For Valentine’s Day this year, my guy surprised me with my very own “tea corner” in our apartment! Up until now, my teaware and teas were steadily spilling out of our kitchen cabinet(s). My collection/obsession started in one kitchen cabinet, but in no time, was spilling into other areas, cabinets, nooks, crannies, even the counters… it was chaos! But, one fine day I came home from work to find this masterpiece put together for me-

Katie’s Tea Corner

This is a corner display shelf, which my brilliant boyfriend added some shower curtain hooks to so that I can hang our favorite mugs for added display area and utility. Here’s how each level breaks down:

1. A beautiful vase I was gifted with some Asian-inspired flowers and mini tea cup candles
2. My go-to teas in tins from IKEA. These are great for recommended tea storage because they are airtight and protect my teas from exposure to light
3. Shower hooks allow easy access to our red mug set
4. This is my favorite shelf, since some of my most treasured pieces can be seen and proudly displayed! Here I have a traditional Moroccan teapot, two tea sets from China, some beautiful vintage tea cups, a vintage teaspoon and a place mat from a co-worker’s honeymoon in South Korea
5. Tea Towels (back) and more shower hooks allow easy access to our favorite mugs (front)
6. Teaware central, inclding my best buddy for making iced tea, the Steep and Chill. There are also about four french presses on this level (really… can a girl ever have enough french presses?)

It’s so easy to get to my teaware and teas now. No more epic wrestling matches with the cabinets wondering where on earth my current tea craving made it to. I’d highly recommend working out a fun tea display for your home, if you find yourself in the same tea hurricane I did!

Cheers!

Jasmine petals swirl

Chocolate dipped memories

New teas for my love.

Homage to the lovely organic tea gift, Flowers & Chocolate, given this month of celebrating love and our love of tasty whole leaf tea. <3

Two days ago I was walking my dogs on a sunny afternoon in shorts and a t-shirt, so imagine my surprise today when I woke up to see snow on the ground! Dramatic weather swings are nothing new in Colorado, but I still had to dig to find a sweater, a scarf, and some wool socks to face the first snow day of the season. Even with the added layers, I’ve been clinging to a hot cup of tea all morning to try and warm my frozen fingers and toes. I’ve always loved the changing seasons, but cold and grey mornings like today make me want to hide under the covers and cuddle up with a good book. To motivate myself for a day of work, I started off with a cup of Chocolate Cherry Bomb! and snuggled up with my computer instead. Not quite as cozy as my bed, but the sweet chocolatey tea gave me the boost I needed to be productive and excited for my work day, and the cold weekend ahead.

Elise sipping on a cuppa!

My circulation problems persisted, and my chilled extremities demanded another shot of warmth, so this time I reached for the a dark roasted oolong. This beautiful tea screams fall with its roasty, nutty aroma and beautiful golden brew that reminds me of the changing leaves all around. I re-steeped the leaves for a second warm cup with a slightly different flavor, but every bit as satisfying!

We Coloradans love all of our seasons, but snow holds a special place in our hearts. But when skiing and snowboarding aren’t an option for those long-awaited snow days, where better to wait out the cold than The Tea Spot, where we have teas in every variety and flavor from all over the world to keep us warm? When I get tired of the hats and gloves, and the dark comforting flavors of fall and winter are no longer comforting, I’ll just sip on a bit of Pink Rose Lemonade and dream of the summery days that are sure to come again to bring life back to the flowers and trees…. And my toes!

I have been with The Tea Spot for just under a year now (how the time files!) and have quickly come to know and love all 50 plus teas in our line. I’ve been blown away in this time by not just the health benefits tea offers, but also the soothing, calming, and uplifting practice of simply making tea. If I catch myself getting worked up or stressed out, I literally take a breather to make some tea and sit sipping a nice hot (or cold!) brew until all is once again right in my world. Now, making tea is to me what deep breathing, meditation, exercise, or any other mode of stress relief is to many others.

I recently got the chance to open up my tea base a bit further when I was in Seattle. My traveling companions and I were wandering around the city when we happened on a Chinese tea room and stepped inside for a taste test. Our group consisted of a wide variety of tea drinkers, but this experience was meaningful to each of us regardless of our level of tea knowledge or personal preferences. Our “tea guide” Sandy was absolutely fantastic, telling us about where her teas came from, educating us about different tea types, processing methods, health benefits, etc. She kept brewing us tea after tea, all the while adapting the tea tasting and information based on our preferences. We must have tasted something like 20-25 different teas and had the opportunity to ask all kinds of questions.

It was a fantastic tea experience with a wonderful group of people and I highly suggest grabbing a similar opportunity if you ever stumble upon one like we did! Above all, it was fun to try and learn something new and to share my love of tea with my loved ones. I encourage anyone and everyone to sample as many teas as possible, you never know what you might come to love. Sometimes even the most “unassuming” sounding tea or blend just might whisk you away… and you won’t know until you try!

At The Tea Spot, we offer all of our teas in a sample size for this very purpose. Each sample has about five 8oz cups of tea each, and range in price from approximately $4-$6 each. This is our way of offering you your very own tea tasting experience! I hope you’ll grab an opportunity to try something uncharted in your tea world- whether it be on our site or at your local tea room.

And as always, happy sipping!

If you are new to our teas, or would like to introduce a variety to someone you know, our Sampler Sets are an excellent place to start! We’ve thoughtfully paired a variety of options in categories for every tea drinker-

• Iced Tea Sampler
• Organic Tea Sampler
• Black Tea Sampler
• Dessert Tea Sampler
• Green Tea Sampler
• Herbal Tea Sampler
• Signature Blend Sampler

Better than the B-side of a record, we’ve recently attained B Corp status! Certified B Corps (where B stands for ‘Benefit’) are a new kind of company that uses the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. Unlike traditional corporations, Certified B Corps are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on their employees, suppliers, community, consumers, and environment.  Cofounder of B Corp Jay Coen Gilbert states “B Corporation certification is key to distinguish good companies from just good marketing. With their commitment to the triple bottom line, The Tea Spot stands as a leader in the movement for a better way to do business”.

Throughout the certification process it helped us develop and articulate a set of core values for our company which we have since added to our employee handbook. Even though we’re a small company currently, integrating these hard core commitments now will help keep us aligned with our goals as we grow. Our vision for a profitable, sustainable and philanthropic business has a singular focus: to help people live longer, healthier lives by making loose leaf tea an everyday luxury. Our mantra, “Modern Brewing. Conscious Living.” translates into five core values:

1. Develop groundbreaking innovations and deliver extraordinary customer experiences in support of our mission.

2. Ensure that our products have a positive net effect on the environment and their practices are consistent with eco-friendly values.

3. Inspire and support each other at the workplace through employee ownership and reciprocal relationships – understanding that respect, integrity and active teamwork are the building blocks of our successes.

4. Build and maintain reciprocal relationships based on respect and integrity with the buyers, suppliers, and colleagues in our community and industry.

5. Advance our mission through social entrepreneurship by means of our 10% Pledge for Cancer Wellness, donating 10% of all sales in-kind to cancer wellness and community programs.

We were since featured by Development Crossing, a Corporate Social Responsibility & Sustainable Development media company, in their CSR Minute news report for attaining this certification. They feature companies committed to a triple bottom line (people, planet, & profits). You can watch the quick video segment here.