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.
