The Exotic Teapot Blog

One of the best things to do with tea, is of course drink it. Whether you take it with milk, no milk, sugar or as it comes, we all love nothing more than settling down with a warm cup of tea. 

But, that isn’t the only thing that you can do with your brew. The art of Tasseomancy has been around for centuries. the Romans, the Greeks and even the Chinese have been known to take a look at the loose leaves in the bottom of the cup in order to ask for guidance, or simply to peek into the future.

Fancy having a go at it yourself? Well we have put together our guide to Tasseomancy, how to prepare for a reading and what kind of things that you should look out for.

What you need for a reading
The best news about reading tea leaves is that you will need to make yourself an amazing brew first. You will need the loose-leaf tea, not a tea bag. You want to keep the leaves nice and free in the cup, which means that you can work with them once you have enjoyed your tea.

Whilst you are drinking your tea you should relax and think about the things that you want to “ask the leaves”. You should aim to drink the majority of the liquid, leaving just enough at the bottom to give those lovely leaves a good slosh around.  It is probably a good idea to use a lighter coloured mug or cup, one that has a wide opening. This will mean that you can easily see all of the patterns.

Thinking about what you want to know, you should gently swirl the cup around 3 times so that the leaves stick to the sides. Some people say that it is best to move the cup in a clockwise motion as this represents moving towards the future, but really it is up to you.

After that, you need to turn the cup upside down on the saucer and tap it three times, so that most of the leaves drop out of the cup.
Now it is time to look in the cup and see what you find.



What to look out for
There are a variety of websites out there that can help you to decipher what you have found in your tea. Rather than delve into all this information now, we suggest you check out: the AuntyFlo Dictionary for great hints on reading tea leaves. Or there is also a great book called Little Giant Encyclopaedia: Tea Leaf Reading.

Both of which can help you to make sense of the patterns and shapes that you have found.

If you are not feeling the idea of looking into the future via your brew, why not just sample some of the amazing teas that we have in our store? You might not be able to ask for guidance about where your life is going, but with our help you can relax and unwind, if only for 10 minutes.

Try these three healthy tea's, guaranteed to help you start your New Year the right way!

1. Get Healthy Go Green

Our delicious Green Tea is packed with antioxidants. Made from unoxidised leaves, that are heated shortly after picking to destroy the enzymes that cause oxidation and fermentation. Green tea has been used as a medicine for generations, its low caffeine levels and beneficial antioxidants have led to it being viewed as a health drink and the second most consumed beverage in the world next to water. Explore our range

2. Can't go wrong with Oolong

Oolong tea is a semi-oxidised tea from China or Taiwan. Oolong tea contains high levels of polyphenols & antioxidants which reputably help promote health, weight loss and beauty. It is also believed to help with high cholesterol and skin allergies such as eczema. Explore our range

3. Way to go with White Tea

White tea is the least processed of all teas and therefore offers the most health related benefits.  They are high in antioxidants, contain very little caffeine but most importantly of all, they're simply delicious. White tea contains antioxidants, fluoride and flavonoids. These properties are said to help the repair and recovery of damaged skin, be excellent for anti-aging, help decrease blood pressure and may reduce the risk of various cardiovascular disorders. Explore our range

The Christmas feasting is almost over, and the New Year is about to begin. We now turn our minds to everything that we want to achieve and create lists of what we resolve to do better. The one thing that most of us resolve to do is to find balance in our crazy modern lives. 

An easy way to bring that balance is by drinking Ayurvedic Tea. It’s a blend of carefully sourced herbs and spices that make an enjoyable, refreshing and fragrant tea.

It comes in three combinations Harmony, Anti-Stress and Energy which together help to create a perfect balance of body, mind and spirit. 

Ayurvedic Teas are completely caffeine free which means that they can be enjoyed throughout the day and do not have the side effects that other tea’s might.

Find out more about the practice of Ayurveda and the amazing benefits of Ayurvedic Tea in our Knowledge Centre.

We would like to wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

All orders received over the Christmas holidays will be sent on Thursday, 29th December via Next Day Delivery when our office reopens.

This might be the year that all your planning has gone out the window. Your head is still trying to come to terms with the fact that it is no longer October and actually there we are only a couple of shopping days away from Christmas! Not to worry, it happens to the best of us. That is why we have you covered. Not only can you still order Christmas presents until the 23rd, we have also found a delicious Black Tea Christmas cake recipe that needs only one night of soaking. So if you get started with that right away, you will have something tasty to serve your guests come Christmas Day. Oh, and did we mention that  you can make it without sugar and butter making it a guilt free Christmas treat!

Last Minute Black Tea Christmas Cake:

Based on a Barm Brack Irish Tea Bread recipe.

RECIPE:

You will need:

TO SOAK:

1 ½ kg mixed cake fruit

1 litre apricot fruit

1 cup of black tea or whisky

1/2 cup brown sugar (for the diet version you can leave out the sugar)

FOR THE CAKE:

3 lightly beaten eggs

½ cup melted butter  (for the diet version you can leave out the butter)

500 ml flour

3 tps. Baking powder

3 – 4 tps mixed spice

Overnight soak:

Soak 1 ½ kg mixed cake fruit (add all your favourite fruit raisins sultanas etc. cherries and nuts such as pecans, candied peel, even chopped dates make a delicious cake!)  in 1 litre apricot fruit  juice and 1 cup of black tea or whisky and add 1/2 cup brown sugar. If it isn’t covered add a bit of water (or more whisky!)

Next day:

• Heat the oven to 160˚ Grease a large square baking tin and line it with greaseproof paper. Set aside.

• Stir in 3 lightly beaten eggs

• And ½ cup melted butter

• To 500 ml flour add 3 tps. Baking powder

• 3 – 4 tps mixed spice

• Add the dry ingredients slowly to the fruit and egg mixture.

• It mustn’t be runny, if it is, add more flour bit by bit; it should be a soft sticky batter. Beware of making it too stiff!

• Spoon the mixture into the baking tin and bake in the middle of the oven for 1 ½ – 1 ¾ hours then test with a skewer for doneness.

• While it is still hot, drizzle honey over the top.

• Cool it slightly and remove it from the tin to cool properly on a wire rack

This is a wonderfully adaptable cake. You can bake it in 3 greased loaf tins if you wish, and give them away as presents.

Leave out the sugar and butter and it becomes a ‘diet’ cake. The fruit and fruit juice give it enough sweetness for most palates. It will dry out very quickly however but it is very tasty and you’ll find yourself making more before Christmas. If you have any left it freezes well so you can just defrost some when you have guests for tea.

Recipe created by Elaine Young

With less than a week to go, the last thing you want is to be joining the Chirstmas madness on the high street. Rather than ending up in the dog box, let us help you avoid the panic in the shops and help you find the perfect gift. At Exotic Teapot you will find a range of beautiful last minute gift ideas.

If you are looking for something extra special have a look our popular Gourmet Tea Sets. Our top of the range glass tea sets come beautifully packaged with a range of different accessories to choose from.

All our products are sent via Express delivery so you'll be sure to receive your order before Christmas. This service is fully trackable and you'll receive real time tracking updates from our courier Interlink Express by email or SMS text.

Pre Christmas Delivery Dates:

UK Highlands & Islands - Order by 12pm on Wednesday 21st December

UK Mainland - Order by 12pm on Thursday 22nd December

Christmas Eve Delivery - Order by 12pm on Friday 23rd December (Weekend Delivery option)

If you're planning a festive dinner with a difference or simply looking for an unusual gift for someone special, why not indulge in one of our Loose Leaf gift sets. Available with a high quality glass, ceramic or cast iron teapot, each beautifully presented gift set includes matching cups and your choice of our finest green teas. We can also provide a personalised Christmas gift message, gift wrap and fast next day delivery to the lucky recipient. 

The Exotic Teapot team is getting into the festive spirit or should we say spirits. We have tried and tested a range of tea inspired cocktails, hard work we know but someone has to do it. Each cocktail is finished off with a beautiful flowering tea, guaranteed to wow your guests and make your Christmas or New Year's party one to remember.

Lemon Cranberry Rum

1/3 White Rum

1/3 Lemon juice

1/3 Soda water

Hint of cranberry

Hint of sugar cane

Flowering tea

Raspberry Gin

1/3 Gin

1/3 Tonic water

1/3 Raspberry juice

Slice of lemon

Flowering tea

 

Gin & Tonic

1/2 Gin

1/2 Tonic water

Slice of lemon

Cherry

Flowering tea

Tequila Lime

1/3 Tequila

2/3 Lime juice

Hint of sugar cane

Cherry

Flowering tea

Rooibos Rum

1/3 Tequila

1/3 Brewed Rooibos

1/3 Apple juice

Hint of sugar cane

Flowering tea

Preparing the Flowering Tea

Brew the flowering tea as per the instructions on the tin. Once it is fully opened dip it in cold water before delicately placing it into the cocktail.

Then sit back and enjoy the party!

The Christmas Tea Tree is up at The Exotic Teapot. Thanks to Jordan for creating our fantastic Teapot Tree. 

Are you, like our cat, simply exhausted at the thought of any more Christmas shopping? Well, let us make it a whole lot simpler for you. Our range of Discovery Tea Sets make beautiful and unusual Christmas gifts. Starting at £24, they come presented in exquisite handmade gift boxes with a Glass Teapot and a tin of tea. You can enhance each set further by selecting a flowering or Supreme grade green tea, and adding a set of glass cups or a bamboo water tray. We can also include a personalised Christmas gift message and gift wrap so all that it left for you to do it put it under the tree. We also offer FREE Next Working Day delivery on all orders over £45.

Here are our top three best sellers:

Prestige Discovery Set

Lotus Discovery Set

Classic Discovery Set

Explore our full range of Discovery Tea Sets