This year, The Chamber Orchestra of Albuquerque has invited New Mexico Tea Company to serve tea at intermission during the five presentations of the June Music Festival. The festival began in 1942, sponsored by prominent Albuquerque citizens Albert Simms and Ruth Hanna McCormick, at their home on Rio Grande Boulevard, Los Poblanos Farm. From the courtyard there, the Festival later moved to the Albuquerque Little Theater in Old Town. Now, the performances are held at the Simms Center at the Albuquerque Academy. The Simms Center is famous for its world-class acoustics. For a schedule of the performances and complete information about the wonderful offerings by this year's quartets visit our Events Page. If you follow the directions on the bottom of the events page, you can get a special $10 discount on tickets. (Thats about %25 off!)

Tea History:

Long ago in China, in the county of Pu-erh in the region of Yunnan, green tea was compressed into cakes that could more easily be packed on horseback to be transported to other countries for trade. There were five Tea Horse Roads that carried this tea to Tibet, Burma, Thailand. The roads were long and rugged and it took months to deliver the tea to the faraway countries. The traders noticed an odd phenomenon: the tea tasted better after the long trip than at the beginning. And so began the ancient custom of drinking aged green tea. It was not until 1972 that the Kunming tea factory started producing black pu-erh in the hopes of developing a new tea that could be widely marketed. Some very old pu-erh has sold for 3,000 dollars an ounce. In China (and no doubt elsewhere), there is a great game of chance that buying the green pu-erh cakes and holding them for many years will produce a thrilling tea experience down the road.

Featured Products:

Mandarin black Pu-erh: In some parts of China, a popular custom is to give oranges as a gift on special occasions. The reason is that in Chinese, the word for orange sounds like “Ji” which means “good luck.” One of the things you’ll notice about this tea when you brew it is the absence of the heavy musty flavor characteristic of traditional pu-erh. ($4)

-

Kenyan Black Tea: One of the finest tea estates in the vicinity of Kericho is Tinderet, of which Lesla is a sub-district, situated just off the equator with 707 hectares under tea. The estate is a relative newcomer to the Kenyan tea scene and was planted in only 1956. Interestingly, the lands used for the gardens once grew eucalyptus, the faint hints of which are said to color the profile of the tea like a botanical fingerprint. ($3.00/oz)

-

Kokeicha: Kokeicha is a specialty Japanese tea prepared from the fine green tea powder used in tea ceremonies. A special process whereby water is added to the tea powder, kneaded, extruded through a machine (similar to making fresh pasta) and finally dried to result in a "pine needle" like form. Thus Kokeicha translated from Japanese means "formed tea". ($3.50/oz)

-

Tea Tip:

You can decaffeinate your own tea by steeping the leaves for 30 seconds, pouring the water out, and then re-steeping with fresh water for the full recommended time. Caffeine is very water soluble. So it is the first thing to be defused out of the leaves. Conversely this also means there is no need to over steep your morning cup of tea to get extra caffeine. All you're doing is adding more tannin to the tea, which makes it bitter.

Coupon:

Remember all you have to do now is mention that you're on our mailing list, and you will get your free ounce of any of our loose leaf bulk teas. Internet customers can request a free ounce in the comment section on the order page.

-

Books:

Tea Tin Recycle:

Please feel free to bring in your tins and have them filled up with our tea, even if the tin is from another store. Also if you would like to get rid of your tins, we will be happy to accept them, and give them a loving home.

Past Newsletters:

On our website you will find a backlog of all the past newsletters. (Click Here)

Find Our Tea at:

Golden Crown Panaderia

Sunshine Cafe

Betty's Bath

Böttger Mansion

Jennifer James 101

Review Us:

Google Maps, Teamap, Local.Yahoo, Insider PagesLocal.Live

Store Info: