New Newsletter: Customer Favorite Tea & Teaware

Our latest newsletter was just delivered to inboxes around the globe. In this issue we review our customers' top picks during 2009 for green tea, oolong tea, puerh tea, scented/blended tea, black tea, and teaware. There's also the latest update on Roy's upcoming book, Great Teas of China, as well as a look at three adorable lucky teapots that make great gifts and might even change your luck! In any case they're sure to bring a smile every time you brew tea.

Learn which teas are our customer favorites this year - maybe your next favorite is just waiting to be discovered! And be sure to subscribe to Tea Readings, our email newsletter, so you don't miss a single issue, filled with news, new products, and information every tea lover will want to know.

Construction Zone!

If you're a regular Camellia Sinensis reader you've no doubt noticed some changes to the blog and possibly a few intermittent glitches. These are related to a major redesign of the ImperialTea.com web site, due to launch in the next week or so. Among other improvements, we'll be integrating the blog into the main site. Until the official relaunch you may notice occasional strange looks or odd behavior. Thanks in advance for your patience. The new site will help us provide more information and serve you better, and we're eager to unveil it as soon as possible! In the meantime, if you have questions or need assistance, don't hesitate to contact us.

Meetup in the Berkeley Teahouse

We're pleased that the new San Francisco Tea Meetup Group chose our Berkeley Teahouse for its inaugural meetup today. Bay Area-based Tea Sommelier James Labe selected six of our oolongs to taste and discuss: from Taiwan, Wen Shan Bao Zhong, Imperial Green Oolong, and Gui Fei Cha, and from China, Monkey-Picked Tie Guan Yin, the Phoenix Mountain oolong Bai Ye, and from Wu Yi Shan, Yan Ru. It was a warm, sunny afternoon in Berkeley, perfect for tea on our upstairs deck. Here are a couple more photos:

Roy's Book Is Off to the Printer!

This morning we did the final signoffs and Roy's upcoming book, Great Teas of China, is heading to the printer! Assuming all goes well from here, we should have copies in our warehouse in about four weeks. You can preorder the book on our web site. We're also trying to arrange e-book editions. More details on that as the situation evolves.

All Treats, No Tricks in the Teahouses This Weekend

If you're in the San Francisco Bay Area don't be spooked! Mark your calendar for a couple of fun events this Halloween weekend, when it's all treats/no tricks in our teahouses. Tomorrow we're celebrating the holiday with a Halloween Special: an order of delicious, handmade pumpkin shao mai plus our popular Winter Spice tea, all for just $8.

Then on Sunday, November 1, join the San Francisco Tea Meetup Group at 3pm in our Berkeley Teahouse for an Oolong Tasting with Tea Sommelier James Labe. This event costs $15. James will select of up to six of our oolongs for tasting, commentary, and group discussion. Seats are limited, so sign up soon if you're interested.

We look forward to seeing you soon in our teahouses!