Tea

I am making preparations three tables of guests for tea tomorrow.   Details coming soon!

Even though I have written about pesticides and tea before, I wanted to address the subject again because once again the issue is in the news with Celestial Seasonings getting busted by the same group that busted Teavana last year. The Glaucas Research Group seems to be making money by exposing publicly traded companies and selling things short. It is true that they have a not-so-hidden agenda in exposing these companies, but without having proof, they could not make much. If you read the reports, you can see that an independent testing agency in Europe did a very thorough job removing whatever doubt there might be about the motives of the Glaucas Research Group. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that there are pesticides used in commercial tea production, and that third-world countries are using some illegal ones, which are probably cheaper. The boney finger always gets pointed at China, the great polluter, with pollution in Beijing as bad as when I was a kid in Los Angeles. They give us a good run for our money when it comes to polluting the air, but let’s not forget that Africa and South America are where most exported tea is produced, not India and China, where they predominantly drink their own tea. It can all be explained in three words: cheap prices, commodity, and quantity. For the most part, bugs come in the summer. In the tropics, however, bugs are omnipresent. It’s always summer. It provides for a long growing season and an abundant yield. It is a broader truth that if you want cheap tea and cheap food, pesticides come along with the price. How does that relate to the way we buy tea? Well, first of all, we don’t buy summer tea. I know that is an obvious one. In addition, we buy tea that is grown at a high altitude, where there are not as many bugs, we don’t buy from commercial growers, and, with a few exceptions, we buy certified organic. The truth is that the mountainous areas where we buy our tea don’t lend themselves to commercial agriculture at all. Terroir is everything in tea as well as in wine, and don’t let anyone tell you any different. The other magical thing about the tea plant in relation to terroir is that over time the plant itself develops defenses to predators as it becomes part of the local biodiversity. That is one of the functions of both caffeine and tea polyphenols. In June, I am going to London for a meeting of the Ethical Tea Partnership (ETP) to discuss tea, pesticides, and the sustainable future. I have done some informal consulting with them about the Chinese tea industry. They have a program that teaches farm workers in China how to work safely with pesticides. I recognize the irony, but remember that the ETP is NGO funded by the major tea producers. While I think it is a great thing that they are keeping farm workers from poisoning themselves, they have ignored the possibility of reaching sustainability without chemical pesticides, something China has had in tea for 2000 years by focusing on quality, not quantity. In recent years, the Chinese have had some shining examples of quality over quantity with their Anji Bai Cha. It is a major money-making crop that only has a spring season and pesticides are banned in its production throughout the country. Compare this to 1980 when there were only two Anji Bai Cha plants in existence. It is a good example of the dynamic nature of the Chinese tea industry. Another good example, maybe more familiar to Americans, is the case of white tea. There may not be higher standards, as in the Anji example, but Anji Bai Cha was a crop that barely existed twenty years ago and is now a very common tea. The crop was completely driven by the export market and has always fetched good prices. Changing the agricultural model outside of China and supporting a return to it inside of China seems like a logical and tested way to sustainability in the tea industry, as is true in food production as well. It doesn’t m

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, […]

We know Bigelow Tea fans are extremely resourceful, especially when it comes to finding imaginative uses for tea! Still, we were bowled over by the enthusiastic response to a question we posed recently on Facebook: “Do you use Bigelow Tea bags for anything other than brewing tea … like composting or cleaning furniture?” So many of you chimed in with awesome tea-inspired ideas that we had to share a few of our favorites here! Bethany summed up tea’s remarkable versatility with her comment: “All my tea bags get composted when I’m through with them. I’ve also used them for burns or to soothe skin irritation. Tea is a wonderful thing!” We agree, Bethany! Yes, from the garden, to the kitchen, to your craft center or beauty cabinet, tea has myriad applications. Here’s a sampling from our Facebook chat: “I put the Earl Grey in shortbread. It’s sooo good.” – Terry “Plantation Mint Tea (after making tea) run under cool water then use as eye compress to relieve morning puffiness.” – Lee “[I] Use them for staining paper for artwork!” – Caren “… I used tea also to dye a pillow slip to make it look aged—my son was going as a robber for Halloween and I made the slip into an old style money bag …”  – Becky “Sunburns and for a quick glow, take a tea bath.” – Alyssa “Cooled off green tea bags are great to help the cracked skin around your fingernails from dryness … and also as a compress on your eyes … and also for itchy rashes! I have tried all and it works!! Love my Green Tea!” – Bernice Thanks to all who shared … and we must offer one more from Stephen, who recommends composting your tea bag “but only after steeping the tasty goodness into water!” Absolutely!

Mighty Leaf on Sale Today!

Living somewhere where mango grows in abundance, I have developed an intense love of this fruit. So of course I was happy to sample Mango Amazon black tea from The Tea Can Company. The tea is listed as containing black tea, mango pieces, marigold flowers, and mango and passion fruit flavors. It is not clear to me if these fruit flavors are naturally or artificially derived. I poured boiling water over my tea sachet and let it steep for three minutes. I instantly noticed a strong flowery scent coming off the tea, and as I took my first sip, it was the flowery element instead of the fruity element which caught my attention. Floral notes can be, in my opinion, hit or miss, and in this case, as I was hoping for a strong mango flavor and instead got a pretty intense floral flavor, this was a miss. I would have preferred to see the floral contribution subdued a bit. After getting past the floral notes, I focused on the fruity flavors, and I found that the mango was really hard to discern, and was masked by the pungency of the passionfruit flavor. There was a hard-to-describe sharpness to the flavor which I found could only be controlled with the addition of some rock sugar. I noted that this tea was decent as a hot tea, but better suited to be taken as an iced tea. Overall, this isn’t necessarily a low-quality tea, but just one whose flavor profile doesn’t meld with my taste buds. If you are expecting a strong hit of mango, you will likely be disappointed, but if you like flowery flavors, this one may serve you well. This is one of several Tea Can Company teas I have reviewed, and while it is certainly not a bad tea, it is my least favorite of all that I have sampled.

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.