Vacation Time & Temporary Shipping/Delivery Schedule

After a very busy and hectic summer, it is vacation time for the staff and families of both Island Tea Company and The Paint Escape, our Freeland order drop-off location.   We will have limited delivery and shipping during the last week and a half of August and first week and a half of September.  The schedule is as follows:

Aug. 22 - 28:  Shipping and Freeland drop-off on Tuesday, 8/24 only.
Aug. 29 - Sept. 4:  Shipping and Freeland drop-off on Friday, 9/2 only.
Sept. 5 - 11:  NO Freeland drop-offs (The Paint Escape will be closed), but we will ship as usual on Tuesday & Friday.

I know this is a little confusing and I do apologize.   We will return to our regular shipping schedule of Tuesdays and Fridays the week of Sept. 12.  Remember to place your orders by 2:30 pm PST the day prior to shipping or delivery to minimize any delays.

Wishing us all lovely late summer weather!  I'll soon be off to Whistler, B.C., to enjoy fresh mountain air, hiking with my family, reading poolside (if the sun cooperates), and NO cooking for a few days!  :-)

Chai Snickerdoodles

I'm not quite ready for summer to be over, we waited a good long time for warm days here in the Pacific Northwest.  Even so, I can tell that autumn is just around the corner.  The late summer flowers, the cone flowers and black eyed susans, are blooming and attracting butterflies, and the first apples have fallen from our trees.  While I hope our late summer is filled with warm, sunny days, I find myself ready for some of the spicy flavors of autumn.  Apple pie,  gingerbread, snickerdoodles, chai lattes with whipped cream....yum...all are calling to me!

Since the closing of my shop, I've had more time to bake and have been enjoying playing around with some recipes.  One of my family's favorite cookies is the classic snickerdoodle with its crispy cinnamon sugar outside and tender inside.  There is certainly nothing wrong with a basic snickerdoodle, but I decided I'd like to zip it up a little by adding more of the chai spices.  It's those chai lattes calling me!  (Perhaps.... if I can manage with just one or two cookies and a regular cuppa, instead of a chai latte topped with whipped cream,  maybe I can save a few calories, but still have all that satisfying flavor?  Hmmmm..... one or two? We'll see how that goes!)

If you do a search on Chai Snickerdoodles a number of recipes will come up, but I've increased the amount of the classic chai spices in this recipe and incorporated some of them right into the dough. This layering of spices both inside and out enriches the cookie's flavor.  I also added a bit of fresh ground black pepper, often found in chai blends. Pepper accentuates the other spices, while barely adding a perceptible flavor and heat of its own. Add more if you like pepper, or less if you don't.

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tbsp ground cardamom
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper
1 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour (if using whole wheat, we recommend spring wheat or pastry flour)
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 350F.
In a large bowl, combine sugar and spices; remove 1/2 cup of this mixture and set aside in a small, shallow bowl. Add butter to bowl and cream with sugar and spice mixture until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, add vanilla extract. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, cream of tartar and baking soda. Add to sugar mixture and stir until fully incorporated.

Shape dough into 1 inch balls and roll in reserved sugar-spice mixture. Place on baking sheet, leaving 2 inches between balls to allow for spreading. Bake for about 12 minutes, until edges are firm to the touch, but not quite browned. Cool for a minute or two on the baking sheet, then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 4 dozen hard to resist cookies.

(Tip: Chilling dough will make it easier to handle. Mix one day and bake the next, or shape into balls and freeze for later use. Baking from frozen just requires an extra minute or two.)

And now, I am off for a good long walk with Miss Millie, because I took my quality control work very seriously!  :-)

Sale on favorite blends for iced tea!

I start looking forward to iced tea weather once April rolls around.  This year it has been a long wait, but it looks like we finally have summer in the Pacific Northwest.  It may not be hot and toasty like so much of the country, but I think we'll happily take anything warmer than 60 right now! 

To celebrate our warmer weather we are putting eight of our favorite teas for iced tea on sale.  Apricot, Breakfast Blend (our go-to "Basic Black" for iced tea), Decaf Apricot, Mango Rooibos, Passion Berry, Summer In Provence, Pomegranate White & Green, and Strawberry Papaya Sencha are all 20% off through July.   Needless to say, these are all delicious as hot tea.  So, if some of these are your favorites this is a great time to stock up.   Click here to go to the sale page on our website. 

(Limited to stock on hand.) 

Hibiscus & Lavender, a lovely blend!

Hibiscus and lavender are each lovely infusions on their own, but together they are wonderful.  This combination makes a delicious hot tea, but over ice with a sprig of mint it is stunning and so refreshing. 

For a six cup teapot, add 6 heaping teaspoons of hibiscus petals and 2 rounded teaspoons of lavender buds.  Add boiling water, steep for about 5 minutes.  Enjoy hot, or strain off into a small pitcher and cool to have over ice.  Sweeten, if desired, and add sprigs of lavender and mint for prettiness. 

The basic hibiscus and lavender infusion can be used to make other beverages special, as well.  Mix with sparkling seltzer or add to lemonade for a rosy hue and subtle flavor twist.  We find hibiscus lavender lemonade to be the perfect accompaniment to music on the lawn!

Shop assistant Millie, doesn't care much for the lemonade (she prefers ice cubes), but she sure seems to enjoy the musical entertainment.....or maybe it's having the kids on the lawn, down at her level, which makes her smile so merrily?  :-)  

Millie and I wish you many warm (not too hot) sunny days, and plenty of time to relax with good books and glasses full of your favorite iced teas! 

Up and running!

Goodness!  What a fast, furious week!   Many boxes have been unpacked, teas and merchandise have been organized and reorganized and organized yet again.....  :-)  Packing supplies have been found and numerous orders have been shipped.   I wouldn't say we're running smoothly yet, but we are getting there. 

This next week, while I'm away for a short vacation, Andrea and Millie will be minding the store.   Regarding orders, we are currently packing and processing orders on Mondays and Thursdays, for shipping or delivery to our Freeland pick-up location at The Paint Escape the following morning.  Orders should be placed by early afternoon on Monday or Thursday to allow processing time.  If you're running late, give us a call (360-331-6080) we'll certainly do our best! 

To our Whidbey Island customers, thank you so much for hanging in there with us during this transition!  If you have any questions, or just want to say "Hello," don't hesitate to call!  We love hearing from you!

I'll be back in the office Monday, June 28.  Have a great week!

Whew!

One more partial truckload and a Suburu car full and I believe I'll have the shop emptied!  Whew!  As my friend Connie said "Oh my...who knew there would be so much to do in closing that sweet little shop?"  I had no idea. ;-)  I'm very, very glad I gave myself two weeks to pack and tote everything home. My deepest thanks to those who came to help!

Now, I have to organize everything that's been brought home to my studio that once felt so big!  A little bit at a time I'll get there.  In the meantime, I do have my desk, my phone, and all the tea in one place, and I'm good to go!  :-)  I have already packed and sent out orders, and tomorrow morning I will drop off the first local orders to our Freeland pickup location at The Paint Escape.  Thank you, dear people, for hanging in there with me.

It's going to be awhile before I dare show you photos of my studio/workshop.  I know, I know! You want to see, but truthfully, there is nothing at all charming to share....yet! 

A few have stopped by to ask how shop pup Millie is doing with the transition and in all honesty I'll say she was not a happy camper last week.  She waited by the door every morning to go to work.  Millie is definitely a social creature!   But she is enjoying our more frequent walks and time in the garden. 

This summer watch for us walking around Langley or out at Double Bluff Beach.  :-)

Time to unpack a few more boxes and add more goodies to the website!  Take care!

Onward and upward!

Today at 4:30 pm, our little shop on Main Street in Freeland, Washington, ended its last full and very busy day of business.    After closing and balancing the til for the last time, we filled glasses with champagne and toasted the past, the present and the future.  After today, dear customers, you will need to order from our website or phone to place your orders.

I'll be taking a brief break to attend the Washington State High School Track & Field Meet, where I'll be cheering on my youngest son.  (Go, Will!)  Next Monday comes the task of unpacking the many boxes of tea and merchandise moved home to our new workspace, packing and filling orders, and updating our website.  It is going to take or week or so, for our new routines to be worked out.  Your patience during this transition time is so appreciated. 

I have other thoughts to share, but they will have to wait, for this tea lady is feeling just a little tired.  :-)

Have a lovely weekend, and I'll be back with you next week!