I received the Mobile teapot and a lemon ginger green tea fromVillage Tea Company to review. Ya’ll may remember I worked with them awhile back and my mom still loves her tea from them just as much. Thanks to this company from the beginning is the reason my mom tried herbal teas like green tea and some of the others, which is way more healthier and she needs it anyways. She had a teapot for the house but she is on the go alot when she goes down and spends time and sees if she can help out the landlord during the weekends so this mobile teapot really came in handy. Ma said its so simple to use just put your tea in the bottom part add water let it sit while she gets ready feeds the animals and all that good stuff so by the time she leaves its perfect so she takes it with her and through out the day instead of drinking sugary sodas, or black or orange tea which is loaded with caffeine and all she pulls out her organic tea in the mobile teapot pours herself a glass and it sifts right through so no tea leaves in her glass. This was a great idea my mom said because she remembers when you had to fish your tea leaves out of your tea just to drink it where with this you get the great flavor with no leaves or mess to cleanup. My mom said the tea she received was ok but she liked some of the other teas she still has from before from this company better, and plans to buy more in the future when she needs it from Village Tea Company, I definitely recommend this company.

The flavors I received are:
Royal English Breakfast
Cherry Me Bloom
Sweet Grace Vanilla
Gentle Organic Lemon Ginger
Strawberry Passion

First off, I am so happy to find out that a mobile tea mug, much like a coffee one, exists. I’m a big tea drinker, not huge, like I don’t have it everyday but fairly often. Sometimes when I’m sick and my throat is sore I drink tea constantly to make the soreness stop. It’s very difficult though at work or school to get a good cup of tea because they don’t put any lemon or honey in it. So now, if I do ever get sick, or if I just want to go out with a cup of tea I can do it! Hooray, it is insanely easy to use too, much like a regular teapot it has a filter up top so you put the loose leaf tea in and pour hot water over it, bam it’s all ready! It’s great!

Now, onto the tea. All of these flavors were so delicious and different, it was hard to choose favorites. But I loved the Sweet Grace Vanilla tea, I only recieved a teaser of it and let me tell you it is such a tease! Because it tastes sooo good I most definitely will run out soon, haha. But it’s such a sweet, powerful flavor and not an artificial vanilla flavor because you know sometimes you can taste it if it’s artificial? Like grape-flavored things, I hate them, I like grapes but not things that are flavored grape…but anyway. I loved it. I also loved the Cherry Me Bloom because I never had or even heard of a cherry-flavored tea before and again it was so sweet and delicious. Both of these teas are Rooibos tea which means it’s naturally caffeine free and antioxidant free. So they’re great to drink before bedtime and won’t keep you up. The Strawberry Passion was great too, but I’m not a huge fan of strawberries, I know I’m one of the few people that don’t like them that much, but my brother loveeed it.

I liked the English Breakfast too, but I’ve had it before so that’s why it wasn’t my favorites. I like new and exciting flavors that I’ve never tried before. But this tea is great for a basic “I just want tea” tea, you know? My mom was a big fan. The ony tea I didn’t like much was the Gentle Organic Lemon Ginger, it just tasted weird to me. I think it’s because I’m not a big Ginger fan, I’ve had something that was flavored ginger recently and also didn’t really like it. I liked Ginger my dog and Ginger Spice from the Spice Girls, but just not real ginger, hahaha.

Another great thing about this company though is that the teas come is packed in 2 100% non bleached cotton muslin bag. Also the tea’s package is made of 100% recycled and recyclable packaging. And if you’re not a big loose leaf tea fan don’t fret, because each package comes with ten 100% natural paper filters are provided so that you can make your own personal tea bag based on your taste. Which I think is great because you know getting a tea pot out and then washing it after is such a hassle, yeah I am lazy sometimes, haha, so it’s awesome that these little tea bags come in the packaging in case I do get lazy and just want to dunk a tea bag in a cup.

All in all, this is an amazing company especially for tea lovers. They have a variety of teas to choose from and you can even buy little samplers to try out a flavor before you buy a big package of it. The samplers are only $3.50 as compared to $9.95 to $12.95. Definitely check it out!

Buy It! Head on over to the Village Tea Company’s website and browse their selection. If you love tea, you will not be disappointed!

I am now forever spoiled. Little ordinary tea bags are not going to cut it for me anymore I received a sampling of teas and their new mobile tea pot from www.villageteaco.com to review. I am a big tea drinker. There is nothing like a nice hot cup of tea to end a stressful day. In my house my family also always served fruit and tea after a meal. I have grown up drinking all kinds of teas from all parts of the world. You know you have a good tea when you can really smell the fragrance and the color comes out immediately. A little should go a long way when you have good quality tea. The teas I revived from village tea company didn’t disappoint.

I just love the cute 100% recyclable tea cans. You can re use them to hold pencils or coins. Each of these canisters also come with 2 unbleached 100% cotton muslin bags along with 10 paper pouches to steep your tea in a cup. You can even empty them, wash and dry and reuse. So you can make your own little tea bags and take with you to work or enjoy any time at home.

Village tea company is really trying to make having tea on the go easy. Now you can enjoy the rich flavors of your favorite tea anywhere you go. It has a built in reusable filter.

How do I make the perfect cup or two of tea? I start with sweet grace vanilla rooibos tea and some milk. What is Rooibos you ask? I had to do some research myself because I had never had it before. Its a plant that has been cultivated in South Africa for more than 300 years. Its naturally sweet, and polyphenol rich and it has a rich red color. Its known and used for its anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic properties. Consumption of rooibos tea may relief fever, asthma, insomnia, colic in infants and skin disorders. Imagine what a good night sleep I got after drinking this tea to end my day with. What is great is the combination of vanilla with rooibos. The vanilla just gives it such a sweet aroma, tricks you into thinking you are having a piece of cake. If you are one of those people that needs something sweet to end a meal with than keep your weight under control by indulging in a cup of sweet grace vanilla rooibos tea.

I have one of those pots that are normally used for coffee but I use mine for tea. Boil some water and the rule is one teaspoon of tea per cup. After you make it a few times you will learn what works for you. Allow the tea to infuse for four to five minutes. This is only seconds after I poured the boiling water in and you can see how rich the color is immediately.

Push the top down which allows the leafs to go to the bottom and pour into your favorite cup and enjoy. You can add some sugar or milk. Its simple and much better tasting than the regular tea bags I had laying around. Don’t worry about drinking this at night, its naturally caffeine free. The other flavors that I also liked and have been drinking during the day is the sassy green tea with acai. I am not a big fan of green tea because I have found them to be boring but village tea company has added acai which is antioxidant rich as well as adding great flavor and sweetness with the addition of peach, ginger, and orange.
Purchase your favorite at village tea company you can even purchase small teaser to find your new flavor.
One table for five follower win their very own Mobile tea to go as well as tea of choice. All you have to do is go to village tea company and tell me which flavor you would like to win. This is the first and mandatory entry. US only. Ending 9/3/2010.

]]> http://www.villageteaco.com/2010/08/12/table-for-five-blog-review-and-giveaway-of-village-tea/feed/ 0 http://www.villageteaco.com/2010/08/04/momma-told-me-reviews-village-tea/ http://www.villageteaco.com/2010/08/04/momma-told-me-reviews-village-tea/#comments Wed, 04 Aug 2010 16:57:48 +0000 martin http://www.villageteaco.com/?p=1375

Momma Told Me: Each cup of tea is an imaginary voyage.

Whether you’re nursing a cold, cuddling up with a book by the fire, or cooling off poolside on a hot summer day; tea makes memories. It’s perfect hot, or chilled, sweet, or tart, with an unlimited number of essences. I can’t recall a day in my childhood my mother didn’t have a pitcher of freshly brewed tea chilled in the fridge. She taught me to appreciate it for the complex builds and flavors, with a squeeze of lemon, pinch of sugar, or on it’s own. And to fuel the tea addiction, we had a special ‘caffeine-free’ pitcher for those late night cravings. Growing up in Southern California, we didn’t frequently drink our tea warm- but from a young age I knew how to brew it. I remember the smell of seeping tea leaves wafting through the air as delectable as freshly baked cookies. Tea time was something my mother and I shared. We’d find a chilled blend at a restaurant, or on the store and rush home to replicate it. Yes, I love my tea

One of the things my bff Jessica and I love to do when we get together is tea drinking (it is actually considered an art and a common activity in Taiwan). We love trying new teas together (either at tea houses or at our homes). As such, when I received my package of teas from Village Tea Company, I had to try them with her.

Jessica is teaching Chinese at the local college, but she has more free time than the normal school year, so we have been able to get together to try tea more often too . We were able to try Smooth Jasmine tea, Ginger Orange and Ginseng tea and Cherry Me Bloom tea.

After trying all three teas, we thought they were great, but our favorite was the Cherry Me Bloom tea — seriously yummy! After a nice meal, we tried the tea with a nice berry pie and it was simply delicious. The tea was smooth (not bitter) with a sweet aroma. There are not many things as great as hanging out with with my best friend over a nice cup of tea that both of us enjoy.

We are very happy with the teas I received to review. I will be buying more tea from the Village Tea Company to try for sure. To buy your own teas, please go to Village Tea Company. If you buy 3 teas, you get 1 Mobile Teapot for free plus free S&H. What a great deal!

Many thanks to Village Tea Company. The company has generously offered 1 Mobile Teapot as well as one tea of winner’s choice as giveaway prizes to one of my lucky readers (US residents only please).

• All you need is Village Tea Company, Royal Organic English Breakfast, milk (soy, rice or regular milk is fine).  I need all the fat I can get so I do whole milk .  You’ll also need the Village Tea Company Mobile Teapot and a sweetener.  I prefer Agave Nectar!  YUM!

So, go boil some water.

• Ok, so you have the water boiled and ready to go.  Since you’re making a latte you have to increase the concentration of the tea because you are going pour it over ice and THEN pour in milk.  Don’t freak out, it’s really easy!  So, in the Village Tea Mobile Teapot just put in 2 tablespoons of tea instead of 1 and 1/2 teaspoons for a regular cup of tea.  Close the top, walk away, get on twitter and facebook and come back in 5 minutes instead of the 3-4 minutes you usually would wait for steeping. Why?  Because we’re making a concentrate remember?
• This is what the steeped tea is supposed to look like when it’s done with the process.  A nice rich and dark mixture.
• Next step:  Fill up a glass with ice.  Easy right?
• Pour our steeped tea over the ice so that it melts the ice which will dilute our concentrate.  Don’t fill it up all the way to the top.  Go to about 2/3’s of the glass.
• Add milk to the top of the glass. Add a sweetener.
• Voila!  The perfect latte using Village Tea Company, Royal Organic English Breakfast, the Mobile Teapot.  Enjoy!!!

There are several reasons I was excited to try this tea from Village Tea Company!  First…anything with SASSY in the name…I’m game!  But more importantly ACAI.  I have had many failures with Acai flavored teas.  TOO MANY.  This tea was very different!  This is the Acai Flavored Tea I have been searching for!
Sassy Green Tea with Acai from Village Tea Company smells a bit like JUICY JUICE – at least that is what first came to mind when I initially sniffed it – or a fruity wine. When I sipped this I could still taste the sweet-green tea but pair it with fruity goodness – and there you have it! I can taste Acai, Orange, and Peach but can barely taste the ginger, chilies, and cloves which is completely fine with me. I think the reason for them – and the reason it works –  is to make it so the fruit flavors are not over powering or bitter or too tarty. I think it also contributes to the lingering yet warming affect it has long after the sip is complete!

American Gladiator Tanji Johnson with the Village Tea Company at Helping Hands Celebrity Weekend in the US Virgin Islands.  Really glad she enjoyed the mobile teapot and our premium loose leaf tea!

Village Tea Company is proud to announce that we are now available in Southern California at the premiere health food store – Rainbow Acres.  We’ve worked for almost a year to get into this store and have finally done so….thank goodness.  They will be carrying the BPA free version of the now infamous Mobile Teapot now used by Bill Bellamy, and Bryan White and Kellita Smith…..and more!  Additionally, they will be carrying our top premium loose leaf flavors in our 100% environmentally friendly packaging.  Thanks for all the support.  We’re Growing!  See where we’re carried here

Rainbow Acres:  13208 W. Washington Blvd.  Los Angeles, CA 90066

Village Tea sent me some of the coolest things! I have wanted one of these mobile teapots forever and when I got one in the mail, I was so excited.  I tried the cherry me bloom rooibos and did not really like it but tried the sassy green tea with acai and loved it! It is light enough flavored that it is not too overwhelming and has 1/15th the caffeine of coffee.  You put the loose tea leaves in the bottom of the cup with the hot water and when you drink it, the leaves are strained out.  The tea somehow does not get bitter which is a huge plus!  I love this mobile teapot though and will be using it daily. I love the look of it! So modern.

I received 3 teas from Village Tea Company to review. This was something I turned over to my mom because she loves all kinds of teas and always up to try different ones. She first tried the Gentle Organic Lemon Ginger and said it has a taste you would have to get used to but she said if you play with it a little you can make it your own like she added some creamer and once milk to it and 1 teaspoon of sugar and she said it made it not so bitter and liked it that way. As for the Cherry Me Bloom she said she loved the smell of it it smelled so good but after tasting one sip of it she said by far this is her favorite and she has never drank anything like this before and loved the blend. Then she tried the Classic Organic White Tea and said it was pretty good nothing too strong which she liked she said the perfect tea to make for a mild tea to sit and read with. Until she got to try these teas alot of these are things she had never tried before and was happy she did she said she loves them and they came in the mail so fast as well. All in all this is a great company with great customer service as well. I would defiantly recommend anyone that loves teas of all kinds try these out from Village Tea Company my mom said there worth what you pay for it because they go along way and last awhile but are delicious.

Bachelorette party recipe of the season: Just in time for the holidays, here is a great bachelorette party recipe given to us by the famous DJ Chef:

DJ CHEF’ S APPLE-HONEY GLAZED CHICKEN

With Butternut Squash infused with White Tea

Pre-prep:
Marinate chicken in steeped Village Tea Company Classic White Tea in a zip lock bag (enough tea to cover chicken)

Ingredients:
2 Chicken breast, cubed bite size
1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 small Granny Smith Apple, diced, skin on!

½ cup of Butternut Squash, peeled, cubed & par boiled

¼ cup Onions, diced

¼ cup of Village Tea Company Classic White Tea (steeped amount)

1 Tablespoon Apple Cider

¾ Cup of Apple Cider
½ Cup of low sodium Chicken broth
¼ Cup of Honey
1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
2 Tablespoons of unsalted Butter
Juice of 2 Lemons
Salt & Pepper to Taste

Procedure:
Heat a sauté pan on medium flame. Add canola oil. Sauté Chicken & onions until chicken is lightly browned. Add the Apples & Squash & Sauté for 1 minute. Add the white tea & vinegar and deglaze the pan. Add the Apple cider & chicken broth & reduce for 4 minutes. Finish the sauce by stirring in butter, honey & cayenne & squeeze in the lemon juice! Add Salt & pepper to taste.

Presentation:
Serve over wild rice & a glass of bold red wine.