Also on Saturday  mid-morning, we’ll acknowledge the big Valentine’s Day holiday with a demo of Kusmi Tea’s Sweet Love.  This Paris-based tea is luxurious and warmly spicy, and the hot pink packaging is perfect for any sweet loves!

Sunday, Feb 12th from 1-5pm, taste a new discovery from the recent New York Chocolate Show: Comptoir du Cacao and their unusual “flaky pralines.” Trust us, you’ve never had anything like this before!

And on Valentine’s Day, Tuesday 2/14, Tea Forte will demo their Dolce Vita, “Sweet Life,” dessert tea collection during lunchtime, from 12:30 to 2:30pm.

It is a sweet life at CMB: as a special offering for Valentine’s Day, we have special Bequet Caramel Boxes in for a non-chocolate treat, and the Prestat Heart-box Truffle Collection will be available through the evening of the 14th!

See Health Benefits of Green Tea

How about Green Tea Broth with Udon Noodles

There are 24 individually wrapped teas in the beautiful frosted box. You get 12 different teas ranging from green, black, tchai and fruit flavors. The teas are specially selected for their taste when iced but are equally nice when had hot. Kumsi say “Allow 2 sachets of Kusmi tea to infuse for 3-4 minutes in ¼ of a liter of simmering purewater. Pour the infusion into a 1 liter pitcher, ¾ filled with ice cubes, and mix well. Your Kusmi tea is ready to drink!.”

But I found an even better way to do it is to maybe put a sachet into half a liter, let it cool then put in a covered container in the fridge over night. (Covered because liquids evaporate). You can even leave the tea bag in, as long as it’s not green tea because that goes bitter if it’s over brewed. This way in the morning you have strong cold tea that you can then ice and dilute. I even carry the tea around in water bottles during the day and it makes for a much more interesting beverage than water, is inexpensive and is good for you.

My favorite teas are the Imperial Label and Sweet Love. There’s definitely something for everyone in here. A few times I have put sprigs of mint and peppermint from the garden into my teas as well. They are so flavorsome though that they are excellent by themselves.

Thanks to Kusmi, I’ve curbed my caffeine addiction and found that inviting people around for afternoon ice tea is a nice and wholesome means of socializing. I’d highly recommend this to the iced beverage connoisseur. $21.95 a box of 24 tea bags

about the author

This was blog post was written by Michelle Doyle who is from Ireland and has been in the states for a few months.  She is an aspiring artist who’s interests include food, art, film cycling! She is on the staff in the store.

Here are some of our favorite items:

• Iveta Scone Mix -  This easy-to-make mix is sure to please, and we have a gluten-free option for special diets!
• Kitchen Garden Jams – Made by hand in the Cotswolds, these jams and preserves are fit for a queen!
• Bay Tree Very Lemon Curd – As the name says, this lemon curd is extra tart and perfectly tangy, with no preservatives!
• Clotted Cream – Traditionally served with scones, luxurious clotted cream from Devon is also delicious with pancakes!
• Ahmad Tea – An exclusive selection of twelve favorites -it’s a tea of the month club in one box!
• Harney & Sons Mother’s Bouquet – 3 Sachets of Floral Tea in a beautiful small gift box
• Kusmi Tea -  Fanciful and healthful, the benefit and beauty of Kusmi Tea make it a perfect gift!
• Shortbread House of Edinburgh – Buttery sweetness is the taste of leisure – you cannot go wrong with this classic biscuit!
• Keep Calm and Carry On Enamel Mug – A great morning coffee mug with the timeless words of wisdom from the Queen that date back to WWII.

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Easter is the perfect season for us to bring out our finest chocolates, spring treats, decorations and not to mention a whole new range of Easter Baskets.

We have a large selection of chocolate eggs and rabbits, some are filled, some solid and other hallow. Our customers’ favorites this year are quail eggs, that are caramel in a dark chocolate covering and then covered in a colorful hard candy shell, praline filled eggs and Leonidas Belgian rabbits.  In addition to chocolate we have a selection of American’s traditional Easter Candy, which includes Jelly Belly Jelly Beans, Peeps, Malt Balls and Reese’s.

If you are looking for Easter decorations – look no more. We have a multitude of Easter baskets, nests, decorative eggs, hanging egg lanterns, chocolate place tags, shred and ribbon – in every imaginable color.
To have a look at what we have in store browse the photos below.

Until Easter, we are offering FREE Gift Packing (including a decorative pick, ribbon and shrink wrap or cellophane) for in store purchases of $20 or more. (Normally we charge $10 or more for packing a gift.)

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Come to “Epicurean Paradise” and Support Kids Eating Better!

We are hosting a tasting event in our store with the premier NYC caterer, Great Performances, to celebrate the introduction of our Sylvia Center Mother’s Day Baskets that taste great AND give back in supporting educating kids about what is good to eat.

Join us for generous wine and food tastings, passed hors d’oeuvres, demonstrations and private back-of-the-house tours. Sparking Wines will be provided by Chelsea Wine Vault

When and Where: Wednesday, April 13, 6:30 – 8:30pm in our Store in Chelsea Market

Tickets – $30/person

Tickets are available at: www.greatperformances.com/store or by calling 212-727 2424

Tickets can also be purchased on our store.

Made my the Redhead restaurant in NYC, Bacon Peanut Brittles is a delicious concoction of peanuts, maple syrup, bacon and spices. This item has been very popular in our store – so popular that we have included it in a few gift baskets.

The flavor do all meld together but the strong flavors might turn a few people off. They make the peanut brittle with just the right amount of cayenne so that it finishes with a little heat – enough to make you want to try some more. It is the perfect snacking food for watching a game or drinking with friends.

The 4oz brown bags retails for $5.95

At the same time you can be eating bonbons at home after it is organized with our January White and Brown Sale. Leonidas Pralines as they are called in Belgium or just fresh good chocolates are now $29 a pound instead of the regular $36 a pound, sale goes through January 25th also, and is only good for in-store purchases.

Pumpkin Pickles from A Taste of the North Shore

This is a new item that is great holiday addition to any table.

Florence Fabricant of the New York Times likes it as well.

A savory and sweet combination of fresh Long Island grown “cheese” pumpkin along with spices and vinegar. Perfect next to the cranberry sauce as a condiment to turkey or ham, helps cut the riches and provides lots of flavor.

During this time our mail-order and website business will operate normally.

We apologize for any inconvenience, if there is something you desperately need give us a call at 212 727-1111.   We look forward to seeing you soon after our “work” is done and our appearance is invigorated.