A Teany Taste of the Sublime

In Sickness and In (not) Taste

2011-01-15T18:51:00.002-05:00

After being sick for four days straight, the worst thing that has happened to me is losing my sense of taste.

What a horrible torment this is, to not have a sense of taste.

Candle Making

2011-01-13T12:32:00.005-05:00

If you've ever bought one of those high priced, chain store brand candles, then you can just stop. Put down that Christmas Cookie, Balsam, Cedar, Apple, Cinnamon, Fresh Vanilla Pumpkin scented candle and take a step back. You do realize how expensive they are don't you? And you realize that you can actually make your own that smell, last, and look a lot better?

It's easy actually. All you need is a vessel, some wax and some scented oil. The rest is just procedure.

To start, find something that you would be happy making into a candle. Items from dollar stores make great vessels for beginners. They're cheap small enough that you won't waste too much if you make a mistake.

A few Christmas' ago, I made some candles as gifts for the ladies in my family. I used small coke bottles that I bought from a dollar store, some glittered candle holders and some aluminum water cans from Michael's. They ended up loving them, although none of them have actually burned one yet.

Anyhow, once you get your vessel, you need to get some wax. You have two choices of wax: paraffin, a by-product of the petroleum Industry and beeswax, a natural form of wax created by bees. According to Beeswax Co., a company that produces "100% pure" beeswax candles, the two forms of wax are very different.

Their website explains that beeswax is superior to paraffin wax in a lot of ways. According to the company, the natural beeswax burns cleaner and longer than paraffin wax; emits "the same light spectrum as the sun;" and cleans the air as it burns.

Paraffin wax on the other hand, the company explains, "is a toxic byproduct of the petroleum industry;" releases "toxic fumes," much like the ones found in Carbon Dioxide; and burn at a faster rate while dripping excessively.

According to my research, Beeswax is is more expensive then paraffin wax, presumably to it being a product of nature. While I have only ever used paraffin so far, I plan on switching to beeswax once my paraffin supply runs out.

As for cost, a 1-pound block of beeswax is about 3.5 as expensive as a 1-pound block of paraffin, according to Amazon.

With wax in hand, make a double boiler. A large glass measuring cup hooked onto a sauce pot filled with boiling water works. But for larger projects, if the vessels can stand up to the heat, use an empty slow cooker. Place the vessels inside the slow cooker and fill them with wax. Use this method if you don't want to guess how much wax you need. By using a slow cooker, you can use what you need through the process rather than go in blind and most likely waste some wax.

Once all the wax is melted, put in your oil scent and colorant. Paraffin wax is naturally white while Beeswax is yellow. Take that into account when using color.

Put a wick in everything, let it cool and your done.

Enjoy your new candles. Because now you don't have to always buy them when you want your house to smell fresh and clean.

New camera rig

2011-01-10T11:52:00.002-05:00

I will probably be posting some rather high quality (hopefully) photos in the next few months due to two new tripods that I got for Christmas.

Along with night time shooting and long-exposure shots, I have been playing with tethered shooting.

Indonesian Tea with the Queen

2011-01-09T01:15:00.001-05:00

While on a recent cruise to the Caribbean, I got the unexpected chance to attend a so-called Indonesian "tea ceremony" that was to be hosted by the Indonesian meal staff. Sadly, it didn't live up to my standards at all.

Considering myself a tea connoisseur, I jumped at the chance after reading it in my daily event briefing that Holland America Line, the cruise company I traveled with was playing host to a "tea ceremony." I still don't know how they can call what I experienced a "ceremony." It was more akin to afternoon tea and cookies with the Brits.

Having arrived sharply at three o'clock, just as the day planner had specified being the start time, I was surprised to find many of my fellow cruisers already seated in the dining hall. I looked around as an attendant walked us to a table, watching many of the guests drinking down cups of pre-packaged, loose leaf tea served via tea bags.

Now, I will be the first to admit that I had expectations going in, having already attended a tea ceremony at the Morikami Museum in Delray Beach, Florida. But I did expect something far more than afternoon brunch with the Queen.

This was no ceremony. No. This was a dinner service, at least that’s the impression I got with all the attendees running around offering us things.

"Would you like a sweet, Sir?", “Maybe try another flavor?”

Sweets are small candy delights that are to be eaten in conjunction with the drinking of tea.

Of course I had something of everything, it was free. How could I resist? But the whole time, I still had a lingering thought in the back of my mind. Where was the ceremony? The coordinated, rigorous and ritualistic behavior that comes packaged with the word.

Well, it wasn't there, and that was a disappointment. Especially considering how amalgamated the staff was. On the Holland America vessel I was traveled on, the Eurodam, there were only two ethnicities: Indonesian and Filipino. The Indonesian crew dealt with the dinning services while the Filipinos handled the rooms and the bars.

I mention this only because each crew, all having the same background bring their cultural heritage on board. That culture, I expected, was to show through during this "ceremony." The only real culture, non-commercialized culture I got from this event where the hats that each attendant wore. I asked, they said they were real. Who am I to argue that?

But this was nothing like at the Morikami. The tea was not fresh and the sweets were nothing more than coconut covered coconut balls and banana fritters. Looks like Holland America done goofed on that one.

Had Holland America let their Indonesian Crew actually put together a real ceremony, maybe even explain that Indonesia became a hub of tea production and how the leaf influenced their country. Then maybe it would have been a real "ceremony."

Butter Rhum: A Caribbean Spice

2011-01-08T01:55:00.001-05:00

My primary goal when I go vacationing is to find something new and exotic. Like most explorers, items that cannot be purchased or found in the United States, unique treasures created locally that express the local culture are something that I often look for while on trips.

I can say for certain that I found something very much like that during my travel in the Eastern Caribbean.

During a stop in St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, I found a box of locally-based Butter Rhum tea bags in a shop in St. Thomas’ downtown. I was surprised that I even found something this local in such a busy port-of-call. There where tourists every which way I went in this city.

St. Thomas is hailed as the shopping capital if the Caribbean by Holland America, the cruise line I traveled with.

This pure premium Ceylon tea is distributed by the Down Island Traders, a company so local that it doesn’t even have a web-presence. It has a hint of butter, but also tastes of spiced rum, something the Caribbean produces in mass. I suspect that the tea is black Ceylon tea, even though the box says nothing about which type it might be.

The tea actually tells a story about the history of the country, something I love. According to the box, the artwork on it is an “etching of Charlotte Amalie harbor as it was in the mid-1800s when the Virgin Islands played an integral part in pirate history.”

Both pirates and merchants came to the Caribbean to sell off loot and merchandise.

If you would like to order this tea, you can visit Palm Traders, a group that seems to sell many Caribbean-based products. Or you can call 1-800-524-2937.

Hawaii Chai Tea: Nuts for the Aloha State

2010-12-04T00:01:00.007-05:00

Earlier last month, my mother took a week long vacation to Hawaii, specially Oahu. While there, after visiting the sites and picking up the standard "I went on vacation and brought you something" item: a shirt, she went and found me something really gnarly at a Hilo Hattie shop. While in Hawaii, mom picked me up some Kona Coast Hawaiian Chai tea.

I have to say, my mother has a particularly keen eye for finding exotic gifts from exotic places. It was probably those many years of owning an herb and gift shop.

The tea came in a small brown bag, which I got after a delicious Thanksgiving dinner made by my amazing mom. After inspecting it and realizing what it was, I exclaimed to my mother that we had to have some. So I grabbed the kettle and got to brewing.

The first thing I noticed about the Kona Coast Chai is that it smells amazing. When I first got the bag, I immediately smelled the macadamia nuts and the strong chai scent so prominently boasted about on the front of the bag. That same smell comes through, but stronger with the brew.

After pouring a cup for my mom and I, the first thing that hit me was that heavy, earthy chai scent I mentioned. But after analyzing it a bit more, I detected the macadamia nut oils. They're subtle, but there.

As for the taste, it's pretty fantastic. When first tasting, I first got the traditional chai flavor, but behind that, the macadamia nut oils come through. Sadly, I didn't get a lot of the Kona coconut flavor that is mentioned on the bag. My mother however, hit that flavor early on. Oddly, she wasn't able to pick out any of the macadamia flavor.

Now, I have to point out that I was pretty disappointed that this particular brew came in tea-bag form, as compared to loose leaf. Since loose leaf is always much more flavorful than bags, this tea didn't have the flavor potential it could have had right out of the gate. That and I really wanted to use the small teapot my mother bought.

But, beside the point. This tea is still pretty unique and awfully good.

"It's just smooth," said mom, after through a half-cup. "Some teas have a bit of a bite. everything about this is smooth." I have to agree. I truly enjoy that this tea has no lingering flavors to deal with. Maybe it's because of the form it came in. Since it doesn't have a lot of flavor potential out the gate, then it isn't nearly as strong as it would have been, had the tea came in loose leaf form. But that isn't too say I didn't really enjoy this.

Kona Coast Hawaiian Chai Tea is produced by the Hawaiian Tea Company. They are located in Wailuku, Hawaii.

As of December 04, 2010, the Hawaiian Tea Company's website says that it is down due to inclement weather, but I'm not exactly sure why. I can't find it on the Hilo Hattie website either. I did however, find it on Amazon. It is being sold for $10.99/bag by the Buns of Maui. I would recommend purchasing it through Amazon from them.

Ramen With Egg: boiled, not scrambled

2010-10-04T13:47:00.007-04:00

I have decided that for me, tea is not enough. No, no. No longer shall I indulge in just the sweet nectar of the leaf. Rather, I shall embark into new territory, off the silk road and away from the camp, into the damp underbrush of the world.

Thus, as my first step towards that, looking to use the familiar as a guide. I have boiled up a pot of Ramen with egg, not on the side.

Into the pot I put water, clean and pure. Maybe too much, I was not sure. After bucking the thought, I added the noodles. Crushed with a packet of chicken dust. Then after a minute, an egg, then two. Stir, stir, stir. It doesn't look like glue. A dash of pepper, for flavor, of course.

Eaten with chopsticks, its pretty good. Better than expected, even though it doesn't look that good.

Tea used as anti-insurgent tactic in Afghanistan

2010-10-03T12:38:00.003-04:00

Seven months ago, 40 female marines volunteered to become part of a new strategy to fight the terrorist insurgency in Afghanistan. Rather than use bullets and force, the U.S. government has turned to tea and conversation to win over Afghan woman.

According to the New York Times, all forty woman are part of a full-time “female engagement teams" sent out with the normal patrols to "try to win over the rural Afghan women who are culturally off limits to outside men."

The Muslim culture puts heavy restrictions on what woman can and cannot do, even within their own culture.

The “tea as a weapon” mission was judged a success by the Federal Government after a seven-month deployment in southern Afghanistan nears it's end.

More on the jump

[ The New York Times - Tea Comes With Bullets ]

Oi Ocha - Tea, Please!

2010-06-01T23:00:00.002-04:00

If I am guilty of one thing, it is that I have been neglecting certain aspects of my life. This blog being one of them, and a bottle of Oi Ocha (Tea Please!) Ito En brand green tea being the second.

This particular bottle which sits on my desk, staring at me in contempt while I write this post, has been living in my refrigerator door for about as long as I have neglected this blog.

I found this particular tea at my local supermarket and was pleasently surprise when I realized that Ito En brand Oi Ocha tastes nothing like any other mass-market tea that I have had.

The bottle's label states that it is "Japan's #1 Green Tea," and proper grammar not withstanding, this is very unlike any bottled American tea that I have had. Rightly so. Oi Ocha, which according to the company's website means "Tea Please!" is actually green tea matcha, one of the more unique forms of green tea and probably the most widely known.

Matcha is actually the same tea used in many Japanese tea ceremonies. It has a very bitter, almost grass-like taste, but is unusually crisp and refreshing. Unlike many processed green teas that we find here in America, it is in no way sweet. Though, I have found that that some matcha is actually supposed to be sweet and is used in many confections. Though both times I have had matcha in the past, both have had the same bitter, grass-like taste.

Although this tea might be a step outside of your comfort zone, I reccomend that you try it. If not for the experience, but to really taste and learn about matcha.

I know this post was short, but I must digress. . I want to make this blog a bit more fun. In doing so, I want to start a photo project about tea. I would like to hear your ideas, if you have any for a project that I could start using my camera.

If your curious, please feel free to go look at my Flickr account and check my previous photo work.

Its a Gold Peak Christmas

2009-12-10T01:00:00.008-05:00

Its a Gold Peak Christmas
Originally uploaded by M. Trimboli

When I first encountered Gold Peak brand tea, I was working at my other job: Publix Supermarkets. I was walking to the front to grab something and I saw it. Sitting in one of those sale bins they put up front to catch the attention of customers. It wasn't lonely, rather, it was sitting with all of its Gold Peak brand tea bottle friends.

But it was new, and thus, shunned by the other groceries.

I realized then that I wanted to write about it, and then it hit me. "Hey Tea, Lets be friends!" and thus we were. I bought four, stuck them next to my fridge and ignored them for a whole semester.

What a friend I am...

Then came the end of the Fall 2009 semester and I decided to continue this blog. I went back to my old friend Gold Peak and begged forgiveness. Boy howdy, it wasn't too sweet to me. In fact, this unsweetened tea has no sugar at all, unlike its companions (More on that later). It does however have an almost perfectly brewed taste, unlike other over-brewed teas I get elsewhere. Most unsweetened tea from restaurants, tea bags, grocery stores, and even Publix's unsweetened tea all have a very bitter and nasty taste. But Gold Peak Unsweetened tea is very smooth and crisp and leaves your tongue with a pleasant, cooling honey aftertaste.

This unsweetened tea smells very similar to that of the home brewed sweet tea that I made back in January. With a hint of lemon and some honey, it smells very refreshing and clean. The amber colored brew inside a tall, inviting bottle, catches your attention in the store, making it stand out from the other products in the soda case. Upon first seeing it, I could already imagine how this product would be a refreshing reprieve from the relentlessly hot summer days in Florida.

According to Bevnet.com, a leading beverage industry website, the Coca-Cola company product is made with hand selected, high quality tea leaves and pure filtered water and served in 16.9 oz. glass carafe bottles.

Offered in five flavors: sweetened, unsweetened, diet, lemon and green tea, this isn't completely mind blowing, but it is good. According to Gold Peak's website, the label was awarded the 2009 Best Taste Award by ChefsBest. But upon checking the ChefsBest website, I could only find a 2008 Best Taste Award for the brand's Green Tea.

Either way, it wouldn't hurt to give this one a try. You can get Gold Peak brand Tea from most national grocery stores, gas stations and shops and it will only cost a dollar or two. It will be well worth it on those hot Florida days. Speaking of which, the Gold Label tea series will be at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival in South Beach, Florida on February 25 - 28.

Green Tea Gummi Bears

2009-04-11T01:05:00.002-04:00

I decided that I would hit-up Whole Foods to grab some "almost done with the semester, but still stressed out" desert to make myself feel better. After wandering around the bakery area for a bit and looking at all of their amazing pastries, I looked up to see large jars of gummi bears.

Now, I love me some gummi bears. They are just so awesome, who can't love them. Anyway, when I looked closer, I noticed they were green tea gummi bears.

"AWESOME!" I thought! So I bought some, and man are they good.

Such simple little creations; Organic corn syrup, organic sugar, gelatin, citric acid, green tea powder, lactic acid, beeswax and a few other things. Not too bad in terms of ingredients, note that most everything sold at Whole Foods is organic, meaning there are not as many crazy chemicals.

The green tea "pandas" as the market likes to call them taste just like green tea. They would make an awesome side-snack. The market had a few other flavors to offer, including: Blueberry Acai and pomegranate.

So if you want a quick snack, drop into Whole Foods to pick up some green tea gummi pandas! Note, they are a little expensive, but worth it for a quick-sugar snack.

Using green tea as an ingredient

2009-04-10T01:16:00.004-04:00

It probably doesn't come as much of a surprise, but I love to cook. In fact, I love finding new ways to use something that might normally have only one, maybe two uses in the kitchen. Tea for example, is mostly brewed then drunk. However, after doing some digging, I found that you can use some teas for uses other than just drinking.

photo: reluctantgourmet.com

The website, amazing-green-tea.com has listed recipes on their website for various dishes, all using tea as an ingredient. Looking at the risotto recipe, it actually doesn't look that hard. I made basic risotto early this week using a recipe from my handy-dandy Betty Crocker Cook Book and it wasn't too difficult. Because all risotto is made essentially the same way, This recipe like others just changes up the ingredients.

Here is what you need:

1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, chopped
2 1/4 cups brown rice
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 cups brewed earl grey tea

And now the process:

1) Pour the olive oil into the bottom of a large pot. Sauté the onion and garlic together until the onions are translucent.

2) Add the mushrooms, and continue sautéing until they are soft.

3) Meanwhile, it a separate pot, combine the broth and the tea and heat until bubbly. (You need to combine the tea and broth, but the only reason they say to heat it up is so that you don't have to do it when you pour it into the rice. Everything is already hot in the pan full of rice, why cool it down with cold liquid?)

4) Once the mushrooms have softened, add the rice to the pot with the vegetables. Stir until the rice is coated with the olive oil from the pan. (Betty Crocker told me to wait until the sides of the rice was translucent. Also, continually stir the rice! the action of stiring breaks the shell of the rice, releasing starches into the pan. These starches are what thicken up the dish as it cooks.)

- Then add 2 cups of liquid and stir until it is almost entirely absorbed. (It has to be absorbed. Remember, your cooking rice. If you add too much liquid, it takes longer to cook and will get soggy.)

5) Once the liquid in the pot has almost completely absorbed, add another cup of the broth/tea mixture and stir some more.

6) ~~Repeat this process for the next 30 minutes, adding 1 cup of the broth/tea mixture each time.~~ (Just do it till the liquid is absorbed, skip step 7 also, go straight to 8)

7) Good risotto requires patience, but on the plus side, making it will burn some calories and strengthen your arms! It is important not to get impatient and dump all the liquid in there at once. As tempting as that may be, if you give in your risotto won't have the delicious characteristic texture.

8) Once all the broth has been used up, sample the risotto. Add more liquid if the rice is not completely cooked yet. If it is done, season with salt and pepper to taste. (When I made mine, I added some shredded Parmesan cheese. It will melt into the dish and make it very gooey and stingy. Always a plus if you like Risotto.)

That's pretty much it. It seems hard, but once you get into it, you will find it to be a very simple and rewarding dish to make. Good luck, enjoy the leaf.

Tea Parties Resists Government's Economic Plans

2009-04-09T18:08:00.009-04:00

American public opinion can have a very big effect on the actions of the American governments. Ever since the beginning of this financial crisis, people have become increasingly upset over who is getting financial aid from the government and who is being left out in, now that the housing market has collapsed, the cold.

photo: TJs Candle Scents

The governmental aid that is being provided to these huge corporations has enraged many Americans, so much so that it is resulting in large, organized protests called "tea parties" from shore to shore. The San Francisco Examiner reports that the protests will occur on April 15, national tax filing day. These protests are in direct opposition to how the Obama Administration is currently handling the financial crisis that has rocked our nation over the last year.

The protests are named after the famous 1773 Boston Tea Party in which Bostonian Colonists threw British tea into the Boston River to show their dislike of the 1773 Tea Act.

Protests have been already been scheduled throughout Palm Beach County, Florida.

Drinking Tea Can Help Your Health

2009-04-09T17:17:00.010-04:00

If there is one thing that I have learned from watching as much Food Network as I have, it is that many famous food creations have happened by happy accident.

Nachos, for example, were created at The Victory Club, a restaurant in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico by Ignacio "Nacho" Anaya. Nacho, according to the website The Sabatos Network, served the wives of some U.S. Soldiers stationed at Fort Duncan Air Base across the border in Eagle Pass, Texas.

The women showed up after the restaurant had closed, but not wanting to disappoint, Anaya took what he had from the kitchen (tortillas and cheese) and created what we now know as Nachos.

Tea, like nachos, was discovered thanks to a happy accident. According to the website, absoluteastronomy.com, the mythological Chinese Emperor Shen Nong had a pot of boiling water. Heat from the fire was carried up to a nearby tea bush, causing one of the branches to burn and leaves to fall into his pot. the Emperor noticed his water changing color and, out of curiosity, decided to see what the brew would do to him.

Emperor Shen Nong, according to ancient Chinese lore, had a transparent body and could see how into himself, giving him the unique ability of seeing how various things affected him.

According to legend, the Emperor tried many different plants to see how each one affected him, giving him the title of the Father of Chinese medicine.

Tea as it turns out is actually very good for your health, just as Shen Nong found out. In a recent study published by the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, drinking tea can help ward off breast cancer. A study published by the Journal of Periodontology showed that green tea polyphenols can slow the growth of certain diseases that cause gum and tooth decay.

This particular study followed 940 Japanese men aged between 49 and 59 and found that by just drinking green tea, the amount of gum bleeding and recession decreased slightly.

So in case your worried about your health, and really don't think all those crap diets are working, why don't you switch over to drinking tea for awhile!

Tazo and the Giant Peach

2009-04-08T15:11:00.006-04:00

For such a well-known Tea company to produce such a convoluted product comes at quite a shock to me, only because this is Tazo w are talking about.

Yesterday, I grabbed some Tazo brand, Giant Peach tea from a local Starbucks. When I read the label, "Brewed green tea with apple & peach juices," I didn't know what to expect. I popped it open, expecting a blast of peach flavor, put it to my mouth and from there, realized that all I was drinking was a very bland, not very exciting, watery drink.

The three ingredients: Green tea, apple juices, and peach juices sound great, but all three flavors are very strong and have their own unique flavors. When you combine flavors like this, they all attempt to overpower each other and end up just making a bland water with no distinct, discernible flavor.

Tazo is a great tea company, don't get me wrong, but maybe they should stick to the loose leaf market

Chinese Tea Eggs, for easter and alike

2009-04-07T13:59:00.004-04:00

Around this time of year, all the little kiddies tug at their parents kitchen aprons to make brightly colored eggs that, eventually, will be eaten or hidden or whatever.

Photo: appetiteforchina.com/

Well, for the Chinese, the eggs are made all year round, are not exactly brightly colored, and are eaten rather than hidden away. These little beauties, often eaten as snacks are called Chinese tea eggs. They are like a boiled egg, but not, but sort-of are. More on that later.

The color, as I mentioned earlier, isn't like an Easter egg either. According to the website choosy-beggars.com, tea eggs get their color from the black tea they are normally brewed in. the eggs, as you can already gather from the picture, look rancid and well, toxic. However, they, according to beggars.com, are "hot diggity dang good."

In order to make these tasty little treats, you need to boil your eggs once. Then, pull them out and gently roll on a surface in order to lightly crack the shells. Put the eggs back into very strong, very dark tea at a simmer and let it cook for a few hours. After awhile, the eggs will take on the dark color from the tannins in the black tea and will be done.

Now, if you're still scared to try one of these, and don't actually think they are cooked. I assure you they are. In fact, they are cooked twice! Because they take so long, I will be making them this coming Saturday. Until then, enjoy the leaf.

Yixing Clay Teapot, cute, quaint, useful

2009-04-07T13:39:00.013-04:00

Once again, the guys at Teas Etc have come through to provide me with something awesome.

Photo: Me

According to Newman Johnston III, the managing director of Teas Etc, the company goes on QVC every now and again. You remember QVC don't you? The home shopping channel that you watch at three in the morning. The one that randomly sells shoes, then computers, then some...thing, for your kitchen.

Yeah, anyway. When I went to Teas Etc's warehouse last month, I was given a small Yixing (pronounced "ee-shing") Clay Teapot. This small, one serving tea pot has no strainer, however is excellent for making tea for just one. It is cute, quaint, and made of clay.

Now as I have written in one of my previous posts, clay has a unique ability to save flavors from the tea that is brewed into it. This is caused by the tea residue left behind after the teapot is emptied.

According to Sabrina, a business major at Florida Atlantic University who was born and raised in China, clay teapots are the best because they produce the best tea.

The reason I got that free Yixing pot? Because QVC sent merchandise back to Teas Etc. that wasn't theirs. The company couldn't sell it, so they decided to give one to me. Thanks guys!

Darjeeling Black Tea

2009-04-03T18:36:00.012-04:00

Last month, I went to Teas Etc, a tea wholesaler located in Del Ray Beach. While there I talked to Matthew Papera, the Account Executive in charge of Tea Etc's wholesale division about how the company grades it's tea.

photo: http://www.timelessteas.com

Most in the tea industry use the orange pekoe system to grade tea. This system grades tea based on the wholeness of a particular leaf. For example, orange pekoe (OP) "consists of large, whole tea leaves." Broken orange pekoe (BOP) is a step-down from OP and is a mixture of whole and broken leaves. Then you get to Dust, which is exactly what it sounds like. Dust is created when tea leaves get ground up. It is the lowest quality of tea and usually goes into tea-bags.

There is a large number of variations in quality using the OP system, which is exactly why Papera feels that it is too convoluted, broken, and doesn't give a realistic estimate on the quality of a particular tea.

There are other ways of grading tea in the industry however. One very popular method is by using what Papera called "benchmark" teas. These teas are standardized and known industry-wide by one name. Almost every company has at least one of these teas, and they are judged not on the quality of the leaf, rather, on the quality of the brew.

One such benchmark is known as Darjeeling Black Tea. Tea Etc. gave me a handful of benchmark teas when I visited, and since my family was in town, I decided to brew up some of the Darjeeling to see what it tastes like. This particular tea brews into a beautiful amber color and has a decent of caffeine. The aroma, much like the flavor, is strong and plain. Note that plain is not the same thing as bland. Bland has no flavor, Darjeeling has a very plain, black tea flavor. But that is what makes it such a great benchmark tea.

The quality of Darjeeling is based on what makes a black tea, a black tea. Its flavor, color, aroma, and caffeine content. If you like black tea, then pick up some Darjeeling. It is a perfect example of what a black tea should be, and should be respected for that fact. Remember that old acronym KISS? Keep It Simple Stupid. Yeah, the same applies here.

Sweet Leaves Make a Morning Breakfast

2009-03-30T09:22:00.010-04:00

When I wake up from a long night of sleep, I always want something to drink. Sometimes my housemates make coffee, other times its just water for me, but today is different. Today I have Sweet Leaf brand mint & honey green tea.

This particular ready-to-drink organic tea is great for the morning breakfast scene because of its intense, and I mean intense, minty flavor. Taking a drink of this, according to one of my housemates, is like drinking gum...yum! If you want to skip the coffee and caffeine, I guarantee that the mint & honey flavor will wake you right up.

But if you still need your coffee in the morning, then you could always have this for lunch. Florida (My home state) is now coming into it's summer months now and if you want to lose the water for some flavor, this will substitute in some very tasty, icy goodness to your body and your soul.

The Sweet Leaf company got its start on a boat in Florida, says the company's website. The company's founder, Clayton Christopher couldn't understand why bottled tea never tasted as good as the homemade stuff. So after taking all of his savings account and buying an old van, the company got its start.

If you want to pick up some of this tea, the company sells its products to a whole variety of markets. I picked mine up from Whole Foods, where they sell Sweet Leaf Tea both warm and cold!

Just as I did with the Honest Tea brand of tea, I will pick-up and review a few more flavors from the Sweet Leaf company. Until then, enjoy the leaf!

Drinking hot tea can cause cancer, says Tehran University

2009-03-29T10:58:00.004-04:00

According a research study published by Tehran University, "People who regularly drank tea less than two minutes after pouring were five times more likely to develop [esophageal cancer] compared to those who waited four or more minutes," reports the Fox News Channel.

The University studied "300 people with esophageal cancer and another 571 healthy men and women from the Golestan Province in northern Iran" and monitored their drinking habits. The research participants were found to drink "more than a liter [of tea] each day."

Essentially, the damage to the esophagus is basic thermodynamics. When an object is cold, its molecules move around slower than if the object was hot. So if you have a cup of hot and cold water, the hot water's molecules will be moving around faster than the cold water's molecules.

When you use a hot liquid on for example, a greasy pan, the water's molecules cause the chemical bonds in the grease to break apart and separate from the pan. This is essentially what happens to our throat when drinking hot liquids. The hot water in our drinks cause the natural protection in our throats to break apart and according to researchers, is the cause of the increased risk.

The story on the jump.

[Study links hot tea to esophageal cancer]

Morning news

2009-03-18T08:36:00.002-04:00

Morning news
Originally uploaded by i.n.d.e.p.e.n.d.e.n.t

Psychology researchers at Sheffield University in the UK found that drinking something from a favorite mug or cup makes it taste significantly better than if it was drank from something else.

The story was posted by the online newspaper, The China Daily.

"Drinking tea and coffee is very ritualistic and people become very addictive to the way they want their brew made," Dr Tom Stafford told The Daily Telegraph. "It might be irrational or arbitrary but it's absolutely true. Your daily brew tastes better from your favourite mug."

The fully story on the jump

[Tea 'tastes better in favourite mug']

British mother jailed in Dubai after having tea with friend

2009-03-14T20:36:00.003-04:00

The website news.com.au reported on March 13, 2009 that a British mother, Marine Pearce, 40 was after having tea with a male friend. Her former husband Ihab El-Labban accused the mother of two of adultery after he burst into her Dubai Home and found Pearce having tea with the man.

Adultery is treated as serious crime in such a heavily populated, Muslim county.

"She should be immediately and unconditionally released," Amnesty's UK representative Tim Hancock said. "The rights of these two young children are in serious danger of being forgotten in the dispute between their parents. The boys should be allowed to express their own opinion on what should happen to them."

The full story after the jump:
[Mother of two, jailed over a cup of tea]

Strained Strainers

2009-03-14T11:28:00.003-04:00

In my original post about tea strainers, I went on-and-on about how using a strainer kills the flavor of your brew. I went on the words of Good Eats host, Alton Brown and thought that the strainer doesn't allow for water to reach each individual tea leaf. But in all honesty, I was wrong in believing that dropping the strainer altogether was a good idea.

I'm all one for flavor, don't get me wrong, but not using the strainer is such a pain! Every time I don't use it in the pot, I use it when pouring into my cup. I don't want to drink the leaves, I just want to brew them.

So this morning I decided to make some Egyptian Camomile to help me get over my cold. This specific type of herbal tea is made up of pieces of the Camomile flower. They are often pretty large and can get quite messy when wet. But that trait alone is what causes my frustration.

Not using the strainer when making teas such as this ends up clogging the spout of your teapot. That is super annoying! and very frustrating. Especially when you just want to get a cup of brew and relax for the morning.

In order to make a decision on whether or not to use the strainer, I believe you should consider what type of tea your making and if it will clog your teapot.If the tea is large and clumpy, like Egyptian Camomile, then you're probably better off using it. However, if your making small pellet teas such as Gunpowder then you can skip it.

Lastly, if you want a stronger brew, then just let the tea brew for longer than normal.

Cups, Pots, Teas Etc.

2009-03-12T18:57:00.012-04:00

When I think of any sort of business, one of the first images that comes to mind is a store front. Pretty shelves full of product, odd customers roaming around the aisles, various things in boxes with price tags, all with an oddly similar double nine endings...That type of thing. When I decided to look for local tea shops close to the city of Boca Raton, what I got wasn't exactly what was on the proverbial shelf.

With a few clicks I ended up searching Google Maps for tea shops. clicky-click went the keys of my board and the first three pages of search results? Starbucks. ...Ugh...Needless to say, I wasn't pleased. So I threw in a filter, no more Starbucks. The first few pages of the new results didn't look all that promising until I stumbled upon a place called Teas Etc. So I decided to hit up there website.

"cool" I said, "A real shop, that sells real loose leaf and real pots and oh wow, cool website too." It looked interestingly enough. According to Google Maps, the business was located on North Dixie Highway, however according to their website it was somewhere in West Palm Beach. I wasn't going to abandon this place just on a whim, so I decided to go down and take a look around after making a few phone calls.

Teas Etc. isn't just a commercial store-front, rather, they are a wholesaler who's clients include companies from the United States, Canada, some from South America and even some from China.

The company sells all types of tea, both organic and non-organic and all sorts of tea accessories ranging from glass teapots to travel mugs that brew as you go. But a majority of the company's business comes from their wholesale division. This place has every variety of tea you could imagine, even things that aren't tea (more on that later) and they stack it high. The smell coming from the company's warehouse/office building is amazing. Just walking up to the doors, you can smell the aroma of fresh tea leaves wafting from the doors. Oh, it is so amazing! And walking in, oh man...the smell is distinctive; so fresh and clean, like you just got out of the shower fresh and clean. Yeah...its nice.

Matthew Papera, the account executive of Tea Etc's wholesale division explained that the company has high quality standards and never uses the well known POJ grading system because it isn't standardized across the market.

Its a "terrible grading system," explains Papera. "The standards change from one place to the next. We [Tea Etc] buy the best stuff that we like."

The best stuff is found by owner and resident tea expert, Beth Johnston when she travels to various tea farms all across the world in order to select a harvest that Tea Etc. will buy. Now note that all real tea comes from the same plant, the Camellia Sinensis plant. It just depends on how it is processed.

Rather than base their judgements on a very detailed and often very confusing grading system. Papera says that there are a few teas that act as market standard. These benchmark teas are Darjeeling, Gunpowder, and Silver Needle. All are super high quality and are used to test weather or not a dealer's tea is up to par. These teas cover the whole spectrum, from black to white, green to oolong. white, and green, etc. that tea dealers use as a benchmark. Black Darjeeling, Gunpowder, and Silver Needle just to mention a few.

Papera also talked about how there are big misconceptions in the tea world surrounding teas that are not actually tea. Rooibos for example, Pronounced roy-bos, isn't really tea. Rather, a South African bush. Egyptian Camomile is also seen as tea when in reality it is a type of ragweed.

Along with these fake teas, there are various types of mixed and flavored teas. Mixed teas, according to Papera are mixtures of two or more types of tea. For example, take the white tea, gunpowder and mix it with some green tea; that is a mixed tea. Flavored tea is exactly what it sounds like. This type of tea is flavored with extracts and flavorings and come mainly from Germany.

I really think I am going to begin buying from Teas Etc. for the simple fact that it is more than just a small store that gets its product from somewhere else. This company has employees that are so knowledgeable in the subject that they travel across the world in order to purchase it. Being that they are local, I believe I am going to have to begin buying from them, ASAP.

If you want to check out photos of my trip, you can hit up the Teas Etc. set on my Flickr account.

It makes my tummy warm!

2009-03-08T23:40:00.004-04:00

With allergy season on the horizon and the recent blooming of the oak trees, it can only mean one thing for those of us who just now found out they have an allergic reaction to oak pollen.

photo: justabiggeek ; flickr.com

No! Don't run to the store for the most easily accessible over-the-counter medicine! No, skip the medicine aisle altogether and hit up the tea section and pick up some good quality Ceylon honey tea.

This stuff is great for ailing a cold, sick body. I am drinking some from the Metropolitan Tea Company and with some honey added in just after brewing, this stuff works wonders on keeping me warm and cough free.

Being that Ceylon is a black tea, it will give you a slight energy boost due to its caffeine concentration. However, the steam and heat from the warm beverage will sooth your throat and sinuses and relax you. Sort-of-like what hot soup does for you when your sick.

Keep in mind though that tea isn't a cure for any allergy that I know of, however, it does keep you very warm when you feel cold all over.

Chanoyu, The Way of Tea

2009-02-28T00:42:00.014-05:00

Tea, although only being some leaves in hot water, holds large significance in many cultures, especially by the Japanese.

In an effort to better understand why other cultures hold such mundane things in such high regard, I decided to attend the famous Chanoyu ceremony as the Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens in Del Ray Beach.

According to the museum, the word Chanoyu means "boiling water for tea" and is a Japanese ritual intended to bring people together in a show of friendship and respect.

Chieko Mihori, the tea ceremony and flower arrangement instructor at the Morikami Museum explained that there are two things central to the Japanese culture:

Respect
Cleanliness

These two central themes are exemplified in the Chanoyu through the use of strictly adhered to movements and motions. According to the museum, the ceremony begins like this:

The guest cleans their hands in a water basin located outside of the home. The rinsing of the hands is meant to purify and cleanse the body and soul.
The guest then enters the home via a small, wooden, sliding door called a "nijiri-guchi"
the host enters and welcomes the guest; the guest in turns thanks the host for inviting them.
The host gives the guest what is called "Sweets", a small treat intended to be eaten before the drinking of the green tea.

The tea is a fine, powdered, green tea called Macha. When mixed with water and whisked, it creates a bitter, but tasty tea. There is word that Macha and other teas are very healthy, but more on that in another post!

Anyway, back to the ceremony. As I said earlier, everything in the ceremony is well motioned and each and every movement has a purpose. In order to prepare the tea, the host first cleans the hand-formed cup so that it is spotless. Any spec of dirt or missed piece of anything could be seen as a sign of disrespect to the guest.

On that note of cleanliness, everything is handled in the same manor. The cup, the tea-caddy (the object that holds the Macha), and the tea spoon.

Let me not digress; Each piece of equipment is hand-made and each have their own textures, looks and appeals. These are all things that the guest takes notice of and appreciates because each tell a story. Some of these pieces of equipment have been passed down through the families for generations. Near the end of the ceremony, the host cleans up and lets the guest inspect all of the equipment used. The guest leaves and everything is concluded.

If you would like to see some of the other photos that I took from my visit to the Morikami Museum, please check out my Flickr photostream, and expect some more photos in the future.

Teapots, Part III: Taking care of your investment

2009-02-22T12:01:00.003-05:00

As I mentioned in Teapots I, cast iron pots are expensive. They are however, a good investment to make due to their durability and reliability. But not everything comes up-front. In order to keep your investment in good shape, then you must take care of it.

I will focus primarily on cast iron pots because that is what I use at home, but a lot of these tips cover most, if not all teapots:

Before using, preheat the pot by swishing lukewarm to hot water through the pot.

Thermodynamics says that heat will always be transferred to cold object. Because the water you use to brew your tea is so hot, there is a chance that you could distort or destroy the pot. prevents the pot from shattering due to thermal shock. Also, the cold pot will take heat away from the brewing water and take away from the flavor of the tea.

Make sure to keep your pot dry on the outside.

It is a very good idea to keep your pot, and subsequent cast iron teacups, dry. If you don't, the metal will oxidize and rust. You don't want rusty tea do you?

When done, pour out the remaining tea if there is any left and just run some water through the pot. Don't wash the inside with soap.

If you use soap to clean the inside of your pot, you will remove the mineral layer that is created by each brew. As with clay pots, those minerals will build up and give your future brews a better flavor. Do however, use soap on your cups because your mouth touched them.

That's it really. It is very easy to keep a teapot clean, just put in the effort and your investment will last a lifetime.

Joyce Chen Teapots

2009-02-21T23:52:00.005-05:00

I already blogged once about Tetsubin or cast iron teapots and how useful they are in a previous post. In that same post, I mentioned how I own a cast iron pot, but never mentioned what brand. The particular vessel that I own is is produced by Joyce Chen. If you're in the market for a good cast iron teapot, I have no complaints about these products other than the price I had to pay for mine.

I bought my pot from Teavana, and with the two cups, a wooden whisk, a wooden spoon and some loose leaf tea, I believe I paid a little over $200. Granted, it sounds like a lot upfront, but I cannot complain about the quality.

They are pretty easy to clean and maintain, look pretty modern and sophisticated, and are heavy for their size. I mention weight because if something is heavy, it is usually pretty durable and take some punishment rather than shatter all over the place like a glass pot.

If you're going to be in the market for a cast iron pot, I recommend buying a Joyce Chen product, however, you don't need to necessarily buy it from Teavana. You can buy it from such online vendors as Amazon.com or the Teapot Mart.

The only downside to purchasing online is the fact that you cannot physically see or touch the object. When I bought my teapot, the act of touching, feeling, seeing and holding the object was very reassuring to me, and allowed me to better choose my product. As with anything online, the ability to return is small (check your vendors return policy), so I really, really recommend buying locally.

You could even look for local mom and pop tea shops in your area by going to Google Maps, typing in your area and searching for teashops. Look for these types of places, as they need the money more than chain stores and will probably have better service quality than the national places.

Teapots, Part II: Caution Fragile; Don't throw rocks around glass pots

2009-02-20T12:29:00.005-05:00

In the second part of the teapot special, I will look at glass, ceramic, and clay pots in order to explain how each material conducts heat and also why certain groups of people or cultures might prefer to use certain types of pots.

Glass pots largely, at least in my opinion, seem to be for show. According to the Wikipedia article, List of Thermal Conductivities, anything made with glass isn't as as conducive to heat as anything made with iron. This means that the tea that you brew isn't going to be hot after sitting on the counter for awhile. Compare this to a cast iron pot, which can retail heat for awhile.

This fact alone should deter you from buying a glass teapot, however, if you're dead set on purchasing one, go small. Going small allows you to use all of the tea that you brewed directly-preceding the brewing. You don't have to let any go to waste or (god forbid) microwave it.

Some other things that might deter you from purchasing a glass pot are its fragility and how effective it can act as a show stopper. Put this scenario in your mind: You're kitchen is pretty cold, and thus all of the objects in your kitchen are pretty cool. You go to make tea, but forget to preheat your teapot. You put piping hot water into your newly bought glass teapot and it cracking or shattering due to thermal shock. Now to me, watching tea leaves unfurl is like watching paint dry. I can honestly do better things with my 5-to-10 minutes. Granted, it sounds cool, but honestly, are you and you're guests going to be that entertained? I think that you will be focusing more on talking to each other and having a good time, rather than watching your tea brew.

What was the phrase...a watched pot never boils. Ha! I made a funny!

Anyway, onto clay pots. As for heat conductivity, the chart doesn't show clay, but it does show items such as Limestone, Granite, and Sandstone. Because clay is formed when mixing minerals and water, it can essentially be lumped in with other stones.

Clay pots, and clay-based food ware in general is a pretty cool subject indeed. They conduct heat very well, and are often used to make things such as pizza stones and teapots. They are very durable and can be decorated by painting with a glaze and being fired in a kiln. But one unique feature about clay in general is how porous it is. To be porous...is to be like a sponge. In essence, clay, and clay teapots for that matter, can soak up water and flavors.

This is was very beneficial to the Yixing province of China as over time, a teapot can pick up the subtle flavors of a brew. As these flavors gather in the walls of the pot, they will then be excreted into each and every brew that you make, giving each and every brew a new, and unique taste. As for the look of a clay teapot, again, they can be decorated. You can purchase a modern clay teapot, an extravagant one, however you must think about functionality. You have a very pretty teapot with weird angles and shapes, but can it brew a nice pot of tea? Can it achieve its purpose? Keep it in mind when spending big money.

Lastly, just to review, keep the specifics in mind about what your buying. For a glass teapot:

They are fragile. Don't drop them
They might be good for a show, but who is going to watch it?
and they don't conduct heat nearly as well as clay or cast iron

As for clay pots:

They conduct more heat than glass, but less than cast iron
they soak up the subtle flavors from each and every brew and then infuse it into future brews
They are still fragile, as is any product you buy, so don't drop it.
They can be decorated or not; You can have a pot that shows itself off, or one that is very modern and reserved.

Ultimately, think about what you want out of a teapot. Do you want style or functionality? Do you it to hold onto the heat of a brew or let it go very quickly? Does it need to look nice, and how easy is it for me to break? Teapots can be expensive, so don't cheap out. Put real thought into it as a teapot is an investment that, if you play your cards right, will last you forever.

In the next part of my teapot special, I will touch on teapot care and how giving your vessel some TLC can make or break it over time.

Teapots, Part I: A dash of style and a hint of science

2009-02-18T23:16:00.004-05:00

Buying a teapot is like clothes shopping. There are lots out there, but only one for you. I say this because each outfit and each teapot have their own form, style and functionality.

Take a t-shirt and a wife-beater. Each piece of clothing has its own style and it's own purpose. The t-shirt is a very casual and loose garment that can breath, but isn't able to look stylish. A wife-beater however isn't meant to look nice, but it has a purpose. That being to keep sweat off a nice polo or button down. The same can be said for teapots.

There are a number of variables to consider when buying a teapot. Those variables are:

Size
Style
Material

I recommend choosing your material first, as it eliminates a very big choice early on. Out of all the teapots out there, and there are quite a lot, there are a few widely recognized teapot materials that exist:

Glass
Ceramic
Clay
Cast Iron

What it all comes down to ultimately is the second law of thermodynamics. Of these four materials each have their own properties and each have their own way of reacting to heat. Heat is the key to flavor; and it can pull out the rich flavors that are hidden deep without a piece of meat, or a tea leaf. However, it can also destroy our food and burn it to a chard crisp. So it is essential to understand exactly how heat can effect both the food we eat and drink, but also the devices we use to prepare that food and drink.

Now, I personally own a cast iron pot. Cast iron is of course, a heavy metal, and if you were paying attention in Science 101, you would understand that most heavy metals transfer heat very well. Iron especially. They are also very strong and very resistant to breakage, unlike glass. The only downside to iron is that it can oxidize and create rust. Rust doesn't taste very good, so cast iron needs care, but is well worth the investment.

The reason I like cast iron pots is because of its unique ability to last nearly forever, with proper care of course. Being that cast iron is a heavy metal and has properties that give it massive amounts of durability, a cast iron pot is most likely never going to break on you. It is however, very good at transferring and keeping in heat. Just like aluminum foil wrapped around a freshly cooked turkey, a cast iron pot is going to keep the water in your teapot warm for quite awhile.

Cast iron is also very heavy, much more so than glass or even clay pots. This is due again to its chemical properties. Iron is a heavy metal, and thus has weight to it.

In the second part of my teapot special, I will discuss glass and clay teapots, and how each of them differ. I will also touch on how style and design should play a part in your teapot buying decision.

Got fruit? Make Tea!

2009-02-15T23:48:00.015-05:00

Last month I made sweet tea, and ever since then, I have been thinking about how I can improve upon Alton Brown's recipe. After thinking about it for awhile, and staring into my cup, I came to a realization. A realization so simple that I was surprised that I missed it. In order to improve upon Alton Brown's original recipe, I would need to simply change the fruit.

picture: www.islandteas.net

When I made it, I didn't exactly follow Alton Brown's sweet tea recipe, which calls for:
- a 5-to-3 cup, sugar to water ratio
- five tea-bags, brewed

I felt that their was too much sugar, so I brought down the sugar-to-water ratio to 1-to-1. Because of this change, the original drink wasn't wasn't that sweet, but it tasted good! I decided to add lemon after doing more research on other recipes. The original drink tasted good, but needed more.

The new recipe now calls for:
- a 2-to-1 cup sugar to water ratio simple syrup
- lemons and oranges, both sliced and brewed into the syrup
- five tea-bags, brewed
- oranges, quartered and added to the tea while brewing.

The new sugar to water ratio makes the drink much sweeter than the original, and because of the added oranges, gives the drink a soothing, citrus taste. Along with adding sliced oranges to the syrup, I also put quartered oranges into the pitcher while the tea brewed. If you leave the oranges in your brew, then they give off such a natural sweetness that you really don't need the simple syrup. The water is given a very tasty citrus flavor due to all of the natural flavors coming out of the fruit. But in order to get this type of flavor you need to pick a fruit with a flavor that is very noticeable, take for example: oranges, or even apples.

As a side note, I just finished the latest brew of sweet tea that I made and found something interesting. The skins on the orange quarters that have been flavoring my brew actually turned yellow. Lemon yellow. Cool!

So if you've ever considered creating fruit-infused tea, take the plunge. It really isn't that hard. Just remember these simple steps:

- Slice or quarter your fruit, depending on the application.
- Use the slices for simple syrups and quarters if you want to let it sit in the brew for awhile
- find a fruit with a strong taste. If it is mild and subtle, it will probably be hidden by the initial bitterness of the original brew.
- Don't make it too complicated and follow KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid). If you add too many fruits, you will overwhelm your drink, and your mind for that matter.

Improve your brew will, loose the strainer you must

2009-02-10T17:18:00.009-05:00

If you've ever owned a tea pot, then you've also owned one of those mesh strainers that come with it. But these devices, while they are meant to facilitate the process of making tea, actually hamper the user and don't allow for a good brew to be achieved.

So I decided to brew some Teavana tea without the strainer, and what I found was pretty interesting indeed.

The intended purpose of the strainers is too keep all of the tea leaves in one place while still allowing it to brew. However, Brown explains that while the devices do achieve their purpose, they do not allow for good tea making.

What does make for good tea making, explains Brown, is giving the leaves a little space to bloom.

The theory is pretty simple: If the leaves are bunched together by a strainer, then you are not getting as much flavor out of each individual leaf because it doesn't have proper exposure to the water. Allowing the leaves to spread out in the pot lets each individual leaf give off flavor, making better tea.

Bunching all of the leaves together isn't necessarily a bad thing though. I have had many a pot in which I used my strainer with no problems. They keep things clean and mess free first off, and make for easy clean-up afterwords. I was curious however to find out exactly what a pot of tea brewed without the strainer tasted like. This experiment provided interesting results.

Removing the strainer allowed for more water to be added to the pot. less space being taken up by other objects means more water, more water equals more tea. Secondly, I got more flavor out of the leaves, just like Brown said. There was a considerable difference in taste between the methods. The only downside to all of this is the clean-up.

When pouring your tea into a cup, you must strain out the leaves. Not that hard if you have a strainer, however big or small, just a hassle. Also when cleaning the pot you might have to put more effort into cleaning it then you previously had. Again, not a big deal if you don't mind putting in the extra effort.

So to recap: If you want better tasting tea, lose the strainer. It might not be as easy as with the strainer, but as the saying goes, "Garbage in, garbage out."

Making The Grade...

2009-02-04T23:16:00.005-05:00

Tea takes many forms: balls, whole leaves, tea-bags, etc. But like the wine world, certain tea is better than some others. So certain levels of quality have been established, however not standardized, so that a consumer can better understand what type of product they are buying.

This system is somewhat complicated, however The Simple Leaf Blog has explained the whole system in very plain English. Wissotzky Tea has also explained the grading system of tea, talking mostly on the more commonly used terminology.

The Grading of Tea [Wissotzky Tea]
Tea Grading 101 [The Simple Leaf Blog]

Valentine's Day Tea Truffles

2009-02-04T23:03:00.004-05:00

Does your significant other really love tea and chocolate? Ever wondered how you could combine the two to make an awesome Valentine's day gift? Teavana, the mall-based loose leaf chain store has you covered with their tea-infused chocolate truffles.

according to Teavana's website, each box of chocolates costs $39.95 and you get twenty to a box. As for flavors, you get "two each of the following: Azteca Fire, Blueberry Bliss, Masala Chai, Earl Grey Creme, Peppermint, MateVana/Rooibos Chai, Raspberry Black, Rooibos Lemon Twist, Snow Geisha and Sweet Lily White."

I have personally tried Teavana's Azteca Fire and Rooibos Chai and they are both excellent brews. So I don't see how infusing it with chocolate could ever be a bad thing.

If you want to pick up one for your sweetheart, then you can your local Teavana store or buy it straight from their website.

Starbucks pairs with Tazo, sells tea-based drinks

2009-01-29T12:11:00.009-05:00

The Seattle-based coffeehouse chain, Starbucks and the Tazo Tea Company to sell tea-based coffee drinks in most, if not all, of their stores.

The two companies put together five new drinks for their coffee-loving customers. The new drinks, called Tea Lattes, drinks consisting of one-part tea, one-part milk; and tea infusions, a mix of tea and either, a mixed berry simple syrup or apple juice.

The new drinks:

Kameron Bertine, a 19-year-old international business major at Florida Atlantic University tried the Vanilla Roobios at the Starbucks on his local campus in Boca Raton. "It is smooth like coffee," Bertine said. "It reminds me of french vanilla."

The Mixed Berry wasn't bad, but on that same token, it wasn't good. While it is sweet and tastes 'very berry', I believe it is too sweet and has too much flavor. The drink over-powers your senses and burns them out. I could not see anyone drinking this straight. Using it as a mixer however, that is a different story. But let me not digress. The strong flavor comes from a mixed-berry simple syrup, made from Aronia Berry and Black Currants.

If you do try one of these drinks, drop me a comment and let me know what you think.

Picture: ©Daffodilious; Flikr

Honest Tea Part III - A Pirates Brew

2009-01-26T22:16:00.004-05:00

Have you ever had to deal with an abnormally cold day? A day where the coldness bites at your skin like dogs at a raw steak? A day where having a nice, hot cup of apple cider in your hands and a pair of doggy slippers on your feet would warm your soul? Well, if you have, or wish to experience it, pick up some Citrus Spiced Decaf flavored tea by Honest Beverages.

Out of the five that I bought, this one surprised me the most. So far I have had slightly bitter and fruity drinks from this company, however, this tea blew me away upon it first hitting my tongue.

The flavor of this drink is just so bold, and warm, it would be amazing when heated! This black tea has all sorts of warm spices and flavors, including tastes of cinnamon, nutmeg, orange and agave. I really enjoyed the subtle orange flavors that came out as the drink swished around in my mouth. But what makes this tea so great is the warm feeling it sends through your body when drunk, even when it is cold (not recommended of course). Just like the other Honest Beverages, this drink uses natural sweeteners to keep the bitterness at bay and is completely organic.

Citrus Spice Decaf tastes not only like warm apple cider, but also like bumbo, a pirate drink created "during the era of piracy" and popular in the Caribbean. According to the website the Art of Drink.com, Bumbo is a type of spiced rum that is made by mixing rum, water, sugar cinnamon and nutmeg. The drink was something that pirates drank as an alternative to the "grog", another alcoholic beverage, that the royal British navy usually drank.

But nothing is done without reason. Pirates simply drank bumbo because it tasted better than grog. Its hard to think that pirates could have high standards, but there ya go. According to wikipedia, bumbo prevented scurvy, aside from just tasting better, because it contained various fruits that the pirates got from their pillages. The citrus spiced decaf tastes a lot like bumbo, and because of this I recommend trying both.

Honest Teas, Part II: Assam Black

2009-01-26T15:43:00.000-05:00

In my last post, I mentioned the Black Forest Berry flavored tea that Honest Beverages sells. This same company also produces 15 other flavors in glass bottles. So when I went to Whole Foods to pick up President Obama's favorite drink, I snagged four other flavors.

The Assam Black Tea was the first that I tried. This light-amber colored brew tasted very similar to many other teas that I have tried in the past; sweet with a slight taste of honey. This tea has a very sharp taste, one that would be familiar with if your a coffee drinker. In fact, if you do drink coffee, you would probably really like this due to the caffine. After swallowing though, things went downhill in the flavor department. This tea leaves you with a nasty, bitterness that just isn't great, but this is where talking about the company's mission is important.

First and foremost, Honest Beverages are fully USDA organic certified. This is a plus for anyone who only eats organic. The company also refuses to put un-natural sweeters such as high-fructose corn syrup into it's drinks. Instead, they use organic cane sugar. The reason I bring this up is because of the bitterness and sweetness of the drink. I figure without any natural sweeteners, this drink would be way too bitter to drink. However, if you don't mind a bitter black tea with a slight taste of honey, you would probably really enjoy this.

Honesty, A new blend, a new flavor

2009-01-20T17:33:00.013-05:00

With most of the world's attention focused squarely on the inauguration of the 44th president of The United States of America, many companies have found ways to join the political bandwagon and frame this monumental occasion in their product lines. Pearl Fine Teas has created a drink that all of the democratic party members can get on-board with. A Drink for Change as it was.

In honor of the 44th president of the United States of America, the company has created an "organic African Red Bush Rooibos based tea" with a "mix of herbs with hints of Hawaiian fruit." According to many sources all across the Internet, Obama is very much into organic food and drink. As for why African Rooibos and Hawaiian fruit, I believe they did it to honor and celebrate the President's diverse heritage.

But don't worry republicans, Pearl Fine Teas hasn't forgotten about you! For those of you who still follow the once rogue republican presidential candidate John McCain, an "extra-mavericky" black tea was created in his honor. this "bold and assertive" tea has "a hint of smoke and is highly caffeinated." Perfect for keeping your warm on those early morning Caribou hunting trips in rural Alaska.

Having a tea made in your honor is pretty cool, but what does the new president drink when he isn't spending his many hours talking to the leaders of the world? According to US News and World Report, President Barack Obama's favorite drink is Honest Beverages' Black Forest Berry flavored tea. Because of Obama's extreme loyalty to the beverage company, they agreed to "renaming a few cases of Obama's favorite [beverage] as "Barack Forest Berry."

I decided to pick up a few bottles of Honest Tea, including president Obama's favorite flavor, Black Forest Berry. The flavor is a lot like President Obama back when he was campaigning. Sharp and bold. Upon tasting it for the first time, you will notice the instant very-berry flavor (hence the name). After the initial blackberry rush, the drink transitions into the other berries: blueberry and raspberry. Upon swallowing, the tea leaves a slight bitterness in your mouth. Not something I wholeheartedly enjoy mind you, but a change from the usual sweet concoctions.

The drink is caffeine-free, which is a plus, especially if your in the market for a drink that is both tasty and avoids all of that high-fructose corn syrup nonsense. Overall, I would rate this drink as good, but still not as good as fresh-brewed loose leaf tea. However, I can understand why Mr. Obama likes it. It comes pre-made, in a glass, meaning it chills easily and saves time. It is completely organic and natural, which is a plus for someone who likes to watch what they put in their body. Lastly, compared to the rest of the fruit drinks out there, this is probably one of the best. Not a bad price tag either, considering where I bought it. Only $1.34 per 16 fl. oz. bottle at Whole Foods.

If you brew it, they will come

2009-01-17T23:00:00.025-05:00

Living in the South, you become accustomed to the hot, muggy weather that occurs in the dead of summer. That same heat pulls all of the water, electrolytes and sugars out of your body. So after a hard day in the sun, be it, from driving or playing a game of baseball, one might crave a drink that will cool you off and refresh your body. For southerners, that drink is sweet tea.

Yes, it is a stereotype; One most associated with the southern mama who sits in her rocking chair, on a white porch, knitting and watching her kids play ball in the yard. But it is so good! So I decided to make some of this lemony, sweet, refreshing drink for myself; using a recipe that Alton Brown noted in his show, Good Eats

So lets get started: The hardware and software.

In terms of hardware I had: a jug, a kettle, a strainer, and a measuring cup.

In terms of software: Sugar, one lemon, some crushed mint, and some lipton tea bags, store bought of course.

Now for the progress: In Brown's recipe, his simple syrup calls for five cups of sugar and three cups of water. However, I think this is overkill. For mine, I used one cup of sugar, one cup of water, one thinly sliced lemon

and a half-tablespoon of crushed mint. Place all of these ingredients into a small pot and bring to a boil.Once it comes to a boil, pull it off the heat and let it steep for 10 minutes. Drain and place in the refrigerator in your favorite container.

As for the actual tea, you will need one quart (4 cups = 1 quart) of water. Now, this is where I ran into something funny. I have an electric kettle in which I used to boil water, however, it apparently does not meet any standard of measurement as you can see:

For whatever reason, my kettle measures 7 cups as being one quart. Weird. Bring the water to a simmer, a stage of cooking before boiling in which the water is hot and bubbling. The bubbling will not be violent and the bubbles that are created will not break the surface of the water.

Once you have done that, place five teabags into a jug and make sure the labels are cut off. You wouldn't want wet paper in your tea, now would you?

Finally, steep the teabags in the now hot water for four minutes. According to Brown, you will get the strongest flavor out of your tea if you steep it that long. Any longer and the tea will become bitter. After the four minutes are up, fish out the bags and place a quart of room temperature water into the jug. According to Brown, room temperature water is the best temperature. If it goes in hot, it will take longer to chill, if cold, your tea will be cloudy. Place in the refrigerator and chill.

The steeped tea is going to be pretty bitter, but don't worry, that is what the syrup was made for. Once mixed, the tea has a very refreshing lemon flavor. You can definitely taste mint! Pour over ice and mix in some of the syrup, and you've got yourself a refreshing summer drink that will have you up and back in the game in no time.

The Basic Leaf

2009-01-16T18:59:00.002-05:00

If there is one drink that I like more than anything, more than coffee, sports drinks or even those slushies you get from 7-11, its tea. Tea is truly enjoyable, and that is why I want to tell you about it. It's history, the taste, the flavors, the methods and the reasons for why we drink it.

Tea is amazing. It can have a whole range of flavors, colors, smells, and a good numbers of effects based on what you get. I love the stuff. I mean, who couldn't? You’re drinking nature. But let me not digress. A wise chef and television host on the Food network named Alton Brown once said “stow your baggage.” With that, turn down the lights and grab a cup while you watch an episode of Brown’s show dedicated to the drink: True Brew II. Enjoy!

It was actually after this episode that I went out and bought my very first tea set. Anyway, here is part 2.

Remember that tidbit Brown said about the exploding water? 100% true. Check it out:

All of this minutia seems a little much eh? Well, to be totally honest with you, I think it is too. I may really love the stuff, but I don't think that I have the time to invest in doing it the 'proper' way. I use my strainer thing with pride, and I get perfectly fine tea with it. So don't panic! Just be careful - take it slow and enjoy yourself, because that is what tea is all about. Enjoying the brew.