Wednesday, February 29, 2012

A Better Bagged Tea

I don't drink much bagged tea, unless I'm travelling or feeling very lazy in the office. I do however keep a box of either Taylors of Harrogate's Yorkshire Tea or PG tips on hand for emergency tea situations. You never know when you'll need a strong black tea!

There are many different types of tea bags out there from round to pyramid shaped. One thing I've noticed is that a larger leaf plus more room to expand, usually helps yield a descent cup (but of course there are exceptions to this). These two characteristics can be found in the teabags used by two leaves and a bud.

The company sent me a generous box of samples to try. They offer both organic and conventional teas. Each pyramid bag comes individually sealed to protect freshness. In my experience thus far with the company, they have great customer service and truly care about their product.

I decided to focus a review on their organic Darjeeling tea. Darjeeling is one of my favorite teas, so I naturally reached for it first. The dry leaves have that lovely, sweet signature Darjeeling smell. This aroma translated to the brew as well. The tea is sweet, floral, and contains something that I'd describe as 'dried grass'. I found a slightly earthy, gently toasted flavor that conjures up images of crispy dried grass just before a snowfall. The tea is smooth, without any hint of bitterness and just a slight astringency.

A random fact about this tea is that if you drink it while eating kimchi ramen, the sweetness is further enhanced. I'm guessing the spiciness of the kimchi is somehow accenting the sweet muscatel flavor in the tea. It pairs up quite nicely! I don't usually drink teas that I'm reviewing with food, but I had some left over while I was eating my lunch.

I have also tried the Assam and Tamayokucha (green) teas, and they are both of good quality for bagged teas. I am eager to try the other teas they sent, in hopes that they are equally as good. I noticed that two leaves and a bud offers loose teas on their website, which I haven't yet seen in stores. I'm glad that I was able to give these a try, as a box may get added into the emergency tea rotation.

Friday, February 17, 2012

Steep Thoughts- The 'There Must Be A Way To Incorporate Shake Shack In A Post' Edition


I drink hot tea all year long, even on the hottest days. But sometimes I just want a refreshing glass of  iced tea. I often prefer this with food. I usually go the plain unsweetened route, but when it comes to eating greasy comfort food an Arnold Palmer fits the bill. Named after the golfer that created it, this drink is 1/2 lemonade and 1/2 iced tea. The sweet and tart lemonade is a perfect compliment to the bitter tea. Sometimes this drink is also called a 'half and half'. If I see it on a restaurant menu, I'll usually order it. It's hard to find one with the correct balance of tea and lemonade, but when it is just right, it is perfection.

Today I had one at my favorite place for indulgence, Shake Shack. I refuse to eat at fast food chains, but Shake Shack's quality salty burger calls my name every few weeks. I just can't help myself. While sipping my drink, I realized that the acidity in the Arnold Palmer is perfect to cut the grease.

If you're looking to try a half and half but can't find a restaurant or cafe that serves them, I've had good luck with the Nantucket Nectars version. It's a little sweeter than I'd prefer, but still a good choice. I just noticed that the man himself created his own line of tea drinks. I'll have to look for them in the future. Has anyone tried them?

Have a happy weekend!

Thursday, February 16, 2012

A New Tea Favorite

The fairly new tea company TeaVivre sent me quite a few generous samples. I've been drinking their teas for awhile now, but I haven't had a chance to focus on a proper review. I have a few teas of theirs to discuss, and the first one I'm writing about is the Yun Nan Dian Hong.

I love Yunnan teas, especially for their rich earthy quality. When I choose a tea to start my day with, Yunnan usually comes to mind.

TeaVivre is a Chinese company that truly cares about tea. You can see it in the way they package the samples. The samples are assembled with care. Each tea is in a resealable vacuum pack, and has an inner air-tight bag as well. The leaves are absolutely beautiful. Long and thin with lots of golden tips. They have a sweet, floral scent. The resulting brew is a golden amber color. Quite pleasing for all the senses.

The flavor is different from the scent of the leaves, and everything I enjoy in Yunnan tea. It is strong, robust, yet smooth. Earthy with a mellow barley flavor. I know I've used this phrase before, but it reminds me of crunchy fall leaves. The earthy taste conjures up multi-hued maple leaves on a cool fall day. This is a simple black tea, but with a subtle sweetness and even a surprising hint of citrus. It adds a nice depth to the brew. This is a good quality tea that is extremely satisfying. It is an ideal breakfast tea for me. It is strong yet smooth, and has a nice full flavor to wake up my sleepy brain.

I am looking forward to trying my other samples. I'm so grateful that they sent them!

Friday, February 10, 2012

Steep Thoughts: The 'Why Do I Always Fall for Milky Tea?' Edition

I love bubble tea. It's just one of those guilty pleasures. I've never had an instant powdered brand of 'milk tea' that has ever tasted as good as the kind you get in a cafe. But for whatever reason, every time we are in an Asian grocery, I gravitate towards any product that says 'milk tea'. I just can't help myself.

I'm currently drinking 'Casa Milky Flavor Tea'. The last time we were in a Korean grocery store I impulsively grabbed a box of it.  Usually this sort of 'tea' sits in the cupboard for a few months until I'm feeling adventurous enough to try a packet. But the other day I decided to bring some to the office. This afternoon I gave it a try, hoping to jump start my sleepy brain.

A look at the ingredients shows that there is actually brown sugar in the mixture, and I can actually taste it. I don't really care for the molasses-like thickness, and it's way too sweet. Not that milk tea is supposed to be anything but sweet, but this one just doesn't really work. If you ignore the brown sugar, it actually tastes similar to the black milk tea I am familiar with. I think this box will go back on the shelf for awhile. Perhaps I will remember this lesson the next time I hear the milky tea siren song. Probably not.

Do you have an impulsive weakness for a particular kind of tea?

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Tea at Craft Restaurant

I've mentioned countless times before how frustrating it is to have a lovely meal at a restaurant only to end with a bad cup of tea. This happens everywhere, from local eateries to high end restaurants. It is most perplexing to me in the expensive, high end dining establishments. If you pay attention to the name of the cow that gives you milk for your butter, why not think about your tea service? Coffee is always the star of the show, and tea is always in the chorus.

Last night we had a wonderful meal with friends at Craft. The food was simple, delicious, perfection. After such an amazing meal, I was eager to see the state of their tea selection.
As you can see, just like the food, the tea list is simple and to the point. I was happy that they didn't have the typical 'Enligsh breakfast' as the black tea offering. It would be nice to have more than one unflavored black tea to choose from as well as a straight green tea, but I was happy with the choices. 

Overall I like the quality of the teas I've tried by In Pursuit of Tea and I could tell that this Assam would have been great if it was prepared properly. The tea arrived in a nice individual pot without the infuser. It was helpful that the leaves weren't in the pot, but I would have preferred to have the infuser on a plate next to me so I could see and smell the leaves. It also gives the option of steeping a second pot. The tea looked a bit too dark even for Assam, but it was hard to tell in the dim lighting. It unfortunately tasted quite bitter. I like a bold Assam but this was not prepared correctly. The person steeping the tea either used too much and/or let it steep for too long.

I mentioned my tea mishap on twitter, and someone from Craft replied and said they were going to discuss the issue with the barista. That's exactly how more restaurants should respond! I'm glad to know that they take pride in every aspect of their service. I'm sure the issue will be corrected the next time we enjoy dinner there.

Does anyone have any recent restaurant tea experiences to share?

Monday, February 6, 2012

Tea Is A Common Bond

When a Chinese friend of my Father-In-Law found out that I love tea, she generously gave me a special Xihu Long Jing to try. I couldn't believe that she gave me such a lovely gift. My experience with green tea is still limited, and I'm grateful to have this one to try. She gave it to me during a difficult time, and the gift lifted my spirits. I hope I can someday reciprocate and give her a tea that I enjoy.
In doing a little quick research I learned Long Jing or Dragon Well tea is named, "after a well that contains relatively dense water, and after rain the lighter rainwater floating on its surface sometimes exhibits a sinuous and twisting boundary with the well water, which is supposed to resemble the movement of a traditional Chinese dragon." (taken from http://www.jiangtea.com/green-tea/xi-hu-long-jing/ where you can learn even more interesting information about this tea).
The leaves are long and flat, similar to other Long Jing teas I've tried. The shape is due to pan firing. This tea has a lovely nutty aroma that reminded me of roasted cut grass. It is a delicate tea, and I tried to brew the it carefully. I used water that was off the boil in order to coax a proper flavor. If the water is too hot it can 'cook' the tea and impart an unpleasant taste. The prepared tea has a subtle, smooth vegetal taste that has a nice depth to it. It reminds me of sitting in a spring meadow surrounded by tall, fresh grass. A high quality green tea. It finishes with a slightly roasted taste that is similar to oolong. It is a comforting cup.

I tried the tea on a typically chaotic day, so I didn't get to finish while it was still hot. When I tasted the lukewarm tea, it actually had a more dynamic taste. The flavors were stronger, more obvious to me. I always prefer my tea just above 'warm', so perhaps this is how my palate prefers to taste things? I've mentioned this phenomena before, and it is intriguing. Since this tea held its flavors so well cold, it would be fantastic in the summer as an iced drink. This is a delicious tea and I am so grateful to have it in my cupboard!

I love how tea can bring people together, even when they barely know one another. In my experience, when two people discover a shared love for tea, an immediate bond is formed. I often participate in 'tea swaps' sending and receiving surprise packages of tea with someone I've never met before. It's a great way to get exposed to new teas, and meet new people.