Surprise! It’s the Tea Drinker’s Birthday Week!

What does this entail? Mostly that I will need to cater to my husband’s every whim. Give him anything he wants; when he wants it. Now, before, you email me comments about “waiting on men, and women’s rights” ….I need to confess- I created the “birthday week" tradition in our home. It was my idea, and I truly love it when it’s my week (May 13). However, you know what they say about pay backs?!

This year, I have run into a problem. Today, I left for NYC , and will not be back in time for the Tea Drinker's birthday, Thurs 3/12th. Actually, I will most likely pull up to our house just about 1am- right after his birthday evening ends. I know! I know! It’s a tragedy. What’s a Wife of a Tea Drinker to do? Maybe I could arrive armed with balloons, flowers, and silly stuffed animals from the airport… but that might be too intimidating or slightly crazy for the wee hours of the morning…OR…I could -plan a surprise!

Plan of Action:

• Request a vacation day : Friday, March 13th -DONE


• Head to San Francisco….Visit http://www.calacademy.org/- This science museum has re-opened after ten years of renovation. Dan's been itching to go here, and of course, I want to check out their much talked about restaurant: http://www.themossroom.com/- DONE


• Plan a “tap along” visiting San Francisco's premium beer jaunts. http://www.alembicbar.com/ , http://latrappecafe.com/, and http://www.toronado.com/ Hey, wine and tea all day long, makes for a boring life.- DONE


• Check out North Beach & find a perfect little Italian joint to have dinner. Dan has been craving Pizza. The real kind. – Suggestions welcome.


• Invite our 2 buddies who live in the city to join us- one always needs a partner in crime, plus, they really know their way around! DONE


• Stay at The Westin - great deal, great location, and the best thing- no driving, and we get to sleep in - DONE


• Saturday- spend the day researching tea in Chinatown-Tea Drinker’s choice


• Saturday Night: Head back to Napa, either watch the next movie in queue from Netflix or go to the movies: http://www.slumdogmillionairemovie.co.uk/ A perfect, academy award winning movie with stunning cinematography, and some chai tea drinking going on.


• Sunday Morning: Make Savory Breakfast Pudding - Dan's favorite. Serve with specialty teas from http://www.drinktheleaf.com/

And, most importantly, remember to cater to his every whim! Gladly..

Surprise, Honey! Enjoy your birthday week, and I will see you at 1am on Friday morning. The clock starts ticking then. Love, your wife, Tree

P.S. Go ahead, and plan a “birthday week" surprise for someone you love today. Have fun. Need ideas? Comment here. I am happy to help.

Meyer Lemon Tart & Your Favorite Drink the Leaf Loose teas

We have lemons coming out of our ears. A few years back my husband planted a Meyer lemon tree- we patiently waited for the bounty. Well, it has arrived- loads and loads of lemons; bright and beautiful. Now what the heck should we do with all of these lemons? I thought I had the perfect answer- display them in a big red bowl and set them on my dining room table. I pranced by admiring my brilliant creativity & domesticity. I was feeling pretty good-even a friend commented on how nice our table looked. But, there it was, the guilt. It was creeping in….Good people across the world nurture and care for their gardens, and not to just display their good fortune in a bowl! Okay, I give in. I would create something with this gift and share my bounty.

I recalled that my Mom had given me a cookbook back in 2005 for Christmas- Luscious Lemon Desserts,by Lori Longbotham. The inscription said- “looked so good, I bought one, too. Love, Mom.” Well, my copy has been sitting in the cupboard stuffed behind Bobby Flay and the like. I dug it out, and flipped through the pages. I conferred with the tea drinker- “This could be fun. We can bake all day, drink fabulous Drink the Leaf loose leaf teas, and eat dessert in the middle of the afternoon!” He was not convinced. (read: Dan thinking- not a healthy way to spend the day). So I forged on without him. Lemon bars, lemon meringue pie, lemon tart, and shortbread. The choices were limitless. I chose “The Perfect Lemon Tart”. And, you know what, it was pretty darn close.

I presented the Tea Drinker with the masterpiece. He even raised an eyebrow while eating, and asked me to cut two slices for our neighbors. The next day, the phone rang. The Perfect Lemon Tart had made an impression on the neighbors. Were the lemons actually from your tree??? Yep, I was proud. So much in fact, the following weekend I hopped to it again, and made a lemon tart and lemon bars, to boot. The Lemon tart was shared with my co-workers- to express my gratitude for all their help with recent festivities.

Give it a go, and let me know what you think. The whole process took me less than an hour.

Recipe:
Adapted from: Luscious Lemon Desserts

Shopping List:
10-11” tart pan with removable bottom
1 stick unsalted butter
2 TBSP. Lemon Zest
1 ¾ cups Flour
1 ¼ cups sugar
2 pinches of salt
6 eggs
1 cup of fresh lemon juice( about 7 lemons)
½ cup heavy whipping cream
Confectioner’s sugar( optional) for dusting

Action:
Pre-heat oven to 350
Melt butter in saucepan over med heat, add 1 TBSP of zest. Stand for 5 minutes
Whisk flour, ½ cup of sugar, pinch of salt in small bowl.
Pour butter mixture slowly into flour-mix with fork until dough sticks together between two fingers
Transfer mixture to pan and press to bottom and up sides of pan. Bake for 25 minutes or light golden brown. Remove and rest on wire rack.
Process remaining 1 cup of sugar with 1 TBSP of zest. If you do not have a process just mix well, and chop zest finer.
Whisk together eggs, sugar with zest, lemon juice, and pinch of salt in mixing bowl.
Beat cream with mixer until small peaks form. Fold into egg mixture until just blended.
Place pie crust in pan on baking sheet, and pour filling into the warm crust. Bake for 20-25 minutes until just set. Let tar cool.
Sift confectioner’s sugar, cut, and enjoy!

Oh, and Mom- if you are out there reading this- Dust off that cookbook, and give me a call. I would be happy to send you some lemons.

Guest Blogger: Dan, husband of Wife of a Tea Drinker

It’s been one long steep- as we approach Drink the Leaf’s 2nd Anniversary tomorrow, Monday, Feb 23rd. It’s hard to believe that another year has gone by... As I think back on the year, I have really enjoyed listening to feedback from my customers. There is a definitely a buzz about tea, loose leaf in particular.

A question that I am frequently asked by tea enthusiasts, friends, and family is “What is your favorite tea?” There is no definitive answer. As a tea drinker, I have a progression that I look forward to throughout the day. I usually begin each morning with black tea, such as a Keemun or House Ceylon, mostly because my wife bellows, “TEA”, as soon as her eyes pop open! However, by mid afternoon, I am craving an Oolong or Green tea. And, if I need a little pick me up, Peppermint seems to do the job. I am fortunate that caffeinated tea has never interrupted my sleeping habits, so a nice Pu-erh is a great way to cap off the evening, especially after a satisfying meal. For me, there are no set rules when enjoying a cup of tea, except for requiring that it’s loose leaf and fresh.

There is certainly nothing wrong with drinking one variety of tea, but for me, I enjoy the adventure. Same true with wine. I like a variety. But, that’s another post. I look forward to continuing to bring you high quality, loose leaf teas, and if you ever have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out for me at danritz@drinktheleaf.com.

- Dan, Tea Drinker, Founder of Drink the Leaf teas

Parents Of A Tea Drinker

Mops & Pops, that’s Sandy & Jim, to the rest of the world. My in-laws are visiting for the holiday weekend. After flying across the country and finally making it to our home in Napa Valley, they graciously turned around and headed back out with the Tea Drinker to rescue me at SFO airport. I had been on the road for the last nine days, with endless delays. I was eager to get home. My husband and his parents welcomed me with a nice hot, fully loaded latte. Yes, my husband broke down and brought me a coffee. I have a photo to prove it.

Mops & Pops love projects, and start each day inquiring about what needs to be done. Dan & I made a list of things for them to tackle. Heck, if something breaks in the house or a light bulb goes out, we actually wait until their next visit to fix it. No kidding.


We accomplished the following this weekend:

• Tackled a deep cleaning of the stove. Remember the Chinese New Year party?!
• Yard work
• Grocery shopping, laundry, and house cleaning
• More yard work
• Harvesting our Meyer lemon tree
• And even more yard work
• Preparing a tasty Valentine’s Day meal together- one of my favorites :Lemony Moroccan Chicken . Inspired by our bounty from the lemon tree. Note: I used store bought Far East couscous, and added tangy feta cheese.
• Sitting through endless tastings of drinking loose leaf teas and wine
• And a visit would not be complete without the customary trip to Home Depot
  

Of course, I supervised all of these projects, and was impressed with their stamina. Little do they know, I am pondering about adding cleaning the litter box to the list? Yes, I know, this maybe pushing it. In all sincerity, my in-laws are wonderful, very supportive, and raised an amazing person, my husband, Dan.

And before you inquire...yes, we would consider renting out Mops & Pops. They are that good! Check out http://www.drinkthleaf.com/ for more details.

How to Promote Your Business On a Daily Basis

Well, it’s official. The “car slick” will be installed this week. What’s that prey tell? (See photo) They are located on the back of car windows and side doors. You stare at them on the road everyday, and they are silently urging you to learn more about its owner's business. They run the gamut from promoting plumbing services to dog walking. I'm sure there is a connection there somewhere… In any case, have you ever seen a loose leaf tea company logo? I haven’t. Not a single one, and I have had my eyes peeled for over a year now.

From now on, every time the Tea Drinker heads out in his trusty Nissan Pathfinder, he is a moving advertisement. All in a nice subtle way, urging and luring our community to buy Drink the Leaf loose leaf teas.

If you own a business, and are not advertising on your vehicle, do so. All you need is a logo, the cost is minimal, and the payoff is year-round advertising. Oh, and owning a vehicle is essential.

I read somewhere that in order to commit a company's name to memory, one needs to see it, at least eight times.

Drink the Leaf
Drink the Leaf
Drink the Leaf
Drink the Leaf
Drink the Leaf
Drink the Leaf
Drink the Leaf
Drink the Leaf
AND, one for extra measure: Drink the Leaf.

Cruising your neighborhood soon…..

Drink the Leaf Loose Leaf Tea in Your Favorite Restaurant

Let’s take DrinktheLeaf.com to the wholesale level, and sell to restaurants and retailers. This has been my latest big push with the Tea Drinker. He agrees, but has a plan. If I wasn't already busy with a full time job & a half, that I love, I would help the Tea Drinker bang on more doors, and get the word out. DrinktheLeaf.com is approaching its 2nd year anniversary this month, and phase 1 of the business was to sell on-line, phase 2 is to take DTL teas to restaurants/speciality stores, and phase 3- maybe a spa line! We are on target. Goals are important. But sometimes, events happen organically. Its always been my nature to talk to people about the things that I am passionate about, whether its food, wine, or tea. I once read that “people buy from their friends”. That works for me!

Our goal is to sell Drink the Leaf loose leaf teas to wholesale customers by March 12th, my husband’s birthday. Ambitious? Not really. I jumped the gun while we are out to dinner on Friday. We finished enjoying a nice meal at one of our favorite restaurants in Napa, and were handed the dessert menu. At the bottom of the menu was the list of teas. I wondered out loud, who the producer was, since it was not listed. Our bartender filled us in on the name of the tea producer, and a conversation ensued about loose leaf tea. Loose leaf is our niche, and our goal is to break down myths swirling around loose leaf tea, and it being time consuming. Its not. Our conversation led to inquiring about who made the tea buying decisions at the restaurant, and ended with the Tea Drinker meeting the buyer, exchanging cards, and committing to dropping of samples and a price list next week.

Oops! Like, I said, when I am passionate about things, I start conversations. Sometimes its best not to wait until all your ducks are in a row. Start a conversation, make a connection, follow up, and Viola! you could be in the wholesale business way before your goal date. Now the Tea Drinker has to spend Super Bowl Sunday preparing for a wholesale presentation. Oops, again.


Email where you would like to see Drinktheleaf.com offered. Ask your favorite restaurant to carry Drink the Leaf . We will try to make it happen, and if we do.. you will be the first to know!

Buffalo, NY- Cold & Comforting

This picture says it all. I am in Buffalo, NY- my hometown. As soon as I stepped off the warm plane onto the jetway, a bone chilling draft ran down my spine reinforcing the obvious heard later on the car radio: “today’s high will be 12 degrees!” I dug for my scarf at the bottom of my travel bag, and started to curse the weather. Then, a wonderful aroma washed over me; it made my mouth water. Buffalo Hot Wings! I started to relax as I trudged past the new Anchor Bar location in the airport. Ah, I was home. I looked forward to a weekend filled with all of my Buffalo favorites: Pizza, Wings, Subs, Lay's Potato Chips & Bison French Onion Dip, to name a few.

It’s always comforting to visit my childhood home, even in the dead of winter. First, I am received by the “welcoming party"--my parents. From the moment I announce I am coming home, they mark their calendars, and start stocking their cupboards. I am not proud that all my favorites happen to fall into the junk food category, but I would not have it any other way. Last night, my Mom welcomed me with a turkey melt. She set the tone, and sent me on my way to my Dad’s house, where pizza awaited me. We doctored it up with mushrooms and anchovies (see photo). I can feel my husband cringing now.

Cherished memories in my life always include family, friends, conversation and a tasty meal. Wine & loose leaf tea are now incorporated into the mix, too. It’s comforting to know that I can treat myself with a memory, just by sitting down and having a slice of pizza. Well, I have to go now; Mom’s arrived with a plate of plate of olives, cheese spreads, and flatbread, all accompanied by a nice glass of Carneros Pinot Noir. Next up, how to incorporate Hot Wings into the equation. There's always the airport. Treat yourself to a memory today.