05/14/2026
The Story Behind My Curated Tea Collection.
As a long-time tea drinker, my own tastes have heavily influenced the teas I offer. But I also pay close attention to what sells well and the trends my customers love. It all started with Cream Earl Grey, which was a bestseller from the very beginning. Then came one of my first original creations: Almond Orange Rooibos. I had sampled an Orange Creamsicle Rooibos that was close to what I wanted, but it was missing something. When I blended it with an Almond Fruit tea, it came alive. That “something” clicked, and it quickly became one of my most popular blends.
Not long after, I wanted to do the same with a black tea base. I had a special creamy black tea blended just for me — a true Creamsicle Black that didn’t exist anywhere else. Combined with the Almond Fruit tea, it became another winner. Over the years at my Teahouse, I added several creamy flavored blends (not my own creations) that filled out the list and became customer favorites. Royal Irish with its butterscotch notes always reminded me of my grandmother and her favorite hard candy.
Paris is a unique flavored tea with notes that are hard to name — I believe it’s very close to the famous Marco Polo blend from Mariage Frères. I even experimented myself, trying to recreate that elusive flavor using ylang-ylang, frangipani, and other subtle florals. It taught me how difficult it is to achieve the right kind of creaminess. Vanilla alone is too overdone. One of my greatest successes is Meyer Lemon Cream. No lemon tea I had ever tasted was good enough for my list. Meyer lemons have always been a favorite of mine, and Meyer Lemon Bars were a staple dessert at the Teahouse. After attending blending classes at the World Tea Expo and working with master blender Steve Schwartz, it took over a year of samples to finally get it right. The Meyer Lemon Rooibos soon followed.
Oh My Chai was pure fun. I wanted a creamy chai when none existed, so I created one with caramel, white chocolate, chai spices, and floral tones. I mixed it by hand for a long time before having a tea company produce it exclusively for me. It’s still one of my personal favorites. Then there’s Buttons — a tea I originally made just for myself. The combination of vanilla, caramel, mint, and rose somehow reminded me of my button collection, so that became its name. It turned out too good not to share.
Newest to the list is Peaches and Cream. I had been asking my favorite tea company for a peach tea for years. They finally created one — and made it creamy! It’s exclusive to me and has been very well received. And coming soon… a bright, fun herbal tea I created for a Garden Club program. It’s a blend of lemongrass, lemon verbena, peppermint, coconut, lavender, and butterfly pea flower. When brewed it turns a beautiful purple, and adding milk turns it lavender. The coconut gives it a lovely creamy note. Everyone at the meeting loved it, so I named it Garden Club.
Finally, one of the strongest and richest teas in my collection is French Caramel Crème Brûlée. This is not one of my own blends, but it has a devoted following. Pro tip: If you keep some in your tea pantry, add just a partial teaspoon to any other tea (Apricot, Irish Breakfast, Assam, English Breakfast — anything!) and it adds the most beautiful creamy depth. It’s my secret weapon for satisfying my cream-loving taste buds. These are the stories behind many of the teas I offer. Each one started with curiosity, a desire for something better, and a lot of tasting and experimenting. I hope you enjoy them as much as I’ve loved creating them for you.
