a trip to halcyon tea, south park, san diego + a giveaway!

Happy Independence Day! I know the Food Blogger Code says I should post something red, white, and blue, but I’m a rebel (that’s in the spirit of independence, right?). Here’s a post I’ve been working on for 2 weeks instead — with a giveaway! Hope you enjoy it.

Confession time: I’m having a love affair.

We currently live in the North Park neighborhood of San Diego. It’s got great restaurants, a weekly farmer’s market, and good nightlife. It’s walkable, I play soccer a block away, it rocks.

But lately I’ve been feeling guilty, keeping my eyes down as I turn to the alley where my car is parked instead of pounding the pavement. I’ve been cheating on my ‘hood — with our neighbor, South Park.

It’s like living with an awesome, easy-going guy who likes classic rock, football, and craft beer, but day-dreaming of a musician/architect boyfriend who takes you to galleries and writes you poetry. The incident that sparked this new romance?

A visit to a tea shop. Ironic, since I’m not much of a tea drinker.

Then again, Halcyon Tea probably isn’t the type of tea shop you’re thinking of.

“Halcyon Tea offers a curated selection of quality teas, teaware, and select items related to tea culture and design. We value our customers and provide them with a thoughtfully-designed experience built on a foundation of authenticity, artistry, and sustainability. We are dedicated to fair, respectful business practices and a strong community focus.”

Customers drive down from North County, but the shop is definitely part of the neighborhood and celebrates being a part of that community.

Jessica, my friend who works there, suggested that I pop by to try some tea she thought I would like. Not only did I like her suggestion, but I also loved the shop. It’s cozy but zen, stylish without trying too hard.

The shop sells loose teas from around the world, plus a well-edited selection of tea accessories, books, and decor. A small seating area loiters near the windows, and two stools are nestled under the counter for customer who want to taste some of their teas.

It’s not a cafe, but they do prepare sample infusions for a small charge.

The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. Jessica explained the differences between the teas as I inhaled the fragrances from various canisters ranging from sweet to downright funky. The menu of options is quite impressive, so she recommended some choices based on my preferences.

She mentioned that the shop hosts events, including a healthful teas workshop I might enjoy. A recent goal is to say yes more, so I jumped at the opportunity.

A week later I was perched at a table set with white porcelain teacups and mason jars of water, learning the history of tea from Eyton Shalom, a local acupuncturist and ayurvedic practitioner.

Tea was originally drunk for medicinal purposes before it became a popular beverage at court. All tea comes from the same type of plant, the color differences are based on how oxidized or fermented the leaves are before steeping. “Herbal teas” without actual tea in them are technically called “tisanes.”

We tasted three different teas, each with different properties and attributes.

First up was Tung Ting oolong tea from Taiwan (upper left in photo). The unsteeped leaves smell like sweet, delicate jasmine flowers, and the pale gold infusion tastes like it, too. Oolong tea is said to aid weight loss, digestion, high cholesterol, and skin disorders.

Next was Hong Mao Feng, an earthy reddish black tea that reminded me of wet fall leaves (lower left in photo). Despite the “damp” odor, black teas are warming which helps fuel the digestive fire. It tasted lovely and not like it smelled.

Last was the Organic Rooibos Chai, a caffeine-free tisane of mixed herbs and spices (right side of photo). “Rooibos” means “red bush,” and refers to the plant from which it is derived. Common Indian masala chai spices including cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and black pepper round out the tasty mix. People often add honey and/or milk.

If you’re familiar with either ayurveda or traditional Chinese medicine, you’ve probably heard of “warming” and “cooling” properties of food. For tea, red and black teas are warming, white and green teas are cooling, oolong and pu-erh are neutral.

Unsure which properties are best for you? Read more about ayurvedic doshas here.

After the workshop, attendees crowded the counter to purchase the teas we had sampled, local chocolate bars, and other accessories.

For someone who doesn’t drink tea, I was impressed at how much I’d liked all three samples we’d tried. Did I get the sweet floral Tung Ting, the earthy Hong Mao Feng, or the spicy rooibos chai? They were so different but all good. The chai can be prepared several ways, with milk, honey, or plain. The two teas can be infused 3 times, with different nuances developing after each steeping. What to do?

In the end, I cheated. I didn’t buy myself any tea. Some herbal tea had accompanied me home from my previous visit and I only live a few miles away for when I go back.

But you don’t. That’s why I got tea for you instead.

I’m giving away TWO 1-ounce bags of tea — one Tung Ting Oolong, one Organic Rooibos Chai. One ounce doesn’t sound like much, but a single teaspoon of tea can be infused 3 times, so it’s more than you’d think.

Is that all? No! I’ll throw some other random stuff that I have not yet decided!

Giveaway Rules

• Contest runs from July 4, 2011 through Monday, July 11, 2011 at 11:59pm PST
• Contest is open to people in the US or abroad! Hooray!
• Two winners will be selected at random after the contest closes and be announced July 12. If winners do not reply to emails within 2 days, a new winner will be chosen.

How to Enter

1. Leave a comment on this post on or before July 11 telling me your favorite kind of tea and way to enjoy it.
2. Become a fan of Little Blue Hen on Facebook and leave a comment here saying so (current fans can do this, too!)
3. Follow me on Twitter AND tweet about the giveaway: Enter to win the @halcyontea #giveaway from @stacyblue http://su.pr/20N5y4 Leave a comment here telling me you did.
4. “Like” this post on StumbleUpon and leave a comment here telling me you did.

That’s it! Tea could be yours. Plus some other stuff. It will be a surprise.

Whether you’re the FTC or just nosy, I was not compensated in any way for this post. I paid my own admission to the event, and I purchased the tea myself. I wanted to give a shout out to a great local business and share their lovely products with you.

Tagged as: giveaway, san diego, tea