Todd & Holland Tea Merchants understand that this time of the year calls for something warm in your hands to get through the dregs of winter.
Owner Laurie Jackson is happy to introduce people to tea, beyond the boxed teabag, at her Forest Park store at 7311 Madison St. The shelves are filled with black, oolong, green caffeinated teas and many herbals too.
“One thing we try to stress here is education and a lot of people focus on the tea ceremony,” Jackson said. “There are different types of ceremonies, but what they all have in common is that the point is to sit down, to stop, slow down, think very deliberately about what you’re doing, about your day, about whatever it is that you want to.”
She has nothing against a morning cup with the caffeine you need to achieve, but relaxing with a high-quality cup can be a ritual that brings more to the table.
Her shelves are full. A quick overview of the selection includes Jasmine pearls, Moroccan mint, champagne raspberry, orchid oolong, gunpowder pinhead extrafine, chamomile, rooibos and honeybush varieties. From around the world comes Assams, Ceylons, Darjeelings, senchas and more.
When tea-curious customers come in, the staff usually suggests a flavored tea to start off. Todd & Holland’s original spice tea blend, with a cinnamon and orange profile, is often a first pour.
“It was the tea that started the business. It outsells every single lot of our teas,” Jackson said.
All true teas come from one plant, camelia sinensis. White, green, oolong, black and even matcha are all variations on that one leaf. The difference is made in how it’s processed and the amount of oxidation allowed. A vital thing to know is how to brew each.
“Green tea is brewed at a very low temperature, 170-185 degrees. Same thing with oolongs, and the blacks and the herbals are at 212 degrees. So if you put a green tea in 212 degrees boiling water, it tends to taste bitter. Green tea is a very fast steep, like two minutes. Black tea will start to get a little bitter after five or six minutes. Herbal tea could be 10, 15 minutes and you’ll be fine. The longer you steep it, the more flavoring it infuses,” Jackson said.
Many people come into the store to explore the health benefits of tea. Jackson said she and the staff are not equipped to dispense medical advice, but they do refer serious inquiries to Larrabee Herbs in Elmwood Park.
“They have herbalists there. They’ll be able to say if you should focus on this herb or that herb. Then [Todd & Holland] can come and say, okay, this tea will meet those requirements,” Jackson said.
In addition to teas, herbal and non-caffeinated rooibos blends, the emporium also carries plain elements, such as peppermint, hibiscus and lemongrass. Those can be added to their other teas to boost the flavor in an individualized way.
But wait, what about a refreshing iced tea?
“A lot of the herbal teas, which are called tisanes, they are naturally caffeine. The same thing with the rooibos tea, which is red bush tea from South Africa. They all make for a nice cold brew. You can just take the pouch, drop it in with cold water overnight, and then the next morning you’ll have a pitcher,” Jackson said.
She also mentioned that mocktails using teas have become popular, especially ones featuring their smoked teas. Desserts flavored with matcha have also taken off too.
“Tea is so versatile, whether you’re drinking it, whether you’re baking with it, or whether you’re just serving it on the side. It’s a very, very versatile drink,” Jackson said.
