Katrina Guyduy offers tea products from Finland with love.
Guyduy, the owner of Dream Tea Boutique, offers tea from the Scandinavian country for sale online and at specialty stores in Greater Vancouver, B.C.
“When I had my first child, I loved being home with him so much, that I really wanted to find work that suited being home with him more,” Guyduy said. “That is when an idea with online store come up.
Loose leaf tea is in her blood so it was a perfect fit, she said.
“Originally our family came from Russia,” she said. “Russian people seem to find every occasion and time of day or night simply perfect for drinking tea. We drink tea several times per day and often meet up for a cup of tea with a friends. So we come up with idea to bring our favorite (back in Russia) tea brand into Canada.”
The business has proven to be successful.
Among her bestsellers are Emperor’s Choice, an India-Ceylon tea spiced with oils of cherimoya, quitte, pineapple and lemon with added saflor flowers.
Dream Tea Boutique makes these amazing test tube tea wedding favours.
“It is a long-time traditional favorite,” Guyduy, who has tried each of the 50 varieties she has in stock.
Organic Pear Sencha, an organic green Sencha with the “delightful flavor of pear and added jasmine flowers” and spiced with natural pear oil and jasmine buds is another popular product for Dream Tea Boutique.
For the busy, stressed-out parent, Dream Tea Boutique also offers anti-stress tea.“It is great remedy for stress and depression,” she said.
The tea is 100 per cent natural herbal blend containing hibiscus, lemon grass, elderberries, rose hip, chamomile and jasmine flowers, petals of camellia and bits of pineapple. It is also flavoured with natural strawberry aroma and cream.
With sales coming in from across North America, Guyduy knows her business like a ‘T’.
“We have customers across Canada and US who buy Aaro Forsman Company tea on regular basic from our online store,” Guyduy, who is also a freelance graphic and web designer, said.
She is hoping to take our business to the next level by increasing the number of retail stores who carry the tea she imports.
But in the meantime, Guyduy is keeping her customers happy with fast shipping times and introducing new products.
“We have all the inventory in stock,” she said. “Every few months we order tea from our supplier in small batches to keep the tea fresh. So all the orders delivered in 24-48 hours to our customers.”
Dream Tea Boutique is always updating its inventory, she said.
“The newest addition is Milky Oolong,” she said. “The name of this tea comes from the delicate milk scent of the tea which is brought on by a sudden change of weather during the harvest.”
In spite of its name, this tea contains no milk or dairy flavoring or additives, Guyduy points out.
Guyduy said there is a tea flavour for everyone and has a recommendation even non-tea-drinkers.
“Start drinking tea. It’s good for you. It makes you healthier and happier,” she said. “Every day more people are realizing the benefits of loose leaf tea: high quality, fresh taste, better health and well-being and greater variety offered.”
Guyduy also suggested the perfect way to brew a cup of tea.
1. If you’re using a cup, put one teaspoon of loose tea into your infuser (tea ball, tea filter, etc.) If you’re using a teapot, use one teaspoon per eight ounces of water. If you find that the tea comes out too mild for your taste, use a bit more tea next time.
2. Pour hot water over the leaves. Use boiling water for black teas and herbals and slightly cooler water (around 175°F) for green, white and oolong teas.
3. Steep for the appropriate amount of time for your tea which is about three minutes for black teas, two minutes for green and five minutes for oolong, white and herbal.
4. Once the infusion time is up, remove the leaves and enjoy your tea.
