March 17, 2022
Dear Reader,
Please excuse my absence if late. I use Wix as a platform for this site had some technical issues with my desktop app. The company has been dedicating resources toward the safety of its 1,000 Ukrainian employees. I’m very proud to be there customer.
Read more here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/03/02/ukraine-workers-wix/
Below you will find the post I wrote on the heels of our vacation in February. Lots of tea!
March 2, 2022
Did you miss me? Last month my family and I traveled to the Mont Tremblant ski resort, which is just north of Montreal. If you haven’t been there, it is truly the best winter getaway for skiers of all levels, non-skiers, and teenagers who are traveling together. I’m sure it is great for younger kids too, but I have only been there as a teenager myself, with other adults, and my own teenagers. We stayed in a suite with a kitchenette right in the village so I was able to enjoy my morning tea without feeling rushed to drive to the mountain to find parking and could slip back for afternoon breaks. For the trip I brought our trusty Mincing Lane from Upton Tea Imports for the mornings and for easy packing and measuring, Black Dragon Pearls from Tea Runners and Gunpowder from The Tea Spot.
The skiing was dreamy, restaurants were fantastic, and my kids were able to walk around without us, which they loved. As if all that was not enough, I was able to enjoy some new teas that I discovered were all crafted by the same local blender!
The first was in a small Parisian-inspired cafe: English Breakfast, called Hello Hello and made by Lady T, with tapioca notes and a strong chocolate and jam taste of Chinese black tea. It is a wonderful combination of teas from China, India, and Kenya. I found this to be such an interesting blend because so far I have mostly encountered blends that contain teas from China OR Kenya, so this was a nice, enriching, variation.
Later that evening, I ordered a Lychee Black tea with my meal at a Pan-Asian restaurant. I was so glad that I tried some lychee juice just the week before or else I may not have been able to define the flavor for myself. The dark-chocolate flavor of the tea from the Yunnan province pairs well with the bitter and sweet qualities of the lychee. It stood up well to my General Tso’s chicken and chow mein noodles, which were packed with flavor themselves. The tea vendor was not listed on the menu, so I did not know that the Black Lychee tea was called Kokomo and was also sold by Lady T.
The next morning we had our last meal at the resort at our favorite Maisson de Crepes. When I ordered a cup of Assam team named “Edge” it arrived in a wrapped tea sachet from Lady T and branded especially for the restaurant. Some quick web research led me to Lady T herself, Elise Perreault, and her nearby tea boutique.
Elise is a TAC Certified Tea Sommelier, like me, so I was really looking forward to meeting her. The space she has created in her boutique is vibrant and easy to enjoy. Her teas are displayed in large canisters on two walls and have brightly-colored labels and have clever names, many of which are inspired by song titles. Her collection emphasizes pure teas and she also has many unique tea and herbal blends. Elise is as warm and welcoming as her teas are delicious. It was a pleasure to connect with her as another “alumna” of the Academy of Tea sommelier program. As one of the first graduates of the program, Elise generously offered to stay in contact with me as a resource and mentor as I find my way in the tea world.
What a terrific unexpected surprise!
I hope you will visit ladyt.ca and try some of Elise’s custom blends!
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