Tea

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.

This tea blends a Taiwanese oolong with orange blossoms. It promises a “light, delicate, brightly scented” cup. The maroon-coloured leaves are interspersed with orange blossom petals. The tea smells strongly of orange oil, somewhat like the softer, sweeter cousin of the bergamot oil used for flavouring Earl Grey blends. I followed the suggested directions, infusing a heaping teaspoonful of leaves in 8 ounces of water heated to 85 degrees Celsius for 2 minutes. The cup is a dark amber colour. It’s quite fragrant, mixing the scent of orange zest and powdered ginger root. Taking a sip, the taste blends the flavour of oranges in many forms: zest, fruit and flower. Again there is the zing of powdered ginger, especially in the finish. The tea is smooth to the taste but leaves an odd drying sensation in the mouth. It’s otherwise quite soothing and satisfying. I brewed the leaves again for 3 minutes. The tea base comes through more strongly this time, lending malt and biscuit notes to the blend. The orange flavours are still going strong. The long-lasting aftertaste is more like orange flower water at this point. Unfortunately the dry feeling is also still present. I steeped the tea again 2 more times, for 4 and 5 minutes respectively. Both cups are thin and watery. No unpleasant element surfaces but the flavour has only a hint of orange to it. I would stop at cup number two next time. On the upside, the waxy orange blossom petals add something special to the look of the steeped leaves in my infuser. Overall I found this tea to be quite flavourful and well blended. It offers complex and soothing fruit and flower notes, as well as a touch of spice. My only caveat would be the dry feeling this tea leaves in the mouth. Otherwise, it’s definitely a good value for the money at its price point.

Here’s a quick look at some tea developments that may not necessarily be new but are still not in the mainstream of tea drinkers’ awareness. U.S. Tea Growers Expanding Nigel Melican reports: “I now have positive responses from tea growers in eight US states - and many more potential growers - that's marvellous [sic] in just 6 days. The inaugural meeting of…Read the rest of the article on The English Tea Store Blog.© 2013 A.C. Cargill photos and text

Here’s a quick look at some tea developments that may not necessarily be new but are still not in the mainstream of tea drinkers’ awareness. U.S. Tea Growers Expanding Nigel Melican reports: “I now have positive responses from tea growers in eight US states – and many more potential growers – that’s marvellous [sic] in […]

I’ve noticed something over the course of the years that I’ve been writing about tea. Actually I’ve noticed quite a few things but the one most pertinent to this discussion is that while there are a zillion and a half tea merchant sites, tea blogs and whatever other Internet stuff related to tea, there don’t […]

Last year I was inspired to design a set of symbols to commemorate Japanese culture in New York and the 100th anniversary of Japan’s donation of cherry trees to the United States. One of the symbols I designed was a teapot. My inspiration for the symbol, which was done in a minimalist style, came from the harmonious forms of Asian teaware as well as the artful craft of the Japanese tea ceremony. My experience with tea actually embraces a couple of cultures: my Macedonian culture and my wife’s Japanese culture. I have a distinct liking for Macedonian mountain tea, some of which my Uncle hand-picked himself. I have always drunk this tea, but I am just learning about its great benefits. I have also become very fond of Japanese green tea, which I very much enjoy with sweets. In fact, I enjoy the flavor of green tea in foods, such as mochi and ice cream. When I drink tea, usually with some honey and lemon, it provides a calming and peaceful moment that helps to restore order. It is this feeling I have tried to evoke with my teapot design. Please enjoy my “Japanese Teapot” design, maybe with a cup of tea. The post Tea as inspiration appeared first on T Ching.