Elmwood Inn Fine Teas Blueberry Fruit Infusion — 15 Plant-based Pyramid Sachets (Brew 30 Cups of Tea)

We have very discerning guidelines and values checklist for the thoughtful, conscientious, People + Planet discovery and curation work we do before adding anything to our collections at Pretty Things & Cool Stuff.

The comments below will give you an idea of why we love working with the good folks at Elmwood Inn Fine Teas — considered globally to be among the most respected tea experts — to bring you some of their most delicious and delightful teas:

"Our goals are to explore the globe in search of extraordinary teas, to honor and respect the people who work to produce those teas, and to offer exceptional teas to a world thirsting for peace and equality. We are committed to sharing the ideal that tea is a lifestyle; not a commodity."

— Bruce, Shelley and Ben Richardson — Founders, Elmwood Inn Fine Teas

And there is this, which we think is so spot on:

“In the tea-making ritual, we rediscover our humanity, which has become obscured amid a life that is often moving too fast and filled with too much."

— Bruce Richardson, The New York Times, December 20, 2023

If you love blueberries and elderberries, you’ll love Elmwood Inn Fine Teas' most popular Blueberry Fruit Infusion Tea.

This healthful, caffeine-free fruit infusion is made from dried blueberries, apples, hibiscus, cornflower petals, elderberries, currants, raisins, and natural flavors. It’s packed with antioxidants and has a fragrant, rich, and satisfying taste that will delight your senses.

The longer you brew it, the more it pours like wine. This tea is a perfect for any time of the day, whether you need a refreshing morning boost or a relaxing evening treat.

You can also enjoy it hot or cold, plain or sweetened, or even use it to make delicious blueberry muffins or spritzers (see recipe below). 

Here's your chance to experience the best blueberry tea ever, and to spread delight by giving it as a gift any time of the year.

There are 15 generous, biodegradable mesh pyramid tea sachets made from corn starch — not plastic — that can be used twice to brew 30 delicious cups of tea.

ALSO, Elmwood Fine Teas uses the very same tea to fill its pyramid sachets as its offers for its loose tea, which is not always the case with sachets/bags from others. (See more about the pyramid sachets below.).

You also can cold steep this tea in water overnight in the refrigerator, and it will never be bitter.

THE DETAILS & BREWING INSTRUCTIONS

INGREDIENTS: Blueberries, apples, hibiscus and cornflower petals, elderberries, currants, natural flavors

ORIGIN: North America and Spain

HOW TO BREW: Boil water at 212°F and pour over a sachet and let it steep for 3 - 7 minutes. To cold steep, put desired number of pyramid sachets in a container and pour room temperature water over them and store in refrigerator over night. 

For a delightful Blueberry Tea Spritzer, try this one from TeaTime magazine:

Ingredients:

• 1-quart cold-prepared Blueberry Fruit Infusion
• 1-quart cold pomegranate juice
• 1-quart cold soda water
• Garnish: frozen blueberries, strawberries or orange slices

Instructions: In a large pitcher, combine blueberry infusion, juice, and soda. Garnish with blueberries, strawberries or orange slices, if desired.

PEOPLE + PLANET

Here's what Elmwood Inn founder Bruce Richardson said when we asked him exactly what is used to make their tea sachets:

"Elmwood Inn Fine Teas has never used plastic or nylon fabric for our tea sachets.

We avoided the first nylon machines – which appeared in the US more than twenty years ago – and moved directly from paper tea bags to much more costly pyramid sachets using plant-based (non-GMO cornstarch) material in 2011.

Our tea sachets are made from plant-based, biodegradable fabric that can be tossed into your garden or compost bin where they will eventually dissolve, naturally."

ABOUT ELMWOOD INN FINE TEAS

The Elmwood Inn Fine Teas story began in 1990 when Shelley Richardson opened a tea room in the Civil War village of Perryville, Kentucky — just as the American tea renaissance was about to awaken.

For the next 14 years, Elmwood Inn developed an international reputation as one of America's favorite locations for a traditional afternoon tea. Bruce and Shelley Richardson chronicled the early stage of their life in tea through three books and eventually launched a tea importing and wholesale packaging company - Elmwood Inn Fine Teas.

After serving thousands of guests, the tea room closed on July 31, 2004, in order for the family business to focus on their expanding tea wholesale business, managed by their son, Ben.

Today, from their new Danville, Kentucky facility, Elmwood Inn Fine Teas LLC imports, blends and packages teas for retailers, gourmet grocers, restaurants, tea bars, coffee bars, hotels, and museums across North America and the world. 

Shelley and Bruce Richardson have now authored 14 tea books and continue to inspire enthusiastic audiences as they appear at festivals, universities, and cultural events across the globe.

Tea blender, writer and historian, Bruce has been one of the leading voices in America's tea renaissance since founding Elmwood Inn Fine Teas more 30 years ago.

He is a frequent guest speaker at global tea events and a source for tea articles found in Slate Magazine, The Smithsonian, National Geographic, New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and on MTV, CNN and the BBC. He serves as Contributing Editor for TeaTime magazine.

In 2011, Bruce was named Tea Master for the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, where he is helping define tea's historical role in the iconic 1773 event that helped shape America's destiny.

Bruce has mentored or advised more than 450 aspiring tea professionals, including Fortune 500 companies, as they investigated tea's future in the world marketplace.

His reputation as a tea designer with an artful eye has led to commissions to design signature teas for such museums as the Yale Center for British Art, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, The Peabody Essex Museum, The Cincinnati Museum of Art, and the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum.

In 2017, the Chinese fashion brand HPLY commissioned Bruce to design a bespoke tea line and appear at its summer runway show in Shanghai. 

He and expanded Okakura Kakuzo's classic Book of Tea for Benjamin Press in 2011.

Bruce has lectured on Japanese Tea and Art at the UK Tea Academy in London, Centre College, the University of Kentucky, and Yamaguchi Prefecture University in Japan.