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.

Sweet Citrus

The scones are all gone and I still would like a sweet for tea.  I have 4 very ripe nectarines, so I decided to make what I think is called a gallette.  It's a kind of rough-hewn tart.  I made some pastry in the Cuisinart, stuck it in the fridge, and then sliced up the nectarines and mixed them with some sugar and cardamom.  That done, I rolled out the pastry, put it in a pan, poured in the fruit and then folded the edges of the pastry up around it and baked it.  It's all very casual and doesn't take long.  It's ideal when you really don't have enough fruit for a real pie or tart. If you want to fancy it up, you could add a layer of pudding under the fruit.

I am enjoying another tea I saved specifically for ice tea.  Rishi Tea's Organic Green Tea - Orange Blossom.  In the summer, as long as it is ice tea, I don't mind flavors as, on the whole, I regard ice tea as just a cold drink.  Sad, but true.  This has osthmanthus flowers, lemongrass, lemon myrtle, rose flavoring,  jasmine flowers and aromatic citrus, i.e. essential oils.  All of these are organic.  It smells mostly lemony, but there is a definite fruity undertone.

Rishi even tells you how to make this the cold brew method - 4 tablespoons tea to a quart of water, 4 hours in the fridge.  It comes out very nicely, a very pleasant straw color.  It is vaguely sweet, with a somehow minty citrus flavor.  It seems to go with most foods and is certainly fine on it's own.  I find it quite refreshing.  I appreciate the fact that it is all organic.

Ravenna, Italy mosiacs.  A mere 1,000 years old and still shining.

Oh, I'm Hap-Hap-Happy

Today is a happy tea day - I got my order of S.D. Bell's Breakfast Tea from Best International Tea, along with some samples and a big box of samples from Life in Teacup.  Oh happy da-ay.  Lots of exciting things to try.

I had a small treat today I've not had before.  I am a big fan of baklava.  Today I had some made with chocolate.  The phyllo sheets were quite dark with cocoa and I think there was some cinnamon in it as well.  It was Dee-lish!  What's not to like - honey, butter, nuts, chocolate, all in one bite.  Another of my favorite Middle Eastern pastries is borecki, which I probably didn't spell right.  Think of a big shredded wheat bisquit taken apart and "glorified" with some pastry cream, some nuts, some honey syrup.  Yum.  All would go very well with some good solid Breakfast Tea, to off set the sweetness.

Yellow tea is a fairly new offering on the American market.  As far as I know, it is only made in China, not much is made and very little gets exported.  I have some Ancient Yellow Buds from Rishi Tea and I must say, I like this lovely delicate tea.  The ancient refers to the trees it comes from.  The dry tea is not really yellow, just faintly so over a gray to beige coloring of the buds, which are long and slender.  It is processed somewhat simlarly to green tea, but it is piled up for a day or two, so the buds dry a little and yellow from lack of sun, much as that pile of weeds does if you don't pitch them right away.   

I brewed it for 2 minutes with 180 degree water.  The aroma is a quiet mix of lemon and flowers.  The flavor has a bit of tang, but nowhere near anything called citrus.  There is a hint of flowers, a hint of bright clean straw and something that speaks of spring.  It's not quite warm, but carries a bit of cold lingering in the shadows.  Because these are buds, do not expect unfurling - it won't happen.  It is well worth at least trying, even if you don't want to run the expense of a big order.

A gold Bible cover.  Those Hapsburgs lived very well.

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.

Orange Blossoms and Strawberries

It's a flower day!

Oh boy, did I have some really nice tea today, part of the Wegman's stash. It is from Rishi Teas, Organic Green Orange Blossom. It contains sweet osthmanthus flowers (aka orange flowers), lemongrass and a host of other things in very small amounts. All of it is wild harvested and the tea comes from Hubei Province, China. There is even a small map for those of us whose Chinese geography is weak.


The tin is double sealed, with an inside lid. The dry tea is dark from the green tea and has lots of lemon grass and gold and white bits that I assume are the flowers. It has a strong sweet citrus scent with a tart edge to liven it. The directions call for 1 tablespoon per 8 oz. of water, at about 180 degrees. The pale gold liquid has a very citrussy scent, but the orange flowers are definitely there, along with perhaps a bit of rose or jasmine to soften it.


The captivating aroma carries right on into the actual liquid, which is delicious, light, citrussy, flowery, but not like perfume. This would be an excellent tea with sweets or to lure tea newbies into green tea. I am going to make it my next ice tea, as I think all the flavors will come through. I may put a drop of orange flower water in if it needs livening from the cold.


Speaking of which, if you have some strawberries that aren't quite flavorful enough, add a few drops of orange flower water. It enhances their fragrance, which in turn, kicks up the taste. A bit of rose water can do wonders as well, but I would rather add that to my pound cake.


I went to the farmers' market Friday and the first tomatoes are in! Oh, the sublime taste of a fresh summer tomato. They are so early because the farmer grafts seedlings onto old roots and then performs magic. But there were nice green ones for fried green tomatoes and cherries for pie. I also got some beet greens, with tiny beets attached. I was thinking that tiny beets and mandarin oranges with tiny spring greens would make a stunning small composed salad for a tea party course, with a few toasted pine nuts and a crumble or two of a mild cheese.

Tea with Monsieur Hediard

Way back in October I reviewed Hediard's Hediard Blend as a hot tea and found it to be pleasant, but not great. Today I made it as an ice tea – 8 teaspoons to almost 2 quarts of water. This is definitely where it shines. All the citrus, bergamot and orange, come out and it is a very nice, refreshing ice tea. I personally like it plain, but that's me. If you have tried it hot and weren't impressed, I urge you to make it iced, I think you'll like it a lot more.


I did try blending tea with the cat litter and I found it did not do much for odor. The company I mentioned that sells green tea cat litter must do more processing beyond stirring, as I did. The cats looked at me as if I were nuts, but then, catly disdain is not uncommon.


I just got an issue of the magazine “Tea in Texas”. I thought I ought to keep up with our Southern tea people. In the magazine, I found 2 items of note. The first is that the combined Tea Associations of Canada and the US are sponsoring the 1st Annual North American Tea Conference in Niagara Falls, Canada. It will be held in September and delegates from all over the world are expected to attend. The emphasis will be on the Specialty Tea market. It sounded like it is aimed at everyone in the tea business, not just tea drinkers.


The second piece of news is that Rishi Tea is launching a new tea concentrate, Masala Chai, in partnership with the Jane Goodall Institute. If you remember, Dr. Goodall has done extensive work with African gorillas, as well as other animals, and sponsors an environmental and humanitarian youth program. The tea, and all its ingredients are organic and Fair Trade. The base tea comes from ancient tree forests in Yunnan, China. I've not had any Rishi Tea, but I know they generally have a good reputation. If you buy the tea, a portion of the profits will go to the Institute.