Winding Down

Nearly tea time!  As my Entrepreneurship course draws to an end, I'm glad it's over and I learned so much.  I'm challenged by the increased demands on my time and resources.  I still have to write two more blog entries after this one!

As if working five days a week and expecting a child aren't enough, on top of doing a course on entrepreneurship, I've added all the excitement and responsibility of organizing a wedding as well!

Fortunately, the father of the child is a great help.  If you haven't put two and two together by now, it's Drew whom I mentioned in the previous post.  Yes, aside from swaying him to try different teas with me, we've decided to tie the knot.

Among his many skills, he's a writer and a trained photographer so I've gained from his insights and occasionally he helps me crop or edit a photo I'm having a problem with.  As every entrepreneur knows, forming strong partnerships and finding key resources are important to any start up, so too in life.    

Another good example of collaboration and teamwork could be seen when a tea company (in this case, Sloane Tea) teamed up with a chocolate artist (Laura Slack) to create some delicious tea infused chocolates for Valentine's Day last year.

A pair of Chaucer's Hearts

Mmm, perfect harmony

This week, as we've been planning where to get married and what and who to include, Drew's designing the invites and inviting his family, while also pushing me to interview people and get feedback on my business value proposition for my homework assignment.  What a slave driver!  I was glad for the push though.

As we learned in class, our terrific instructor Keri Damen explained that the Value Proposition statement should contain the following components:
- What you are offering
- The specific value associated with your offering
- Who are you creating value for
- And why is your product different from everything else on the market.

Value Proposition is not:
- A tagline or ad
- An elevator pitch
- A mission statement

I won't go into too much detail about mine here, because while I am the unique individual who puts together the elements required for my business idea, that's not to say someone else might not pick up on it and find the resources to give me competition before I even get started.

I do look forward to the time after the baby comes when I'll be able to kick back and enjoy a fine pot of quality tea.  I know while I do, Drew will have his hands full(of diapers and dishes).  

Discovering the strengths I bring to a business and identifying the weaknesses I need to work on has been an eye-opener to be sure.  With hormones flashing and baby kicking, I'm finding I need all the support I can get to stay focused these days.

I'm grateful to the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies for the opportunity to apply my writing and photography to this purpose, and I'm keen to begin this next chapter of my life armed with new tools for the tasks ahead.

Follow #StartUpEdu, @rfongtea, @entrepreneurSCS on Twitter to join in on the entrepreneurship conversation.

This is a sponsored post on behalf of University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies Certificate in Entrepreneurship program; however, the opinions provided are my own.

CRFA Show 2013: The Search for Tea (Part 2)

After visiting AIYA Matcha in Part 1, I continued my search for more tea in the sea of aisles of restaurant equipment, packaging companies, foods and drinks at the CRFA Show.

Calibre (a packaging company)'s mascot posing for me

 Cheese!

Chai Tea flavoured cheese. Ha! Tea is so hot that they're making tea flavoured cheeses!   It was not bad, spices with Monterey Jack cheese.  But I think I preferred the Jamaican Jerk Spice cheese (yumminess overcame me and I forgot to take a photo of it)

Numi Organic Tea (Numi means "citrus" in Arabic). Founded in 1999 by brother and sister team of Ahmed and Reem Rahim.  The latest addition to their line of premium organic, Fair Trade certified teas and tisanes is the 'Savory Tea".  As soon as I saw Numi I was excited to be able to taste these new veggie-spice tea blends that I had heard about...but, was told it's only available in the U.S.!  No!  Disappointed, I took my consolation sample of their Desert Lime tea and walked off.

Nope, not even candy could pick me up...

"This product may contain peanuts"...what? not tea?

I was in need of something more...and then I found it, TEA!  Something familiar like Sloane Fine Tea Merchants!

some of the many old fashioned perfume bottles of teas to check out

It was nice catching up with fellow Certified Tea Sommelier, Hoda (Director of Sloane) and her husband, Dean (CEO of Sloane).  Sipped samples of Sloane's Iced Crimson Berry, a delicious and refreshing berry and hibiscus tisane.  But I arrived at their booth late and missed out on samples of the new Almond Truffle.  I was looking forward to tasting that too!

They will be adding four new teas to their existing line.  These four flavours were specially commissioned by Heather Reisman and will be exclusive to Chapters Indigo.  You won't even be able to buy it online at Sloane's!  Dean said you can pick it up at their pop-up shoppe at Commerce Court (Glad to hear that their lease got extended 'til Mother's Day).

The four flavours are Cherry Blossom, Peaches & Cream, Chocolate Truffle, and Divine Creme.  They brought sample bottles of the Cherry Blossom and Peaches & Cream.  Peaches & Cream smelled good but the Cherry Blossom was a little too faint (most likely from bottle being opened so many times).

They will be launched in time for Mother's Day, so watch for them!

Close up of the Jasmine Snow Dragon tea

Elsa from King's Zen Tea recognized me from the Toronto Tea Festival and waved me over to their booth to check out some of their tea.

Some of their many Chinese teas and herbal blends.

Two of their top sellers are Lotus Leaf tea and Rose tea.  Rose tea is high in vitamin C , has an uplifting effect, is good for your skin, and you can read more about its benefits here.  Lotus leaf tea according to traditional Chinese medicine is good for colds and helps with weight loss and more.

Twisted Tea, a malt-based spiked iced tea with 5 % alcohol. There wasn't an overpowering alcohol taste, pretty smooth, subtle, lemon iced tea taste, kind of like a spiked Nestea.  Hmm, not bad, can I get another?

As I entered the tea pavilion, saw the familiar faces of Adi and Louise (President) of the Tea Association of Canada.

Photo: Raelene Gagnon

How delightful!  Tealish!  They have a great little tea shop with cheerful and friendly staff.  There is a sit down area where you can enjoy a well-made matcha latte or have it to go and enjoy some window shopping on the cool Queen Street West strip.  What a delish way to spend an afternoon.

They were showing off their new package design and new line of pyramid teabags, you'll see it out in a couple of  weeks or so.

Pleasant and refreshing

You are getting sleepy... zzz 

Oh good! some fragrant Earl Grey to wake me up  - still more tea to be found, can't rest yet!

Another familiar face!  Certified Tea Sommelier, Raelene Gagnon, of Tea and All its Splendour!  Tea and All its Splendour is a gourmet loose leaf tea company.  Their teas are in many cafes around town and some private labels carry them, including Trish Stratus's Stratusphere.  March is Mango Madness at Tea and All its Splendour featuring free shipping for orders within Canada for a limited time only!  So hurry and place your orders!

Finally I found the Teapigs that the reps from Tetley told me about!  Teapigs are a UK tea company that offer premium whole leaf tea in tea temples or sachets.  They are Rainforest Alliance certified, their tea temples/sachets are made of biodegradable corn starch, and their packaging is fully recyclable.  How nice!

I tried the Everyday brew (English breakfast), a blend of Assam, Ceylon and Rwandan. It was strong, balanced, malty, and a bit zesty from the Rwandan. Very interesting, I'd be curious to try some more of their teas.

Teapigs are set to launch in Canada this April in food services establishments.  Hmm, wonder which places have selected to carry Teapigs... if you spot them, please come back, comment and let us know!

These 6 are on their way to food service establishments in Canada in April

Oh my gosh! The motherload, look at all the teas at Metropolitan Tea's booth!

It was great to see how tea was represented in this year's CRFA Show.  With such a selection of fine tea companies to educate food service industry folks, hopefully we're not going to get presented with a wimpy teabag in tepid water at the end of a fine dining experience again.

After some more sniffing and examining of tea leaves, I was a happy girl and ready to leave...until I saw

Do I venture into Mexico?  With all it's tempting offerings? ...

Hmm, work tomorrow...better stick to tea for now.

Boozy Teas: Tea Cocktail Workshop at Herbal Infusions

The Holiday season is in full swing, folks getting ready for Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year's Eve parties...pretty Christmas lights are up along Yonge Street, the big Christmas tree is up in the Eaton Centre, the malls are staying opened later for the shoppers. 

Even The Grid, Toronto's weekly magazine, had a special "Holiday Hooch" issue out this week.  Their guide to Holiday Cocktails, complete with a legend of snowmen in varying degrees of inebriation, is a survey of the city's top bars for those looking for some holiday cheer. 

So what's a tea lover to do if they want a tea cocktail?  What if they don't want to go all the way to The Comrade in Riverside for an Uncle Garth (a maple-citrus and Earl Grey tea-infused bourbon drink)?!  Sure, there's the Blueberry Tea that any bar should know how to make, but what if you fancy yourself as an amateur mixologist, love tea, and want to save some money?

Tea cocktails have been popping up everywhere lately, even though tea and alcohol has been around for a while.  Think, tea and whiskey...   

There's O5 Tea with their Cocktails, Tapas, and Tea events in Vancouver.  David's Tea brought out "The Cocktail Collection", a collection of five teas with recipe cards.  The LCBO featured some tea cocktails using Sloane Teas in their Food and Drink's Autumn issue.  I even heard a radio interview with Sabnam of The Tea Emporium on tea cocktails a few weeks ago!

You can google recipes on line, or... you can do what I did recently and go to Herbal Infusions Tea Co. for a Tea Cocktail workshop!  Only $30!  Such a deal for a fun and educational workshop!

Dan Johanis left the corporate finance world and opened the tiny modern tea shop at the north east corner of Spadina and Adelaide about three years ago.  Herbal Infusions carry many teas and tisanes.  Dan has collaborated with ChocoSol Traders in creating a Cacao Tea made with 100% organic cacao shell which comes in three different flavours.  (hmm, another thing for the chocoholic on my list...)

Some of the tea wares

Close to a dozen guests crowded into the little shop to watch mixologist, Michelle Tham and Dan work their magic.

  Michelle pours the welcome drink - Me Love Oolong Time

 Made with Orange Blossom Oolong tea syrup (made with fresh tea leaves ahead of time by Dan), Lemon Juice, and Tag No5 Vodka. 

Light oolong tea taste, well balanced and refreshing.

Interesting name,  though it sounds like something you'd hear on the streets of Da Nang......this was just a time to enjoy an adult oolong tea cocktail.  It was tasty!

The Mo'Teato was next, a volunteer helps measure and pours the Peppermint Dream syrup


 Peppermint Dream is a tisane made of peppermint and lavender blended in-house by Dan.

Add some lime juice, Bacardi Black rum and it's ready to drink.  I found myself wishing for some fresh mint leaves...but it was good.

Next we were transported to the Polynesian islands with Lomi Lomi Tea-ki Tiki

 

Lomi Lomi syrup, pineapple juice, Bacardi Superior Rum and Coconut milk ~ tasted like a piña colada. 

Finally, an experimental Lavender Gin Cocktail

Victoria Gin was stirred in ice to chill.  Apparently, you shouldn't be shaking your alcohol, if you want a good, smooth drink.  Shaking it in ice breaks up the surface area, since you're in essence whipping air into the liquid.

So... what does that say about James Bond who likes his martinis shaken, not stirred?  Hmm, maybe that's why the franchise needed to add Daniel Craig to give a dash of toughness back to Bond...

In case you were wondering what that vessel on the bar is... it is a Prohibition era Martini shaker disguised as a tea kettle.  

This was a strong, herbaceous (pink Tibetan Lavender), booze forward cocktail.  By now, I don't remember what else went in there, and my hand writing had become illegible.  Maybe I should just stick with plain tea...  hmm.. nah! 

This pretty drink's got no name.  Perhaps the Lavender Flamingo?  Pretty in Pink?  Can you think of a cool name for it?  I'll pass it on to Dan!


Herbal Infusions will be conducting two more Tea Cocktail workshops:
Thursday, December 6th @ 6pm
Sunday, December 9th @ 2pm.

Space is limited.  RSVP at dan@herbalinfusions.ca or call Dan at (416) 900-6942.

Bay Street Fine Tea Encounter:

Sloane Launches Pop-Up in Financial District

Up 45…down 200, up 100, down…so goes the ticker on the S&P/TSX and Dow Jones Industrial Index….

Since the late 90s when the dot-com bubble burst to recent years' global financial crisis, this has become modern day main street news, you don't even need to dig deep into the financial sections or watch BNN to hear it anymore.

Whew!  Queasy yet?  Stressed out?  Welcome to Bay Street, Canada's Wall Street.  Now imagine what it would be like if you worked in the Financial Industry like I do?! 

That's my day job so I don't need to imagine.  How do I survive and not lose all my hair from the stress?  One of my secrets is ….TEA.  

William E. Gladstone once said: "If you are cold, tea will warm you; if you are too heated, it will cool you; if you are depressed, it will cheer you; if you are excited, it will calm you.”

So it is a blessing for us Bay Street types that Sloane Fine Tea Merchants has just launched a pop-up tea salon right in the heart of Toronto's Financial District.  Some readers may remember Hoda and Sloane Fine Tea Merchants from an earlier post.

Hoda founded their brand.  She is also a Tea Sommelier like me, a graduate from GBC and certified by the TAC.  In addition, she's done the U.S. Specialty Tea Institute program and studied perfumery in France.

As the weather gets colder I'm delighted with this new development in my neighbourhood.  You know you're going to get a beautifully blended cup of tea at Sloane.  A total delight for the senses!

The Tea Salon is located in the Commerce Court at King and Bay.  If travelling by TTC, your destination would be King Station, get out of the subway and head into the famed underground PATH and follow the sign for Commerce Court.

Two doors down from the Second Cup and among the "Heritage Row" of Commerce Court,

There you will find the elegant Sloane Fine Tea Merchants' Pop-Up

very pretty!  (wait till you see the packaging...)

A touch of luxury - Sloane's linen-embossed gift boxes

Like tiny bottles of French perfume, the tea samples are ready to be experienced

Sweet Violettas and Rococo Roses - sugared petal delights

  I spy something perfect for the chocoholic on my Holiday list...

For chocolate lovers, Sloane Tea Company collaborated with artisan chocolatier Laura Slack of Laura Slack Chocolate to create their special Amethyst collection of hand painted tea infused truffles.  I sampled them at a Tea and Chocolate tasting at the recent Canada Sweet Baking Show.  They were yummy!  I especially enjoyed the one infused with Oolong Crème.

The truffles are hand-made and were not ready for their close-up when I arrived on opening day.  I see another visit in the near future...

Hoda Paripoush

Sloane will be in Commerce Court for the next three months until the end February 2013.  They will be serving tea samples.  Starting next week, they will also have teas to go.

Holiday shopping season has just started, what perfect timing!  Head down to Sloane's and sample some of their many delicious teas.  Pick up a China Tea Treasury sampler or a caddie or two of teas for the tea lovers on your list.

Which tea will be your new favourite?  Will it be the signature Heavenly Cream?  The Jasmine Snow Dragon?  (two of my favourites)   Or perhaps the Cocoa Chai Chai?

Feel free to post a comment and share your delightful new find with us!