In Your Cups
Perhaps you’ve walked into Churchill’s Fine Teas on a rainy day, taken in the fragrant aroma, and immediately wanted to curl up in a comfy chair with your favorite book. With locations in Findlay Market and Hyde park, Churchill’s is a run by a family of tea lovers and book lovers.
“We share favorite books with each other,” says Katherine Kern, co-owner of Churchill’s. “When we are immersed in a good book we’ve all found ourselves choosing a tea that enhances that experience and then telling each other about it.”
With many of the shop’s team members also avid readers, impromptu discussions about tea and book pairings were common. Though the idea of sharing those pairing ideas with customers had been brewing for some time, it gained steam last fall. In October, with travel on hold and winter approaching, Churchills’s published their tea and book pairing recommendations in their monthly newsletter.
“My brother, Patrick, wrote many of those initial pairing suggestions, with team members also contributing,” says Kern.
The feedback was so overwhelmingly positive they added a regular section to the customer newsletter, offering at least two pairing suggestions each month.
“We have customers get in touch to let us know how much they enjoy them and to ask for more. We also get customers coming into the store after reading the newsletter and letting us know it is one of their favorite sections,” says Kern.
Brewing the Perfect Cuppa
There are three things to consider – the quality of the water, the amount of tea, and the steep (water temperature and time) – but if you only focus on one of these, the steep is the most important.
You want to make sure you use the right temperature of water and the right amount of time to bring out the best flavor of that specific tea.
We often have customers say they don’t like green tea because when they’ve had it, it tasted bitter. But we brew them a cup using a lower water temperature and steeping it for a shorter amount of time and they are often blown away by how much better it tastes. Or they have black tea that tastes a little flat because they haven’t used water that is hot enough to bring out the full flavor of the tea. They enjoy it so much more with a few minor changes.
We actually include a copy of our “Brewing Basics” brochure when people purchase tea from Churchill’s. This provides guidance and from there we encourage people to experiment and adjust the amount of tea and steep time to suit their taste – tea is a very personal experience!
–Kathrine Kern
Kern treasures sharing book experiences with customers, team members, and family alike. While reading The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See, she found herself drawn to pu-erh tea. In conversation she learned that team members felt the same way, and new customers were coming in asking for this type of tea, which is a bit uncommon, all because of the book.
If you’re ready to create your own tea and book pairings, or want to create a special gift for a book lover, Churchill’s has expert advice and thoughtful selections. You can pick up the pre-made “Cozy Hygge Set,” which includes a book explaining the Danish concept (“a mood of coziness and comfortable conviviality”), two mugs, and two teas. But Churchill’s team members have also found that when new or seasonal teas are available, they can spark an idea for a book to read with it.
“I recently read The Salt Path by Raynor Winn and found myself reaching for our British blends–Yorkshire Harrogate, English Breakfast, and Strawberries and Cream Black Teas,” says Kern. “The book was all the things I love – it was inspiring, it challenged me and gave me a different perspective, it transported me to a very special part of the world, and overall it is a compelling story that I just wanted to keep reading. Sipping those teas enhanced that experience for me.”
But Kern also likes oolong teas while reading because those are great for sipping over a long period of time, like when you’re nestled in with a good book. Through her tea travels, Kern has developed a deep appreciation for the care and skill that goes into making oolong tea, which adds to her sense of enjoyment.
After the past year of stress and isolation, people have found themselves seeking community and comfort, often in traditional pastimes.
“I think drinking tea and reading a good book is comforting because it appeals to your senses,” says Kern. “The immersive nature of the experience means it can transport you to somewhere else or change the mindset you had when you started or inspire you in unexpected ways.”
Churchill’s Fine Teas has locations at Findlay Market, 122 W. Elder St., and in Hyde Park, 3438 Edwards Road. Find more information at www.churchillsteas.com.