The 2022 Countdown To Fall Box

The Countdown to Fall Box launches on Tuesday August, 30th! I wanted to write a little bit about the box and a few small changes I made to the box this go around!

Here are the general details about the box:

This time around, I made a few changes that I wanted to share about. Some of the changes just happened to work with the items in the box and some are things I want to try.

Labels: Normally, I stamp out a shape and write each individual number on the labels. I do enjoy doing this but I often have trouble finding paper that looks good with the wrapping. I use a Rollo printer for my shipping labels and have started printing more packaging labels with it as well. While it doesn’t print in color, it’s a thermal printer so I never have to replace the ink and the labels are relatively inexpensive! This round, I changed the box design black and white and printed them on rectangular labels with the numbers on each label. I think they look good!

The Box: The box this time around has a few changes as well. I opt for the kraft box because I noticed when I used the white box, it got way more visibly dirty. When I switched to kraft, I also started just using line art with one color because it’s difficult to have vibrant colors on kraft. I decided to just see what the colors would look like and since the colors are earthier colors, I think it looks great and has some lovely fall vibes!

The other change for the box this time around is the size! Since I won’t have any teaware again this time (look out for the advent box!) I was able to use a smaller box. This means that the box with all the items weighs less and shipping should be a little less too :)

The Fortune Teller: This is the big one that I’m a bit scared about. I love making the fortune tellers but also sometimes feel that this paper could be saved and I often have trouble writing all that I want to in the small spaces. Something I’ve wanted to try for a long time is to provide a QR code that you can scan and go read more about each day and also have a welcome message and other information. While I too enjoy having paper I can feel, I think I will be able to give you more information about each item and my thoughts behind them. Additionally, I can put links to the places I purchased the tea where it applies so you can go directly there!

I’m very excited about this box and have been started preparing it! Let me know what you think of the changes and if you’re excited to get one!

Bite Me DMV Tasting Event

I’ve had some pretty cool opportunities since starting Tea Thoughts and I am always grateful for each one! While most of the things I post on Instagram are related to Tea Thoughts in some way, I also sometimes post personal things that are usually related to tea. This is how I got looped in last year to a cool tasting event at a local ramen restaurant opening.

A couple of weekends ago, I had the pleasure of being invited to go to another food related event. While this event was not tea centric, I still got some tea themed goodies. The event was by BiteMe DMV which is an up and coming app that will connect local restaurants with potential patrons and reward patrons as well as let them know about upcoming events.

This event was held at The Spot which is a really cool SPOT which several different food/drink places. My favorite part of The Spot is that each vendor has a different experience of Asian themed food. This specific event was to kick off the opening of a new Asian- Mexican taco fusion vendor called Tacos by Leon.

Here are some of the delicious treats I got to enjoy!

First up we had this delicious shrimp appetizer. It was like picco de gallo but with shrimp and pepers that paired with chips, guacamole and a salsa that is not pictured. As a shrimp lover, this was a treat and I liked that it was in a format that allowed me to “build my own” putting as much or as little as I would like on my chips.

Next we got an assortment of fried goodness. Our dish contained both fried chicken and fried squid/calamari + chicken. This was probably one of my favorite parts. This food is from CheersCut which features Taiwanese Street Food. Whatever is in this batter is amazing. The batter alone was so flavorful and the meat in both the seafood and chicken was tender even though this is a fried dish. I will definitely be ordering some of this for myself soon!

I tried two different tacos that were very different but both very good. I’ll admit that up until the last few years I was a bit of a baby mouth because the Iranian food I grew up with favored more tart and herb flavored dishes. In recent years, I have really branched out and I enjoy and welcome all the spice! Both of these tacos were spicy but the one on the right was VERY spicy and also my favorite. The one of the right took on more of a classic Mexican style taco I thought with meat, cheese and other fixings. It was cheesy and melt in your mouth. The taco on the right has more of the Asian fusion style because it’s a bulgogi taaco! The bulgogi meat was so well seasoned and because it has a bit of sweetness it paired well with the spice of the sauce. I also enjoyed the cabbage inside of this taco. I can’t wait to go back and have more!

The Spot is located in Rockville, MD and there is also a “mini” spot in College Park, MD. They have a great assortment of places to get everything from Fried Chicken to Bubble Tea to Taiyaki! I ended up opting to get a Taiyaki which was matcha flavored with chocolate on the inside. It was delicious!

If you’re in the DMV I highly suggest checking out The Spot and also keep an eye out for the BiteMe app!

Small Business Spotlight: Us Two Tea

I am finally back with another small business spotlight that I’ve had done for a while but things just got away from me. It can sometimes be difficult when I’m focusing so much on the shop (yay, growth!) to keep up with the blog but I’m trying!

Today’s spotlight is Us Two Tea, who specializes in taiwanese tea! I connected with Us Two Tea back in the fall of 2020 and I wanted to feature them in my holiday guide but had reached my budget for that specific project. I was excited that this time, when I made a purchase that a portion of the proceeds went towards a donation to a family who had been affected by the increase in hate crimes towards Asian Americans!

Us Two Tea has oolong, black, jasmine and baozhong tea in their shop. Most of their teas are loose leaf in a sachet but they also have a gift set that has 50g of both osmanthus oolong and jasmine tea which is what I purchased. I really enjoyed the box and presentation, truly a perfect gift set. The quality of tea is good and while I enjoyed both, I preferred the osmanthus oolong.

Above, you can see the beautiful packaging which would be great to gift to someone! Below, a close up of the teas. The rolled tea is the osmanthus oolong and you can see the osmanthus mixed in. The tea on the right is the jasmine.

I also wanted to give you an opportunity to get to know the founder of this business too so I asked Maggie some questions. Get to know her !

1) Tell us a little bit about yourself! Maybe a couple of fun facts?

I went to an art school in San Francisco to study graphic design. I was previously working as the lead designer at Meural, a digital canvas that allows people to hang thousands of paintings on their walls. My design and rebranding work there was a major factor in the company’s acquisition by Netgear for $22,000,000. After the acquisition, I started Us Two Tea.

Fun facts: I do tarot reading for fun on the side!

2) When did you start drinking tea or when did your passion for tea start?

I’ve been drinking tea my whole life. Tea is a way of life in China, and we consume it every day. It was a ritual for my grandpa and I to drink tea together every weekend after our family dinner. I remember he would always ask me the same question, “How’s school?”, and I would always answer, “Good!”. That was our conversation. But I looked forward to it every weekend because I knew that was his way of saying “I love you”. People say food can transport you back to your childhood. For me, tea is more than a drink, it is also a loving memory.

3) What inspired you to start Us Two Tea?

Tea is at the heart of Asian culture and it has always been a part of my life. Yet the tea brands we know and love are not Asian. I couldn’t help but wonder why. I have lived in the US for 10 years now and I have realized that we cannot just wonder. It is our generation’s responsibility to claim our culture and create a brand that represents us.

I hope this brand encourages our next generation to be more confident about our culture and stay true and authentic to who they are - to be proud of being Asian American. I hope it inspires them to pursue their dreams and gives them the confidence to do what they love. We can dare to defy expectations and stand out, not just fit in.

4) What does your personal tea ritual look like?

I usually drink Baozhong(my favorite) tea in the afternoon especially when I am feeling tired or restless. It really has a magical power to help me unwind. Lately, I’ve been having mood swings and my body has been feeling more tired than ever. I am not sure if it’s due to the seasonal change in New York or the collective energy of what’s happening in the U.S, but I just want to shut down, especially on the weekend, and have some alone time to read, cook, do a face mask, and watch some Netflix.

5) What is your current favorite tea?

Baozhong & Osmanthus Oolong tea

6) What do you see in the future for Us Two Tea?

We are building the "Blue Bottle" of tea brand. A one-stop-shop for all Asian tea in the future!