Dragons and Earls and Peaches, Oh My

I have some Earl Grey Decaf from Twinings brewing for ice tea, as well as some Dragon Well Green from Rishi Tea.  I haven't tried either one hot, so they will both be a new experience for me.  I don't think I've met a Dragon Well I didn't like, although the same cannot be said for the Earl.  Some of them simply have no flavor or they are gunked up with other flavors.  I really do like to keep my tea on the relatively straight and narrow.  I don't usually do decaf either, but we are having company who would prefer it, so I am being kind.  I used 16 teabags for a 3 quart pitcher.  I hope it's not too much, but then, it is teabags.  I don't usually do teabags, either, but it was a gift, so I thought I ought to use it.  I could have emptied the bags, but I am too lazy in this heat.

This morning was pleasant, so the cats and I tidied the flower beds, which have rioted.  I gathered some basil for supper's pesto and lots of lavender got hung to dry for tea and just smelling nice.  Some of my lavender is quite pretty, but doesn't have much scent.  Some has a rather nasty scent and I am going to put it elsewhere.

The Earl Grey is quite nice.  It's a tad heavy, but the bergamot comes out quite nicely and the tea itself is a very pleasant gentle "afternoon" type.  Sadly, the Dragonwell does not shine as ice tea.  It is muddy and sullen, although it is a beautiful straw color.  Something tells me if I want it iced, I should hot brew it first.  I wound up mixing it with lemonade and then it was okay.

My sister-in-law sent me a recipe for a peach cobbler that is so easy and good, it is my new go-to for fruit I need to use up.  I used nectarines which weren't as ripe as I thought, so I put a little orange flower water on them.  I have found that it, of course, perfumes the fruit that isn't quite ripe, but also seems to bring them more fully into their flavors.  If you live in an area with a Middle Eastern population, this should be easy to access.  If not, I know you can get it on the internet.  Just remember a small amount goes a very long way.  I also think another peach wouldn't hurt.  If you try it, the batter will be far more liquid than you expect, but it works just fine, don't worry.

The url for the recipe is www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Fresh-Peach-Cobbler

One thing I really like about tea, it is a constant journey of technique and flavor, history and culture.  I like new and different things and with tea, I feel I'll never get to the end of them.  Cooking is like that as well.  Sometimes it is wonderful and sometimes, like twice this week, it goes out to feed the critters.

Look at all those lovely shadows and light, playing over the stone walls.  This picture makes me feel cool, which is most welcome right now.

Rishi Tea for Me

One of the really good teas I got to try at World Tea East was Rishi Tea's Earl Grey.  The aroma was spectacular.  It was perfume wafting on the wind, it was sweet, citrussy, everything you want an Earl Grey to be.  The taste was the same, with just a hint of something like chamomile.  This is easily the best Earl Grey I've ever had.  And that is going some.  So I tried their Earl Grey Green.  Another winner.  The aroma was the same, though underlaid with green-ness.  The EG taste was not as strong, so that the green tea came through as well.  Every bit as good, maybe even a bit better as it was all more subtle.  Since I was on a roll, I tried some Long Jing Dragonwell.  It was so good, I was almost speechless.  I love Dragonwell and most of what I've had has been excellent, but I think this was in the "most excellent" category.

There are many awards for teas.  The Grandaddy of them are the awards from the Tea Association of North America but our own Association ofTea Bloggers has begun to recognize the ones we particularly like.

TheTea Bloggers Choice Awards for 2012 :

Unblended/Unflavored Black : Teavivre Yunnan Dian Hong Golden Tip
Blended/Flavored Black: Harney and Sons Earl Grey Supreme
Unblended/Unflavored Green: Den's Tea Gyokuro Kin
Blended/Flavored Green: Aiya Tea Matcha Infused Sencha
Unblended/Unflavored Oolong: Teavivre Jin Xuan Milk Oolong
Blended/Flavored Oolong: Naivetea Lychee Oolong
Unblended/Unflavored White: Rishi-Silver Needle Premium
Blended/Flavored White: Art of Tea Coconut Creme White Tea
Unblended/Unflavored Puerh: Rishi Ancient Puerh Classic
Blended/Flavored Puerh: Stash Black Forest Cake Puerh
Herb Blend: David's Tea Chocolate Rocket
Single Herb: David's Tea Spearmint

Some of the Tea Bloggers will be at the Coffee and Tea Festival in Atlantic City Nov 3-4 and wil be judging teas and tea accessories there.  Tickets are $20 and the first 1500 people will be getting goody bags.  For more information, go to www.CoffeeandTeaFestival.com  and www.teabloggers.com


It is a cold, sort of ugly day today, but I am warm and the woods are lovely - all peachy apricot from the sugar maples.  The ground is golden from the Pine tree needle drop and lots of small birds are at the feeders.  It is going to be abit of a race among the trees on the hills for the greenest ones to turn color before the others lose their leaves.  A nice long colorful fall, just my cup of tea.

Welcome, Sunshine

We have been having a whole string of beautiful days.  Some were only half days, but around here, you celebrate sun.  Perhaps you could even say we appreciate it more because it is somewhat rare in winter.  In the summer, we often welcome a cloudy day that is little cooler.

Some tea news first of all.  Choice Teas has just introduced an organic Korean Green Tea.  It only comes in teabags at the moment.  They also have some other new ones - decaf green, chai, and rooibos chai.  All their teas are organic.  Their website is http://www.choicesorganicteas.com/  At just 4.99 for 16 teabags, this is a good way to try out some Korean tea.  Generally, it is prohibitively expensive.

Numi Tea has just gotten some awards for their organic teas and for their efforts at sustainability.  http://www.numitea.com/ .  I am pleased to see organic companies rewarded for their work in helping the planet and its people.

The New York Coffee and Tea Festival is taking place February 25-26 and there are lots of tea courses available to choose from.

The World Tea Expo, held in June in Las Vegas is 10 years old this year!  Wow, I didn't know that, it's heartwarming that tea has been that important for that long.  I'll have more information about it later on. 

I am having Dragonwell Imperial Reserve from Teavana today.  It is part of a swap I got from participating in the Tea Review Blog swap.  I thought it suitable for the celebration of the Lunar Year of the Dragon.  These lovely green leaves are so much fun.  They are long, slender and absolutely flat as they are generally hand-fired in woks.  They feel like silk as they run through my fingers.  These seem to give off a sweet aroma.  I am brewing them at about 170 for 2 minutes.  Wow, does this smell wonderful.  A cross between spring green and a sweet orchid.  It is a very pale green.  It tastes as good as it smells, delicate, sweet, spring grassy, a great way to welcome the new year in.

I drove by my neighbor farmer this week and spotted a flock of about 50 wild turkeys gleaning in his corn field.  My little downy woodpeckers are back at the suet feeder and last night I heard the owls calling to each other in the woods - it is mating season and I suppose all the gents were telling the ladies how wonderful they are.  I have been saving my yarn ends from my projects for the birds and soon I will string them through the bushes for them to use in their nests.  I also put out dryer lint for the same purpose.

This is another German ancester's church.  I guess they liked blue.  At some point they had a flood, which rose above the pulpit and up over the balcony.  I now understand what that is like.

Chasing Dragons at the Well

Greetings! I know some of you have been concerned about tea from Japan. Roy Fong of Imperial Tea Court was in the Far East on a buying trip and talked with a Japanese tea merchant about this. If you go to his blog http://camelliasinensisblog.blogspot.com/ you can read about his trip, see some pictures of tea fields and learn there is nothing to fear, as the nearest tea fields to Fukishima are much too far away to be affected.

It seems a great deal of the world is celebrating the upcoming Royal Wedding. Even our little Owego is having a wedding brunch in honor of Will and Kate. http://www.worldteanews.com/ has a section where you can read about more celebrations. Even I will probably watch the wedding. This site is aimed mostly at people in the tea business, but there is a lot of information about tea to be had.

Are our teabags really compostable? This is certainly a question I have had, as I compost as much as I can. Good for less trash and truly " Black Gold" for the garden. Apparently some composters have been finding otherwise, in spite of claims on the tea boxes. Paper ones will, but I shall have to examine my compost when it is ready to put on the garden and see if indeed they are. Loose tea is always compostable, another good reason to use it.

Even if you have a tiny backyard, you can still compost in a bucket or dig a hole and alternate the hole's dirt with what you're composting. Then you have a perfect place to plant something next year. If you have room to grow tomatoes, plant them around your compost bin - they will thrive. In case you're wondering, I was out aerating the compost yesterday, which always brings up the issue. We have 2 compost bins - they look exactly like Darth Vader's head, complete with grill.

That was a far enough wander off the beaten path to tea. What goes with a cold windy day with the sun struggling to shine through? Gotta do greens, to encourage the softer aspects of Spring.

I am having some Dragonwell from Ito En. I got this in a swap from Steph. I just love the leaves, so flat, and they feel like silk sliding on my fingers. They have a very fresh green scent, almost spicy. I brewed it up with a bit over a teaspoon with water about 170 for 2 minutes. The brewing aroma was that of a crisp winter night when everything is frozen and it is about to snow. So much for Spring. It is a lovely pale old gold color. It tastes like a cross between summer squash and asparagus, but not, if you understand. There was almost a metallic edge to it. Words can only approximate. I found it to be very pleasant, somehow a soothing and comforting cup.

Long Live the King

Bacharach, Germany



We just got back from seeing a very special movie - "The King's Speech". It was so well done, with many tender moments, many of joy, many of pain. I thought all the actors did a superb job. I would really highly recommend it. The director wanted to do this about 25 years ago, but the Queen Mum asked him to wait until after her death, as she didn't think she could go through such awful pain again.





When I was tidying my tea drawer, I realized I have an awful lot of green teas that I need to report one, so for the next few days, that is just what I am going to do. I chose Ito En's Dragonwell for today. I got this from from friend Stephanie way out in Washington. This is one of the "Famous Teas" of China, a list of the top 10. Except it isn't really as there are about 15-20 that are on the list, many of them changing places as to whether they are on it or not. This one, however, seems to make the list all the time. It comes from Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province, plucked in the spring and panfired in a wok..








I brewed the Dragonwell for about 2 minutes, with water about 180 degrees. The dry leaves smelled a bit like stone fruits and asparagus, but over all there was what I can only describe as a winter smell, with something of a metallic edge to it. As it brewed there was a scent of floral, along with the winter smell - a herald of spring? The tea tasted somewhat grassy, somewhat of asparagus, somewhat of citrus. Altogether a light, warming brew, carrying with it hints of spring weather. Much needed, as we appear to be in for some snow and freezing rain.

By the way, Ito En is considered to be an excellent source of good green teas.

Raspberries and Green Tea

I love stonework. It is amazing to me that 1,000 years ago this was
built and it is still standing, still in excellent shape.


I received a sample of Formosa Sanxia Longjing tea from Aura Teas. This is the Formosan [Taiwan] take on the familiar China green tea, Dragonwell. It is what is known as a “fried tea”. That means it is dry-
fried in a cylinder or wok to stop oxidation or to partially dehydrate the leaves. One can only imagine the skill it takes to get this right and not burn it!
The dry leaves are very long and a deep green. They have a sweet scent, mixed with something that says “Christmas tree” to me. I infused this 3 times at about 180 degrees, for 50, 60 and 70 seconds. The first left the leaves slightly unfurled and tasted a little sweet, a little vegetal. The second infusion the leaves were more open and the taste had shifted to a more vegetal side of the scale. The third seemed the most hearty of all. I poured the three infusions together and the result was an almost asparagus like taste, with a much heartier body. I didn't feel it delivered much on the sweet floral, fruity taste that Aura said it should have, so I was disappointed. It also seemed to be a much lighter version of Dragonwell than I've had before. I am no expert on green teas, so feel free to really disagree.


Speaking of green teas, while I was at one of our local stores I found some instant tea packets.. They were for iced green tea with lime. They are made by the Gourmet Village company, from Canada. All you do is mix them up and voila! Green tea with lime to pour over ice. So I did. Well... it took me right back to Daily Vacation Bible School, sitting on the church steps, singing “John Jacob Jinkleheimer Schmidt” and eating graham crackers and drinking Lime Koolaid. Which,as you have guessed, is just what it tasted like, only the Koolaid was prettier. At least I won't have to worry about buying any more.


Another ice tea I made recently was also a flop. I like hot Dammann Freres Framboise [raspberry] tea. As far as I am concerned, it's the only one that really tastes like raspberries. It is light and flavorful, and this highly rated French company does its usual good job. However, as an ice tea it seems very heavy and the black tea base seems to drag down the raspberry. All together it isn't very nice. On a positive note, it is time to pick raspberries, yummmmmmmm.

Isn't it amazing how different teas can be whether they are hot or iced? Part of the ongoing journey of discovery in tea land.

Dragonwell comfort

Oh dear, in addition to allergies, I seem to have the summer stomach flu - not conducive to tea drinking. It is hard to concentrate on nuances in tea when one worries if this will occasion a quick trip to the bathroom. Sorry to be so graphic, but there it is.

The picture at the right is an indication of how I've been feeling. It actually is either an obituary or biography on the wall of a church in Germany. I think earlier church folk were more comfortable with death being a part of life, or they were a lot grimmer about it.

However, I did feel recoverd enough to try a green tea - it sounded soothing to the ole tum. I had some Andrews and Dunham Dragonwell that looked good, so I brewed it up. I love the look and feel of the dry leaves - I want to play with them, they are so shiny and slippery. Lovely green leaves that look individually ironed with the greatest of care. This, by the way, is an indication of a quality Dragonwell tea. Dragonwell is one of the "Fifty Famous Teas" of China - teas that have been recognized, perhaps for centuries, as the best. These leaves smell of hay and cocoa. Brewed for 2 1/2 minutes with water about 180/90. The tea brewed into a light brownish/greenish liquor that now smells a bit fishy, as well as of hay. The cocoa smell is gone. This has a fine vegetal taste,with a bit of sweetness, kind and gentle to my aching belly. Thankfully the taste doesn't carry over the fishy smell or I'd be sunk! Still not likely to be a favorite tea, but certainly a good quality. I should let it be known that it would be very difficult to be a big favorite, as I am not really a green tea person, but I am working at expanding my horizons. So far, I am up to 3 that I will probably continue to buy and this may be one of them.