Quantity discounts available on select teas (same tea in one pouch): 5% off on 4 oz. or more - 10% off on 8 oz. or more
“It is better to be deprived of food for three days, than tea for one.”
– Ancient Chinese Proverb
Thank you for visiting us! The Pleasures of Tea specializes in tea education and we source over 500 high quality loose leaf teas, herbal tisanes, and functional herbs. For us, tea is a way of life and we study all aspects of this historical beverage – the uniqueness of the leaf itself and various preparation techniques, its expansive culture and rituals, its storied history, and scientific research and lore on its associated health benefits. We support and promote a lifestyle that incorporates relaxing tea rituals and mindfulness to reduce stress and enhance well-being. We believe in the beauty and complexity of the essence of the pure leaf and we don't just drink tea - we appreciate it!
We specialize in origin teas, offering around 200 black, green, wulong, white, yellow and dark teas. Origin teas have no added ingredients and their characteristics are defined by their terroir (as with a fine wine or whisky) - how the composition of the soil, topography, climate and weather patterns, and processing techniques influence the aromas and tastes expressed in an infused cup of the leaves. Differences in terroir lead to the uniqueness of each tea based on where they are sourced and by harvest. In addition, we also carry close to 100 high quality flavored and scented teas. One of our missions is to provide you with a healthy beverage, so our flavored teas are comprised of mostly tea leaves – not fruit pieces and herbs with barely a trace of a tea leaf. There is no sugar added, unless it is part of an ingredient; i.e. chocolate pieces in our Chocolate Cream black tea. We also carry about 200 herbal and fruit tisanes and other organic functional herbs.
The Pleasures of Tea was founded in 2007 by Kristine Henderson in order to provide tea education and high quality unique loose leaf teas and tisanes to the residents of Long Island, NY and beyond. For six years she built her customer base by travelling around the island as an exhibitor at various street festivals, craft and gift shows, and other venues. She also conducted many lectures and private tea tastings during this time. Infuse Tea Bar was opened in 2013 as an extension of the work she had been building toward. Kristine has been studying tea professionally since 2007 and has earned certifications through the Specialty Tea Institute and World Tea Academy of Certified Tea Professional, Certified Tea Sommelier, and Certified Tea Health Expert. She has been studying herbalism for over 10 years, focusing particularly on the medicinal drinking herbs of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda, and the Western Traditions of Europe and the Native Americans. Studying herbalism in the Vitalist Tradition, she believes in taking a holistic approach to wellness, that the body has an innate ability to heal, and that teas and herbs are just one tool that can be used in the process. Her herbalism training has resulted in a Wellness Line of proprietary blends that are designed to target and alleviate the symptoms of certain conditions, along with offering a large selection of functional herbs that have affinities for certain systems of the body. She is a tea educator and one of her main missions is to correct the amount of misinformation about tea that is present on the internet and in various other modalities. She is also a recommended speaker through the Specialty Tea Institute and regularly delivers lectures and tea tastings in local libraries.
At the age of 18, Kristine was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition that derailed her plans to work and travel the world in order to experience different cultures. In the mid-1990’s she accidentally discovered loose leaf tea and her journey of “traveling around the world in a teacup” began! Over time, she noticed that she would not get sick as often and her immune system was stronger. She attributed this to her tea consumption and then also began to study herbs, testing them on herself to see how they would impact her condition. Over the past several decades, Kristine has been diagnosed with several additional autoimmune conditions, however, she uses teas and herbs therapeutically to maintain a level of function and stay an engaged member of the community. While the teas and herbs will not cure her, she uses them to help her conditions be more tolerable. She uses this personal journey to assist others understand their own health challenges and how they may be able to use teas and tisanes in a similar way.
We hope you'll join us on this journey through tea! Content will be added to these pages periodically and if you would like to further your own journey, feel free to sign up for our monthly informative newsletter.
Our products may be purchased through this online shop or at our shop Infuse Tea Bar. If you live on Long Island, NY or plan to visit, feel free to stop by!
106 Main Street, West Sayville, NY 11796
Please visit our shop website www.Infuseteabarny.com for hours, shop updates, policies and procedures related to your visit.
Please feel free to contact us with any questions:
By e-mail: kristine@infuseteabarny.com (best way)* or use the contact us page to leave a message.
*Please be advised that we are a very small business. It may take us several days to respond to emails.
