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Aesthetica Tea Studio, 100 Kasson Road, Camillus, NY (2026)

09/13/2026

Join me for a tasting at our new, larger tea table at the ! And as always, our comfy cushion seating area is always ready for a Gongfu Cha ritual session! Keep watching this Autumn for tea tastings and workshop events!

09/08/2026

BACK TO SCHOOL TEA TIME! September is in full bloom... teachers and students alike are back in school mode (or will be tomorrow), and I'm heading back to work after a nice end of summer holiday, I thought today would be a great day to get back into the routine of my (nearly) weekly tea blog. After a beautiful Tuesday in the yard, alternating between gardening and relaxing in a hammock, I decided a nice tea session with a great Oolong would be a perfect end to the afternoon. Today's Tea is a Qi Lan Wuyi Oolong, grown in the Wuyi Mountains in the Fujian province of China. This very popular tea is one of the more delicate Oolongs, with a delicious, smooth texture, low astringency, and distinct flavor note of orchids, stone fruits, and toasted nuts. Qi Lan tea (奇兰, meaning "Rare Orchid"), is less oxidized and more lightly roasted than other Wuyi oolongs, giving it a delicate sweetness with less minerality. Today, I brewed this one a bit cooler, about 200°F, Gongfu style, with a 5 second initial steeping, so as to ensure the delicate flavor notes matched the beautiful, fragrant aroma... and the beautiful golden amber color of the tea itself completes this absolute treat for the senses! And of course, because of how it's both created and brewed, the caffeine profile is calmly moderate,... perfect for an afternoon refresh. Keep watching for tastings and Tea Events at the !

08/25/2026

JOIN IN THE CELEBRATION WITH AESTHETICA TEA STUDIO! Come to the Aesthetica Salon Spa 30th Anniversary Celebration on Saturday August 29, 12pm to 3pm, and tour the Aesthetica Tea Studio! All teaware, teapots, and tea accessories will be 10% off! And... all in-stock Verdant Tea will be BUY ONE GET ONE HALF OFF (equal or lesser value)! Discover how you can schedule a private Gongfu Tea event for your group, or attend a workshop in the Gonfu Cha ritual!

08/22/2026

TEA LOVERS! COME TO THE AESTHETICA SALON SPA 30TH ANNIVERSARY EVENT ON SATURDAY AUGUST 29 12PM TO 3PM AND CHECK OUT INCREDIBLE SALES FROM AESTHETICA TEA STUDIO! All our teaware, teapots, and tea accessories will be 10% off, and all Verdant Tea will be BOGO half off (equal or lesser value)! Limited to in-stock items only!

06/22/2026

Happy First Day of Summer from the ! Its been a bit since I've had a chance to sit for tea and create an update here (too much time tending to the lavender at the Liverpool Lavender Farm ) ... but since this first Summer Day is cool and rainy, it was a great time to relax in the home tea room and enjoy some great tea! During warmer months, I enjoy a lot of white teas... with a more delicate flavor profile than black teas, plus being brewed at lower water temperatures, white teas make a great, refreshing pick me up any time of a nice summer day. Today I'm having a Yue Guang Bia white tea from Verdant Tea... an aged, pressed tea that comes in a mini-cake. This tea is created from a winter harvested Da Bai varietal from Yunnan, that grows semi wild in the region, and takes on the complex minerality and almost fruity herbaceous notes from the environment. This amazing tea is pressed into 4 portion disks, and age incredibly... in Verdant Tea's own words:

"This Yue Guangbai, or moonlight white is has the kind of complexity you’d expect from Sheng pu’er but with the smooth, crisp, floral quality of fine white tea. Notes of jasmine, burdock, nutmeg, orange and marigold."

I brew a piece of this tea for about 25 seconds with 205° water in a gaiwan... and like many pressed teas, I'll do two quick rinses (don't forget to feed your Chá Chong (Tea Pet)). With each successive steeping, the color of the brew deepens, and the lucious savory fruit and floral notes leave a cooling, lingering mouth feel... although I've not yet tried it this would make an incredible iced tea too!

04/20/2026

GONGFU TEA, JUST FOR ME? Or, is it OK to brew Gongfu style tea when it's only for me?
The answer, without any hesitation is absolutely YES! The Gongfu Cha ritual is perfect for creating a few moments of mindful calm for yourself, and allows you to really explore, savor, and enjoy the world of fine teas. The term Gongfu Cha literally translates to "tea with skill"... doing your own ritual when making tea in this way, is really all about mindfulness and intention. In my home tea studio, I just enjoy having some time in a quiet space, being comfortable, with a few things around me that I find beautiful, to enhance the mood even more. You do not need your own tea room at home of course... but I do absolutely encourage people to create their own "tea nook"...it doesn't have to be fancy. Pick a place in your home that isn't a high energy or high traffic area... maybe that unused chair by a window, a little cozy corner of your living room with a bunch of floor pillows , or maybe even that guest room that never gets used anymore. Put a few things there that give you Joy, near whatever comfortable area you choose... add a small table to hold a tea tray, a small plant or a little bud vase, a candle if you like, and maybe an object or spiritual item that gives you a special sense of peace. A small tea tray (cha pan) , a gaiwan or teapot (chahu), a Gong Dao Bei (Fairness Pitcher), a tea cup (cha bei), and maybe a small tea towel (cha jin)...of course, a tea pet (cha chong) is a fun addition to keep you company). I think the best way to keep hot water handy if you're not close to your kettle is to fill an insulated carafe, or that giant travel hot beverage mug that we all have more than one of sitting in our cupboards! When you're making your tea, be present and mindful. Play some relaxing music, if you like. Give the experience of making and drinking the tea one that has your full attention... from counting the seconds to each steeping, to the aroma of the both the leaves and the tea itself, and the flavor the subtle notes you taste and how the tea feels as you drink it. Just enjoy everything about it with mindfulness and intention... and you've created your very own Gongfu Cha ritual... just for YOU! Remember, has a curated collection of all the basics and essentials that you may need to create your own Tea Nook...stop in check out our selection of teaware and accessories as well as our selection of tea from verdanttea.com! And remember, your $20 purchase entitles to your own complimentary, personal Gongfu Cha session with me (by appointment)!

04/14/2026

TUESDAY TEATIME! Today's tea: Bai Mu Dan Wuyi Oolong! This wonderful tea is perfect for a spring afternoon...its gentle roasty, toasty notes are delightfully accented with crisp, bright notes of jasmine, star anise, peony, and pomegranate! This incredible combination is created from Da Bai varietal tea, grown in Wuyishan and typically used for a crisp, floral white tea... but in this case, it's finished as a roasted Oolong, giving it a perfect blend of the deeper flavor typical of a Wuyi Oolong with the aromatic favor notes of a crisp white tea. I brew this tea in one of favorite yixing teapots , with 5g of tea and 205° water , for about 6 seconds, adding another 3 seconds to each successive steep. This tea would also be amazingly delicious as an iced tea!
Ask me about setting up a tasting session for you and your friends, or about joining me for a tea service at the # !

03/31/2026

(RAINY) TUESDAY TEATIME! While I'm waiting for ACTUAL spring to show itself, when I can enjoy having tea out in the gardens in the sunshine, I decided to have one of my favorite floral teas today: Yunnan Golden Jasmine. This wonderful tea is made from Golden Fleece black tea and night blooming Jasmine flowers. Huge buds are picked from Yunnan Da Bai, a varietal normally used for white tea. These buds are allowed to fully oxidize into black tea, but during oxidation and drying, wild jasmine blossoms are scattered among the buds, allowing the natural aroma of the jasmine to absorb over several days into the tea itself. The jasmine flowers have to be changed and renewed six times over six days to get a full aromatic infusion that lasts over many steepings. The old craft of true jasmine scenting is a slow laborious process, but the results are worth it. This tea is as rich and sweet as Golden Fleece and as luscious as Jasmine. I brew this one with 205° water to 5g of tea... and on warm days for something deliciously cool and refreshing, this tea is wonderful iced! Just add 5g tea to 12oz room temp water (I use a mason jar), and refrigerate overnight, then serve over ice! Yunnan Golden Jasmine Tea is in stock at the !

03/17/2026

TUESDAY TEA TIME! Today's tea: (and one of my all time favorites) Da Hong Pao... also known as Big Red Robe! This Oolong tea has been called the "King of the Rock Teas", and is one of the most famous Oolongs, created from tea plants growing in the high elevations of the Wuyi Mountains of China. According to legend, the Emperor at the time was restored to health with a tea brewed from the tea plants growing in this rocky, mountainous area, and in appreciation, ordered that the tea trees be covered with a red robe, the highest symbol of honor and nobility... and so beginning the Big Red Robe name for this Oolong tea. The long, twisted leaves of this Big Red Robe from are roasted in bamboo baskets over smoldering charcoal embers to bring out the rich minerality of the region. The gorgeous deep amber color of this tea gives of a beautiful orchid aroma... and has a flavor with notes of chocolate, caramel, allspice, tangerine, and geranium... with a deep minerality and juicy mouthfeel. I brew this one with 5g of tea with water at about 210° in a clay yixing teapot, for about 5 or 6 seconds, adding 3 seconds for each additional steep. If you'd like to try this tea, or any of the other wonderful Oolong teas at the , let me know!

03/10/2026

TUESDAY TEA TIME! I'm always excited to try new teas, and share them with people at the the ... the Aesthetica team is always happy to try out new teas and newly discovered teas from verdanttea.com, and give me honest feedback! When I'm tasting a new tea for myself, there are a few things I do to start to get a good idea of what I might expect from the tea, as well as gaining some info so I can learn to brew that tea in a way that brings out is best characteristics and always get a wonderful brew, and share with others how to do the same. Firstly, I inspect the dry tea...I look for leaf shape and size. Is it smaller leaves? That might indicate a tea made from younger leaves, that may need a lower brewing temperature. Are the leaves twisted or balled up? That may mean it might need a longer step to open the leaves up properly. Next, I take a deep breath of the dry leaves, to get an idea of what flavor notes I might experience. Is it smoky? Floral? Or does it have a fresh green aroma? When I first brew a new tea, I do use a pretty exact measurement, 5g of dry tea, and I will almost always brew it in a white porcelain gaiwan... so I can see the swirling of the leaves, and how fast the leaves may open and increase in volume. This first steep in Gongfu Cha style tea is the 'waking up the tea' wash step, and although discarded will give off the aroma notes that will give clues as to the flavors that may be present. I do like to try a new tea in a white porcelain cha bei (teacup) as well, so I can see the color of the brew, as well as it's clarity and hue. My first sip of the first brew is always a good hearty slurp... which is not just allowed in Gongfu Cha sessions but encouraged! Gently slurping the tea as you sip aerates the tea and allows it coat the entire palette to help detect the nuanced flavor notes. After 3 or 4 sips, I like to pause and reflect on any lingering sensations and impressions of the tea... did it have a smooth or velvety mouthfeel? Did it leave a cooling sensation? Did it have a juiciness to it?
With each brew I'll revisit the colors of tea, the aroma, the flavor, and the after sensations... this will help me decide how much time to add to each steeping in future sessions, and about how many steepings I might get from the tea..
Does any of this sound familiar? If you've ever done a w**e tasting with a w**e sommelier, the process is very similar. In Gongfu Cha, we assess the tea visually, both before, and as we brew...we breathe its aroma to discover what notes may be carried into its flavor...we use our taste to experience different complexities of the tea's flavor and mouth feel. And lastly of course, we decide if this is a tea that we can enjoy and create a certain feeling for our overall being... whether it be a lively, energized feeling, or a sensation of calm and relaxation... or anything in between!
By the way... today's tea was a brand new offering (and my first time experiencing it) from Verdant: a Laoshan Osmanthus Oolong, produced in Autumn 2025... and I can report, its wonderful! Ask me if you'd like to know more, or if you'd like to join me for a tasting!

Aesthetica Tea Studio

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