Let's Do the Shagadelic!

Okaaay.  We got snow and today we had sun again!  I can hardly contain myself.  We also got cold - 6 degrees F when I got up this morning!  Bring on the TEA!  In great quantiteas!  I must say, adding a third color, white, to the brown and gray and having that color sparkle, really makes my view of life a lot better.

Shagadelic English breakfast from The Tea Spot makes my morning view a  lot better as well.  This is a blend of 4 teas from 3 Asian countries, India, Ceylon and China.  I can't tell you which ones, however.  The small dark leaves give off a wonderful winey aroma, so I think there's some Keemun in there.  I brewed it up for 4 minutes with some boiling water and just breathed in that wonderful scent, no with a touch of malt - aha - Assam. 

The resulting darkish brew was just so smooth and malty and perhaps a bit earthy, with that touch of wine.  A thoroughly good cup for a morning brew.  Hefty enough to get you going and with enough depth that you can appreciate the nuances once you wake up.

One of my many German ancestors came from this small town.  On the left, across from the church is a restaurant where we got to drink wonderful May Wine, flavored with Sweet Woodruff, which I am going to try and grow this year.  On the hill behind me is a wonderful medieval monastary that is still going strong.  Their abbot died in Dachau concentration camp in World War II.

The Earl of Grey

I do love Earl Grey teas and I am always disappointed when they don't live up to their potential.  The Earl of Grey, which I got from The Tea Spot sadly falls into that category, for me.  It is a pretty tea , black, with an attractive sprinkle of flower petals.  The aroma is heavily citrus, almost like what is considered a "Russian" interpretation of the Earl.  So far, so good.

I brewed it up for about 4 minutes with boiling water and was rewarded with a much softer scent, veering towards the creamy.  Now I am feeling a trifle confused, but I press on, my curiosity piqued about what this will taste like.

This is actually a sweet tea, the sweetness coming from the addition of licorice root and vanilla.  Hmm.  It almost tastes like creamsicles - you know- those frozen sweets on a stick composed of vanilla ice cream and orange sherbet or perhaps an Orange Julius drink.  It is quite tasty and I kind of like it, but to me, it is not Earl Grey.  Sorry, Tea Spot.  Having said that, I am sure that many will like it.

I think I am getting very tired of flavored teas.  The vast majority of them I do not like, as I can taste chemicals or they are too sweet, or taste like berries.  What I do really like is TEA.  The pure leaf.  Of course there are exceptions.  For me that includes some flowers, like jasmine or rose and some flavors in the citrus line, like Earl Grey or the one black currant I have found, blended by Tea Forte.  I think I will go back to those for a while.

We are going out for dinner on Christmas day.  We've never done that before but our local gang, those without family around, decided to get together and further decided that cooking and cleanup were low priorities.  I am really looking forward to it.

Those lovely arches are the porch of a monastary church in the German hills.

For all of you for whom this is a celebratory time, have a wonderful, happy time and don't let the inevitable stresses get to you.

By the way, a few days ago, I said we were approaching the winter equinox.  It is not, it is the winter solstice, which is today, the shortest day of the year.  Hooray, hooray, it is all uphill from here!

Turks and Tea News

These are Swiss mountains near the tiny hamlet if Nidflue in Kanton Bern and look!  the sun is shining.  I wish it would here.

Did you know there is a man aged 110 who is still actively involved in growing tea?  Neither did I.  Arthur Njuguna Komo lives and works in the Kamunyaka Valley in the foothills of Mt. Kenya.  He has been farming tea since 1959, following in his grandfather's foot steps, and personally supervises the training of the teapickers.  He is also heavily involved in workers' rights, supporting and training other farmers, growers and processors.  Through his efforts, the KTDA - Kenya Tea Development Agency was established to work towards increased quality both in the tea and for the people involved in growing and producing it.  One of his grandchildren, Joy Njuguna has created a tea blend to honor him, named "Grandpa's Anytime Tea".  A fitting tribute.  It is available from Royal Tea of Kenya, although only to wholesalers at the moment.  Jane Pettigrew rates it highly.  I am going to keep my eye on them, as their website says it will become available to online buyers soon.

The Tea Spot, some of whose teas I've reviewed here, has received a $460,00 grant to do researrch on biodegradable tea bags/filters for the commercial trade.  Apparently cups, lids and stirrers are, but for some reason, teabags and filters used commercially, are not.  Hats off to them and may they have great success.  I know this is all possible, as one of our biggest farmers' markets has almost every container imagineable biodegradable.  Now, if someone would only do that for paper/styrofoam plates...

Today I am trying 2 more Turkish teas.  One of them I will give to my favorite Turkish restaurant, because they are such good cooks and such sweet people.  I misread the amount of tea I was buying and got 500 grams of each, instead of 50!  I am not brewing it the most traditional way, as I do not have a traditional Turkish tea pot.  See http://missparty.net/2011/08/15/how-to-brew-turkish-tea-hot-strong-and-full-of-flavor for these directions.  Mine is the western version of one cup, 1 teaspoon, boiling water, three minutes.

 

My first infusion is of Cayku Filliz Cayi, Special Turkish Tea, Filliz region.  It comes in a big! red bag and the tiny, slivered leaves smell of good clean earth with a hint of floral.  The brewing aroma is much the same, with a bit of leaf mold thrown in. It is a good plain, sturdy tea.  Best, I think in small amounts and perhaps, for mornings.  If you're not aware of it, the Turks usually serve tea in quite small glasses, maybe 2-3 ounces and traditionally, with sugar.  I added some sugar, from Austin Sugar Works, but this is not my cup of tea.  I like it plain better, or with a touch of cream.

The second, in a yellow striped bag is Cayku Rizi Turist Cayi, from the Rizi region.  I brewed both of these the same way, as they both have the same small, slivered leaf configuration.  This one seems to have a much gentler aroma, although definitely in the same earthy, leafmold, floral family.  The taste is somewhat gentler as well and I think I prefer it to the first.  I didn't bother with sugar, but went straight to a dab of cream and liked it very much

As sometimes happens, the taste of the tea follows directly in the foorsteps of the aroma, which to me, is one indication of a good tea.  Although I would not rank either of these in the top standings, they would both be good breakfast tea and would also go well with sandwiches and something like gingerbread or chocolate cake.  Oh gosh, now I made myself hungry and I haven't got either one in the house.  Must be I have to bake, right?

A Fabulous First

Another Swiss mountain hut.

We're off to China again today, with a white tea from The Tea Spot, named Snowflakes. I hope it is not the precursor to the real things. This is my first white tea prepared properly. On their site, The Tea Spot says this is a single estate tea. It has the highest amount of antioxidants because it is the least processed of all the teas. They go on to say it has the least amount of caffeine, but there is some argument about that.

The dry leaves are a pale green with abundant silvery hairs. I cannot detect a scent. I brewed it up with 175 degree water for about 6 minutes. As it brewed I couldn't catch any aroma, other than a vague floral. The brewed tea is a very pale yellow and has a delightful floral taste, very delicate, but lingering.

My first time with white tea it was brewed in a microwave and I thought, hunh, this is just expensive water. The second time it was flavored with licorice, not a true test, so I really count this as first, and it is good, indeed.

I have led you astray. I told you the Korean teas I have reviewed were from the Korean Tea Company. They were not, they are from the Hankook Tea Company and are distributed by Good Green Tea. My apologies. You can visit their site at www.GoodGreenTea.net

A Necessary Virtue

The carved central doors of a confessional.



Another grayish day, but I don't mind, as it is not hot. I would love
summer if it never got above 75. Please, don't stone me for that.



Today I am having a really fun green Tea. It is from the Tea Spot and I think I ordered this sample a while ago. It is Genmaicha, a Japanese green tea with roasted rice in it. The story behind this tea is that tea in Japan was once very very expensive and primarily saved for the upper classes. The poorer folk had to make do with twigs and leftovers and not too many of them, either. So, they started adding roasted rice, of which there was a great deal, to eke out the tea. Today, young Japanese have made a
virtue of this necessity and Genmaicha is very popular.



I can certainly see why. As soon as you open the packet, there is this pretty bright green tea set off by small brown rice kernels, with a few that have popped white to add interest. It smells nice - the fresh green scent of the tea and the roasty toasty smell of the rice. I followed directions and brewed it up with a heaping teaspoon at about 170degrees for a squeak over 2 mins. It smells wonderful - again, the green and the roasty scents. And the taste follows right along. A somewhat astringent green with the toasty rice overlaying it. It is really good, but I think there is a bit too much rice in it and not enough of the green can make it through. I could, of course, take out some of the kernels, which I think I will do next time.



I don't know if you read e-zines, magazines on the web, but there is a very good one that just published issue #7 - The Leaf. If you are interested in Chinese and Japanese tea and culture, you should check it out. You can access all the issues if you want to follow it in order. It is well written, accessible and interesting. You can find it at http://the-leaf.org

Cooks Tasting Tea

The hills are alive with the sound of music!

Not as stellar a day as yesterday – car trouble, probably expensive car trouble. It always is. But the sun is shining!

As I mentioned a while ago, I am going through my teabag stash to see what really is fit for my baggy friends and what is not. Today I have some Republic of Tea British Breakfast tea. I love to read their catalogs, I love the hype and find it fun. It may not be intended that way, but I take it so. I also use them for gifts, as I have friends who love their tea, but won't bother with loose tea.
Back to the Brits. The teabag is unbleached paper of some sort, individually enclosed in one of those foil/paper packets. It is a mix of Assam, Ceylon, Darjeeling and African. All that in one tiny bag! There's not much smell to it, either dry or brewing. I brewed it up for about 2.5 minutes with boiling water. It really is about what I expected – a strong, somewhat tannic black tea, suitable for breakfast for the baggy crowd. Better than average, and while not super, I'll keep it, at least for a while.

As I've mentioned, we are going to move this year and so, we have been downsizing. This excruciating process means getting rid of about half your “stuff”. All those things you thought you'd have forever – stupid, I know, but we all live in la-la land to a degree. But it is amazing the things you find, like a three year old article on tea tasting from Cook's Illustrated magazine.
In their tasting, they compared supermarket teas with ones from Harney's, Upton's, Mariage Freres, Mighty Leaf and Adagio. They used either plain black or English breakfast varieties.

They had 2 categories – with and without milk. Mighty leaf won in the without milk category and Harney's in the with milk . The supermarket winners for plain tea were Twinings loose, PG Tips, Novus by Bigelow, Lipton Black Pearl and Stash loose. The with milk winners were Tazo Awake loose, Tetely Specialty Tea, Red Rose loose, and ordinary Liptons. I was kind of amazed,as my grocery doesn't carry most of those, just the two Liptons and the PG Tips. Then I noticed these were Boston-area supermarkets. I guess big cities do have some advantages.

Speaking of English Breakfast Tea, The Tea Spot has a new one called Shagadelic English Breakfast. Just heard about it today.

March Came in Like a Lamb

An old gravestone I liked. If you turn your head sideways, is that Adam and Eve dancing under a tree? Probably not.

Hey, hey, it is March and around here it came in like a lamb, with warmer temperatures, sunshine, snow melting. It makes your heart lift and shout "Yes!!!" Spring is really coming in. Two more weeks to daylight saving time, two more weeks and the Frog Pond, our local farmers market, will be open, complete with a whole raft of new piglets, chicks and bunnies.

I am trying a sample I got with my order from the Tea Spot. It is called Boulder Blues and surprisingly, it is a green tea flavored with strawberry and rhubarb. I am amazed I am trying it, as I dislike strawberry/rhubarb pie or jam. I much prefer raspberry with rhubarb or any of the three on their own. I am also a bit taken aback, because I would have expected this to be a black tea. However, here we are, with a most attractive tea, lovely fresh, long leaves of the Chinese Dragon Well variety and a few bits of strawberry. It smells like ripe berries. Following directions I brew it for 2 minutes at about 170. I don't think it's quite done, so I do it for another minute. Don't faint, but I actually liked this tea. It tasted like very ripe berries, but it was saved from being cloying by a good dollop of tartness from the rhubarb. I couldn't decide if it really tasted like a combination of the two or not. You can taste the freshness of the green tea as well and that makes this, in my opinion, very well done. I think it would make an excellent, refreshing, cold tea for summer. The Tea Spot recommends having it with dark chocolate. That sounds like a plan for my next pot!

I am looking for a new infuser for a large teapot, so I decided to go to http://www.amazon.com/ – every one's go-to-one-spot-shopping mecca to see what I could find. I quit after 300 and there were still pages and pages to go. Everything from tiny stars, seashells, hearts, through very strange concoctions by Copco and others, on through Finum and Swissgold. This last one is what I will get. It is large, it is Swiss, it is gold, what more could you ask for? A lower price. But, you can't have everything and I want to use my pot without using two infusers, especially if there is anyone but us chickens having tea. I shouldn't give in to the desire to look good, but I did anyway. So much for becoming an eccentric old lady.

Two from the Tea Spot

A huge and very tidy horse chestnut tree in the old part of Durlach-houses and barns still in use from the 1500s. It is amazing to see such old buildings still going strong when we tear down 50 year old structures as being "too old"

I tried two teas from The Tea Spot today. Both were samples, one I had purchased and the other came with my order. The first was Raspberry Rhapsody, a black tea with flavoring and raspberry pieces. I almost didn't try it because it had such a fake, overly sweet scent. But in the interest of being open-minded [?me?] I plunged ahead with boiling water and a 3 minute steep. The brewing tea began to smell better, more like raspberry candy and I had hopes... However, these were soon dashed as I tasted it. Overly sweet, overly fake. There was a bit of tartness at the end which almost saved it, but not enough for me.

Oh well, on to Blood Orange Smoothie. This is a Rooibos based orange and vanilla concoction with rose petals, hibiscus and several other things. The dry tea is kind of pretty, with all those bits making a colorful mix. I brewed it as they said, 7 minutes with boiling water, a teaspoon for one a cup There was definitely a scent of orange and vanilla, more like Kool-Aid than Orange Julius, but that's just a quibble. Sadly, the taste was not. It was ok, but it was cloying and wouldn't leave my mouth until I brushed my teeth in desperation. It did not taste like the wonder drink of my youth, nor like those orange sherbet and vanilla ice cream bars. But that is me and I am sure there are those who will really like this, [see yesterday's Comment] as well as the Raspberry Rhapsody.

The Tea Spot has many other wonderful teas and these wouldn't have been high on my list anyway. I am more and more convinced that except for a very few, I really don't like flavored teas. I really should just accept that fact and quit trying them. Then I wouldn't be disappointed and you wouldn't have to read about them.

I just came across some tea I haven't seen for ages – Pompadour Peppermint. Pompadour is a German company that specializes in herbal teas[tisanes, really]. I will be reporting on this soon.

New Snow and Vintage Oolong

This street is in Durlach, Germany. The houses are from the 1600s, built into the old fortified wall around the town. The curve of the street is a result of following the bends of the wall.


Snow, beautiful snow, snow all over, mounds of snow, snow up to my ears, snow on my tail, so much snow! About 2 feet of it, sculpted by the wind into drifts and hollows, with one great big one where the kitties are wont to play. Hence, snow up to my ears! The sun is out, however and already the snow, at least off the roof, is melting.




You know I just got some tea from The Tea Spot and of course, I can't wait to try the one new to me – Vintage Oolong. So, even before my wake-up cuppa I brewed some in my small gaiwan. It smells wonderful in the canister – a deep, fresh tea scent, with a good whiff of floral. Not too sweet a floral, more like a sweet one crossed with maybe zinnias. The tea is lovely little green balls with a bit of stem attached. I brewed it at about 190 degrees for about 2 minutes – long enough for the leaves to begin unfurling. As it brewed it smelled like lilacs, but again, not overly sweet, with deeper more solid notes underneath. The taste, ah, the taste. Lilac, with a bit of peach all on top of something toasty and solid, not really woodsy or vegetal, but with some body and heartiness. The flavor is mild, but not delicate. Just very very good. When I am done putting this blog up I am going to have some more, as the Tea Spot says you can get up to 7 infusions from one serving.


The Tea Spot, by the way, are those smart folks who use interlocking tins with double tops, so your canisters not only stack, but keep your tea nice and fresh. The other tea I purchased was a canister of their Bolder Breakfast, which I reviewed before. They sent me a sample with my order and I'll be trying that soon. I love it when companies send samples, especially if it is something I probably wouldn't buy myself. This one is called Blood Orange Smoothie, a Rooibus
herbal tea, supposed to taste like an Orange Julius. Gosh, I haven't had one of those in Years. So, even though I am not a fan of Rooibus, I am eager to see if it does call up memories of that wonderful drink.

Oh, the Weather Outside is Frightful

This is a much better view than the one out my window, but it is in
Amalfi, Italy, not here, sigh.

I don't know how cold it was today but the fur brigade stuck their noses out and promptly turned around and stayed in. The wind is howling, there is snow blowing, a good day to be inside myself.
We had company for lunch and afterward decided to try a new tea I recently purchased from The Tea Spot. These are the folks with the interlocking, stacking tins, hurray! Today's offering is their New Moon Darjeeling, which is part of their organic line. Part of the purchase price of this tea goes to cancer research and wellness clinics. Lots of pluses here for The Tea Spot.


The tea is a quite attractive reddish brown with bits of tan and gold to liven it. Dry, it smells like a cross between tobacco and hay drying in the fields, very pleasant. As it brewed at just below boiling, 1 teaspoon per cup, for 3 minutes, there was also a whiff of floral. The brew was on the darkish side. I didn't particularly care for the tea plain, it was just kind of ho hum – kind of woody or too roasted tasting. Our guests had it with sugar and were not impressed either. I finally added some milk to mine and it made a world of difference. The tea became rounder and sweeter and I wound up having three cups. It is always amazing to me how the addition of milk, lemon or sugar can so completely change the taste of a cup of tea.


I came across an interesting site the other day. It is strictly for chai lovers and lists about 100 different types of chai and where to purchase them. You don't purchase them here, but are redirected to the appropriate merchant. If you're a chai lover check out http://www.chaibuyer.com/ .

Bolder breakfast

This is my face after falling on the ice, hearing the temperature (4 degrees) and learning it will snow again today. Not really, as I do like winter. I just would like it more with lots of sun. If you live in the Northeast, you have to hone your weather-complaint skills. Or not, since the sun did come out and it hasn't snowed yet.

If you are interested in organic tea, please read Babette's comment on yesterday's post.



Bolder Breakfast, doesn't that sound like something you need to get going in the morning? It did to me, too, when I ordered a sample from The Tea Spot. It is a blend of three kinds of tea, to which is added a fourth, Puerh, plus some dark chocolate liquor. Swoon! I loved it, it is so full and rich. Better yet, he who doesn't get excited about tea, loved it! It is so rich and smooth with a bit of sweetness. Those of you who are afraid of Puerh, don't be afraid of this. It just adds a good grounding note to somewhat lighter teas. It is very dark and deep. I am not sure I would like it every morning, as I usually like a fairly plain cup, but as a treat, it would be fine.

Tea Addict in the Blue Mountains

What a week, I got the tea I ordered from The Tea Spot as well. I am inundated! They have the best tins! They stack! Without sliding all over the place. The bottoms are recessed to fit the tops and there you are. Hear that all you other tea merchants – stacking tins that don't slide, take note.

But I bet you other folks would like to hear about the tea itself. It is Organic Blue Mountain Nilgiri Black Tea. The Nilgiri estates are in the extreme southwest of India, in the Blue Mountains. I wonder if they have a blue haze, as do the mountains of our own Blue Ridge? The dry tea smells very fresh and is an attractive mostly black that is almost a deep shimmery midnight blue, with a few reddish brown leaves for contrast. I brewed up the usual teaspoon at 212 for about 3.5 minutes. It infuses to a soft light amber. The taste is almost delicate, almost sweet, almost berrylike. It really is a very nice tea, perfect for an afternoon or morning after you have a sturdier black to wake up to. (Some of us don't do morning very well). It is an added plus that it is organic.

I am really torn about organic teas. I do believe we should live as lightly as possible on the earth and do try to buy organic teas. However, I find that some of the ones I like the best are not organic. And some of the organic ones just don't taste as good as their non-organic brethren. So I just muddle along, as you probably do.

Beyond that question, I have a really serious problem. I want all the tea in China, and Sri Lanka, and India and all the blends and... Well, you get the picture. A terrible sickness, especially when one has a budget, already sadly blown to bits and there are so many other teas! Really, there are so many that sound so good, even as I am learning what I like and what I don't like. Sometimes I'll get suckered in by a name or a tin or it's one I've not tried, or it's an old favorite or a new twist on an old favorite I've run out of. So many excuses, so little time or money. An ad for some huge lottery was on TV last night and wouldn't you know it, I thought about all the tea I could try!

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy!

Since today is Sunday, I thought a pulpit shot would be good. And... wonder of wonders, the sun is out! When one lives in the great Northeast, one celebrates the sun after November 1st.



I am always up for trying a new Earl Grey. It is one of my forever favorites. I have a new one from the Tea Spot in Denver, the Earl of Grey. I am buying samples from merchants new to me as I felt I was in a rut. The dry tea is pretty - brownish leaves with some blue and gold petals and bits of citrus. It smells very strongly of citrus with some bergamot. I hope it is not another of those heavy “Russian-style” Earl Greys.

The tea brews up to a very dark red. The scent modifies to more of an Earl Grey with citrussy overtones. The taste is reminiscent of a crème Earl Grey, with a hint of vanilla and a sweet floral taste. That is, it has the taste of sweet, without being in anyway really sweet or cloying. Altogether a very nice tea, not at all heavy, medium delicate, I would say.


If you don't know, bergamot is a citrus fruit native to Asia but now coming mostly from southern Italy. It is more sour than a grapefruit, but less than a lemon. The oil from the peel has a lovely scent and aside from its use in tea, it is used in perfumery. It is not the same as the garden plant we refer to as bergamot, monarda or bee balm. They are completely different families.


Y'all know I have cats and must occasionally speak of them. Ernie loves this tea and had to have some in a saucer if I wanted some for myself and didn't want a mess. He and his brother Bert are currently fighting because Ernie was so crass as to interrupt Bert's toe-cleaning. One does not interrupt Bertie's baths or naps unless one wants a good nose scratch. This from the most determinedly ill-behaved kitten I've ever had!