Author: Traci Levy

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Review of NYBG Wonderland

Post author By Traci Levy
Post date July 3, 2024
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Review of the NYBG Wonderland Exhibit and Afternoon Tea. The exhibit runs through October 27, 2024.

NYBG Wonderland Exhibit

In June, I joined members of my local botanic garden, Clark Botanic Garden, for a visit to a much bigger nearby garden–the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG).

Traci Levy by New York Botanical Garden's (NYBG) "Wonderland" Curious Nature" sign. Traci is wearing green and purple glasses, a straw hat, and a pink shirt. Scenes from Alice and Wonderland are on the sign--the Mad Hatter, a teacup with a mouse in it, etc.

A guide led us through their their Wonderland: Curious Nature plant exhibit. Afterwards, we enjoyed an afternoon tea. The story of Alice in Wonderland inspired both experiences.

The plant exhibit was beautiful and thoughtfully curated. You start by walking through a Victorian garden–the world Alice belonged to before going through the rabbit hole. Then, you walk through a door representing the rabbit hole. Fantastic, almost otherworldly plants great you on the other side. I saw so many wonderful plants and flowers!

The Amazon water lily pads and the spotted begonias were among my favorites! Read more for garden and afternoon tea photos…

Tags tea in NYC

Blog

Meditation Teacher Training: My Experience

Post author By Traci Levy
Post date June 26, 2024
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NOTE: I added some updates to this post since I graduated from the training.

I’m about 80 percent through the Inward Illumination Meditation Teacher Training with Shawn J. Moore through Sankofa of Yoga. [Update: I graduated from the program in July 2024.] This training has been a fabulous journey! I’m learning so much from the practices, classes, readings, assignments, and small group work.

Central "altar" at a meditation training and yoga nidra retreat in 2023. Mindfulness cards, a candle, burning sage, mala beads, lavender, a bouquet of flowers, a bouquet of mugwort are in the foreground. Shawn J. Moore is in the background.

I met Shawn at a retreat with Tracee Stanley in Summer 2023. (The photo is from that experience.) His sound baths and meditation sessions were absolutely transporting!

So, I subscribed to his newsletter and attended a few of his online experiences. (You can subscribe to his newsletter at the bottom of his page, located here.)

Tags meditation, mindfulness practice

Blog

Review of Wistaria Paris Tea House

Post author By Traci Levy
Post date June 17, 2024
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Review of Wistaria Paris Tea House–a French outpost of the historic flagship location in Taiwan.

It’s a wonderful place for tea lovers to enjoy quality tea with gongfu teaware in a serene location. Wistaria offers a small sweet/savory menu, too.

Tea counter inside Wistaria Paris Tea House

Tags Paris, tea rooms, teahouses

Blog

Review of Tea Magic in Williston Park

Post author By Traci Levy
Post date June 11, 2024
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Tea Magic in Williston Park serves bubble teas (AKA boba or pearl tea), slushies, smoothies, and desserts in an adorable setting.

In this post, I will share my reflections on the vibe and what Tea Magic offers bubble tea lovers.

Tags tea on Long Island

Blog Events

Tea Infusiast Offerings

Here are some core Tea Infusiast offerings–resources and events—designed to connect us with and through tea.

Subscribing to my monthly newsletter will reliably let you know about my upcoming offerings (in addition to other tea-related content). You can also contact me directly about customizing and leading an event for you or your group. (See the link at the bottom of this post.)

I absolutely love designing online kits and different types of events to help tea lovers connect with and through tea. I am looking forward to running these core Tea Infusiast offerings. Currently, my resources and events include…

Blog

Review of Humble Cafe in Williston Park

Post author By Traci Levy
Post date May 24, 2024
2 Comments on Review of Humble Cafe in Williston Park

Although Humble Cafe in Williston Park focuses on high quality coffee that it roasts on the premises, it also has some very good tea choices–particularly for tea lattes. In this post, I’m happy to share my reflections on the cafe’s vibe and what it offers tea lovers. (This post was updated in June 2024.)

Earl Grey with Rose tea latte from Humble Cafe

Top down view of a matcha latte with a heart foam art from Humble Cafe in Williston Park

Photos of tea lattes from Humble Cafe, above, from left to right: Earl Grey latte with rose, matcha latte, and hojicha latte with cinnamon.

Tags tea on Long Island

Blog Tasting Notes

Rosebud Tea: Yellow vs. Pink

Post author By Traci Levy
Post date May 19, 2024
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Rosebud tea can be delightful. Let’s compare the flavor, mouthfeel, and more of yellow vs. pink rosebuds steeped as herbal tea.

I have been drinking pink rose and pink rosebud tea for some time. Yellow rosebuds, by contrast, are relatively new to me. Realizing I had two different colored rosebud herbal teas, both grown in Iran, made me curious to compare them. The results surprised me!

A dish of yellow rosebuds and a dish of pink rosebuds

Tags #herbal, #tisane

Blog

Tea Bags vs. Loose Leaf: Advantages of Each

Post author By Traci Levy
Post date May 12, 2024
2 Comments on Tea Bags vs. Loose Leaf: Advantages of Each

Even though it’s often portrayed as a competition–tea bags vs. loose leaf—there are advantages of each approach to brewing tea. Let’s explore this issue!

Most Americans (and Brits!) prepare tea using tea bags (or tea sachets), not loose leaf tea. It was definitely in this category growing up.

NYBG Wonderland Exhibit

In this June 2024 Edition

In this May 2024 Edition