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Espresso Yourself -
Celebrating the coffee art of Karen Eland
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For
self-taught artist Karen Eland, coffee is so much more than a steamy
beverage that delivers her morning buzz, it is a way to express
her creative imagination—she
paints with it.
“I
first thought of the idea of painting with coffee while watching
rich, red-brown espresso pouring perfectly into my cup.” Eland
said. “It
occurred to me that perhaps I could take my passion for coffee to
a deeper level. So
I dipped my brush and began painting.”
We drink
coffee, use it in recipes, and can even marinate a steak with it.
But, paint with it? You’ve go to see it to believe it. Coffee
art is a truly unique art form. It requires a thoughtful and
delicate touch. Eland
uses a slow and sophisticated process of building layers upon layers
of espresso to capture the depth of the classic works she showcases.
Putting
a modern and caffeinated spin on classic paintings by famous painters
like Vermeer, DaVinci, Michelangelo, and Picasso, you’ll enjoy
each of
Eland’s interpretations--the most popular being Mona Latte
shown here.
The
local coffee house provides great energy for Eland and locals often
find her there sipping coffee with paintbrush in hand. “Immersed
in the delicious aroma of freshly ground coffee and the sounds of
low conversation, steam, and grind, I get inspired” she says.
Each painting
contains 100% pure coffee on watercolor paper with no preservatives
or additives. Giclee prints are available in different
standard sizes, prices vary. Eland’s coffee art is also
available in limited edition 16” x 20” prints (unframed,
$45) and greeting cards ($3.75 each). To view the spectacular
collection by Karen Eland visit www.coffee-art.com.
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Treasures from Sri Lanka -
Take a sip to another part of the world |
The
history of Ceylon Tea dates back to the early 1860s when Ceylon
(the former name of the nation now called Sri Lanka) was known
for the production of coffee, not tea. It wasn’t
until a coffee fungus destroyed a majority of the coffee plants and
estate owners were forced to look for alternative crops to cultivate
that the sowing of tea seeds began.
Today,
following India and China, Sri Lanka and is the 3rd largest producer
of tea in the world according to the Tea Association of the U.S.A.
The
natural beauty of Sri Lanka's landscape draws many visitors, including
Richard and Bernice Boehm. “When people visit Sri Lanka
they immediately fall in love with the people. Their kindness
and gratitude will touch your heart” said Richard.
Frequent
trips to the East helped Richard, a survivor of both triple-bypass
surgery and corporate downsizing, and Bernice, a school teacher,
find a wonderful way to help the people of Sri Lanka. Their
efforts started in 2002 when they sponsored a Sri Lankan child who
lost her father to cancer, and continue today through their company,
Ceylon Treasures. Launched in 2003, Ceylon Treasures
offers outstanding tea and beautiful gift packs created by Sri Lankan
craftsmen.
After discovering the gift packs during one of their visits to Sri
Lanka, Richard and Bernice began sending them home to family and
friends. Eventually, they saw an opportunity to create an ethical
business that would take them into their retirement years and help
the people they had come to know and respect.
Ceylon Treasures offers several different lines that celebrate
Ceylon tea—some for the tea purist and others for those with
a more adventurous palate—each with a very distinct flavor.
Hyson
(hi-tshun) refers to the Sri Lankan tea company as well as the
method for processing the tea. The twisted leaves are long and
thin and unfurl slowly to offer its fragrant astringent green taste. Hyson
tea has been defined as warm, sunny and spring-like, reflecting both
the color and the season in which Hyson is harvested. Among
the variety of black and green Hyson teas offered from Ceylon Treasures:
- Ceylon
Supreme Tea: The
district of Dimbula produces Ceylon Supreme Tea, one of the world's
finest harvests. Grown at 4,000 feet in the mountains of Ceylon,
this tea is harvested by hand in January and February when the
leaves are young, tender, and most flavorful.
- Classic
Earl Grey Tea: A
fine quality black tea in its purest form, this tea is hard to
resist for those who are selective and savvy. Processed with
oil of Bergamot for a refreshing and aromatic cup of tea.
- Premium
Dimbula: A special Orange Pekoe
from carefully selected lush green buds. It is exceptionally fine
rolled to produce a mellow character. Great hot or chilled.
- Jasmine
Mistique Tea: Uses only a select
quality of Ceylon tea and is delicately blended to create some
of the world’s favorite tea. It emphasizes the unique
flavor, evident in the quality of tea chosen.
- Emperor's
Dream Tea: As unique as the
island itself, Emperor's Dream Tea comprises a fine selection consisting
of rich flavor, fine aroma, briskness and a full bodied character
in the brew—a contribution from the year long sunshine and
intermittent showers nourishing the plantation soil.
A collection
of pure Ceylon tea from some of Sri Lanka’s finest
tea gardens is available in the Batik (ba-teak) Tea line. The Batik
Tea line takes its name from the local art of hand printing textiles.
Each Batik tea is also a work of art: distinctive in flavor, color,
and aroma creating an exclusive range of high-quality teas for
the world market. The fruit-infused teas are delicious. Included
among the exclusive blends are ginger, apricot, blackberry, cherry,
peach, raspberry, cinnamon, and hibiscus. Ceylon Treasures
also offers a great selection of organic teas as well.
“We
know the farms, the farmers, and have relationships with the people. That’s
why we get the finest quality, most flavorful teas” said Bernice
Boehm. “That’s
why, when you drink our tea, you’ll understand the value of
knowing the families who grow your tea” she added.
All
Ceylon Treasures tea comes with the seal of assured quality from
the Sri Lanka Tea Board. Ceylon Treasures tea can be purchased
at www.ceylontreasures.com or
by calling 1-877-990-1990.
Come sample
some of Ceylon Treasures outstanding teas at the coffee and tea festival
in New York City, April 27-28. For
details about the coffee and tea festival, visit www.coffeeandteafestival.com.
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Chocoholics & Coffee Lovers - Rejoice!
Fretzels Coffee Collection
So
you think you’ve had great chocolate covered pretzels before,
well, think again. One sweet and crunchy bite and you’ll
be hooked on Fretzels. Maybe you’ve seen them featured
on the Today show, listed in national magazine gift guides, or recently
heard Rachel Ray say “yum-o” and select Fretzels as her “Snack
of the Day”. If you haven’t had them before, you
are probably wondering…what’s a Fretzel?
Decadent
and delicious, Fretzels are pretzels made with the highest-quality
ingredients and hand-dipped in the finest milk, white, or dark
chocolate. Some
Fretzels come adorned with delectable toppings like toffee, peanut
butter chips, and cookie crumbles, and others with mini m&ms,
non-pareils, and mini chocolate chips.
The
recently introduced Coffee Collection (shown here) is a wonderful
addition to the Fretzel product line and was a big seller for the
2006 holidays. The six-piece assortment includes cappuccino,
espresso, Irish cream, mocha latte, café latte, and hazelnut.
Each
undeniably delicious Fretzel receives special attention to guarantee
exquisite and irresistible joy in every bite. Fretzels make
the perfect gift for family and friends (or a delicious treat for
you).
Looking
for the ultimate gift? Enroll a friend in the Fretzel of the
Month Club−this month’s special feature is Irish Cream,
in honor of St. Patrick's Day. It just doesn’t get any
better than that! www.fretzels.com.
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Book Buzz -
Tasting Club:
Gathering Together to Share and Savor Your Favorite Tastes
Written
by Dina Cheney
“Cheney
proves to be an excellent guide, making her urbane
subject
matter accessible and her parties both fun and informative.”
--
Publishers Weekly (May, 2006)
Too
busy to throw a dinner party but love to entertain? How
about a tasting party? Dina Cheney, author of Tasting Club, shows
you how much fun it can be.
This
beautifully illustrated do-it-yourself guide to hosting a themed
tasting party offers 10 different plans for tasting. It includes
the most popular tasting items like wine, chocolate, and cheese,
but also includes more obscure tasting subjects like beer, honey,
tea, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and apples.
In
the Basics chapter, Cheney explains how to structure your party
using the book and photocopied "tasting grids" that can
be distributed to each guest for exploring and recording the experience.
She recommends choosing six different variations for a tasting
and explains how to set up a table to accommodate the foods as
well as palate cleansers and complementary accompaniments. Each
subsequent chapter is devoted to a single subject and offers important
background information − such as how and where olive oil
is made and how the product is graded in different countries − to
add to the experience.
Tasting
parties are a wonderful reason to gather with friends and Cheney
delivers a fun, innovative, and easy way to entertain at home.
Published
by DK Publishing, August 2006. $22.00
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Tavalon Tea -
Tavalon Tea Celebrates First Anniversary with Special
Offers
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Coffee & Tea Festival: NYC -
April 28-29, 2007
Thousands
will gather for this New York event in Manhattan's beautiful Metropolitan
Pavilion to celebrate everything related to coffee and tea. The
Coffee & Tea Festival:
NYC will bring coffee, tea and confectionary vendors together and
introduce them to sophisticated enthusiasts.
Come
and enjoy:
Funds
will be raised for the official event charity, The Freeplay
Foundation and its Coffee Lifeline Project
Don't
miss the
2nd Annual Coffee & Tea
Festival: NYC!
Visit www.coffeeandteafestival.com
for details.
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