New Tea Menu & "Tea of the Day"

Just a quick posting today:

1. Our new tea menu is ready. Click on http://potlucktea.com/Catalog-Request.htm.

2. Also, in a few days we are going to start our "Tea of the Day" program; the goal being to offer a significant discount on a different tea every week day. Watch our home page: http://potlucktea.com for a link for the "Tea of the Day."

Happy Saturday to all.

Tao Te Ching - 9th Verse

To keep on filling

is not as good as stopping.

Overfilled, the cupped hands drip,

better to stop pouring.

Sharpen a blade too much

and its edge will soon be lost.

Fill your house with jade and gold

and it brings insecurity.

Puff yourself with honor and pride

and no one can save you from a fall.

Retire when the work is done;

this is the way of heaven.

-- Lao-tzu

Thank You For The Kind Words; Back to Bricks & Mortar

Kind Words

I do not normally do this, but we received some very nice words from a customer recently and I wanted to share:

"A moment to commend this product...This has to be the most beautiful jasmine tea I've ever tasted, even better than the traditional jasmine black tea: the scent of jasmine is strong but not overpowering or artificial (and I do love the whole flowers floating around), and the green tea is soft and sweet, never bitter even if I let it steep too long. Thank you for offering such a soul refreshing product."

. . . . N.K., Reading, PA

Sometimes we think we are just selling tea, but the truth is that we also provide our customers with a genuine positive experience.

Bricks & Mortar

I did not think we would ever return to bricks and mortar. Happiness can definitely be found selling on the internet. But we never really know what the universe has in store for us. We have begun a search for a retail site. Any input is appreciated (as always).

Green Tea; Glaxo; Diabetic Mice

Found this from Bloomberg:

Friday, September 21, 2007

WASHINGTON -- A chemical found in green tea helped moderately diabetic mice tolerate sugar and produce insulin as well as GlaxoSmithKline Plc's Avandia pill did in a study. Five-week-old moderately diabetic and severely diabetic mice were fed the compound, an antioxidant called epigallocatechin gallate or EGCG, or given Avandia. The rodents' blood sugar and insulin levels were studied after five and 10 weeks of treatment. The moderately diabetic mice fared as well on green tea extract as they did on Avandia, also known as rosiglitazone, the researchers reported. EGCG was not as effective in the severely diabetic group.

"Although EGCG was less potent than rosiglitazone, it exerted changes that were similarly beneficial," researchers led by Ake Sjoeholm of Sweden's Karolinska Institute wrote in an abstract of the study presented Wednesday at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes meeting in Amsterdam. The animal study suggests that supplements of green tea extract may help prevent and treat the disease in people.

Green tea was suggested as a treatment for diabetes more than 70 years ago. A study of more than 16,000 Japanese men and women, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine last year, found that those who drank more than six cups of green tea a day were less likely to develop type-2 diabetes than those who drank less than one cup a week.

Other studies have shown possible benefits of green tea in cancer and heart disease prevention. Theanine, an amino acid present in black, green and oolong teas, may improve the ability to concentrate, according to a study presented Tuesday at a conference at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington. The research was sponsored by Unilever Plc, which includes Lipton Tea among its more than 400 brands.

Nyack Center; Debra Haffner; Tulsi Tea

Tea Service on November 8, 2007

Here is the scoop: On November 8, 2007 at 7:00pm at the Nycak Center on South Broadway in Nyack, sexuality expert Debra Haffner will offer invaluable advice to parents to help teach their children about sexuality, communication, and family values. With sensitivity and humor, Haffner guides parents through the process of setting their children on the right path to becoming sexually healthy adults. Pot Luck Tea will be serving several varieties of our finest tea and refreshments at the event. For more information, visit http://www.realliferealtalk.org/.

Tulsi Tea - What is it?

Tulsi and Tulsi Tea are recognized as 'The Mother Medicine of Nature' and is known both as "The Queen of Herbs" and "The Incomparable One". Thousands of Ayurvedic texts quote the vast array of healing properties and benefits of Tulsi, which is grown through out India as a sacred herb.

Delicious, fragrant, and exquisite - the finest Rama, Krishna and Vana Tulsi leaves and blossoms are expertly blended to create a soothing, uplifting, full-bodied beverage that is inspiringly fresh and flavorful. Tulsi encourages tranquility, clarity, relief from stress, robust immunity and stamina. It offers respite from colds and flu, helps to balance the metabolism and is rich in antioxidants . With its fresh taste and astonishing array of health benefits, Tulsi Tea (also called "Holy Basil" is, quite simply... perfect. Stay tuned. In the next few weeks we will be offering Tulsi Tea on our web site. Meanwhie, if you have any questions, please email.

The Professors of Tea

There is a great story in the Dining section fo the New York Times today about some really great folks, their love of tea, their tea shop and their beliefs. Here is a link: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/19/dining/19tea.html?_r=1&ref=dining&oref=slogin

I'm not sure how long the Times keeps its links active, so if you can't find it, let me know. The only think I would offer is that I prefer to keep teas dark and dry. We never use clear glass of plastic to store tea, even on display for a short time. Everyone has their own ways though.

NYACK, NY

On November 8th (Thursday) we are hosting the tea service at the Nyack Community Center. More on that soon.