettigrew has written 13 books - most of which I own, including my personally autographed copy of " A Social History of Tea" and my well-worn, "Tea in the City, Paris", which was given a real work out when we visited the City of Lights two years ago this month.

This year, I again, along with my daughter and BTS Creative Director, Rachel, met Jane in June at the World Tea Expo in Las Vegas. She was just as pretty and engaging as when we first met her in Providence and as she spoke about tea rooms in England, we were reminded what fun it is just to hear her recount stories with her enchanting style and humor.

Any tea time with Jane Pettigrew is always historic and we at BTS are great fans. We're sure you'll find any of Jane's book's, including her most recent "Tea Classified" which was voted best new publication 2009 at the World Tea Expo, tea time well spent.

Jane Pettigrew also conducts Tea Masterclasses every month in London, England. For more information on her classes and a full list of all her books, check out her webpage at janepettigrew.com.

Camellia Sinensis: Tea Garden Takes Off in Michigan

Hello TEA Friends,


This May, we planted a tea garden at our up-north retreat, Pemberly Pines (see photo bottom right). Knowing it would be a challenge to cultivate our own Camellia sinensis in a growing zone several levels north of the tropics, we nonetheless took it on as a total curiosity, if not a learning experience. In its cedar planter, the tiny tea plant sprig thrived in a clearing in the middle of our property, along with several herbs that have already provided us with some delicious tisanes.

According to the American Camellia Society, and About.com coffee/tea the tea plant grows best in zones 7, 8 and 9 and in sandy, well-drained, acidic soil with full sun to partial shade. So we do have a few things against us: we're in zone 4 and slightly below the US average for sunny days in the summer months (remember, we're growing inside in November!). We've got a few positives to encourage us, however, our soil is sandy and acidic and the clearing is in the sunniest part of all of Pemberly In addition, the tea plant can be grown very successfully in planters with seasonal indoor sheltering. I need only look to our friends at Light of Day in Traverse City, who now have an impressive tea plant the size of a small tree after only five years of growing.

In the fall we can expect our plant to flower and in the spring, it will dispense seed pods. In approximately three years, we can begin to harvest our plant for tea leaves and begin making our very own black - or green - tea.

With just another few weeks of August left, we'll be looking to bring the Camellia sinensis in soon. We'll keep you posted on its progress throughout the year.

In the meantime, we're enjoying the teas we've been brewing with the herbs from our garden. Refreshing and delicious, we've found the mint makes a wonderful cup of tea on its own or as an accompaniment to other brews, such as tea mojitos (more to follow on that).

If a tree can grow in Brooklyn, a tea plant has a chance in northern Michigan.

Yours in tea and friendship,

Barb

Hot Tea Travels Make for a Great Summer

Hello TEA Friends,

This summer, Barb's TEA Shop has been on the road and, along the way, we've tasted mint tea, corn tea, Sense and Sensibili-tea, sweet tea, Keweenaw tea, and mojito tea avec liquer. From Las Vegas to Louisville to Michigan's upper peninsula and all places in between, one constant held true - all the tea we drank may not have been hot, but we were hot wherever we drank it.

Naturally, when visiting Las Vegas in June one expects heat and it's not a stretch to anticipate sultry afternoons in Kentucky in July, but hot, humid days in northern Michigan as we approached August only proved that as interesting and fun as our travels were, we were never going to have a good hair day.

But, that was a small price to pay for some the most enjoyable tea trips we have had. In our journeys we met many entrepreneurs, craftsman, educators and folks passionate about tea. We learned so much and have so many stories to share, I just can't wait for you to get acquainted with them all (not to mention the update on the Pemberly Pines tea garden).

We caught up on the latest with Shelly Richardson and Jane Pettigrew at the World Tea Expo and were introduced to new products such as corn tea and teaspoons made of honey. In Louisville, we met Kim Wilson, author of "Tea with Jane Austen" at the third annual Jane Austen Festival at Locust Grove.

From Kentucky, we headed north again, but this time, went past the Mackinac Bridge to be guests at the only tea room in the Upper Peninsula, The Four Seasons, owned and operated by a delightful mother/daughter team. Driving along the Lake Superior coastline, we made another stop at Enerlei, a unique, northern Michigan gift shop with beautiful tea accessories.

Then, from one Great Lake to another, we took the long way home from Pemberly and visited the town of Lexington on the shores of Lake Huron. Here we met twin brothers who are making their career in pottery. Their one-of-kind teapots with driftwood handles are amazing. (I had to purchase one for Pemberly - and some matching cups, too!).

This resort town is also home to the Lexington General Store which has a great selection of tea, tea cups and a charming old fashioned candy counter and the nearby "Off the Beaten Path" gift store, with a nice selection of fine home accessories, coffees and even some Chai Tea.

So, with the suitcases packed away, at least for a little while, I'll be at my desk - or weekends at Pemberly by the pond with the laptop - with a cup of freshly brewed tea, my hair being held against its will with barrettes, hairspray or hat, and begin posting pictures and stories from this hot but eventful summer.

Yours in TEA and friendship,

Barb

American Pickers (& Antiques Diva) Picked Barb's TEA Shop

Hello TEA Friends!

American Pickers and Antiques Diva picked Barb's TEA Shop to win!

If you are witnessing a thrilling cross-country road hunt for antiques and collectibles at incredible bargains under a bit of dust and dirt, you've landed at History Channel's American Pickers. This series shows the (literally) gritty side of treasure hunting as self-described "modern archaeologists", Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz, scour old barns, hoarders' dwellings and neighborhoods on garbage pick-up days for neglected relics that can be turned to profits. It's the "other side" of Antiques Roadshow and the search, the digging, and the haggling are as entertaining and educational as the "find" itself.

Barb's TEA Shop found it was the lucky recipient this week of the DVD of American Pickers First Season. A fan of antique-ing and devoted treasure hunter, BTS was excited to win the American Picker's contest hosted by Antiques Diva. The Antiques Diva blog and website, if you haven't yet visited, is the high end of "picking" and one cannot only live vicariously through AD's European adventures, one can actually purchase some one-of-a-kind treasures from this site. From Paris flea markets to high end shops in Germany, you'll feel like you're with your bff shopping and dining in some of the most interesting places across the ocean. (The recent entry about discount designer dresses in Paris made me much less excited about my prized 30% Kohl's discount sticker).

So, how did we get such a cool prize? Well, on July 4th weekend, I did all the usual holiday fun stuff: went to the annual (always best-ever) family/friends cookout at my brother's, watched the fireworks, played croquet and made a big pot of tea while hitting all my favorite blogspots. The Antiques Diva was sponsoring the American Pickers contest and one only needed to submit a patriotic post. When you combine bargains, antiques, history, the Fourth of July and a free prize - by gosh, it's as American as corn-on-the cob and as diverse as corn-in-the-teacup!

Along with the DVD, BTS also recently picked up a few new treasures of our own at our favorite haunt, The Antiques Depot in Lewiston, Michigan. My husband surprised me with his own "junk-et" there two week's ago with new wrought iron chairs for our wildflower garden, and my mother-in-law and I found some beautiful Limoges tea cups. Granted, we didn't have to dig too far or dust too much, but we follow in the spirit of the American Pickers.

Thanks American Pickers and Antiques Diva for picking us!

Yours in tea and friendship and treasure hunting - be it Paris, Iowa, northern Michigan or your neighborhood Kohl's,

Barb