Tea Infusiast

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Tea and Surprise at Gryphon

Post author By Traci Levy
Post date July 28, 2024
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A visit to Gryphon–a beautiful café with afternoon tea in Savannah, Georgia–brought brunch, tea and a surprise discovery about our family’s ancestry!

Traci AKA Tea Infusiast smiling, wearing a black shirt and glasses, while holding a steaming cup of tea at Gryphon.

On a recent trip to Savannah, Georgia, I was determined to finally visit Gryphon–a café that also serves tea and scones. On previous trips to the city we weren’t able to visit.

The Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD) runs Gryphon, which is situated in an historic building. It’s on Bull Street right along Madison Square, one of the lovely historic squares in the Savannah.

We were hoping for a nice brunch, tea, and scones. We received those things AND a big surprise at Gryphon!

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Meditation and Gratitude Practice Series

Post author By Traci Levy
Post date July 28, 2024
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Friday Morning Meditation and Gratitude Practice Series, September 2024

Interested in exploring what a conscious gratitude practice and gratitude-focused meditations could do for you? Or, maybe you already have a gratitude practice and would like to deepen it with meditation and the encouragement of community. Either way, you are warmly invited to sign up for my September guided meditation series focusing on gratitude!

Tags meditation, mindfulness practice

Blog

Lessons from My Tea Pet

In honor of the second birthday of a tiny clay turtle generously gifted to me, I am sharing a few lessons from my tea pet.

My Tea Pet’s Backstory

A small clay turtle teapet with a white shell next to a piece of paper that says: "Name: Bonsai. Birthday: July 23, 2022. Birth place: Snohomish, WA."

Bonsai is my tiny turtle tea pet. She’s slightly smaller than a quarter. If you aren’t familiar with tea pets–which are used by some people who drink tea in a style where they pour out the first rinse of some teas–my previous post on tea pets could be helpful.

Michell Hovey made Bonsai (and other clay tea turtles). She is a tea lover brimming with kindness and affection for small things. Many of us first learned about the sweet clay tea pets she made through the Instagram tea community by following Herb the Traveling Tea Turtle. (Find out more about Michell and Herb in this earlier post.) You can also follow Herb on Instagram.

Tags lessons, tea community, tea pet, tea practice

Blog

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…

My Tea Pet’s Backstory

In this July 2024 Edition

NYBG Wonderland Exhibit

In this June 2024 Edition