October Feature
We would like to welcome our October artist, Nazanin and her blog Tea Thoughts! Nazanin has developed a beautiful website sharing her love of tea, baking, and the different creative projects she's working on. Whether you're an expert or novice, this is a great place to explore incredible teas and recipes. But Tea Thoughts is far more than just sharing about a cup of tea. It's also a place where people can share their love of nature and appreciation for creativity. And if you have a strong sweet tooth like me, then you'll really enjoy Nazanin's love of baking. Her Sweets section is mouth watering! You can always get in touch with her by email and the lost art of snail mail! And don't forget to check out her Tea Thoughts Shop, full of some truly wonderful handmade crafts!
Grab your favorite drink or sweet and check out our interview with Nazanin, creator of Tea Thoughts!
Tell us a bit about yourself!
I'm Nazanin, the Tea Lady behind Tea Thoughts. I'm a little cooky but also try to lead a very passionate and grateful life. Aside from Tea, I have a lot of interests. It took me so many times to re-write my "about page" and I'm still not happy with it but I'll share with you some of the non tea related items on my list of interests.
1) I'm a self proclaimed Whiskey Connoisseur: My favorites are Jameson 12 year & Bulleit Bourbon
2) I have a comic book collection of mostly X-Men comics and some Batman graphic novels (the killing joke is amazing). I have the entire collection of 90's X-Men animated series and Batman animated series on dvd.
3) It's insanely hard for me to not freak out when I see cute animals: dogs, cats, bunnies, snakes, salamanders etc. I love them all.
4) I'm a life long athlete, working out is one of my most effective stress relievers
What’s your blog about?
My blog is about tea and sweets! Most of the tea posts are about new teas I'm trying and how I like them. I like most teas so the differences are really about how I interpret the taste, smell etc. I by no means claim to be an expert on tea but I'm surely passionate about it! Each post is usually accompanied by lots of tea photos! Another passion of mine is baking, this is a smaller part of my blog but I occasionally post recipes that I've tried. A lot of the recipes are desserts I've tried with tea, like matcha donuts!
You can also find my portfolio and Etsy shop on my blog where I create handmade goods. I'm in love with snail mail and I'm trying to expand the portion on my site where I post things I've sent to various people. I hope this encourages others to send some love in the mail.
What inspired or motivated you to create this blog?
I've always expressed myself creatively. I came to a point working full time where I wasn't expressing myself creatively anymore in my job or my free time and I needed a change. I'm passionate about a lot of things but I decided on tea because it's such a central part of my life. I added in the baking portion because I'm often baking for fun and usually those sweets get consumed with my tea so I thought it's a great pair!
Where is your favorite place to drink tea?
Currently, that would have to be my balcony. I live in an apartment where the balcony has a beautiful view with lots of trees, it's so relaxing. Even when it's cold I enjoy sitting out there sipping my tea and taking in all the sounds around me. Relaxation to the max!
What’s one of your favorite things to bake and what tea would you pair it with?
Cookies are probably my FAV sweet to bake. Cookies are a bit more difficult to infuse tea with in my experience but so far, chai is what I've enjoyed the most. I have a Chai shortbread recipe that is delicious! If you're also a cookie lover and want to infuse your tea into your creation you can always melt the butter for frosting brew the tea in the butter then let it harden back up for use in most buttercream frostings!
You seem to keep busy with some other projects, are you currently working on anything at the moment?
In addition to my blog I have an Etsy shop where I create and sell handmade goods. This was a way for me to express and develop my artistic tendencies. My shop has lots of paintings and things not related to tea specifically but I do also have a bunch of products with tea puns which are my favorite! Currently, I'm gearing up for the holidays and trying to create some holiday treats for my shop.
Can you recommend any great teas for us?
Oh man, that is so hard. Although I could give you a long list of all the amazing blends I've been able to try I think I should share the tea that I drink twice a day without fail. I like to be adventurous in my blog but I keep it simple day to day. I buy this ceylon tea from my local Iranian grocery store. It's literally called "Best Tea" and I couldn't agree more with the name.
Anything else we missed?
I came across this quote from a poet named Lú Tóng in one of my tea books and it really sums up how I feel about tea.
"When I drink tea
I am conscious of peace
The cool breath of Heaven
rises in my sleeves, and
blows my cares away"
Thank you again for being our October Feature of the Month! We encourage everyone to check out Nazarin's Tea Thoughts.
Photo Credit: Jen S. Photography
