Tea

Oh the horror of lip marks on your teacups. But let’s face it, folks, life is messy. When your teacup gets those nasty lip marks on it that never seem to wash off and just keep building up, your life can seem even messier, bordering on total disaster. Lipstick is, of course, a culprit here, as are lip balms. But even when your lips are bare, they can…Read the rest of the article on The English Tea Store Blog.© 2013 A.C. Cargill photos and text

Oh the horror of lip marks on your teacups. But let’s face it, folks, life is messy. When your teacup gets those nasty lip marks on it that never seem to wash off and just keep building up, your life can seem even messier, bordering on total disaster. Lipstick is, of course, a culprit here, […]

Wow I am really not sure where the past few weeks went, somewhere in there I hit the Quarter of a Century Club, but was so busy getting things ready for the new job, and the move to a new place that I didn't really get to sit back and enjoy it.  In fact I have a sample of The Mandarins Tearoom 1960s Shui Xian that I had hoped to crack open and enjoy on my birthday.  Needless to say that did not

Driftwood Tea’s Oriental Beauty is an oolong tea that comes from Hsinchu County, Taiwan. Oh Taiwan, I am so enjoying your teas! Oriental Beauty is also known as Dong Fang Mei Ren, you may have also heard the name Champagne Oolong as well. This oolong is definitely a beauty, the leaves are a tie-dye of colors from white tips, to dark brownish black middles and ends. What is so interesting about this tea, and it may sound gross, but tiny insects take their time and nibble on the leaves. What results is an initial oxidization while the leave is still attached. Due to the damage by the insect, chemicals are released by the plant and an aromatic honey flavor is produced. I followed the European brewing instructions for this tea, brewing a tablespoon of leaves in 8 ounces of water at 190 F for 4 minutes. The first time I had this tea I was at a loss of words in how to describe it. Different than any other oolong I’ve had thus far. It is medium bodied, the scent is of cinnamon and an almost woody, smoke scent. There is a lasting finish of sweet honey and fruit. The second brew at 4 minutes is so sweet, almost plum like as Sophie noted. I couldn’t stop drinking! A longer steep at about 7-8 minutes is amazing! All I can say is you have to try this one for yourself. This is a very layered cup with flavors of smoked wood, cinnamon, sweet honey, and plum. This tea makes me hunger for summer and honey bees! (As well as fresh honey from friends!)

Memorial Day is coming and the ads are full of specials for grilling and picnicking. But I am more reminded of the deeper meaning of the day. It was set aside to remember all those soldiers who gave their lives for our country, in one of our many, many wars. I am firmly anti-war, but ... The fact is many men and women have gone to war and paid horrific prices for the rest of us. So let us remember them and say thank you.Memorial Day is also a day to remember family and friends who have gone before us. I remember going with each of my grandmothers to decorate family graves. I'm not sure I understand the point of it, but I loved the stories that were told about the 2 sisters who married 2 brothers, about the family friend my great grandmother was named for, the baby boy who died at birth and the baby left behind in a New Jersey cemetery. There were the graves with odd headstones, and the ones where a whole family was wiped out in a diphtheria epidemic, and that of the many greats-grandfather who lived to be 91 and had 127 grandchildren when he died! There were sad tales and funny tales, but they wove my family into my heart and made them real.I hope your families are very real and precious and that you have someone to tell you their stories and that you, in turn, tell the next generation those same stories. Plant some rosemary for remembrance. I have some thyme from the cemetery where my parents and grandparents are buried - the whole place is covered with it and it smells wonderful when one walks on it.I lift my cup today to soldiers and families and friends - may we all grow in love. I am having some Kenyan tea from Camellia Sinensis Maison de The in Quebec, Canada, www.camellia-sinensis.com . It is part of a tea swap. It is called Kangaita and is both organic and fair trade. In the packet it smells wonderful, with a deep winey aroma. The medium sized leaves are very dark, but there is a lot of gold dust on the inner surfaces of the packet. I am brewing it for 3.5 minutes with boiling water. As it is brewing it has that deep wonderful fresh wash smell, coupled with old wine barrels and dark tree bark. The liqueur is a very pretty rosy amber.This smells so good, I can barely wait for it to cool enough to sip. Oh, my this is wonderful tea. It is very rich tasting, but has a light body. There is that woodsy, earthy quality, but it is combined with something very close to caramel. There is a pleasant, spicy note to the aftertaste. This really is one of the best teas I have had in a while. I am especially pleased because about 10 years ago, there was some wonderful Kenya tea and then there was a terrible slump and it was just awful, but this is one more proof that Kenya's orthodox tea can stand with the best.Wallflowers in Switzerland.

Tea Information: Leaf Type:  Green Where to Buy:  Teavivre Tea Description: This Organic Dragon Well Long Jing tea origins in organic tea base of Tianmu Mountain in Lin’an, Hangzhou. The organic tea base of Tianmu Mountain, has passed the organic certification of European, USA and Japan, is a significant base of planting organic dragon well and green tea. This dragon well long jing tea persists a high level in picking and producing while meeting the standard of organic certification. The tea should be picked as one bud and two leaves or three leaves in order to reach the standard. Tea workers also have excellent skills, which help keep the natural features of fresh tea leaves. Combined with the advantages of organic tea and high grade tea, this dragon well long jing tea is suitable for tea lovers of organic tea as well as dragon well green tea. Learn more about this tea here. Taster’s Review: Oh how I love Teavivre!  Why?  Because they never fail to impress me with their high quality teas.  This Organic Superfine Dragon Well Long Jing Green Tea is absolutely stunning! It tastes so deliciously sweet, smooth, and there isn’t even the slightest hint of bitterness.  It is sweet from start to finish.  It is vaguely reminiscent of tender, freshly roasted chestnuts.  The buttery smooth, sweet flavor of chestnut!  YUM!  There are also notes of savory vegetation in there too … not really grassy, or even like steamed veggies … but just that subtle touch of “green” to it.  This is the way a Dragon Well should taste! I love the freshness of this Dragon Well and this is typical of all the teas that Teavivre offers – their teas are just so very fresh and delicious.  (Except for their pu-erhs which are aged and delicious.)  I also love that this particular selection is an organic offering.  Without having compared a conventionally grown Dragon Well versus an organically grown Dragon Well, I can’t say that there is a difference in taste between the two.  But, I know that I feel better knowing that this tea is organic. This tea is delicious served hot, but, it’s also quite nice when chilled – which is how I’m drinking it now.  I had brewed a teapot of the tea this afternoon, and drank one cup of it hot, and then refrigerated the rest of it, and am able to enjoy a frosty glass of tasty iced tea.  While I do prefer MOST teas served hot versus iced … since the warm weather is upon us now, it’s nice to be able to enjoy this one iced.  It’s very refreshing! The post Organic Superfine Dragon Well Long Jing Green Tea from Teavivre appeared first on SororiTea Sisters.

We had a busy weekend here at Miss Spenser's...we were finally able to share our House of Elliott Fashion Show Tea Party. We showcased clothing worn from 1900-1920. As some of you will recall, our previously scheduled event was May 4, unfortunately a surprise snow storm made it's way to Iowa causing wires to come down and our home to be without power...with GEO thermal and an all electric house, makes it a bit difficult to brew a pot of tea!! Thankfully, most guests were able to reschedule...and for those who couldn't make it...we are still, so very sorry! We hope we can make it up to you in future tea events!! Here are some highlights from this weekend ~ Enjoy! Just some of the Savories and Sandwiches that we served. Our Fancy Orange Cake in Chocolate Cups! Miss Spenser & her good friend, Mary, who was the perfect Flapper Girl! Thank you Mary for being such a great model for us! Be watching for a Special Post on the recreation of this Orange Flapper Dress! :) It was a lot of fun this weekend! Thank you to everyone who came!!

If memory serves right there’s only one major type of tea that’s named for a person and that would be Earl Grey, a variety that’s most often made by flavoring black tea with the aromatic oil from the peel of a citrus fruit called bergamot. Which makes for a very aromatic product indeed, and it’s certainly […]

While many of you tea drinkers out there will know exactly what these two terms mean, I feel that there is often some confusion about the difference between the two. This is partly because tea is often both loose-leaf and full-leaf. But despite not all loose-leaf tea being whole-leaf tea, and vice versa, I have […]

with the warmer weather comes a need for ample hydration for our bodies. During the week of May 20-26, Bigelow Tea will be celebrating Drink Water Week. “Water?” you ask… not tea? Well, of course, tea is made with water … so what’s not to love? Water is one of our most precious resources. It’s what makes Earth different from any other planet, and as humans we are made up of 60% water. We couldn’t live without it. In fact, we need plenty of water each day just to nourish our bodies. If you find drinking glass after glass of water monotonous, we have great news: other beverage intake—including tea!—can count towards your daily requirements. Fresh brewed iced tea is fantastic way to hydrate and cool down, and a marvelous flavored alternative to sugary drinks. And with so many varieties of Bigelow Tea, you can have any type or flavor you choose … and even mix and match your own! How about a lovely Perfect Peach and Pomegranate Pizzazz iced tea blend to refresh you throughout the day!   The summer months are fast approaching, and So yes, we are definitely observing Drink Water Week. Boil some right now and enjoy that cup of tea or a tall glass of iced tea! Refreshing isn’t it? Image by Snap® via Flickr.com