We made it through another 365 days on our spinning planet and are ready to welcome the next. The recent holiday season was hard to predict and delivered a sort of roller coaster ride for many. Hopefully all our readers landed on the upside and had a terrific season.

Speaking of ups and downs, the economy seemed to mostly have been in a back slide for 2011, giving only brief glimpses of recovery. Even so, tea continues to be the comfort food of many, providing gentle succor and a non-caloric way to indulge the senses. This bodes well for the tea purveyor, small or large. Though if solely a brick and mortar venture, it might be time to consider an online presence for broader exposure to a variety of clients in case your locality is struggling.

The New Year 2012 is an election year here in the US and so with that cloak of uncertainty we can probably expect more of the same. Expect economic fluctuations, more tales of hardship and a bumper car ride of starts and stops... more

Indulge in too many sugarplums? We all do it this time of year and then face January with regret. What can we offer the customer wanting to lighten up and re-point their dietary intake? What flavors are popular with the post-holiday side of winter?

Green teas are a great place to start. Loaded with antioxidants, light bodied and delicious, green tea is a natural addition to a healthy lifestyle. For non-flavored varieties, a good Dragonwell is a nice winter tea because of its natural toasted chestnut nuances. Yum! A good one will have a slightly umami mouth feel with some fruit-like sweetness in the finish.

Also a nice brothy Japanese sencha can bring a warm soup kind of comfort on cold, wind blown days. If the one you offer has a little bit of sweet grass or even apricot, it could offer a glimpse of spring.

If your customers are primarily flavored tea drinkers, citrus is a very popular choice. Our Citron Green is a steamed green base with a combination of citrus flavors, resulting in a bright, uplifting, balanced cup tea... more

It is always great to receive new products, but we are especially pleased to announce the addition of cast iron teapots to our wholesale offering. Long used in Japan and revered for their elegance, durability and heat retention, cast iron teapots have become a popular choice for tea enthusiasts in the western parts of the globe.

Great as gifts and beautiful in food service, our cast iron teapots come with stainless steel infusers for easy loose leaf steeping. Each of the three styles has matching cups available - sold in sets of two as an optional purchase.

Making them even dearer to my heart is that I was able to visit the factory in Jinghua, Zhejiang province, China where these teapots are made. Watching the skillful artisans work each piece and the kindly owners guide and advise them was fascinating and informative.

Tea harvests vary from one crop to the next and don't stand the test of time (except for pu erh, of course), but these beauties are intended to last a lifetime and be passed from one generation to the next... more