News
It's that time of year! August 30 2018
It's time, friends. Summer is rapidly drawing to a close and Fall is making itself known in the cool mornings and subtle bite in the air. Seattle is starting to grow its clouds a little darker and a little more gloomy, and like most Northwesterners, we loveit. Seattleites have a tradition of jumping the gun when it comes to Fall. The second any color shows on the edges of our maple leaves, out...
Big Move for Friday Afternoon Tea July 14 2018 1 Comment
Hello, friends!For the past several months I have been secretly (Well, not so secretly. I'm terrible at keeping my own secrets.) working on a huge project. Very happy to announce the great news that we have split-branded! This sub-brand means moving our medicinal teas to a new line: New Apothecary. This will serve to focus our main line (Friday Afternoon) on our unusual single origin and fandom...
5 Ridiculously Tasty Summer Sips July 05 2018
Here in Seattle, we just hit full-on summer. June-uary is over and we are facing days hovering around 80°F for the next few months. Seattlites are renowned whiners when it comes to weather over 70° (Don't make that face, Lauren. You know it's true.), so we've got you covered with some fantastic summer bevvie ideas.#1: Shaken Iced Tea
Really want to elevate your iced tea game? It's as simple as...
What exactly IS caffeine? June 23 2018
We love our caffeine. In the US alone, we consume upward of 970 tons of caffeine annually. Caffeine is just a fact in our day-to-day. Sodas, coffee, tea, even caffeinated soap is now a thing. Ok, so we love the stuff. But what exactly is it? |
| Caffeine Molecule |
BTB: Bioluminescence June 22 2018 1 Comment
On today's episode of Behind the Blend, I'm going to take you through the synesthetic taste experience of one of our prettiest blends: Bioluminescence.Those of you that are familiar with my blending process already know, but for the folks just joining us, let me tell you a little bit about my work. I have a rare neurological oddity known as Lexical-Gustatory Synesthesia. Now, synesthesia itself is...
Some Categories of Medicinal Herbs June 14 2018
Medicinal Herb Exploration
Herbal remedies are categorized by application. Here are a few of the most common categories and some examples of herbs that fit them!
Anti-Inflammatory
This group is comprised of plants that release soothing compounds into the body to reduce inflammation. Examples include circumen (found in turmeric), zingerone (ginger), flavonoids (tea, chili peppers), cinnamaldehyde...
Guest Post: Chamomile Lemon Shortbread May 24 2018
Today's guest post comes to us from Ben, who we hope will share more of his fabulous recipes in future! -FridayI’m a bit of a tea obsessive. What started as an (unhealthy) addiction to coffee, has now seen me
change lanes to tea. And with this change, I’ve always tried to get creative with my tea use. From
putting together therapeutic cups of turmeric tea, to using tea bags as a way to battle my...
How much caffeine is too much? May 23 2018
Espresso, matcha, yerba mate, hot cocoa...even some soaps and lotions contain caffeine! We encounter the stuff every day, and as a society, we love it. But how much caffeine is too much?
For starters, why do we even need to moderate caffeine? What's the big deal?
Caffeine is a highly addictive substance, like sugar or cocaine, according to studiesby many institutions. It doesn't take a lot to...
Cold Brew Season! May 17 2018
It's that time of year, friends! All the coffee shops here in Seattle are bragging about their cold brews again, and we refuse to sit out on the fun. Did you know you can cold brew your tea for the same smooth, delicious, lightly sweet results that have people obsessing over their summer coffees? Totally true and totally easy. |
| Feel free to download this infographic! |
Cold brewing is fab. Just throw...
Our new tea tasting series! May 11 2018
Hello!
This month we are pleased to announce our first educational tasting series here at the tea room. Join us Thursday evenings at 5:30pm for a guided journey through the world of tea! I will personally be serving teas from various categories and regions and leading a discussion on the science, history and culture behind different teas. These are free events, though of course we encourage you to...
Mental Health Awareness Month May 07 2018
Hello, friends.I'd like to take a moment to remind you that May is Mental Health Awareness Month. We generally keep things pretty light and fun here at Friday Afternoon Tea, but today I'd like to chat on a more serious note. Just about everyone I know struggles with their mental health to some degree. I've lost my best friend to suicide and seen others I love battle Bipolar Disorder, depression,...
Top Ten Uses For Your French Press May 04 2018
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| The french press in its natural habitat |
10. Squeeze excess water out of veggies. Thawing out frozen spinach for a lasagna recipe? Just put it in your french press and let the plunger...
BTB: Raise the Dead April 29 2018
Today's episode of Behind the Blend may feel a bit out of season, but it's a particularly chill and blustery April morning and I've been thinking a lot about death and seasonal shifts lately. So, for today's foray into synesthetic perception, I would like to introduce you to an old Friday Afternoon fave: Raise the Dead. |
| Raise the Dead |
The inspiration:This blend was originally commissioned by our...
April showers bring new teas! April 14 2018
That's how that saying goes, right? Right...Yes, my friends, we have exciting new products in stock! Now available online and in-store for your gifting and personal consumption:
The General's Jasmine
Keemun Mao Feng
Kenyan Purple Tea
Single-Estate Matcha
Four Seasons Taiwanese Oolong
Green Earl Grey
We also have some new geeky blends in development. They're a secret for now, but look forward to a...
April is exciting! April 06 2018
First, a quick reminder that the tea room will be CLOSED next Wednesday-Friday, April 11-13 as it's time for our annual trip back home to California wine country. We'll be open again Saturday the 14th at 9am and will resume business as usual from there.
There is just SO much happening this month at the tea shop! We've got coming your way...
New Products
This weekend we'll be getting in stock:
- Kenyan...
What we're about: a guide for new & old friends April 04 2018
In the wake of the recent Adagio Teas scandal, we've received hundreds of new followers and customers over the last two days. Our email is blowing up and I can barely keep up with social media conversations! This is a great problem to have, though I do hope you'll all bear with me if order processing and email response are a hair slower than usual.This seems like an ideal time for an introduction...
Retiring Blends March 17 2018
To make room for more unusual single-origin leaf and popular blend collections, we'll be retiring a few of our teas at the end of March. Let's call it Spring Cleaning!Teas being retired as of March 31st:
Supernatural
Sega/Nintendo
Battlestar Galactica
Sto...
Guest Post - Harrison of Milk and Leaf Co. March 10 2018
Hello!My name is Harrison and I'm an avid ice cream maker who a bit ago began focusing on making specifically tea infused ice cream. I live in the East Fremont/Wallingford neighborhood and recently was asking some questions about tea while at the shop. After a very helpful exchange, and a returned sample of the results, Friday suggested I make a guest blog post to share my story and give a recipe...
Common Tea Questions February 28 2018
Today we'll answer some frequently asked questions in the tea industry.These are queries I have received repeatedly over the years, so don't worry. You're not alone in wondering how to Tea!
Depending on the cut of the leaf, the quantity of water and the method of brewing. As a general rule of thumb, start with a teaspoon of leaf per 8 oz. of water. With larger cut...
Late Winter Cocktail Recipes February 18 2018
Hello and happy mid-February, lovelies!Earlier this week, my dear friend Rebecca (owner/operator of The Shrubbery) and I co-taught a mocktail/cocktail workshop here at the tea room. It was a fabulous success and a grand time was had by all. We intend to run this as a seasonal event, with new recipes tailored for each time of year!
As promised, here are the recipes from this event. Enjoy, and let us...
Behind the Blend: Murray Creek February 08 2018
Today's featured blend dissection holds a very deep special place in my heart. This was the first blend I ever developed. It was also inspired by my late grandmother, Ann K. Elliott. | |
| Grandma Annie with my cousin Ayla in 2012 |
My Grandma Annie was an incredible woman and a huge part of my youth and upbringing. When I was little we lived in central California and most of my formative memories happened...
Shop Update February 07 2018
First of all, a HUUUUGE thank you to all our friends who have contributed to our GoFundMeand bought truly obscene quantities of bulk tea on our site. Thanks to you all, we've made a lot of progress toward resolving our construction debt crisis. We managed to negotiate a couple extra weeks of time with the contractors, so our new immediate debt deadline is February 23rd. We're now only short by...Trouble in Paradise February 01 2018
A little over a year ago, we ran a super successful Kickstarter campaign to open up our nerdy tea shop in Wallingford, Seattle. Everything went great and we have indeed opened a fantastic spot that is rapidly becoming a favorite source of tea and community in the neighborhood. Our revenues are right on track with projections and things look sunny for our future.Unfortunately...
Due to a series...