Zumbo Opening In Melbourne

Just recently I had the great pleasure of attending the grand opening of Adriano Zumbo's newest Patisserie here in Melbourne and what a night it was!
Zumbo's Patisserie at  12-14 Claremont Street, South Yarra 
lives up to this brands usual flair, Glass, Neon and funky furniture... and those fantastic confections !

It was standing room only at the opening (actually a bit more crowded than SRO) the champers flowed and delicious nibblies and confections arrived every two or three minutes, photographers cameras snapped and flashed. It was a real scene!

As it is with Zumbo's locations the look is spectacular, the staff is well trained and those GOODIES!

A few shots from the Dessert Degustation

Yes it's ALL edible !

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Dessert degustation

There is a certain excitement I get when I do a thing I've never done before ... And I must say I have never done a 10-course chocolate degustation before!

SerendipiTea is providing the teas for this function at savour chocolate & patisserie school so it would be wrong if I didn't show up... Right?
So ... All the un-usual suspects will be creating 2 courses the proprietress Kristen Tibballs and Paul Kennedy providing the finishing coup de grace'
Adriano Zumbo, Deniz Karaca, Tim Clark & Bernard Chu will all be creating desserts that sound fablulous... Mille Feuille this and caramelised that, Sorbets and pineapple brunoise ... listen that's all good and I promise i'll learn what it all means, post event the point is, as always... taste and flow and when you have talent like this crew I think we can be assured that the results will be stunning.
I've done my best to match up a set of teas that will accompany the night well OK... I was being a bit facetious about the culinary titles because I've had to look into it a bit to pair up the teas.
Let's think a bit about taste & flow the chefs involved in tonights creations are all Master Chefs so taste I think is well covered so hat leaves flow. Flow is a sometimes mysterious thing strange since we all deal with it in our lives everyday.
Flow is movement, rhythm, cadence it has facets and subtleties, think about how you move from room to room in a public space. How do we wish to move? Clumping & clomping like a child walking in his mothers heels
( don't judge! ) leaning against walls and clutching at door frames? or moving about gracefully, floating, sliding effortlessly? Yeah I know it's not really a question... The latter is what fills my expectations, this night will be filled with one off's, sights and tastes I may never see again!
it's Jazz man!
Monk takes the stand and you don't know whats gonna happen but you know it's gonna be a stone gas!
As I sit in the Savour boardroom surrounded by the scent of chocolate & fruit the sound of the occasional ignition of a chefs blowtorch and the clink clank of a kitchen in full production I find myself getting just a bit excited.
Now I smell ... Bacon?
Yeah... a stone gas!

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Dessert Spectacular !! @ Savour Chocolate & Patisserie School

Every so often ( Not often enough if you ask my sweet tooth ) we get the opportunity to provide our uniqueness to like minded events.
This week will be a great one... our friends at Savour Chocolate & Patisserie School will be hosting a World Chocolate Masters Fundraiser, 10 course chocolate degustation at their home in Brunswick.
10 Course Chocolate Degustation? ... They had me at Chocolate!
The works of Savour's own Kirsten Tibballs & Paul Kennedy as well as  Adriano Zumbo, Tim Clark & Bernard Chu will be featured and Kids take it from someone that has had a look at the goodies on offer ... you'll want to get a ticket or two and be in attendance for this one! Of course the the event will also feature teas by SerendipiTea especially chosen to complement the good works of this group of chocolate Master-chefs!
Everything you need to know is in the image above.

The Artful Dodger Group

Our Friends at the Artful Dodger in Elsternwick are busy adding more venues to their stable of fantastic coffee houses

Artful Dodger Elsternwick

School of 7 bells Windsor

Whyte Cafe Glen Huntley Road Carnegie

Just thought I'd let you know they do extraordinary tea and extraordinary coffee!

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Monks Mead - Chamomile, Apple & Mango Tisane Who wouldn't love this?

This week has been filled with talk about Monk's Mead.

Here in Melbourne we supply Cabrini Hospitals, The Real Estate Institute of Victoria, Melbourne Exhibition & Convention Center and their patrons have shown us how much they love this blend ... but Ive been thinking... There are lots of people that may not frequent the above venues so why not spread the good news around?
So, for the next 4 days if you make an online order of MONKS MEAD at Serendipitea.com.au of either our 12 PACK over-sized tea bags or our standard retail box you will receive a 40% discount !
So... that's 40% off  until midnight April 14th ... come and get it!

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The JACKSONS , Craig David and a brand new blend

Recently, we got a call here at Serendipitea central ... It was our friends at the Melbourne convention & exhibition centre and they had a very interesting question for us ... "Do you have a tea that would coat, relax & soothe a singers throat?" This is exactly why it great that we are an artisan tea blender... My answer was ... of course we can blend something up for you!
Little did I know that the throats in need of soothing were those of none other than THE JACKSONS.
Long story short... I blended up a mix of Lemon myrtle, mint, liquorice,cinnamon, cardamom, blue marrow flower & black tea and a few other things and sent it over to MCEC. It was a smash!
The next week Craig David played The Plenary and we got another request and again another smash.

So now we're thinking... Why not release it....spread the word far & wide!



Maybe it'll start a sensation ... People will be sipping it from Sydney to Perth!! It may even change the way australia thinks about tea!!

... Ok... Maybe not but hey, it tastes great so look for it soon on Serendipitea.com.au

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Zumbo, funky macaroons and Sydney

To tell the truth I've never really had a great macaroon.
I remember the macaroons from the days of old, lemon or maybe vanilla but to tell the truth I never found then very exciting. Little did I know that there has been a revolution building, like the rest of the world I've seen the shows featuring Baking Boffins like Adriano Zumbo and I got it... there's a guy who is trying to do new and inventive things with old, sometimes tired ideas, but no Doco could have prepared me for the reality of actually tasting the confections on offer at Zumbo's Star city cafe!
Recently I took a drive up to Sydney so naturally I stopped in to see Zumbo, as they are one of our new customers. Salted butter caramel, Blackened vanilla, Salted butter popcorn these are not the flavors I remember! If you read this blog you know I like to add pics but unfortunately no macaroons survived long enough to be photographed.
I'm not sure that I would've taken the place for a patisserie, large window, bright lights, white walls, and a cue that obstructed the display cabinet that held the macaroons that are the topic of this post but just like those macaroons this patisserie is created to run from the norm.
while I stood in the cue I heard someone remarking that the Zumbo sign above was a bit much... but for my money after tasting ... I'd say the sign is not quite large enough!
Take a bit of advice from me if you're around Star City or any of the other Zumbo locations do drop in it's worth the trip and since there's only one brand of tea on offer there ( one guess what it is) stop for a while and savor the flavor!
 

SerendipiTea Oversized Tea Bags

          The quickest way to get SerendipiTea in your cup

Designed on Tactilize (view online)

There will be a lot more of these and many will contain promo and discounts so drop in weekly !

Tea-stamonials

I think it's time to share some of the positive feedback we get from you guys over the last few months 
We are so glad when you take the time to let us know how much you love our product!
So Keep em coming !
 

Susan F. from Leonia ~ I love Moulin Rouge Chai! I must have it, every afternoon. You have created a monster.

 

Tomalyn P. writes ~ "Love your tea!!!!!!!"

Pear F. writes ~ "I ordered gift sets for people and they are terrific. The tea smells wonderful! I spoke to some staff on the phone and they were so helpful! Thank you."

Diane D. writes ~ "You have wonderful tea"

Patricia K. writes ~ "Great web site and great tea!!! I have never been disappointed with anything I have ordered from SerendipiTea!  Keep up the good work."

Chrissie C. writes ~ "I originally tried it at Gotham Bar and Grill in NY. FABULOUS!!!"

R. Ruggerio writes ~ "Loved it at The American Culinary Institute"

Kristen M. writes ~ "The best tisanes!"

Patty G. writes ~ "Can't wait to receive the teas. Have tried them at a friend's house, and LOVED them!!!"

Sutherland M. writes ~ "Finally found you after hearing you on the Faith Middleton show!"

Athena R. of Canberra writes ~ "This is to let you know that I received my tea today! I love your teas and look forward to sipping them." 

Jennifer C. writes ~ "Thanks for the great tea. Your Chai is the best tea I've ever had! Smooth, Flavorful, delicious. Can't wait to try other flavors!!"

Patty K. writes ~ "A friend had your tea, yum! I thought I'd see if I could find you online so I could order it.  Did a hotsheet.com search, and wala!"

Cabrini hospital Malvern

We have a new client that we are quite proud to let you know about ...



Cabrini hospital in Malvern is now offering Serendipitea in their rooms as well as their cafeteria and at their cafe on Cato street.
We are as I have said very proud to be the tea of choice at this exceptional medical facility.



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Tea & spa

Make no mistake the world of tea spins on...
High tea, low tea, tea on a sunny afternoon with grandma or Aunt May, iced tea like the one I'm enjoying on a sunny Melbourne afternoon whatever tea means to you there is always one basic concern ... Taste!
So suppose you're a man, cultured, a step ahead of the curve ? Well then surely you will


find yourself at our newest client MANHOR so while you're being plucked, trimmed and manscaped its only right that you should extend that glorious feeling inward as well with one of SerendipiTea's teas or tisanes they now offer!


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Location:Union Street,Windsor,Australia

Chocolate to Savour

What can you say about an event that hits you where you live !
I love tea events but tea chocolate well... for my money there is no equal.
Yesterday I had the pleasure to attend the book launch for Kirstan Tibballs' new book "Chocolate to Savour" and it was one for the record books!
Kirsten and her elves ( ok they aren't elves but it's more fun to think of them that way) worked for months to create a totally edible chocolate forest, trees, mushrooms, butterflies, assorted bugs that transformed their space in Brunswick into a magical wonderland of chocolate.

Now because I wanted to report back to you all fully I felt it was my duty to taste as much as possible so I left no chocolate stone unturned ( and yeah the stones were chocolate too... choc covered Almonds to be exact) to bring you the full scoop!
I know ... Truly selfless.
So as you can see from the pic above I was lucky enough to be there as they put the final touches to the display, standing there as the scent of chocolate, nuts, caramel, marshmallow wafted over me how could I not hum the "candyman"* and also touched by the trust Kirsten & Mark showed me leaving me alone with all that choc could have been very dangerous It could've been like Hershey Pennsylvania all over again... So many Peanut Butter cups...gone in moments after the security guard turned away for just a moment, luckily I've had lots of therapy since then. :-)

 Now don't think for a moment that the chocolate forest was the end of the event, no no my friends, not at all we have not even touched on the recipes from the book
(some which included SerendipiTea as ingredients)  
There were Macaroons, gold leaf coated crunchy thingies on a stick oh my so many flavors!
Listen do yourself a favor go get the book it is chocolate porn!
If you find yourself a bit short this month worry not ... you'll find a promo soon right here and you may win one!
Now I'd love to write more but they gave me some takeaways and I hear them calling my name!






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A trip abroad: The wild wild world of tea

Although it's not spoke of often enough tea & tea lovers have a culture that reaches across millennia, when you think about it that's not bad for one little plant.
While Camellia Sinensis has been on this planet far before recorded history and has remained pretty much unchanged Tea culture has changed, adapted and grown.
Asian, European and even American tea cultures have made incredible advances but they are all vary differently in their approaches but the one point that unifies is TASTE and while taste is wholly subjective there is still much commonality in the love of Black Teas, Green Teas, Pu-er, Oolongs, White Teas, Yellow Teas, even scented / flavored and bubble-tea should all have a place in the world of tea.



On my recent trip to America I had the opportunity to witness & sample many very individual approaches to tea and tea service, in the coming weeks i'd like to share some of my observations with you and see where you think tea culture is heading here in OZ.



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Announcing SerendipiTea Oversized Teabags !!

Now available at the SerendipiTea Shop www.serendipitea.com.au

It's long been a request from our loyal customers here in Australia that we create a premium tea bag for our Artisan created blends...
While we have held off, citing that we would not do that until we could create a bag that could deliver our big broad leaves the way they were intended to be steeped.
Now the time has finally come!
We've tweaked, tested, and received so much positive feedback that at long last we think it is ready!
So... with no further ado we are glad to announce the SerendipiTea over-sized Teabag!
Yes they're Big!
This bag contains the same big, loose leaf tea you love and in with plenty of space to brew a fantastic cuppa! 
Available in packs of 12 that's 2 X the following varieties Melbourne Breakfast, Red Oz, Cha Cha Chai, Monks Mead, Organic Mint & Earl Grey 
And also the assorted 12 Pack that's 2 X all six varieties.

SerendipiTea Over-sized Tea Bag

So now you can purchase this great innovation online from this moment on!

SerendipiTea & Dalani

From time to time we like to let you know about our friends and clients that may be running some special promotions so today We'd like to let you know about the Dalani Home and living website which will for as limited time offer to it's members specially created two box packages of SerendipiTea.
Chamomile Packs, Green Tea Packs, Tisane Packs & much more.
Only members can get this special price but luckily becoming a member is free and easy, so jump over to the Dalani website and check out what we've cooked up for you.

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Mate' at 30% off !!! Until the 12th of December

For the next few days SerendipiTea is offering 30% off all online purchases of any of our Yerba Mate' Blends.
Until the 12th you can try the Chai like taste of Gaucho, the revitalizing straight Mate' & the uplifting and refreshing G'day Mate' at 30% off.
If you have not tried Mate' this is your chance!
If you've never heard of Mate' read on .... but the only way to get a taste of it is ...well... to get a taste of it!
Jump over to SerendipiTea and grab yourself a discount, you won't regret it.

Gaucho / Mate and mixed spice

Yerba Mate'

G'Day Mate' / Mate and Mint

Yerba Mate:
Yerba Mate, a ubiquitous S. American herb with deep cultural roots is native to Argentina, Brazil & Paraguay. The wild-grown holly shrub (Ilex paraguariensis), now formally cultivated, is found in the rainforest. Highly nutritious, loaded with anti-oxidants & numerous essential vitamins, like tea, Yerba Mate was used by indigenous people as food, beverage, medicine, a show of hospitality & even as currency. It contains matteine, a stimulant similar to caffeine yet much milder on the body with an energizing effect that doesn’t disrupt sleep or negatively react with the nervous system. Green Yerba Mate is grassy & herbaceous; Roasted is toasty & mellow. Steep the dried leaves in HOT rather than boiling water. Or, use a dried & hollowed, decorative Gourd as a vessel & sip through a Bombilla or filtered straw usually fashioned from stainless steel.