Corn and Tomatoes

There is nothing like a trip to the farmers' market, even our little tiny one.  The sight and smell of all those lovely veggies and fruit, the satisfying pull on your shoulders as you carry your bounty to the car, can't beat it.  Then, off home, to have the first corn and tomatoes of the season for lunch, ending with a freshly made icebox blueberry pie.  So simple, so good.

I got a book from the library when it was so hot - Icebox  Pies by Lauren Chattman.  It came out in 2002, so it's probably not in bookstores, but Amazon and Kindle have it.  I could have made a crust, but I didn't.  I can't say the store bought ones are super, but at least I don't have to turn on the oven, and it's very nice to be able to quickly make something, stick it in the icebox and then eat it.

It's cool enough for hot tea again today.  Upton's this time, a very simple tea - China Black, Flowery Orange Pekoe.  The dry leaves are a pleasant mix of brown and black, finely cut, and smell like a very nice, almost flowery, good quality pipe tobacco.  I brewed it for 4 minutes.  The brewing aroma was rich and fresh, with a hint of dark cherry, again with some pipe tobacco.  The liqueur is fairly dark.  The flavor is a fairly standard dark tea, but there are hints of sweetness - the cherry?, a little hint of metallic, maybe a bit of toast.  I tried it with some cream as well, which brought out all of that.  In fact, I think it is better with some cream, more interesting..

There is an entire family of blue jays lined up on the feeder pole by my window, giving me the evil eye - no suet.  Ah well, you're very greedy and must wait until tomorrow.  Today, Monday and Wednesday are evil vet days.  Two of the critters accept their fate, two are horrendous. Sarah is because she is afraid and Bertie is because someone is daring to interfere in his life.  They are so embarrassing.  Fortunately, our vet is the nicest man in the world and is very understanding.

There, this is a much simpler, small country church in the village of Oberhof, Germany, where some of my ancestors came from, just as I promised.  I really like both styles of church, for different reasons.  They are both beautiful

At Tea With Vietnam

I put an order in to Upton's Teas because they had so many new ones to try.  This particular one is from Vietnam, a black tea, Shan Tuyet,  which means Mountain Tea, and comes from ancient trees in the Northern Highlands, rather than in the Mekong Delta region.  Most Vietnamese tea is grown and processed by small farmers, who often use old laundry driers to cure their tea.

The dry tea has an odd aroma that I can't put my finger on.  It is smokey, woodsy, earthy, mushroomy, but it isn't, if you can understand that.  It is black with some golden tan tips included. The suggested brewing is 5 minutes with boiling water, so I do.  The brewed tea throws in maybe roasted or grilled green beans or grilled summer squash.  See why I can't put my finger on it?

The brewed tea is a yellowed amber and tastes a bit like a Lapsang Souchong.  But it also tastes of tree bark and the vegetables, with a hint of chocolate in the back.  It has a good clean feel, with a short lingering time, which is where the chocolate hint comes in. However, this is not a tea for sweets.  This is a hearty breakfast or roast beef accompaniment.  I, who always put milk in my black tea, didn't.  I don't think it would go.  I will probably try some when my cup is almost gone.  At first I didn't like the tea, but by the bottom of the cup, I was a convert.  This quite good and intriguing.

The entance to the Hapsburg Place in the middle of Vienna

Intrigue In A Tea Cup

I have often contemplated trying to grow my own tea bush.  This could be a problem as I live in New York and we can have sustained periods of below zero temperature.  I know you can bring them inside, but I already have 4 gargantuan pots to haul around and I'm not sure I really want another one, especially one which has to be brought in when the temperature goes below 50.  I am simply not that organized.  I did hear a good idea about big pots, which I will pass on to you.

If your plant(s) are shallow rooted, you can put all those peanuts you get in packages in plastic bags and then put them in your pot and then add soil, so your pot is lighter to carry about.  If you don't have peanuts, use perlite.  The other thing you can do is cut a piece of styrofoam to fit inside your pot at the depth you want, making sure to add some drainage holes.  I don't know if this would wok with a tea plant, because I don't know anything about their root system.

I ordered some teas from Siam Tea, www.siam-tee.de which specializes in teas from Northern Thailand.  This company is new to me and owned by Thomas Kaspar, who writes for the English Tea Store blog.  I was very pleased with their service.  The first tea I am trying is Shi Er Black Pearls, Doi Mai Salong, North Thailand.  Black they are, little balls, with some tails attached.  I wasn't thinking and just bunged them in my tea strainer for 3.5 minutes.  When I went to pull it out, it was absolutely stuffed with big  leaves.  Live and learn.

This is easily the most intriguing tea.  The dry tea smelled of roasted wood - not burned, roasted, as if it were meat.  There was also a bit of dark toast and roasted corn.  As it was brewing it gave off a woodsy, flowery, toasted acorn aroma.  The tea was a fairly light golden brown.  To try and describe the flavor is almost impossible.  The nearest I can come up with is flowery toasted acorns.  It was delicious.  One thing to watch out for and that is to drink it in small cups, because as it cools it loses some of its interest and the flavor gets very muted.  Not that that's bad, I just prefer more depth.  Next time I am going to go for multiple brews and give those leaves some room!

I have finished The China Tea Book by Luo Jialin, which I reviewed a few days ago.  The second half was on the aesthetics of tea, setting the mood, which tea pots and cups to use, the role of floral arrangements and calligraphic art.  It was fascinating.  I may apply some of his thoughts, at least as far as tablescapes.  I can't do much about walls and furniture.  Again, there were many beautiful pictures.  One of the best things about the book is that it seems to create a calm oasis in me.

Why, Oh Why

Tell me why:
It's your best sock the laundry loses,
It's your favorite shoe the dog chews,
You can't find your keys only when you're already late,
And the only teapot you chip, crack or smash is one you really like.

The cupboards are crammed with pots that are too big, too ugly, too drippy, too something awful and there they are, pristine, while the treasured ones look like a small version of Armageddon ran through.  Well, that last is an exaggeration, but you get the picture.  I know, I know, it's that disgusting law of averages again, but I still find it really annoying and sometimes, heart-breaking - like the two bunnies doing a tango - my Valentine pot, sadly smashed to smithereens.

We are awaiting "The Big Storm".  Come on, folks, it's winter.  Winter has storms.  I have my tea and toast all lined up and my boots are ready, so I can go out and appreciate it, both it's howling wind and the quiet of new snow.  If it's too bad, I'll even wear my pink ski hat and frighten all the neighbors.

However, at the moment, I am enjoying a pot of  Kenya Black Highland, from Royal Tea of Kenya www.royalteaofkenya.com.  I have reviewed this before, but since I discovered something new about it, I had to do it again.  It is a very finely cut CTC tea and normally, I brew these for about 2 minutes.  However, due to inattention, this went for 3 minutes and how fortuitous that was.  What emerged with the longer brew is a delightful flowery-ness, almost akin to one of the finer Oolongs.  It's wonderful!  Well worth pushing the tea.  It is, of course, underscored by a nice, sturdy blackness, but I love the high notes.

A Tea Lemon

The wind is screaming and roaring around the house, tearing at the pines, whose branches are bent as far as they can go to get away from the onslaught.  The dead leaves of even the oaks are running down the road, fighting with the dust and tiny hail to get as far as they can from this monster.  Bare branches are laughing as the torrent just sieves through them and they gracefully bend and point, bend and point.

Another good day for tea, the perfect accompaniment to storm watching.  I really love storms.  When I was a kid, I loved to be on our porch and watch the storms roar down the hillside across the lane from the house.  There would be curtains of rain and wild wind!

However, back to tea.  I got some Lemon Black Tea in a swap.  It is from Wegman's, the wonder store!  The first time I made it, I was a bit, well, a lot, disappointed, as it was such a strong lemon peel taste, I couldn't really drink it.  The second time, today, I got smart and diluted it with a scoop of English Breakfast to two scoops of the lemon.  Next time I think I will do half and half. As you can tell, I wasn't very taken with it originally.  I think the lemon peel had too much of the white pith left on it, which made it bitter, although there was  lemon flavoring that was trying very hard to overcome this.  The aroma was delightful, although there was that bitterness.  The second time I had it, there was more flavor and less bitterness, but I think the blenders need to reassess and try again.

Back To My Tea, Hooray!

It is so utterly beautiful.  Three days ago, after an extensive January thaw, so that we were all swilling around in mud again, the temperature dropped and it snowed!  Nice sticky snow that coated every branch and twig, every pine and fir needle; all covered in silvery white.  The amazing thing is that it is still on them.  We haven't had enough wind to send the snow swirling away into drifts and everyday it has snowed a little.  Today the sun is shining so it's just breath-taking.

 Since then it's melted and blown and now we are cold to the bone and out the other side.  Critters, Inc. stick their noses out, run around for 5 minutes and run in giving me "The Look" of "how could you be so mean as to put me out." Humph!

I am sorry to be such a poor blogger, but that flu really left me with a very sorry case of the blahs, temperamentally and worse, food and drink-wise,  However, I think I am once again human and back on the trail of teas.  Today we are drinking a sample from Teavivre.  It comes from Fengqing, Yunnan, China and is called Fengqing Dragon Pearl Black Tea.  It is composed of small balls, about 3/8ths of an inch across, tightly rolled of black and tan leaves - quite attractive and reminiscent of balls of material ready to make braided rugs that are sometimes found in antique shops.

The packet gives off something of a sharp winey aroma and after I brew it for 2 minutes, it is rather pale, but very, very fresh smelling, with some wine underneath and the very barest hint of smoke.  You really have to work to get the latter, so don't let it put you off.  The first sip is a bit woodsy, earthy tasting, with a hint of perhaps walnut.  That continues, but segues into a more roasted nut flavor, still with the wood and earth backing it up.  It is a really, really good tea and I will definitely be getting more of this.

Saw some cardinals today - they really make winter bearable, as do my little downy woodpeckers.

The November Tropics

I thought I would never say this, but I have found a tea that is better with sugar.  It is Boston Tea Company's Tropical Mango.  It is another sample from this very generous company.  The tea has chunks of mango, which is almost my favorite dried fruit, and lots of safflower petals, making a pretty tea.  It smelled more like banana/mango to me than straight mango.  I brewed it for about 3.5 minutes with boiling water.

The heat seemed to bring out the mango aroma.  Definitely mango, no banana.  At first I wasn't real taken with it.  It just seemed like an ordinary black tea.  Then my husband started raving about it, so I thought I would try a little sugar.  Lo and behold, there's the mango.  Yum.  However, I did notice that as the tea cooled, Mr. Banana was back again and I had fruit salad tea.

This might make a really nice base for a smoothy, to play up the favors of mango and banana.  If you boiled it down and were careful about the sugar, it would make a nice dressing for a fruit salad.  I guess I am thinking more of summer.  It's so gray and grim, summer seems good. 

We are having some cold days, but it hasn't been below freezing yet.  I hope it's enough for the plants to pull all their juices back into their roots before it does freeze.

Downtown Amalfi, Italy from the cathedral steps.  I don't think there is a level place in the whole town.  My husband's family emigrated from here to Ischia about 1,000AD.

Java is Not Always Coffee

All you skiers who are anticipating snowfall - in Switzerland, if you go high enough, you can still ski in May!

Aah, Cyber Monday.  Check out your favorite tea venders, most of whom are having some good sales of 15-25% off, some with free shipping, as well.

We had a lovely holiday weekend.  Guests on Thanksgiving brought wine and desserts and lots of fun conversation.  Last night we invited our neighbors for a "Leftover Party" where we combined our leftovers or "made-overs" for a nice meal and again, some good conversation.  We still have leftovers, however.  I guess we'll have turkey quesadillas tonight.

No tea leftovers, however, as no one drank tea!  I have some new samples from Simpson & Vail and so, I am having Java Malabar Plantation.  The leaves are small and mainly dark brown.  There didn't seem to be much scent. I brewed a teaspoon for about 3.5 minutes with boiling water.  It gave off a very malty aroma with something like a coconut edge to it.

The brewed tea somehow tasted of wood, but there was a fruitiness there as well.  The maltiness must come from the fact that the teas grown in Indonesia are from the same type of tea plant that grows in Assam.  It is grown on the island of Java, at 4900 feet, in volcanic soil, all of which go into its flavor.

I liked it better with some cream, as more fruit came out, maybe pineapple.

Celebrate!

Darstten Village 

Joy to the World,
The Lord has come!

The season of Advent has begun, the joyous waiting for the celebration of the birth of Christ.


What tea shall I celebrate this with? I don’t like most of the holiday teas because they have too much clove in them, although Stash does a nice one that tastes like those chewy peppermints. Upton’s ZK55 wins for today. It comes from Sichuan Province, Zao Bei Jian Congou. The small black leaves look nothing like the picture in the on-line catalog, which are quite long and twisted - perhaps a shipping issue.  They are black, however, and give off a sharp, winey smell, almost like a Keemun.


I brewed it up for 4 minutes with boiling water. The liquor is a dark, golden amber, with an almost malty smell. Indeed, the first sip reminded me of an Assam. However, there was much more going on here and the further I went in my cup, the more intrigued I was. There was the edginess of dark chocolate, followed by butter brickle and caramel, with a hint of an oak finish. Good grief, I sound like one of the snooty wine tasters, or snooty tea tasters. Well, that is what it tastes like to me. When I added milk it seemed to settle into something reminding me very much of good, homemade butterscotch pudding.

The sun is heading towards sundown and the lovely light is turning the bog trees a misty gold. It is kind of an enchanted moment, with the slim darkness of pitch pines before it.

The nature beat:

I saw a forsythia in bloom today, perhaps in celebration of this time of year? I wish, but it really is because our weather is so peculiar, the poor thing is confused. It was over 60 today - about 25 degrees warmer than it should be at this time of year. We are enjoying it, but we are concerned about the plants and animals.

We were visited by a very lazy bear - it only ate one suet holder, but left a very rank smell behind - even the bears are confused. - They should all be tucked up in their dens, hibernating until spring.

I also saw a flock of Canada geese taking a nap in the sun. There were about 30 of them, with 4 “watch geese” at compass points, alertly viewing the surrounding scene.

Tea,Tulips and Panda Poop

My Swiss grandmother's church on a rainy day.

Ya know, people think tea folk are weird for paying $40-50 a pound for good tea. That’s about 240 cups of tea. Really good coffee is at least $15 and that’s only 60 cups. Do the math. And then there are K cups. Unless you got a good deal, it is 75 cents to $1.00 per cup. That's the equivalent of $60 a pound.

However, I just heard about this odd tea in the Nov 25 issue of The Week magazine. A Chinese entrepreneur is going to make tea from panda poop, claiming it will have more antioxidants than green tea, with “a mature nutty taste and a very distinctive aroma.” I bet it will. Supposedly this will retail for about $3,400 a pound. Don’t hold your breath waiting for a review of it here.

The world’s most expensive coffee, Kopi Luwak, hails from Indonesia, and passes through the Asian Palm Civet's digestive track. The civet looks like a golden rat and feeds pretty exclusively on coffee beans. It sells for about $600 a lb. or $50 a cup in some exclusive restaurants. [Civet kitty/rat poop]

People can be very silly. Not this this is new. During the height of Tulip Mania, in the mid 1600s fortunes could be made and lost over one tulip bulb, which could equal the sum of a craftsman’s yearly income.

Let us turn to more prosaic pursuits, a cup of easily purchased tea.  I just ordered a huge bunch of samples from Upton's.  This one is TB30, Kensington Blend, made from Assam, Ceylon and Keemun tea.  The varied brown and black leaves are about 1/2 inch long and give off a very nice malty, woodsy aroma, with a hint of smoke.  I brewed it for about 4.5 minutes - maybe a bit too long.    It is a pleasant dark amber, smelling very much of the Assam, which I assume is its main component.  Uptons says it is a bit lighter than their River Shannon blend and that it is best with milk.  It is a breakfast tea, which I would heartily agree with.  Unless, of course, you are really dragging in the afternoon,

By itself, it tastes, to me, like acorns or what bottled essence of crisp-fall-day might taste like.  It is a bit astringent and certainly strong.  I like my tea with milk, so it is no hardship to have it that way.  I must say the milk mellows it considerably.  I do think this would be ideal for breakfast, standing up well to hearty dishes.  It might be good with a hearty lunch as well.  It is going just fine with a gorgeous fall day.

Grumpy Gertrude's Tea and Tea Swap

Same monastery, huge rosemary.  I would be jealous, but I was in a monastery!


Aaargh, as Charlie Brown would say.  Do you ever have those days when you really "shoulda stood in bed?"  Well, this one is mine.  I woke up crabby, warning my husband to steer clear of me.  Early sunshine gave way to clouds and not much has gone right since.  I am going to have some tea in the hopes that some sort of joy can be restored.  I did manage to get a number of Christmas presents on line, so all is not lost.

 I am going to make my tea in my new pot that I got at the big day on Saturday.  It is the prettiest aqua.  I saw it as soon as I walked into my favorite store.  It didn't hurt that it was 1/2 price.  The other nice thing was I've been looking for a slanted end spatula for my frying pans for about 15 years and that was there too.  I have one I 've had since we were married 38 years ago and I am always afraid it is going to break.  I can rest a bit easier, now.  I should count my blessings, big and small and not fuss.

 I am having Eiffel Tower, a vanilla flavored black tea from Blue Raven Teas.  Yup, smells like vanilla.  Himself will like this, vanilla fan that he is.  Hmm, this is a much better vanilla than most I've tasted, which I usually really don't like.  This almost moves into the good cake or cookie department.  I brewed it for about 3.5 minutes at 212 degrees.  It seems very sweet to me, so I definitely would not add sugar.  With cream added, it ismuch more rounded.  I still wouldn't buy it for me, but it is well done.

My new pot is a sweetie, very well-mannered - no spitting or dribbling.

Another reminder about the tea swap.  Go to www.facebook.com/groups/teaswap/ or email me from my profile page. It's fun!

Tea For The World

Further bits and bobs about World Tea East:

One of the many educational sessions looks at Fair Trade certified alternatives for tea and herbs. With more than 38 percent annual growth for Fair Trade certified teas and major commitments from industry leaders to certify their ingredients, Fair Trade tea is here to stay, according to the tea experts and organizers of World Tea East.


It's about time they figured that one out.

The "Think Tea in Every Menu Course" presentation looks at how many chefs and restaurants are experimenting with tea. Maybe I 'll see about some ideas translatable for our tables.

Some of the presenters you may not have heard of, but who are important in the tea world are:Dan Bolton, World Tea News; Charles Cain, Adagio Teas;Chris Cason, Tavalon Tea; Mim Enck, East Indies Coffee and Te;, Gail Gastelu, The Tea House Times; Dianna Harbin, certified tea specialist; Beth Johnston, Teas Etc.; Anupa Mueller, Eco-Prima, Inc. and Silver Tips Tea Room;  Susan Peterson, Teaberry’s Tea Room;
Thomas Shu, ABC Tea House; Joe Simrany,  President, Tea Association of the USA, Inc.; David Walker, Walker Teas and Todd Wickstrom, Rishi Teas.

That's in addition to the ones I have already told you about.  It is quite a lineup.

Now, I must have some tea after all those people and ideas to think about.   Forte is the signature tea of Tea Forte.  Both are pronounced 4 Tay.  As in my forte is math.  It is billed as "a robust black with a hint of Jasmine".  The aroma in the tin is a heavy black with a sharp, not quite floral scent. The leaves are definitely black, with quite a few dried jasmine flowers.  I cannot distinguish the scent as that of Jasmine.  I brewed it for 3.5 minutes with boiling water.  This one could not go for 5.

The brewing aroma was that of a malty, somewhat earthy tea, with a sweet edge, again, not identifiable.  Well, this tea is a disappointment.  It is just a plain okay tea with no hint at all of Jasmine.  On the redeeming side, it is smooth and medium hearty and takes cream all right, so it's good for breakfast.  I also got it on sale.  On the whole, I am not taken with Tea Forte teas and except for their Black Current, which is wonderful, I won't be getting any more from them.

Yesterday and today we spent digging huge holes yet again for more of our plants - not many to go and only little ones.  Hooray!!!!!  I also finished a crocheted scarf for Frank.  It is very funny looking - pregnant in some spots, malnourished in others.  It wasn't until the end that I figured out how to keep my edges straight.  I don't think anything exotic is in my future for yet a while. But I have a simple afghan I started long ago that I will finish.  I also discovered why I gave up knitting - it is boring and to to become good at it will require a long time making boring things.  I will stick to crocheting.  After I finish the stupid scarf I started in knitting.

Can Good Tea Go Rogue?

Ho boy, when Tea Forte says something has cinnamon in it, they really mean it.

Even before I got the top of the canister completely off, I was overwhelmed by

the incredibly strong aroma pouring out of it.  Vienna Cinnamon is just too much, a prime example of the tea flavorer's imagination gone overboard.  It is not as hot as Red Hots candy, but it is as strong.  It is also sweet, without any sweetener.  It is hard to tell that you are drinking tea.  I really don't like this way of flavoring tea.  I like plain tea best and if it is flavored, the flavor should be an enhancement or a fillip, not too much of what might have been a good thing.  I mixed it with some very plain ice tea and then it was ok.  However, I shall comfort myself with some good old PG Tips.

They say good things come in threes.  But I ask, do they all have to come at

once? I am going to the World Tea Expo East, going to visit friends I haven't seen in too long and I signed up for the Master Gardener Program classes.  They are starting before I return from Philadelphia, so I miss the first session.  Phoo.

I have wanted to take this course to become a Master Gardener, for a very long time, but there never was one when I could take it.  It is a longish course covering a whole host of things gardeners need to know.  I am really thrilled to be able to do it.

Very locally we did not suffer from the wind and rain of Irene - just a bad storm here.  However, a little east of us several towns and villages were flooded and I know that many more in the path of the storm had a lot of damage.  Thankfully, it was not as bad as anticipated, although I am not sure that matters to those who lost loved ones .  They have all my sympathy and whatever help I can give.

Tea With Tiny Tyrants

This is a scene from the World Tea Expo in Las Vegas last spring that we will see repeated in just a few weeks in Philadelphia at the World Tea East.  MarketSpice is one of the many vendors who will be there showing off their wares.  Can you tell I am excited to be going?  I am like one of those wind-up dolls you can't turn off. The photo is by Albert Chau.

Even so, this is a big deal.  So many of the larger tea events have taken place out West, especially in areas like Seattle, Portland and San Francisco that it is exciting to have this be in the East again.  It is an affordable journey for many of us and an affordable business expense for the small business owner.

It was incredibly beautiful out back last night.  The sky was a luminous silver tinged with gold and there was a mist behind the green/black of the trees, all seen through a silver sheen of rain.  A moment in time, gone in less than a minute, when it all became just regular.

All you fans of Laura Childs’ teashop mystery series now have a tea to go with at least one of her books (Blood Orange Brewing). Today I am brewing Wegmans’ Blood Orange Black tea. It’s been going for 4 minutes at just under a boil and smells wonderful. Makes me wish I had made scones.

The dry leaves are small and dark brown, enlivened by bright orange peel and what looks like some of the inner orange as well. Perhaps it will whisper secrets to the inner me. I guess I am being made silly by all the noisy machines we have around here, now including driveway pavers. Always something new in the neighborhood.

Back to the tea, which smells as luscious in my cup as it did in the pot. It is a very attractive golden amber. Oh my, it is good. None of the harshness or odd tingliness that can come from some flavorings. Just an honest to goodness orange. A wee bit bitter, which to me is blood orange. Perfect with some dark chocolate or a blueberry muffin or some pecan sticky buns. Maybe a great way to wake up as well. Very well done flavoring.

Having said that I must say that it was not until I added cream that I could taste the tea base. So there I was with a liquid tea flavored Creamsicle. Pretty good actually. They should market these for adults. I also discovered the orange flavor lasted a little too long after I was done with it. I just wish the tea base were a little more forward. Otherwise, as good as this is, it is a waste of tea when all you can taste is the flavor.



Gosh, nothing like making myself hungry. A walk will help.



The blue chicory is making clouds along the roadsides, punctuated by the tall brown of some unknown weed, and the little yellow flowers of butter-and-eggs, which we loved as children. The daisies are gone, but the brown eyed susans are flourishing. There are still a few white clusters of wild roses in the woods and the reeds have nice fat brown seed heads.


This morning I was thinking about filling the suet feeders when along came a tiny downy woodpecker. They are usually quiet souls, giving a sharp chirp now and then, but this little girl - no red on her head - let loose a long loud tirade about how I’d best get right out there and feed her. Such a lot of noise from such a tiny being, who only weighs about 2 ounces. Once the suet was out, peace was restored until the ever-noisy jays arrived. They, however, are a bit shy of the red-bellied woodpeckers, who are bigger and have a really, really BIG bill.

Bengals for Breakfast

Sustainability fans, Rejoice! Tea Tulia Teas, grown in Northern Bangladesh is organic, from its single garden cooperative to its totally recyclable and compostable packaging. They work to create “sustainable prosperity for Bangladeshi women, men and children through education, entrepreneurship, health and cattle-lending programs.” I had heard of them and wanted to give them a fair trial. Feeling cheap at the moment, I only bought small packets of tea bags. I still got a free sample, which I am now having - Bengal Breakfast. Each triangular sachet is made from corn and holds enough real leaf tea - not fannings or CTC for 2 cups of tea. Actually, I think if you took it out of the bag, it would do three.


As you might imagine Bengal Breakfast is an English Breakfast type. It has a very pleasant dry aroma, with a definite hint of citrus, along with the Assam. I brewed it for 3 minutes at 210 degrees. It continued with a lovely slight citrus, slight floral aroma. In the cup, it is a fairly light amber. It is a fine tea, pleasantly malty, but not heavily so and the citrus and flower are right there, though a bit more muted. An excellent tea.

For breakfast, I had their Black Tea, which is a somewhat stronger version of the Breakfast.  I didn't find it as pleasant, but it is a decent  cup of tea.  By the way, one sachet will make 3 cups, but they're weak.  It does indeed, do fine for 2.

Another way of recycling I discovered on the back of Tea Time Magazine. Perhaps you have broken the last cup of Great-Aunt Harriet's set and you are are heart broken.  Don't despair completely, but contact the good folks at  Vintage Revival, http://www.vintagerevival.com/ and they can take the pieces to make you some very pretty jewelry from it.  My Gramma 'Duffee, who was not artistic, would, however, save bits of broken china from things she loved and glue them in pretty patterns on plain white dishes and hang those on the wall.  I wish my uncle has offered them to us, I would have loved them.

I have been checking out the vendors at World Tea East and there is such a variety.  There are the commercial ones for people in business,, but there are also folks selling tea themed clothing, at least 2 book publishers and several tea accessory sellers.  There are many classes to take  and I will describe more of them for you tomorrow.

Are Ravens Really Blue?

Gee, I wonder what this is.


Today I need to reset all the bird feeders. I figured out that we did not get a bear visit again, but that the landscapre people just threw things on the lawn when they renewed the mulch and did not put them back. So, lots of clean up. I did get my tomatoes planted before vacation, but they look kind of puley-wally, as do my little basil plants. They are tiny for something 2 months old. I did discover that if you buy basil in the grocery store that has roots and was raised hydroponically, you can plant it in pots and it very likely will do quite well, provided you cut it back to just above the first or second leaf set. Which is why I already have 3 containers of pesto in my freezer. Oh yum.


Basil is such a great herb, smelling and tasting wonderful. For a tea party savory, make a pizza with just pesto and some extra oil on top, cut in small squares. If you want to gussy it up a bit, top with a small slice of fresh mozzarella and a bit of cherry tomato after baking. It would also go very nicely chopped finely in some savory scones, perhaps with some sun dried tomato. Some basil are very tiny and look like fat little globes, which would be perfect for a centerpiece or a take home gift for your guests. Tulsi, an Indian form of basil makes a very nice "tea" and is easy to grow from seed.


Blue Raven Tea Company sells some very interesting sample paackets of tea, both black and green. I purchased them and I am having the first of the blacks today. The samples are good for about 2 pots each, which is quite generous for under $10 for seven packets to a sampler. I am trying South Pacific Black, with largish dark leaves interwoen with gold petals. It smells like sugar cookies, with an overlay of fruit and floral. I brewed it the standard 3.5 minutes with boiling water. The aroma was still quite mild and sweet. The brew was quite mild also, faintly sweet and nicely tasting of coconut. No chemical taste, not overwhelming. I may have found a coconut tea I like. I have some in the fridge to see how it would be iced - I'll let you know

Black From the Blues

More of my favorite topography, mountains.

First of all, the wind has stopped blowing! This may not seem like much to you but after 21/2 days of howling, screaming wind that blew up huge clouds of snow, we are happy to have a day off before the next "mixed winter weather" arrives tomorrow. That it comes with lovely sun is a big, big plus. Those two days of spring-like teasers have some people discouraged that we will notget Spring. But it comes every year and some of the joy of it is anticipation and feeling rewarded for facing down another winter. Take that! Smack, smack!

A follow-up to the tea tasting. My husband was afraid we wouldn't get our moneys worth from the tea leaves, so he put them all together and brewed a big pot of tea. Surprisingly, it was very good. Smooth, sweet, floral. Who'da thunk it?

Today, however, we are hopscotching to the very southwest of India, to the Blue Hills of Nilgiri, right to the Iyerpadi Estate to try some of Upton Teas' Nilgiri Orange Pekoe, which is organic. Orange "Peck-hoe" refers to the leaf style, not the taste. The dry leaves are a very attractive mix of many shades of brown and appear to be chopped. They smell wonderful, fresh, sweet, woodsy, floral. I brewed it up for 4 minutes and while it was brewing, it filled the room with a really pleasant aroma of newly dried leaves on the forest floor. The tea itself is very smooth, with a nice full body, a little sweet, a little astringent, a little woodsy-dry-leaf. Truly pleasant stuff. It holds up to cream and sugar, but it is just fine on its own.

Vietnamese Tea Table

Still in Ballenberg museum. We only visited the buildings from
the Kanton Bern, where my family came from, and it took most of
a day. That was about 1/8 of the total structures and it felt like we only skimmed the surface.

Today is a beautiful day, with lots of sunshine, although it got off to a grim gray start. We went for a walk and the sideshow of Bert and Ernie followed along, racing up and down trees, playing "kill your brother" and finally, being carried, as befits a prince. We are such suckers.

I have generally liked Simpson and Vail teas. I think they were the second merchant, after Upton's, that I bought tea from. One of the things i have liked about them is their willingness to try teas from countries that are just getting into the better tea market, like Bolivia and Vietnam.
Today's tea comes from Vietnam and is simply called Vietnam Black. I think I told you a while back about an article I read about Vietnamese tea growers. Most are very small, sometimes just a backyard. Often the leaves are processed at home, using an old industrial clothes drier. Sometimes there are cooperatives that process the tea. This is all done primarily in the north, where the mountains are.

I like the service I get from this company and I especially like the fact that the bags for the tea are bio-degradeable. I can use them as brown matter in my compost pile.


Dry, the leaves are smallish and twisted, definitely black. They smell faintly medicinal. As they brew, they give up an amber liquid that smells somewhat malty, a little sweet. I followed S&V's recommendation of 3 minutes with boiling water. They also said this is a tea that would blend well with others. Kind of like the good kid in kindergarten. This something of a gentle tea, having both malty and nutty notes. I think I can detect a little spice and maybe a high note of citrus here and there. It's not really exceptional, but it is pleasant and I could see how it would easily blend with other black teas.

Don't forget the tea giveaway mentioned yesterday.