The Orange peel masquerading as a mushroom!

So after the kids went to bed I tore open the mushroomy package. Still looked like dried mushrooms, but they were more pliable. So I bit one. I was hit with the unmistakable flavor of orange! Guess it is orange peel after all. It was fun to have a mystery ingredient in the house! In the next few days I'll try the tea with and without using the suggested 'recipe'. Stay tuned!

Another Tea Mystery

back of mushroomy package

My generous Brother and Sister in Law visited a tea plantation in Hangzhou China and brought back a wonderful tea gift for me! It included two beautiful boxes of Dragon Well (longjing), a package of dried fruit called 'Hawthorne' and also the above strange package, which looks like dried mushrooms.

front of mushroomy package

Along with the tea there is a pamphlet that is mostly in Chinese, but in English gives 'A Folk Prescription on Dragon Well Green Tea' for high cholesterol and diabetes. The recipe includes the tea, Hawthorne, and orange peel. The package doesn't look like orange peel, but maybe?

 I haven't opened the mushroomy package yet, will probably do so tonight. I plan on a more in-depth post about the tea and the accouterments, but I need to ask- does anyone know what this mystery mushroomy tea thingy is? Please let me know!!

DavidsTea coming to NY

Grub Street reports that Montreal-based tea shop DavidsTea will be opening a location on the upper east side this week! Does anyone have any experience with this company? I've heard about them, but haven't tried any of their teas. A visit will definitely be in order! Please let me know if you have any suggestions on what to try.

Steep Thoughts- The Shamlessly Promoting Stuff Edition

While steeping a lovely Jade Spiral Green tea from Radiance, I was thinking about the reviews I recently wrote for the Tea Review Blog. So here is a shameless plug for the site. It's a nice resource if you are curious about a particular tea but aren't sure if you should try it. Or if you just want to explore some new options. The site also has message boards where you can chat, ask questions, and learn of upcoming promotions from tea companies. The community of reviewers are great and we all work hard to produce honest, interesting reviews! /shamlessplug

I do apologize for my lack of posts lately. Things have been a bit hectic and the time for new tea adventures has fallen to the bottom of the priority list. But I hope to post about a few NYC tea places very soon...

Tea + Hugh Jackman??

Today I came across a website for Laughing Man, a compnay started by Barry and David Steingard along with actor Hugh Jackman. They offer coffee, teas, chocolates and accessories. It looks like 100% of the profits go to charity. It appears that they are opening a cafe in NYC, which I'll have to add to my list of places to check out. Has anyone heard of the brand, or tried any of the teas? I'd love to learn more.

Just Peachy

Found an intriguing Israeli bottled Peach tea today from a company called Spring (I think Spring is what is written in Hebrew on the bottle as well). Decided to give it a try. Still tastes like 'bottled peach flavored tea drink', but better than that stuff they call 'the best stuff on earth'. Not something I'd drink all the time, but trying it was a fun little tea diversion for the day!

A Pleasant Chai Surprise

Last week I wrote about my favorite masala chai. I love making it from scratch for the taste, but also to interact with the ingredients. I like to watch the tea and spices dance around in the simmering milk, and experience the savory smell that permeates my kitchen. How could a pre-made chai compare?

A sample of Tipu's instant black chai was passed along to me, and I gave it a doubtful look. Most premixed chai products do not work well for me. All I usually taste is cardamom. I decided to open the package and give it a judgemental sniff. I was hit with the scent of fresh gingersnap cookies- ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves. It was peppery, cardamom-y. It smelled amazing. Without further hesitation, I heated up some milk, and mixed in the powder and added a little sugar.

It tasted delicious. Exactly the flavor I expect from a good masala chai! The perfect amount of spice for me. I could taste all the requisite flavors, and there is a lingering black pepper and ginger hum. My only issue is that the texture remained grainy after preparation. Even though it's instant, I may try to strain it next time. Or try to get the milk even warmer to hopefully dissolve the mixture more successfully. Most other pre-made blends I've tried (including whole leaves/spices) are too heavy on one spice or another. For me, this blend is perfect. I still can't believe the flavors that developed in a powdered product.

The flavor is warming and uplifting. This is a wonderful tea to reach for when you can't make your chai from scratch. Perfect for travelling or in the office! I am pleasantly surprised by this product.