Welcome to September! (And welcome to my monthly blog! Thank you for being here!)
For many of us, the summer heat is finally starting to subside and the first hints of autumn can be felt in the pleasurable chill in the air. As we head towards fall, we look forward to the subtle slowing down of the pacing in our lives. True, kids are back in school and there’s much to be done before winter. Yet still we get ready to turn towards coziness, towards a good book and hot cup of tea. And as we prepare for the Autumn Equinox on the 22nd, we start to say goodbye to our summer berries and iced teas, and say hello to warm spices and early autumnal flavors.
In Florida, we’re ever-slowly finishing up the hottest time of the year. This is the time that many of us like to head to the beach now that it’s not too dangerously hot and enjoy the water before hurricane season begins. Because of this, I’ve always associated this time of year with the ocean or with water, and am always reminded of Floridian jasmine that still smells so strongly this time of year, especially by the sea. Because of this, two of the shop’s featured blends this month star jasmine, along with orange to represent the last burning gold of summer and spices to welcome in the start of autumn.
And before I get into the blends for the month, I have to quickly mention some upcoming sales! In honor of the transitional beauty of September, we’ve got 2 sales this month!
- Labor Day Sale: 25% off all blends, today through 9/3, applied at checkout.
- Autumn Equinox Sale: 25% off all blends, 9/21 through 9/22, applied at checkout.
- And because you’re subscribers to the monthly blog, you guys get 40% off for the Autumn Equinox sale on 9/21 and 9/22! Just use the code: FALLEQUINOX25.
This is, of course, in addition to the featured blends of the month. Each month, those featured blends will be 25% off until the end of the month. You guys will be the first to know which 4 blends they are each month!
So that said, here are the 4 featured blends for the month of September. <3
Apollo’s Tea
This is a bright and sunny cup for the Greek god of music and sunlight. Smooth black Ceylon tea swirls with a body of citrus and warm cardamom, complete with a zesty orange finish. Tastes like the last burning gold of summer. Delicious with milk and honey.
Arabian Princess Tea
An elegant black jasmine blend for a confident Arabian princess. Inspired by Princess Jasmine from Disney’s Aladdin, a smooth black Ceylon base is infused with warm, inviting cardamom, lush jasmine, blue cornflowers for Jasmine’s classic blue outfit, and midnight palace rose. Delicious with steamed milk, especially on a cool September night.
Cliodhna’s Tea
Jasmine is also found in this blend for Cliodhna (pronounced KLEE-nuh), Irish goddess of the sea and the Otherworld. A complex deity, Cliodhna is many things: a daughter of the Tuatha Dé Danann, goddess of love and beauty, seaside faerie, and on darker days, queen of banshees. (Appropriate for the approach of Halloween!) To honor all aspects of her, black Assam tea is infused with midnight jasmine to create a dark, floral base. Blended with dried apple for the apples eaten by Cliodhna’s birds, blue cornflowers to represent the sea, rose petals for beauty and silver coin sprinkles to honor Cliodhna’s love of sea foam and shiny finds, this is a deep floral cup with lightly sweet, fruity tones. Perfect for a morning of beauty magic, shadow work or a September day by the sea. One of my favorite blends in the shop. <3
Oshun’s Tea
Last but not least: This is a warm, sensual blend for Oshun (pronounced oh-SHOON), the orisha of love, beauty and all things that flow. A river goddess that is honored in Afro-Cuban, Afro-Caribbean, Santeria, Yoruba and African-American cultures, Oshun is beloved by many around the world. She’s a goddess long known for helping women in the ways of self-confidence, self-love, beauty, romance, sexuality, wealth and motherhood. (My mom and I celebrate every year, as we like to think our Yoruba ancestors once did.) 🙂 Since her feast day is coming up on September 8th, it felt appropriate to feature her blend this month. To honor Oshun’s love of all things warm, beautiful and gold––and expensive!––her blend consists of all of those things. Rich Assam black tea flows to a luxurious body of warm cinnamon, vanilla, ginger, orange peel and Egyptian calendula, finishing with a sensual breath of saffron. Tastes like wealth and Virgo goddess energy. Perfect for attracting success, confidence and September magic. <3
Honorable Mention: Alma’s Tea
And while it’s not technically a featured blend this month, an honorable mention goes to Alma’s Tea! This is a blend I made when partnering with the LGBTQ+-friendly RPG podcast, “queeRPG”, run by a good friend of mine, to help promote their second season. Alma, one of the podcast’s characters, is an ocelot born to a family who moves around quite often, and therefore tea became a decompressor necessity. We had so much fun creating a blend for her. 🙂 Her tea is a brisk Ceylon that weaves spicy ginger and a splash of orange to create a warm body of citrusy black tea, perfect as a pick-me-up before getting back to your latest adventure. The orange and ginger make it a great tea for winter, too, but I also find it to be a rousing blend for September and plan to drink this one plenty this month. <3
(Also for anyone interested, queeRPG is a TTRPG podcast by queer people, for queer people. They create a place to tell fun, imaginative stories about connection, and give LGBTQ+ individuals a platform to share their experiences and creativity. For more info on queeRPG, check out their site here!)
Thank you for joining me in my little corner of the internet today! Enjoy these blends on the Esty shop and don’t forget to take some time this month to decompress! Take a breath, greet “cozy season” with joy, embrace the earth’s transition between seasons…and enjoy a cup of tea.
Happy sipping!
With love,
LJ <3
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