 Although in the U.S. chai is thought of as a tea flavor; in India, chai is not a flavor of tea, it is the Hindi word for "tea." So when someone says "chai tea," they are literally saying "tea tea." Originating over 5,000 years ago, legend holds that chai was invented for an Indian king who requested that a healing, spiced beverage be created to use in the traditional healing practice, Ayurveda. When first created, chai was made up of ginger and black pepper to stimulate digestion; cloves to relieve pain; cardamom as a mood lifter; cinnamon to support circulation and respiratory function; and star anise as a breath freshener. When the British-owned Indian Tea Association was established in Indian during the early 20th century, black tea began to be blended into the traditional Indian chai, becoming the chai we know today. In America, chai's base is black tea and can consist of various spices including cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and many others. This combination makes chai a perfect tea for fall! At Elden Street Tea Shop you can find two types of chai: Monk's Honey Chai and Masala Chai Organic. The Monk's Honey Chai is a soothing tea with notes of chrysanthemums, honey, turmeric, and cardamom. Perfect for a sore throat! Masala Chai Organic has a fuller flavor and is a historic favorite in India. Featuring a blend of cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, and peppercorns this tea preserves each of these unique flavors when adding milk and honey and maintains its strength when served as an iced tea.  Take some home with you the next time you come visit the tea shop!
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 Did you know that a single nylon tea bag releases 11.6 billion microplastics into a cup of tea? Researchers in Canada recently conducted a study sampling tea bags from four tea shops and cafes across Montreal and found each bag contained a thousand times more plastic than contained in table salt. Some of these microplastics are even small enough to penetrate human cells! To learn more information about this study, click here. Want to enjoy your tea and avoid ingesting plastic? Watch the video below to learn about healthy, sustainable alternatives! Interested in products featured in the video? Stop by Elden Street Tea Shop anytime to purchase your own sustainable tea filters, prices listed below!
Tea Products: Silicone Tea Bag (BPA Free): $5.50 Tea Filters (100ct): $5.00 Tea Ball Infuser: $4.25 Tea Witch: $5.50 King Kong Tea Ball: $5.50 Travel French Press Travel Mug: $34.95 We also have a B.Y.O.C (Bring Your Own Cup/ Canister) Program: Bring your own cup: Bring your own cup and save! Save the planet, save some money! Your own canister: Get .50 off your purchase Purchase an ESTS canister to get further discounts: 8 oz ESTS canister: Get 15% OFF Every time you bring the canister back and fill up! 16 oz ESTS canister: Get 15% OFF Every time you bring the canister back and fill up 8oz.  We have 2 awesome new flavors of Iced tea at the shop! I have added the recipe here sonyou can make them at home! Blood Orange Black Tea RecipeMakes 1 gallon of Iced Tea Ingredients
Ginger Honey Green LemonadeMakes 1 gallon of Iced Tea Ingredients
 Download Free Valentine's day Printables to give to all your Tea loving friends!
come Join Us on Saturdays, Starting December 9th @ Herndon ArtspaceYour present cam early this year! Elden Street Tea Shop will be open in Herndon Artspace, this winter. Try any of our 20+ locally blended and non blended teas while enjoying one of the many spectacular art installations at Herndon Artspace. HoursSaturdays 11a-4p We will be open for most events at Herndon Artspace. Please check our TEAVENTS for details. MenuComing Soon!
Opening Day Deals
How to get there We hope to see you there!
 Delicious chocolates are from Chesapeake Chocolates in Lake Anne Reston, VA First Pairing: Red Line - blend of rooibos, dark chocolate chips, hint of caramel and vanilla Paired with Bulldog Bark. A delightful mixture of chopped walnuts and rich dark chocolate. Second Pairing: Mahalo Chai - Green Chai! White tea, lemongrass, ginger, and fennel blended precisely with chai spices. Paired with Ginger Spice Milk Chocolate Last night, we practiced tea pairings with chocolate. What a great way to end the day! We hope you will join us on a monthly or bi-monthly basis for our in store tea pairings. Coming Soon!
Tea has been around for thousands of years. The tea plant is hardy and can live to be over 100 years old. Tea was once considered more valuable than silver. This is a precious, endlessly giving plant that needs to be respected and cared for. We are trying to be as environmentally friendly as possible. Our goal is to be close to 0% waste at Elden Street Tea Shop. We plan to have biodegradable, compostable, and reusable utensils, cups, plates, tea bags, packaging, etc.
We look forward to sharing our ideas of using tea compost, growing plants sustainably, and following good gardening practices with the community. If you have ideas or suggestions of environmental practices you would like to see in the tea shop, post them in the comment section below. On Saturday, Mike and I were invited to go to Green Alchemy Boot Camp at Sarah's house. Sarah, is our tea blender and owner of Green Alchemy Teas. When she said boot camp, she wasn't joking. She prepared us to answer all of your tea questions. One of the things I would like to share with you about our learning experience is the different classification of teas.  http://thedailytea.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Black_tea_grading.jpg First things first. Tea all comes from the same plant, Camellia Sinensis. The different names for tea comes from different classifiers.
3. Color is another classifier. The longer the tea is left to oxidize, the closer it gets to becoming a black tea.  There are several different classifications for tea.  Orthodox Tea- tea in it's purest form. Nothing is added to it. Altered Teas- teas that have been altered by way of infusion, blending, or decaffeinated. Red Teas- teas from the Assam bush or Honeybush tea plant, not Camellia Sinensis. Herbal Teas- orthodox teas blended with other herbs or just herbs. I look forward continuing to share my knowledge on teas and happenings with the store. If you would like to share your knowledge of teas or have a specific topic/ question for me to answer, put it in the comments below. Here is a perfect recipe for a rainy day tea featuring our Vintage Earl Grey.  We are officially opening online!We are officially opening Elden Street Tea Shop online store! We don't want to wait until December to have you try our locally blended teas. You can purchase them starting now and they will be shipped out at the end of August. Just in time for peak tea weather! Once you make your first purchase, share your purchase on social media and get a free sample of another tea! It will be sent out with your order.  |
AuthorRachel Eisenfeld is the owner of Elden Street Tea Shop. She is a fan of Pu'er (poo-air) teas, refreshing and subtle white teas, and any tea mixed with bourbon. Rachel has been to many tea houses on the East Coast, Ireland, and San Franscico. She enjoys learning about the chemical process of making tea and international tea culture. During good times and bad, tea warms the soul. Archives
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