It's been a very interesting, exciting and exhausting couple of months, but I've finally made it back to the UK. Our trip this Spring included several weeks in Yunnan, visiting some tea mountains and sourcing our new season's puerh teas, a trip to Wuyishan to drink tea and learn more from Master Huang and his family, a couple of weeks in Malaysia, attending a Liu Bao tea expo & launch of a new book on Liu Bao tea (in Chinese only unfortunately) and finishing with a few days in Yixing for the wedding of Master Zhou and Chen Ju Fang's daughter. It was my first Chinese wedding, and I've a…
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Back to the UK
The Essence of Tea - Blog & News23 May 2013 | 4:42 am -
2012 Tea Urchin Miles' Birthday Blend Puerh
MattCha's Blog22 May 2013 | 6:08 pmThis sample comes by the way of Eric of discipleoftheleafblog. It is from a cake from Tea Urchin, a tribute to the owner's son. Interestingly it is a blend composed of 80% Gua Feng Zhai and 20% secret?!?.The dry leaves smell of a soft foresty creamy odour there is a soft creamy cherry sweetness in them which clouds the distance.The first infusion is prepared and presents with a brackish, empty-watery forest note which slowly transforms into a cherry-plum sweetness. This taste again moves to a cotton-candy like taste. The profile is very simple with no rooting taste grounding the profile. The… -
Free Gift
Tea Obsession13 May 2013 | 11:58 amFree gift with purchase Tea Habitatwith purchase of $100 or more, valid while supplies lastComing up Sunday tea tastings, check out the schedule and menu -
Additional Keng
The Half-Dipper23 May 2013 | 9:30 pmMy entirely-too-generous teachum from Singapore, Keng, provided both of the teas for today's article. First, timely for the year in which it was made, the 2012 "Tengshengshi Long" from Yangpinhao. With some amusement, I notice that the name "Tengshengshi" absolutely disgusts my dear wife, where it is something similar to "prosperous society". She heartily rejects such vulgarities, -
We will be closed on Memorial Day, May 27th
News from Upton Tea23 May 2013 | 5:00 pmUpton Tea Imports will be closed on Memorial Day (Monday, May 27th). Orders received by 1pm ET on Friday, May 24th, will be processed on the same day. Orders placed after 1pm, or over the holiday weekend, will be processed upon our return on Tuesday, May 28th. Have a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend!
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The Essence of Tea - Blog & News
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Back to the UK
23 May 2013 | 4:42 amIt's been a very interesting, exciting and exhausting couple of months, but I've finally made it back to the UK. Our trip this Spring included several weeks in Yunnan, visiting some tea mountains and sourcing our new season's puerh teas, a trip to Wuyishan to drink tea and learn more from Master Huang and his family, a couple of weeks in Malaysia, attending a Liu Bao tea expo & launch of a new book on Liu Bao tea (in Chinese only unfortunately) and finishing with a few days in Yixing for the wedding of Master Zhou and Chen Ju Fang's daughter. It was my first Chinese wedding, and I've a… -
2013 Puerh Tea Preorders
28 Apr 2013 | 6:57 amWell it's that time of year again. We've been having a lot of fun in Yunnan, sifting the good from the bad and trying to find some special teas to press and bring back to the UK. Our cakes are (mostly) all pressed and we're almost ready to begin the annual preorder process. I've been looking back through my emails from last year to piece together names of those who'd asked to be included in previous years. I'll try to not to miss anyone, but if you'd like to receive information about the preorder process this year, please feel free to add you name to the subscription form below. Some of the… -
A King of Puerh Tea Trees
26 Apr 2013 | 11:54 pmIt seems there's no end of "Kings" of puerh tea trees. Every area seems to have it's own 'Cha Wang' (Tea King). The trees are big, old and invariably over picked. Their leaves sell for tens of thousand RMB/kg, sometimes hundreds of thousands so, despite all efforts to protect them, there's plenty of incentive for farmers to pick them under the cover of darkness. [ Lao Banzhang / Nannuo / Bada Tea Kings ] This year, in a bid to avoid the chemicals that are becoming more and more ubiquitous in famous mountains in Yunnan (more on that later), our travels took us to the Zhen Yuan area of Simao. -
Spring Sale
18 Feb 2013 | 7:59 amAs the winter comes to a close, we're in the midst planning our Spring trip to Yunnan to source and press our 2013 Puerh tea cakes. This season always leaves us a little stretched - both financially & also in terms of space in our storeroom once the boxes of tea begin arriving back to the UK. To prepare for this, we've decided to offer a sale of some of our previous year's puerh teas. This offers a good chance for those wishing to stock up on these teas, to not only have a discount on last year's prices, but also to buy before we reach the usual price increases each Spring. Until the end of… -
New Art of Tea Magazines
4 Feb 2013 | 2:36 amWe've been meaning to buy some more of these magazines for a while. They are one of the very few publications in English that deal with Chinese tea in any real depth & we're happy to be able to offer them. We've just restocked most of the old issues and we also have issues 11,12 & 13 of The Art of Tea. I haven't had a chance to sit down to read them properly yet, but I can very much recommend Issue 11 for those interested in Liu Bao tea.
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MattCha's Blog
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2012 Tea Urchin Miles' Birthday Blend Puerh
22 May 2013 | 6:08 pmThis sample comes by the way of Eric of discipleoftheleafblog. It is from a cake from Tea Urchin, a tribute to the owner's son. Interestingly it is a blend composed of 80% Gua Feng Zhai and 20% secret?!?.The dry leaves smell of a soft foresty creamy odour there is a soft creamy cherry sweetness in them which clouds the distance.The first infusion is prepared and presents with a brackish, empty-watery forest note which slowly transforms into a cherry-plum sweetness. This taste again moves to a cotton-candy like taste. The profile is very simple with no rooting taste grounding the profile. The… -
Aged Korean Tea: 2006 "ZeDa Tea" Wild Jiri Mountain Balhyocha
19 May 2013 | 12:28 pmIf you were at all intrigued by the sampling of the 2009 Kim Jong Yeol (Butea) aged and re-roasted balhyocha from Pedro at O5tea, you may also find this post interesting. Once again it offers an interesting perspective on aging balhyocha. What is interesting about this tea is that it was picked from the same area, produced with the same methods, and by the same people that produced the 2011 and 2012 "ZeDa" brand balhyocha that is sold by Sam of Good Green Tea. The 2011 post states: "Sam acquired it from a small farm from Sancheong, Jiri Mountain, and that is was completely wild tea. He… -
2013 Longview Estate FTGFOP 1- EX 7 First Flush Darjeeling Tea
18 May 2013 | 12:10 pmLongview Estate is situated at a relatively lower altitude in Darjeeling. The relatively moderate temperatures allow for a slightly earlier harvest time compared to estates at higher altitudes. As a general rule the quality of these teas cannot compete with that of the higher altitudes but they have been know to surprise See three short but nice posts on Longview Estate here.This sample comes from Lochan Tea (surprise). Let us inspect the leaves as the lid of the kettle shakes in the distance...Dry leaves smell of subtle sweet fresh dates with edges of fresh grape and florals balancing out… -
2013 Margaret's Hope FTGFOP 1 1st Flush Darjeeling Tea
13 May 2013 | 10:37 amThis tea comes as another gifted sample from Lochan Tea. Like the Giddapahar SFTGFOP 1CH SPL and the Goomtee SFTGFOP 1 EX 2, this tea is also available from Tea Trekker. This is The brightly coloured dry leaves give off bright sweet-lime high notes with a soft high piercing quality to them.These leaves are steeped up and the inital taste is of strong, sweet, sugary high notes. There are pure mango tastes in there as well. The taste is light pure and vibrant. The mouthfeel is slick and makes the mouth salivate. The fruity notes stretch into the breath. Saliva pools in the mid throat.The second… -
The First 2013 Korean Teas Are Now Available
11 May 2013 | 1:05 pmIt has been a cooler winter than average which has been the trend in Korea over the past decade. As a result the Saejak harvest is now underway. Most dealers here in the West don't start getting their Korean teas until after the saejak and then jungjak is picked. English speaking dealers on the ground in Korea however can start offering them immediately. Gabe from the Jiri Mountain Tea Shop has done just that.The Jiri Mountain Tea Shop was the very first online tea shop to sell the 2013 harvest starting last week. The tea in question is a completely traditionally made first pick ujeon tea…
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Tea Obsession
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Free Gift
13 May 2013 | 11:58 amFree gift with purchase Tea Habitatwith purchase of $100 or more, valid while supplies lastComing up Sunday tea tastings, check out the schedule and menu -
Tea event at UCLA 04/23/13
20 Apr 2013 | 1:35 amThis is the 5th year that the NCAM of UCLA will be hosting the tea event consecutively. As one of the volunteers of the event, I am very proud to be part of this event for so many years. Since it has been a few years, if a freshman attended all 4 events, he would had been graduated by now. So my concern is what should I talk about when there are students had been to more than one events, I am sure they would not want to listen to the same materials over and over again. Tea can be a deep subject, it never ends. For young minds which may or may not have much… -
My first tea tree
17 Apr 2013 | 11:29 pmI got this last week, it's a small plant sown from seed. The seller did not specify the varietal only informing seeds are from China. Let's play the elimination game for now until I receive feedback from China for its identity. From the look of leaves, it is not pu-erh, it is not green tea, it is not wuyi rock tea, not dan cong either. I am aiming for one of the varietals from Anxi oolong region. My guess is Huang Jin Gui.One might wonder why plant a tea tree, and why years later? Well, I wish I could have started a few years back so it would be producing by… -
Tis the season to drink Dan Cong oolong!!!
16 Mar 2013 | 1:06 amDan cong oolong is a moody tea alright. Season's change also changes Dan Cong teas' performance. I find fresher the dan cong is, the better it will taste in Spring, Summer and part of Fall. They hibernate during winter. When spring comes, they bloom again releasing fabulous fragrance and sweet like nectar. Winter is a season for aged or heavily oxidized dan cong or teas that hold the same characteristics. Cupping through my stocks of dan cong oolong of various harvests, most of which tasted better than I last had it during Fall and Winter. -
2011 You Hua Xiang - Pomelo Flower Fragrance
13 Mar 2013 | 2:28 pmToday, I am preparing for the first tea tasting of the year, cupping teas in stock is my task for the next few days.2011 Dan Cong teas are now fully open up!!! I am extremely delighted to find 2011 stocks are performing at its prime. The fragrance is rich, the texture is silky, the flavor is intense and full. After taste is refreshing aromatic sweet intense and long lasting. My favorite is You Hua Xiang so far. It is well rounded with everything you want in a cup of nurturing tea! Time after time, dan cong teas prove to become better with time! Look…
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The Half-Dipper
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Additional Keng
23 May 2013 | 9:30 pmMy entirely-too-generous teachum from Singapore, Keng, provided both of the teas for today's article. First, timely for the year in which it was made, the 2012 "Tengshengshi Long" from Yangpinhao. With some amusement, I notice that the name "Tengshengshi" absolutely disgusts my dear wife, where it is something similar to "prosperous society". She heartily rejects such vulgarities, -
First White Snow of Fall
21 May 2013 | 9:30 pmfirst white snow of fall just enough to bend the leaves of faded daffodils -Basho -
You Know Your Collection is Too Big When...
19 May 2013 | 9:30 pm...you discover untasted cakes that you cannot remember buying. According to my notes, this cost 60 RMB before overheads, from Taobao, in 2009. The current price is quadruple that, in just four years. P.s. Hi from Beijing. I just landed and spent the afternoon drinking tea with PM of white2tea, who is 1x awesome chap, despite being American. This is Basic Douji. The blends are tasty, -
Now with Extra Keng
16 May 2013 | 9:30 pmI am packing for Beijing, and it is strange: England is current 9 degrees Celsius. I am wearing thick trousers, a waistcoat, and a jacket. I almost wore gloves yesterday. Snow is forecast for next week. Meanwhile, Beijing is 32 degrees. Crazy. A cake provided generously by Keng, this is a Yangpinhao "Laobanzhang". Needless to write, one has to be careful with "Laobanzhang". -
Lady Butterfly
14 May 2013 | 9:30 pmlady butterfly perfumes her wings by floating over the orchid -Basho
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News from Upton Tea
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We will be closed on Memorial Day, May 27th
23 May 2013 | 5:00 pmUpton Tea Imports will be closed on Memorial Day (Monday, May 27th). Orders received by 1pm ET on Friday, May 24th, will be processed on the same day. Orders placed after 1pm, or over the holiday weekend, will be processed upon our return on Tuesday, May 28th. Have a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend! -
New Product: Darjeeling First Flush 2013 Sampler
21 May 2013 | 5:00 pmA small sampler tin each of the following First Flush Darjeeling teas from the 2013 season: Tindharia Estate FTGFOP1 First Flush Organic (TD12), Glenburn Estate FTGFOP1 Cl. (TD52), Steinthal Estate SFTGFOP1 First Flush Organic (TD59), and Margaret's Hope Estate FTGFOP1 Tippy/Cl First Flush (TD77) -
New Product: Teesta Valley Estate FTGFOP1 First Flush (DJ-17)
15 May 2013 | 5:00 pmThis selection is produced from a traditional China jat, and has a liquor with a characteristic cleansing pungency, and evergreen aspect. The infused leaves have a light minty fragrance. -
Check out our 2013 Pre-Chingming Teas!
14 May 2013 | 5:00 pmWe are pleased to offer a wonderful selection of 2013 Pre-Chingming teas. From greens to whites to an Oolong, why not try a variety of samples of these delicious teas with your next order? You may see the full list here. -
New Product: Young Hyson
14 May 2013 | 5:00 pmBrisk China green tea of the Chun Mee family. Superior quality; golden liquor with a hint of sweetness. Use sparingly for optimum flavor.
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Tea Masters
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Japanese Tea - Free Style
24 May 2013 | 1:03 amThis spring, between 2 tea events at the Tea Institute at Penn State, we had the pleasure to be invited for a bowl of Japanese tea, twice! The first time, Mary H., a senior tea student at Philadelphia's Urasenke school, performed a formal tea ceremony on the Institute's tatami mats. The folding of the red cloth (fukusa) was done with grace and precision. Just that was quite a show and made me think of all the practice Mary must have had repeating all these steps so well. At first sight, it may seem that the Urasenke school is over doing it with this cloth: What connection is there… -
Yiguang Shan - 2 Luanze Oolongs
23 May 2013 | 1:19 amLuanze oolong sans torréfaction Cultivar: Luanze (qingxin) oolong Origine: Yiguang shan (entre Zhushan et Shan Lin Shi) Elévation: 700 mètres Récolte: le 31 mars 2013 Process: Oolong à oxydation légère, roulé en boule sans torréfaction. Testé en mode de compétition: 3 grammes pour 6 minutes d'infusion en porcelaine blanche. Hung Shui Oolong (= torréfié) Ci-contre, il s'agit exactement du même thé que ci-dessus, mais cette fois-ci les feuilles ont été torréfiées de manière douce et lente. Aussi, il s'appelle Hung Shui Oolong, car son infusion est plus rougeâtre. Jusqu'à… -
The quiet language of tea
20 May 2013 | 7:34 amDo you feel that your tea changes from brew to brew? Not just that the leaves get depleted the more they are brewed, but that some brews come out better than others? This kind of experience is even more obvious in a tea class, when several people brew the same tea with the same water and same ware. The brews are never exactly the same. These 'differences' are the second, quiet language used by the tea leaves to communicate with us. (The first, loud language are the flavors that come out pretty consistently for a certain tea and that reflect the nature of the tea, its soil, climate,… -
Les Trésors du Printemps 2013
17 May 2013 | 3:00 amParmi tous les trésors que l'on peut trouver à Taiwan, il y en a deux qui ne finissent pas de me charmer et de me retenir ici. Le plus grand trésor sont ses heureux habitants, accueillants et généreux. Son second trésor pousse presque chaque saison dans les collines et montagnes de cette belle île. C'est au plus profond de la nature et au plus haut des sommets que l'on récolte les feuilles les plus précieuses. Elles sont la réunion d'un sol, d'un climat et du savoir-faire de producteurs de thé. (Sans ces hommes et femmes de Taiwan, il n'y aurait pas de thé: voilà aussi pourquoi… -
Silverware elegance
14 May 2013 | 6:07 amThe use of silver for tea ware dates back to the very beginning of tea consumption during the Tang dynasty. The reasons for using silver in the tea preparation haven't changed much since. Silver is a precious metal that only a minority can afford. This tea set, for instance, isn't mine, but it belongs to an aunt I visited recently in San Francisco. It is a silver (plated?) set marked 'Henley Community'. She must have bought it some 50 years ago! She had it on display in a glass cabinet in her dining room. I rushed to take it out and put it to good use with my red teas. Silver teapots produce…
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T Ching
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David’s Tea: The new “Starbucks” of tea?
24 May 2013 | 6:00 amI’m always on the lookout for new tea blends – encountering a new tea blend piques my curiosity. A few months ago, when I was in San Francisco attending the Fancy Food Show, I visited a mall and noticed a small demo stand providing samples of David’s Tea. From its bright turquoise logo to its young, chipper demo girls, I knew that this was going to be interesting. Based on the long line of eager consumers waiting for a taste, it was clear others were just as interested. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that they also had a retail store in the mall. I’m not the… -
All politics is local
23 May 2013 | 6:00 am“Won’t you please come in?” The woman was impossibly frail, but refused a helping hand from her kneeling position in a bed of spent narcissus. “If I start taking a hand, I won’t be able to get up by myself.” “I don’t want to interrupt you,” I apologized, “I’ll just leave this flyer for the school board election coming up. Please look it over.“ “Nope, come in. I need the break.” I followed the woman into her apartment. She offered me the comfortable chair and sat down opposite me. Immediately her lap was occupied by an enormous white cat. As if on… -
Tea as inspiration
22 May 2013 | 6:00 amLast year I was inspired to design a set of symbols to commemorate Japanese culture in New York and the 100th anniversary of Japan’s donation of cherry trees to the United States. One of the symbols I designed was a teapot. My inspiration for the symbol, which was done in a minimalist style, came from the harmonious forms of Asian teaware as well as the artful craft of the Japanese tea ceremony. My experience with tea actually embraces a couple of cultures: my Macedonian culture and my wife’s Japanese culture. I have a distinct liking for Macedonian mountain tea, some of which my… -
Tea pesticides and the sustainable future
21 May 2013 | 7:59 amEven though I have written about pesticides and tea before, I wanted to address the subject again because once again the issue is in the news with Celestial Seasonings getting busted by the same group that busted Teavana last year. The Glaucas Research Group seems to be making money by exposing publicly traded companies and selling things short. It is true that they have a not-so-hidden agenda in exposing these companies, but without having proof, they could not make much. If you read the reports, you can see that an independent testing agency in Europe did a very thorough job removing… -
Blend and brew
20 May 2013 | 5:00 amDrawing a simple stick figure is the extent of my artistic abilities. Honestly, even that might be stretching it. It’s not really a problem as I am more than willing to accept my lack of artistic ability. But every once in a while, I’ll catch Bob Ross on PBS painting his happy little trees, making it look so easy, and I see a small glimmer of artistic salvation for me. A few years back, my sister and her husband attended one of those Wine and Canvas type of bars in Chicago. You know … drink wine while an instructor walks you through a masterpiece creation. She…
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Tea Guy Speaks
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Animated Punjana Tea Commercial
23 May 2013 | 3:30 pmDespite what the name might suggest, Punjana is not an Indian tea company, but rather is based in Ireland. More about them here. A tip of the hat to teadog.com, where I first ran across this one. Cuisinart TEA-100 PerfecTemp Programmable Tea Steeper -
Tea-Powered Super Heroes Save the Day
22 May 2013 | 3:14 pmHere's a repost of a Calm-a-Sutra contest entry from a few years ago. The Breville One-Touch Tea Maker -
I'm Drinking Tea Song & Video
21 May 2013 | 5:30 amMighty Leaf on Sale Today! -
Does Your Tea Site Need A Makeover?
19 May 2013 | 11:18 amHere's another article I recently wrote for The English Tea Store blog. Does Your Tea Site Need A Makeover? By William I. Lengeman IIIBack in the 70s I had some pretty fine bell bottoms, if I do say so myself, and some eye-catching silk shirts and a nice pair of platform shoes to round out any ensemble. I know fashions have a way of coming around and I don’t have any of those snappy duds anymore but even if I did I wouldn’t wear them. I’m not obsessed with my appearance but I still don’t want to be seen in public in clothes that are so outdated. Which is to suggest that appearances do… -
Tea Salad on Bourdain's Parts Unknown
18 May 2013 | 9:23 amA snippet from Anthony Bourdain's new CNN show, Parts Unknown, in which the infamously carnivorous host visits Myanmar and feasts on a salad that includes tea leaves. Adagio Teas - Best Tea Online
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Heaven of Tea
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Cool Off With Our Top 5 Go-To Iced Tea Blends
15 May 2013 | 11:14 amCool Off With Our Top 5 Go-To Iced Tea Blends Friday, May 15, 2012Posted by Admin Enjoy the steamy weather by brewing up tall pitchers of iced tea. Here are our five go-to iced tea blends to help you keep your cool all summer long. Pineapple Kona Pop Herbal Tea You might not be in Hawaii but it will sure feel like it when you sip a cool glass of our Pineapple Kona Pop Herbal Tea. It’s a fruity blend of pineapple, marigold and orange blossoms. To make a 16 oz cup of Pineapple Kona Pop iced, steep 6 teaspoons for 8-15 minutes at 208° and pour over ice. Youthberry White Tea Summer… -
Five Flavorful Dessert Teas
25 Apr 2013 | 8:53 amFive Flavorful Dessert Teas Thursday, April 25, 2013Posted by Admin Dessert teas make a great substitute for high-calorie desserts. If you’re new to dessert tea, or if you’re looking for a new favorite, let Teavana be your guide. Here are our favorite dessert teas that are perfect after a meal, or any time of day. Chocolate Bananas Foster A dessert lover’s dream, Chocolate Bananas Foster is rich in flavor. Smooth chocolate comes together with creamy caramel and sweet banana to make a delicious treat. Azteca Fire Herbal Tea If you’re looking for a kick, Azteca Fire… -
DIY Teaology: Blending Teas for Unique Flavor Profiles
19 Apr 2013 | 5:14 amDIY Teaology: Blending Teas for Unique Flavor Profiles Friday, April 19, 2013Posted by Admin At Teavana, we’re all about blending teas to create unique and innovative flavor profiles. But, while we’re limited in space – our tea wall can’t go on forever – we’re not limited in creativity, and neither are you. Many of our customers take a cue from our blended teas and experiment on their own tea blends, creating new flavor profiles. Ready to create your own tea blends? In this post, we’ll discuss tea blending basics. Flavor Basics All good tea blends start with high-quality loose… -
Fruity Tea Blends Perfect For Spring
10 Apr 2013 | 6:20 amFruity Tea Blends Perfect For Spring Wednesday, April 10, 2013Posted by Admin As you put away your winter clothes and update your spring wardrobe, don’t forget to update your tea collection with light, fruity springtime favorites that brew to blushing pink hues. What a great way to welcome spring! Youthberry White Tea A perennial favorite, Youthberry White Tea sparkles with youthful brilliance. The combination of white tea with hibiscus, rosehips, mango, pineapple, red currant and acai berry will awaken your senses just in time for tulip season. Superfruit Unity Green Tea Fruity green tea… -
Commemorative Gifts for a Blooming Occasion
4 Apr 2013 | 8:13 amCommemorative Gifts for a Blooming Occasion Thursday, April 4, 2013Posted by Admin The National Cherry Blossom Festival is a celebration that takes place in the spring to commemorate the giving of Japanese cherry trees from Japan to the city of Washington. On March 27, 1912, Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Japan donated the cherry trees as a token of friendship between the United States and Japan. The first official festival took place in 1935, which grew to be an annual event celebrated by many. Each year we celebrate the blooming of cherry blossom trees in Washington, D.C. and Japan as a symbol of the…
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tea « WordPress.com Tag Feed
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Is Milk in Tea a Flavoring?
24 May 2013 | 6:05 amMilk and tea seem to be a topic that is popping up on this blog quite a bit lately. From exploring t -
Fast Day 1
24 May 2013 | 6:01 amYesterday was my first fast day, and as the whole point of this blog is to help me with my progress of becoming healthier and eating better and also taking part in the 5:2 diet I am going to be completely honest in everything I post – otherwise there is no point. If I cheat, I will write it on here, if I fail and struggle I will write it here. But hopefully I will do well! I didn’t expect it to be anywhere near as hard as it actually was. As I mentioned in my first post I don’t eat a great deal anyway, and I therefore thought it was going to be really easy. I could not be… -
Highlands Coffee Brings its Iced Mango Tea for a Healthy and Refreshing Summer
24 May 2013 | 5:49 amThe summer season is officially on and so is the agonizing summer heat. One can barely withstand the temperature almost reaching 37 degrees. Just in time for summer, Highlands Coffee brings in their heat buster drink that will surely provide a soothing relief for the scorching summer weather for those staying in the Metro. Highlands Coffee, a premium Vietnamese coffee brand, showcases its summer best-seller iced beverage, the Iced Mango Tea. A Highlands Coffee original, the Iced Mango Tea is made of real mango chunks. Mangoes are in season and are on-demand this summer and are among the… -
Deliveries 24th May 2013
24 May 2013 | 5:41 amThe box of PG I won from them on Twitter The orange & white stripey purse is the Pauls Boutique one that I traded some points in for on Shopcade All the rest of the items are the Gemma Collins Goody Bag which I won from Simply Be on Twitter and this knocked another thing off my 13 Wishes for 2013 challenge -
I feel the love
24 May 2013 | 5:37 amMan, I’m going to miss my students at this school! Not only are they just plain awesome; they laugh at my jokes, and one class (IB1 FTW!) gave me almost 2kg of chocolate and a coke with my name on it (I really don’t drink coke, but hey, this time I’ll drink it all!). One of them had made me a poster too, it’s the LotR Two Towers movie poster, only she put our faces in there. That there, THAT’S Love! Thank you my darlings, thank you ever so much! Tonight my bffs and I are having a girls night out (or it’ll probably be a girls night in, eating and drinking…
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Tea or coffee? It is a tea blog & a coffee blog.
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Coffee Ice? Iced Coffee?
16 May 2013 | 4:10 pmSo in order to enjoy a cup of iced coffee even more, instead of letting the ice (that usually just made with water) affect the taste or make the coffee taste less strong, I first brewed some coffee and make it into ice cubes. Yes it is a fishy shapes to make it more fun. Then I brewed some hot Sozo coffee, and put into the fridge to cool down. Once the ice are ready, I take the coffee out from the fridge, add the coffee ice cubes into the coffee, add milk, some sugar and then tasted it. Result: The coffee still tastes good even the ices melt, but because the ice is already made with… -
When the two meet…introducing….
15 May 2013 | 3:48 pmIt is no longer alone. I have been a tea lover, not a coffee lover. It has been a long time when I first felt in love with coffee, that was 10 years ago. I have been recommending good teas to all my friends, family and online audiences. If it is not good, I am honest and would not recommend to anyone. Recently I came across a coffee that I fall in love with. And I am going to share my coffee experience here from now on as well as tea. Therefore, it is no longer a tea blog, it is a tea & a coffee blog. *p.s. for those might not know, in Hong Kong, there is a drink that actually make tea… -
A perfect cup of tea – A different earl grey
1 Apr 2013 | 2:55 pmTo have a cup of tea, I cannot not deny this is a good cup of tea that I have this afternoon. Earl Grey used to be my favorite of tea, however, not all the brands taste all good and to find one that you won’t get bored with it is hard. The one I like, unfortunately the packages hasn’t been changed for the last I guess 10 years (well, just feel like a really long time), and to that affects me not drinking earl grey because of the ‘look’. I have been wanting to try this tea when I first heard this tea from a TV show – The Dragon’s Den. I am a tea lover and… -
Tea for the day – Tea to cleanse?
7 Mar 2013 | 4:26 pmI know that tea has a lot of benefit, but tea for cleansing/detoxifying? It is my first time to hear that. I actually got introduced by my husband with this brand – Tonica. The tea name is called Kombucha. They have been on TV – Dragon’s Den, the Canadian version of Shark Tank. It helps to detoxify and there is energizing effects. The company said that Kombucha has naturally liver cleansing acids & digestive aiding enzymes in it. The website mentions that Kumbucha has been existed since 221 BC and been used around the world. We bought the Originalitea and the Mango… -
I am spoiled with Darjeeling Tea
4 Mar 2013 | 12:09 pmThis is not the first time that I tried Darjeeling Tea. I am still a beginner in tea, and forgetting and not knowing that Darjeeling Tea is actually quite an expensive black tea to get, I am just very blessed that companies have sent me to try some Darjeeling Tea or I just bought the right tea bags from the tea companies that with Darjeeling Tea in it. I start liking Darjeeling a lot, and I believe that if I find the right Darjeeling, I will just drink this black tea only. This Darjeeling Tea is from Karel Capek. I bought it just because of the packaging, it is cute. I cannot tell whether…
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Teatrekker's Blog
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Two More 2013 Longjings
5 May 2013 | 8:42 pm2013 Spring Harvest Tea The response to the arrival of our 2013 Chinese spring green teas has been phenomenal! We are thrilled that so many of you have been watching for the moment when these wonderful fresh teas arrived here at Tea Trekker. We have another arrival to be excited about. On Friday morning the last two of our spring 2013 Longjings were delivered to us. This completes the selection of early-harvest Longjings that we will have on offer this year. What did we receive? The 2013 Longjing Dafo Village Pre-Qing Ming and the 2013 Meijiawu Village Pre-Qing Ming. Those of you who have… -
Our 2013 Longjings are Here
28 Apr 2013 | 9:04 amOur 2013 Longjings are here! We have three famous Longjings from authentic harvesting areas - Meijiawu Village Shi Feng Weng-jia Shan After some delays in customs, and other minor issues with shipping, our Longjing teas are here. This year we had the opportunity to purchase Longjing from 3 of the 4 authentic tea harvesting areas: Shi Feng, Meijiawu Village and Weng-jia Shan. Being able to taste these three choice Longjings in a comparative tasting is a rare opportunity for those interested in tasting the effects of terroir. Or in this case, the subtle difference / similarity of same-name… -
2013 Chinese Green Teas & 1st Flush Darjeelings
21 Apr 2013 | 7:58 amFresh Chinese and India Darjeeling tea from the 2013 spring harvest is pouring in through the doors. One of our shipments of Chinese tea was held for 10 days in customs, but was released in tact and delivered to us the following day. So other than excessive worry over the fact that we did not have possession of the tea, it all worked out just fine. Each year, when it is time to order new tea from the samples we have been sent, we place different orders on different days according to what teas have become available. No matter how we do this, the tea gods always plot to have the tea arrive all… -
1st New 2013 Pre-Qing Ming Tea Has Arrived
26 Mar 2013 | 3:53 amYes, the 2013 spring tea season is underway. More new tea from China will be here next week. And the week after that. And that. We are very excited. This is what has just arrived: 2013 Pre-Qing Ming Yunnan Sweet Green Threads 2013 Pre-Qing Ming Yunnan Sweet White Threads -
Timeline for Arrival of Our 2013 Teas
23 Mar 2013 | 7:00 pmEarly spring is an exciting time for us. It marks the arrival of the new tea season in China, India, Japan, Taiwan and Sri Lanka, and with that the anticipation of delicious new tea. We eagerly await the moments when we are notified by tea supplies that the 1st plucked teas are ready and samples have been dispatched to us. The teas we select are then shipped to us via AIR CARGO in order to obtain these premium teas when they are just 10 days to 2 weeks old. They are such a taste treat, and so rarely available for sale in the USA this soon after manufacture. Seasonality in tea is important.
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Camellia Sinensis
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Keemun Quandry
7 May 2013 | 4:29 pmIt has been my practice on every Spring harvest trip to China to re-cup all the samples I acquired before I depart for home. In the past, I have almost never had a change of heart from the original cupping to the final cupping. This year is the first time I have experienced a change of heart! When I re-cupped the Keemun samples I helped make I was torn between accepting them for what they -
Tai Ping Hou Kui Factory
16 Apr 2013 | 5:19 amAfter lunch, I visited the Anhui Yunxi tea factory. This factory owns its own organic tea farm and produces many fine organic green teas. Here I was able to watch how a semi-automated (as opposed to traditional hand-made and much more expensive) Tai Ping Hou Kui (what we called Taiping Monkey King). I hope you like the video I am posting. Tai Ping Hou Kui, Semi-Automated Production -
Producing a supurb Keemun - 2013 Harvest
14 Apr 2013 | 7:18 amI returned to the factory to cup last night’s production, and would like to think that my involvement was beneficial. After cupping the first batch of last night’s production I was just floored by how good it turned out. The aim for this batch was to retain floral notes without the excessive bitter astringency commonly associated with today’s lower “fermented” Keemuns. After long -
Birdcage Lamps in a Chinese Tea Room
13 Apr 2013 | 5:48 pmI often hear from those of you who remember our original Imperial Tea Court in Chinatown that you will never forget the birdcages. So this string of birdcages as lamps caught my idea and reminded me of happy and challenging days when we were just beginning our life in tea in San Francisco. Bird cage lamps in a Chinese tearoom. This is for all you customers who have been loyal for -
More About Keemun Production
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World of Tea
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The Average Color of Tea
12 May 2013 | 2:53 pmThis is a composite image from photos of 85 different teas spanning green, yellow, white, oolong, black, and post-fermented teas. The “average color of tea” if you will. -
What is a varietal tea?
12 May 2013 | 8:24 amThe word varietal is one that is often misused in the tea world (and also in the wine world). It is often erroneously used interchangeably with the word variety. Here’s the correct definition: Varietal (adj) – a varietal tea is one that was made from a single variety of Camellia sinensis. Correct usage: Tieguanyin is a varietal tea made from the ‘Tieguanyin’ cultivar (remember cultivar means “cultivated variety“) of Camellia sinensis. Incorrect usage: Tieguanyin is made from the Tieguanyin varietal of Camellia sinensis. -
Tea Varieties and Cultivars
21 Apr 2013 | 9:41 amPlants are classified hierarchically by their division, class, subclass, order, family, genus, and species. They are also classified by variety and cultivar when necessary. Here’s how the tea plant shakes out: Division -> Magnoliophyta Class -> Magnoliopsida Subclass -> Dilleniidae Order -> Theales Family -> Theaceae Genus -> Camellia Species -> Sinensis [Source: http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=Casi16] Since we’ll only be dealing with the varieties and cultivars of the genus Camellia and the species sinensis we’ll leave out the higher level… -
Tea Chemistry
17 Mar 2013 | 5:16 pmTea chemistry is complex. Just how complex? Well, on the bush, tea leaves contain thousands of chemical compounds, when they are processed, these compounds break down, form complexes and form new compounds. When we steep tea leaves, our senses are tingled by the thousands of volatile compounds (collectively known as the “aroma complex”) from the tea liquor and the thousands of non-volatile compounds and the complexes between them, not all of which are water soluble, and the ones that are water soluble are soluble at a function of the properties of the water used for steeping like… -
Where tea is grown in the United States
4 Mar 2013 | 7:00 pmIs tea grown in the United States? It sure is! American grown tea is growing in popularity. Tea farms have been popping up all around the country, here’s a run-down of what we’ve got so far (this post will be updated periodically): Farms currently producing US grown tea: Alabama Fairhope Tea Plantation – [article] South Carolina Charleston Tea Plantation – [website] Hawaii Ahualoa – [website] Big Island Tea – [website] Cloudwater Tea Farm – [website] Mauna Kea – [website] Moonrise Tea – [website] Na Liko – [website] Onomea Tea…
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Mighty Leaf
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Memorial Day Cocktails
24 May 2013 | 2:16 pmTime’s running out to make final preparations for your legendary Memorial Day BBQ. You’ve got grass-fed steaks and veggie burgers galore; your famous potato salad is in the works; and the biggest watermelon your arms could carry is stashed in the cupboard. There’s only one crucial element missing: unforgettable beverages for the adult crowd. Don’t worry. Mighty Leaf’s got you covered. Check out these amazing tea cocktails guaranteed to make your cookout a hit. These delicious beverages were designed by H. Joseph Erhmann, the beloved mixologist behind San… -
Mighty Leaf at NRA 2013
20 May 2013 | 2:12 pmThings are still in high gear out in Chicago where the Mighty Leaf Tea’m is hard at work wowing customers and brewing up a good time at the National Restaurant Association show. Tea is making a big impression with the crowd this year as a beverage for all seasons and menus. Showcasing that versatility is one of the most exciting booths we’ve ever had. Here it is before the crowds arrive for the day. As you can see, there are several different serving stations where thirsty guests can enjoy hot tea, iced tea, fruit-infused tea, and matcha-based beverages! All of it served along… -
The Great Tea Giveaway
26 Apr 2013 | 1:46 pmSpring is the time for new growth, opportunities and experiences. We here at Mighty Leaf are excited to embrace the season by unveiling something unique and exciting. To show our appreciation to our entire tea drinking community, we’re introducing a treat that all our fans will love: The Great Tea Giveaway of 2013! Starting this month and running through the end of the year, Mighty Leaf fans who live in the US will have the opportunity to enter one or more of our weekly giveaways. Each Monday until December 23rd, a new contest page will be available through the “Great Tea Giveaway” tab… -
Kathmandu in Your Cup
22 Mar 2013 | 10:02 amThere are as many ways to enjoy tea as there are tea lovers. Some prefer classics such as chamomile and a bit of honey. Others crave tea lattes with ingredients like steamed almond milk and agave nectar. But what about black tea mixed with liberal amounts of butter and salt? Marketing Intern Cole Margen explains the surprising allure of Tibetan Butter Tea. –Editor’s Note Greetings fellow tea drinkers. My name is Cole, and I’m the Marketing Intern here over at Mighty Leaf. I’d like to tell you all about something incredibly delicious that you can do with our traditional… -
Drink in the Season Holiday Recipe Contest Winner
4 Feb 2013 | 12:36 pmThe Drink In The Season Holiday Recipe Contest was a hit this year with multiple qualified contestants submitting their creations. The Mighty Leaf team was quite impressed by the variety, and ingenuity of many of the drinks that we saw amongst the finalists in particular. Who would’ve known that Mighty Leaf Tea could be used in such creative, and enticing recipes? The winner of the contest, Rosie 75 (see recipe below) really impressed us with her use of our Rose Silver Needle Tea to make a light, refreshing cocktail that would go perfectly in a picnic basket for a nice summer outing in…
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Tea&co.
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¡Mozo, un mate!
10 May 2013 | 5:26 pmZona Taragüi Y el mate llegó a los bares La nueva propuesta de Establecimiento Las Marías para disfrutar del mate en más de 100 bares. Llegás al bar y además de un café o un té podés disfrutar de otra de tus infusiones favoritas. El mate está disponible en más de 100 establecimientos gastronómicos de Capital Federal, GBA y Mar del Plata. El bar tiene que estar identificado con el logo de Zona Taragüi, el sueño de los materos hecho realidad. Tomar mate fuera de casa. Disfrutar de este ritual. la propuesta El servicio incluye todos los elementos necesarios para disfrutar del… -
taza #1158
21 Feb 2013 | 4:41 amHostmaster Pattern / teacup by New Martinsville Glass Company -
taza #1157
20 Feb 2013 | 3:00 am -
taza #1156
19 Feb 2013 | 3:55 pm -
taza #1155
18 Feb 2013 | 3:00 amVintage Youngsware China Fantasy Pattern
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Tea-Guy
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World Tea Expo 2013 (Preview)
23 May 2013 | 7:00 amAbout This Year’s Expo For those of you who follow this blog, you know I love to visit the World Tea Expo every year to bring you news, photos and tales of my experiences from the event. This year will be a little different… Yes, I’m still attending The Expo. But this year I’ll also be a speaker. I’m joining a panel of other fantastic bloggers to discuss how to use blogging on tea to help grow your tea business. My Other Non-Day Job I will also be taking the opportunity to promote Teaity, a new site I launched last November where you can discover and rate teas… -
Tea 201 – Terminology – Common Tea Words
3 Oct 2012 | 7:00 amThe Language of Tea At this point, you should have a good grasp on the idea of tea…now we should take a few moments to give you a bank of words. This should help you in speaking the language of tea: Antioxidant:a compound that slows the process of oxidation. Assam: A major tea growing region in India. Astringency: a bite (or bitter taste) caused by some teas. Autumnal: Tea created later in the season like Darjeeling. Bergamot: Citrus oil from the Bergamot orange used in Earl Grey. Black Tea: Fully oxidized Camellia sinensis plant. Blend: Method that allows for consistency among teas. -
Tea 201 – White Tea – Downy Buds
2 Oct 2012 | 7:00 amWhite Tea Leaves White tea is the youngest harvested buds of the Camellia sinensis plant almost exclusively in the Fujian province of China. It gets its name from the down white hairs that are found on the leaves. The liquor itself is the most pale of teas and it is known for its mild taste and fresh scent. White tea is very delicate. Because of this fact, you should use filtered water that is brought to a high temperature, but not boiling. A good rule of thumb (if you don’t have a thermometer to test for 140 to 165ºF) is to bring it to a boil and then let it cool for at least a… -
Tea 201 – Origin – Where Tea is Grown
1 Oct 2012 | 7:00 amTea Origin by Percentage (c.o. Wikipedia.org) It would not be a proper lesson on tea without sitting down and discussing the origin of tea. Where is it grown? More importantly where can it grow? Let’s start with tea’s origin. Where did it originally come from? Originally its natural form was believed to have originated in China. The most celebrated of teas come from the area of China known as “The Golden Triangle.” This area is found between the mountains of Huang Shan, Mogan Shan, Qi Shan and Tianmu Shan. In the country of Taiwan, it is well known for its oolong teas. India… -
2012 Tea Bloggers Choice Award Winners
30 Sep 2012 | 7:00 amTea Blogger’s Choice Award 2012 The results are in! Tea bloggers from all around, and our readership have weighed in through blog comments, emails, Facebook and Twitter to compile the following results for this year’s Tea Blogger’s Choice Awards presented by the Association of Tea Bloggers. Tea Bloggers’ Choice Awards Winners 2012 Unblended/Unflavored Black : Teavivre Yunnan Dian Hong Golden Tip Blended/Flavored Black: Harney and Sons Earl Grey Supreme Unblended/Unflavored Green: Den’s Tea Gyokuro Kin Blended/Flavored Green: Aiya Tea Matcha…
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A Tea Addict's Journal
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Spare your friend
24 May 2013 | 8:43 pmAs a tea drinker, a very difficult to get asked to do is “just buy me something good” and then get handed some money. The motivation is basically the problem – friend (or family, or whatever) is going to China/India/Japan/Taiwan, and so, the asker thinks, why not get them to buy me some tea? Tea is everywhere in those places, what could go wrong? A lot. The touring friend may have no interest or expertise in tea. If they are not frequent visitors to these places, then chances are they are mostly going to be in the big cities, visiting the nice sites and interesting spots. -
Saturday tasting with friends
12 May 2013 | 9:03 amAnother tea afternoon with some friends. This Saturday was spent mostly drinking Chenyuan Hao, although not exclusively. In reverse time order (and also the order in which we drank the teas) 1) Dayi 2012 Longyin (Dragon Seal). This thing is about 800 RMB now, for a cake that is barely a year old. It’s a silly price for something that is basically a few steps above your regular run of the mill big factory productions – it’s not that great, a little smokey, and well, you can hold on to this for ten years and see what happens. At that price point there are a lot of better teas. -
The retaste project 14: 2003 Menghai Early Spring Arbor Tree
1 May 2013 | 5:54 amSpeaking of silly prices, here’s one. This is a tea that I have been holding on to for the past few years. Tim of the Mandarin’s Tea Room visited me, or perhaps I visited him, and somehow I ended up with half a cake of this (Tim, you want it back?). I think he wrote about this somewhere on his blog, although I can’t find it for the life of me. The tea has been consumed a number of times by the time I got it. I haven’t really tried it since. Relatively tight compression, but otherwise an unremarkable big factory looking cake. The Taobao price now hovers somewhere in the… -
No new tea
30 Apr 2013 | 5:00 amOr, more accurately, no new puerh, for the last few years and from the last few years. I was going through what I do have and what I have bought, and what I have found is that I have bought very little new puerh in the last few years. This is not to say that I wasn’t buying tea – quite the opposite. I have bought quite a bit of tea in the past few years (probably too much, as usual) but much of that is stuff that pre-dates 2007. Among the full cakes I’ve bought that are younger than 5 years, most I purchased as samples – through Taobao, for example, where sometimes the… -
Two teas
23 Apr 2013 | 1:47 amBefore I talk about them, let me show you the pictures first. So… what about them? I should preface this by saying that the perceived darkness of the cake on the right probably has more to do with lighting than anything else. In person, the cakes are very similar in colour. The right hand cake may be a tad bit darker, but only just. What these two cakes are: two 2006 Douji Gushu blends. The left one is from the spring, the right one from the fall. From the packaging, you can’t tell at all – the only difference is the production date on that silly sticker that they put…
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Crazy Tea Chick | Tea Blog and Gift Ideas
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Teavana Glass Tea Mug: This One is Absolutely Loverly!
7 May 2013 | 9:40 amI’m pretty wild about the handsome Teavana Perfect Glass Tea Mug pictured above. And when I say “pretty wild about,” I mean if I don’t have it in my tea loving hands within a month things might get ugly. This beautiful glass tea mug would be a wonderful gift for any tea lover in your life – even if said tea lover is y-o-u. After all, how classy would you look drinking your favorite tea from this beauty? Tea Mug Features: Holds up to 16 ounces of your favorite tea Made of a thick glass Features a frosted Teavana logo Click through the link or picture above for… -
Sonic: Now a Haven for Iced Tea Lovers as Well as Burger Lovers
6 Apr 2013 | 6:19 amMint Iced Green Tea from Sonic…. Amazing! I’ve always loved a lot of things about Sonic – amazing hamburgers, coney dogs, tots, onion rings, and their gourmet hot dogs are the stuff dreams are made of. They’ve always had great drinks, too – but now they’ve gone and outdone themselves; and as an iced tea lover I’m beyond excited. The very day I learned that Sonic now has a variety of Iced Green teas, I made a bee line for the Owensboro Sonic. Unfortunately, I’d already had lunch, so all I could do was swoon over the pictures of burgers and coney… -
Whistling Cow Tea Kettle
2 Apr 2013 | 1:11 pmIt’s no secret that we’re WILD about tea kettles on the Crazy Tea Chick tea blog. Whether they’re Paula Deen Tea Kettles, Rachael Ray Tea Kettles, or even a Giraffe Tea Kettle (!!!) – it’s always love at first whistle. The cutie above is no exception. This is the Cow Whistling Tea Kettle and, frankly, she might be too cute for her own good. Cow Whistling Tea Kettle Material:Heavy gauge stainless steel with Enamel Finishing Dimension: 8″ width x 11″ height Capacity: 2.5 quarts Clean and Care: Hand wash Click through the adorable picture or the… -
Stacked Mug Flower Vase: Unlike Any Vase I’ve Ever Seen!
11 Mar 2013 | 10:43 amSometimes I come across something online that I fall so head over heels in love with I can’t think of anything else. It happened just 3 minutes ago while browsing around Kirkland’s website. I saw the adorable Stacked Coffee Mugs Vase and… bam… I was gone. When I first saw the thumbnail picture of the vase (above), I thought it was a gorgeous hued set of coffee or tea mugs. I clicked through because I wanted to take a closer look. When I saw that it was actually a vase, I fell even further in love. If, like me, you grow a lot of flowers or simply love to buy… -
Lower Your Cholesterol, Naturally, with Green Tea
5 Mar 2013 | 2:26 pmEveryday Health recently published a great slideshow showing ways to Lower Your Cholesterol in Five Minutes or Less. Click the link to see all the potentially life-saving tips. One of these tips was of great interest to those of us who love tea. From Everyday Health: Research reviewing 20 studies, published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, found that sipping green tea reduces LDL by an average of 5.30 mg/dL, though the amount of green tea sipped varied widely from one study to the next. The secret ingredient in green tea to help lower your cholesterol? Antioxidants called…
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Tea Trade - Recent Global Posts
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Can Tea Spark Certain Moods?
24 May 2013 | 10:30 amCan Tea Spark Certain Moods? We all know that if we need a little something to calm the nerves we reach for a cup of stress relieving chamomile tea. Even other various calming herbs and botanicals can help us achieve a certain level of calm we may be desperately in need of. All you have to do is “Google” it and you’ll have various herbal stress relieves at your fingertips. What do we do when we have a tummy ache? Reach for a cup of ginger tea and maybe something with fennel. All you have to do is a little research and you will find a dizzying array of herb blends that are known… -
Iced Ahmad Tea, Karen Flam, Tea vs. Beer, and Starbucks/Tazo
23 May 2013 | 1:40 pmIt was quite hot yesterday and today, and I made up my first batch of iced tea of the season, and I'm drinking the last cup of it, pictured here on my windowsill. It was raining as I took this pic. [caption id="attachment_152" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Iced tea, brewed from Ahmad Tea's loose-leaf Ceylon tea[/caption] This was brewed from the regular loose-leaf ceylon tea from Ahmad Tea. It came out quite cloudy, and almost pinkish in hue--I found it quite aesthetically pleasing. I brewed it on the mild side so I could drink it in quantity, but this tea I usually prefer to brew… -
Tea & Pregnancy
23 May 2013 | 12:32 pmTea & Pregnancy I am sure many are curious about just how much tea one should be consuming during pregnancy and especially while traveling to the mother of all tea events, the World Tea Expo in Las Vegas, which is in just about two weeks? When I arrive I will be just about halfway through my pregnancy and believe me there is no hiding it. I am really showing “the baby bump” as it was. I am certain I will get judgmental glances sent my way and whispers under ones breath about my sampling teas. While I don’t suspect I will withdraw from tasting teas I do feel however I will… -
Strawberries & Sham-pag-nee Black Tea Blend from Cuppa Crew Tea Company
22 May 2013 | 8:59 pmTea Information: Leaf Type: Black Where to Buy: Cuppa Crew Tea Company Tea Description: Skip the “real” bubbly and go with this gorgeous tea instead! We start with our Margaret’s Hope 2nd Flush Darjeeling – the “champagne” of teas – and add a touch of wild strawberries and whipped cream for a cuppa that’s fantastic hot or cold and with or without cream and sugar. You’ll love figuring out which way of prepping it you like best! A perfect tea to enjoy with (or in spite of) that special someone…. Learn more about this tea here. Taster’s Review: This is a tea I've been… -
Flower Power (Devotea Origins Part IV)
22 May 2013 | 2:32 pmSeries Note: If you haven't noticed by now, I’ve decided to write a self-indulgent series that covers all our blends and what inspired them. Never mind, I'll be back to ranting in week or so. This is Part IV. Flowers in tea can be a wonderful combination. Now I know that some people will disagree. Well, let them. People have disagreed with me before. There are even technical terms for it.* We have a variety of blends that offer flowers along with tea. Our philosophy is always to blend with teas that are excellent to drink by themselves, so we don't use florals as an attempt to cover up bad…
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travelling teapot
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Teabag
10 May 2013 | 9:30 pmThis very interesting article below is written by Taylor Orci appeared in The Alantic 8 April 2013. (http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/04/are-tea-bags-turning-us-into-plastic/274482/)Here's what happened: I was making tea one day, waiting for my water to get hot, and I started reading the box. It touted the fact that the company didn't use "silky" plastic tea bags, which prompted my the question, "Wait... silky tea bags are plastic tea bags?"I'd used "silky" or "mesh" tea bags before, and as someone who is turned off by the idea of eating heated plastic, I never made the… -
An Old Tin of Shui Hsien
3 May 2013 | 8:34 pmI was gifted with a tin full of old shui hsien. One of my tea friends had gone to Taiwan for holidays and had bought some tea there and this tin was given to me. Looking at this 6 inches (15cm) high tin, I observed that this is a lao chong shui hsien tea produced in Fujian, China, namely Wuyishan General Tea Factory. I have no idea on the age of this tea but it should be old - telephone number on the tin is 5 digits while its 7 digits in china now (less the area code). I would put the tea to be at least 12-15 yrs old....minimum. Taking a whiff inside the tin, I… -
2006 Xinghai Green Peacock Ripe Cake
27 Apr 2013 | 12:03 amI only bought one pu erh tea cake this year (no typo error). A local purchase, this is the 2006 Xinghai Green Peacock ripe cake. For my readers who had been following my blog, I would at this time of the year be overseas and would have returned with a luggage of tea. The recent bird flu in China, had me 'chickened out' from traveling to China. I am glad that my China friends are ok and are taking the necessary precautions to be safe. I look forward to a tea trip this year, hopefully soon.I am not being pompous by saying that I prefer to buy my tea overseas than… -
Seasoning a Yixing teapot
21 Apr 2013 | 12:57 amNew Yixing teapots must be cleaned and seasoned. Why? Can't you use the teapot immediately after you have brought it home from a teashop?Here are the main reasons :a) teapot might be dirty - obviously sediments, oil residues, or even insects might be found in your teapot. It is possible that your teapot had been on display for a considerable long time before you had purchase it. So a general cleaning or sterilization of the teapot might be in order. Some of my teapot collector friends who purchased used teapots, will usually season the teapot again -… -
"Yi Tiao Long" - Dragon teapots
11 Apr 2013 | 7:48 amProduced in the 1980s, this is the 12 teapot dragon set known as 'Yi Tiao Long' - literally meaning one whole dragon. These teapots were produced in China and came in either red or black clay. I only have the 'black clay' version ones.This 12 teapot set is interesting in that this 12 teapot set came in sizes from small to large. Smallest size is about 20-25ml while the largest teapot can hold about 200ml of tea. No.....the set is not made of of 12 different size teapots but I could detect (by just looking) about 8-9 different sized teapots in a each set - meaning there…
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Life in Teacup
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reunion of another pair of twins - good storage and bad storage
24 May 2013 | 9:45 pmIn the last episode of "reunion of twins", I posted about a dry storage version and a Hong Kong humid storage version of a same tea. Although neither of them is perfect - I wish the dry storage version gets smoother and wish the HK storage version without the hint of "wet straw" taste - I enjoy both of them fairly well. I could drink either of them every day for weeks without any complaints. So for those two versions of storage, I think they provide an interesting comparison of two styles, but not a contrast of "good" or "bad".Here I got another pair of twins. And this time, I would simply… -
quick udpate - Tea Nazi is back!
18 May 2013 | 10:02 pm(The photo is from Pan's Tea Travel webpage, explaining the green tea processing.) Here are of Tea Nazi that I wrote two years ago.Ok... I admit I was really blunt to call him "tea nazi", as he is by far not as harsh as the "soup nazi", and he is really a nice guy! This spring I got "official" announcement from Pan that he is back to tea business - on part-time basis, but in some sense, more devoted than a lot of full-timers in tea world. I know a bunch of "amateur" tea people, part-timers, moonlighters, or "hobby sellers(?)". In fact, among my favorite tea friends, tea suppliers and tea… -
drinking two Huang Shan Mao Feng
11 May 2013 | 10:16 amBefore the start, I would like to salute to Malaysian friends with these 2006 shu and sheng cakes made per special order of Malaysian Puerh Association. I've been living in my small world and didn't know much about what was going on in Malaysia. But I have a facebook friend who is Chinese Malaysian American and updated me a lot about the recent Election in Malaysia. It was quite amazing!___________________________________________ These are two Huang Shan Mao Feng that I have every year since 2010. Huang Shan Mao Feng is one of my favorite green teas (probably top 3, and Long Jing is not even… -
guess guess guess... reunion of twins
8 May 2013 | 8:58 pmBy the way if you like the guessing game, here are some of the earlier ones - and make sure to take the guess before seeing the final answer or other people's answers :-D* reunion of "3 brothers"* price of a oolongAnd a couple of *really* old ones on teachat - they make me feel old! :-p* a oolong (and by the time of the posted game, I hadn't seen this specific style in American market yet, so it was harder to guess then than now!)* which oolong is different from the other three________________________________Now here is another one... The tea is 2004 Chang Tai Heng Feng Yuan sheng. Heng Feng… -
Taiwan "Style" Oolong (1b) - Zealong Dark and Zealong Pure
4 May 2013 | 12:39 pmThis just reminds me of my terrible procrastination...I started this series in 2011. Taiwan "Style" Oolong (0) is here, explaining why I'm interested in them.Taiwan "Style" Oolong (1) is here. I wish I had finished writing this part (1b) much, much earlier, before the close-up of the late Chicago Tea Garden run by Tony Gebely, so that some people could have grabbed their last Zealong at a very good close-up discount price. In fact, I wish I had grabbed some myself, as these teas (even including Zealong pure) have quite long shelf life and the prices were great. But I was fully occupied by…
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The Sip Tip
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Phew...
20 May 2013 | 2:40 pmWow I am really not sure where the past few weeks went, somewhere in there I hit the Quarter of a Century Club, but was so busy getting things ready for the new job, and the move to a new place that I didn't really get to sit back and enjoy it. In fact I have a sample of The Mandarins Tearoom 1960s Shui Xian that I had hoped to crack open and enjoy on my birthday. Needless to say that did not -
The Sip Tip Moves to Lansing!
1 May 2013 | 5:39 pmAssuming the background check and what not passes, I will walk past this site multiple times a day, on my way in and out of where I will be working. This is because I got offered a job working in Lansing Michigan, and I hope to move up there rather soon, as they want me to start as soon as possible. All that being said posts might be fewer and farther apart for a bit until I get situated. -
Pouring a Kyusu to avoid clogging
26 Apr 2013 | 6:43 pmThis question comes up far more than I have expected, and I have myself struggled with this problem several times, but when pouring a kyusu it is not uncommon, for the filter to clog. This happens most with kyusu with ceramic filters, which true teaware addicts seem to love because the entire piece is made by the ceramic artist and there is no additional metal filter. Which ever way your mood -
The State of my Tea State!
22 Apr 2013 | 5:14 pmWhile I sip on some very good sencha, realizing I am down to nearly 100grams of the Japanese goodness, I can not help but think that Shincha Season is in full force but due to life I am forcing myself to step to the sidelines for the most part this year. Life happens, and because it happens I am stockpiling cash as much as I possibly can while I eagerly search for employment. It is the -
So out of the box, the leaves don't fit in!
18 Apr 2013 | 12:31 pmSo any of us that have been around the block a few times realize we have our own preferred brewing styles for nearly every single tea we come across. Having heard good things about Da Yu Ling, I picked some up from a newly started vendor. Initial impressions were lack luster, they seemed to fall quite flat. Turns out I brewed it incredibly too light. Even though that is how I usually approach
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LuLin Teas Blog
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Sans Adventures in China: Part 10!
24 May 2013 | 6:30 amThis is my final blog from my trip to China, and I have to say I am a little sad. Yesterday I had my last lesson of the Oolong teas. I learned a lot about the different rock teas and tasted some teas from the spring picking. It is hard to write down all that I learned in one blog. My notes will help me with my tea presentations though and I can pass on what I have learnt that way. Speaking of, my next presentation will be at the MASshop in Antwerp, Belgium on 26th May and June 2nd, maybe... -
Sans Adventures in China: Part 9!
23 May 2013 | 6:19 amLife is more than a cup of tea...so as a change, I went to a traditional Chinese wedding last weekend! The essence of course was the same but all the rest is very different! The difference starts long before the wedding day. In China a man has to prove that he is capable to marry a woman. He needs to have money or a house to prove it to the parents of the bride. So, no money, no wedding! This is very simply said and I still don’t know where the place of love comes in? Is it more a practical... -
Sans Adventures in China: Part 8!
21 May 2013 | 5:48 amA tea expo is always very interesting! For the main reason that, you can taste many different teas and compare them with each other. I love trying all different teas! For me, it is more to compare taste and prices with the knowledge I know from my visiting trip. Don’t forget, it is still business. So, each farm, each company has the best Tie Guan Yin, the best Puerh. So it is my job to choose which tea is the best. Quality and price are very important, of course. The difficulty is that you can have a super tea from a... -
Sans Adventures in China: Part 7!
17 May 2013 | 5:38 amI am now back in Shanghai! It was a very interesting journey through the country side, visiting the tea gardens. I knew that I was not that good at taking pictures but this time it was very bad!!! I thought I was taking pictures but, no, I was taking a video but at the end they are something in between. So, you can see it now on youtube and I think that Pawel can make a rap with the words ‘There's something wrong here’!!! Well, at least you all could laugh with me! Here's the video I mean - made using the... -
Sans Adventures in China: Part 6!
15 May 2013 | 5:09 amThe day after..it was a long drive, yesterday... “This is China”! How many times in the past I had to hear this! Every time I see different costumes and I ask why or what, the answer is always the same: “This is china” and that is all that is said! One of these things was and is the discussion of breakfast. It is hard to go on the road without eating in the morning (I LOVE breakfast). But to find something to eat (real breakfast food) is difficult because there is no way that I can eat soup on an empty stomach...
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Peony
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Brewing Alishan Jinxuan
23 May 2013 | 4:23 am -
5 Most Useful Tea Accessories
21 May 2013 | 5:00 amThe Free Dictionary defines accessories as follows: ac·ces·so·ry (k-ss-r) n. pl. ac·ces·so·ries 1. a. A subordinate or supplementary item; an adjunct. b. Something nonessential but desirable that contributes to an effect or result. “Nonessential but desirable that contributes to an effect or result.” That is probably the best way of describing these 5 items on our list. While you could continue to brew tea without these 5 items, you probably might not choose to, especially if you’re brewing it the gongfu way- which is best way to enjoy good oolong or Pu-er tea. Without further… -
The Health Benefits of Different Types of Teas- Part I
16 May 2013 | 8:57 pmThis article is part of a series where we answer frequently posed questions when we interact with you at events and roadshows. Interestingly enough, some variation of “What does this type of Tea do?” or “What health benefits does this tea have?” are very common questions. Before we dwell into the specifics of each type of tea, let us examine the factors that affects the chemical content and hence health implications of each type of tea. Production Method The diagram shows the core or defining production technique of various types of tea. How this impacts the chemical composition of… -
Xinchang- Home of Dafo Longjing, a County Transformed by a Focus on Quality
15 May 2013 | 9:57 pmIn an earlier post, we talked about how Dafo Longjing is more than just a knock-off of the more famous Xihu Longjing but a winner in its own right. This time, we will look at the county of Xinchang, home of Dafo Longjing. Dafo Longjing is so named after Dafo Temple in Xinchang, a brand name that was only established in the 1980s. Prior to that, Xinchang had been a reputable tea producing region for a while, notably for its production of the commercial offering ‘Zhu Cha’ or better known abroad as ‘Gunpowder’. Despite having its products exported globally, Xinchang had fallen on hard… -
Brewing Huangshan Maofeng with a Gaiwan
13 May 2013 | 8:08 pmBrewing Huangshan Maofeng with a Gaiwan
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Tea For Me Please
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Moleskine Passions Tea Journal
24 May 2013 | 9:00 amAfter years of begging and pleading with countless emails and tweets, Moleskine finally created a Passions journal for tea lovers. The journal itself is stylish and well appointed in typical Moleskine fashion. The sleek black hardcover is embossed with tea kettles, teacups and other tea related things. There are tabbed sections to record tasting notes, recipes, places and websites as well as -
Tiesta Tea Passion Berry Jolt
23 May 2013 | 9:00 amCountry of Origin: India Leaf Appearance: small, dark with colorful petals Ingredients: black tea, marigolds, cornflowers, raspberry and passion fruit flavoring Steep time: 5 minutes Water Temperature: 195 degrees Preparation Method: ceramic teacup and mesh infuser Liquor: dark brown Although the name suggested a powerful sip, this tea was fairly mellow. The raspberry and passion fruit were -
Peony Tea Shop Shan Li Xi
22 May 2013 | 9:00 amCountry of Origin: Taiwan Leaf Appearance: deep green, tightly rolled Ingredients: oolong tea Steep time: 30 seconds Water Temperature: 195 degrees Preparation Method: porcelain gaiwan Liquor: gold This tea was full of floral taste. It wasn't quite the perfumy orchid quality that you would find in an Alishan but it was still very powerful. The finish was sweet and lingered long after each sip. -
Creature of Habit
21 May 2013 | 9:00 amI have realized that I am very much a creature of habit when it comes to tea preparation. Some would call me O.C.D while others might call it methodical. The teaware that I use is directly correlated to the type of tea that I am making. After making this realization, I began keeping a chart to see exactly what my habits are. The perceived culture of the tea seems to have a lot to do with it. -
Mauna Kea Tea Organic Premium Green Tea - 2013 1st Flush
20 May 2013 | 9:00 amCountry of Origin: United States, Hawaii Leaf Appearance: dark green with some white tips, very curled and twisted Ingredients: green tea Steep time: 2 minutes Water Temperature: 175 degrees Preparation Method: ceramic teapot Liquor: very pale green Ever since tasting Hawaiian grown teas with the folks from +Tealet I have been craving Mauna Kea's green tea. I finally bit the bullet because I
