It is hard to believe, but it has been five years since Souvia opened its doors and introduced the customers all over the valley to their first cup of premium loose leaf tea! What fantastic, exhausting, inspiring and incredible 5 years these years have been.

When we first opened, nobody knew what Souvia was and we struggled to convince people that there was more to tea than big hats, cucumber sandwiches and doiles. Our tea tastings and classes educating customers on the history, production and culture of tea became very popular and turned many  tea drinkers away from Lipton and on to a good cup of Lapsang Souchong, or Tung Ting Oolong.

Our customers are family and they have helped us weather the storm of choppy economic times. We have seen tea-stores come and close their doors again after a short time – but our loyal customers have supported us as we have tried to ease their minds with a nice cup of tea, a quiet and welcoming place where old friendships were nurtured and new friendships were formed.

Now it is time to celebrate our success together! From MARCH 1 – MARCH 5, we are celebrating  and hope all of you can stop in so we can say thank you for your friendship and support. Of course we have a few specials planned as well:

• First 5 customers mentioning our anniversary every day get a pot of tea free
• Every customer who mentions the newsletter get $5.00 taken off their purchase
• Every customer spending $25.00 or more gets entered into a drawing for a $50.00 gift card
• Every day, we’ll draw one name from our loyalty program members for a special prize!
• The 5000th person to sign up for our loyalty program receives a $50.00 gift card

So don’t forget to come in and celebrate with us the last five years of Souvia and the many more that are yet to come!

Kerstin and Bret

It certainly is the month where love is in bloom and even though Valentine’s Day is behind us, I wanted to share this fabulous tea blend with you. Charlotte, a long time Souvia fan came up with this light and floral blend that will have your hearts beat faster despite the fact that it is caffeine-free:

Take equal parts of lavender, chamomile and rose buds and blend it well.

For a 6 oz cup, use 1 tsp of this herbal blend and infuse it with boiling water (210F) for 5-8 minutes. According to Charlotte, the tea has a honey color in the cup and deep floral aroma – with the lavender domineering the other two herbals. She recommends this tea with a little sugar but suggests to refrain from adding milk since it taints the floral notes.

I think that “Love in Bloom” is the perfect name for this melange of flowers!

was one of our wonderful customers when she came into the store trying to find a gift for a friend in Canada.  Not only did Alex, one of our tea consultants find  just the right teas  for Eloise, she arranged it elegantly in a nice gift box which we shipped directly to Canada, saving Eloise that trip to the post office!  She was so happy with the gift and service she received, that Eloise devoted a whole page to gift shopping at Souvia on her blog !

Next time you need to find something special for a friend or family member, don’t forget to stop in at Souvia. You choose -we wrap and ship!

Valentine’s Day and chocolate go together like peanut butter and jelly.  It is the day we associate with sweet, delectable treats and as sweet as the sweetheart that gives them.  Did you know though, that this divine chocolate dessert can even taste better when paired with the right tea? Yes, just like wine can enhance the flavor of certain desserts, there are certain teas and food combinations that that take the taste from just good to simply delicious!

There are two different ways to pair tea and chocolate – we can look at tea and chocolate as friends where similarity in characteristics enhance the flavor, or as lovers, where contrasting characteristics will complement each other through their differences.

Since tea and chocolate share the same flavor profiles, floral qualities and bite from astringency and tannin, they practically invite you to create fun and tasty combinations. While you should always trust your taste buds to find the right combinations, there are some general guidelines that might help you get started.

White teas have a very delicate flavor and pair well with mild chocolates and fruit. Try a Silver Needle or Bai Mu Tan with    chocolate covered strawberries or a white chocolate cheese cake.

Green teas have vegetal flavors and aromas and pair well with creamier tastes such as berry flavors and milk chocolate. A Japanese Sencha with its savory profile, for example, is a good match for white or milk chocolate.

Oolongs, which are partially oxidized teas, are very complex in flavor. The lightly oxidized, greener oolongs go well with rich sweet desserts like caramel filled pralines, milk- or dark chocolate, while the more oxidized oolongs complement the stronger flavors of dark chocolate.

Black Teas tend to have a stronger flavor, more body and their tannin content matches up well with rich and full flavored dark chocolate, maybe with a hint of berries, citrus or nuts.

I, personally, like rich and creamy desserts and therefore my choice for a perfect Valentine’s dessert would be a Formosa Oolong from China with its slightly toasted notes and a slice of creamy chocolate, caramel cake. Just writing this makes my mouth water…..

Happy Valentine’s Day!

There is much confusion and mismarketing out there in regard to tea flavoring and we often get questions by curious or concerned customers in regard to how and with what our teas are flavored. The terms most often used in the tea industry to classify flavored teas are “natural” and “artificial”.  In its simplest form, the term natural flavor is used to describe a product, which is derived from the actual fruit or spice, such as natural vanilla extract or natural bergamot oil as is used to flavor Earl Grey teas.  Not every plant, fruit or spice lends itself for this kind of flavoring and therefore many other levels of flavoring are available:

NATURAL FLAVOR

A product that is derived from the essential oils or extracts of the actual product whose function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional.

WONF-WITH OTHER NATURAL FLAVORS

If the tea contains both the natural flavoring from the product it simulates and other natural flavors which reinforce the characterizing flavor, the food may be labeled as “with other natural flavors”.

NATURE – IDENTICAL

These flavors have raw materials that are found in nature. The molecular structure of nature-identical are the same as natural flavors but have been synthetically produced. They are metabolized in the body just like the natural product would be.

ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR

Any flavor synthetically reproduced which has raw materials that cannot be found in nature or are nature-identical, but their use is permitted by law. Artificial flavor agents may not be metabolized as natural or nature- identical products.

As for the labeling, all products labeled “natural” in Europe would also be natural in the U.S. as well. Under the laws of the Food & Drug Administration, European products labeled “nature-identical” are considered artificial and must be labeled as such in the U.S..

Even though, many teas contain dried fruit and spices, additonal flavoring is necessary to enhance and extend the shelf life of the flavor.

Aside from flavored teas, there are those that are scented, like rose tea, lychee or jasmine. These teas are scented by adding fresh or dried flowers and the essential oils of these flowers are absorbed by the tea leaf, creating a strong and long- lasting flavor without any other additives.

If you have questions about what flavors are used in your tea, always ask your tea purveyor!

Reference: G.S. Haly Company

Tea is healthy – we all have gotten the message and hopefully include tea into our daily lives. With over 3000 varietals, not including flavored options, this isnt’ a boring exercise at all. If you are one of those people who is stuck on that English Breakfast that you have been drinking for years, or cannot quite get what the fuss is all about this grassy tasting green tea, then it is time to branch out and experiment – try something new – and who says tea is just for drinking either?

I found this “Smoky Tea-Spiced Pecan” recipe for a delicious cocktail snack in the Culinary Tea cookbook and hope you’ll give it a try some time!

Ingredients:

1tbsp loose-leaf Lapsang Souchong

6 tbsp granulated sugar

1/2 tsp smoked sea salt

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon, ground allspice and cayenne pepper

1 egg white, 1tbsp water

1 pound pecan halves

Finely grind the tea leaves in a spice grinder. In a small bowl, mix together the ground tea, sugar, salt, cinnamon, allspice and cayenne. In a large bowl, whisk the egg white until frothy then add the water in.  Add the tea mixture and whisk everything well. Let it rest for 15 minutes so that the sugar can dissolve.

Preheat oven to 300F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Whisk the mixture briefly and then add the pecans. Spread the nuts on the baking sheet and put in the oven. Reduce temperature to 250F and bake for 45-60 minutes until the nuts are crisp and toasted, rotating them halfway through.

Once they are have cooled, store them in an airtight container at room temperature or in the freezer.

They nuts are yummy and pair will with a Mart-tea-ni!

Valentine’s Day certainly takes center stage this month and many hearts beat faster….who will be my valentine?

But February is also the month when the American Heart Association reminds us that heart disease is the leading cause of death in this country for both men and women. It is a somber reality, but there are simple steps we all can take to avoid becoming part of a statistic. Aside from reducing stress in your life, eating a well-balanced diet and making time for exercise, many research studies have shown that drinking three to four cups of tea a day can keep your heart and cardiovascular system healthy. The regular consumption of  black and green tea has been associated with reduced risk for hypertension, stroke and atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. Some studies suggest that the poly phenols in tea may improve blood vessel function and help to control blood clotting, thereby supporting healthy blood flow and circulation.

Even though scientists and regulatory agencies are reluctant to give their seal of approval, the evidence seems to point to what Chinese healers have known for millenia  – tea is not only a tasty but also a healthy beverage.

So this Valentine’s Day take care of your sweetheart’s and your own heart with a nice cup of tea - maybe Chocolate Cream Truffle!