French Tea in the Snow

That's kind of how I feel after Christmas, like a bird about to take wing.



We had such a lovely Christmas. There is nothing quite like seeing everyone have a really good time and knowing that you have made this fun work. It is so satisfying to really please guests and make them feel special. One of our guests is in his 90s - still playing trumpet, still has 7 trumpet students, and one of the true gentlemen of this world. It has been such a privilege to know him.




I certainly got tea presents! A new electric teakettle, which, as the switch on mine is going, is very welcome. I got 4! teapots - 2 Yi Xing teapots that I am intending to use solely for Oolong and the best green teas. I really want to do the whole thing of first boiling them in the tea I want to use in them and then exclusively use them only for that tea. I was especially happy to receive them, because the ones I currently had are so special, I feel I can only display them or use them for very special occasions. I also received a really cute little glass one and a beautiful blue Yi Xing that looks like a bunch of bamboo tied with a small vine. That may be display. I also got some Fauchon tea, which I will have this afternoon and review here.



We had a yummy lunch today - falafel sandwiches. A Middle Eastern treat. It's a mix with the prime ingredient being ground chick peas and spices. You make patties with it and then saute them and put them in pita bread with lettuce, tomatoes and tzatziki, which is a sauce made from Greek yogurt, garlic and finely chopped cucumber. Serve it up with mint tea and be transported to Greece or Morocco. I was trying to think how to do it for a tea, but then I remembered there are those mini pitas. Hmm and with some of those lovely Greek pastries... You could have a really nice exotic party, perfect for the winter doldrums.


However, on to the tea. As I said, this is from Fauchon, another French tea company. It is called Le Melange Fauchon, aka Fauchon's Blend. The label says it is Ceylon and China Black teas with rose petals, citrus peel and lavender. It comes in a very nice tin, with a sliding, outer lid and an inner one, to keep it nice and fresh. The dry tea smells of old leather with a very heavy, sort of sweet citrus aroma, reminiscent of some of the heavier Russian blends. As it brewed, the scent moderated quite a bit and became much more pleasant. There didn't appear to be much in the way of lavender in it.

The first time I made it, I brewed it for 4 minutes, as they recommend. Unh, unh, the citrus peel overwhelmed everything and it wasn't very nice. The second time I only did it for 3 minutes with a bit more tea. It brewed up a nice dark amber, with almost a sugar cookie aroma to go with the tea and citrus. Interesting. Ah, this time, the tea is much, much better. The citrus seems to be taking its proper place and some sort of spice is coming to the fore. Sadly, I can't say I really like it. I tried it with some sugar and that was a great help, as it smoothed out the edges of the citrus. In fact, with sugar, it is very good, and some cream completes the process. And you all know I am not a sugared tea person. It is always interesting how tea can change so much in one cup, with a few additions.

Christmas Joy to You and Yours

Well, gang, here it is Dec. 23. The gifts are bought and sent, a lot of the food is done or thawing, some of the house is clean and I am going to rest up a bit.

I am not trying any new teas for a few days, just going with some of the holiday ones from Celestial you all know about or my favorites of Keemun and Yunnan Gold, all of which I have reviewed.

I managed to do very little in-store shopping this year, so I am in a better mood. I have also been listening to instrumental and Renaissence Christmas music, so I am not tired of carols. I really feel they are used so commercially that one doesn't want to hear them anymore. however, with top quality music, they come alive.

I wish all of you a Christmas blessed by the Lord Jesus, whose birth we celebrate and a New Year that is healthy, happy, joyous and full of growth and good cheer.

I'll be back after Christmas, probably the 27th.

Oh Canada

I got bored with my "look", so I changed it. I am not sure I like this
one, so it may change again.

I love the paintings on these houses in Sorrento, Italy.


It's trying to snow today and the wind is blowing. On my walk, I saw a squirrel with a large "something" in it's mouth. It finally came close enough to recognise it as leaves and sure enough, he scurried up a tree to a hole and climbed in, obviously padding a nest. Our local squirrels are very adept at getting the bird seed for themselves, but I set our ferocious [lol] pussy cats on them. Ernie actually went half-way up their tree to try and catch them. The only result was a lot of squirrel swearing.


I have to say I was most happy to get back inside after our walk and snuggle right up to a tea pot. I am having another gift from Elizabeth from Ontario - President's Choice English Breakfast. And that is indeed what it smells like, but there is a faint cinnamon aroma as well. This is a teabag, which I only brew for 3 minutes, or less if that seems right. On the whole, you brew black tea depending on the size of the leaves - longer for longer leaves. That doesn't seem to work with many of today's Darjeelings, who seem to need to be treated as if they were green - even the second flush and autumnal ones.


The tea smells wonderful - utterly fresh. It's a lovely reddish brown and there is still a hint of cinnamon or sweet to it - unusual in English Breakfast, I think. It is very smooth, not nearly as harsh as many I've had, and yes, there does seem to be a bit of sweetness to it. It's a really pleasant brew.

Oh, Those Camels

We sent out our email Christmas letter and if my husband hadn't started it, I'm not sure I would've remembered it. It turned out to be kind of a hodge-podge. All that carefully planned stuff for Thanksgiving somehow did not carry over into Christmas planning. I guess it was too much for a non-detail person to continue. lol The important stuff is all planned, like Christmas dinner.

Today it is snowing, that lazy drifting kind that we would refer to as "Minnesota snow" when we lived in Michigan. It never snowed much, but it snowed all the time. I want enough to cover the ground so it looks pretty. Getting the critters out this morning was quite a chore, as they all ran to the door, then had to stand and sniff and look around and think about it and, and, and, then sit down and think some more and finally go out, only to turn around and come back in. Cats! Spoiled? My kitties? Surely not!

Today's tea is "Original Russian Caravan" from Upton's, sent to me by my new tea friend, Elizabeth. It is a mix of India, China and Formosan teas, all nice big leaves and a mix of browns. It smells very fresh, with a kind of herbaceous, straw, old wood twist. This delightful aroma continues through the brewing, which I did for 3.5 minutes with boiling water. This is different from many Caravans I've had, in that there is no smokey smell, which generally came from the addition of Lapsang Souchong. No camel smell, either, for which I am grateful. The taste is pretty much like the aroma, a nice woodsy herbaceous taste, with a bit of astringency at the end. A very pleasant blend.

A Frosty Green

Last night we went to the movies with some friends - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I enjoyed it, but I had read the books and seen the other movies. It would be hard to make sense of it all unless you had. The most fun part was finally finding the right theater. This is a small town theater, made up of several buildings and it's a real maze, for us, necessitating several changes. An adventure. But it was only $4.00 for a first run movie and you can't beat that. I did notice that Harry and friends had not only 1 but 2 teapots in their runaway tent. We took some of Bertie Botts' Every Flavor Jelly Bellies and I nicely took out the earwax and booger ones. (Jelly Bellies is the brand, the rest is a spoof).

Hooray, hooray, the sun is shining! Which means that I am, too. I love to watch it come up, if I am up. At this time of the year, it shines in the swamp and back lights the fringe of trees at the edge of the lawn and the spinney across the road.

Dear me, what tea to have today. I guess a green, since I am feeling light. It is Frosty Spring Yunnan Roast Green from Life in Teacup. This was picked at the very beginning of the year, so I guess it is appropriate to end the year with it. The dry leaves do not have a great deal of scent. They are quite pretty, ranging from palest to darkest green. I brewed them for 2 minutes with water about 190 degrees. This is a very vegetal green, smelling almost like asparagus. The taste is surprising, as it is not a bit like asparagus, but it is bitter, with a hint of mint, and maybe the merest breath of sweet around the edges. As the tea cools, the aroma softens, as does the flavor. A good tea for making you feel alert and warm, as the bitterness keeps you aware of the tea. Not a bad bitterness, mind you, like citrus pith is, more along the metallic side.

Vanilla Trump Card

A gorgeous vine in the courtyard of the Franciscan monastery in Sorrento, Italy. Obviously in more clement weather.

Speaking of which, according to the rumor-mongers - ie. weather reporters, we should have a foot of snow on the ground. Oops, only 1/2 inch. But that's ok, supposedly there are 18 inches coming. Oh well, they did get it right about being cold. It is cold. Perfect weather for tea.

In spite of myself, I have wound up with some Trump Tea - Union Square, " a bold black tea with notes of smooth vanilla bean and rich fine cocoa". All of the ingredients are either organic or "natural". Union Square is one of those old squares/parks in Manhatten. The tea is encased in those little silky pyramids and looks to be full leaf tea with bits of vanilla pod and bits of cocoa. It smelled like vanilla, but I couldn't catch much chocolate. I brewed it for 3.33 minutes and it continued to give off a very pleasant scent.

It tastes pretty pleasant, also. I know I am often very critical of vanilla flavored teas, but this one seems to work. I think the cocoa must have something to do with it, even though I can't discern much more cocoa flavor than I could smell. It all just comes together in a smooth pleasant drink.

Now I am off to the dentist for the last visit for 6 months. Hooray, hooray! Maybe I'll finally even get some cookies mixed up.

I See the Heather Bloomin"

Now that's a lovely sight - flowers in mid-winter, wonderful on an ugly day. Actually it is the
picture closest to heather that I happen to have .

I'm doing that because my tea today, which comes from the Edinburgh Tea and Coffee Company is Heather Tea, a blend of African and Assam tea with a lot of dried heather blossoms. Heather is a beautiful sight in full bloom and I have often had a plant or two, just to keep in touch with that side of my family heritage. My husband often teases me about being a "mutt", but every army in Africa, the Middle East and Europe marched through southern Italy. I mean, how many blond, blue-eyed southern Italians do you know who also have a red beard? A touch Norse perhaps? Descended from Eric the Red?

Back to the tea. It is very pretty in the can, with all those flowers and smells just very faintly flowery. Mostly it is just very fresh tea. I brewed it for 3.5 minutes with boiling water and I must say, it is a hearty color. There is still that faint flowery scent, with just a touch of citrus. The taste is very "British" or should I say "Scottish"? A nice full, Assam/ African taste, somewhat milder than most, again with the citrus/flower teasers. It takes milk well, but I don't do sugar, so I don't know how that will affect it.

I made a very nice Asian style soup last night that I will probably use as a first course for Christmas. It is about half and half chicken and beef broth, about 1 quart total, with a lot of chopped ginger and a good slug of garlic. One thinly sliced onion that was cut in half, a handful of thin sliced shitake mushrooms, two julienned carrots, 3 inches of julienned daikon radish, some practically embryonic bok choy and left over shredded pork. Cook until the veggies are done. Add soy sauce or mirin to taste. Or both. For Christmas, I won't put any meat in it. If the veggies were a bit smaller, I might use it for a tea party. It takes only as long as you need to cut up the veggies and have them cook, maybe 30 minutes, if you're a medium speed cutter. If you can't find baby bok choy at an Asian market, use spinach or julienned pea pods.

I'm sorry I can't give more specific directions, but unless something is new or a particularly good recipe, that is mostly how I cook. It's a bit risky, but then I feel very smart when something really works.