A dear friend (and great photographer) shared the following recipe for using Colonial Bohea Tea as a dry rub for Brisket. I thought I would share, Hope you enjoy! ~Oliver Dinner last night was TOO good and TOO easy not to share!  My mom got us an instant pot for Christmas, and it has been one of the greatest kitchen appliances I have ever owned. I have been so grateful. And I am striving to use the extra time that it provides for me with wisdom and care. One of the phrases that has been going through my head the last few weeks is “don’t waste the minutes”. I used Oliver Pluff’s (I’m going to sound like an advertisement here,...

Today is Flag day. On June 14th, 1777, the Continental Congress adopted the Flag of the United States. The story we all know says Betsey Ross sewed the original flag, improving on the design the Continental Flag Committee handed to her. Yet, historians are quick to point out they can't prove she actually did so. There is just strong circumstantial evidence to support it. And the story fits with the other myths we create around the founding of our country. So everyone enjoys it. Similarly, we enjoy the stories around the creation of inventions and new ideas. On a hot summer day, laying on your hammock enjoying a tall glass of iced tea, have you ever wanted to thank the...

The price of tea in England declined during the 18th century. Now able to afford this commodity, English laborers included tea in their budgets for the first time. A study of such budgets published by Sir Frederick Eden and David Davies discovered that 9% of one’s average earnings was spent on tea, most notably the popular Bohea tea, between 1740 and 1822.[1]In 1774, the average household income in the American South among the rich was $705, per free household, and $461, per household with slaves. This income was not based on the wage earner’s occupation, but rather a combination of the value of their property and occupation.[2] Converted to the Pound Sterling (£), the currency of the English during the 18th...

"If other eyes grow dull and other hands slack, and other hearts cold in the solemn trust, ours shall keep it well as long as the light and warmth of life remain in us." * In 1868, as the tradition of Memorial Day (or Decoration Day) was just beginning, a group of former Union Soldiers gathered to remember their fallen comrades of the Civil War. The quote above comes from the leader of their group, Major General John Logan.  He issued the challenge to honor the memories of those left behind. I have spent the majority of my life serving our country and there are two holidays that have special meaning to me; Veteran's day, where we honor Veterans still among...

If you order tea from Oliver Pluff, you know our labels come with a guide for how long and at what temperature water to use to brew your tea. We have had several people ask if they need to boil the water or just get it to the minimum temperature recommend? When it comes to traditional tea, the answer is: yes, you always boil; whether you are making a delicate steamed green tea or a hearty herbal concoction; boil then cool to the desired temperature. While boiling water helps the flavor of tea this process also helps eliminate harmful bacteria and germs in the water. Never use pre-heated water from the tap or double boiled water, this will add an...

Wassail (Middle English 'wæs hæl' - ‘be you healthy’) refers both to the salute 'Waes Hail' and to the drink of wassail, a hot mulled cider drunk as part of wassailing, an English ritual intended to ensure a good apple harvest the following year. Historically, the drink is a mulled cider, mulled beer, or mead, made with sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg and topped with toast. A group then sings: “Old Apple tree, old apple tree, we've come to wassail thee, To bear and to bow apples enow, Hats full, caps full, three bushel bags full, Barn floors full and a little heap under the stairs.” Check out our brewing tips for Cider Spices Wassail here.    

Traditionally, chai is a blend of black tea, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, clove, black pepper and vanilla. It’s brewed by street vendors across most of India, but now has become a popular drink across the world. Chai is served either hot or cold, but always creamy, very spicy, and puckeringly sweet.  We find our chai is best complimented by the flavor of Savannah Bee Company’s Honey For Your Tea, and recently made a batch for our staff on a brisk October afternoon. Check out our brewing tips for Chai Tea here.

In an effort to beckon cooler fall weather, we took to our backyard this week to document our favorite OP cocktail, the Winter Toddy. With a tart and sweet combination of our Lemon Ginger Hot Toddy Kit, honey, and a little (or a lot) of whiskey, the Winter Toddy is perfect after a long cold day in front of the fire. Check out our brewing tips on the Winter Toddy here. 

In the holidays we have served a warm wine wassail with red wine or port. Old English Wassail spices of orange peel, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves are steeped at heat for an hour or two, yielding a slightly bitter wine infusion that is balanced with light cane sugar and fruit juice. Last year, we happened to brew a bit too much wine wassail and I stored it in the refrigerator, and served it over ice the next day. It was a new experience. There was something about an icy red wine cocktail with a finish of cloves and cinnamon. It was festive and refreshing, and beautiful to behold. The icy goblets were dripping wet with condensation, imbued with a...

We all love a little chocolate in our coffee every once in a while, but the added sugar? Not so much. Luckily, the Oliver Pluff warehouse is never in short supply of our favorite Cacao Shell Tea, which gives us the opportunity to experiment with different flavors and combinations for our beverages. And so the cacao-coffee blend was born! Seeking a little extra depth to our daily coffee, we tested a few coffee-to-cacao ratios before getting it just the way we like it. For a little extra creaminess, we love a splash of unsweetened almond milk or creamer of your choice. Cacao-Coffee Blend Recipe Ingredients 2½ tablespoons whole coffee beans 1 teaspoon cacao shell tea Bring 3 cups of water to...