The Prime Minister of Tea

Bodum Assam Tea Pot

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 22:02:00 -0400

I was actually given one of these a few weeks ago by a departing co-worker. It’s called an Assam Teapot and it is made by Bodum. What’s cool about it is the tea press and infuser functionality. What I don’t like about it is the fact that it does not pour as well as I’d hoped it to.

The review from Amazon.com

Who knows more about tea than the British? When the British Tea Council asked Bodum to develop a new way of brewing tea, the result was this unique press that’s almost as much fun to look at as it is to use. Simply fill the strainer with tea leaves and add boiling water—a slow process, but well worth the time. (You could also use tea bags, but why would you want to?) The clear jug lets you see the tea as it’s steeping, allowing you to customize its strength to your taste. When the tea is strong enough, slowly depress the plunger to stop the brewing. You won’t have any tea leaves to read at the bottom of your cup, but there’s no mess and no need to remove the strainer before you pour. But be forewarned: the Bodum press doesn’t retain heat quite as well as a traditional teapot, so you might want to use a tea cozy if you’re not drinking the whole pot in one sitting. It’s a shame to cover up such a beautiful design, but that’s the way the tea leaf tumbles. —Mary Park

Afternoon Tea @ The Secret Garden - morethanreal

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 20:24:37 -0400

Afternoon Tea @ The Secret Garden - morethanreal

A Spot of Tea with the Queen - ktylerkconk

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 20:21:48 -0400

A Spot of Tea with the Queen - ktylerkconk

Carpe This! Why Carpe Diem Tea is Appalling On my Monday...

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:58:00 -0400

Carpe This! Why Carpe Diem Tea is Appalling

On my Monday lunchtime stroll in the 90 degree DC heat, I fancied a libation of the tea variety. Upon entering a respectable establishment that carries “good” tea, I saw a 50% discount on Carpe Diem tea. This brand had caught my perusing eye prior, but the price of $3.00 for a 16 ounce plastic beverage never enticed a purchase. However, I perceived a noveau opportunity this time around, given the discount, and bought the gingko, green tea infused variety. What conspires next is likely one of my worst tea episodes ever despite many years of delight. At first taste, I thought some form of acid had descended upon my palette. Giving this a moment for further reflection, I witnessed the astonishingly God-awful taste of carbonation, and thereby soda. Immediately, I recoiled in a ghastly displeasure from the very thought of combining green tea, ginkgo and soda (along with 21 grams of sugar per serving, 2 servings per bottle). But my readers, this is “drinking that makes sense.” Such indulgence and the taste thereof are tantamount to foul dog water and akin to the taste-bud experience of a post-treatment mesothelioma patient. Who in their right minds adds “carbonated soda water” to tea? “Indulgence that makes sense,” according to Carpe Diem’s hollow attempts to sound like an uber, “in the know” 21^st century company. In fact, such ridiculous assertions of the pseudo-intellect are anything but “natural.” Hipster-marketed dog water – in an unsustainable, likely leeching plastic bottle – appalls this tea enthusiast, and thus I encourage others to join me in boycotting such garbage. The only thing that Carpe Diem tea truly seeks to “seize” is your wallet.

-Sean

Teaposy Teapot

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 10:23:07 -0400

A coworker of mine recently bought this cool looking tea pot from Teaposy. It’s temperature resistant from -4 to 300 degrees Farenheit.

World Tea Expo

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 14:54:00 -0400

I did not realize there was such a thing as the World Tea Expo. I missed the one that happened in May this year but there will be one in June of 2010. There’s also a tea competition called the World Tea Championship.

From their website:

“TEA HAS ITS DAY: Expo proves tea taking its place beside fine wine”
Wine Enthusiast, March 2009
The 2009 World Tea Championship™ (WTC) is an independent competition, judged by professional cuppers and major retail buyers of tea, to distinguish the highest quality & best tasting teas commercially available in the North American marketplace.

The WTC is made up of two classes: Hot Tea and Iced Tea. Each class consists of its own categories and judging panel. The Hot Tea class will be evaluated April 30 and May 1, 2009. The Iced Tea class will be evaluated the morning of May 2, 2009 at the Expo. All submissions are evaluated blind and through organoleptic analysis.

The highest quality and best tasting teas from each category will be awarded 1st, 2nd and 3rd place positions. Awards for both classes will be distributed and honored the evening of May 2, 2009 at the World Tea Expo, held May 2 – May 4, 2009, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada.

The 2009 World Tea Championship is open to exhibitors and sponsors of this year’s Expo.

Tealuxe

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 09:22:00 -0400

Another co-worker of mine recently gave some new white tea from a place called Tealuxe to try. I’d have to say that after Earl Grey this White Blueberry tea is probably my next favorite.

Rare White Tea from the Fujian region flavored with sweet blueberries. A wonderfully smooth and subtle treat. Try it hot or iced. Amount per cup: 1-2 tsps Steep time: 4-5 minutes Brewing Temperature: 180f Caffeine: 10-35mg per 8oz cup Country: China

More about Tealuxe.

Since the first Tealuxe opened in Harvard Square in 1996, we’ve enjoyed redefining the way people think about tea. We opened our Newbury Street store in the fall of 1999. Since then we opened a Tealuxe location on Thayer Street in Providence RI.

"A Proper Tea is much nicer than a Very Nearly Tea, which is one you forget about afterwards."

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 06:51:11 -0400

“A Proper Tea is much nicer than a Very Nearly Tea, which is one you forget about afterwards.”

- ~A.A. Milne

Teapot Dome Service Station The Teapot Dome Service Station in...

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 21:12:40 -0400

Teapot Dome Service Station

The Teapot Dome Service Station in Zillah, Washington is one example of architectural folly listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Many such follies were constructed as roadside attractions as the national highway system in the United States expanded during the 1920s and 1930s.

Tea & Company

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 21:01:52 -0400

A co-worker of mine bought some tea at a farmer’s market in Crystal City, VA. It was this white tea called Barrack O’Baby.

It’s description:

White tea infused Pomegranate, Cherry, Blueberry and Vanilla

I brewed a cup and I have to say it wasn’t bad. Before you brew the tea if you smell the leaves you’ll probably feel that the cherry would be the overwhelming flavor. That however is not the case.

Tea & Company is based out of Richmond, VA. It’s good to see places like this springing up! If I’m ever in Richmond I’ll have to drop by.

Tea for two - by naama on Flickr

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 18:26:20 -0400

Tea for two - by naama on Flickr

How many times can you infuse tea?

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 22:17:00 -0400

I was wondering about this ever since I read that Oolong tea can be infused up to several times. I did a quick web search and came up with this answer.

How Many Infusions?

This really depends on your taste and the quality of the tea. Old tea that has lost its fragrant oils or has been heavily processed will likely only do with one infusion. Better quality teas will infuse better. Generally, green and white tea can be infused a number of times and good Oolong tea can be infused as many as seven times with the same leaves. The Chinese say you derive different pleasures from each successive infusion.

There you have it.

"Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves -..."

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 21:02:58 -0400

“Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves - slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future.”

- ~Thich Nat Hahn

Yes. I love tea… by adulau on Flickr

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 07:22:27 -0400

Yes. I love tea… by adulau on Flickr

Afternoon Tea

Sun, 07 Jun 2009 23:31:58 -0400

Now that I’m a tea drinker someone told me that to really get the fulll experience of tea and the food served along with it, I should do afternoon tea at the Willard InterContinental in Washington, DC.

Washington’s historic Willard InterContinental now offers Afternoon Tea in Peacock Alley. The new Afternoon Tea provides guests premium seating at elegantly appointed tables set in the hotel’s Peacock Alley — one of Washington’s prime locations to “stroll, strut, see and be seen” for nearly a century.

While I may actually do this one day you have to keep in mind that it is pricey. On another note it would appear that afternoon tea has a very long history.

From Wikipedia..

Afternoon tea is a light meal typically eaten between 3pm and 5pm. It originated in the United Kingdom when Catherine of Braganza married Charles II in 1661 and brought the practice of drinking tea in the afternoon with her from Portugal. Various places that belonged to the former British Empire also have such a meal. However, changes in social customs and working hours mean that most Britans only take afternoon tea on special/formal occasions.

Traditionally, loose tea is served in a teapot with milk and sugar. This is accompanied by various sandwiches (customarily cucumber, egg and cress, fish paste, ham, and smoked salmon), scones (with butter, clotted cream and jam — see cream tea) and usually cakes and pastries (such as Battenberg, fruit cake or Victoria sponge). The food is often served on a tiered stand.

While afternoon tea used to be an everyday event, nowadays it is more likely to be taken as a treat in a hotel, café, or tea shop, although many Britons still have a cup of tea and slice of cake or some chocolate at teatime. Accordingly, many hotels now market a champagne cream tea.

Anna Maria Stanhope, Duchess of Bedford, is credited as the first person to have transformed afternoon tea in England into a meal rather than a simple refreshment.

"@jenthegingerkid well I’m a Brit and I’m a tea snob but nothing wrong with a teabag imo,..."

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 15:08:58 -0400

“@jenthegingerkid well I’m a Brit and I’m a tea snob but nothing wrong with a teabag imo, as long as it isn’t that gnats pee from Liptons”

- From Kate4Queen on Twitter - I have to agree get loose with your tea!

Mint Tea

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 21:15:46 -0400

A co-worker of mine and I were talking about the latest tea she added to her stash. That tea is called Moroccan Mint from Teaism in DC. Now i’m not exaclty a huge fan of mint but it can be good if used the right way.

Moroccan Mint is:

A blend of a Vietnamese green tea with organic spearmint, great hot or iced.

My co-worker then directed me to a Wikipedia entry on Moroccan tea culture. It would appear that mint tea is extremley popular.

Moroccan-style mint tea is now commonly served all through North Africa. It is served not only at mealtimes but all through the day, and it is especially a drink of hospitality, commonly served whenever there are guests. Unlike Moroccan food, cooked by women, this tea is traditionally a man’s affair: prepared by the head of the family, it is served to guests, and it is impolite to refuse it.

I was also told that mint leaves on their own with hot water is also good.

"If you are cold, tea will warm you. If you are too heated, it will cool you. If you are depressed,..."

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 09:57:19 -0400

“If you are cold, tea will warm you. If you are too heated, it will cool you. If you are depressed, it will cheer you. If you are excited, it will calm you.”

- ~Gladstone, 1865

Pu-erh Tea

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 07:53:00 -0400

So I was on line at Starbucks about to buy my cinnamon scone (they do have a good cinnamon scone btw) and engaged in a conversation with a barista (support the Starbucks Union!) who asked me how my loose leaf tea venture was going. They knew I had stopped buying my usual mocha lattee or their Tazo lattes because I was doing the loose leaf thing now. I’ve totally left coffee, sorry. The barista actually mentioned to me this tea which he said he thought was amazing. He had said you could get it from some tea shop in Portland, Oregon if I recall correctly. He referred to the tea as something by the name of po’ver or pu’ver. When I went to search for it online the closet thing I found was a tea by the name of Pu-erh. I will assume that was the tea he was talking about as Wikipedia also mentions a spelling that is similar to the barista’s spelling of the tea.

Pu-erh, Pu’er tea, Puer tea or Bolay tea is a type of tea made from a “large leaf” variety of the tea plant Camellia sinensis and named after Pu’er county near Simao, Yunnan, China.
Pu-erh tea can be purchased as either raw/green (sheng) or ripened/cooked (shou), depending on processing method or aging. Sheng pu-erh can be roughly classified on the tea oxidation scale as a green tea, and the shou or aged-green variants as post-fermented tea. The fact that pu-erh fits in more than one tea type poses some problems for classification. For this reason, the “green tea” aspect of pu-erh is sometimes ignored, and the tea is regarded solely as a post-fermented product. Unlike other teas that should ideally be consumed shortly after production, pu-erh can be drunk immediately or aged for many years; pu-erh teas are often now classified by year and region of production much like wine vintages.

This tea does look interesting. It appears to be a little different from what you would normally consider tea.

Earl Grey Tea

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 22:52:00 -0400

Earl Grey Tea:

Earl Grey tea is a tea blend with a distinctive flavour and aroma derived from the addition of oil extracted from the rind of the bergamot orange, a fragrant citrus fruit.