tea...tea... and more tea... Petali Teas

beautiful woven tea towels fashioned into an apron....

50 different teas hand-blended in pristine white ceramic boxes...


I met a young woman today and her name fits her so well...Joy...on a Monday afternoon. I am participating in a tea exchange and went out on a crusade of sorts to find a unique, healing tea to share with my tea buddy. I was in a quest to find a very unusual tea shop in our area known as Mootz Run Tea House. in Alexandria. Well we are as a county, in the process of a stimulus package to improve our road system connecting Newark to Columbus and the path is torn up and very disrupting...one house has ODOT Sucks spray painted on their home. The exit to Alexandria is now non existent and we traveled all around the old highways with absolutely no luck to locate this tearoom. On the way home I asked Ken to drive down Broadway in Granville and discovered ...presto!!! a new tearoom named Petali Teas with an owner named Joy. She also owns Mootz Run Teas in Alexandria but due to the highway situation she decided to open this smaller shop of delights in downtown Granville. I felt as if I had walked into Shangrila ... or maybe a tea shop in Ceylon. The fragrances were soft and sweet. Every essential one gourmet might wish for in the Tea world was present before me for my sensual exploration. The colors and the light gentle entering the windows added to the ambiance and the center table was filled with teas from around the globe. Joy guided us in our first virgin selections and we wrote down the pertinent information on a beautiful turquoise envelope and she quickly filled with our envelop as we gathered a few more delicious flavors to savor until Spring comes back to town. Joy gave me a tea known as Persian Nights.. a blend of lapacho, pistachios, mango, papaya, schizandra berry, pomegranate and essence. This blend is beneficial for persons who are dealing with a brain tumor and assist in the healing process. Hot water at 212 degrees and one Tbsp. of loose tea and steep for 7 to 10 minutes. As I type I am enjoying this wonderful exlixir brew and its light fragrance and blend of flavors is quite nice. I am totally new to this tea process and next time I visit Joy I will find out what Lapacho is! :o)

Ken picked out Woodland Raspberry with elements of rooibus, vanilla, raspberries, hawthorn berries, blackberry leaves, rose petals, rose hips, heather blossoms and black currant leaves. one Tbsp. of loose tea in 212 degrees in your favorite teapot for 3 minutes and enjoy. We both selected French Lemon Cream... it sounds like dessert already. The elements are green rooibus, lemons, vanilla, calendula and essence. Brew this delicious tea for 5 to 7 minutes at 212 degrees. The last tea we are tasting is Caramel Apple with elements of green tea, caramel with milk and sugar, apples, pineapples and vitamin C. Steep this tea at 190 degrees for 3 minutes and sit back and enjoy a fat free delight in your favorite easy chair. This is kind of exciting to have a simple tea pleasure to share at the end of the day with someone you love. Joy does have a website at www.petaliteas.com and tell Joy you are part of our exchange group. I wish you could all go into this delightful oasis of serenity and fragrances to relish. Did I tell you she had orchids in small vases and a wonderful painting that she found in a small gallery in Chicago. I am putting up a few photos of our afternoon and feel free to go on line and share my adventure. Imagine and Live in Peace with a hand blended cup of natural teas steeped in your favorite teapot. Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart