November - Getting ready for the holidays

If you would like to give the gift of tea this holiday season, we can take care of everything for you. Log-on to our website, pick the teas that you would like us to send to your friend, write them a note, and we will package it all up with our new graphic labels and ship it right to their door. If you would rather be present to present your present, then just select in-store pickup, and we will have your package  waiting for you in a gift bag with tissue paper. To encourage you to try online ordering, and to celebrate 5 years in business, we are offering free shipping on all orders on the website in November. No codes needed.

Until now the only place to buy your favorite tea was at the store on 12th and Mountain, or on our website. But not anymore. The A Store has started selling ten of NM Tea Co’s most popular teas, but will be expanding their selection over the next few weeks and months. They are located in Nob Hill at the corner of Central and Carlisle.

Shawn will give you a fortune

This month, I would like to introduce our newest friendly and creative employee, Shawn. If you order this month and use the coupon code: "Shawn", she will include a free fortune tea that she has created in your box. Inside is a blooming tea and fortune. (For the code to work you need to have a fortune tea in your cart)

Check out our "about us" page to read more about Shawn and the rest of us.

Online Features and PDF tea labels

For the past month I have been working to make your on-line tea buying experience easy.

Every tea has full brewing instructions for hot tea, sun tea, and cold brew. To access these just click the link that says "Detailed Brewing Instructions" under the tea picture.

We have also begun to upload the labels we use in the store for each of the teas. Now you can download the PDF of your favorite label for your own canisters. This is a work in progress, and over the next several months we should have all the labels uploaded.

Because you live in New Mexico, you can place your order online and select free instore pickup as your shipping method. Since you will have paid ahead of time, this is a great way to avoid any waiting in the store. Simply stop in and pick up your order, or have us ship it to you! (This month you can also have it shipped for free if your order is over $35. Use coupon code: "chulainn".)

If you have any suggestions for improving your on-line experience , please let me know!

World Tea Expo

Last week, I attended the World Tea Expo held in Las Vegas, Nevada, to find new products to sell, meet representatives of our current tea importers, and learn more about tea. I found a lot of new products that will be filling our shelves in the next few months. My favorite two products are a one cup press that stops the steeping process when you press the plunger down, and a stainless steel travel tea mug with an infuser and locking lid.

We are now importing more of our pure teas directly from the areas where they are produced. Over the last five years, New Mexico Tea Company has evolved from selling pre-packaged products to supplying bulk loose leaf tea to individuals and restaurants around the country. The next step is to import and blend all of our own tea. We are not doing the blending yet, however at the World Tea Expo I met with people who put me on the right track in this regard. All the tea in this month's newsletter is imported into the United States by New Mexico Tea Company.

Newsletter

85% of all tea in the United States is iced. To celebrate this fact, June is National Iced Tea Month. While it's possible that tea was served cold at some point throughout history, it did not come onto the world stage until the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis.

Making your own iced tea is both economical and  healthier than buying ready-made bottled tea. There are three  common ways to make iced tea.

1) Hot water method: For 1 gallon of iced tea, bring half a gallon of filtered water to boil in a pot. Turn off heat, and add 3 tablespoons (1 oz of tea), let steep for 4-5 minutes (7-10 for rooibos and other herbals). Strain the tea into the other half gallon of cool water and refrigerate. If you want to serve immediately, you can pour the concentrate over ice to cool and dilute, then pour over ice again.

2) Sun tea: use a glass container and add 1 teaspoon of loose tea of each cup of water directly into the jug. Then set in the sun for a few hours, tasting occasionally to get the desired strength.

3) Cold brew: The slow cold-water-steeping method extracts natural sweetness and flavor from the tea leaf. It lessens the bitterness and tangy-ness produced by tannic acid so your tea tastes smooth and mild. Add 1 teaspoon of tea per cup of cold water and put in the refrigerator. When the water is chilled, your tea will be ready! The Mist Iced Tea Cold Brew system allows for easy preparation and serving.