Monday, July 27, 2015

Tasting: Saffron & Green Tea from Buddha Teas


Buddha Teas has a large selection of traditional and herbal teas focusing on wellness for body and mind. They sell teas that contain organic and/or wild grown ingredients.

From their website:
The name “Buddha Teas” was chosen not to reflect a religion, but a philosophy. One of the key aspects of Buddhism is living a life in harmony with the world, one of simplicity, generosity and filled with compassion for all life. As a company devoted to offering natural teas that are healthy for consumers and for the environment, this philosophy was a perfect fit. By taking from the earth no more than what we need, and giving back to it through recycling and compostable products, Buddha Teas would strive not to profit from the earth, but to honor it and its many blessings.
The company recently sent me their saffron and green tea blend. I've never had saffron in tea before, and I was intrigued. Saffron is an expensive ingredient and I was curious to see how much was actually added to the tea. The tea is bagged, so I opened one and had a look at the leaves.


You can see quite a few bright orange saffron strands within the bits of green tea. The dry leaves have a sweet and vegetal aroma. The steeped tea is earthy, a little bit sweet, and a little savory. There is a steamed green vegetable flavor from the green tea. Overall it reminds me of steamed rice. This could be because I often have saffron in rice dishes. My favorite part of drinking this tea is the cheerful bright yellow liquid it produces. It's sunny and brings an immediate smile to my face. The saffron and green tea work nicely together creating a calming experience. The flavors don't compete or mask one another.

This creates a unique flavor. Not something I'd drink every day, but a nice change of pace. The color alone would be a helpful remedy for grey winter months. The savory flavor would also work well in recipes, and I might give it a try with a rice dish or two. 

Each tea tag has an inspirational quote. This could feel cliche, but it actually adds to the meditative experience. The last cup I had said 'Positive mind positive vibes positive life'. A nice little reminder for cranky work days and chore filled weekends.

I'm not usually a big fan of herbal teas and do not promote any wellness information. But I admit I am curious to try some of the relaxation teas that Buddha Teas offers, to see if they are at all helpful. These days I can use all the help I can get!

Thank you to Buddha Teas for the box of tea!

Friday, July 10, 2015

Tasting: Tracy Stern Tea & Co Iced Tea No. 6 Worth


This week's tasting is from Tracy Stern Tea & Co, a company showcasing blends specifically made for iced tea. The blends are categorized by location -NY, Paris, and Palm Beach. I was given a choice of tea to sample, and I chose 'No. 6 Worth' which is from the Palm Beach collection. This is a black tea and raspberry blend. I usually shy away from flavored blends, but when it comes to iced tea, I tend to be a bit more adventurous. I often find fruity flavors work well with cold teas. Very unlike me, I know!

I received an eye catching bright pink tin, a color quite suitable for Palm Beach. The tin contains 6 very large tea bags. These are made to be used for 8 cups of iced tea. The ingredients list black tea, raspberry leaf, strawberry leaf, and natural flavoring.

The dry tea has a very strong 'berry' flavor that I've come to recognize from 'berry' blends. It's hard to say if it was specifically raspberry, but ripe red berries definitely come to mind. The directions note to steep the bag in 2 cups of hot water for 12 minutes, and then pour in 6 cups of cold water. I love cold brewing tea so I tried that first. I left the teabag in 8 cups of water overnight. The resulting tea had a strong berry flavor. Juicy, a little tart, and a bit of sweetness. But there was also a strange aftertaste that I couldn't identify. For the second round I followed the directions on the package to make the iced tea. I was surprised that the results were much better. The berry flavor was full and smooth. It's more on the subtle side, which some folks may not appreciate but I prefer it for flavored blends. This way the added flavor isn't punching you in the face. My contact at the company mentioned I could steep the tea in the full 8 cups of water for 15 minutes for a stronger brew. I was fine with these results though.

My family gave this tea a thumb's up. This is a fun go-to tea flavor for backyard sprinkler play-dates and beach picnics. I still prefer pure teas even for iced, but I'm happy to have tried something a bit different.

Thank you to Tracy Stern Tea & Co for the samples.

Monday, July 6, 2015

A Gift of Tea's Pu'er Tea Academy


Wouldn't a few hours of learning, tasting, and talking tea with experts and enthusiasts be the perfect afternoon activity? I recently had the pleasure of attending White Spring Tea, an event created by tea luminary Jo Johnson, where we did just that. She has been presenting the White Spring Tea for many years, and I am glad to finally attend one. I am not very experienced with pu'er, and when I found out this year's event was all about it, I knew I had to attend. 


Upon entering the comfortable event space, I was welcomed with tea and snacks. I greatly enjoyed Jo's own pu'er 'Earth Morning' blend along with sweets from the always delicious Tiny Pinecone. Lisa from Tiny Pinecone was in attendance and it was lovely to chat with her. When we sat down for the tasting and discussion, everything was well thought out- we were given notebooks to write down our thoughts on the teas, and each tea had a designated page. Every table had a tea tray with gaiwan, ready for brewing. I was at a table with some amazing tea folks. Theresa from T-Shop was our head tea brewer. I sat next to Serious Eats senior features editor and writer Max Falkowitz. I've read most of Max's tea articles for serious eats, and this guy knows his stuff. Also seated at our table was a friendly and enthusiastic tea lover whose name I'm unfortunately not sure how to spell. But if you see a young man travelling the streets of NYC with a wooden box of tea and teaware on his back, make sure you say hello. You will not be disappointed.

pu'er and a tea pet hand made by Jo Johnson
Knowledgeable pu'er experts Evan Draper and Brandon Hale discussed processing and history while we had the opportunity to taste different teas from JalamMisty Peaks and a CNNP shou. We alternated between sheng and shou which gave the palate a diversity of flavors. In my limited experience I usually gravitate towards the more delicate flavors of sheng pu'er, but I was surprised at how much I liked the shou that was presented. During the tasting Theresa said she often finds shou to taste like sticky rice. She was spot on, and I've been thinking about that flavor ever since. It never occurred to me to link the flavor to sticky rice. I love how subjective tasting teas can be based on palate, culture, and experience. 

One of the many interesting tidbits I took with me was the idea of 'the more you taste, the more you understand'. The idea of simply trying as much pu'er as you can, to learn what you like. You'll begin to recognize similarities and anomalies in the various teas. Trust your taste, not authenticity. 

The teas we enjoyed:

Bada Mountain Raw Sheng, summer 2014 harvest (Jalam Teas)- this tea was super peachy to me. I enjoyed the fruity, clean flavor. It had sweet and sour notes with a bit of astringency.

Bada Mountain Fermented Shou, spring 2012 (Jalam Teas)- this tea had that sticky rice quality. Sweet, starchy, woodsy with barley notes. Also leathery, which I usually notice with shou pu'er. 

Sheng Green Raw 2014 Loose Leaf (Misty Peak Teas)- this old tree tea was dry, leathery, astringent, and woodsy. It had a vegetal aroma and a tingly mouthfeel. This tea is the same year as the first sheng but the taste is very different. Theresa mentioned the way the leaves are pressed into cakes can cause it to age differently. 

Yunnan Chitsu Pingcha CNNP shou (2005)- this was a very subtle shou- crisp, clean, with fruit and chocolate notes. CNNP stands for China National Native Product. 

I enjoyed comparing the teas based on aging, processing, and age of the tea tree. I could have sat all day long sipping these delicious teas. We were also treated to an aged white tea, something I had never experienced before. It was bitter with burnt caramel notes coating the palate. The sweet aroma lingered in the cup long after the tea was gone. A unique experience.

Tea blogger Darlene Meyers-Perry discussed pu'er books she's been reading. Every day I am learning something new about tea, and I look forward to reading some of the books she mentioned. Tea blogger extraordinaire Nicole Martin was also in attendance, and one of the designated brewers. I was happy to have a quick hello with her as well.

All of my senses were soothed and heightened from the event. This was such an enjoyable and educational experience, I look forward to attending more of them.  

Are you a fan of pu'er? Do you prefer sheng or shou? Or both? Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments. 





Thursday, July 2, 2015

Tasting: Yunnan Noir from Adagio Teas



The dry leaves

A few months ago I was given the opportunity to choose a few teas from Adagio Teas to sample. I don't usually order from their site, so I looked around and tried to find teas that stood out. I noticed their Yunnan noir was part of the 'roots' campaign where you get to 'meet the farmer'. This includes a Q&A with someone associated with the tea farm. I enjoyed reading the info behind these leaves and thought it would be an interesting purchase.  From the Adagio Q&A:
Q What is your favorite part of growing tea? 
A"My favorite part is shaping the Yunnan Noir tea. It has a beautiful shape which is curl and golden. It requires experience and patience. Now I am still young I have a lot to learn from my master who is my father. I am happy when I can make better shape for a new lot. I am sure I can get better and better in the future."
As the above quote mentions, the leaves are beautifully rolled into a snail shape and have a sweet and spicy aroma with hints of cocoa.The brew is super smooth, chocolaty and well balanced. It has a thick mouth feel that is velvety soft. It is fruity, reminiscent of plums and raisins, earthy and slightly bitter. Lots of malt here too, a bit too much for my early morning palate. I would like to have a bit more brightness in the cup, something to cut through the cocoa and malt notes. 

The leaves after 1 steep

I brewed this tea with boiling water for 3 1/2 minutes. I don't think it needed more time as it was starting to get a bit astringent. But I like my morning teas to be strong and I usually over-brew it for reason. But I'd suggest sticking to closer to 3 minutes if you prefer a smoother taste. The leaves have at least one more steep to give, they started to unfurl but look like they have a little more life left in them.


Milk and sweetener can be added to this tea if you so choose. Milk may cut the astringency if that's not your thing. I'm not sure if I'd enjoy the maltiness of this as an iced tea, but I may give it a try. The smooth chocolate notes would create a soothing warm weather option. I am happy to have this tea in my pantry, and will look for it in the mornings, and early afternoon.