Tips for creating the perfect cold brew tea
Read More
Teaology
What is Matcha?
Matcha is a green tea typically grown in Japan. It is gradually covered to block sunlight, resulting in increased chlorophyll that is responsible for its bright green color. Matcha is then picked, processed, and ground using granite into a fine powder. Matcha is so concentrated it’s said to be the equivalent to 10 cups of green tea.
Read More
The Origins of Pu’erh
Today, Pu’erh is a staple and revered tea all over the world, but the creation of this highly sought after tea was a sort of fluke. Pu’erh’s accidental existence emerged during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.).
Read More
Rooibos Tea Origins
Rooibos tea’s origin takes place in the Cederberg region of South Africa. The Khoisans, indigenous Bushmen of the region, harvested rooibos leaves from the Aspalathus Linearis plant for many centuries, using them as herbal remedies. In Africa, rooibos would become a popular substitute for tea due to its affordability.
Read More
Today on Tea Spotlight I’ll be talking about our White Rose Tea. This is without a doubt my favorite blended tea. There is just something magical about the light floral brew that brightens my day. I drink a least one cup a day. My favorite time to drink this tea is in the evening after the kids are finally in bed.
Read More
Today I am talking about one of my favorite teas, Darjeeling. Darjeeling hails from the Darjeeling Region of India. Darjeeling is interesting because instead of using the assamica varietal of the tea plant (that hails from India), Darjeeling tea typically comes from a smaller leaf Chinese varietal. It's essentially a Chinese tea that grows in India with flavors of French grapes and Himalayan mountain air. The ‘champagne’ of teas is celebrated for its wine-like profile.
Read More
Hi and welcome to Monday Muses with Jessica! This week I’m discussing Parallel Worlds by Michio Kaku. Michio Kaku is an American theoretical physicist, futurist, and science enthusiast. He is a professor of theoretical physics in the City College of New York and CUNY Graduate Center
Read More
5 Reasons Why Meditation Is Beneficial
Read More
It’s not every day you meet a businesswoman who’s simultaneously running 3 businesses. That’s why we’re thrilled to introduce our very first Ampersand Woman, Talia Halliday. Talia is the Shop keep at Gather Handmade, Organizer of the Bloomington Handmade Market, and Owner and designer of Conduit Press. Talia is the glue that holds our downtown together.
Read More
A series highlighting women who have innovated the tea industry
Read More
For this months book club we read The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin. I have to admit I really struggled with this book. There is something about the writing style that just doesn’t jive with me. The story was broken up into points of view of each of the characters, and as a whole depicted how each character’s actions affected the other. For me, there was no real climax or real closure for the final character. We can only speculate what happens. That being said, I think there was a real good lesson on living life with earnest. Seeing life as a gift to experience at its fullest.
Read More
Today on Wellness Wednesday I am discussing how to design your workday around your sleep patterns. Instead of trying to force a sleep schedule, that you and I will ultimately abandon. I’m in the process of setting goals for the New Year. One of those goals is self-love. I want to stop mentally punishing myself for not living up to my own expectations. I have a lot of new goals that require adjusting my daily routine. So, I was looking for ways I could accomplish those goals, while still being kind to myself
Read More
Today on Tea Tuesday we are highlighting Peach Blossom. Peach blossom is our most popular tea for summer. Peach Blossom was one of my very first tea blends, is my husband’s favorite tea for making sun tea. Peach Blossom iced is all at once calming, cooling, and refreshing. I prefer it hot when I can reminisce about summer on a cold winter day.
Read More
Today on Monday Muses, I’m talking about a book I just finished called: Exit West by Mohsin Hamid. This book was lovingly brought in to me by a customer at the tea shop. I was excited to read it, but it was a fiction novel.
Read More
In a food culture dominated with goods overflowing with sugar, flour, soy, and processed oils, the goal of inspired eats is to supply nutritionally dense, whole food based alternatives. Meet Brandi, the proud owner of Primally Inspired Eats.
Read More
Today I sat down with the amazing, Amanda Forgas. Forgas is one of the co-owner’s of MIRTH, a curated, edgy women’s apparel store in downtown Bloomington, Indiana. She started working in retail when she was 16…
Read More
I always hear the term: ‘Fake it until you make it’. And I’m thinking ok, sounds easy I guess, but I’m never sure how faking anything will stop making me feel like an imposter. When I was just out of high school, I fell in love with yoga…
Read More
One examined the effect of GABA on brain waves and the other put the GABA recipients in stressful situations and monitored their immunoglobulin A levels. Together the studies showed that GABA can have a positive impact on reducing anxiety and encouraging relaxation…
Read More
For me it began with a self-admission. It really began 2 years ago. My very first “Goddess Experience”. I had developed this practice of meditating almost daily…
Read More
