Hello,

For those who always start the new year with good, healthy intentions and give up by the first week, you may want to consider tea … Tea is the New Year’s Resolution that you can keep!

There is decades of research on the health benefits of drinking tea that supports the idea that tea can enhance the immune system, increase antioxidants, promote digestive regularity, relax us, and provide a refreshing, delicious, versatile, creative, plant-based, no calorie beverage with superior taste profiles.

However, this chat isn’t really about the science of tea…(which is fascinating by the way.)This chat, I am just checking in with you to make sure you are all doing alright. It has, once again, been a challenging year for so many and the current situation can sometimes weigh heavy, causing us to lose sight of the possibilities around us. To forget the abundance of simple pleasures that are still easily available, like preparing and enjoying tea…whether you’re alone, sharing with a friend, or making a new friend as we often do at The Copper Kettle, It’s a moment that can be incredibly rich just by meeting basic human needs. Tea has this uncanny ability to take us back to a special place in memory, and yet carry us forward to the next moment as well.

We start the year off with a line of wellness herbal teas, blended with specific issues in mind– headaches, colds, digestive health, and more. Talk to our staff and they will be happy to help you find the tea that can bring you a tasty restorative brew.

We have some old favorites and new creative events we are looking forward to this Spring, so mark your calendars and watch our social media & website for details.

In February we are hosting a “Tea Lovers” Afternoon Tea where we will be pairing some of our best teas with delicious courses of Sue’s food. We are also hoping to host our second Downton Abbey Tea for you fans! (late Feb if all goes well.)March finds us once again traveling to the Kingdom of Dragon croft for the Alabama medieval fantasy festival. This being our 4rth year we have really found ourselves enjoying this rustic weekend full of the most delightful folks; from Fairy Queens to Knights in shining armor, we see it all.

April & May we have plans to take a “trip” to the Shire again for 7th annual Hobbit Tea, transforming the Copper Kettle into a world of courage, lore, and wonder. We are also working on a new tea event that we think you’re going to love: a Mary Poppins Tea! So stay tuned and if your heart is set on any of these, get your name on the Will Call list either in-store, via private message, or giving us a call during business hours. You’ll be the first to reserve your ticket.

On another note, as most of you know we do have the additional location on 202 West Myrtle. We affectionately call it the Cottage. We are now in the process of landscaping the patio and creating a secret garden for the most magical Afternoon Teas. We are wrestling with just exactly how to run both locations. Most of you who are familiar with the Copper Kettle have been on this adventure with us and know we are limited in staff and time.

Transformations in this business climate are a bit unpredictable, so it is a bit of a risk trying to decide how to make all this come about at this time. We ask for your patience, good humor, and any suggestion you may have as we work this out. In the meantime …The Cottage is now open every Friday for lunch from 11:00 – 2:30, and as the need grows we will add additional afternoons.

The plan is to eventually move all or most Afternoon Teas, private parties and all heartier lunches to the Cottage location, and keep our original location open for lighter food, casual dining, retail, and of course sipping pots of tea underneath the shelter of the Oaks.

So, now that you have the insider’s scoop and maybe some inspiration to try a new tea, I will leave you with one of my favorite tea-time quotes:

“No matter where you are in the world, you are at home when tea is served.” – Earlene Grey