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$ 4.95
Our letterpress 'But First, Tea' postcards are a piece of local art. First it was hand drawn and designed locally by Caroline Taylor and then letterpress printed by The Center Press in Troy, NY on thick, beautiful card stock. The card is beautiful to frame as a souvenir of Saratoga Springs or perfect for sending a special note.
The back has our little logo and an open area for writing a message.
$ 38.00
Tasting Notes: Rich amber liquor with notes of fruit and spice.
A gorgeous example of a sheng-style Pu Erh, this young tea cake from Yiwu, China is ready to drink or continue aging gracefully in your cupboard. Count on 600+ steeps when brewing in the traditional manner.
Bright and lively in fruit and spice, with just a bit of the edginess characteristic of a young fermented green tea, the 2007 Yiwu Jing Long Pu Erh is ideal for both aged tea novices and long-time Pu Erh tea drinkers. This delicate yet rich infusion yields flavor elements that remind us of moments hiking through pines with cascading rays of sun in the Adirondack Park.
The 250g bingcha of 2007 Yiwu Jing Long sheng-style Pu Erh offers up 100 portions of tea, resulting in 600+ steeps. When you steep Pu Erh in the traditional manner using a gaiwan or small pot (yixing), you can expect upwards of 6 steeps per portion, turning this tea cake into 600+ fantastic brew moments. Western-style steeping will result in ~4 steeps per portion, turning your Pu Erh tea cake into 400+ steeps.
$ 14.00
Tasting Notes: Silky rust-red liquor gives way to notes of a lakeside forest floor.
This organic shou-style Pu Erh tea is produced at 1600m from medium sized leaves in the Lincang region of Yunnan, China.
The 2008 Jingmai infuses to a crystal clear brick red liquor, complex with loamy notes of rich soil, cereal sweetness, and a certain marine quality that brings to mind undisturbed, forested mountain lakes. Silky smooth and very easy to drink, the 2008 a great first Pu Erh to try for aged tea initiates.
A 2oz bag of the 2008 Jingmai will yield approximately 20-25 portions of tea. Brewed in the traditional manner using a gaiwan or small clay pot (yixing), these portions may be steeped 6 or more times, resulting in up to 150+ delightful cups of Pu Erh.
For more information on Pu Erh, how to brew, health benefits, and more, visit our blog here.
$ 1.75
Tasting Notes: Deep and rich coffee-like liquor with notes of earth, spice, and leather.
This shou-style Pu Erh is our best seller in the category. Pressed into mini tou cha (bird's nests) in 2012, this aged tea is an excellent introduction to Pu Erh and the perfect tea for coffee drinkers looking to branch out.
The 2012 Menghai produces a nearly opaque black infusion that is smooth, earthy and just a little spicy. Coffee and whiskey drinkers may notice aromas of peat and leather that remind them of their favorite brew or bottle.
Each tou cha of 2012 Menghai Pu Erh is its own portion of tea and may be steeped upwards of 6-8 times, depending on infusion method. For more information on Pu Erh and how to brew using traditional teaware, visit our blog here.
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Tasting Notes: Smooth and round with notes of earth and florals.
This style of post-fermented 'hei cha' tea may have inspired the development of 'shou' Pu Erh, as it is one of the oldest ways of fermenting black tea. The 2013 Three Cranes Liu Bao Heicha was grown near Liu Bao township, Guangxi and is a medium-light fermented tea that was aged for 2+ years and then pressed into 100g cakes in 2015.
This fermented tea has a smooth, delicious, mouth-feel with a fresh florality. Enjoy an earthy sweetness with only light balancing astringency that enlivens the mind and body.
Each 100g tea cake yields approximately 20-25 portions of tea. Brewed traditionally in a gaiwan or small clay pot (yixing), you can expect up to 6 resteeps of this aged fermented tea from each portion, resulting in nearly 150 delightful cups of tea.
$ 12.00
Rooibos & Relaxation! The warm florals and light spice in our organic tisane are comforting and relaxing like a beautiful pink-hued evening sky. A wonderful choice to set the tone for a restful night and beautiful tomorrow!
Studies show that a teaspoon of honey before bed also helps promote restful sleep, we love this tea with a spoonful of our Spanish Wild Lavender.
Organically Produced Ingredients: Rooibos, Lemongrass, Local Lavender, Fennel, Ginger, and Rose Petals. Naturally Caffeine Free
$ 12.00
This beautiful blend of floral herbs is ideal for those that are looking for a tea to help quell their anxiety and reduce stress.
It may also be used as a sleep time tea, steeped and enjoyed hot before bed or sipped throughout the day as an iced tea for anxiety. In addition, it may also be used medicinally as an infusion, steeped overnight for added anti-anxiety benefits.
Organically Produced Ingredients: Chamomile, Rose Petals, Passionflower, Oat Straw, Lavender, Lemon Balm, Ashwagandha, Valerian Root
$ 20.00
Chaga is a mushroom that grows predominantly on birch trees in Russia, Siberia, Northeastern Europe, the Northern United States and Canada. Chaga may help to improve cholesterol, lower blood sugar and boost the immune system. It also has the highest ranking antioxidant potency of any superfood! It has a naturally sweet earthiness to it with notes of caramel, dark berries, vanilla and cocoa. Our chaga is foraged locally from the Southern Adirondacks.
Chaga is best brewed hot over a long period of time to fully enjoy its health benefits!
How to brew Chaga:
Option 1: Steep 2 tsp of ground chaga in 8oz of water just off boil for 10 minutes. Strain and enjoy!
Option 2: Measure out 1 tsp of tea per 8 oz and multiply that by your desired batch size. Bring a saucepan to a simmer with the chaga and cook for 2-4 hours at a low roll. Strain and serve hot or chill for cold!
Use your brewed chaga in your compost or as mulch!
Add a little bit of our Black Forest honey for an extra boost of antioxidants and minerals!
$ 12.00
Tasting Notes: Light amber color with a delicate yet buttery mouthfeel and sweet, cinnamon finish.
Our raw Alfalfa Honey comes to us from North Dakota, and it is our favorite for baking or use as an everyday sweetener! Visitors to our Saratoga Springs Tea Bar will recognize our Alfalfa honey as the sweetener in our locally acclaimed, fresh-squeezed Lemonade in the summer.
Alfalfa is a legume often grown as feed for cattle. Rich in mineral and vitamins like Vitamins K and C, we also use Alfalfa in some of our herbal blends, like Health Potion. Alfalfa has long been used in Ayurvedic medicine for its antioxidant effects, including anti-inflammatory properties.
Alfalfa honey is notorious amongst beekeepers and honey purveyors for being quick to crystallize. The great news is crystallization does not mean your honey is bad and there's an easy fix! You can simply put your jar of Alfalfa honey in a hot water bath (about 120 degrees F) and it will re-liquify. Or, you can whip up your crystallized honey in a blender to make a delicious spread! (Hint: If you're looking for a honey that rarely crystallizes, check out our Tupelo Honey!)
Due to its delicate sweetness, our raw Alfalfa Honey is an excellent complement to just about any tea, but we recommend using Alfalfa honey to sweeten lighter teas like white teas, green teas, and lightly oxidized oolongs.
Alfalfa honey is good for so much more than sweetening tea or lemonade! Learn more about how to substitute honey for sugar in baking on our blog. Or for recipes using Alfalfa honey, try:
5 Super Easy After School Snacks with Honey
Blueberry Jasmine Cocktail
$ 18.00
Tasting Notes: Round, light gold-colored liquor with notes of white flowers and spice.
This Spring 2021 harvest high mountain oolong (1200m) comes from one of Taiwan's most famous tea mountains: Ali Shan and this particular year is a stand out! Ali Shan hand picked and produced in a small batch in Ruili, Taiwan. The tightly rolled mature leaves unfurl over multiple infusions yielding a profoundly aromatic cup with the delicate complexity of green vegetation, white flowers, and spice.
Don't throw away your leaves after the first steep! Many of our employees prefer Ali Shan on the second steep! We recommend this oolong experienced through many steeps in the gaiwan or re-steeped several times in a western teapot.
$ 12.00
Our Baby Bump caffeine free herbal blend is crafted in house for mothers-to-be or new mothers looking for medicinal herbs that may be beneficial later in pregnancy or post-pregnancy. The benefits of this blend may go beyond supporting fertility, pregnancy and nursing and may help with boosting the immune system, heart & bone health, aiding digestion and soothing the nervous system. Men and women alike will love its smooth, gentle flavor of these beneficial herbs with a hint of peppermint to brighten the palate.
We love Baby Bump with our Orange Blossom or Peach infused honey!
If pregnant, please consult your doctor for guidance before drinking herbal teas.
Organically Produced Ingredients: Red Raspberry Leaf, Oat Straw, Rose Hips, Nettles, Dandelion Leaf, Peppermint. Naturally Caffeine Free.
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Tasting Notes: Light straw-colored liquor with sweet and vegetal florality.
Known as Silver Needle tea, Bai Hao Yin Zhen is an exemplary Chinese white tea harvested only in spring time and prized for its unusual composition of only voluptuous tea buds picked in the first flush of spring. This gorgeous tea gets its name from the fuzzy, silver needle-like appearance of the tea buds, the youngest part of the camellia sinensis plant also called tips or needles. The new growth for a new year, these buds are bursting with all the best parts of tea: caffeine, theanine, and polyphenols. (So don't be surprised if Bai Hao Yin Zhen is one of the most caffeinated cups of tea you drink!)
Most white teas are comprised of both buds and leaves, as harvesting just the small, deliciously ripe new buds is both time consuming and difficult. Comprised of only the buds, Silver Needle tea is special and often slightly more expensive than other white teas that contain a mixture of buds and leaves, like Bai Mu Dan Wang (White Peony Tea).
Our Bai Hao Yin Zhen has a rounded vegetal and fruity infusion. Earthy straw tones quickly bloom into a delightful florality and natural sweetness in this intricate infusion perfect for welcoming spring.
We often use the word delicate to describe white teas, but we don't mean delicate like fine porcelain - we mean delicate like a ballerina's graceful dancing. High quality Bai Hao Yin Zhen (and other white teas) will dance across your tongue in a variety of complex combinations, from sweet hay and flowers to fruit and vanilla. Thanks to the fuzzy coating on the buds meant to protect them from late frosts, Bai Hao Yin Zhen can also withstand higher temperature water than you might think. We recommend playing around with your steeps to decide if you prefer your Silver Needle tea at 195 degrees F for about 1 minute or 185 degrees F for 2-3 minutes! Your Silver Needle leaves may be steeped and enjoyed several times at slightly longer intervals for each subsequent infusion.
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Tasting Notes: Full-bodied with delicate florals and intriguing cinnamon sweetness.
Also known as White Peony tea, Bai Mu Dan Wang is one of the world's most popular white teas. Unlike Bai Hao Yin Zhen (Silver Needle tea), Bai Mu Dan Wang is comprised of both buds and leaves: one young tea bud and two young but partially matured tea leaves. As Bai Mu Dan Wang infuses, the buds and leaves open up, lending the appearance of the blossoming peony that gives this white tea its evocative name.
Typically harvested in early spring by experienced and talented harvesters who carefully select the buds and two youngest leaves, White Peony tea is then withered the same day it's picked to prevent oxidation. Similar to Bai Hao Yin Zhen, Bai Mu Dan Wang can be quite highly caffeinated and is full of good-for-you antioxidants.
This full-bodied, exceptional white tea from China has lovely vegetal sweetness from the fresh buds and a firm structure from more mature leaves. Enjoy hints of cinnamon and a delicate florality in your cup.
Don't be fooled by the word delicate in our tasting notes, brewed correctly White Peony tea (Bai Mu Dan Wang) is anything but insipid. It's much better to think of this tea as delicate in the way a ballerina's graceful movements may appear delicate on the surface but are in reality an intricate melange of strength, character, and complexity.
Brew your Bai Mu Dan Wang at a slightly lower temperature than Bai Hao Yin Zhen, perhaps 175-185F for 2-3 minutes, depending on your personal taste. These leaves may be brewed several times at slightly longer intervals for subsequent infusions.
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Basswood (or Linden) honey is prized as one of the finest honeys in the world. The Basswood tree blooms their hanging floral clusters for only a short time in late spring, while the bees are busy pollinating. Our mid-western Basswood honey is mild, light, and delicious with notes of fresh spearmint. Enjoy this honey over nut butters, your favorite yogurt, or indulge by the spoonful!
Basswood pairs beautifully with our more delicate and floral white teas or white tea blends such as Yaddo Rose Garden.
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Get ready to slip into a soothing salt soak with our Fresh Rose Salts or our comforting Green Tea and Lavender Blend. Enjoy these nourishing and beneficial ingredients in your next foot soak or bath!
Using Dead Sea Salt can greatly improve skin ailments such as acne, eczema and psoriasis. Minerals such as magnesium, sodium and potassium enhance the ability for your skin to retain moisture, making it healthy and silky smooth. Epsom Salt helps with circulation health and can be beneficial for body aches, stiff muscles and can help keep your skin youthful and flexible due to the minerals and antioxidants.
Rose essential oil is known to help soothe skin irritations. While using green tea in your bath may be beneficial for body aches, stiff muscles and can help keep your skin youthful and flexible due to the minerals and antioxidants. Lavender is well known for its anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties as well as treating burns, wounds, eczema and acne.
Draw a bath, relax and enjoy!
Fresh Rose Bud Ingredients: Dead Sea Salt, Pink Himalayan Salt, Epsom Salt, Rose Buds, Sodium Bicarbonate, Essential Oil
Green Tea & Lavender Ingredients: Dead Sea Salt, Epsom Salt, China Green Jade Tea, Lavender Buds, Sodium Bicarbonate, Essential Oil
$ 5.00
