Dear Tea Lover
Welcome to our latest newsletter.
In this edition, we focus on the quieter and more comforting aspects of tea, with a reminder of how valuable your daily tea ritual can be in creating a grounding “analog” moment in the day.
Discover more about L-theanine, a naturally occurring amino acid found in tea. You will also find some simple food pairing ideas, along with an apple cake recipe to enjoy alongside your favourite cup.
I hope you can settle in with a cup of tea in hand and enjoy a read.
With our very warm wishes,
Michelle and the Stir Tea Team.
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Have you ever wondered why a cup of tea can leave you feeling both refreshed and calm?
Discover the fascinating role of L-theanine, a naturally occurring amino acid found predominantly in the tea plant, and learn how it contributes to tea’s unique flavour, character and drinking experience.
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In our digital world, there is something wonderful about stepping away and immersing yourself in the simple process of making a cup of tea.
Our latest article, Tea is Analog, explores this connection and how your daily tea ritual can provide a welcome pause in an increasingly connected world.
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Tea Recipe - Simple Tea Pairings
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Tea in Good Company - Simple ways to bring tea and other flavours together:
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Vegetables & Tea:
Roasted Cauliflower & Green Tea
Roasted cauliflower pairs beautifully with a cup of Dragonwell green tea, whose gentle, nutty character complements the roasted flavours.
I added a little grated parmesan cheese towards the end of roasting, which was delicious but certainly not essential. I also found steamed and seasoned cauliflower worked well.
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Spice & Tea:
Cardamom “Gentle Green” Tea
Gently crush 4 cardamom pods (per cup of water) to expose the seeds. Add the crushed pods and seeds to the water, bring to a boil, then remove from the heat. Leave to infuse for around 10 minutes, or until the water has cooled to approximately 80°C. Use the cardamom-infused water to brew your Gentle Green tea as usual*.
This also makes a lovely iced tea. Allow the brewed tea to cool, then chill and serve over ice.
*Note: Alternatively, you could simply add the crushed cardamom pods to your green tea as it steeps, but I prefer the deeper flavour achieved by infusing the cardamom separately.:
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Both of the above recipe ideas were inspired by a recent addition to the Stir Tea library, which I thoroughly recommend – 101 Teas to Steep Before You Die by Nigel Melican, James Norwood Pratt, Maria Uspenski and Shabnam Weber.
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Cake & Tea:
Invisible Apple Cake
If you have an abundance of apples to hand, this cake is a lovely way to make use of them.
It is delicious and, in my experience, fail-safe. I find it goes particularly well with a pot of black tea.
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Stock Updates - Recent Arrivals Include:
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Saying Goodbye to Some Flavours:
Tastes change, and so does our tea collection. Once our remaining stock of Ginseng Green and Yoga Flow has sold out, we will not be replacing them.
If either of these beautiful flavours is a favourite, we're sorry to see it go too. You may like to top up your supplies while stock is still available.
On Sale:
Earl Grey Rooibos - this is a great caffeine free, late-night option for Earl Grey lovers.
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Product Updates - Welcoming Two New Tea Accessories:
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Tea Filter Baskets - these give the tea leaves plenty of room to open and infuse, while keeping smaller leaf particles out of your cup. Available in two sizes.
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Online Orders – Email & Tracking Updates
When your order is dispatched with NZ Post couriers, we’ll email you with your tracking number. If you don’t receive this email, please check your junk or spam folder and mark our email address as safe.
For additional delivery updates directly from NZ Post, enter your tracking number on the NZ Post website and select “Get Email Alerts” from the Parcel Options menu.
Remarkables Market Summer Season 2026/27
We’ll be back at the Remarkables Market this summer. You can see our market dates through to Christmas and read more about the market here.
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Japanese Sencha - we are very pleased to welcome the new season’s harvest of Sencha Fuka-Midori.
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This green tea comes to us directly from Shizuoka, one of Japan’s best-known tea-growing regions. It is made from the Yabukita cultivar and is picked towards the end of the first-flush season, giving the leaves more time in the spring sunshine before harvesting. This additional time contributes to the refreshing bitterness and astringency characteristic of this tea, balanced by sweetness and umami.
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In the cup, this tea brings together four characteristics associated with Japanese green tea - bitterness, astringency, sweetness and umami. It is the balance between these elements that gives the tea its distinctive character: fresh and lively, with natural sweetness and savoury depth.
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Tea meets Fragrance, Fashion and Food
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Tea offers inspiration well beyond the cup, including:
Tea-inspired Fragrances
Tea is having a moment in the fragrance world, with black, green and white tea notes appearing in a growing range of perfumes.
Tea-inspired fragrances tend to offer a softer approach to scent. Black tea is often paired with spices, woods or vanilla for warmth and depth, while green tea and white tea feature in lighter fragrances alongside citrus, florals and fresh aromatic notes.
As a tea drinker, it is interesting to see how the character of different tea styles is being interpreted beyond the cup - not necessarily their exact aroma, but the mood and impression they inspire.
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Tea in Fashion
The distinctive green of Japanese matcha tea has emerged as a fresh colour trend for the Northern Hemisphere’s spring and summer, appearing across clothing, accessories and homewares. Closer to home, you can bring a touch of tea-inspired green into your own kitchen with our new Stir Tea tins.
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Tea Leaves into Salad
Before you discard the leaves from your next pot of good-quality green tea, consider giving them another life. Tender brewed green tea leaves (try our Dragonwell) can be eaten.
For a simple idea, gently squeeze the excess water from your infused leaves and toss them with a little ponzu and soy sauce. We enjoyed a mix of around 70% ponzu to 30% soy sauce, but experiment to find the balance you prefer.
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Serve as a small side dish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds, add the dressed leaves to salad greens, or simply enjoy with white rice.
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Parting Message from Michelle - Thank you
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From Our Hands to Yours
Here at Stir HQ in Queenstown, we quality check and pack our teas by hand, taking care of the leaves that will eventually make their way into your cup.
Whether Stir has been part of your day for years or you have only recently discovered us, thank you for choosing Stir loose-leaf, your support means a great deal to us.
We look forward to continuing to offer beautiful quality tea as a worthy companion for life’s little and big moments.
Wishing you Happy Tea Times.
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