Thursday, March 28, 2013

Review: Green Kukicha from The Tea Merchant

 

For lunch today I ate a bit too much Aloo Gobi, one of my most favorite Indian dishes. Feeling a bit full, I was looking for a tea to help with digestion. I usually go with a pu-erh in this circumstance, but I was all out. I noticed a sample of green Kukicha from The Tea Merchant sitting on my desk. I know Kukicha is very healthy (I previously wrote about it here), so I decided to brew it up. 

The dry leaves consist of green and brown twigs among the green tea leaves and smells like toasted grass. On the package it says it's otherwise known as 'Senkukicha' because it has leaves as well as twigs. The brew is a vibrant bright green. The twigs are not roasted yet still have a slightly nutty, roasty aroma and flavor. The soothing brew reminds me of genmaicha since it is vegetal and toasty. There is a mellow asparagus flavor that is delicate on the palate.

While drinking this tea I imagine a field with tall green grass and a cloudless sunny sky. I can feel the soft grass, the cool breeze, and the warm comfort of the sun.

I was able to chat with the owners of The Tea Merchant at the Coffee & Tea festival earlier this week (you can see my recap here), and they are energetic and passionate about tea. I look forward to trying the other sample I picked up. 

So now instead of feeling full of food, I'm floating away on soul soothing green tea. This is definitely a tea I will add to my cabinet.




Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Coffee & Tea Festival Fun

I had such a wonderful time at this year's NYC Coffee & Tea festival! There was a great number of tea vendors, including companies I've tried before such as Harney & Sons and Capital Teas, and exciting new ones such as T-Drunk and The Tea Merchant. The 69th Regiment Armory has high ceilings which gave the space a nice airy feel despite the crowds. My friend Rit and I only had one day to get through all the booths. Fueled by tea samples, we did quite well. Here are just a few highlights:

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Tea Happiness and Ramen and Friends on FCI!

If you'd like to learn more about the Yemeni food and Shai tea I mentioned in this post, check out this link for a video (don't worry the video is spoken in English) from our Ramen and Friends outing to Bab al Yemen. Shai tea is given a nice mention at the end! Our outing was recorded by Japanese TV network FCI, and here is the result!

http://www.fujisankei.com/video_library/trend/foodblogger-BabAlYemen.php