Just Delivered: Bellocq Teas

• Posted on 28 October 2020
• By Susannah
• Posted in On Our Shelves
• 0

Our newest shipment of marvelous, surprising, delicious, and ever-so-slightly-esoteric loose leaf teas from Bellocq arrived at the *exact* moment we happened to find ourselves in need of a real buck-up-and-carry-on-style pick-me up.

NYC-based Bellocq Teas truly makes some of the most incredible teas we've experienced. Deeply evocative, richly scented, and delicately flavored, each gloriously distinct blend is the perfect mixture of classic and wildly unexpected. And where some loose-leafs look like dried branches or (worse!) grass clippings, Bellocq's blends are like something out of a wisewoman's basket or off of a fairy buffet:

Hindu Holiday Blend: South African rooibos festooned in cardamom, fragrant cassia, and spicy ginger and adorned with garlands of rose, jasmine, and marigold petals!

Launched in London by a pair of traveling tea obsessives and now brewing up pots of major magic in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, this collection of beautifully packaged, carefully selected, single-origin teas originate from the finest estates in China, Japan, Nepal, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and Malawi. They are exclusively full leaf, almost entirely organic, and sourced from high elevation gardens. The classic blends, pure varietals, and mind-blowing in-house mixtures elevate the beloved ritual into something truly transcendent. 

Le Hammeau Blend: Organic lemongrass and verbena mingle playfully with lavender, rose petals, mint, and sage.

At a moment where we will take every possible opportunity to set intentions and boundaries against the onslaught of the day, to fortify our souls, build space for breathing, and set aside a specific time for quieting the mind, our daily tea practice has become a potent ritual recently for simply slooooowing the whole thing down. Sometimes just being present in the action, breathing through the time that it takes to put the kettle on and wait for it to sing, to watch the the water purl through the tea leaves as they release their lovely mysteries is just enough to bring our hearts back to resting and our posture back to center (to wit: stop this exact moment and pause to consider your body: how are you holding your shoulders? Your heart? Your breath? Yeah, us too.)

With a drizzle of honey, a little bit of something sweet on the side, or even as the occasional perfect base note in a hot toddy, these teas are somehow just what we needed right now. Plus, the cheery yellow tins and boxes have a sort of "French Apothecary In An Airstream Trailer" kind of vibe and who doesn't need more of that in their lives?

See all Bellocq teas here and glorious tea accoutrements here.