Hank's Haute Dogs: Restaurant Review

Despite mixed reviews I was eager to try Hank's Haute Dogs. I rarely eat hot dogs at home, but on the road there is sometimes a special one that calls out to me like a Chicago style or in New York a Papaya King dog or a Nathan's frank in Brooklyn.

The story of Hank's Haute Dogs is probably what sent me there even more than the dogs. Apparently the owner was a prominent restaurateur in Chicago before returning to Hawaii where his parents had run a hot dog stand in the 40's and 50's. His hot dogs range from the classic Chicago style to some unusual specials like reindeer dogs, duck and foie gras and even the no dog. The no dog is a bun with chunks of local avocado, tomato, onion, cucumber, spicy chipotle mayo, piled high with grated cheddar and garnished with cilantro.

I had the Portuguese sausage which is commonly served in slices, as a breakfast side order, in Hawaii. It was topped with scrumptious melt-in-your-mouth grilled onions. If you are lucky, you can also get this sausage at the Kukui sausage stand at the farmers' market on Saturday mornings. The fries and onion rings are a must. The onion rings are made with Maui onions and are very lightly battered with a bit of panko crumbs. The fries are home made and crispy they way I like them. On the side we ordered what turned out to be a very mild wasabi tobiko cream and a spicy ketchup.

My biggest complaint about Hank's was that the buns were a little mushy. That said, I would probably go back. It was fun choosing a dog and the sides were particularly memorable.

Hank's Haute Dogs
324 Coral Avenue @ the Nimitz
Honolulu, Hawaii
808.532.4265

Manhattan Clam Chowder

So the other weekend, R and I took the train from Manhattan out to New England to visit my Nana, aunts, uncles and cousins. And on the first day, my aunt J served this Manhattan Clam Chowder...in New England. Of course, the difference between a Manhattan Clam Chowder and a New England Clam Chowder has nothing to do with where they're served. The Manhattan version is served in a broth with tomatoes, while the New England version is a cream-based soup. I've always preferred the Manhattan type (as I tend to do in most matters), but this version was seriously great. Seriously. As R sopped the last drop from his bowl with a piece of bread, he looked up and said 'You must get this recipe.' That does not happen very often.

So of course I complied. My family is always amenable to giving out recipes, they're generous like that. In fact, you might remember those homemade twix bars from a while back. Well my aunt-to-be included them in an Easter basket that she put together for R and I last year, and told them they were my Aunt J's recipe (same aunt you can thank for this chowder). Of course, I had given the recipe to J in the first place! And I love that about my family, always recipes away and passing food around. None of this 'secret family recipe' business for us.

So anyway, this is some good stuff. I like the idea of reproducing recipes the way they were given to me. My mom has her style, Aunt J has hers, and I like to keep them intact. Neither one of them writes out a list of ingredients at the top, so I'll bold them in the body of the recipe for easy shopping list making.

Aunt J's Manhattan Clam Chowder

Brown 1/4 lb chopped bacon in a 5 quart saucepan over medium high heat for 2 minutes. Remove the bacon and drain on paper towels. In the drippings, saute 1/2 small onion, chopped, and 2 small ribs of celery, also chopped, along with 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme for 4 minutes.

Add 2 x 14 oz can of chopped tomatoes with jalapeno peppers, two 8 oz bottles of clam juice, 2-3 medium potatoes chopped to bite-size pieces with the skin on, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Stir in 2 x 10g cans of whole baby clams (you can chop some of them) with their juice and a 7 ounce can of corn kernels, drained, as well as the reserved bacon. Heat it through, and serve

Well-Watered Garden

" 'The Lord will guide you always. . .
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.' "

Isaiah 58:11 NIV

Karleen's garden is one I always enjoy visiting. It's so nice to have her as a neighbor and friend. Her garden always inspires me and fills me with feelings of tranquility and old-fashioned sweetness. It's a riot of color this time of year, and as always, so well tended. I really enjoy her cottage style of gardening so much, as her garden reminds me of the one my mother always kept.

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

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

Absence

Also, ceramics classes have absorbed many of my free hours, quickly becoming a new passion: this much word vomit hasn't spewed out of my mouth onto friends and family since tea first became an interest. I can only thank them for putting up with the boring rantings of a novice potter. Tonight, I trim my first successfully thrown pieces, which include a chawan, a teacup, and three bowls of different shapes. I'll post pictures when they're finished. I don't anticipate them coming out very good. In ceramics as in tea, practice produces aesthetics.

These past few weeks, my teapots have brewed mostly sheng and shu pu'er and dancong. My dancong brewing noticeably improves each time, becoming more and more second nature. These improvements appear to enhance my brewing of all teas. For example, two shu teas once written off as mediocre now taste quite good, even when I'm not paying them so much attention.

More later. If you stopped by and read this post, tell me what you're drinking lately. :)

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

Web Two Point What? (Part Two)

You may remember that I wrote about using the Internet as a marketing tool for your tea business a while back. Well, here's tea & the Internet, part two. It talks about social networking, photo, video and other means of using the internet to market your tea company, and has a few notes on web culture. Here's an excerpt on sources' web marketing ideas that were not covered in detail:

*Imbed Web 2.0 tools like Digg and StumbleUpon into your site.

*Offer RSS feeds on specific topics, such as green tea.

*Include real-time reviews on your site.

*Respond to reviews on sites like Yelp and Citysearch. (Jacobs politely responds to every Yelp reviewer with a coupon, which he said increases loyalty and causes 80 percent of the negative reviewers reverse their reviews.)

*Launch specific, targeted, unique Google Adwords campaigns. (Lawrence went from all organic traffic to 75 percent search engine traffic after doing this.)

*Encourage viral marketing.

*Post on community message boards, related informational sites and blogs to increase backlinks.


Most of the rest of the article goes into much more detail. It's been getting some retweets, so I'm guessing that means it's useful. :) Check it out on World Tea News.

I'll post about the Expo next week, when I'm a little more caught up on things. In the meantime, I'll just say that it was fantastic connecting with so many tea people!!!

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

My Sister's Wedding Reception

The Newlyweds (in the Poconos).


















Steph and the DH (dear husband) goofing off while setting up for the reception.

















Pretty decorations!





















Mom, Sis, Steph

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

Herbal tea with a chocolate nose

Post Alley Cappuccino steeped on July 7

As I type this post, a cup of Post Alley Cappuccino is steeping. The tea is listed as a herb tisane - it has Rooibos, toffee, and flowers - but my hands smell like chocolate; like a really good hot chocolate with marshmallows. I dug in the bag to add another toffee bit to my steeping spoon. The toffee bits are an excellent ingredient!



I purchased the tea from the Perennial Tea Room in Seattle, near the Public Market. (Read the crumpet post to learn about another good tea experience near the Public Market.) The minimum purchase at Perennial is 2 oz but the nice tea lady sold me 1 oz. Tonight I realized that I had been using a teaspoon too many. The directions state 1 tsp/cup, but I have been using closer to 2 tsp per steep. Oh well...more chocolate flavor for me!

Tasting notes
Nose: chocolate; some caramel
Body: rich
Caffeine: none (Rooibos base)
Water temperature: full boil
Steep time: 5 minutes

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

Christa Assad

One of Christa Assad's Iron Teapots was included in a special exhibition at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco’s brand new de Young Museum. The teapot show is part of a fabulous exhibition, The Diane and Sandy Besser Collection, up through the beginning of January ‘08 . There were 75 teapots in all, a virtual who’s who of contemporary American ceramics.
Christa's website

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

Hot Stone Massage

My sister runs Practical Magic Day Spa in Salem, IL. It's a marvelous place and I think everyone deserves a trip there!

I visited recently, and she gave me a hot stone massage and facial. It was really cool! This photo is from the facial part. The different colored stones correspond with the colors of the chakras and are used to align the chakras. During the facial, she alternates rubbing the face with hot (warm) and then cold stones. It's quite refreshing! I would recommend this!

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

Bian Yuan Of Er Pu Zhuni Yixing

My beloved Bian Yuan, of Er Pu. Thanks to Bill of Ancient Tea Horse Road for educating me on the history of the Er Pu potters. Made in the 80,s of Zhuni clay, 125 cc capacity. The small size is perfect for an oolong tea session for one. Being made of medium light weight clay makes it ideal for green oolongs. This is the only pot that I have that has historical significance, all the others are made by artists that Ive heard referred to as celebrity potters.
The Er Pu potters were known for making the shantou type of teapots but some of the better potters of Er Pu went to Yixing to have the opportunity to work with the higher quality hongni and zhuni clays. Superb skill and craftsmanship went into making these pots. Although I have to admit this style of pot is not my favorite. You,ll notice the tip of the spout and the pots body are on the same level. What that does is affect the way the pot pours, the tea kinda shoots up and away from the pot while pouring. I,m not crazy about that but just the same this is one of my favorite pots.

 Stout little guy, don't let the cuteness of the pot fool you, he means business. Er Pu being located in the GuangDong province the potters only type of clay available for use was the local terra cotta. The Shantou pots were generally considered Yixing wanna be,s. And the genuine Yixing too expensive for the average person to afford. What a treat for the potters to be able to work with these clays after making pots considered common and ordinary. Fit for nothing more than the local farmers crude tea.


Chop marks, one of these days I,ll learn how to read these things. Has a crispy ringing ping when tapped. Ive noticed that the lighter weight clays make a higher pitched ring and the heavier pots have more depth and resonance in it,s ring.
Over a year of continual use and hardly any build up of grime to be seen. From what Ive read zhuni pots take a lot longer to become seasoned than other clays. Brews like a well seasoned pot despite the fact that there is nothing very visible. I have noticed that when used on a daily basis the surface of the pot becomes a much darker brick red and very oily (as seen in the top picture) But within a week of lying fallow it returns to an orangy red color. I got this from Hou De about a year or so ago.

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

Coffee Blossom Tea

While revisiting Handunugoda Tea Estate in the south of Sri Lanka last summer I came across a coffee bush in full bloom and was overwhelmed by the amazing aroma of the white blossoms. Knowing how jasmine flowers are used to scent tea, I thought it would be interesting to try the same process with coffee flowers so I talked to Herman Gunaratne whose family have been growing tea and cinnamon at Handunugoda for over a hundred years about making this innovative tea...



Cool! It's available worldwide. Here's their full tea list.

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

Yellow-Violet Syrup

The violets carpet the woods in many places, seeming to thrive in small areas of clearing and in clusters under evergreen trees. The lavender violets are not as prolific, but the yellow ones scatter the forest floor like little beams of sunshine! They are tiny, but abundant. I decided that I should try my hand at a new recipe and make some violet syrup.

It is no small feat to pick two cups of yellow violet blossoms. They are tiny, delicate, and do not grow in clusters of blossoms. So, one by one, I picked the precious little bits of gold and put them in a secure zip-lock bag. The entire time, I kept one ear and eye tuned to the woods around me (and I didn't wander far away from the fence builder!) so that I could be aware and alert for wild animals like cougars and bears. Coco was my companion and together we enjoyed a yellow violet collecting walk through the woods. At first I used scissors to snip, but found it quicker and faster to bend and pinch with my fingers. By afternoon's end I decided there was enough for a cooking project and put the bags in the ice chest to stay cool.

Of course it was late when we arrived back home, and I was not in the mood to stay up and make violet syrup! To protect the delicate blossoms, I placed them in quart jars and filled them with water. Once lidded, they were placed in the refrigerator so they cold stay fresh and cool.

The next morning, after reading a variety of violet syrup recipes, I sent out an SOS to Clarice at Storybook Woods (she's an expert at rose syrup). She gave me a quick phone call (well, it wasn't really quick --- we enjoyed a lovely chat) and we consulted about the best formula options and techniques for delicate floral syrups.


I ended up using none of the recipes I'd found, but followed the general formula that Clarice and I discussed and made up this recipe for:

Gracious Hospitality's Yellow-Violets Syrup

3 cups yellow-violet water
[made from two cups violets and thee cups water]
6 cups organic sugar
1 Tbsp. lemon juice

Gently wash the violets blossoms and drain. Place in a mixing bowl. Heat three cups of water to a boil. Remove from heat and gently pour over the violets. Cover immediately and allow to cool for 24 hours. Use a paper coffee filter to drain (1/2 cup at a time) the water into a small container. Toss away the violets and save the violet water.

Place violet water in a saucepan. Add sugar. Bring to a gentle boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 10 minutes. Add lemon juice (it will bring out the natural color of the violets, enhancing the syrup's appearance). Remove from heat.

[Clarice and I differed on our techniques at this point. I am still experimenting and wanted to try for a full-bodied syrup so I boiled the sugar mixture. Clarice does not, heating only to right below the boiling point for a thin, but flavorful syrup. She does this so the delicate floral essences are not destroyed by heat --- an excellent point.]

If canning, fill sterilized jars to the brim. Cap and process for 10 minutes in a water bath. Make pretty labels that say Yellow-Violets Syrup and attach one to each jar. Cap with a paper doily. Add a pretty ribbon or raffia to decorate.

Makes 8 jelly jars of syrup.



The flavor is delicate and delicious. May be used to enhance lemonade or iced tea, or for a topping for a frozen dessert. Great with fruit. Violet syrups are high in vitamin C and have been said to be beneficial and soothing for sore throats.

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

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

Hojicha Kombucha

Quite serendipitously, I ate five fermented foods yesterday: yogurt with breakfast, eerily green Japanese pickles and miso with dinner, and a mid-day nosh of the homemade pink kraut. But the finest by far was this home brewed hojicha kombucha. Besides assonance, consonance, and a nice rhyme, it also had fantastic flavor and fizz, that golden (beige?) fleece of the kombucha homebrewer.

To describe the taste of kombucha is to risk insulting it. Vinegar, beer, wine and rot come to mind, and yet the taste is pure and clean. This particular batch has a distinctive, toasty, caramel flavor thanks to the hojicha. I was given a bag of it by a good friend and decided to stretch out the last few portions by feeding it to my kombucha mother. Apparently she liked it as much as I do, and now I'm drinking her delicious babies.

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

Tobey Fraley Industrial teapot

Decorative Teapot built by Toby Fraley for the "Teapots 4th Invitational Exhibition" at Morgan Glass in Pittsburgh PA. Built from- Vintage truncated picnic jug, spark plugs, license plate, air pressure gauge, scrap wood and a penny.
Stands 12" tall.

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

British Breakfast Cereals

Britain is big on tradition, from the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace (I can still remember seeing the soldiers going through the same carefully laid-out movements that they had done for decades) to their breakfast. Cereals play a big part, as they have for about as long as those guards have been changing.

Read the rest of the article on The English Tea Store Blog.

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

2007 Taiwan Wuyi Baozhong

Origin: Somewhere in Taiwan
Year: 2007 (presumably)
Vendor: Floating Leaves Tea (Product page)
Price: $19.00 (4oz) / $5.00 (1oz)

First off, I offer my thanks to Tenuki, a fellow TeaChatter, for recommending this tea. The first time I brewed it I wasn't too thrilled, but I have come to enjoy this specimen very much since then.

Firstly, this tea's name needs to be clarified. It is a Taiwanese baozhong tea made from a varietal of tea plant brought from the Wuyi mountains of China. However, it is also slightly oxidized and roasted, so it has solid Wuyi yancha character, despite not being a real Wuyi yancha. This is one of those interesting cases, however, where the imitation (though this tea doesn't really seem to be trying to imitate yancha) is as good as the original.

The dry leaf is beautiful, and markedly different from either baozhong or yancha. It is still a striped leaf shape, but is a luscious dark green color. It smells... different. The aroma is quite similar to baozhong, but with a warm hint of vanilla (I think) that lets you know it isn't your everyday baozhong.



As far as parameters go, I used boiling water and 6 grams of leaf in my new ~150mL yixing pot; I started infusions at 30s and worked my way up. This produced a truly unique liquor, one I really enjoy. It's an odd mixture reminiscent of dong ding, yancha, and baozhong, wrapped up into one beautiful synthesis of flavor.

There is the fruit and roasted grain taste of dong ding, the characteristic chocolate and spice of yancha (this reminded me of Rou Gui, in particular), but with the smoothness and sweetness of baozhong. On top of it all, there's a lovely vanilla note that can sometimes be smelled from even a few feet away. This tea also leaves a nice, cool aftertaste, and a thin oil on the lips, which I love.



This tea is very fun to drink, and it is interesting to follow the development of its flavor. The fruit and grain flavors are especially apparent in the early brews, while the chocolate and spice seem to come out near the end of the session, which is (regrettably) only about 3-4 good infusions long. It does not have the boldness and strength of a true Wuyi yancha, but it has enough of its own unique character that it does not need to lean on the "Wuyi" title. I wholeheartedly recommend giving this tea a try!

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

Pale Pastels from Val

This beautiful tea towel was sent to me by my exchange partner, Val. I love the soft, pastel colors she selected. She used a vintage tea towel with a rick-rack and crocheted edging. It's so pretty and I look forward to using it for 'tea'. Thank you, Val!

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

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

Chocolate Teas

Read the rest of the article on The Taste of English Tea Blog.

Part of the inspiration for this article was my taste test of a couple of Rooibos Infusions with chocolate. A let down if there ever was one.

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

Mini Rhubarb Strawberry Galettes: Recipe

I like food in miniature. I like dim sum, mezze, tapas and appetizers of all sorts. Working on the latest recipe development project has been an exploration of many things in miniature. One recipe that sadly will not work for my client was a terrific success when it came to ease and taste. It does not work particularly well for vacuum sealing but that's ok. It means I can share it with you here and now.

Rhubarb makes one of my favorite pies and now, my favorite galette, which is pretty much a pie for lazy people. Rhubarb requires some tender loving care to coax out the perfect balance of sweetness and especially texture. While mushy rhubarb isn't terrible, firm, sweet yet tangy rhubarb is fabulous! I like the method of macerating it with sugar. The trick to this recipe is to not let the rhubarb macerate too long. I think you could make it with just rhubarb but a little bit of strawberry really complements it. I also don't cook the filling! You don't need to, it cooks perfectly in miniature.

I'm no genius when it comes to pie crust. I wish I was but it's just not in the cards for me. I have ridiculously hot hands and I don't work with pie crust often enough to get really fast at making it. I do my best, but sometimes resort to premade pastry. I'm ok with that. If you have a favorite pie crust recipe that works for you, by all means, use it. If not, you might try the Perfect Pie Crust recipe from Simply Recipes. The beauty of this recipe is that the result is rustic, which is great for a non-perfectionist baker.

Mini Rhubarb Strawberry Galettes
Makes 8 single servings

1 1/2 cups rhubarb, sliced in 1/4 inch pieces

1/2 cup strawberries, sliced 

1/2 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

Dough for 2 9-inch pie crusts
1 Tablespoon milk
Raw or turbinado sugar for sprinkling on the crust

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar and cornstarch. Let sit for 15 minutes, no longer. Meanwhile break dough into 8 pieces and roll each one into roughly a 6 inch round. Place 1/4 cup filling into the center of the dough rounds and fold the edges over, pinching to seal, place galettes on a baking sheet. Brush the crusts with milk using a pastry brush then sprinkle with raw sugar.

Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool slightly and serve.

Note these mini galettes freeze exceedingly well. Let them cool, wrap well. When ready to serve gently reheat in a 300 degree oven, about 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Looking for more rhubarb recipes? My other favorite rhubarb strawberry recipe is this ginger-flavored cobbler from Sara Moulton.

A few other particularly inventive rhubarb recipes:

Rhubarb soda from Coconut & Lime

Tofu with Hot and Sour Rhubarb from Mostly Eating

Rhubarb and Raspberry Yogurt Ice Pops from La Tartine Gourmande

Red Wine Poached Rhubarb from David Lebovitz

Persian Lamb and Rhubarb Stew from Nami Nami

Setting Up a Kitchen Tea Station

Whatever the dish and the region, one thing is essential: a great kitchen in which to cook.

Such a kitchen has a refrigerator large enough to hold the ingredients and the few leftovers, a stove with plenty of burners and an oven that can heat food evenly and accurately, a big sink to clean the pots and pans, and a dishwasher to scrub the last bit of potato or grease off the plates. For those of us who live the “tea life,” one element is just as essential: a tea station.

“What’s a tea station?” you query. Good question. Thought you’d never ask.

Quite simply, a tea station is a spot where most of the things you need to prepare your tea are located. This saves a bit of time, effort, and injuries (from bumping into family members also seeking sustenance).

Some items you will need in your tea station:

1. TEA! (bet you didn’t see that one coming!)


2. Your sweetener of choice (sugar, honey, aspartame, etc.)


3. Your teapot array:

• a 1-cup for brewing up that special cupful just for you


• a 2-cup for a larger portion of that special brew or for sharing with your sweetheart


• a 4-cup for tea with the family


• and a 6-cup to make a potful for your afternoon tea party or to have through the day

A tea cozy or two (definitely one for the 6-cup teapot)A selection of your favorite mugs and/or teacups and saucers, plus teaspoonsA tea strainer (or a teabag holder, if you prefer bags to loose tea)A spoon rest for your teaspoonsOptional: A tray (or, as I do, a turntable) on which to set the pot, sweetener, tea strainer (or teabag holder), and spoon rest.The next consideration, as they say in the real estate game, is “Location! Location! Location!”
I can’t be too specific here, since kitchen layouts vary widely from simple galley-style to farmhouse to gourmet, but I can give you some general guidelines:

1. Keep it in an area where you can prepare your tea without interfering with anyone else preparing food.


2. Be a short enough walk from the stove for you fill the teapot by the stove once the kettle has boiled and easily to carry it to the tea station (always fill the pot by the stove, instead of carrying the kettle to the pot, so that the water doesn’t get a chance to cool).


3. Ditto for the microwave (if you heat your water there instead of on the stove).


4. Be a step or two away from the refrigerator so you can easily get to the milk or lemon.


5. Be within easy proximity to the pantry or cupboard where your cookies and other tea-time treats are squirreled away.

Once you have your tea station all set up, you will be ready whenever the urge arises to indulge in a daily “tea moment” as part of living the tea life. As for what food goes best with your tea of choice, that’s another article. For now, pick a tea, pick one of your local food favorites and enjoy. Cheers!

© 2009 A.C. Cargill photos and text

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

I Over-Steeped the Tea

I make tea almost daily. I enjoy the comfortable ritual. On the surface, the process is simple and requires few necessities: water, a heat source, tea leaves and brewing vessels. Yet in the making of tea, I have a connection to ancient history, religious purification, diverse cultural rites, times of war, hopes for peace, social graces, class snobberies, a revolution, an investment in health, my own family background and this moment as it forms around me.

I over-steeped the tea today. Viewed from the outside, this event falls within a day's minor concerns. But I know better. When I over-steep the tea, it means I am distracted. I have stolen a moment of rest from myself. The making of tea is as much the gift as the beverage.

When I begin, I think carefully about what tea I will brew. What matches my mood? What does the day call for? Then I assemble the brewing tools. As the water heats, I choose my cup and saucer. And then, when I am kind to myself, I wait. I practice breathing and suspend my active mind. I look into this fire and see the fires that have boiled the water for millennia. I make the tea and wait again as it steeps. I find the power in waiting.

And sometimes I over-steep the tea.

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

Tea prices come down by Rs 6 in Siliguri - Global financial crisis hits brew sector

After nearly one decade of slump when the price had come down to as low as Rs 54 per kg in the region, the commodity had been fetching a higher amount since the beginning of this year. The rise in the price had been a major relief for the brew belt.

“Since March 2008, the sector had been doing well. The prices started rising after many years and we were feeling a bit relieved that the financial distress faced by those associated with the sector would somehow be eased,” said Prabir Bhattacharjee, the secretary of the Dooars branch of Indian Tea Association.

“However, the sharp fall we have witnessed in the past couple of auctions held in Siliguri and at other centres in Calcutta and Guwahati have left us contemplative,” he said.

Bhattacharjee added that the present global recession had led to a liquidity crisis, thereby affecting tea sales across India. “As the demand came down, the prices started nose-diving and I don’t see any other reason for the fall.”

According to the statistics available with the Tea Board of India, the average price at the auctions held from January to September this year in Calcutta was Rs 101 against Rs 82.36 during the corresponding period in 2007. In Guwahati, the brew was sold at Rs 88.86 in the same period this year. In 2007, the price was Rs 68.06.

At Siliguri auction centre, the figures were Rs 64.92 for 2007 and Rs 82.95 this year. The average price of tea reached Rs 92.07 from Rs 72.63 last year in north India. In south India, the average price during January-September this year was Rs 63.56, higher than Rs 50.34 in 2007. The-all India average auction price also crossed the Rs 80-mark. It was Rs 82.76 this year, an increase of Rs 16 from Rs 66.53 in 2007.

“Everything was fine till mid-October, but following the depression experienced by the global economy, importers could not supply more tea in international markets. This brought down the prices,” said K.K. Mintri, a planter of north Bengal. “It is not only CTC tea but the Darjeeling variety has also suffered a setback to some extent. As far as I understand, other tea producing countries like Kenya and Sri Lanka, which bank mainly on exports, are also facing the similar situation.”

Mintri said if the prices continued to come down, it would become tough for planters to meet expenditures like workers’ wages which had been revised recently.

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

1980's Aged Baozhong from Hou De

Origin: Taiwan
Year: 1980's
Vendor: Hou De Fine Tea
Price: $24.50 (2 oz)
Verdict: 8.5/10

For those who know tea, the word "aged" generally conjures up images of 40 year old raw puerh cakes. Puerh ages due to microbial activity within the cakes, so it is an active, biological process. Oolong teas, on the other hand, do not contain these microbes, which is why I was confused when I first heard of aged oolong. I don't know the science behind aging oolong tea, but the process involves air-tight storage and roasting every few years. From what I understand, the time mellows the tea and the roasting wakes it up again, keeping it from simply going stale.

Unfortunately this tea is no longer available, so I suppose this review is a bit useless to you, the reader. Lucky for you I have no qualms about being useless.

Dry Leaf:

As you can see, this looks very much like Wuyi rock oolong (at least to me), and very little like a fresh baozong, except for the wiry shape. The small, twisty, dark brown leaves have quite an interesting aroma. Unlike the cocoa/charcoal aroma one often finds in Wuyi oolongs, this is much smoother, more like solid dark chocolate. I also noted some caramel and cherries, though I must credit the latter observation to Salsero, without whose help I never would have figured it out. There are no upfront or aggressive aromas, which would normally leave the tea a bit flat, but for whatever reason it seems to give the bouquet an added depth. It is an inexplicable depth though, since I honestly can't say it's an exciting aroma. On the contrary, it is quite muted-- I wonder if another roasting would turn up the volume, per se.

Parameters:

4.3g dry leaf; 90mL yixing teapot; off-boiling tap water; Rinse, 23s, 30s, 27s, 27s, 32s, 34s, 39s, 38s, 39s, 47s

Liquor:

This was a nice, dark flavored dessert kind of tea. Not necessarily dark in color, as you can see, but dark in flavor, with a consistent blend of smooth dark chocolate and red berries. I picked up almost no smokiness whatsoever, which was unexpected because of all the roasting this tea has experienced. Though the aroma had hints of cherries (thanks again Sal), I thought the flavor was more raspberry-like in the first infusions and strawberry-like in the end. The tea was relatively unchanging in flavor, except for a slight change in emphasis from chocolate in the beginning to berries with a sugary/vanilla sweetness in the end. This was not a particularly thick-feeling tea, but it did give a nice coating sensation in the early infusions. Overall, quite tasty, but no real surprises.

I also thought I'd mention another observation I made. Some of you may have heard of "cha qi." I have no idea what it is supposed to feel like, and frankly I'm hesitant to put much stock in the concept of qi. Nevertheless, there is no better explanation at this time that I am aware of, so I'll stick with it for now. Anyway, the observation I made was a sweeping sense of warmth, starting in my sinuses, sweeping up to my forehead, and then flowing down the back of my neck and ending in my chest/upper back. It was quite nice, but I'm not sure if it was the tea, or some combination of the hot weather and my imagination.

Wet Leaves:

Stiff leaves (arthritic, perhaps?), and dark brown color throughout. Unlike relatively young Wuyi oolongs which are dark green/brown when unrolled, these are all brown, likely due to a combination of age and repeated roastings. [Sorry about the bad picture, by the way]

Conclusion:

This tea reminded me of the Energizer bunny in two ways. First, it keeps going and going. This tea easily lasted 9 infusions, when it just started showing signs of weakness. Second, you feel funny after you drink what's inside. I don't usually get disoriented or "tea drunk" until I've had a lot of tea, but one session of this stuff made me feel positively loopy.

***Disclaimer: Don't eat batteries.***

Overall, I have to say I was quite pleased by this tea. I will certainly miss it when it's gone. Perhaps it isn't the most engaging tea I've had, but it is interesting enough to keep my attention without requiring it. Overall, this gets an 8.5/10.

Also see Hobbes' review of this tea.

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

Monkey Tea

Legend says that over ten centuries ago, upon seeing his master pick tea leaves, a monkey climbed up and collected the leaves and brought them down for his master. The reality behind "monkey-picked tea" is dubious, but I'm not talking about monkey-picked tea in this post anyway - I'm talking about Monkey of PG Tips fame, and since I mentioned him a couple of days ago, I thought I would share his latest film adventure with you: "A Tale of Two Continents".

Did you know that PG Tips (the #1 tea in the UK) is the first major tea company to make a large-scale commitment to producing tea in a sustainable way? Sustainability isn't new to this company - but they want ALL their tea to be FULLY sustainable so they are now working with The Rainforest Alliance so that every leaf of PG Tips tea will come from certified farms by the year 2010.

PG Tips is the tea that Tall and Handsome and I drink all day, every day. It is a good feeling to know that our choice helps improve the incomes and livelihoods of tea farmers and their families half a world away. It's a win-win situation as far as we are concerned.

This little film (about 9 minutes) is not only entertaining (very entertaining!), but informative, too, as Monkey defines and then explains sustainability with regard to tea.

Banana anyone?

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

P.S.A.

The 5 Steps to a full recovery:
1. Admit that you have a problem and that you need help.
2. Throw away all of your teaballs.
3. Buy a teapot, gaiwan and/or brewing basket.
4. Enjoy drinking healthy and delicious loose leaf tea daily.
5. Continue your tea education by visiting tea shops, traveling and reading tea books and blogs.

Just say NO!

Black Dragon Tea Bar cares!

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

Sunday Reading

Paris on my mind: Inspiring Parisian shopping and decorating ideas. Mouthwatering Paris restaurant reviews. A new book about the joys (and pitfalls) of living in Paris.

Provence also on my mind, especially after browsing through this enticing site.

Looking for holiday rentals in France to die for? Check out these chic apartments in Paris and gorgeous houses scattered all over the country.
This is the apartment my sister and I are staying in at the end of the month. Looks fabulous, non?



All of the recent showers have brought out the beautiful May flowers.

I'm not the only one telling her Becoming a French Citizen tales. Heather in Paris is sharing her story too.

A treasured birthday gift designed by my Languedoc Lasses and fashioned by a very talented jeweler and a great friend.

Rocky Mountain High with Element Tea

For one thing, they offer a number of premium teas, not a bunch of teas loaded up with fruits, spices, herbs, etc. (some “loaded” teas can be tasty and others not so much so). For another, they’ve actually taken time to learn about tea, what it is, how it’s processed. They have one of the best-designed online tea stores, easy to navigate, steeping instructions, clear descriptions of the teas, even estimations of how many cups of tea you can expect to get out of the amount of tea you’re purchasing (so you can see that these teas aren’t as expensive as you might think — the cost per cupful is far less than a grande tea at places like Starbucks).

They offer some organics but, thankfully, also plenty of regular items.

Element Tea started in April 2009, and the Website was launched in October 2009. That seems to have been a busy time for tea-minded entrepreneurs. (Indie Tea started about the same time, and I started this blog in August 2009.)

Rachael Hoffman and Julia Suiter team to bring some wonderful teas to you, along with some great teawares. I can’t tell you what kind of background each has in tea (other than what is on their site’s “About Us” page), but somewhere along the line they learned what they needed to know to offer such teas as Dragon Well Green, Black Silk, and Assam Satrupa FTGFOP1 in loose form (some bagged teas also available).

One disappointment is that they call Rooibos and herbals by the term “tea,” adding to the confusion that reigns right now in the tea market. Also, like many tea vendor sites, Element Tea touts health benefits without linking to clinical studies, so take these with a big, fat grain of salt (or, better yet, not at all).

Hubby and I will be exploring the samples they sent with great interest and invite you along for the journey.

Their site: http://www.elementtea.com/

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

Holiday Tea Time — New Year’s Eve

Out with the old and in with the new — year, that is! Try something different to toast in that new year: the champagne of teas — Darjeeling. Don’t forget the feast to go with it. Get the details on The Taste of English Tea Blog.

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

Taking A Sick Day

I am reporting from bed with a steaming cup of my all time favorite tea, Organic Golden Monkey , placed by my keyboard, and my faithful cat, Little One, curled up at my feet. Just one more week, and I would have made it through an entire year without a sinus infection. Of course, there have been hints of one surfacing here and there, but I dodged the bullet each time. Then, wham, bam, thank you, M’am- nasty sinus infection and raging headache enters the picture smack during the holidays. I knew it was too good to be true to make it through 2009 without incident! We trudged through our plans anyways with a getaway trip to San Francisco, hoping that the fresh ocean air and Union Square shopping would help clear my head. When all else failed, we got cozy with Manhattans at the Clock Bar, and then treated ourselves to a well-deserved mid-afternoon nap.

It is important to note here that the Tea Drinker was officially anointed a Saint this holiday season(pictured left). He took great care of me. Providing piles of Kleenex at a moment’s notice, throat lozenges at will, and even made a Christmas Eve run to the pharmacy at 11:30pm, so that I could get a restful night’s sleep. As soon as my eyes popped open each morning, I heard the kettle on, and eagerly awaited his remedy: a flavorful cup of loose leaf tea. And, when my whining got to be too much, he poured me a glass of bubbles and then took me out for spicy food. A true dear. Snotty nose and all, I am so grateful to have spent this holiday with my loving husband(who has access to copious amounts of tea).

Thank you, Honey! My cup is empty, and I need a spot more….

Have a joyful and healthy New Year! May your cup always be full and runneth over.

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

Tipi

Tipis consist of four elements: a set of ten to fifteen sapling poles, a canvas or skin cover (the outer shape familiar from photographs), an inner canvas or skin lining, and a canvas or skin door. Ropes and pegs are required to bind the poles, close the cover, attach the lining and door, and anchor the resulting structure to the ground. Tipis are distinguished from other tents by two crucial innovations: the opening at the top and the smoke flaps, which allow the dweller to cook and heat themselves with an open fire, and the lining, which supplies a steady, controlled flow of fresh air to fire and dwellers in almost any weather. Tipis are designed to be easily set up to allow camps to be moved to follow game migrations, especially the bison. The long poles could be used to construct a dog or later horse-pulled travois.

Tipi covers are made by sewing together strips of canvas or hide and cutting out a semicircular shape from the resulting surface. Trimming this shape yields a door and the smoke flaps that allow the dwellers to control their fires. The lining is the most difficult element to measure, since it consists of lozenge-shaped strips of canvas assembled to form the shape of a truncated cone. The poles, made of peeled, polished and dried saplings, are cut to measure about six feet more than the radius of the cover. From Wikipedia.com

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

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

A Test In the Art of Gimhae Style

The gimhae tea bowl style originated in the kilns surrounding this city in the 1600s. This style was much sought after by the Japanese tea masters around that time. Creamy pale cracked glaze over soft pinkish clay. Outer sidewalls of the bowl etched in a crisscrossing pattern imitating wind-blown grasses and reeds. Its foot composed of four notched out pieces arranged in a cross providing stability to the bowl.

Many Korean ceramicists attempt this famous style. The three beautiful bowls pictured are by three different living artists. Each bowl carries with it certain characteristics of the artist who made them. Each is, in and of themselves, beautiful examples of this style. And each holds merit in its individual beauty, but one of these bowls is worth more than a new car!

Just for fun one thought that one would test your ability to discern valuable ceramics.

Can you guess as to which bowl is the over-the-top expensive gimhae style chawan? What do you think makes it is the most valued?

All monetary judgments aside, which is your favorite out of the three? Why do you like that one?
Please don't be shy now, its just for fun!

From left to right: #1, #2, #3

Number One...

Number Two...

Number Three...

One will post the answer as to which is the breakin-the-bank expensive gimhae bowl in a few days.

Looking forward to hearing your opinions on these splendid pieces of art.

Peace

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

Silver Teaspoon Jewelry and More

2009 Takumi Shincha

After a long winter of drinking Oolongs and Puerh even the most die hard tea lovers become somewhat jaded, but spring does amazing things. With all the new teas coming to market it,s easy to get drawn into the world of tea again. This Takumi Shincha I bought at a local shop, $13.99 for a 50 gm. nitro flushed bag. Grown in the Kagoshima prefecture and using the Gokou varietal which is known for it.s sweetness and richness. This teas dry leaf appears much more broken than most Shincha, suggesting it,s been subjected to a little heavier steaming than is typical. Also a fair amount of tiny little stems, so small it,s easy to mistake them for leaf. So rustic that it almost looks more like an Aracha (farmers tea) The smell of the dry leaf is very vegetal and fresh. Traditionally Shincha is a very light and delicate tea, but this one appears to be a little bit more on the sturdy and stout end of the spectrum. Brews a deep green cup with a slight murkiness. a.k.a. cloudy. Yep! When they brew up like that, they have been deep steamed, a.k.a. fukamushi. The flavor is very deep and rich with that savory vegetal flavor permeating. In the aftertaste there is a noticable sweetness. A slight astringency in the aftertaste as well. I know a lot of people really love the fukamushi style tea but I prefer the traditional light or mid level steamed tea. Not because I don't like the flavor of the fukamushi but because I don't like the way it looks, green swamp water. Also I prefer to taste the tea itself and not the processing. I guess you could think of it as French Roast Coffee which because of the way it was roasted all you really taste is the roast, the type of coffee used is very much secondary. This is a good quality tea but I,m not sure I,d buy it again. The flavors this tea has are easily found in a lot of the less expensive brands. The characteristics of the Gokou varietal show up well and the tea is fresh, I,ll give it that much. For my money I,d rather buy a mid or light steamed Yakubita, now there,s a tea to swoon over.

note: one of my favorite cups, I bought this from Artistic Nippon a couple of years ago. Holds an entire pot of tea. Even though there is a crack running all the way down the side of the cup it doesn't leak. Very rustic clay with large particle sand mixed in and then glazed and hand painted in porcelain.

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