Tea Party Comes To You
Near Simply Good Tea was our first exhibitor that will bring a tea party to you - Take Time for Tea. A great concept if you like to host parties, but not do the cooking. This way, all you have to do is clean the house and choose the area for your tea party. They do the rest for you.
I'm sorry we didn't get better pictures here. She had lots of lovely wares. You can see some behind me. And she was so very friendly.
Coffee Bean Jewelry
Sun Ministries had a space to show off their unique products. Their urban outreach teaches skills and raises funds through re-purposed coffee bags and jewelry.
I focused on the jewelry rack and found a really cute bracelet.
Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of me wearing it here, but it is on the rack and you'll see it in future photos. I chose a blue and white with the coffee beans (not the one up front, but on the lower hook in front of me).
These hair clips were really cute too.
Who doesn't love donuts or doughnuts? These were awesome! So much better than Dunkin Donuts or the ones in the grocery store. We actually went back for a second sample they were so good.
Hmmm, which should we choose? Powdered? Cinnamon? Plain? Which would you choose?
Another fabulous tea exhibit was Joseph Wesley Black Teas. They have a unique way of labeling their teas.
The display...so very eye catching.
Aren't those tea cups beautiful? The potter actually colors the clay before throwing.
The tea egg is a type of single serve infuser. Has a better seal so leaves don't escape. A really nice woman opened the egg so we could get a picture. The metal "spoon" scoops up you tea leaves, then you pop the black top on and swirl it through your cup. Very cute!
He also had dishes of the different blends out so you could see the leaves and smell the aroma.
I remember tasting the tea here and while I don't have a picture with my cup, I can safely say it was wonderful without an sweeteners or additions. It sounds silly, but it was warm, comforting, and relaxing - something you sipped and smiled afterward.
Much more fun to share. I hope you are enjoying this series as much as I did the festival. Stop back again soon!
Best wishes,
Note to readers: The Philly Coffee and Tea
Festival is a public event. Melody
and I went out of curiosity and to learn more about one of our favorite things
- tea. Our event recap and subsequent reviews are completely our own opinions -
unsolicited by event coordinators or exhibitors. All links are provided for
education purposes; no purchase is required.
#phillycoffee&teafestival
#taketimefortea
#sunministries
#josephwesleytea
Making Our Way Around
There were so very many people and excitement was in the air. We picked our way around the Philly Coffee and Tea Festvial a few times to get the best pictures as well as stay out of the way of other visitors. Sometimes that was tough, but we were polite and apologized when necessary.
Not Just Tea and Coffee
One of the first treat exhibits we visited was Full Spirited Flavours.
These cakes looked fabulous! I didn't have any, but Xyra had a bite-sized sample of the limoncello and chocolate raspberry cakes and said they were really yummy.
Flamingos!
The Manuel Caffe area had a great flaming tea set that made me think of Nana Kestrel. She'd love these.
They also had a tea pot similar to the one Xyra has at work for brewing loose leaf tea.
The first non-flavored tea we tasted was from Ghograjan Tea Estate.
Yash was sharing their orthodox Assam tea. It was wonderful! No sugar needed at all. No bitterness. Just delicious.
These spoons hold samples of the orthodox tea (the two on the right) and the crush, tear, curl (the two on the left).
It was very interesting to see the full leaf with the small leaf and the granules. The crush, tear, curl is the kind you add ginger and milk to. This tea pot was really pretty and the clear mug shows the lovely color of the brewed tea.
This exhibitor's company had a great idea! Their loose leaf teas are packed in single serve measurements. Kind of like a tea bag, but without the bag. So many varieties to choose from too.
Another great idea! Their special infuser travel mug or bottle.
You pour in your packet of tea, add the water, screw on the top and go. The strainer is in the top so it keeps the leaves from getting through. So cool!
They even have blooming teas. Aren't the blossoms pretty?
[We just got a great note to share with you. If you are interested in trying anything from Simply Good Tea, you can get a 10% discount on your order by entering "MelodyQ" at checkout. That's so sweet! Thank you!]
Realization
I think we're going to stop our practice of prepping the cup during our tea reviews. The teas we tasted at the Philly Coffee & Tea Festival were so good, they didn't need anything in them (except one). So from now on we will taste the tea without and add after, if necessary.
Thank you for stopping. More from the festival soon.
Best wishes,
Note to readers: The Philly Coffee and Tea
Festival is a public event. Melody
and I went out of curiosity and to learn more about one of our favorite things
- tea. Our event recap and subsequent reviews are completely our own opinions -
unsolicited by event coordinators or exhibitors. All links are provided for
education purposes; no purchase is required
#coffeetearestivalphilly
#ghograjanteaestate
#simplygoodtea
#fullspiritedflavours
#manuelcaffe
Event Post Schedule
As I mentioned in the previous post, Xyra and I had a fabulous time at the Philly Coffee and Tea Festival. We took 76 pictures! Talked to so many great people. So I just can't make it all one post. I think the event itself will be 7 posts, the recap will be 2, and then product reviews after that. I really hope you enjoy this series.
Heading Out to Oaks
Saturday was gorgeous. Chilly enough for a coat and light sweater. And for an indoor event.
Traffic wasn't too bad, but parking...we walked a decent piece to Expo Hall D.
Arrival
Once inside Hall D we checked in and picked up our Media Pass. That was really neat. Then...it was kind of overwhelming, but we took a deep breath, looked at our map, put it away and jumped right in. Lady Marvin of the Lamppost would have loved it here!
The closest booth to check in was Capital Teas. The woman closest to us was offering samples of the Roasted Almond tea. It was really good! Tasted like the toffee covered almonds you can get at faires and carnivals and some movie theaters. And it was pink!
They offered samples of 3 or 4 different teas. We tried two, the Roasted Almond and Oh Christmas Tea, both were outstanding.
Lots of interesting flavors to choose from. Figgy Pudding sounded great, but we bought a different flavor. The tins are beautiful.
If you weren't certain about a flavor, you could go to a viewing area where you could see and smell the different blends.
This is the black Cream Earl Grey.
Sipware was also available.
All of the Capital Teas people were very friendly and helpful.
Note to readers: The Philly Coffee and Tea Festival is a public event. Melody and I went out of curiosity and to learn more about one of our favorite things - tea. Our event recap and subsequent reviews are completely our own opinions - unsolicited by event coordinators or exhibitors. All links are provided for education purposes; no purchase is required.
#phillycoffeeteafestival
#capitalteas
Getting Ready
Heading out to the Philadelphia Coffee and Tea Festival...What to wear? I want to look nice, but also be comfy. I think this will do, but I'll add cream tights.
Home
Oh. My. Gosh! What a fabulous day! I can't wait to tell you all about it! It was so much fun getting to meet great people and tasting so many wonderful teas. We got something for Gramma Enne's birthday and Nana Kestral's Christmas stocking.
The people were really nice. One I have to tell you about right now because I really hope she didn't think we were rude. I was trying to pose and talk to two people at the same time. Anyway, this really nice woman works for Sophia's and asked if we were with Doll Diaries. So flattering, but answered honestly, "No." When I went to tell her how much we enjoy seeing Sophia's products, she was gone. :( I really hope she had a good time at the festival too.
Thank you for stopping. Come back again soon!
Best wishes,
#phillycoffeeteafestival
Happy All Saints' Day!
(Yes, we're a bit late.) This is the time to celebrate all of our ancestors and friends who have passed away. Remember all the good times with them and celebrate their time in our lives.
October
Whew! That Doll Diaries October Challenge was awesome! We got every day done. Maybe not on that day, but still..."A for effort," right! There are a few other October events that had to take back seat for a bit. Now we can really work on them - like October Coolspring.
Halloween Recap
Last night we went trick or treating. Did you go? It was a lot of fun.
We did that first so we could come back and help Xyra.
Then we could see everyone else's costumes.
There were a lot of neat ones.
We saw minions, pirates, witches...
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Harry Potter...
Boys dressed as girls, girls dressed as boys...
Ladybugs AND more Anna's than Elsa's.
But of the many that came by only 6 were Frozen themed.
At our house you won't get candy though.
We give out Pirate Booty (cheese curls), Goldfish crackers, Annie's bunny cookies and crackers, and other things like that.
Some really appreciate the difference.
We hope you had fun this weekend!
Best wishes,
