JOURNAL

Purl Soho Welcomes Bellocq Tea

I never knew how profoundly I could connect to tea until I was personally introduced to the incredibly delicious, fragrant and evocative world of Bellocq Tea. Its owners and creators, and our longtime friends, Heidi Johannsen Stewart, Michael Shannon and Scott Stewart, truly understand the magical beauty of tea, and through their passion and stewardship, everyone around them soon understands it too! And so it is with immense pleasure that we welcome Bellocq Teas to Purl Soho!

Bellocq Tea evolved out of a rich collaboration between Heidi, Michael, and Scott, three extraordinarily creative people. Old friends with a shared interest in tea, they launched their business in London two years ago and last October opened their lovely Bellocq Atelier in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.  Drawing from previous experiences in food, design and product development, this impressive trio put their collective talents together to create, not only incredible teas, but a whole world of beauty. Heidi, Michael and Scott have built a universe for their teas that touches each one of our senses.  In addition to being exceptionally delectable and aromatic teas, everything, from the rich packaging to the colors of the Atelier walls to the teas themselves, is visually stunning. And if you visit, you can hear for yourself the passion that these three share for their products. Otherwise, these gorgeous photos by our dear friend Anna Williams do an amazing job of telling the tale!

If you'd like to learn more about Bellocq, we highly recommend that you pick up the current issue of Kinfolk Magazine which features an in-depth look at Bellocq and its teas. Kinfolk is a publication run by artists who share the respect and love for all things hand made that both Bellocq and Purl Soho embody. That's why you can now find Kinfolk Magazine at Purl Soho!  Find the current issue right here.

Bellocq's teas range from the wonderful smokey richness of their Lapsang Souchang to the vibrant freshness of their herbal blend, Le Hammeau.  Each tea is impeccably hand crafted using 100% organic whole tea leaves and botanical ingredients.  With so many amazing blends and pure teas to chose from it was a challenge to pick our favorite dozen, but somehow we managed!

Black Teas

• Lapsang Souchong - An earthy pinewood-smoked black tea
• Bellocq Breakfast - A black tea with notes of honey, a Bellocq customer favorite!
• The Queen's Guard - An elegant black tea with essence of rose and lavender
• The Earl Gray - A rich black tea with natural bergamot and delicate blue cornflowers

Green Teas

• Etoile De L'Inde - A favorite at Purl Soho, this beautiful blend of green and jasmine tea also includes passion-fruit, rose and marigold.
• Majorelle Mint - A classic Moroccan mint tea with a twist! Blended with gunpowder green tea, marigold and citrus essence.  This tea is wonderful iced with a sprig of fresh mint.
• Roasted Kukicha - An earthy green tea made from the branches of the tea plant rather than the leaves (Heidi tells us that some people consider Kukicha to be an herbal tea rather than a green since the caffeine content is so minute.)

White Teas

• Jasmine Silver Needle  - A classic white tea that is dried with the delicately sweet essence of jasmine flowers
• White Nixon - A refined white tea with lavender and peony, great iced!

Herbal Teas

• Little Dickens - Made for kids with a hint of chocolate, loved by all! Serve with milk and honey.
• Hindu Holiday - The most scrumptious caffeine-free chai around, this tea includes everything from rooibos, ginger and cardamom to jasmine, rose and marigolds!
• Le Hammeau - A summery blend of botanical ingredients, including lemongrass, verbena, chamomile, mint and more. 

Each tea is available in a beautiful Traveler Caddy or in a simple Atelier Bag. Choose your favorites right here! Or not sure which tea you'd like to try? Pick a Boxed Set of eight pure teas or eight tea blends here. If you're thinking of putting together a special gift, be sure to include a lovely Bellocq Woven Tea Strainer or a pretty package of loose tea Paper Filters!

We hope you'll love these teas as much as we do! We feel they go hand in hand with crafting (picture a pile of quilt squares and a hot cup of tea or a half-finished merino sweater and a steaming pot for one!). Bellocq Teas are also in perfect harmony with our respect for handcrafted materials made with pure love. So even if you can't visit Bellocq's world in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, you can bring some of their magic into yours!

You can find all of our Bellocq offerings right here. Enjoy! Joelle ( posted on www.PurlBee.com )

Thank you, Joelle for the warm welcome! 

xxoo Bellocq