resting tea?

The other day I was drinking a Darjeeling tea that was fine, but not remarkable.  I had walked away from the cup for about 20 minutes or so, and then when I came back the tea tasted better.  It was brighter, and had more nuanced flavors.  It made me wonder if certain teas develop more flavor if they 'rest'.  To clarify, this is after steeping- there were no leaves in the cup. Could this just be a case of a tea tasting better warm, instead of hot?  Does anyone have any experience with this?

Homemade Kombucha- part 1

The process has begun!  Last night I added my tea and sugar mixture to Slimey.  Before creating the brew, I had to decide on what type of tea to use.  Peeps has used black and green tea (usually a combination of the two) with good results. I thought I'd try something different, and use oolong.  I decided to use a bagged 'high mountain oolong' from Ten Ren that I purchased at a Korean grocery store. There is not much English to be found on the box or bags, so that is really all I know about the tea. I've had this tea a few times before, and it takes like a delicate oolong. I hope the flavor is strong enough to hold up.  We will see! 

I followed directions that Peeps gave me, boiling a gallon of water and adding the tea. Then once it started to cool I added a cup of organic cane sugar. Once this cooled fully, it was added to the jar where Slimey and about 10% of the last batch of Kombucha were waiting.  It's important to keep about 10% of the last batch, in order to have a good environment for your scoby, and also to properly acidify the new batch. It's also necessary to wait until your tea has fully cooled before adding it to the scoby. If it's too warm, it could ruin the scoby.

The tea was still too warm when I went to bed, so Mark (who is quite the night owl) poured it into the jar and took a few pictures for me.  Thanks Mark!

So, now the waiting game begins. The process takes about 2 weeks, but can take much longer, depending on how sour and fizzy you like your tea.  I'm going to check it after 2 weeks, and see how it tastes.  During this process, Slimey will slowly start to produce a new offspring.  After the tea has fermented, other flavors can be added such as fruit juices, ginger, etc. Not sure if I'll add anything to the first batch. We will see!

I am eagerly waiting for my Kombucha!

For the love of tea



Made with Joy's Teaspoon's Schnozberry

My daughter usually wakes us up in the morning. She either comes running into our room, or yells 'mommy' until she gets some attention.  She's the best little alarm clock in the world. When I get up, few things are certain. But I know I'll get to kiss my husband and my children. I also know I'll have a good cup of tea.

I love that I can share tea with my family. My husband enjoys it, and we often share a pot together. Often on weekends one of us will be up with the kids first. That person usually has a pot ready when the other wakes up. It's not just a pleasant courtesy, it shows our mutual respect and love. I even let my daughter steal tastes of my tea. She is too young to drink a full cup, but I love that she wants to try all the different flavors. She revels in the tea preparation process. We pick the tea to brew, she gets to smell the tea before we add the hot water, and we watch it change color as it brews. Then once it's poured, we smell and taste it together. She also has fun pretending to prepare tea for me. There are often the remains of a play tea party on our kitchen floor.

I drink tea for the taste and caffeine, but also for the ritual. I get to stop what I'm doing, and do something just for myself (and for whomever else I'm preparing tea for). The tea will boost my mood before I even drink it. If I'm having a stressful, or cranky day, just the act of preparing tea will calm me and improve my state of mind. It lets me take a step back, and re-focus my attention. It helps me think about myself, instead of the chaos in my day. I try to relax while the tea is brewing, and enjoy the aroma it imparts. I can let my mind wander as I let the tea cool to just the right temperature. For me, when it is about lukewarm it just tastes better. I'm like Goldilocks.

Made with Tea Palace's Palace breakfast, Joy's Teaspoon's Schnozberry

Growing up, I drank tea with my parents and grandparents. It was plain 'ol bagged orange pekoe, but add in three generations sitting around a table and sipping, and it becomes a special memory. I used to steal sugar cubes from my grandparents' covered sugar bowl, dip them in the tea, and bite. It wasn't exactly a good way to taste the tea, but it is a treasured memory. It was a way for me to patiently sit with the adults as they drank their tea, and feel included in the activity.

There is even a special relationship with certain teaware.I have a teapot and cups that become seasoned with use, a unique integral part of the tea drinking experience. I also had an extensive search for a Chawan to use for matcha. It's not a particularly fancy tea bowl, but I put much time and effort to find the perfect vessel for me. It has a special place in our china cabinet, away from little fingers. 

Today I'm thinking about how much I love my family and friends. I am raising a mug in their honor. 

The Scoby has landed

Time to try my hand at brewing homemade Kombucha! My Scoby (symbiotic collection of bacteria and yeast) is here, and ready to work.  I've named him Slimey.  Slimey looks like something out of a sci-fi novel, but he will produce tasty, tasty Kombucha in about 2 weeks time. Thank you to Peeps, who kindly gave it to me! I promise to give Slimey and his offspring a good home.

Fermentation shall begin soon. stay tuned.

Tea from Across the Pond

Mark recently returned from a trip to London, with gifts for everyone in the family.  The kids got adorable toys, and he brought British tea for me! I felt like a little kid tearing into my surprise packages with excitement and wonder. So many teas! He had his own tea adventure in London, visiting tea shops and department stores. I am quite jealous but very happy that he brought so many new teas for me to try. The first is in a lovely purple tin fit for royalty. Or perhaps Hyacinth Bucket!

Most people have sampled an English Breakfast blend before, and have an idea of what it tastes like.  Breakfast teas are very important to me. Every morning I look forward to that first cup of tea.  I have high expectations for this cup! It must be strong, and full-bodied.  Something that will open my eyes, and get me ready for the day ahead.  This black tea from Tea Palace in London is a great way to start the morning. Now, don't confuse this with your ordinary English Breakfast blend.  This is for all the Hyacinth's out there, as it is called Palace Breakfast. A tea to make you feel as if you are breakfasting with the Queen.

When I opened the tin, the scent of a quality English Breakfast instantly hit my nose. It has the beautiful aroma of juicy raisins and sweet dried fruit. The leaves are wiry and dark, with a few gold tips throughout. A beautiful tea to look at, as well as drink. The liquor has the dark amber color I'd expect from a breakfast tea. The leaves are a blend of Ceylon and Assam. This tea is different from other English Breakfast teas, as they often contain Keemun or even Darjeeling. I think there is actually much more Ceylon in this mix, as the taste of dried fruit is very strong, with the malty Assam  notes in the background.  This combination makes it a very bright,  flavorful brew. This tea would work perfectly with a drop of milk and a spoon of sugar. Often in my sleepy stupor I will over-steep my tea.  This tea is very forgiving, and usually comes out smooth, with just a little bitterness (which I enjoy).  

Whether I'm drinking this tea in the office or in my kitchen, it does what a good Breakfast tea should.  The rich flavor wakes up the palate, and the strength rouses my sleepy body. It is a great go-to morning tea!  I love a good Breakfast tea, and this one does not disappoint! I cannot wait to try the other British teas that are waiting for me in the cupboard.

Testing tea on animals??

When I taste my first morning cup of tea, my mind usually starts to drift.  I think about things such as what I need to get done during the day, what I want to eat for lunch, or what tea I want to drink next. I don't usually question the ethics of the tea company. After reading an article in this morning's Huffington Post, I am painfully aware that I need to be more mindful.  There is a shocking article about how Unilever was testing their Lipton teas on animals in the most horrifying ways.

This is something I never really considered before.  Are there more tea companies testing their products on animals, just to show the possible health benefits? Or could there be other reasons to test tea on anmials that we are completely unaware of?  Why is it even necessary? The above article even states "As for medical research, Dr. Richard Klausner, former director of the National Cancer Institute, stated that "The history of cancer research has been a history of curing cancer in the mouse. We have cured mice of cancer for decades - and it simply didn't work in humans." Cardiologist Dr. John J. Pippin goes so far as to call studying human diseases on animals "an abject failure.""

This news felt like a slap in the face to this fan of PG tips. I've always been conscious of finding teas that are fair trade, and even organic. But this news adds a new layer.  I will be researching this over the next few days, to see if I can find information about other tea companies and their animal testing practices.

A Witch's Brew

 

  

I have quite a few friends that are tea drinkers, and I love that they enjoy drinking and discovering new teas as much as I do.  Recently one of my closest friends went to visit the Jonathan Corwin House (aka the Salem Witch House), and picked up their namesake blend of tea.  Who knew that they even had their own blend of tea?  What a fun souvenir! No one in the shop knew anything about the blend, they just knew it was 'tea'.  My friend brought it home and brewed it up, but couldn't really identify the strange flavor.  She decided to see if I could take a crack solving the mystery.  What a fun challenge!!

Upon inspection it looks either like a Sencha or Bancha green tea, with at least one type of dried fruit added in.  We brewed the tea for a few minutes with water just off the boil.  The taste...well, there wasn't much flavor. It tasted like tea that had been sitting around for quite awhile, since there was virtually no tea flavor at all. It had a strange sweet but bitter, yet slightly tangy taste, with a very distant spice note to it.  My friend figured out that the fruit was apple, which seems to make sense. New England is well known for apple orchards.  But what is in the actual blend, besides green tea and some sort of apple? That remains a secret known only to the witches of Salem. I wonder if the tea has any magical properties. We should have tried out a few spells while we were sampling it.

The beauty of this bland tea is that it brought two old friends together to have a laugh, and share a moment of whimsy. We had a lovely afternoon playing with my children, reminiscing, and drinking tea.  My daughter actually enjoyed the Salem brew, so at least one person in the house gave it a thumb's up. After our mysterious tea adventure, I brewed up a pot of Keemun to wake up our palates.