Sencha "Sakura Saku"

Tea: Sencha "Sakura Saku" - 8005
Vendor: Lupicia USA
Vendor Description: Blend of Uji Sencha which is firmly rubbed.

Leaf: This tea is a well polished dark green sencha leaf. There is a light aroma to it. The shape of the leaf is very expected with a good distribution of large leaf and a light amount of small flecks.

1st Infusion Parameters: 4g, 160F, 1 min

1st Infusion: There was a pale light green color to this infusion, it didn't have much of an aroma to it. The tea is a light clean flavor with a medium grassiness. The flavor was very sweet and almost like a shincha in vibrance.

2nd Infusion Parmeters: 180F, 1 min

2nd Infusion: This infusion was a darker yellow color with a very bitter flavor to it. It felt like the temperature was a massive overshoot.

Rating: 2/10

Conclusion: This sencha would normally have been a very normal and good example of an Uji sencha, but instead it seemed to be very very temperature sensitive. Temperatures which would seem normal for most senchas seemed a bit too extreme for this tea. The flavor of the first infusion was quite good, but nothing to warrant the fickle nature of this tea. I tried this tea later using a second infusion at 150F and the result was a very average tasting sencha.

Taken from http://meandmytea.blogspot.com/

Tea in Toronto

There's a sense of exhilaration that I get when I'm at a conference away from home. The novelty of being in a distant city, the fun of catching up with old friends who come from afar as well, and the excitement of meeting people for the first time; all these energize me as I go from lecture to lecture, trying to absorb bits of information, the latest findings and guidelines in medicine.

This year, the annual spring conference was in Toronto. Having been disappointed in the availability of decent tea and stymied in my attempts to brew it in a hotel room in past years, I brought along my own stash of tea from home. Hours before my flight, I assiduously packed spoonfuls of dry tea leaves into disposable tea filters, stashing them in a metal canister, hoping for the best when I pass through customs. There were enough of the Yunnan black for both E and me for the morning as well as an ample supply of Silver Needles for the early afternoon -when I envisioned myself rushing back to the hotel room, between talks, from the adjacent convention center to brew a cup of the much-needed tea, then heading back to slog through several additional hours of lectures.

On the first morning in Toronto, E and I went downstairs to breakfast. I was not expecting much in the way of potable tea and had already pulled out the metal canister from my luggage in anticipation of brewing tea later in our hotel room after breakfast.

But I was pleasantly surprised. A wooden box holding a variety of loose leaf tea stood between the espresso machine and a large stand of bagels. Present were English Breakfast, chai, Lung Ching Dragonwell, White Peony, and some tisanes. I chose the chai blend to go with my carb-laden breakfast, the briskness of the black tea a fitting counterpoint to my generously-buttered raisin toast.

In the afternoons, there was tea at the Red Tea Box, a funky teahouse in an even funkier neighborhood of Queen Street West. The first day, E and I sat at the back and looked out onto a leafy alcove. Inside, we were amidst the fading brocade of rocking chairs and settees. We shared a pot of Jasmine Pearls, picked at Asian-inflected small plates, and shared perfect-looking pieces of confectionery.

There were more pots of tea later: Lung Ching the next day at the Red Tea Box, more jasmine over bowls of rice with friends in Chinatown, a large pot of hot ginger milk tea with E late at night while surrounded by tweens in a bubble tea shop.

Days later, I am at home. The trees are almost in full bloom, the cherry blosssoms more luxuriant than I remember them to be - the contrast emphatic in my mind, seeming further away than a mere week ago.

Taken from http://teamusings.blogspot.com/

No Loch Ness Here

Hangzhou Westlake, home of the Tiger Run Spring, elegant pavilions, a brocade like lake, and of course, Dragonwell tea. It's nice to know that though we may never have Dragonwell at the quality of 20 years ago, due to possibly, unrestricted vehicles (and their exhaust) in the city floating up the mountain. It's also the only tourist trap for tea. No matter, when in Rome, gotta introduce the Coliseum to the tourists. In this case, it was with our esteemed colleague Steve that we are being a tour guide for. Darius has also never been to Hangzhou, but he was an old hand now with rough remote farms, and he thought this might be the most leisurely trip with me ever. With that came a price. The Tiger Run Spring is an underground trickle now. The Koi fishes have not surfaced, at least not the 3 feet long ones. The lake itself was gorgeous, with swaying willows and an occasional egret. Darius was ambivalent about the bats who zip and flutter around us all night as we sat by the lake, drinking newly harvested Dragonwell. Still, the tea was mighty sweet immersed in the local water, because folks, it's always better to drink the tea with the water it was grown in. The tea was just more in its element. Hangzhou is the home of the scholarly and elegant, and no matter how many tour buses descend, it seems to calmly fold itself over the masses and persuade them to relax under its cool breeze. One can not really understand Dragonwell tea unless one understands the calm, subtle literacy of the people who have appreciated it for hundreds of years.

Taken from http://teapersonality.blogspot.com/

Tea Trekker Jungjak

So the real excitement of today was new Korean teaware, from the truly unique and wonderful artist Seong-il. I was so excited I decided to open up a bag of Korean tea, that being the Tea Trekkers Jungjak. I must say these teas are quite a treat. I am writing this review from memory because I really wished to be taken into the tea experience today, especially with my new teaware.

I have been told by Toki at The Mandarins Tea that if you quickly rinse the green tea with near boiling water it will improve the tea experience by better allowing the tea oils to be released. I must say upon pouring off that "rinse" while waiting for the water to cool to proper temp for the first steep, the aroma pouring out of the little teapot from these leaves was absolutely unbelievable. It was rather pine like and incredibly potent. It served to both relax me and make me uneasy, uneasy due to a combination of wanting to drink the tea and an empty stomach.

So here is the wood fired teapot, that I got today. Cut off in the bottom right corner is a little bit of a lid rest, something that I'm already unsure how I got by without as it is so enjoyable just to have there and add a bit of distinction to the set up.

These are Shino cups and are rather smaller than I thought they would be, but I am starting to become a bit of a Shino fan, or perhaps I am a fan of nearly all teaware!

Somehow I found the aroma of the actual infusion lacking, sure it was incredibly clean and fresh, but no major forthright and robust aroma. But the flavor comes across with a decent bit of pine and if I hadn't been reading so many reviews by Matt, I do not think I would have noticed this, but there is a decent bean type of flavor in there also. In the later infusions it becomes almost minty and quite cooling.

Taken from http://thesiptip.blogspot.com/

The Meaning Of Rain Flower

Yu means Rain, and Hua means Flower. Yu Hua Cha means Rain Flower tea. The story goes that during Bodhidharma's time a Zen master called Yun Guang lectured in Nanjing and the heavens was so moved that it rained flowers from above. Everyone believed that the Zen master was enlightened.

Nanjing Yu Hua green tea is one of the top 5 most influential teas of China, but you may never have heard of it nor find its existence outside of Nanjing. The small hills in an area called Gao Chuen about an hour away from the city is designated to be a nature conservatory, a pristine area asigned to growing tea only. Relatively young compared to other teas, Yu Hua green tea is not so much varietal as shape and taste, for about 4-5 local varietals can be made into this tea. After a little incident called the Nanking Massacre over 50 years ago, a tea was given to the people of Nanjing as consolation, rather than, say, a country. To commemorate their bravery and uprightness, the tea had to be shaped to reflect a perfectly straight spine.

This tea defies the word impossible, as it is defined by a shape called pine needle, the most difficult of all to make for a green tea. There are only about 10 artisans remaining who can hand make this shape, and about three works for the farm I visited. The criteria for a perfect Yu Hua tea consists of the following, in a poem:

Straight spine blade-like taper ,

Thin and pointy like hair,

White fuzz and green balance each other,

Round bottom like one end of the pine needle

This straight, thin shape is extremely easy to break, unlike, say, spiral shapes like Bi Luo Chun.

Moreover, aside from the difficult hand processing, the harvesting is of course, also done by hand, to the tune of 70,000 buds per lb. Only 2-3 days of harvest before the rain are used for the handcrafted needles!

These teas are usually commissioned by the Central Government as state gifts and not usually available for purchase. Today, there are a couple of grades below the supreme grade, made by a combination of hand and machine processing, for less perfection but more commercially viable quantities. By that, we are still talking about mere handfulls per year.

What happens when there are no more harvesters? What happens when the 10 artisans grow old and pass and leave no disciples? We may be the last to enjoy such great handmade treasures! (Hurry to the Rare Tea Harvest Party at Teance)

Taken from http://teapersonality.blogspot.com/

Seasonal Guessing Game

It's time for another Cuisine Quotidienne guessing game!

1. What exactly are these three fall fruits? (That's the easy one...)

2. What French dessert were they about to become part of?

Tea in Low Places

But that's what made my recent meal at Esselon Cafe (99 Russell St., Hadley, Mass.) so pleasant. It's mainly an eggs-and-light-lunch type place, but the care lavished on even the simple green salad (with nary a slimy or wilted leaf in the bunch) alongside my tuna sandwich- wisely made with citrus vinaigrette, no mayonnaise- piqued my interest in the cafe's extensive tea list.

I rarely even bother to order tea in a restaurant: It's almost always bagged, and if it's not black, the water is often the wrong temperature. And if you ask for a pot of plain hot water and pull your homemade bag of loose sencha out of your bag, your dining companions may get a little uncomfortable.

Perhaps the mercury was going to my head, but I was feeling brazen. I marched back up to the counter and ordered a pot of Silver Needles ($3.25), a Chinese white tea which requires careful brewing to avoid bitterness or worse, flavorlessness.


Within minutes, it was delivered to the table already brewed, with the loose leaves set on the side. My boldness paid off: the tea was sweet, light and faintly fragrant, and the pot had enough to share with my satisfied lunch dates.

Why can't cafes in New York get their shamisen together and serve tea like this?

Taken from http://teaspotnyc.blogspot.com/

Good News for Subscribers

There is a Teance subscription which subscribers get a tea or two every month, and in general, these are rare or hard to find, and at the best quality possible. It's also always a surprise what teas are in the subscription each month; this time, not only have I obtained some aged Baochong from Mr. Lee for the subscribers, I also managed to find the original inventor of the Honey Oolong ! The Honey Oolong was discovered by accident one year when overbearing typhoons wrecked the plants and made it impossible to dry the leaves properly. An alternative, unimaginable method to continue to make it an oolong was discovered by Mr. Chen of Pinglin, Wenshan. The varietal is Tai Cha #12, the leaf hoppers are required as it was for Taiwan Beauty, but the leaves harvested are large and the secret: the leaves were oxidized in a vacuum without oxygen. The result? Unbelievable honey tones and the sweetest oolong ever tasted. The fragrance made me almost delirious. Of course, this tea is not available every year. One never knows when the conditions will come together again for another harvest. Talk about rare: one farmer, one handful of crop, all these conditions coming together in one year, and possibly, never again! The farmer Mr. Chen was quite sad and almost cried when he told me this, but I assured him that like life, we may die any time and it may also never come again, so in comparison, even just having one such crop of tea is enough. Everyone laughed, then, cried again.

Taken from http://teapersonality.blogspot.com/

Afternoon Tea At Least Once Each Year

The last time EJ and I enjoyed Afternoon Tea not by our own hands was a delightful trip to The Lobby at the Peninsula Hotel in Chicago. The Peninsula is a Five Star hotel on Chicago's magnificent Michigan Avenue. I am not sure of the history of fine hotels serving tea, but there is definitely a connection. Perhaps that will be a future post.


Until then, since Two for Tea is no longer open, I suggest these fine places for Afternoon Tea:


1. The Peninsula Hotel in Chicago
2. The Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.
3. The Waldorf-Astoria in New York
4. The Plaza Hotel in New York

If your taste runs to the less high brow, what a shame! However, I suggest consulting teamap.com. This resource is a fairly comprehensive list of tearooms nationwide. Please call the tearoom ahead of time as many require reservations and even more may no longer be open.


Sharing the love of (Afternoon) tea,


Dara

Taken from http://weliketea.blogspot.com/

Evil Brews for Halloween

Yes, I was going to title this post “Witchy Brews”. That was before I did my “research”. Before I reached a sad revelation: Tea and alcohol don’t play well together.

So for your amusement this Halloween, I present for you my attempts at mixing our beloved daily beverage of choice with the liquid fire that is alcohol. It didn’t really work though a couple pairings have limited promise. I did get one decent cup out of the whole batch, so all was not entirely lost, at least. I wish I could say I had pictures to share with you, but you’ll have to make due with our eerie pool room mascot, who though you can’t really see it, has a hand propped up on a bottle of beer that my husband deems “undrinkable”, but keeps for the bottle. Monsieur Skeleton was the only witness present at my “tastings” aside from my dogs, who were quite happy that *I* was pretty happy, taste bud torture notwithstanding.

Without further ado, here are the 4 concoctions I tried:

Harney & Son’s “Florence” tea with Raspberry Pucker: I like chocolate. I like raspberry. I thought, what better thing than to combine a chocolate/hazelnut tea with raspberry alcohol (mind you, I’d just had a shot of PB&J, which is Frangelico, Raspberry and vodka, so it really did sound like it would work at the time). Needless to say, it didn’t. There wasn’t enough raspberry, and then when I added more, it was too sour. So I added sugar – too sweet. Then I added milk to tone that down, and it curdled in the face of all that alcohol. So yeah, the “Raspberry Florence” went down the drain.

Republic of Tea’s Cranberry Blood Orange tea with Captain Morgan’s Spiced Rum and Apple Cider: This one would have been okay I think had I left out the spiced cider. The apple just didn’t go with the cranberry/orange of the tea. I did add sugar, and it was drinkable, but would have been better with just the tea and rum. I would hesitantly recommend this one, but only if you promise to leave either the cider or the tea out. We could call it something like a “Rummy Cranberry Orange”…but even so, it still is missing “something”. If anyone figures it out, please let me know. Heck, maybe it needs orange juice?

Adagio’s Chestnut tea with Frangelico: If you don’t know, Frangelico is a hazelnut flavored liquor that is truly amazing…very good. I was going to try it with Gingerbread tea, but had a change of heart at the last minute, and this is the one drink that actually worked pretty well. I added sugar and milk to the tea, and a splash of Frangelico, and it was serious nutty goodness. Unfortunately, there’s no way to combine the names without being crass…the best I’ve come up with so far is “Monky Nuts” or “Frangel Nuts”, but it did amuse me. Suggestions?

Stash’s Irish Breakfast with Bailey’s Irish Cream: This is the second one that has potential. I think I brewed the tea too long, and used too much Baileys, but coffee drinkers would probably appreciate it. I think a lighter brew, and just an ounce or so of Bailey’s would work fine. I think Bailey’s would probably work well with Keemun tea too, but at that point, I’d had way too much to drink anyways, and a pretty good buzz going on.

I didn’t try a marTEAni, which I had planned to – I couldn’t decide which tea to use, and again, I was buzzed and it was really late by that time. Guess I’ll save that idea for another time…

So there you have it – a good reason it’s dangerous to have an almost full bar on hand with a serious tea stash to drink your way through. I’ll freely admit that I still have plans to pair the “Champagne of Tea” with actual champagne one day, and possibly mix puerh with a good sherry or merlot as well…but that will have to wait for another adventurous night. Who knows, maybe someday I’ll discover the perfect alcoholic tea!

In any case, it was fun trying. I’m not sure why anyone under 21 would be reading this particular blog, but if you are, spare me a lawsuit and don’t try this until you are of legal drinking age, please.

Whatever you’re drinking tonight, Happy Halloween!

Taken from http://teaontap.blogspot.com/

The Finish Line

To the best of my knowledge, I've blogged every day in November! Wahoo! And I only had to cheat with fluff content a couple of times. Participating in National Blog Posting Month was much more challenging than I anticipated. I'm a frequent blogger by my nature, so I thought it would be no big deal. What I realized is that the days I don't blog are as important as the days I do! They give me ideas and passion to write more. So now I will return to my frequent - but not every day - blogging. I hope you come back!

A special thanks to those of you who visited, and especially those who left comments!

Taken from http://stephcupoftea.blogspot.com/

When in a jam

I am a victim of identity theft.I can’t believe this. My poor brain is flogging itself.I won’t go into the details in this loud, echoing, painfully public venue, but yesterday I was weaseled out of the last four digits of my Social Security number by a nasty scheming liar. And then he—no doubt rubbing his hands with devilish glee—called my wireless telephone provider, bought a $600 cell phone in

The Teapot Cafe - Boxborough, MA

Last Saturday I had the chance to visit The Teapot Cafe in Boxborough, MA. I had been hearing about this tea shop for years but hadn't yet gotten there. (I'd tried to go one other time, but there was a bridal shower going on that day.) The cafe came under its current ownership in August of 2007.

Boxborough is a beautiful rural community filled with large old homes and lovely wooded areas. The Teapot Cafe is situated in a colonial home built in the 1770s, sharing the building with a law firm and a fantastic fabric shop called The Quilted Crow. (The Teapot Cafe site says that the building was actually a barn that was relocated from NH to its current site and rebuilt in the early 1980s. The Quilted Crow info. just notes its age as being from the 1770s.)

As you enter the front of The Teapot Cafe you are faced with a collection of gift items for sale. I must admit that at that moment I was more focused on getting to my reservation on time so I didn't do much perusing. I often find spaces like that feel a bit cluttered to me. I made my way through the gift shop into the cafe space.

The cafe has a very rustic feel, in keeping with the period of the house. The wide planks of the wooden floor, the exposed beams, the paned windows, and the subtle color of the sage walls created a nice feel. I was a bit puzzled by the art in the room, however. The black and white photographs on the wall were lovely - part of a rotating exhibit I presume. I couldn't quite comprehend the various LPs that were on the shelves along with the bowls made of melted LPs. I was really unclear as to how they fit the mood of the space.

There are two rooms with a hostess station and sideboard of loose leaf Harney & Sons tea for sale in the middle. One cafe room had three tables and the one I was in had six.

The tea menu was quite extensive - all loose leaf. I believe that it was all sourced from Harney & Sons. There were 7 black teas, 9 flavored teas, 3 green teas, and 6 herbal infusions. I decided to try the Russian Country Blend. It was a smoky tea, somewhat reminiscent of Mark T. Wendell's Afternoon Tea, but with a bit more smoke. It was served in a 2 cup ceramic pot and was brought to the table brewed with the leaves already removed. Extra points for this. Very good tea and brewed perfectly.

The food was served in the traditional three tiered arrangement. There were 4 types of sandwich. They were actually full sized sandwiches made with three thinly sliced pieces of bread with the crusts (mostly) removed. My favorite of the four was a honey ham with cheese and chipotle mustard. Well balanced flavors. I also enjoyed the turkey with cranberry chutney. Less successful was the cucumber and radish sandwich which seemed exceedingly dry and flavorless. I was also less than impressed with the hot house tomato and provolone sandwich. The center piece of bread had become very soggy. It reminded me of the way my sandwich would sometimes come out of my lunch box when I was a kid.

The second tier was a small gingerbread cookie and a scone with clotted cream and jam. These were both excellent. The bite-sized scone was simply perfect.

The last tier, the sweets, were decadent and wonderful. It included a rich chocolate brownie, a black and white cookie, a luscious pecan tart, and lemon cranberry bread. I ate every single bit and was in heaven. My only disappointment was that I had run out of tea at this point. I would have been happy to pay for another pot, but I didn't see a server and decided to just enjoy the desserts. (I wasn't asked if I wanted more tea, so it seemed like the tea comes with the 2 cup pot only.) I was also wishing I had asked for a glass of water.

I had a very nice visit all in all. The tea was excellent and the food was generally very successful. I certainly know a few people in my life who would enjoy this cafe with the added allure of an adjoining fabric store. Afternoon tea is served at The Teapot Cafe at 2:30 from Tuesday through Sunday. Reservations are required and they must be made by telephone 24 hours in advance. Lunch is also served at the cafe Tuesdays through Sundays from 11:30 to 2:00. That menu includes soups, sandwiches, and desserts. It is worth noting that The Teapot Cafe uses many locally grown ingredients from area farms.

Taken from http://teapages.blogspot.com/

A Nature Hunt

Autumn is a great season for participating in nature activities with children.  The weather is cool, yet crisp and pleasant.  Foliage is turning shades of orange, red, and brown.  Flowers are going to seed, creating pods and seed packets that are interesting to touch and see.  It is a fantastic season to explore nature with children.  

Here’s a fun game to do outside with children.  Use a word, such as CREATION, and have the children find or see an object from nature that starts with each letter found in that word.  For example ~

C = cattail

R = rabbit

E = egg shell

A = apple

T = tree

I = insect

O = olive leaf

N = nectar

The children can document their findings in a nature journal where they can draw, gather, write about, or photograph the items they found.  When one word is completed, move on to another like NATURE, WILDLIFE, or FOREST.

Thank you for visiting Gracious Hospitality. Please come back soon!

Taken from http://www.gracioushospitality.blogspot.com/

Tea workers change tea gardens

The workers come from Salboni, a division of the Redbank tea estate with 150 hectares of plantation. This morning, an altercation broke out between the two unions when members of the Citu-affiliated operations and maintenance committee (OMC) of Redbank went to the Salboni division to dissuade the labourers from going over to Surendranagar.

“When we went there, a few toughs, whom we suspect to be accomplices of the owner of Surendranagar, threatened us,” said Debabrata Pal, a member of the OMC. “We protested but turned back to avoid any law and order problem. We consider this to be a plot by the owner to create a rift among Redbank workers.”

Both the gardens are owned by Rabin Paul. But while Paul has regained control of Surendranagar after almost four years, Redbank is still run by an OMC. Redbank has gone into liquidation from March 28 this year and the OMC members put the blame for the situation on the “irresponsible attitude” of Paul towards the garden.

Leaders of the Intuc-affiliated National Union of Plantation Workers (NUPW), which enjoys the support of the workers of Surendranagar, said labourers are increasingly preferring them over the Citu. “Of the 113 permanent workers of Salboni, more than 100 are with us now,” said Pradip Mullick of NUPW. “Instead of plucking tealeaves and handing them over to the Citu-dominated OMC at Redbank, they prefer to work as casual workers at Surendranagar.”

In total, there are over 800 workers at Redbank.

The NUPW leader also claimed that it was Citu supporters who had tried to create trouble this morning. “But the workers thwarted their ploy,” Mullick said.

The workers in question said they had switched gardens on their own. “We used to get around Rs 15 to Rs 20 per day from the OMC for plucking tealeaves at Salboni, but at Surendranagar we are earning Rs 53.90 every day even as casual labourers,” said one of those who have crossed over.

Source: The Telegraph

Taken from http://teanewsdarjeeling.blogspot.com/

Another year older

Pop your corks boys and girls becuase today I find myself another year closer to my demise.  Each year seems to have this feeling of going by faster and faster.  Hopefully I can surround myself with good friends, many cups of good tea, and whatever else I can find to slow down the process of aging.  

I'm just pleased to know that next year at this time, everything I have will be one year better.  Perhaps that's an attitude more people should have a wider scope attached to.  

Taken from http://mugpuerh.blogspot.com/

Life is Short, Make it Sweet

Life is short and it's up to you to make it sweet.

~ Sadie Delang ~

Thank you for visiting Gracious Hospitality. Please come back soon!

Taken from http://www.gracioushospitality.blogspot.com/

/T/rifecta Complete

Tea_Pain: We headed over to Macha and discovered the place was packed; I don't think that's ever actually happened before. After realizing that deciding on one tea from the menu of 30-some /t/eas was going to be troublesome, I took advice from a chalkboard proclaiming “SPECIAL” and ordered the Bolivian Whole Leaf Tea. 
DukeOEarl: Bolivian Whole Leaf Tea. Bolivia...Bolivia...isn't that the city where they invented cocaine?

Tea_Pain: No, I believe Bolivia is actually where the song “Who Let The Dogs Out?” originated. Rather, cocaine was invented in the richer segments of Los Angeles to combat weight gain. It's doing alright so far.

 

DukeOEarl: Tea_Pain told me about his break over in Antarctica or Wisconsin or whatever. Apparently he wasn't teaching young children how to marry Taylor Swift, which is good since I will be doing that soon. Instead, he was admiring my pudding fart movies, and drinking girly tea. Not a bad break I guess. I mean it could be worse, like he could've taken stock tips from 50 Cent or been Lindsay Lohan in rehab. Plus talk of pudding farts scared away this annoying pseudo-couple that was sitting next to us talking about which friends they liked more. Shoot me in the face. In the faaaaaace.

Tea_Pain: "Admiring" is a weak word, but I digress... After a couple minutes of some hardcore brewing action, I took a swig of this black /t/. I'll just throw this out there now... this is tits. The whole tea had a honey feel: taste, look, smell. Effing amazing. I want to live in Bolivia so that I may grow thousands of honey trees and drink their nectar. It was so good we each got 3 pots of it. Sad day though, it looks like this tea is seasonal.

DukeOEarl: Tea_Pain's assessment that the /t/ tasted like honey is fair. To be honest, my nose is so clogged right now that I wouldn't smell the manure-filled cow barn thing on campus if I was standing in the manure. I could ice a cake with the amount of mucus that I produce in one hour. My sense of taste is skewed too, but I could taste that this /t/ was delicious. Its flavor was light and sweet, and the liquor was a little lighter than a typical black tea. And by god there were no pomegranates in it. We drank three pots each before channeling our inner Michael J. Fox. That was a serious amount of fluid and caffeine. Justin, fresh pot?
P.S. - On a sad note, Hockey Muhammad, Sidney Crosby, is injured. :'(

Tea_Pain: Though it is sad that the holiest of the holy was injured after falling on the ice, we did get some words in for a decent conversation. Hell, I found out I should have bought BP stock after that oil spill (I could've bought out Lipton with all the money I would have made). And to conclude, I'm actually still shaking. This /t/ was so good it gave me several post-orgasmic tremors. More in the summary.

What: Bolivian Full Leaf (Macha Teahouse)

Quote from Macha: Bolivian Black- A strip style whole leaf from La Paz region near the Andes. The cool climate and high altitude along with the unique cultivar give this tea an amazing sweet ,malty and earthy taste. A great addition to your personal stash.
tl;dr= Latin tea that tastes like honey. Olé.

How much: $3/pot
What kind: Black – Full Leaf
Taste: It's like Jesus looked down upon our earth and cried warm tears of joy into a small drinking vessel and then bellowed “FREE REFILLS FOR ALLLLLL!” It's like a subtle black tea but with the taste of hope, rain, and honey.
Repeat Drinkability: 10/10. I'mma be serious here when I say that neither of us can normally finish more than two pots at Macha. Even after the third, we were still loving it (until we noticed the shaking).

Manliness: 7/10. The only way this could be manlier is if you knocked down a wasp nest to flavor the tea. Shirtless. With a baseball bat and small explosives.

Taken from http://theteablag.blogspot.com/

Hanging Out with Hampstead Tea

Recently, several tea samples arrived and are patiently waiting their turn to be reviewed. Meanwhile, I took a look at who the folks at Hampstead Tea are.

Let’s start with the founder of the company: Kiran Tawadey. Her goal in starting a tea company wasn’t tea. It was to engage in promoting various trendy ideas going around now. I’m not going into them here. They’re too distressing. Suffice it to say that most of their teas come from the Makaibari tea estate in the Darjeeling region of India.

So much for who is Hampstead Tea. Now, for the “what.”

Their teas cover quite a range, including some Assams and green teas whose origins aren’t specified. They have flavored and unflavored teas, tea blends, and straight Darjeeling. They also call herbal infusions “teas” and make unsubstantiated health claims on their About Us page. Also, despite the claim on their site that their teas are not dust in bags, they seem to carry a lot of bagged teas. Hm…

We shall be trying the samples on their own merits, not as a way to promote Ms. Tawadey’s various causes. We embrace free choice, so she is entitled to follow whatever trends she wants.

Taken from http://teatimewithaccargill.blogspot.com/

Assiette de Fromage - Cheese Plate

I firmly believe that if you are interested in/open to trying cheese, coming to France and tasting some of their 460-odd varieties of cheeses will change your entire perspective on this dairy product. 

Cheese is so highly valued in France that it usually reserves its own course, squeezed in between the plat (main course) and the dessert.  Although the wide variety of cheese available in this country can be overwhelming, I have managed to pick a few favorites which I'd like to share with you. 

Ossau Iraty - this sheep's milk cheese, coming specifically from a female sheep called brebis in french, is a firm, almost nutty cheese which can vary in color from bright yellow to ashy gray.  It's great on its own, in sandwiches, or served in little cubes as a starter for a dinner party.

Mimolette Vieille - Mimolette is a firm French cheese from cow's milk which is produced in the Lille region of France (north), which most closely resembles cheddar in both color and taste.  However mimolette vieille and extra vieille, which have been aged for between 1-2 years, tastes more strongly and richly than any cheddar I've tasted, and are wonderful eaten alone, melted in sandwiches or in yummy scones and other savory pastries.

Saint-Marcellin - this soft cow's cheese is an indulgent delight which thankfully comes in a rather small disk, so don't worry if you eat the whole thing, it's not all that large!  This tastes fantastic with crusty bread, but is also nice when served with a warm berry compote or another sweet sauce. There is a similar cheese to this one, Saint Félicien, which comes in an equally adorable size and is slightly milder. 

Aside from these cheeses, some other popular ones that I like are comté, another firm cows cheese, and crottin de chavignol, which is a soft, fresh round of goat cheese.  While the crottin de chavignol comes in a small individual size, the comté is sold in wedges, because it comes from a much larger cheese wheel.

On that note, I'd like to provide you with some tips on how to eat cheese, both individually and on a cheese plate.  This is of course a very preliminary list but I hope it will help you get the most out of your cheese-tasting experience. 

1.  Organize Cheese Plates from Mildest to Strongest.  When making a cheese plate, it's usually best to start with a mild cheese, such as a goat cheese, and move on gradually (in clockwise fashion) to the stronger cheeses, such as roquefort and blue cheese.  You could also move along from type of animal, such as from goat's to sheep's to cow's milk cheeses. 

2.  Cut your cheese properly - don't cheat your neighbor! When it comes to cheese rounds, such as goat cheese and saint marcellin, the cheeses should be cut into even-sized wedges, and this is fairly straightfoward.  When cutting and preparing firm cheeses that have been cut from much larger rounds, such as tomme de brebis or comte, it's best to cut along the wedge, from the outer edge to the tip, so that everyone eats the same parts of the cheese.  Let's look at this picture here as an example:

(Photo courtesy of lemonde.fr)

The best thing would be to take a sharp knife and place it parallel to the cheese, from the outside towards the center.  Cut off as thick of a slice as you'd like to serve.  The last thing anyone wants is for the tip of the cheese, which is the softest and moistest part, to be given to one person!  However, if it's just you eating it,  you can do whatever you'd like.

3.  Add Accompaniments. Traditional items include jams, marmalades, compotes, sundried and regular tomatoes (when in season), olives, herbs, cured meats, fruits (especially grapes), bread, crackers, and chips.  However, like I said earlier, anything is good, as long as it tastes good to you!

4.  Pair with wine.  Or champagne, go crazy!! Nothing is more fun than doing a little research and seeing what types of wine will go best with the cheeses you've selected.  I absolutely wish I could get into what wines are best with what cheese but I am certain that I don't know enough on the subject, and I think it's best to ask your cheese vendor or your local wine expert what they think.

Most importantly, enjoy the different aromas, tastes, and sensations that come along with eating cheese.  It is a versatile product and which can bring endless amount of happiness and comfort.

A Votre Santé!

Outgrowing the World

"Sorry for the delay" is what I really wanted to say, but I know that the quality of my life has improved greatly since my last post. I've been spending more time with my daughter. Bath night, which used to be a task before bed a couple nights a week is now a nightly activity I look forward to every day. I long for my eyes to become heavy so I can scoop Grace out of her crib and toss her into my bed, even though I am fully cognizant that she's a bed hog. I see her taking on new challenges every day, not really owning much that is solely hers. It's inspired me to gut my home of things that don't carry their own weight and in the process I've killed more than a few demons. It's a funny game life plays on us.

We start very small with very little that is truly 'ours'. Our name, our pride, our integrity, among a few other things. As we begin to grow and understand the world around us, we'll collect trinkets. Some of them will be useful until the day we pass. Other items, seemingly valuable, will hang around until we no longer have need for them. In the natural order of things, we'll grow into our world. We'll eventually outgrow some of it as well; ideas, homes, vehicles, clothing, even friendships and relationships. As we become the people we are to be, a lot of changes will take place. As humans, we have the capacity to make things as simple or as complicated as we like them to be. If you are hungry, eat. If you're tired, lie down. If you get nausea drinking young sheng on an empty stomach, don't do it. There's always going to be an input/output when it comes to people living their lives and making decisions. There will always be wasted potential. I just want to see if I can minimize that as much as possible, not to make a statement, but because it's what I want of my life.

Taken from http://mugpuerh.blogspot.com/

Stationery Swap Follow-Up

Amidst the swap - I had to use a very big table to keep everything organized!


Stationery came to me from Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Nova Scotia, and Vancouver. One participant contributed stationery she brought back from India! Another set of farm scenes came from Scandinavia. There were some hand-decorated note cards, as well as hand-made envelopes. We had florals and teacups and modern and Asian-themes. All were lovely. I am sure the recipients of your letters will feel blessed!

Taken from http://stephcupoftea.blogspot.com/

Farmer’s Market – Napa Style

Yesterday kicked off the Farmer’s Market season in Napa Valley. There is a new location, new vendors, and a new found enthusiasm. We look forward to each Saturday morning mingling with our community, and hearing direct feedback about Drink the Leaf loose leaf teas. There is no better focus group than your community!

The Tea Drinker will need to put sleeping in on Saturday mornings behind him until the end of October. Moving forward the alarm will be set for 6am, the truck loaded with tea and props, the kettle on- all ready for lift off at 6:45am. The market opens at 7:30am, and goes straight through until noon. Yesterday morning was cool and rainy, and in our opinion, a perfect day for a steaming cup of Keemun Hao Ya A.

After my early morning torture, I stopped by the booth to offer my congratulations and support to my husband. Wishing him another successful summer filled with loads of new tea fans and ambassadors all spreading the word about http://www.drinktheleaf.com/. As I chatted with Dan, it was great to see past customers, and win over new friends with tea. Everyone is there for the same cause- to support local businesses. Or maybe they just don't feel like cleaning the house or mowing the lawn. That works for us, too.

This will be our 3rd market, and every year we walk away with new loyal customers that continue to seek us out the rest of the year. We look forward to continuing this trend. So, come by and see us, and bring your friends . Pick up fresh and locally grown produce, a bag of your favorite tea, and head home and make a tasty brunch for your family.

Farmer’s Market Frittata

Serve with a side of mixed greens tossed with olive oil and white wine vinegar. Treat yourself to a handful of Organic strawberries. Chase it all down with a mug of Jade Oolong. Or if you are like me, a refreshing glass of Sauvingnon Blanc will suffice.

4 eggs
1/8 cup non-fat milk
Pinch of cayenne
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
Feta Cheese- crumbled
**Whisk the above ingredients in a bowl

Organic cauliflower – thinly sliced, 1 cup
Olive Oil

Heat olive oil in pan, cook cauliflower about 5 minutes until golden. Sprinkle lightly with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Add egg mixture- stir to combine. Heat for 3-4 minutes- transfer to oven (heated at 350) and cook for 15 minutes. (Make sure your pan is oven proof. If not, pour mixture into oven proof dish.) Remove pan from oven, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes. Serve warm or room temperature. Delicious, and healthy.

Serves 2
Recipe adapted from Food Network

Support your local farmer's market today!
Napa Location- Napa Valley Wine Train parking lot. Website coming soon.

Taken from http://www.wifeofateadrinker.blogspot.com/

A Lost Day, Found

We woke at 6 am on the Monday of a 3-day weekend, and it was raining. Another check in an hour, and it's still raining. Back to bed. Cuddle and nap. Up at 9 for oatmeal and strawberries. Back to bed. Up around noon, in a blur, some talking and doing. I made mojitos and the DH made vegetarian corndogs. (I was saving them for my 3-day of 40 miles celebration). He convinced me that I had earned them anyway and I ate them eagerly. More napping. More fuzzy head. Some book reading of a book I decided I didn't like. Trying not to be grumbly. Inadvertently (??) waking the DH. He agrees to go for a walk. Ice cream. The week's planning. Finally, awake now, and it's almost time for bed.

Ever had a day like this? I'm grateful, even though I didn't know it at the time.

Taken from http://stephcupoftea.blogspot.com/

Today is Shop Local First at Union Square and from 10 am until 5 pm there will be more than 40 participating businesses selling their wares on the square. During the day local business owners will be awarded "Most Innovative Entrepreneurs of 2006". The awards, which are sponsored by the San Francisco Mayor's Office, the SF Small Business Commission and Business Alliance for Local Living Economies will be given to five business owners, including the owners of Farmer Brown restaurant and Sellers Markets cafes and catering services. Finally, dining and shopping you can feel good about.

On Sunday there are three events I plan to check out. The first is Cuisines of Southeast Asia, tasting and discussion. Thy Tran will moderate a discussion with authors James Oseland who wrote Cradle of Flavor and Andrea Nguyen who wrote Into the Vietnamese Kitchen. Since I reviewed both of those books, how could I miss it? It is from 2-3 pm at the Asian Art Museum and admission is free after entrance.

By now you've probably heard about the tragic car crash that killed one person and injured two who worked at Bar Crudo. From noon until 6 p.m. Bar Crudo is holding a benefit with a sliding scale $10 - 25 during which time they will be serving oysters, crudo, wine, beer, and hors d'oeuvres. Hog Island Oyster Company has generously donated 800 oysters to be served at this event, and Range, and Le Petit Robert have also donated food. This is a fabulous place and a really great way to lend a hand.

Finally swing by Cafe Royale where Alison McQuade of chutney fame will be sampling her wares starting at 6:30 pm. There will also be cheese and wine, so stop by for a bite, a drink, and say hi. Did I mention chutney makes a great holiday gift? Last year I bought 5 jars!

FOOD

Kvæfjordkaka, or Norwegian Cream and Meringue Cake

This cake goes by several names. One is Kvæfjordkaka, or cake from Kvæafjord, a fjord in Northern Norway. It's also called Verdens Beste, or World's Best, and R says you're likely to find it at any celebration where the World's Best cake is necessary. He claims to remember there being one at his confirmation, and has a feeling his sister had one in addition to her wedding cake. It's appropriate, then, that R's sister translated their family recipe for us after our own wedding.

To tell you the truth, given how popular it seems to be in Norway, I can't imagine how it hasn't swept the world, in the way the Australian Pavlova has. If I were given the choice between the two, both being meringue-based desserts, I'd choose the World's Best any day. Before we get started, I should warn you. This is going to be one of those projects during which you're going to be sure that you've messed up along the way. You haven't. Just go with it, and it will turn out great.

A few notes on ingredients: Norwegians call egg yolks "egg plums" and I think that's just about the best descriptor you could ask for. I move that we adopt the name in English immediately. Secondly, the recipe calls for vanilla sugar, but Norwegian vanilla sugar isn't the granulated kind I've seen in the US. Instead, it's more of a vanilla-infused powdered sugar. So if you can't buy it, I'd make it by letting a vanilla bean sit in a bag of powdered sugar. Alternately, if you have granulated vanilla sugar, you could wizz it in your food processor of a few moments to powder it. Finally, the cream in the center is made party from a mix that is a Norwegian instant vanilla sauce. You can find it on Amazon, here. We bought it at the Norwegian Seaman's Church, here in NYC, which is actually also where we found authentic Norwegian vanilla sugar as well. If you want to substitute, just use a domestic instant pudding mix thinned with 1 to 1/2 cups of cream (we used 1 cup because it's best for the filling to be thick), or use a rum cake filling as I've seen suggested.

And now a note on equipment: When R's mother makes this, she does it in one large piece, which is then cut in half to make the bottom and top of the cake. We, however, have a little mini-oven, and decided to do it in two batches instead. We made it on two cookie sheets, and baked them on two racks in the oven, switching them half-way through.

Kvæfjordkaka, or Verden Beste, The World's Best Cake

For the Cake:

100 grams granulated sugar
100 grams butter
5 egg yolks
100 grams all purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla sugar (see note above)
1 teaspoon baking powder

Beat the butter and sugar until fluffy and light yellow. Add the egg yolks, the flour, the vanilla sugar and the baking powder and stir until combined. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Divide the batter in half, and with a spatula, spread half of the batter on one of the cookie sheets in a very, very thin rectangle. I'd estimate that ours was about 6x8 inches. Do the same with the second half of the batter. Set aside. (You'll feel like your cake is totally wrong at this point, like it's too thin and sticky and hard to spread, and will never be a cake. You're wrong. It's just as it's supposed to be.) Set aside.


For the Meringue:

5 egg whites
200 grams of granulated sugar
100 grams of sliced almonds


Preheat the oven to 350F. In a clean bowl, with clean beaters, whip the egg whites. As they begin to thicken, add the sugar and continue to whip until it's thick and sticky and, well, a meringue. Divide the meringue in half. Pour half over one of the cake batters spread on the cookie sheets. Using a spatula, spread the meringue out over the cake, making a rectangle a couple of inches larger than the rectangle of cake batter. Sprinkle half of the almond slices on top. Repeat with the other half of the meringue, on the other half of the cake batter.


Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes until the meringue is cooked through. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature.


For the filling:

Make a 50 gram package of instant vanilla sauce according to package directions. You do this usually by whisking boiling water into the powder to make a kind of pudding. But you want it quite thick, so use only a bit of water, probably not the full amount called for by the package. In another clean, cold bowl, whip 1 cup of heavy cream with the vanilla sauce. Once the cake is cooled to room temperature, flip one of the cake sides over so that the almonds are facing down. Layer the filling on top, then place the other cake side over that to create a sandwich. The second cake side should be almonds side up. Refrigerate, then serve. The cake can be made completely a day in advance and kept in the refrigerator.

Spinach & Yogurt Soup:Recipe

When I was growing up there was a good, inexpensive restaurant my family ate at frequently. They had a very simple menu, mostly fresh fish and burgers, nothing fancy. But every meal started with a salad or their famous Leek and Spinach soup. It was so popular that the proprietor put the recipe up on the window for all to see. As I recall it was a package of Knorr brand Leek and Potato soup mix made according to the recipe box and a package of chopped frozen spinach mixed in at the end. He served it with a thin slice of lemon on top. To this day I keep a package of Knorr Leek and Potato soup mix on hand, just in case.

What I learned from that recipe is that recipes don't have to be complicated to be good. Sometimes the best recipes are the simple ones. Certainly when ingredients are at their peak of freshness and are high quality, less is more. As an example, Italians rarely cook fresh tomatoes. They are so good raw they eat them that way. Canned tomatoes are for cooking but fresh tomatoes are for eating with just a bit of seasoning like fresh basil or salt, pepper and olive oil. Same thing with prosciutto. It is usually served as is, raw. Sometimes it's added to a hot dish, like a pizza, but at the end of cooking, just to warm it, not really to cook it. Why gild the lily?

So last night I was looking for a new spinach soup recipe to go with sandwiches for dinner. I wanted something creamy, but I had no milk in the house. I found a recipe that is the height of simplicity, but very delicious. As per usual I made several changes. The recipe called for frozen spinach but I used fresh, which gave it a much lighter fresher flavor. I also eliminated the tarragon, which I don't think the soup needs. Finally the recipe called for heating the soup after adding the yogurt, but I didn't find it necessary. The soup does not need to be scalding hot to be good. I leave it up to you to decide what to change from my recipe below.

Spinach & Yogurt Soup
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
1 1/2 Tablespoon butter
2 teaspoon flour
pinch of salt
A couple pinches of nutmeg or 1/3 of a nutmeg, grated
Dash cayenne
I lb fresh chopped spinach, do not dry the leaves after washing
1/2 of a 15 ounce can of canned chicken broth
Unflavored yogurt
Lemon slices for garnish

In 6 quart saucepan, saute onion in butter until soft but not brown.
Mix in flour, salt, nutmeg and cayenne. Cook until bubbly.
Add the spinach in batches, with broth. Cook until the spinach melts and cooks down, turning a bright dark green.
Place in blender, about 1/3 at a time (I used a hand blender right in the pot) and puree. Return to saucepan. Taste for seasonings. Ladle hot soup into the bowl, leave room for a 2 large tablespoons of yogurt. Whisk the yogurt into the bowl of soup until smooth and blended, with a mini whisk. Serve with a thin lemon slice on top.
Enjoy!

So there, take that!

The next few days will be intolerable in the cooking blog world! I just know most foodies are going to be posting about the great restaurants that their significant others took them to.

My Valentine's Day dinner will be homemade...more or less...and by me, myself and I of course. Actually, much of it will come from Picard. So there, take that! That's what happens when nobody plans a dinner out!

In the meantime, I know where I'd rather be....

There's Room for Hoop Skirts

This is the Ladies Powder Room located on the second floor of the Tea Room. From one corner of the tea room a fine large stairway winds up to the second floor. The powder room is very large because when the hotel was built --- right after the turn of the century [around 1906] --- ladies wore the large hoop skirts that required lots of space. The powder room was purposely located on the second floor so that the ladies could make a grand re-entry as they came back into the tea room down the grand stairway.

Photos by Alma; Text by Dad

Thank you for visiting Gracious Hospitality. Please come back soon!

Taken from http://www.gracioushospitality.blogspot.com/

Annie Hart

I wanted to thank all of you who made our summer storytelling series such a success! I also wanted to let all of the Annie Hart fans (who knew that a Breakthrough Coach could moonlight as a Love Goddess??) know that Annie has a new series coming in 2009....more information to follow. Cheers!

Taken from http://thehillteabarblog.blogspot.com/

Storm weary

Winter has officially overstayed its welcome. Yeah, I know it's Canada but still, in a place where storms usually leaves amounts measured in feet, enough is enough.
I planted a pot of herbs today - parsley, basil and chives. I'm drinking more green teas, probably more of a reaction to the heavier black teas of winter. But today, I did receive two new ones - Celestial Seasonings Tangerine Orange Zinger and Zhena's Gypsy Rose Black tea with rose petals - they both seem pretty springy to me! Here's hoping they're good.

Taken from http://teanchocolate.blogspot.com/

Teabag - Jardin Sauvage

Tea: Jardin Sauvage 8511
Vendor: Lupicia USA
Vendor Description: A non-fermented rooibos tea. Green rooibos is flavored with sweet ripened mangos and citrus fruits.

This was a very interesting teabag from Lupicia. It was primarily interesting because it is a teabag made from rooibos. Rooibos does not expand when steeped when compared to most green teas. So the shape and style of the teabag does not matter as much. But it is still packaged in the same manner as the other Lupicia teas.

While I don't have much experience with rooibos teas, I was rather happy with this one. The tea has a very short lived flavor in comparison to most other teas that I have had, but what it lacks in length it makes up for in boldness. This tea is very bold and has a strong sweetness to it. The citrus fruit flavor is very apparent giving it a certain tang to the taste that leaves you with a very clean feeling. The mango provides a lot of the sweetness flavor when combined with he rooibos and citrus leaves you with a clean feeling in your mouth.

Rating: 8/10

Conclusion: While I don't have much to compare the flavor of this rooibos against, I did enjoy it thoroughly. I liked the sweetness of it, and feel that it makes a good teabag because it does not need to expand and does not get restricted by the teabag itself.

Taken from http://meandmytea.blogspot.com/

A Lovely Oolong

that has the diptych.

I decided I really needed to stretch myself more in the tea making department. I am often too lazy to get the most from my Oolongs and green teas, infusing them only once. Today, however, I decided to closely follow instructions from Gingko Seto, who owns Life in Teacup, and whom I really respect as knowledgeable, and do it her way. I selected her Dong Ding Oolong, Competition Grade III. This is sometimes known elsewhere as Tong Ting. It means it is a high grown Oolong, from Taiwan, grown above 3000 feet. There is a large temperature difference up there between day and night and it is often misty, meaning there is high humidity and filtered sunlight, without a lot of rain. This makes the tea grow slowly, producing more of the stuff that makes it a quality tea. The dry tea is tightly rolled, dark green balls with just hints of a floral, nutty scent. Grade III means it came in 4th in competition.

Gingko believes all tea, green, Oolong, or black can be infused with water just below the boil. So I did. I rinsed the little tea balls - about 3 grams of them -which I always do with Oolongs. This begins the process of relaxing the leaves so they can unfurl. I rinsed and drained and then waited a minute. I don't usually and I think this made a difference in the quality of the first infusion. Altogether I did 3, 20 second and 1, 30 second infusions.

1. It smells of green straw and tasted like fresh dried hay. You must remember I am a farm girl and these are my reference points. I liked it. I always liked to chew on long stalks of hay.

2. A lovely floral scent has come out, with still some straw, but some hazelnut is there as well. The taste incorporates all three, with the floral definitely in the lead.

3. A heavier, fuller, floral smell and taste and the tea seems to be more of a broth than just water. The taste lingers and gains a bit of vegetable greenness.

4. A very light scent of biscuits, that toasted flour/butter aroma. Yum. This is a pretty thin infusion, with just a touch of the biscuit, a little floral, a little vegetable. The taste mostly comes after you swallow and then lingers.

5. I mixed them all, as you might if you had a number of people tasting, and I must say, the combination is quite nice, combining all the scents and flavors of the four infusions.

I have to say that although this was time consuming, it was a lot of fun and I think I gained more of an appreciation for what I was drinking. If you would like to read some of Gingko's writings, just click on the Life in Teacup name to the right and there you'll be!

Taken from http://teafortoday.blogspot.com/

My Patriotic Poulet

The media frenzy over bird flu in France has been partly responsible for the significant drop in poultry sales over the last few weeks. A few days ago, radio station France Inter’s journalists admitted their role in the panic, and announced that to avoid any confusion, they would no longer be using the term grippe aviaire – grippe meaning flu – but would start using the correct veterinary term, peste aviaire. The first translation of peste is “plague”, so I’m not so sure how reassuring this move will be. Let’s just say it’s the thought that counts.

In the meantime, I did my patriotic part to support local poultry farmers by buying and cooking a five-pound farm chicken for Sunday lunch.

Pitcher with Flowers

This tea towel was embroidered for Patricia. Another Pieceable Dry Goods design, this tea towel has been stitched in colors to coordinate with Patricia's everyday dishes and tea set. The yellow trim and lace adds abit of flair to an otherwise simple design.

Thank you for visiting Gracious Hospitality. Please come back soon!

Taken from http://www.gracioushospitality.blogspot.com/

New Article: Tisane Listing, Part 3

Sarsaparilla (Sasparilla) Root
Though you may not have heard of sarsaparilla root, if you’ve ever tried root beer, you know what it tastes like. Yes, the “root” in root beer is sarsaparilla root. It is traditionally taken for skin conditions, impotence, headaches, weakness, rheumatism, various STDs, and blood purification. It has been shown to be effective for some skin conditions, syphilis, and liver protection, but I strongly suggest talking with an herbalist before using it to treat any of these conditions.

Sassafras Root
Sassafras root has long been used to make candies and tisanes, and it is said to act as an antiseptic and painkiller. I vaguely remember from my college days that sassafras contains a rather large amount of a chemical that is used in the synthesis of many hallucinogenic drugs, including MDMA (“Ecstacy”). You can still buy artificially flavored sassafras tisanes, but these days the “real thing” is outlawed in the U.S.

Skullcap
Skullcap (“Scutellaria”) has around 300 varieties, some of which are used in herbalism and tisanes. One variety has been shown to cause programmed cell death in cancerous breast and ovary cells in vitro. Another acts as a sedative and prevents seizures. A third is used for menstrual cramps, insomnia, fevers, and other problems. Consult an herbalist for more information.

Slippery Elm Bark
The slippery elm’s inner bark has many traditional uses dating back to early Native American cultures. It is said to aid in bronchial/respiratory, menstrual, digestive, and heart problems, among other things. The FDA has approved its use for sore throats and respiratory problems. Slippery elm bark tisane is made from a powdered form of the bark. Technically, slippery elm is not a drug, but a nutrient-rich food.

Sobacha
Sobacha is Japanese buckwheat “tea.” (“Cha” translates to “tea,” though this is a tisane.) It is high in minerals and has a pleasant, mellow, malty taste. It is also high in rutin, an antioxidant which may reduce hemophilia and edema, and which is traditionally used as an emmenagogue/abortifacient.


Check out the rest of the tisane listing and enjoy your tisanes!

Taken from http://veetea.blogspot.com/

茶學書庫分類索引表

Cited from the book.

“Chinese-English Tea Studies Terminology”,

Translators and Editors: Tsai, Rong-Tsang and Steven R. Jones

Lu-Yu Tea Culture Institute, Co., Ltd. (2010), ISBN 978-957-9690-06-5,

《中英文茶學術語》 ( 陸羽茶藝股份有限公司 , 2010, ISBN 978-957-9690-06-5) 編譯者：蔡榮章‧瓊斯史迪芬

External Reference:  http://tsg.tftc.edu.cn/gczy.asp?id=103

We give Wikipedia the following article/post for usage and public domain.

茶學書庫分類索引表

Tea Studies Library Classification and Index

首階編碼  1st Order Code	首階分類  1st Order Classification	2階編碼與分類  2nd Order Code and Classification	註解  Remark
B	茶思想  Tea Ideology	B1. 茶思綜述  Tea Ideology Synthesis	含文集  including collection of works
		B2. 茶哲  Tea Philosophy	含道德、 思維  including morality and thinking
		B3. 茶與宗教  Religious Studies
		B4. 茶美學  Tea Aesthetics
D	茶政策  Tea Policies	D1. 茶政經軍  Tea Politics , Economy, and Military	如茶馬政策、榷茶法  such as tea-horse policy, tea taxes
		D2. 茶法規  Tea Laws and Regulations	現今  presently
F	茶經濟  Tea Economics	F1. 茶經濟綜述  Tea Economics Synthesis
		F2. 茶行銷  Tea Marketing	含通路  including sales route
		F3. 茶餐飲  Tea Restaurant
		F4. 茶廣告  Tea Advertising
		F5. 茶包裝  Tea Packaging	含茶葉茶具  including tea leaf and tea utensils
G	茶文化  Tea Culture	G1. 茶文化學  Tea Culture Studies	另有Z1.茶學綜述  and other “Z.1.Tea Studies  Synthesis ”
		G2. 茶文化比較  Tea Culture Comparison	含品項、地域之比較.各國泡茶法歸  ‘L2.泡茶’  including kind and region  comparison. Country’s Tea brewing  methods belong to ’L2.Tea  Brewing ’
		G3. 文化茶集  Tea Culture Collection of Works	即茶文化類之文集  collected works on tea culture
		G4. 文化茶址  Region of Tea Culture
		G5. 茶教育  Tea Studies Education	含推廣  including promotion
H	茶譯文  Tea Translation	H1. 茶英譯  Tea English Translation	僅茶術語之譯,譯著歸其所屬類別  only tea terminology translation,  translated version belongs to their  category
		H2. 茶日譯  Tea Japanese Translation
		H3. 他語茶譯  Other Language Tea Translation
I	茶文學  Tea Literature	I1.茶文綜述  Tea Literature Synthesis
		I2.茶詩  Tea Poetry
		I3.其他茶文  Other Tea Literature	含非茶作品  including non-tea related works
J	茶藝術  Tea Arts	J1.茶與美術  Tea and Fine Arts	含音樂、陶藝  including music, and ceramics
		J2.品茗  Tea Savoring	含識茶、飲食、相關作物  including tea recognition, food and  beverage, and related foods
		J3.品茗環境  Tea Ambience
		J4.茶花石等  Floral Arrangement and Stone  Appreciation	插花、石藝、掛物  floral arranging, stone appreciation,  hanging art
		J5.香道Incense Lore
K	茶史地  Tea History and  Geographical  Characteristics	K1.茶史茶事  Tea History and Matters	含單位志  including organization history
		K2.茶產地  Tea Growing Region
		K3.茶書茶人  Tea Books and Tea Man
		K4.茶俗  Tea Customs
		K5.茶史期刊  Tea History Periodicals
L	泡茶法  Tea Brewing Method	L1.泡茶綜述  Tea Brewing Synthesis
		L2.泡茶  Tea Brewing	含水  including water
		L3.茶調飲  Tea Beverage	含咖啡等非茶類  including coffee and non-teas
M	茶會  Tea Function	M1.茶會綜述  Tea Function Synthesis
		M2.茶會  Tea Ceremony
O	茶化學  Tea Chemistry	O1. 茶化學  Tea Chemistry
R	茶保健  Tea and Health	R1.茶健綜述  Tea Health Synthesis
		R2.茶保健  Tea Health Care	含民俗藥方  including folk prescriptions
		R3.茶醫藥  Tea Medicine
		R4.茶保健期刊  Tea Health Periodicals
S	茶農業  Tea Agriculture	S1.茶作綜述  Tea Production Synthesis
		S2.茶品種  Tea Varieties
		S3.茶耕作  Tea Cultivation	含土壤肥料、病蟲害,相關作物  including soil fertilizer, plant diseases  and insect pests. Including related  crops
		S4.茶園機械  Tea Plantation Machinery
		S5茶園永續  Tea Plantation Sustainable Agriculture	如有機茶(含加工)、生態保育  such as organic tea (including  added processing) , and ecology
		S6.茶葉期刊  Tea Periodicals	以茶作、茶造為主者  primarily for tea growing and  making,
T	茶工業  Tea Industry	T1.茶造綜述  Tea Making Synthesis	與'茶作' 同述時歸'S1.茶作綜述'.  If including tea growing, then  belongs to ’S1.Tea Production  Synthesis ’
		T2.茶初加工  Tea Primary Processing	含廣義茶飲  including non-teas
		T3.茶廠機械  Tea Factory Machinery
		T4.茶審檢  Tea Inspection	含審評、檢驗、標準  including appraisal, inspecting, and  standardizing
		T5.茶深加工  Tea Advance Added Processing	含茶多元應用  including tea multiple application
W	茶器  Tea Utensils	W1.茶具、飾物  Tea Utensils, Decorative Items	含賞  including admirations
		W2.茶陶等製作  Tea Pottery Manufacturing	含史  including history
		W3.茶器期刊  Tea Utensils Periodicals
Y	茶食  Tea Foods	Y1.茶食綜述  Tea Foods Synthesis
		Y2.茶點心  Tea Snacks
		Y3.茶餚  Tea Cuisine
		Y4.茶食期刊  Tea Foods Periodicals
Z	茶綜合  Tea Studies Review	Z1.茶學綜述  Tea Studies Synthesis	僅局部綜述者,歸入所屬類別.含茶百  科  part of synthesis will belong to their  category. Including tea wikipedia
		Z2.茶學文集  Tea Studies Collection of Works
		Z3.茶詞典  Tea Dictionaries	含綜合與專題  including general and special  subjects
		Z4. 茶綜合期刊  Tea Comprehensive Periodicals

     

Taken from http://teaarts.blogspot.com/

Photo du Jour

Flourishing, verdant courtyard.
I wish it were mine....

Photo du Jour - Vibrant

Stunning!

Zagreb

Driving into the city from the airport, the cab driver pointed out the rows of imposing, bleak apartment buildings, telling us that this was the new part of Zagreb that was built up during the Communist years. Crossing over the Sava River, he explained that we were now in old Zagreb.

We looked at each other, a bit worried, because old Zagreb looked exactly like the row after row of depressing apartments blocks that we had just driven past in new Zagreb.

I think he spoke a bit too soon.



Zagreb's center, what I would call old Zagreb, is nothing like the newer area south of the river. It is charming, friendly and bustling.

Acres of beautiful, peaceful parks are scattered throughout the city, lively pedestrian streets offer mile after mile of cafés and shops, several outdoor and covered food markets open up every morning to tempt you with seasonal fruit, vegetables, homemade bread and cheeses, and there are gelaterias everywhere.
And the coffee! Very strong and smooth, just like in Italy. I couldn't get enough of it.


Homemade cheese at an outdoor market


Getting around on the modern Tram system is incredibly easy. And it's FREE


Tried a couple glasses of local wine and it wasn't to my liking, but the local beer was very tasty


My traveling companions


Our five days in Zagreb were maybe one day too many, but this is a fantastic city that shouldn't be overlooked. The café culture and gelato alone were enough to make me quite happy!

On our way to the airport to catch our flight to Bucharest, the cab driver was pleased to hear that we had enjoyed his city so much. He also wanted to know, as did everyone we had talked to, exactly why in the heck we would bother going to Bucharest?

His question proved prophetic...