Tea

The basics of a samovar are simple, so you will be asking yourself why you would need one. And indeed you do not need one. You can enjoy a samovar-style tea time without having a samovar.A samovar, developed in the 17th century, is actually… Read the rest of the article on The English Tea Store Blog.© 2013 A.C. Cargill photos and text

The basics of a samovar are simple, so you will be asking yourself why you would need one. And indeed you do not need one. You can enjoy a samovar-style tea time without having a samovar. A samovar, developed in the 17th century, is actually two items: a large urn that holds hot water and […]

In the Age of Communication, publishing and distributing their thoughts and ideas is always at people’s fingertips. Actually, this is really great, and the world of tea has benefited hugely from this: there are myriads of tea bloggers, creators of websites or books or e-books related to tea, content writers and “niche journalists” out there […]

“Won’t you please come in?”  The woman was impossibly frail, but refused a helping hand from her kneeling position in a bed of spent narcissus.  “If I start taking a hand, I won’t be able to get up by myself.” “I don’t want to interrupt you,” I apologized, “I’ll just leave this flyer for the school board election coming up.  Please look it over.“ “Nope, come in.  I need the break.”  I followed the woman into her apartment.  She offered me the comfortable chair and sat down opposite me.  Immediately her lap was occupied by an enormous white cat.  As if on cue, a big yellow tabby hopped into mine.  “You’ll have a cup of tea.”  It was an order.  “Turn the flame on under that kettle and tell me what this is all about.”  The tabby was unperturbed when I stood up, flowing off my lap like a yellow waterfall.  With guidance, I found tea cups and tea bags. I was canvassing.  Going door-to-door to ask voters to write in a candidate for school board.  Write-in victories are about as rare as a tea drinker in Sweden, but our cadre of canvassers had a positive outlook.  My partner and I were assigned to a neighborhood of apartment complexes representing the entire spectrum of Oregon citizenry: subsidized housing for low-income voters; condominiums for the wealthy; and assisted living for the elderly.  We were in a complex of voters between the ages of 70 and 90 years old.  All were single.  All were living alone.  All were hungry for conversation.  During the first 90 minutes of ringing doorbells, we spoke to or left flyers for 60 people.  During the last hour, we spent time with six adults who had experienced the Great Depression, a world war followed by three decades of Vietnam, skirmishes large and small, two terrorist attacks, Homeland Security, Hurricane Katrina, Mitch McConnell, and the Tea Party.   After a cup of Red Rose – I’ve consumed better tea, but none as gratefully shared – we looked at photos of the grandchildren and petted the cats.  Across the courtyard lived an 83-year-old man with a cubic zirconia earring the size of a blueberry in his left ear.  My knock was greeted with the shout that accompanies severe hearing loss, “THIS BETTER NOT BE JURY DUTY AGAIN.”  It turns out that the gentleman LOVES jury duty, but became annoyed when the lawyers became annoyed after being asked to repeat key testimony several times.  He also wanted us to stay. Dear readers, go visiting.  Make and share tea.  Pet the cats and look at the grandchildren.  In not so many years, it will be you and me craving the sound of another’s voice and a shared laugh, and looking at another through steam rising from a cradled mug.  Humani-tea. MAIN | IMAGE 1 The post All politics is local appeared first on T Ching.

Shanti Tea’s Chocolate Strawberry Mocha is one of two unique tea blends offered. Shanti Tea combines coffee beans with tea and flavorings, I was impressed by the other blend I’ve had from them, their Caramel Latte so we’ll see how this one compares. Shanti Tea combines coffee beans, tea (presumably black), cacao pieces, rosehips, safflowers, and natural essences together to create a unique blend of all things caffeine. Considering this cup has coffee beans in it, you would expect it to give a fairly dark liquor. To my surprise the liquor is amber gold and that is after brewing past their recommended 2-3 minutes. From my experience with their previous tea and coffee blend I chose to steep for 5 minutes. The scent of the coffee beans is definitely present with a sweet smell to it as well. While this tea is considered full bodied, you can’t expect it to be as black as a cup of coffee. The strawberry is pretty evident with the sweetness of rosehips, but the chocolate flavor is lacking. It was difficult to pick up on the chocolate alone since the coffee beans carry their overpowering flavor. Milk is not recommended in this cup, so I skipped it. Their other blend, Caramel Latte was definitely enhanced by the milk, but they suggested it so I’ll take their advice on this one. Overall, this blend is tasty and definitely unique, but I’d rather have their Caramel Latte tea and coffee blend instead. Still, a good blend to have on hand for coffee lovers.

Tea Information: Leaf Type: Black Where to Buy: Cuppa Crew Tea Company Tea Description: Skip the “real” bubbly and go with this gorgeous tea instead! We start with our Margaret’s Hope 2nd Flush Darjeeling – the “champagne” of teas – and add a touch of wild strawberries and whipped cream for a cuppa that’s fantastic hot or cold and with or without cream and sugar. You’ll love figuring out which way of prepping it you like best! A perfect tea to enjoy with (or in spite of) that special someone…. Learn more about this tea here. Taster’s Review: This is a tea I’ve been wanting to try since I read my SororiTea Sister Azzrian’s review of it, because it sounded so incredibly yummy!  And my sister was so lovely to send me a sampling of the tea.  Thanks, Azzrian! This Strawberries & Sham-pag-nee Black Tea Blend from Cuppa Crew Tea Company is different from just about every other strawberry tea that I’ve tasted (and I’ve tasted quite a few).  And the most notable difference between this tea and other strawberry flavored offerings out there is that the black tea base used for this blend is a Margaret’s Hope 2nd Flush Darjeeling! The Darjeeling gives this tea a lighter body than the typical Ceylon or other black tea leaf would, and this lighter quality lends a very lively, “bubbly” kind of character to the cup.  The Darjeeling is a tad on the astringent side, so I would recommend brewing this tea at a slightly lower temperature (I usually go with 195°F for a black Darjeeling), and brewing it for 2 – 2 1/2 minutes.  This will keep it from becoming too astringent.  The tea still has a dry quality to it, similar to what you might experience when drinking a dry wine.  (Note:  I also find that this tea benefits from a minute or two of cooling time so that the flavors can develop) And the tea does have a wine-like quality to it (hints of muscatel!) and I find that this is very complementary to the strawberry notes.  The strawberry is delightfully sweet and offers hints of tartness to it too.  There is a creamy undertone to the cup as well, and this adds to the sweetness. A very lovely and unique strawberry flavored tea.  I really enjoyed this one. The post Strawberries & Sham-pag-nee Black Tea Blend from Cuppa Crew Tea Company appeared first on SororiTea Sisters.

This sample comes by the way of Eric of discipleoftheleafblog. It is from a cake from Tea Urchin, a tribute to the owner's son. Interestingly it is a blend composed of 80% Gua Feng Zhai and 20% secret?!?.The dry leaves smell of a soft foresty creamy odour there is a soft creamy cherry sweetness in them which clouds the distance.The first infusion is prepared and presents with a brackish, empty-watery forest note which slowly transforms into a cherry-plum sweetness. This taste again moves to a cotton-candy like taste. The profile is very simple with no rooting taste grounding the profile. The mouthfeel is very thin and coats the mouth.The second infusion arrives as slightly sweet, watery, brackish-forest notes. These tastes slowly evolve into somewhat sweet Tutti-fruity notes then swell into creamy tastes on the tongue. The profile still remains thin, almost watery.The third infusion looses a lot of the dirty forest tastes and presents with a very light foresty note that has a swell of sweetness behind it. This sweet taste evolves into a soft fruity taste then over a light foresty base. The taste is a touch thin but moves simply and nicely through the taste profile. The qi of this tea is very calming on the mind, and exerts a relaxing feeling.The fourth infusion is more watery, foresty, simple, very slight sweetness. There are some indistinct fruity notes which mix with forest notes. These tastes slowly move towards a light simple fruit taste with some very light creaminess.Fifth more harmonized notes of forest and sweetness. Overall light flavour but simple and smooth. Mouthfeel soft and thin but coats the mouth. Turns to slightly more sweetness on breath.The following infusions get progressively more watery, brackish, and bitter. There are charms of light floral fruits which appear and reappear. These high notes are somewhat more noticeable in these late infusions as they share space with bitter/ watery tastes.See Jakub (T) tasting notes here.Peace

It was my pleasure to host the Berea Community High School AP Senior English class for afternoon tea today.   The students who attended will graduate next week.   Served on three-tier servers, the first course included Tea Sandwiches: Turkey and Swiss on Croissant White Cheddar Pimiento Cheese  Cream Cheese with Orange Marmalade with a Pansy  Sausage Wrap Rolls

Here's a repost of a Calm-a-Sutra contest entry from a few years ago. The Breville One-Touch Tea Maker

Premium Sencha from Aiya Tea Information: Leaf Type: Green Where to Buy: Aiya  Tea Description: Premium Sencha is one of the most prized Sencha teas available in the Japanese tea market. Enjoy the depth of authentic Japanese green tea flavor. The emerald green tea leaves are tightly rolled into long strips to retain their freshness and taste. Preparation: Bring the water to a boil and allow it to cool to 80°C/176°F. Steep 1 heaping teaspoon (3g) of Premium Sencha for 1.5 minutes in 1 cup (240ml/8 oz) of hot water. With this tea, one can pour more hot water over the tea leaves and enjoy another cup. Ingredients: Japanese Green Tea – Premium Sencha Learn more about this tea here. Taster’s Review: The best way that I can describe Premium Sencha from Aiya is fresh delicious perfection. I have sat here with this cup so immersed in it, just allowing myself to become a part of it, and it is just the freshest sensational cup of tea ever. There is a nutty sweetness with just a slight astringency that gives it almost a citrus like zest. The left over flavor on the palate is lingering, nutty, and  a little tart. Yes, you will find a grassy flavor in the tea, but it is not grassy like other green teas I have experienced, this tea is more like a seaweed with a slight saltiness, a vegetal flavor that is really special. The aroma is equally pleasing. I can only describe the aroma as something you would experience in a prairie meadow on a breezy, warm, summer’s day. When I received my tin from Aiya I was really surprised to find that under the lid was a secondary sealed pull back lid. I was so excited and impressed I made my daughter and husband come look. Upon pulling off the sealed lid by the ring (like an older style soda can) and hearing the freshness seal open, with an airy sound, the aroma of the dry leaf was mesmerizing! The lead is dark green and almost shimmery silver looking. No wonder this is the freshest tasting sencha I have ever experienced! Now I love green tea, although I must have my morning black tea, but during the day, as I am working, or running errands, I must have my green tea. Green tea energizes me in such a positive manner. It does not over excite me, or make me nervous, nor does it relax me so much like a white or yellow tea which I reserve for early evenings. Green tea makes me feel like I can conquer everything on my “to do” list. It just feels healthy to drink, and of course, it is, but green tea like this, from Aiya, well, it really makes me feel as if I am drinking something special, because I am. If you have not tried a tea from Aiya please do yourself a favor and get yourself some right away! You won’t be disappointed in their teas. Also be sure you check out their blog here. They have so many great articles and keep you apprised of their latest harvests, with a lot of wonderful photos, not to mention recipes and other wonderful things, such as how to make Matcha ice cream! As I am finishing up my review of this tea I decided to go read my SororiTea Sister’s review (apologies for not having read it yet) and I have found that she too discovered the same qualities in this tea that I did from the citrus flavor, to the freshness, and even the awe and surprise of pulling back “the ring”! This made me smile because when you have a tea so spot on, so delicious, it is not confusing or too complicated to describe, it is just darn good! The post Premium Sencha from Aiya appeared first on SororiTea Sisters.