Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Spotlight: The Tea Merchant



The Tea Merchant is a new online tea company offering a range of teas and teaware with a focus on organic and fair trade. I recently reviewed their green kukicha, and I have a few more coming soon.

I met founder Joey Landford at the NY Coffee and Tea Festival. I was intrigued by their teas and his new Kickstarter for an innovative tea tumbler. He is friendly and offered to answer a few questions, so we had a cheerful email exchange.

TH: How did you discover tea, and when did you start drinking it?
JL: I started drinking tea back in college but I never could really get into it, as I was too busy going to school full time and working full time to pay for school to take the time to enjoy tea. It was not until I moved to Japan that I started to really appreciate tea more. Drinking tea everyday with every meal became commonplace and I started to explore tea much more when I lived there. 

TH: Why start a tea business? How long ago did you start, and why?
JL: I started The Tea Merchant about 9 months ago. I started it because I could not find work after being laid off. So I decided to take all my savings and create my own job that I would love. The result was The Tea Merchant, and this led to me designing my tumbler. Its been an enjoyable, stressful, fulfilling experience so far.

TH: What is your favorite part of running a tea business?
JL: My favorite part about my job is quality control and experimentation. I get to drink tea all day to make sure its up to par. Trying new blends and enjoying new flavors is always fun. But it is a lot of work especially for a small company like mine where I am the only employee

TH: What makes The Tea Merchant different from other tea stores?
JL: The Tea Merchant is different in that I focus more on Organic and Fair Trade teas. You’ll also find that my teas are more subtle and not overpowering like other companies. Balance is key in teas and my blends all will focus on particular flavors or style while not losing the fact they are still tea. Take my Silk Dragon for example it is a vanilla Oolong with marigolds that even if you take the vanilla out of the blend the oolong can still stand on its own. This means every steep offers a different, tasty experience.

TH: Where do you source your teas?
JL: My teas are sourced from all over, China, Japan, and India primarily. I look for Organic and Fair Trade estates when possible but I won’t sacrifice quality to achieve this. This always makes blending more difficult but it’s a fun challenge and I think the final product is better for it.

TH: Tell me a little bit more about your tea tumbler kickstarter. Why did you decide to create one, and how long did the process take?
JL: Well this tumbler is something I think the tea industry can really benefit from. It makes drinking loose leaf tea easy, and I found this was a major barrier for my very busy friends. Even if you’re not busy it’s still an easy solution for while at work or at home and it can even work with coffee! Being able to fully control steep times without having to remove the infuser is something we all can enjoy. I’m using the Kickstarter to help me get this product into production. Kickstarter will allow me to give awesome rewards and discounted tumblers to the people who like it. It’s a win win, as I get into production faster and people receive the product sooner and cheaper.

A big thanks to Joey for answering all of my questions! If you have any other questions for him, leave them in the comments. A review of the Silk Dragon Oolong Joey mentions above will be coming soon, along with a few others!

Friday, April 19, 2013

Tea in the Office, and a Call for Suggestions

When I'm at work, I rely on my trusty yellow Bee House teapot. It's the perfect size, has a removable strainer and is very sturdy. I usually use filtered water that is heated through the water cooler or coffee machine for green and white teas, and actually heat water in the microwave until it boils for black tea. I've thought about getting an electric kettle for my desk, but I've been having a hard time choosing the right one. I want a variable temperature kettle so I can control the temperature, but most of them use plastic, and even the smallest bit that touches the water has BPA in it. I've seen a few electric kettles that are BPA free, but they just heat the water to boiling and don't have any other settings.

If anyone knows of a variable kettle that does not contain any BPA, please leave a comment below! I'm on the hunt and would love your opinions.

How do you steep tea in the office? Do you use a teapot, or paper filters, or teabags? Or are you lucky enough to work from home?

Friday, April 12, 2013

Tea Adventure at the American Museum of Natural History

The American Museum of Natural history is one of my favorite places to visit in NYC. I have fond memories of class trips here to learn about everything from dinosaurs to minerals and gems. I felt a nostalgic child-like awe when I entered the building. This week I was invited to visit the special exhibit, Our Global Kitchen: Food, Nature, Culture. It is a fascinating exhibit I urge you to see if you can. There is a tasting kitchen where you can experience various categories of food (the schedule is here), and through April 14th you can taste teas!


Green Mint tea
Throughout the exhibit you will find interactive stations, and my favorite included smelling various scents such as ginger and popcorn. Of course, the best part was the tasting room, where we were given cups of tea to taste. Two friendly staff members dole out the tea along with biscuits and basic tea history. There is a chalk board with a tea quiz (picture at left), and a display of teas and tisanes. It was fun to chat and have a little nibble while drinking our samples. We tried a refreshing mint green tea, but other days had black teas, and even Jasmine rice cooked with tea. This weekend they are featuring the Arnold Palmer, one of my favorite iced tea drinks. I appreciated the mint tea, but I would have liked some information related to the tea, such as the cultures around the world that drink it, and the different ways it can be prepared and served. Tasting and smelling tea is of course a wonderful addition to the exhibit, but it could have been taken further. I would have liked to try at least one other tea, in order to fully explore and compare flavors.
The tea tasting setup

Walking around the exhibit I also enjoyed the area showing the diet of various people throughout history. It gives an interesting picture of how cuisine has changed, yet certain basics remain the same. Displays showed the diet of a man from 5000 years ago, one of a Kenyan human rights advocate (who included lots of tea in her diet), and even the immense breakfast of Michael Phelps.

This is a perfect exhibit for foodies, or anyone interested in the social and scientific history of food. Tea lovers, be sure to visit in the next few days in order to catch the last tea tastings! If you go, please report back and let me know what teas you tasted!









Monday, April 8, 2013

Guest Post: Gabbing About Tea And Film


Today I'm excited to announce our first guest blogger, film gabber extraordinaire Lance Werth, from the blogging duo Werth & Wise. Tea often makes its way into the film spotlight and Lance has interesting 'tea' films to recommend. I gave him two different Earl Grey teas to try. Here are his thoughts on the teas, and tea related films. Take it away, Lance!


I’m an old movie nut. Just ask anyone. Whether it’s lecturing someone on the inaccuracies of Mommie Dearest (1981), scouring the film schedules of the Brooklyn Academy of Music and New York’s Film Forum for obscure flicks, or posting opinions and wise-alleck remarks in my weekly film blog with Alan Wise, Film Gab with Werth and Wise (http://filmgabwithwerthandwise.blogspot.com/), I’m all about old movies. But there are a couple things that tickle my fancy as much as an old movie, and one of those things is tea. I've been drinking tea since I was a toddler. My Midwestern family wasn't quite sure what to do when I asked for a teacup instead of a coffee mug. It started because I originally fantasized that I was British, but my love of tea stuck with me past my move to NYC where I discovered the joys of putting milk in tea from a pushy guy in a breakfast cart.

Sara the tea goddess recently introduced me to a couple new teas that made me throw aside the Lipton Earl Grey teabag so I could refine my palette.

Hudson Garden Party
Hudson Garden Party tea 
(http://www.verdigristea.com/flavoredblackteas.html) is a fascinating blend of the traditional Earl Grey flavor combined with jasmine. The resulting concoction feels lighter than many dark teas and is a perky way to start your morning without the harsh kick that milk-less Earl Grey can sometimes give.

French Earl Grey
French Early Grey (http://www.theteamerchant.net/our-teas/black-teas/french-earl-grey/) can best be summed-up as two great tastes that don’t taste great together. While the vanilla flavor in this blend is much less cloying than I’d thought it would be, the pairing of the Earl Grey taste and vanilla rubs my tongue the wrong way.

If either of these teas strike your fancy, why not try a cup while you watch one of these classic tea-infused films?:

Tea and Sympathy (1956)- Young Tom Robinson Lee (John Kerr) is tortured for being the school sissy, so his teacher’s wife Laura Reynolds (Deborah Kerr- no they’re not related) decides to make a man out of him in this controversial, Vincente Minnelli-helmed drama.
The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1933)- Barbara Stanwyck is a Shanghai surprise in this Pre-Code film about a missionary’s fiancĂ© who is kidnapped by the evil General Yen, who, you guessed it, gets a yen for the spunky blond. Directed by legendary director Frank Capra.
Tea with Mussolini (1999)- What do you get when you have a tea party with film dames Judi Dench, Joan Plowright, Maggie Smith and American actresses Lily Tomlin and Cher in pre-WWII Fascist Italy? A tear-jerker somewhat based on the early life of famed film director Franco Zeffirelli.
Alice in Wonderland (1951)- No kid (nor adult) who sees Disney’s animated classic loosely adapted from the Lewis Carroll book could ever forget the inspired lunacy of the Mad Hatter’s tea party. It makes you want to take a bite out of your tea saucer.
The African Queen (also from 1951)- The great Kate Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart sail a junky boat downriver to break a German blockade in WWI in this John Huston classic. While Bogey drinks booze from a bottle, Kate makes her tea with the steam from the rusty boiler. More sugar please.
The Nanny (1965)- No Fran Drescher did not star in this English horror film from 1965. But Bette Davis did- and believe me, you don’t want to drink her tea.


A huge thank you to Lance for his thoughts. Check out his blog for more film gab! Interested in writing a guest post for Tea Happiness? You don't need any experience with tea, just an interest to try it. Drop me a line and let's discuss.

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Review: Spinach Chive Savory tea from Numi Organics

I've been trying to cut down on unnecessary snacking, which is an awful habit of mine. Lately when the mood strikes I try to grab a cup of tea. Numi offers a new line of savory teas, which you can see here. I recently picked up a sample, and when the snack bug started biting today I decided to give it a try. My tea bag has spinach and chives in it. It's like having a healthy snack! I really do love the idea of this tea, but does the taste meet my expectations?

My sample is spinach chive, and the ingredients are: organic spinach leaves, organic chives, organic dried lime, organic dill, organic onion, decaf green tea, organic coriander, organic turmeric, organic garlic. Hmm, sounds like something I'd eat for lunch, or maybe even drink as a smoothie. I do enjoy a green juice now and again, so this has potential.

The dry tea bag has a strong dill and onion scent. It made me smile because the dill brought me back to my childhood sticker book days. I had a 'scratch and sniff' dill pickle sticker that smelled very similar! The directions are steep 10 minutes while covered. That's quite a long time, but I don't like my tea to be too hot so I didn't mind. It also says to squeeze the bag after steeping to maximize flavors. I've heard tea bags are not supposed to be squeezed because it makes the brew bitter. But since there isn't much actual tea in these, it may not be such a faux pas.

The tea smells...soupy. The onion and dill are still very strong, and everything stewing together creates a savory aroma. Not surprisingly, it smells like a fragrant vegetable soup. Which is very similar to how it tastes. It is strong on onion, chive, and dill with a green vegetal taste from the spinach enhanced by the green tea. It has a garlicky finish. I do enjoy vegetable juices and smoothies, but the flavor here doesn't quite satisfy. Every time I sip this, I want to add some potatoes and puree it for a oniony soup. It may be interesting to throw a bag in the pot while cooking quinoa or couscous. Instant flavor packet!

My main concern after drinking this tea is the lingering onion/garlic breath. This may make it difficult to drink in the office. I think I'd like to try cooking with the liquid instead of drinking it. I still can't get that potato soup/ spniach chive tea out of my head, so I may have to whip some up soon.


Monday, April 1, 2013

Review: Nina's Paris Signature Blend


Nina's Paris is a French tea company with a long history. It started in 1672 as a distillery of essential oils and became the supplier of fragrances for the Court of Versailles.  The fragrances can be found in their teas today.

They graciously offered to send a few samples, and I decided to try their signature blend first. The sample bag just says Nina's on it, so I'm assuming this is their signature blend Nina's Paris. The leaves look similar to the picture posted on Steepster.

There are a few tiny purple leaves in the mix (hard to see in my picture), I wonder what they are? Lavender? I didn't taste anything floral. The dry leaves as well as the brewed tea has a dominant orange aroma. This translates through to the taste. I'm getting a little peach and strawberry as well, but not really any cherry as described on their website. As it cools down, I can detect a cherry note, and the strawberry becomes more powerful.

I'm not usually drawn to flavored blends but this is a nice springtime sip since it is juicy and light. It evokes a lush green garden tea party on a warm sunny day. I can even hear the bounce of the badminton rackets. It would make a lovely iced tea, something I'll keep in mind when the weather finally warms up.

I have two other blends from Nina's to try, a coconut scented Magicienne which smells like a summertime cocktail, and Gemini, a fruity rooibos. I admit they both smell amazing, and I look forward to tasting them soon. I am also intrigued by their Marie Antoinette blend, which uses apples from the King's Kitchen Garden in Versailles. It would add a fun royal touch to any afternoon tea table.

The teas can currently be purchased through their Amazon store here, and they are currently working on their US website.