Crush holiday sales with Kringle's Krush creamy candy cane tea!

Spread some holiday cheer with Candy Cane Black Tea — a best-selling blend that delivers comfort, nostalgia, and strong seasonal sales.

Introducing Orange Spice Black Tea, a fresh take on one of our most beloved blends. Learn more!

The matcha craze has opened the door for vibrant powders like butterfly pea flower, turmeric, and beetroot—perfect for diversifying your menu and attracting health-conscious customers.

Learn why Pumpkin Spice Lattes matter and how they can benefit your tea business.

WHOLESALE PREVIEW: Check out our newest tea: Decaf Breakfast - Rich, complex, and jitter free for your caffeine-sensitive customers and late-night sippers.

Sometimes teabags are the best option for food service. Learn about full-leaf premium teabag options from AdagioXL for your cafe, tearoom, spa, or restaurant.

Checkout our newest release: White Sangria tea -bursting with fruity flavors and refreshing white tea!

Enhance sales with the gift of knowledge! Share tea blending tips with your customers to empower them and encourage tea sales.

Get ready for ICED TEA SEASON! Check out these great tips to make hay while the sun shines!

Maximize your matcha sales this March with our matcha sales primer.

Add decadence to your spring tea menu with out newest blend: Caramel Creme Brulee!

Looking to stuff some stockings with tea gifts? Check out these tea-lightful options for your holiday season tea menu!

Some basic tea brewing info if you are new to offering premium teas. Read on and buff up your tea skills!

Looking for premium teas, herbs, and spices for your craft brewing creations? We have you covered with years of experience and a wide array of products!

It's back-to-school time! Ramp up sales with the best teas to support all studious endeavors!

Spice up your tea menu with our newest blend. With a medley of orange peels, hibiscus, and perky spices, it will warm your customers body and soul. Check out Spiced Blood Orange Herbal Tea!

If you are looking to take advantage of iced tea season, we have some hot tips!

Even If you keep a streamlined tea menu, don't miss our TOP THREE iced teas flavors trending this year.

Floral flavors are popular and bring a wonder of garden delights to your menu. Check out our suggestions for floral teas!

Get ready for spring by freshening up your tea menu! Check out these delicious teas for spring.

Check out our predictions for 2024 tea flavor trends! Learn what should be on your menu for the months ahead.

We're dashing ahead to January to ensure your New Year success! Check out our tea suggestions so you can be well prepared.

Looking for holiday tea suggestions? We have the most delicious and festive teas to share to ensure holiday season success!

Holiday decorating on a dime for your tea shop. Check out these 10 FABULOUS ideas from Diana Rosen.

Pumpkin season is already out of the gate? We have pumpkin teas and alternatives for your autumn menu!

Tantalize your customers with tropical teas! Check out these great options to BOOST your summer tea sales today!

Looking to level up your tea service for special occasions? Consider our NEW tea: Earl Grey Supreme for a supremely fine experience.

Entice your customers to travel the world while at home on staycation! Checkout these suggestions to serve the world of tea culture.

Spring is here! With warm weather approaching and flowers blooming, it’s time to lighten and brighten your tea menu. Check out our spring tea MUST HAVES.

Looking for something new for your tea menu? Whatever the weather, we have a chai blend that will please. Check out our newest: Mindful Mint Chai!

Perk up your spring menu with our newest tea: Almond Cardamom Cake Rooibos. It offers toasted almond notes with uplifting cardamom in a caffeine-free rooibos base.

Spring is on the way! Here are our spring tea recommendations for 2023 for your gourmet tea menu.

NOW is the time to order tea and tea ware for Valentines Day! Check out our decadent tea suggestions such as Ripe for Romance and Chocolate Truffle.

New Year, New Tea! Come meet our newest dessert tea - White Toasted Coconut - YUM!

Welcome the New Year and be ready for detox and wellness season with our fabulous wellness teas including Tea-Tox!

A little blending advice for spicing up your tea own blends!

It's never too early to plan for the holiday season! Here are our most festive suggestions for bestseller holiday teas. Order now and be ready!

Are your customers looking for wellness and good taste? Check out our Chaga Chai with the goodness of chaga mushrooms!

Get ready for holiday season now with two deliciously decadent decaf teas. Read all about these new additions!

Thinking about your autumn tea menu to boost sales? We are too! Read on and see our autumn tea suggestions for our tea retailers!

New Tea Alert! Checkout our new herbal - coffee-like Chicoriccino for all those coffee friends who need to cut back on caffeine. It's tasty, roasty, and divine!

Get your tea menu ready for Summer 2022. Check out these premium iced tea suggestions to boost sales and keep customers coming back.

Learn all about our newest teas: Matcha Genmaicha and why you and your customers will love it!

Learn what's new in calming herbal brews with Diana Rosen! Calming herbs are in high demand - know which calming herbs to offer your customers.

Not sure which teas to serve during the weather wonky month of March? Let us help you with these delicious early Spring teas suggestions!

Learn about the best calming herbs to help your customer de-stress! Self-care is everything!

Customers want all things wellness. Is true tea healthy? You bet! Read on and learn why in this article from Diana Rosen.

Already thinking about Valentine's Day? Let us make the next holiday easy for our tea retailers with our Valentine’s Day teas and gift sets.

With January approaching, be ready for health-conscious customers! Add pure moringa leaf tea today!

Dry January is coming! Be ready with fabulous festive teas to welcome the New Year and gain new customers!

Our tea elves have been making more of some seasonally popular teas. Order now and be ready to make merry sales during the weeks ahead!

Don't miss out on selling GREAT TEA GIFTS! Check out our 2021 Tea Advent Calendar and order soon!

Are you deciding whether to stock up for the holidays? Absolutely stock up NOW on the most popular teas for the season ahead with our tea suggestions for Holiday Season 2021.

PUMPKIN SPICE IS EVERYWHERE! The season of pumpkin spice is upon us! Stay in lockstep OR buck the typical autumn trend with these delicious, time-tested teas for a successful autumn tea offering!

Need delicious tea suggestions for your late summer menu? We have just the brews! Read on and order our late summer tea suggestions today!

New summery teas for your iced tea menu! Have the MOST popular teas in town with our new teas!

Can co-spacing and co-branding work for you? Learn more about this popular and beneficial trend with Diana Rosen.

Are you looking for festive, delicious teas for spring events? Try our Berry Creme Compote and Lemon Meringue teas!

Do you have what clients want? Consumers continue to seek immunity boosters and teas for stress relief. We have suggestions!

Be ready for Valentine’s Day with dessert themes teas. Valentine’s Day is approaching quickly! By offering better-for-you dessert themed teas, you help sweethearts to share love and wellness in these difficult times.

Due to the ongoing pandemic packing on pounds, and the holiday season indulgences, perhaps January 2021 will bring a strong focus on trimming down and getting a better balance of diet and exercise. With these things in mind, let us see what teas will fit the bill

Sharing our best selling holiday teas is what AdagioXL is all about! Read on for customer favorites that you can easily rename as your own special holiday teas.

Enjoy the mild flavor, low caffeine, and wellness benefits of our new Arabica Leaf teas! Author Diana Rosen explains the benefits and origin of coffee leaf teas.

In recent weeks, one of the most frequently asked questions from our business clients is which teas help with anxiety. With some much going on in 2020, we completely understand this need. Read on to learn which teas are most helpful in trying times.

Looking for quick serve tea options in a busy cafe or for your tea-to-go pandemic service? We have perfect single serve solutions in our Presto Liquid Concentrates and Portions Pre-Measured Leaf Packets.

Specialty tea purveyors all seem to reporting a swell of sales growth that started when the COVID-19 panic struck the United States. Consumers, in the most stressful of times, are seeking the comfort and wellness of our precious teas and tisanes.

Our new harvest Masters Teas are available for business purchasing! Read on to see how these super special, small lot, hand-made teas can benefit your business.

Entice summer tea sales with our new sophisticated Mocktail Teas sampler set. Booze-free living is a big trend! Tea-totaling made easy and sexy!

What should your Summer 2020 tea menu consist of as the US reopens post COVID-19 shutdown? We have some ideas!

Cupping, the procedure for professional tea tasting, is critical to educate your palate, increase your knowledge of tea, and to sell more tea. Customers love to learn all the nuances you’ve discovered about your inventory of teas and the more they learn, the more excited they will be to buy.

As summer weather approaches, it is time to prepare a tasty summer tea menu. Whether sipping at home, offering curbside pick up, or if you can now have clients dine in, consider these fruity, summery teas.

Are you a commercial brewer seeking loose leaf bulk teas, herbs, and spices for your brews? Small batch craft beverages like cider, mead, beer, and kombucha continue to increase in popularity. These fermented beverages tend to be filled with flavor, and often reflect their locality’s unique character. Creative brewers have been expanding their range of flavors with the addition of tea, herbs, and spices and you can, too!

With tea gaining in popularity and the wealth of wellness it provides, tea for kids makes perfect sense. Kids can have fun and start on a path of quiet time, healthy beverages, and the wonder of all things tea.

Ease the transition from winter to spring with seasonal tea suggestions. Comfort and wellness yield happy customers and spring sales.

Ginger has long been a favorite ingredient in tea and food all over the world. Here we have some history and a new ginger-based tea for your offering!

As you catch your breath after the busy holiday season, remember to plan ahead for the next winter event: Valentine’s Day! If you have a tea room, Valentine’s Day is probably one of your busiest times of the year, so be sure to plan a tasty menu that includes delicious teas in line with the theme.

New Year - New Decade! Some thoughtful suggestions on wonderful, tasty teas for a healthy start to the year.

Recent additions to our bulk Herbs & Spices wholesale offering are two popular flowers: lavender and butterfly pea flower. Let us explore these herbs for their traditional uses and how best to use them in your own blends.

Hohoho! The holiday season is here! Take advantage of the thirst for seasonal flavors with some of our perennial best selling teas in loose leaf bulk for wholesale.

Are you thinking of trying our new wholesale create-a-blend service for your business? If so, you might benefit from a few handy blending tips to get started.

Our periodic tea exploring adventures have taken us recently to Vietnam as part of the Tea Masters Cup event. We explored ancient tea tree forests that are akin to the most famous ones in Yunnan, China.

Create-a-Blend coming to Adagio Wholesale!

Summer brings updates! Check out the new features and changes happening at AdagioXL! This is our B2B portal for businesses who purchase tea to resell. With over 20 years in the tea industry, we are happy to share our success with our business clients.

The hottest (or coolest) trends for summer and tea are those that combine tea with tasty things like lemonade, soda/sparkling water, boba, juices, and various adult beverages. It all starts with great quality tea and a great infusion.

The latest wave of trends in the tea world are spiritual/metaphysical in nature. The concept of holistically healing ties the ethereal and the sippable together. Spiritual healers of one sort or another are enhancing their offering with teas and herbal blends that support their clientele in the physical realm as they help work on their metaphysical growth.

May brings beautiful things such as flowers and tea harvests! As we seek the best of this year’s tea crops, your customers are seeking iced teas for the season.

What teas should you offer during the transitional spring month of April? Something warming for showers and something lively for flowers!

Despite what you might see online, there is still no cure for the common cold. That said, tea and tisanes may certainly help make their symptoms more tolerable. The mere act of sipping a hot beverage can ease congestion and soothe a scratchy throat. If you have to suffer, why not suffer with a hot cup of something lovely?

As your clients fight winter's frigid temps, help them hold on until spring with fun amorous, Valentine's tea fun! Whether your customers seek chocolaty teas or creamy, fruity flavors, we have them covered!

As we wiggle, wobble, and waddle from the holidays into the New Year, consumers will be seeking wellness help from their tea sellers. We have recently expanded our wellness options with two new teas: Minty Comfort and Speedy Recovery to help comfort during cold and flu season.

Festive tea options sparkle during holiday season as well as throughout the cold weather months. Be sure to include various chai blend options for hot tea, tea lattes, and boba if you serve it to warm those chilly winter souls.

Sure, the rest of the world might be apple and pumpkin smitten right now, but tea aficionados are thinking about oolong teas. As the weather cools, and our bodies adapt to the season, a warm, toasty rock oolong or a crisp, lilting jade oolong sooth the soul and palate.

While the August sun still burns brightly, each day is a little bit shorter as we approach autumn in the US. Now is the time to plan your autumn tea menu so you can purchase ahead and be ready when the hot tea seekers come calling.

With specialty tea continuing to gain ground as a go-to beverage at some point in consumers’ lives, coffee shops are seeking to embrace the trend and put more energy into their tea offering. Here are some basics!

Everything is coming up roses, as the old song says, but also hibiscus, apples, lemongrass, rose hips and a myriad of other botanical items that are trending intensely this year. Many consumers have incorporated some form of tea into their daily lives and it seems herbal infusions, aka tisanes are a staple.

Any good quality tea should lend itself well to being served hot or iced, so it is likely that your current menu bestsellers for hot tea service, can also transfer easily to iced tea.

There is a little winter left here in the northern hemisphere but most people are getting a sense that spring is near. With it comes the notion of nature renewal and the same in our selves.

Great things come from great beginnings, and if your primary product is one of these popular drinks, you must start with high quality leaves to achieve the aspired greatness.

We often get questions about how to select teas for your offering. Whether a café or a tea retailer, the approach can be similar. Decide how many teas you wish to offer. This can be based on space constraints for storage or display as well as how many your staffer can feasibly handle. Regardless of how many teas you decide to offer, you will want to represent a couple teas from each tea category to present a balanced assortment.

Have you thought of your fall menu yet? Contact us if you’d like some samples for the fall menu.

Sweet summer is finally here and warm weather refreshment means iced teatime! Americans notoriously drink more iced tea than hot, so warm weather should yield good business.

The World Tea Expo this year featured many cool innovations for the tea world. There was a New Zealand company that grew tea in New Zealand. They had some delicious oolong tea and great booth. There was some fascinating tea ware that I had never seen before. This was my first tea expo, and I was in awe at the way tea business runs.

The first taxi driver we had after landing in Las Vegas for the World Tea Expo told us a tale of the Tuareg people. Our driver was from Ethiopia, but an avid traveler having spent a few years in Europe. He had a friendly smile, and he seemed like a story teller. Between our small talk about tea, he could relate by telling us of the Tuareg people that live in the Saharan desert. He said the Tuareg had a tea that they drank that kept them from becoming dehydrated.

Warm weather lends to the shedding of clothes and the reveal of that summer body. While all are excited for the incoming of summer and preparing for the beach body there might be an influx of tea sales.

Do you ever wonder about which is the right tea pot for you to serve tea in? Wonder no more, for I will guide you through the vast differences between cast iron, ceramic, yixing clay, porcelain, and glass pots.

As many tea lovers know, that first sip of matcha in the morning brings upon a feeling of serenity and clarity. All the stress and hustle of the world becomes background noise---the senses are slowly awakened by the caffeine without the smack to the face of coffee. The L-theanine in the matcha provides alertness while also relaxing the body.

Curious about kombucha? This growing health trend offers health benefits and a tangy treat for the senses. Learn about it and check out a bsic recipe so you can better serve your clients who seek to make kombucha or if you are pondering to do so yourselves.

With 2017 off to a tumultuous start for so many people, tea is more essential than ever. Everyone can benefit from the clarity and solace found in a good cup of our favorite beverage.

Tea and spice seem to go hand in hand. They pair so very nicely together that selling one can often lead to selling the other. So it is with our new bulk spice section!

During the warm summer months, iced teas reign supreme. The diverse palate preferences of millennials lean toward tropical with a hint of the exotic. Here are our picks for summer 2016.

Our product development team has been working overtime! Here are some new things to share with our wholesale clients!

Spring is here in the northern hemisphere and thoughts are already turning to iced teas. It can’t hurt to plan your iced tea offering now so you can stay ahead of seasonal sold outs as new harvest time approaches.

March is exciting for tea people as the harvest season is right around the corner. For those of you who are new to the specialty tea industry, it’s important to know that the best teas are primarily harvested in the spring. Most tea companies will purchase in spring and early summer for the whole year.

As luck would have it, an opportunity arose to travel to Japan to visit tea farms and meet the farmers. During my time in the tea industry, my palate has certainly evolved with experience and exposure to many teas, eventually settling on fine, crisp, lingering sencha as a personal and professional favorite.

The matcha tea trend is still going strong! Consumers enjoy the easy prep, rich taste, health benefits and versatility this tea has to offer. If you have not added matcha to you tea offering, you may wish to consider.

For your seasonal promos, consider a tea and cider infusion to draw in sippers and home steepers alike. Spiced tea blends pair very well with apple cider for autumnal enjoyment.

While enjoying the last weeks of summer, turn your thoughts to autumn and prepare for hot tea season. Plan your autumn tea menu now and stock up early to save time and energy later.

As tea grows in popularity the notion that tea is a medicine of sorts grows along with it. The traditional correlation between tea and good health is a strong one and leaves the every day consumer asking, “What will this tea do for me?”

Every now and then we will notice a flavor trend blip on our radar while looking at other stats. Most recently, it appears that peach-flavored teas are unusually popular as we roll into summer. Sometimes national chains promoting a special item, such as beverage or confection, foster these trends.

With the wonderful tea renaissance happening these days, it is not surprising that people want to enjoy their tea with a little something extra. And by something extra, I mean something with a little kick.

Tea is a natural product. The first sentence should surprise no one reading this article, but the significance of that statement might truly surprise the uninitiated.

At least the calendar says it’s spring. Some of those in the northern US may still feel a little frosty in the mornings but rest assured, winter is coming to a close. As the transition occurs, it is important to have a variety on your tea menu that reflects the changing season

Tea companies that do their own branding include brewing information for each tea on their packages. The idea of doing so is to offer their suggestion of how to bring out the best in each tea while ensuring success for tea newbies. When using these parameters, individual brewing circumstances can be quite different than those of your beloved tea vendor, occasionally causing unfavorable results. This can cause frustration and dismissal of a very good tea as bad by the user, whether a consumer or another tea purveyor, café, etc.

The smart tea purveyor is already thinking about spring, planning iced teas, menu changes and preparing a season ahead. While winter still holds us tightly, consider two tea trends: lattes and matcha. These are somewhat intertwined as matcha makes for a tasty latte.

Inspiration can come from the oddest places. Recently, we watched a documentary about bourbon, which struck a chord within. With elegance and warmth, the film informed the viewer about what bourbon is, where it comes from and most importantly about the passion of its devotees and distillers.

Healthy habits start young! Be sure to have tea gift for children this holiday season. Tiny teapots and themed tea blends encourage small sippers to take time for tea and to eschew sugary beverages. Kids are persnickety so chose teas that are fruity flavored and maybe those with candy themes like chocolate and caramel. Most children find spiced teas to be an acquired taste, so perhaps stay clear of those. Parents will appreciate caffeine-free rooibos and fruit blends to keep the holiday bouncing to a minimum.

Are your customers always looking for functional herbal blends to ease what ails them? Blending your own takes time and much research, which may have prevented you from filling this need.

While those of us in the tea industry know that chai simply means tea, to the mainstream US consumer it means a spiced tea, usually sweetened and most likely with milk or cream. There's no use in fighting it. Chai in this context has taken on a life of its own and pervades the market in many forms such as shelf stable concentrates and powdered chai mixes as well as the more traditional leaf and spice blend

Ever wonder if your tea selection is doing its best for you? Are you missing trends and seasonal opportunities with your tea line? If you have answered yes to either of these questions, perhaps you would like a tea menu review.

The first crisp evenings that whisper of autumn’s arrival, have been cooling off summer's hot sunny days here in New England. With these whispers comes the soon to be ubiquitous pumpkin product onslaught. Pumpkin, pumpkin everywhere!

Taste buds, that is! We are roughly two thirds through our cupping of new harvest teas and waiting on the next round. As with every year, some samples came in spot on while others require additional searching for the perfect lot

Trends this year will include the addition of fresh garden herbs to enhance the traditional iced tea glass. Keep fresh herbs on hand and use as a garnish or muddle in the bottom of a glass, then add iced and tea.

At the first sign of snow melting after this long, cold winter, we couldn’t wait to launch a new tea for spring!

In tea news, Adagio Teas has added Japanese matcha green tea powder to our wholesale offering.

At some point as a tea business owner, you may wish to create something unique for your shop or recreate something you can no longer get from a vendor. Let us share some basics of tea blending to get you started.

Happy to announce that our new wellness blends called Body & Soul, are available to our wholesale clients in the loose-leaf bulk option.

Hear ye, hear ye! Just in time for the gift-giving season, Adagio Teas is adding to our tea gift sets. Princesses, princes, astronauts, monsters and wee paleontologists can all now enjoy teatime. Three new sets each containing three new themed tea blends packaged in full-leaf pyramid teabags within playfully designed tea tins. All are caffeine-free and blended with young taste buds in mind.

October is one of the very best months of the year. The weather tends to be forgiving, the deciduous trees turn an array of lovely colors and our palates are ready for some spice. Fortunately, tea and spices are an ancient and favorable combination and lend themselves well to this colorful time of year.

Along with the annual arrival of fresh teas from origin, this fall we will be adding four new blends. Pu’erh tea is an aged tea where the leaves go through a natural fermentation process. The result is smooth and refreshing with reputed health benefits touted by popular health pundits.

As we slide in July and the hot summer months here in the US, everyone’s iced tea plan should be in full effect to convert those non-tea holdouts into tea enthusiasts.

Here at Adagio Teas we often get asked for teas with certain functions, such as those to help one sleep. Our TeaSmart readers may receive similar inquiries and so we thought it might be helpful to share how to advise your clients with some herbal blends as well a little sleep advice

National Strawberry Month sounds delicious! Here in New England we really embrace the seasons and the tasty bounty that they bring. Toward the end of May, our local farmers offer Pick Your Own Strawberries and nearby towns have festivals celebrating these darling little fruits.

April is finally here and for those of us coming to the end of our North American winter, it arrives not a moment too soon. And while still chilly, many of our clients are already planning their iced teas for the summer. We are thinking of summer as well. Maybe it was the many shovelfuls of snow we moved after Blizzard Nemo or maybe it was the long windy night Superstorm Sandy raged through the northeast, but we are looking especially forward to warm sunny days.

March 2013 has much to offer for events and occasions. Passover, Easter the official beginning of spring as well as St Patrick’s Day festivities. Keep the decorations handy for quick changes and have holiday tea promotions ready to go! Now although the snow is stilling falling here in Connecticut, let us talk about ice tea.

Fruit tisanes are herbal blends comprised primarily of dried fruit and usually have the addition of some herbs such as rose hips and hibiscus. Very popular in Europe they have developed a faithful following in the US. The infusions they yield are naturally sweet and if they contain hibiscus, refreshingly tangy.

Cool autumn air breezes in to refresh everything, while deciduous trees make the world grandly colorful. For those of us in the tea world, it’s prime tea time. Vacations are over, everyone returns to their normal flow of life, and hot beverages keep the machine in motion.

Peaches! Whether baked with cinnamon in a cobbler or simply sliced fresh (and quickly devoured), peaches are a great summer treat. Generally in season from May to September, this year’s unusually warm weather has pushed many crops forward. August may be your last chance to enjoy ripe peaches fresh from the orchard.

If your tearoom or shop offers tea flights or origin tastings, you may wish to check out our Rwanda Rukeri offering. This full-bodied black tea has character reminiscent of Assam, Kenyan and some Ceylon teas

July is the perfect summer month in the northern hemisphere, and is all about beaches, picnics, vacations and cold beverages. In years past, July would slow dramatically for tea people and all but come to a standstill. These days the culture seems to be changing and more and more iced tea is becoming the refreshment of choice.

Coming up soon is the 2012 World Tea Expo! Once again convening in Las Vegas, June 1-3 are this year's dates for specialty tea industry’s business-to-business event.

Blossoms blooming, bees are buzzing and teas are brewing. This year we are happy to present a lovely collection of three springtime blends in decorative tins for Mother's Day (or any of your vernal gift giving occasions) packaged in a handsome gift box.

March: The third month of the year and the end of the first quarter. It also signifies a transition in the northern hemisphere to spring and the vernal equinox. For tea sellers it can denote a transition in tea offering.

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?

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.

It's October and all palates turn to the seasonal goodness of pumpkin! The highly celebrated king of squash, pumpkin reigns supreme over the late part of the year.

Our local meteorologist, who has been busy as a bee with Hurricane Irene, tweeted this morning that September 1 is the meteorological beginning of fall. For tearooms, tea purveyors and moms, autumn brings relief. For us teafolks, cooler weather and back to school signal the end of summer and the beginning of increased tea enjoyment.

August is here and so we have reached late summer. As the season starts to wind down remember to squeeze in some beach time, lake time, picnic time and fall planning time. The latter does not sound nearly as fun as the others, but you will be thanking yourself once the fall hits and things get back to their hectic pace.

Don't forget (how could we?) that June is National Iced Tea Month! An American favorite, iced tea still makes up about 85% of all tea consumed in the US, so make sure you have some delicious offerings. A great substitute for sugary sodas and juices, iced tea is refreshing and needs little to no sweetening if made properly.

May has always been one of my favorite months. Spring begins to fully bloom where I live in the Northeast with its promise of April showers bringing May flowers.

Last month, as many of you know, I went on a tea trip to China with two colleagues for Adagio Teas. Suzette Hammond was kind enough to write about our trip as we went along, but I'd also like to share a few personal impressions of the trip.

Spring has finally sprung and all things in nature are sprouting - flowers, grasses and our favorite sprout - tealeaves! Happy and excited (practically delirious) to announce that this month I will get the honor of witnessing these sprouts and their transformation into the various kind of tea on a trip to China!

We've been slowing adding requested blends to our selection over the past few months and February was no exception. In case you missed the direct email we sent mid-month we are happy to introduce a lemon-cream rooibos blend we lovingly call Rooibos Lemon Cloud.

In years past, March has given the first whispers of the tea harvest season. Sometimes, when the weather is right and conditions are prefect, you might even see a first flush Darjeeling harvest oh so early. If we get so lucky this year, it is always a treat to have the first leaves of spring in our cups. Be sure to keep a close watch on your tea vendors, if you are interested in early crops.

Without Valentine's Day what would frosty February really have going for it? Boasting only a couple of presidential birthdays and a questionable marmot weather forecaster, February would be a winter wasteland and 28 (or 29) days of dismal mid-winter doldrums for anyone living in the colder regions.

Recently we had he pleasure of adding green rooibos to our tea offering. I'm happy to say they could not have come at a better time. Some of our wholesale customers needed to replace a few green rooibos blends from a vendor who is no longer in business but also because of this darned winter.

The past couple of years have certainly been a challenge for most tea retailers and 2010 was no exception. While tea culture in the US is certainly on the upswing and many tea centric businesses saw a delightful bounce back in interest, traffic flow and sales, this year still found a way to kick us in the shins - or in the teacup, as it were...

In case you are looking for some holiday teas to add merriment to your tea offering for the season, we would like to suggest the following time tested deliciousness...

Yerba Mate has long been a social beverage in South American countries such as Argentina and Brazil. It is customary to enjoy a gourd-full of brewed mate and sip through a metal straw while enjoying the drink and the company of friends and companions.

It is hard to imagine a modern tea business without at least a simple website, serving as a digital "storefront" to attract and inform customers. However, your online presence and marketing can and should go far beyond this initial phase at a time when people spend an increasing amount of time browsing, shopping and sharing information online.

September signals our "prepare for autumn" response and thus, many tea businesses are already seeking suggestions for fall teas. Nothing quite embraces the season like a delightful array of teas to brew. Make sure you have the flavors well represented by the following blends.

Are you berry crazed? We love berries, especially July's beautiful blueberries. Some blueberry tea suggestions for your iced tea offering and an ingenious brew method.

June kicks off the season of summer berry-liciousness! Berries are one of nature's gifts of wonder. Not only do they offer antioxidants galore but more importantly - fresh, ripe, in-season berries really deliver fabulous flavor. As tea people, we are incredibly spoiled - strawberry teas are available all year to delight our palates. Even so, every June thoughts turn to strawberry teas with more intensity.

As warmer weather approaches, many tea drinkers will find themselves wanting to swap their cups of steaming hot tea for tall glasses of iced tea. Though the beverage market is swamped with a wide variety of ready-to-drink teas-everything from sugary and flavored to plain and sublime-making your own iced tea gives you the creativity to make your very own concoction with whatever tea you decide upon. It's easy to make and the options to personalize it are endless.

Nothing is quite as refreshing as soothing and cool mint tea. Some history and a recipe on this ubiquitous, helpful herb.

A little reminder about tea enjoyment and how it enhances life in tumultuous times. Refocus yourself and guide your customers through tea appreciation.

Proclaiming white tea to be the culmination of all things elegant, a Song Dynasty emperor sowed the seeds of its modern-day popularity. And while it has been shrouded in obscurity outside of China until very recently, this much-beloved variety has now been discovered by tea lovers around the world.

Looking to refresh your tea service? March is a great month to celebrate Irish heritage with St Patrick's Day and the awakening of Spring with fine green teas. While Irish Breakfast might be the traditional brew of the occasion, the great popularity of green teas should also be embraced.

From ground dwelling prognosticating rodents to chocolate hearts to presidents, February certainly has an eclectic lot of themes. Valentine's Day and all its sweetness gets the most amount of attention of course, because what else can so effectively distract us from our winter doldrums than love and sweet treats?

Cross-sell by providing small lists of teas that people who buy a particular tea also enjoy. For example, if a customer is deeply attached to Irish Breakfast, they may also enjoy a hearty Assam or a full-bodied China black tea. A green tea aficionado may enjoy a lightly oxidized oolong. Darjeeling lovers also seem to enjoy Fancy Formosa Bai Hao style oolongs.

Winter is upon us and entered in grand style this past week by besieging those of us in New England with unrelenting snow and wind. Now that the holidays have past, we take a moment to catch our breath and consider the dark-eyed junco.

Just in time for the holidays, Adagio Teas Wholesale has added two new lines to our bulk tea offerings. Fabulous chai blend and some rather cutting edge new teas to tantalize taste buds! Also our ever-popular holiday teas are ready to go!

Growing up in New England, I've always come to think of autumn as the season of change. Deciduous trees shedding their leaves denote this transition of nature clearing out the old in anticipation of the new. And so it was for me one autumn ten years ago as I was leaving behind an old career in anticipation of something new.

If your tea business is like most, you are about to get busy. Finally! After the long, slow pace of summer, people are getting back to school, back to work and that means...Tea Time!

Recently it seems more and more people are going to tearooms for the first time. This is a very good thing, and generally they enjoy it immensely, however the comment frequently heard is lack of a strong tea presence. They expected more tea selection and to learn more about this previous brew. How can this be in such an enlightened age?

As warmer weather approaches, many tea drinkers will find themselves wanting to swap their cups of steaming hot tea for tall glasses of iced tea. Though the beverage market is swamped with a wide variety of ready-to-drink teas-everything from sugary and flavored to plain and sublime-making your own iced tea gives you the creativity to make your very own concoction with whatever tea you decide upon. It's easy to make and the options to personalize it are endless.

This time of year is magical for those of us who have suffered through a long New England winter now that the weather has stabilized and summer will soon officially arrive. As picnics, patio dinners and grilling almost anything you can eat become popular pastimes, iced tea becomes the beverage of the season!

May is usually quite a glorious month, with all of nature kicking it into high gear, and numerous special occasions to celebrate! Aside from the annual pollen attack, it is one of my favorite months of the year.

Over the past couple of years blooming teas have really blossomed (sorry – couldn't resist) in popularity. The visual impact of the slowly unfurled hand-tied leaves accounts for the immense draw these teas possess. Their beauty and exquisite nature make any tea moment a celebration.

Finally with winter in our rear view and nature slowly reawakening we can enjoy the renewal and hope of this trans-formative season - Spring! There still may be rain and snowstorms about but even the massive yield of a blizzard is no match for the warm weather hopping down the bunny trail.

One of the most popular tea blends for any tea company is Irish Breakfast. Traditionally a hearty brew that usually gets its familiar malty character from a rich Assam and is good with cream and sugar. It is bold enough to stand up against a stout TIB - traditional Irish breakfast - or a hearty plate of corned beef and cabbage.

Many of you have already planned your special events for Valentine's Day and are hoping for booked tearooms. In making your event a success, give special consideration to your tea offerings. It's always good to offer both flavored and non-flavored teas especially when a meal is part of the special event menu. We suggest either a nice second flush Darjeeling or a more intriguing choice such as a fine Ti Kuan Yin oolong.

Tea is a relatively simple product. So it may come as a surprise to discover that the industry is among the murkiest. Perhaps that's an overstatement. Still, it is safe to say the tea industry is far from transparent. And the small wholesale market may certainly be its most opaque segment.

What a year 2008! Many of us are still scratching our heads or reeling from all the upheaval and uncertainty. Hopefully, the worst is behind us and as we move into 2009 we can focus on healing, rebuilding and re-growth.

Unlike tea, the Japanese during difficult times rice was both plentiful and inexpensive. Diluting tea with a handful of roasted rice was one way that a limited amount of tea could be made to last longer. Out of this opportune desperation, a tradition was born of combining tea leaves with rice, producing a mixture called Genmai Cha.

The autumn colors are more muted now. The bright yellows and reds have given way to mellow honeys and russets. Some trees are nearly naked with only the most tenacious leaves still clinging to their branches. With so much beauty surrounding us it is important to take moment to appreciate these little things in life. During this season of change as we all wait and watch, financial markets and the future seem to quiver like willows on a fault line.

Roobos' Sweeter Sister - In recent years, Rooibos also known as African Red Tea has become quite the celebrity. Appearing in wild blends, hip new pyramid bags and even in super trendy RTD bottles, Rooibos is as popular as a young starlet. But Rooibos is not the only caffeine-free herbal beauty Africa has to offer. Just out of the limelight, is her lesser-known sister, Honeybush (Cyclopia spp.) Equally as rich in reputed health benefits, just as valuable as a tea placebo for the late night sipper, and perhaps just a bit more approachable.

Monthly Profile: White Teas

Tea Profile: Ceylon

Spreading Tea Joy

Few herbs are as well recognized as mint. Mint has been used as a remedy for freshening the breath, improving digestion, relieving headaches, reducing fevers, and minimizing congestion from sinus troubles since antiquity throughout the world. This herbal infusion has remained a staple for tea purveyors. Mint teas, most popularly made with peppermint or spearmint, continue to have a most devoted following.

Tea Profile: Darjeeling

Masala Chai

What's In Your Cup?

More Than Just a Paper Anniversary

Online Resources - A Wealth of Tea Info

Online Tearooms Directory - Now Live

Tea is 'Hotting' Up

Talking Tea: Tea Tray in the Sky

Reading Tea Leaves: Predictions for the US Tea Industry