Suite Talk

Time for reinvention.

shawn — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 17:10:29 +0000

I have decided to close Rooibos Suite, just temporarily. I need to stand back for a moment and see what I’m doing wrong or right with the business. Stay tuned I hope to have a new look, and a larger variety of tea blends.

Happy Holidays to everyone.

Coffee, Tea or me

shawn — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 20:29:54 +0000

Although or maybe because there is no clear scientific evidence, curiousity has struck me regarding the effectiveness of tea and/or coffee on the, uh hum….. libido….Oh! stop it, we all have sex on the brain whether you want to admit or not. There are many articles on the benefits of green tea specifically, but not on tea in general. There is that underground bestselling book called ‘Intercourses’. A cookbook of the aphrodisiatic type that lists’ coffee as one food ingredient that gets the fires stoking. But what do you think or feel for that matter? Coffee drinkers or tea drinkers, who has better sex?And why?

More poetry?

shawn — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 19:03:03 +0000

I received a small brick of tea, And sipping it, felt cool; I can do with the wind as I will. Why should I need paradise? My whole body is floating amid the white clouds. – Gido Shushin (1335-1388)

A little tea poetry.

shawn — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 22:48:45 +0000

Drinking tea bespeaks a quest that one offers to his friends for the beauty of gestures, of objects and the heart. – Sogaku of the Hayami School

Tea is not just for drinking

shawn — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 15:31:20 +0000

Did you know that tea is not just for drinking, that it can be used in many other ways. To make ice cream, or a sauce. I sometimes use rooibos to make salad dressing. Here’s a recipe you might want to try.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes Total time: 50 minutes Ingredients: 1 cup granulated sugar, divided 2 cups whole milk 2 cups heavy cream 8 large eggs, beaten 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract Boiling crème au caramel rooibos Preparation: In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt and caramelize 1/2 cup of the sugar. Shake the pan occasionally to stir the sugar and evenly distribute the color. The sugar is caramelized when it has turned a uniform light tan color. Evenly divide the caramel between 8 ovenproof ramekins. Swirl the caramel inside each ramekin to coat the sides and bottoms completely. Arrange the ramekins in a 1 1/2-inch to 2-inch deep baking pan. Preheat and oven to 325F. In a clean saucepan over medium heat, stir together the milk and cream just until it begins to scald, about 5 to 7 minutes. Do not allow the liquid to simmer or boil at any time. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir together the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and the eggs. Allow the sugar-egg mixture to rest for 5 minutes. Slowly add 2/3 cup of the hot cream mixture to the eggs, whisking constantly. Stirring constantly, add the tempered eggs and cream back into the hot cream in the saucepan. Stir in the salt and vanilla extract. Carefully pour the hot cream mixture into the ramekins. Pour boiling water into the pan holding the ramekins until the water level reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake the custard for 30 to 35 minutes, until the custard is just set. (Overcooking will remove the silky texture for which crème au caramel is famous.) Remove from the oven and allow the ramekins to cool in the water bath for 5 minutes. Remove from the water and cool the custard at room temperature for 20 minutes. Run an offset spatula or butter knife around the edges of each ramekin and invert the custards onto serving plates. Serve them at room temperature or chill for up to a day before serving.

Change

shawn — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 23:34:08 +0000

Well after some time, Rooibos Suite’s website has received a face lift, and to quote Dinah Washington, ‘what a difference a day makes’. I am quite happy with the new look of Rooibos Suites’ website, and I know customers will appreciate the new look also. I must admit I was a little apprehensive about changing the look, not because it didn’t need it. But mainly because I’m not very good at handling change. Maybe it’s my fixed earth sign that has something to do with it. But I tell myself change is good, change is what helps you grow, change is the only constant in life so you can’t run away from it.

Rooibos Suites’ website is not the only thing that has changed. So has the tea selection………….. well not necessarily. Just some new items have been added, such as the Apple Rooibos, and Creme Au Caramel. There’s also the Keemun Panda #1 and Lapsang Souchong which is one of the most prized teas in China. Fruit Teas, and a selection of Estates Teas have been added also. Naturally when something is added something has to be taken away, such is the case with our Island Pleasure Rooibos Blend. It just wasn’t selling well and it didn’t seem to fit in with the rest of the menu. Perhaps one day I will tweak the recipe and bring it back. In the meantime….happy steeping.

Green Tea & Chocolate

shawn — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 22:41:08 +0000

Wow, just got home from work. Yes I work and sell tea online. It’s not an easy thing to do believe me. Especially considering what I do. But that’s another story, and another blog….anyway I just saw an article about green tea flavored chocolates. The company is called Vivani. As a member of an online tea community, I’ve read several items about blending chocolate with GREEN tea. I enjoy a quality cup of green tea, who doesn’t? I also am a chocoholic who has never fully recovered. But the thought of combing the two seems, a little scary. I know that tea infused chocolates are nothing new, and as a tea business owner and lover, I understand that there are a million and one things that are possible with tea. but green tea flavored chocolate is I honestly would not have considered.

Oh sorry for the long stretches of posting. Life often gets in the way.

New Opportunities

shawn — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 18:09:22 +0000

The beginning of a new year, for me, signifies another chance…..another chance to try again… to do it better. To change your life, yourself for the better. We all know that’s not an easy task, because change of any size is difficult. But if we have a clear vision of what we want to change and how to go about making that change, and making a commitment to that change, then it becomes less of a challenge.

As we begin this new year, let us not forget the words of Ghandi, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

Ready, Set, Go

shawn — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 17:40:47 +0000

Rooibos Suite has been preparing for the Shecky’s Girls Night Out gig in December, still so much to do. Still haven’t packaged the tea yet, will save for last. Rooibos Suite anticipates, that this event will be the launching pad for a developing a larger customer base.

Sheckys seems to have a good reputation as being beneficial for small businesses.

Check out Shecky’s at www.sheckys.com

Location: Peterson Automotive Museaum, 6060 Wilshire Blvd Los Angeles, Ca

Time: Thursday, December 2 @ 5pm – 10pm

Finally took the big jump.

shawn — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 15:29:14 +0000

Well it was hard to part with, but you know the saying, if you wanna make money, you have to spend it. Rooibos Suite will officially be at Shecky’s Girls Night Out on December in Santa Monica. I won’t give specific numbers on the cost, but lets just say that my financial belt has just gotten tighter and will remain that way, at least until the end of the year. \

Something else has been on my radar. I am actually considering adding coffee to the menu. Yes I know there is a Starbucks right around the corner, and next door and across the street . But even Starbucks doesn’t have the monopoly on gourmet coffee.

Well, that’s all for now. Will get back soon.