Let's get together, baby!

I'm all in favor of sipping tea alone and contemplating my navel.  However, tea also lends itself beautifully to a communal experience.  All over the world, people get together routinely over tea.  

Though tea gatherings do occur worldwide, we Americans tend to associate them with England.  We think of a sophisticated "high tea" in a British parlor with tiny crustless sandwiches and clotted cream (what is that, anyway?).  In actuality, "high tea" was the heavy evening meal eaten by working class families at the end of the day.   A few sources state that tea was deliberately brought into this evening meal in order to steer workers away from alcohol -- certainly an optimistic diversionary tactic.  

Actually, the word "high" referred to the height of the dinner table rather than the sophistication of the gathering or the company.  Tables in parlors and sitting rooms were, by contrast, lower to the ground.  So, "low tea" now often called "afternoon tea," is the true parlor gathering of guests for gentle conversation -- not to mention tea, snacks, sweets and ostensibly, that clotted cream.

Of course, the most ritualized tea gathering is usually thought to be the Japanese tea ceremony.  This ceremony, based on  Taoism and influenced by Zen Buddhism, is performed by an expert practitioner and served to a small group of guests.  The practitioner is extensively trained in tea preparation and a wide variety of ceremonial procedures related to tea, calligraphy, flower arranging, kimono wrapping and more.  Interestingly, not only the practitioner, but also the guests are expected to have mastery of the tea ceremony, down to the last gesture, phrase and rule of deportment.

Well, to each her own, I say.  I myself favor tea gatherings as informal breaks in our increasingly rushed daily routines.  (Masala chai & samosas this afternoon, anyone?)

This approach seems to be catching on here in the U.S., as evidenced by the recent proliferation of tea salons and tea houses, particularly on the coasts and in larger cities.  Tea salon owners often say that they expect their clientele to settle in and spend the afternoon talking.  I love this trend!  As we become even busier and every minute seems to be spoken for, we must make the conscious effort to pause and come together, to connect and share our lives.  What better way than over tea?  

Get organized, baby!

Welcome to my office! Every important paper on my desk has its own designated place! All of my documents are neatly labeled in alphabetized files! My to-do list is not only prioritized, but also color-coded! You believe me, don’t you?

No? Well, you’re as smart as you look, baby.

Recently I attended a networking meeting and had the opportunity to hear Chris Frazier, a professional organizer and lawyer. Her company Focus Forward specializes in assisting small businesses. Chris impressed me because she approaches organization as a mindset, not just as a calendar/paper collection system. Also, her advice always takes into consideration the realities of the current working world, with its proliferating paperwork and relentless emails and text messages.

After listening to Chris, I realized that I needed to change the way I work. Without such changes, the most elaborate set of tiered trays or color-coded labels from the office supply store wasn’t going to help me increase my effectiveness.

My favorite of Chris’s suggestions: “Resist the urge to check email or voicemail.” Instead, she recommends setting a few designated times each day for such checking. This advice alone now saves hours of my time. A former email addict, I spent all day reading and responding to email. Once I recognized the artificial urgency that incoming emails evoke and the inefficiency of constantly stopping and starting in the middle of work, I was better able to prioritize my time and complete my tasks.

Another favorite of mine: “Create an effective filing system, and then use it every day!” She recommends setting aside 10-30 minutes at the end of each work day for paper management. Now, instead of weeping over my enormous stacks of paper, I feel that my paper is under control. According to Chris, this habit has the added advantage of providing closure at the end of the day and preparation for the next.

I asked Chris to allow me to share with you some of her other excellent recommendations:

1. Make a to-do list the evening before each new work day and actually schedule the block of time in which you will do each task. Schedule the most important tasks first.

2. Complete similar types of work at the same time, for example, returning calls, writing, and scheduling meetings. This grouping of activities will better focus your energy.

3. Delegate! Stop thinking you have to do everything yourself.

4. Divide your office into activity zones. Have a main work zone, but also a reference zone, creative zone, and calling zone.

5. Get all that stuff off your desk! Use your desk surface for working, not storage. Instead, creatively use all the areas around your desk for storage -- on walls, behind doors, etc.

6. Consider hiring a professional organizer to help you set up an effective system for you. The National Association of Professional Organizers has a list of organizers in your area.

Visit Chris Frazier’s website at www.focusforward.biz.

Visit our online store at www.ChaiBabyUSA.com.

Copyright 2008 East West Blends, LLC, All Rights Reserved

Look inside, baby!

Meet Tara. She’s looking for a wholesome, refreshing drink. She wants something delicious to sip while quietly contemplating life. And she’s been hearing about the health benefits of tea for years.

So, what’s stopping her from drinking specialty tea? Time! Tara wants to drink high quality, whole leaf tea, but she doesn’t want to manage all of those loose leaves. And she really doesn’t want to deal with steeped ingredients and messy teapots. So, what’s this girl to do?

Enter the pyramid sachet!

No, it’s not an Eygptian handbag. Rather, it’s a clear, silky-looking pod made from food-grade nylon that holds your specialty tea. The sachet leaves plenty of space for your tea leaves to steep and release their full flavor. And, baby, look inside! You will see all of your tea’s ingredients unfurling elegantly before you.

Not only do you preserve the flavor of your whole leaf tea, but you do so with the ultimate convenience of a tea bag. Plus, looking into the beautiful pods of natural, blooming ingredients truly upgrades your specialty tea experience!

So, no need to worry about the hassle. Drink up, baby! (You, too, Tara.)


Visit our online store at www.ChaiBabyUSA.com.

Copyright 2008 East West Blends, LLC, All Rights Reserved

Taste, baby! (revisited)

Happy New Year to all of you! I’m back from a whirlwind trip through South India – 14 days, 2 plane rides, 4 train rides, 9 cities, and various minibus, automobile, and auto-rickshaw adventures. 100 family members (really), 10 colorful shops, 4 amazing tours, and a partridge in a pear tree. (Sorry, baby, couldn’t resist.)

In the middle of my amazing race around the country, I had a genuine tea cupping encounter. Picture this . . . I am in the home of a tea merchant, asking him about his experiences in the industry. Suddenly, he tells me that I must take his tea cupping test, to identify the special blend that he has created for his own business.

Daunting.

We go out onto his house balcony, where his charming daughter-in-law, also a tea aficionado, has set up a line of identical white tea cups and tiny tasting pots. When the correct amount of time passes, she moves swiftly from cup to cup, stopping the steeping process and pouring the tea liquors.

The merchant talks me through each taste. Remember, tea tasting involves a good long look at the liquid as well as a few minutes spent absorbing its aroma. It also requires one noisy slurp from a spoon that allows the tea liquor to cover all parts of the mouth for the most complete taste possible.

This was a true high point in my trip – an authentic and unexpected tasting experience in the middle of the land where tea is actually grown and produced. And to do this with an expert, a person whose life is tea, was just amazing.

And, in case you were wondering, based upon his discussion of what is important to him for his tea blends, I was able to identify his special blend (phew)!

Copyright 2008, East West Blends, LLC, All Rights Reserved

Happy holidays, baby!

Best wishes to all of you for a warm and wonderful holiday season. Thank you for your support and patronage. I’m looking forward to all that 2008 will bring.

Copyright 2007, East West Blends, LLC, All Rights Reserved

Get inspired, baby!

One of the many challenges of entrepreneurship is maintaining vision and energy after the initial excitement of launch. A fantastic website resource for inspiration is Ladies Who Launch (www.ladieswholaunch.com).

Co-founded by Victoria Colligan and Beth Schoenfeldt, Ladies Who Launch is an online magazine full of entrepreneurial success stories of every kind. It is also the source of a rapidly expanding, nationwide incubator program. That, along with other features (for example, a promotional “launch pad”), make this website worth a good look (and the free subscription).

My favorite portion of the website, Featured Ladies, contains profiles of women in a wide array of professions and businesses, from new entrepreneurs to seasoned business veterans, from the ultra-famous to the regular josephines.

Of course, stories of productive and creative women pursuing their dreams are inspiring in and of themselves. Even more memorable for me, though, are the answers these women provide for the tough interview questions: “How do you handle fear?” “What do you do with rejection?” Upon reading their responses, it always strikes me that, hey, these women are real. They have actually faced serious challenges and overcome serious obstacles. It’s not an easy world out there, yet they have achieved tremendous success within it.

My favorite interview question in Featured Ladies is “How do you define success?” Interestingly, even though these women have achieved recognition, wealth, and all that the world has to offer, those don’t constitute “success” in their eyes. Instead, these women define success as happiness or peace or fulfillment. How’s that for perspective?

Oh, and baby, you’ll love their tagline -- it reads “entrepreneurship & creativity as a lifestyle!” For me, knowing that this combination has been possible for so many women – well, that is the best inspiration of all.

Copyright 2007, East West Blends, LLC, All Rights Reserved

Ayur-what? Ayurveda, baby!

There’s been a lot of interest in our Relaxation Blend due to its unique combination of ingredients: cardamom, licorice, coriander, fennel, ginger, and rose petals. Why were those ingredients chosen? Well, this particular blend of ingredients is based in the principles of Ayurveda.

Ayur-what?? For those who are unfamiliar, Ayurveda is an ancient Indian system of holistic health maintenance and healing. In fact, it is thousands of years old and has its roots in the Vedas, the sacred texts. Its focus is keeping an individual in balance and alignment with nature.

According to Ayurveda, there are three body bodily elements, called doshas. The Relaxation Blend is known as “tridoshic,” meaning that it benefits and balances the three doshas. All of the ingredients have a calming and harmonizing effect, particularly with regard to digestion. Though it will benefit the drinker at any time of day, it is intended to be particularly soothing after meals.

So, get that teacup and take a load off, baby!

Note that the above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. The information and our products are not intended to be used for the diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of disease.

Copyright 2007, East West Blends, LLC, All Rights Reserved