F/W '25
THE STORY
"Maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30, ya know?" Seems reasonable, 30 dolls does feel like a tad much...
Back in the spring—3000 cups of tea ago, 4 gallons of cream ago, a half pound of sugar ago... I tasted a stunning Pi Lu Chun that I had to have, until I calculated the taxes to import. $87 per pound, thousands of dollars, just to import. I have to choose wisely.
During the summer harvests, between Assam cuppings, I visited my mom to help clean out her garage. We found a box of my grandmother's, with old photo negatives inside, pictures of relatives in similar circumsances—more on that below. I came back to a lovely lot of Assam, in the nick of time.
But back to the dolls. This years collection is curated to its core, focused on the three main types—tea for mornings, tea for afternoons and tea for evenings. This winter the adults will have a few teas instead of 8 or 10, or 12. So it goes.
But they are special, and not just because we bet the farm.
BREAKFAST TEAS
STRONG AND CHARISMATIC BLACK TEAS
GOLDEN RULE
NEIGHBORINO
GOLDEN RULE—was inspired by the first "English Breakfast" blend, designed long before Indian tea made it to London. Smooth but full and flavorful.
NEIGHBORINO—maybe we should have called this tea Canadian Breakfast, but the Simpson's fan inside of us couldn't resist. Big, dry and reserved.
AFTERNOON TEAS
SMOOTH AND GENTLE ALL-DAY DRINKERS
HIDEAWAY
HIDEAWAY—was made in collaboration with a local truffle hunter for winter activities and adventures. Gentle yet nuanced and impactful.
STOIC OOLONG—was judged by its flavor and aroma, not its leaf appearance or trending name. Offered and priced for all day drinking, Sweet, aromatic and lingering.
STOIC OOLONG
EVENING TEAS
SOOTHING CAFFEINE-FREE COMFORT
RUSTIC MINT—a simple after-dinner or evening treat that reads more like a drink than a breathmint. Full, smokey, cooling.
LULLABY CHAI— is as close to Chinese Medicine as we get and made with the hopes of feeling better, and less anxiety. Delicate, fragrant, balanced.
RUSTIC MINT
LULLABY CHAI
AND MORE OF OUR CLASSICS
STOCKS
We also crafted more of our customers favorites, as best as we could, and as much as our budget would allow.
BEST COAST and WINTER CHAI are back in stock and tailored around the latest second flush season.
CALL ME EARL and WUYI WINTER are available in small quantities.
And SLEEPY HORCHATA, a favorite of my oldest son, has been formulated around new lots of Ashwaghanda and saffron.
THE PHOTOS
IOWA, 1930
My great grandfather, his family and prized Percheron horses.
They made it through a pandemic, were in the early days of the Great Depression and in a few years the Dust Bowl will kick them some more. They will end up losing the horses, then the farm. So it goes.
They drank both tea and coffee, their tea pot is in my collection and is used on special occasions.
High tariffs of the time made goods expensive and prolonged the depression, however lawmakers kept tea and coffee duty-free. Neither were U.S. agricultural products to protect, and they fueled work and provided comfort. But the tariffs started a trade war and a tit-for-tat enviroment which reduced international trade. Commodities including tea and coffee plumeted. Growers in producing origins suffered. Everyone suffered. So it goes.
NEW INGREDIENT
FOUND IN HIDEAWAY
OREGON BLACK TRUFFLES
PUNGENT
CHOCOLATY
MUSK
Black Truffles (Leucangium carthusianum) are the gold of the culinary world, and much like in wine, Oregon Black Truffles are giving the French a run for their money. Their lofty aromatics and deep center is enticing, their hidden nature makes them elusive, their qualities are difficult to preserve. While pigs are famous for hunting them out, these were found by trained dogs, in a secret area in the coastal range of Oregon. We made an extract using French Brandy, with a secret method of our own, and then designed an afternoon tea around it.
4 LEGGED UPDATE
THE HUNTER & HERDER
Taco is seven months old already, has doubled in size and is stiched into our family as if he has always been. He is so sweet and absolutly loves my youngest son, literally crying in enjoyment when he gets home from school. It melts our hearts, every single time.
He is so different to Molly, the hunter: attentive, silent, and always focused. Taco only pays attention to Molly, and us. He gets in the way of Molly's stalking, scares off her hunt, and continually nips at her ears. He also digs holes to China when he feels bored and terrorizes our cat. So it goes.
But despite their differences they are best friends, and we had quite a few adventures with them this summer. And, we are starting to feel ready to get those goats we have always wanted.