Tea for the Soul

3 1/2 years ago I lost my husband to cancer. He fought a difficult battle, and in my eyes, he died a champion. During the time he was sick, we spent a lot of time at the Portland, OR VA Hospital; surgery, lots of appointments, CT and MRI's filled our days. We always stayed with friends if an over-nighter was required. They were wonderful, but we always wished we would have had a place a bit more private to defuse, and hotels were too spendy. Often we made the 6 hour trip, there and back, which made for a long, and draining day.

The same year Dale passed away, the  Fisher House VA Puget Sound opened in Seattle, WA. I had the opportunity to tour it 2 years ago. What a wonderful place! Oh, how I wish Portland had had one when we were there. Please click on the link above if you are unfamiliar with Fisher House. They are all over the country and one in Germany, to give a home away from home to veteran's and their families while in need of medical care.

I remember thinking to myself while touring the house, I wish there was something I could do for the Fisher House in memory of Dale. I didn't have a clue what it would be. I hadn't thought of that until a couple weeks ago when I was contacted by Lorraine who works at Fisher House. As one of my customers, and knowing I have made blends in the past, asked if I would be willing to create one for the Fisher House. I was thrilled! She told me that there is a gal who comes to the house to do Yoga with the families, and that afterwards they have tea. She thought it would be cool if they had their own blend. She wanted something calming and herbal, to refresh their souls. I told Lorraine, when touring the house, of wanting to do something in Dale's memory, and this seemed perfect! So a batch is being created as I type!

I hope to have it tweaked and perfected by the time of launch for the new website, which I hope will be by the end of this month. It will be my goal to raise awareness about Fisher House, how people can donate to such a wonderful place, one way will be to purchase the Fisher House tea, as proceeds from the tea will go to Fisher House.

I am very excited about this! I will keep you posted!!!

Mother's Day

...is just around the corner! Need a gift idea?

You will find others gift sets at here at Turner Hill Tea!

Change is afoot!

There are changes afoot here at Turner Hill Tea! A new logo is in the works, creation of a new website is just around the corner, and a really cool opportunity for THT has opened up! I will keep you posted as things move along. For now, I must get back to an online tea course! Always furthering my education for your benefit as well as my own! Stay tuned!!!

Dark Tea Samples

As promised, I have sampled the Dark Teas, with the help of my mum. A couple of posts ago, I wrote about Dark Tea and a bit of history. You can find it here. We sampled Hunan Dark Tea, 100 Taels Tea Cake, and Dark Rose. The Dark Rose is one I have had since I started my tea business, but revisited it as it had been awhile.

Here are the results.

Hunan Dark Tea. This was our least favorite. It has a grassy, earthy aroma, taste, a bit acidic. It also had a bit of a metallic aftertaste. It was hard for us to come up with a better description.

It just had an odd taste to it.

Hunan Dark

100 Taels Tea Cake. This tea is actually pressed into a log, and pieces are broken off in order to make tea. This tea had a very pleasant aroma, and taste. We liked this one. It had a natural sweetness to it that the Hunan did not.

100 Taels Tea Cake

Dark Rose. This one is my favorite of them all! Though a green tea, it has a black tea taste to it. It is smooth, and has a hint of Rose. There are rose petals pressed in with the tea. It has a darker colored liquor to it.

Dark Rose

The wonderful thing about Dark teas is that they can be re-steeped! So, you get more bang for your buck! I will soon have the Dark Rose listed on my website, so you can enjoy it as well. The others are a bit spendy, the Tael Cake is $15.99 for one, so will probably not have them listed, at least for now.

FOLK Magazine

I love FOLK magazine! I found out about this magazine on Facebook last year. I started to follow this group of Kentucky College students as they started from the ground floor to create this magazine. After watching their posts for a while, I was hooked! I subscribed to FOLK, and am ever so pleased I did! It is wonderful!!

As you know, (if you have been reading my blog...you have right?), I just recently purchased an ad in FOLK that will be coming out in their May issue! I am very excited about it, hoping that this opportunity will be a boost for Turner Hill Tea.

Below is a press release about Folk Magazine. Please take a few minutes to learn more about them. Then, go check out their website! Don't forget to subscribe! It's a great read with a nice glass of sweet iced tea, y'all!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Lexington, Kentucky)–April 3, 2012–FOLK Magazine, a lifestyle publication focused on sharing the American story, has committed to the support of American Made products and has joined forces with small businesses across the country to further American prosperity. FOLK Magazine encourages the rising generations to better understand the value of products made in America and the importance of supporting American small business.

Since the September 2011 debut, FOLK Magazine has acquired an actively engaged reader base and is now available in 49 of the 50 United States as well as in 6 countries. Celebrating local communities and the strength they provide to the foundation of our country, FOLK Magazine empowers readers to embrace their roots and embody simplicity in life. FOLK exemplifies buying and living locally; serving as a platform for new generations to reach toward a stronger connection to their personal communities and each other.

Extending beyond FOLK’s reader base, this platform and FOLK’s initiatives create a unique and rewarding experience for all involved. Each issue is composed of features and interviews with American businesses, artisans, and entrepreneurs. In the recently released preview of Issue V (Summer 2012) an Appalachian success story and the natural inspiration behind an established American business, Jon Carloftis Fine Gardens, is showcased alongside the “Dirt to Shirt” feature of an American business that continues to gain popularity, High Cotton Ties.

FOLKlabel, a hand selected collection of American made artisan goods available at FOLK appearances and events has created an avenue for readers to quickly find high quality American made goods. An extremely popular collection, FOLK label goods flew off the shelves at the Christmas 2011 FOLKstore in Beaver Dam, Kentucky. FOLK has created an enthusiastic reader base that trusts the hand selection of FOLK staff members and eagerly awaits the debut of newFOLKlabel additions. The American Made Directory located on the FOLKblog adds to this collection by creating a single page consumers can reference to find American Made products.

With readers in 49 of the 50 United States and in 6 countries, FOLK offers affordable, international advertisement space to American businesses. Specifically, the creation of a discounted advertisement rate for Etsy retailers and the ability for advertisers to earn multiple, combinable discounts has opened the door for American entrepreneurship and small business to bloom internationally.

The fact that all FOLK staff members are entrepreneurs and American small business owners enables a stronger connection between the publication and its endeavor to create a platform for American Made. FOLK staff members include bed and breakfast owners, antique shows and market directors, bloggers, home accessory designers, event planners, etc. FOLK staff members have insight into the behind the scenes world of entrepreneurship and personally understand what it takes to be successful. FOLK hales from Main Street of small town, America and uses the mentality of American ingenuity to support American made products and businesses in a way that has never been done.

FOLK opens the door for American success by sharing the American story. Increasing the visibility of American made products and businesses, FOLK helps American entrepreneurs to increase their sales, revenues, profits, and success. Creating a grass-roots movement by connecting entrepreneurs with customers who are searching for American Made goods and services, FOLK serves as a platform for the success of American Business and the economical success of America’s future.

About FOLK Magazine
A compilation of college students and free-lance writers from across North America, FOLK Magazine grew from the belief in American success. FOLK Magazine has been sharing the American story since its debut in September 2011 and with the upcoming release of Issue V (Summer 2012) FOLK will be distributed to major grocery, drug store, and bookstore chains. This distribution is a promising outlook for the future of FOLK and its American Made initiatives.

With open communication between the editorial staff and all members of the ‘FOLK Family’ (readers, advertisers, wholesalers, etc.), FOLK has grown to an international success before even celebrating a one-year anniversary.

For more information, please contact:

Hillary Lewis

Director of Marketing/Advertising and Public Relations
Hillary.FOLK@gmail.com

(606) 524-1109


Even MORE from FOLK Magazine online!
Read our Blog: www.AmericanFOLKLife.blogspot.com
Find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/WEAREFOLK
Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FOLKmagazine
Share ideas on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/FOLK/

Hillary Lewis

----------------------------------------------------
Director of Marketing/Advertising
Director of Public Relations
FOLK Magazine
www.MagazinebyFolk.com
hillary.folk@gmail.com

Owner/Designer
Happenings by Hillary
www.HappeningsbyHillary.com
HappeningsByHillary@gmail.com

Dark Tea

Though Dark Tea has been around in China for a very long, long time, it is gaining a new following here in the states.

Dark Tea comes from the province of Hunan China. The legend goes that on the ancient Silk Road, a tea caravan encountered rain. The tea got moist, mildewed, and was considered worthless. The tea was abandoned in a peasent village, and they continued the long journey. The following year, there was an outbreak of dysentery that cause many people in the village to die. When the people had nothing to eat, the tea merchants gave the mildewed tea, that has sat abandoned all that time, to the peasant families. The tea helped restore the health of the people in the village. Whether or not there is truth to the story, the truth is, Dark Tea has health benefits to it.

Dark Tea, which is typically green tea, starts out being processed like most green tea. The leaves are harvested, allowed to wilt, then are dried to prevent oxidation. Then the leaves are sprinkled with water and placed in huge piles under cloth to ferment. The resulting leaves have a dark black color, hence its name. The process is very exacting and closely guarded.

Dark Rose Tea

I have been selling Dark Rose Tea, pressed into heart shapes as in the picture above, since I started Turner Hill Tea. The Dark Rose is very mellow, with a hint of the rose petals pressed with the tea. Dark Tea has a more earthy taste to it than regular black, or green tea. Some can be a required taste. Pu-erh, (pooh-air), is a category of Dark Tea, it is at present a more familiar tea than the Dark Rose here in the states.

Dark Tea Nests

One great aspect of the Dark Tea is that you can re-steep the leaves several times, which give you a different cup each time. And as far as the health aspect, when the Dark Tea goes through its second fermentation process, natural microbes enter the picture. These create probiotics in the tea! ( Probiotics are beneficial to the intestinal microbial balance, thus inhibiting pathogens and toxin producing bacteria). Dark Tea contains rich nutrients, most notably vitamins and minerals, plus protein, amino acids, and natural sugars. Its just plain good for you!

I am looking forward to sampling some Dark Teas from my wholesaler. Sampling tea is the best part of my job! I will let you know what I think of the tea. Don't be surprised to find them on the website!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I raise a mug of Irish Breakfast Tea to the day!

Story of St. Patrick