Tea

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  Images for tea on Daylife

• Photo from Reuters Pictures

  12 Nov 2009 | 1:43 am

  Products of TWG Tea are seen in this undated handout photograph.

• Photo from Reuters Pictures

  11 Nov 2009 | 11:58 pm

  A TWG Tea shop is seen in Singapore in this undated handout photograph.

• Photo from Reuters Pictures

  11 Nov 2009 | 11:58 pm

  A TWG Tea shop is seen in Singapore in this undated handout photograph.

• Photo from Reuters Pictures

  11 Nov 2009 | 11:58 pm

  A TWG Tea shop is seen in Singapore in this undated handout photograph.

• Photo from AP Photo

  8 Nov 2009 | 7:06 pm

  Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen, left, talks with his Defense Minister Tea Banh, right, during the Independence Day celebration at the Independence Monument in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Monday, Nov. 9, 2009.

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  MarshalN's Xanga

• The Book of Tea

  17 Nov 2009 | 7:44 pm

  Okakura Kakuzo's The Book of Tea, published in 1906 in New York, is still a book that many read when they are looking for something on tea consumption, especially with regards to Japanese tea.  It still floats around in the coffee/tea section of bookstores, and I've read it before, very quickly, without thinking much about it.  I just assigned my students that book and we discussed it today.  Having re-read it again, it struck me as not really being about tea at all.  Nor is it really about "zennism" or "daoism".  It's about Japan, East Asia, and how Japan is the…

• More teaware

  12 Nov 2009 | 7:55 pm

  More teaware This is a chaozhou teapot, uncharacteristically large for something of this type.  It's a typical 300-400ml size.  I've never seen one that big before.  It's supposedly from turn of the century -- bought from someone who claimed it was a grandma's leftover.  It looks the part though, as it has an older feel and look.  Only lightly used.  The chawan is there for size comparison.

• Tenmoku chawan

  3 Nov 2009 | 10:15 pm

  Haven't posted any teaware porn for a while, so here goesI love this bowl.  The only flaw is that the brown colour on the exterior is probably a tad bit too much.  These bowls are great for matcha, because their dark colour provides a sharp relief for the lightness of the tea.  The Japanese then adopted it wholesale and kept using them, while Chinese moved on from these to lighter coloured bowls because taste in tea changed over time.  They won't be any good making tea that is brewed, because the colours won't show properly, but when whisked, that's a totally different…

• Gendered consumption of tea

  1 Nov 2009 | 4:29 pm

  One of the topics that came up a week ago in class was the gendered consumption of tea, and the perception in different places of tea's proper role.  It's an interesting subject that I notice sometimes in my own drinking as well.  In Japan, for example, the tea ceremony now is almost entirely practiced by women, with some men involved.  For the most part, it's seen as a girly thing to do, along with ikebana and other womanly arts.  When I visited Japan and had tea in any setting, I have never had a man prepare tea for me.  This was obviously not the case a few hundred…

• What are you tasting?

  24 Oct 2009 | 11:47 am

  On Thursday for class I brought in some of my testing sets, and went about showing my students how you might test for different teas when you're a buyer.  We were talking about the commodification of tea, coffee, etc, and this, I thought, would be an interesting way to show some of the things that go on behind the scenes, so to speak.This is the second brewing already, as the first one was consumed and commented on.  The one on the right is Yunnan Gold, the one in the middle a Darjeeling, and on the left, an Assam.  I figured it's probably better to use different kinds of teas,…

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  The Mandarin's Tea

• Cohiba Siglo VI & Bronze prize aged Dong Ding

  4 Nov 2009 | 12:40 pm

  This little treasure has been hiding in my baby onggi jar since this April. Finally, the right moment came and I shared it with my friend Michael Turek and Italo. With 2 other teas: 80's cooked tuocha, and a 1600+ yrs Chairman Mao.My friends were new to tea tasting, and they both thought the DD is a bit on the mellow and quite side. Nice clear brew, aged character stimuated both sides of my

• Oolong tea brewing. Now and then....

  28 Oct 2009 | 8:30 pm

  Over the years, I have been documenting on some brewing methods for Oolong tea. Looking back and comparing the progress is one of the most self educational & learning experiences. From the very beginning, I only concentrated on the surface and 'packaging': eg. looks, brewing steps, aroma, feeling of front of mouth and the first couple of minutes of 'expectations'. All these do not excite me any

• Autumn

  10 Oct 2009 | 9:16 am

  My mom wrote to me this morning: "Kyoto is one of my favourite cities in the world, there stood the only traditional Tang Dynasty architecture left in the world, and yet ours, in China, were all destroyed. sad.sad sad.....!! One wonders, sometimes, if Kyoto does resembles what our own city once looked like back in Tang Dynasty?? A great era... ruled by Empress Wu......a city filled with artists,

• Dayi 250g Cooked brick April 1994

  11 Sep 2009 | 1:39 pm

  One of the lost puerh tucked away inside a tin box. No big fan of Dayi, almost like drinking a Mondavi's house Merlot, meanwhile you know they also make Opus. But sometimes I just want to enjoy something simple or less poetic, when deadlines and challenging design solutions start to pile up.Perhaps the reason I picked this up was the blooms covering the brick. As you can see, it also blossomed on

• A view of Aging Cigar by Min Ron Nee. Part 3 of 3

  3 Sep 2009 | 10:41 am

  At this point, hope you are enjoying or at least learning something new from these posts about the similarity of aging tea and cigar. I do want to point out that all of these experiences are very much personal, and there is no right or wrong in doing what you think is good... just the result and consequence of anyone's choice. For me, I prefer to take the action of practicing them, rather than

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  CHA DAO

• Tea: From the Kitchen Cupboard to the Medicine Cabinet

  19 Nov 2009 | 10:11 am

  Should tea be a required item in our first aid kit? Tea does have many known health benefits. Lately with the craze over H1N1 influenza, I asked myself, could tea help prevent flu or colds; or at least help ease the symptoms? Worried about getting H1N1 myself, I desperately scrambled for serious answers to the question.Upon further research I found there is a whole body of study; called Tea Therapy in China. I consulted books on the subject, searching for flu treatment and found:Tea as a result of its many components can be used to treat colds and flu. Caffeine and theanine in tea have a mild…

• STEEPED IN HISTORY: A Tea Exhibit at the Fowler Museum of Cultural History

  18 Nov 2009 | 11:24 pm

  by CORAX If you are in the Los Angeles area -- or can get there before the end of the month -- it would be a terrible shame for you to miss the tea-related exhibit at the Fowler Museum at UCLA. The exhibit, 'STEEPED IN HISTORY: The Art of Tea', has been guest-curated by Beatrice Hohenegger, author of Liquid Jade: The Story of Tea from East to West, which has already been reviewed in CHA DAO. The book itself was a tough act to follow, but Hohenegger has certainly done it again with this latest achievement. Three years in the planning, STEEPED IN HISTORY brings together a number of rare,…

• View with a Teapot

  22 Oct 2009 | 3:26 pm

  by ANODYNEI wait a whole year to see the view in October from the sunroom windows. The oak, sassafras, and lone maple trees by the pond turn various shades of yellow from buttery to golden to amber. For a few days you live in Lothlorien, the whole room bathed in golden light of various shades. Even without the sun, the light in the room is golden. The view seems to glow and the layers of color add depth and richness to what you are seeing. It comes on quickly and lasts for only a fleeting few days depending on weather and wind. As enchanting as it is, I am not sure the eyes would stand this…

• Kudos for CHA DAO

  2 Oct 2009 | 8:34 am

  I am delighted to report that the DAILY REVIEWER has polled readers and selected its 'Top 100 Tea Blogs' -- and that CHA DAO is on this list. Let me take this opportunity to congratulate all my stalwart contributors for making CHA DAO what it is -- and to thank our readers, who after all are the reason we do it.

• Yauatcha, London

  10 Sep 2009 | 11:26 pm

  by AEYAL GROSS[[EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the third instalment in UK correspondent Aeyal Gross's series on 'The Best Teas in London.']] A set of blue glass doors welcomes the visitor who arrives at Yauatcha, which is located at the heart of London’s Soho. When one enters through these doors, a tempting display of pâtisserie is seen on a long counter just to the right of the entrance, while straight ahead lies a beautifully designed tea room, with an open tea-brewing area. Blue glass panels separate the dining room from a semi-transparent, semi-opaque area where dedicated chefs work on…

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  MattCha's Blog

• Three Levels of Tea Drinking: The Flavour Level, The Sense Level, and The Qi Level

  18 Nov 2009 | 5:02 pm

  There are three different levels of drinking and appreciating tea.The most superficial and probably the most common way of drinking tea is by simply enjoying the taste of tea. Tea is a beverage, people drink beverages for their taste. This level can be enjoyed without too much thought or energy- tea for what it is, a delicious beverage. Thousands of people around the world enjoy tea in this way everyday without much thought. This is the first level of tea- the enjoyment of its taste.The secondary level of drinking and appreciating tea is through the use of all senses. At this level people…

• 2009 Fall (mid Sept) Teamasters Hung Shui Oolong, Feng Huang, Taiwan

  14 Nov 2009 | 4:43 pm

  Stephane kindly sent this sample, this wonderful sample...Directing them into yixing, the dry leaves smell a roasted sweet grain- first suggestion of roasting. Boiling water is left to cool just for a bit before it awakens these roasted pearls. The first infusion is a touch chalky with notes of light creamy hay sweetness- honey sweetness. Immediately this first light brew feels very harmonious in the mouth, in the soul. The second infusion brings with it bitter but smooth flavours of roasted honey with the softest faint fleeting floral taste that brightens the nose. The roast of this tea is…

• The Crane Ib Hak Style Tea Bowl: An Example By Kim Jeong Oak

  11 Nov 2009 | 8:10 pm

  The crane is an auspicious bird. The crane is a symbol of immortality. Taoists believe that cranes are the vehicles that morals take to heaven, transporting them to the realm of immortality. The characteristics that make up Ib Hak style bowls capture and transform this feeling into clay.Into a bowl for which tea is drank.Into a feeling of ascending into heaven.Into the crane.The most obvious features of these bowls is the image of a crane found on the side wall. The cranes on Ib Hak style bowls all look extremely familiar- white tip beak, black neck and head, white body and legs, black tail…

• Disambiguation of Jiri Mountain (Chiri Mountain, Jirisan, Chirisan) Tea

  8 Nov 2009 | 10:24 pm

  Please check out this link (here) for a wonderful map of Jiri Mountain.As you can see Jiri Mountain is not one peak but several in an area considered 'Jiri Mountain'.Ssangyaesa (Ssangyae Temple) is located in Hwagae Valley.Hadong is the county that includes Southern slopes of Jiri Mountain, Ssangyaesa, and Hwagae Valley.Hadong is also the name of the town in Hadong County that is the hub of the tea business here.Therefore tea from this area can be referred to as:Jiri Mountain Tea- tea grown on the mountainHwagae Valley Tea- tea grown in Hwagae ValleyHadong Tea- tea that is produced anywhere…

• Three Main Tea Producing Areas In Korea: Jiri Mountain

  6 Nov 2009 | 8:49 pm

  No matter where you go in Korea you will see mountains. You simply can't escape their omnipresent gaze. Out of the thousands of peaks that litter the landscape there are few holier and more, revered than the Jiri Mountains.The Jiri mountains were deemed important feng shui points at which auspicious Buddist Temples and Pagodas were built. When Chan (Zen) Buddhism migrated from China, it found its home on the secluded slopes of Jiri Mountain. Some of these famous temples are still standing in the same spot they have stood for over a thousand years before.As long as Zen temples have covered the…

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  Puerh Tea Community

• 40-year-old Pu-erh

  15 Nov 2009 | 1:34 pm

  Recently a friend of mine, whom I met in Yunnan, came to L.A. She is a Yunnan native and an owner of a tea factory in Yuan Jiang. Since her arrival, we get together whevener we have time and drink Pu-erh. On Halloween night, she asked me over her house and offered me some 40-year-old Pu-erh which costs $30,000RMB (about $4,000 US) for 100g. Although I am a great fan of sheng Pu-erh, I must say that the nicely aged Pu-erh offers some very unique experience that no other teas offer. The "hui-gan" (transformation of the bitter sweet after taste) was so long lasting that when I drank a…

• ID help please

  27 Oct 2009 | 7:08 pm

  Just had breakfast with a friend who was in Kunming on business. When I mentioned tea, he pulled out a cake that had been ceremoniously given to him by a plant scientist there. He'd tried some, and hadn't liked it.Here are pictures of the wrappermain info blockand a barely readable pencil notation on the cakeGiven the circumstances my friend described, I would have expected this to be something special. When I inspected his cake, it looked (and smelled) much more mature than the 2006 label date or 2005 pencil note would suggest. (-But no taint of wet storage.) I took some home, and found it…

• 25 Oct 2009 | 12:06 am

  25 Oct 2009 | 12:06 am

  Hi,I was wondering if someone knows the absolute best place in Los Angeles for pue'rh tea. Not to purchase for brewing at home but to taste the highest quality of pue'rh prepared perfectly. Thank you!

• Young Raw (Green) Pu-erh Deserves More Recognition

  18 Oct 2009 | 11:37 pm

  Most attention about Pu-erh tea has been paid to the aged Pu-erh.  There is a consensus in the Pu-erh community that Pu-erh tea is "the older it gets, the better it is." Don't get me wrong. I love aged Pu-erh because it possess qualities that no other teas can match. However, young raw Pu-erh should not be devalued either. Unlike the old days, many young raw Pu-erhs manufactured today are made of premium leaves and from a single mountain. When brewed with lower temperature water and short brewing time, they are light, brisk, fresh and have very comfortable…

• Selling 60 years old puerh tea cakes

  13 Sep 2009 | 8:58 pm

  I have some 60 years old puerh tea cakes made by Tong Hing Hoa. Where can I sell them, any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks. My email teamng@pacbell.net Steve

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  Bearsblog

• Meiguo Hao 0904

  7 Nov 2009 | 4:23 pm

  I received a surprise sample of Meiguo/American Hao 0904 from Jim, the proprietor of Puerhshop.com, and many days and weeks of moving, unpacking, and procrastinating, Davin and I finally completed our tea room and had someone over for tea. We began our drinking with this sample.Having misplaced my memories of the good review and cake naming drama over at Hobbes's blog, we were able to approach this tea with pleasurable naïveté. The first two infusions laid thick on the tongue, a bit smoky and meaty, with a sweet aftertaste. The tea maintained its strength through over 10 infusions, and…

• Hunting and Gathering

  19 Oct 2009 | 4:38 pm

  Last Saturday at the pottery studio, I was uninspired. The previous day, I had thrown two small teapot bodies and lids, and as the pieces dried and shrank, one pot's lid did not shrink enough, and no longer fit. Somewhat disappointed in my fixing the lid too tight, my work moved to handbuilding the handles and spouts for the pots. I slowly caressed and stretched the red stoneware into passable forms, but frequently found my thoughts far from the clay between my fingers, my gaze wandering to the magnolia trees outside. Looking forward to my trip to the mountains, my eyes wouldn't look at my…

• Saturday Art Show

  20 Aug 2009 | 9:20 pm

  An announcement:Some folks from the studio and I are holding a sidewalk sale of our student artwork this saturday from 11a-2p at the studio:Bitter Root Pottery7451 Beverly Boulevard (at Vista, a few blocks east of Fairfax)There's a lot of really good work and talent at the studio. I will have lots of jars and a few gaiwans and sake bottles with me.Come by and see us!

• Congratulations to Imen Shan & Tea Habitat

  19 Aug 2009 | 12:40 pm

  I wanted to send a message of congratulations to our LA tea sister and proprietress of local tea house Tea Habitat, Imen Shan, for her front page writeup in The Los Angeles Times Food section: http://www.webcitation.org/5j9Spt0j7I hope the feature brings her many more tea-loving customers and greater success in the future. It's well deserved!

• Kilinoe "Misty Rain" Green

  7 Jul 2009 | 9:32 pm

  The 2008 World Tea Expo offered its guests the first public tasting of the first teas being commercially grown in the US for the high-end US tea market--the green, white, oolong, and black teas of Hawai'i.However, the tea brewers sadly had to prepare tea for 50, brewing them at too low of temperature, all with the same water, Western style. I thought this an unfortunate coming out for America's first boutique tea. So when I read that Narien Teas of Florida began distributing the first commercial batch of Hawai'ian green tea to hit the market, called Kilinoe ("Misty Rain") I jumped at the…

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  Tea Obsession

• Leaving next week for China

  14 Nov 2009 | 4:03 pm

  Got my tickets and Chinese visa, and I am ready to go! Well, not really ready, but ready or not, I am leaving for China on the following Monday.Agenda:25th to 30th: Guang Zhou, visiting friends, family and attend the biggest tea expo in the world.31th to open date: Chao ZhouAfter work is done in Chao Zhou, visit Hang Zhou, Tai Yuan, Shang Hai, Yang Zhou, Su Zhou, if time allows, Ning Bo, Wu Xi, Qian Tang, Zhao Qing. Business will continue as usual, Tea Habitat store is open regular hours during my absence. Web order will be shipped regularly except fragile tea ware items. I'll follow up each…

• New arrivals - more Phoenix Dan Cong oolong teas

  10 Nov 2009 | 4:20 pm

  Lao Cong Jin Si Xian - Old Bush Golden Silk ThreadCheng Hua Xiang - Mandarin Orange Flower FragranceAu Fu Hou Huang Zhi Xiang - Orange Flower FragranceWu Ye - Dark LeafLao Cong Quin Ti - Old Bush Osmanthus FragranceYe Lai Xiang - Night Jasmine FragranceBo Zai YeYang Mei Ye - YangMei Leaf (Taste like plum wine)

• 菊枕梦

  30 Oct 2009 | 12:38 am

  宵夜探陆游梦沈园肠断钗头凤宋人痴心泪犹垂哀叹今人情意轻何日我菊枕梦莫待红粉灰Thought of a man 9 hundred years old... his love, poems, eternal romance....Lu You is one of the greatest poets in Chinese history, born during the end of Northern Song dynasty, having lived through the down fall of one dynasty and the weak new formed Southern Song, his patriotism for the Song, his ups and downs in his political career, his heart beak were inspirations. Essenes of his love life, his view of current political climate, his despairing hopes for China's unity,…

• Fall with a day dream

  27 Oct 2009 | 1:09 pm

  Fall is a dreamy season in its own style, a little sad, a little lost, a bit anxious. Golden leaves drift in between wind, red leaves dance in autumn sun. I thought of driving up north aiming Montreal on a New Jersey turn pike, diving into an oil painting of fall forest in high speed, days when I was young(er) with impulsive excitement. California has more ever green vegetation, palm trees lost its lush green in fall, leaving a sight of dull green and layered with heavy smog on top sliding off the dried edges. A shower would be heavenly, but a luxury in LA.A friend invited me for a day of tea…

• Perfume

  23 Oct 2009 | 5:13 pm

  This is an off topic yet closely connected to tea, especially to Dan Cong teas for its renown fragrances.Thi the writer of the LA Times article about my tea shop and Dan Cong teas is extremely well versed in many subjects. So naturally his friends are similar contributing even wider versed interests. I had the honer and privilege to become part of his group, expanding rapidly in my own horizon and every one else's in the group.The US is an allergy swamp! I never heard of the term allergy during my childhood years in China. We had regular seasonal rains in the south, defined seasons, a lot…

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  The Half-Dipper

• 2009 Guafengzhai Xiaobing

  21 Nov 2009 | 1:00 am

  My good teachum GV has recently been in Hong Kong, where he has been (among his actual academic duties) drinking tea with another teachum of mine, and resident of the once-British trading port, KC. KC has some great tea.  KC has some really very great tea, in fact, and this is one of them: a small-scale production, made in the factory that presses Yichanghao cakes. This is one of a few

• Reading Haiku

  20 Nov 2009 | 1:00 am

  reading haiku I am surprised by joyful tears

• 2004 Yichanghao "Yiwu Zhengpin"

  18 Nov 2009 | 1:00 am

  Thanks to KC for buying this pair of cakes for me by proxy in HK.  One is gancang [dry storage], the other shicang [wet storage], making for an interesting comparison.  KC settled on the 2004 Zhengpin after comparative sessions with Yichanghao from other years.  Good Yichanghao can be very impressive, and I am very grateful to KC for giving me the opportunity to extend my experience with

• 2006 Menghai 7742 (601)

  16 Nov 2009 | 1:00 am

  Regular readers may recall that I use a mnemonic device for remembering the various Menghai numbered blends. There are the famous trio: the powerful first-son (7542), the sharp first-sister (7532), and the elegant second-sister (8582). We also have the surprisingly strong little baby (0622). To this family tree, I'd like to add the first-cousin, the 7742. He is two years younger than the

• Museum Garden

  15 Nov 2009 | 1:00 am

  museum garden the butterfly pauses at a flower - Bill Kenney

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  Adagio Teas: What's New

• Instant savings, Holiday delivery

  Ilya Kreymerman

  19 Nov 2009 | 4:00 pm

  Enjoy free shipping on orders over $25.00 until the end of November. This offer only applies to orders placed within the continental US. Please also enjoy the flexibility and money saving option of choosing your ship date. Buy now, send later! [Via Adagio Teas]

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  News from Upton Tea

• New Product: Organic Choice Jasmine

  16 Nov 2009 | 4:00 pm

  An affordable grade of organic China green tea, with a delicate jasmine fragrance. We have only three chests of ths value offering and offer it while supplies last.

• New Product: Formosa Tung-Ting Classic

  9 Nov 2009 | 4:00 pm

  Naturally sweet, fruity, and with orchid-like aromatics and a full-bodied taste, this selection possesses all the fine points of a top Tung-Ting Oolong. As the name suggests, this is a true classic.

• New Product: China Green Foucha

  5 Nov 2009 | 4:00 pm

  A superlative selection with outstanding character. The hand-processed leaf is well made and attractive. The aroma is fresh and inviting. The flavor is sweet with a good balance and gentle pungency. This is a China green of the highest quality.

• Upton Tea is a Little Greener

  5 Nov 2009 | 4:00 pm

  Thinking about making our world a little greener? Prefer to browse through our traditional catalog of over 500 teas in a less traditional way? Our print catalog is now available in its entirety in Adobe PDF format. You can then opt-out of receiving our paper mailing without missing a thing!

• New Product: Premium Darjeeling Sampler

  4 Nov 2009 | 4:00 pm

  A tin (approx 35g) each of the following: Margaret's Hope Estate FTGFOP1 Musc. (TD38), Ging Estate First Flush FTGFOP1 (TD66), Castleton Estate FTGFOP1 Musc. Second Flush (TD75), Namring Upper Estate FTGFOP1 First Flush (TD88).

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  TEA - Google News

• Tea Party Against Reid Health Care Bill - NewsBlaze

  Google Inc.

  New York TimesTea Party Against Reid Health Care BillNewsBlazeTea Party Patriots say they are going to the Capitol today, to stop what they call "Harry Reid's Health Care Bill. Last Democratic Holdouts Will Vote with Reid, Health Care Poised to Clear Politics Daily (blog)Ben Nelson Ready to Let Health Debate BeginABC NewsHealth care bill rests in moderate Democrats' handsLegal News Linemsnbc.com -RushLimbaugh.com (subscription) -truthoutall 6,146 news articles »

• The Russian Tea Room caters to new clientele: kids - Los Angeles Times

  Google Inc.

  The Russian Tea Room caters to new clientele: kidsLos Angeles TimesThe Russian Tea Room, with its rich red and deep green decor, still reeks of glamour. But some things have changed. Take, for instance, the peanut butter

• Who owns the Tea Party? - Gather.com

  Google Inc.

  TPMDC (blog)Who owns the Tea Party?Gather.com"One thing that's clear is that anyone who says that they own the tea party movement is going to get run over because no one owns the movement,” said Adam Tea Party Infighting (Part One)Examiner.comTea Party Movement Shattering?Reason OnlineTea Partiers Plan Anti-Cloture Vote Rally In DC TomorrowTPMDC (blog)True/Slant -Politico -Media Matters for Americaall 15 news articles »

• Tea for who? - San Francisco Chronicle

  Google Inc.

  San Francisco ChronicleTea for who?San Francisco ChronicleOne weird thing that happened was that when I tried to order tea (iced tea during the meal and hot tea with dessert) I was told that they don't carry tea.

• Palin is hardly GOP at its best - Albany Times Union

  Google Inc.

  ABC NewsPalin is hardly GOP at its bestAlbany Times UnionConservatives, Republicans and Tea Party old white grumps can take a well- earned respite from savaging health care for poor children this week, Sarah Palin loves tea-baggers, holds warm eyeballs for Barbara WaltersEntertainment WeeklyGOP watch: Don't call it a comeback?msnbc.comPoll: Less Than 1 in 4 Have Favorable View of PalinCBS NewsBloomberg -Mail & Guardian Online -Orlando Sentinelall 5,584 news articles »

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  TeaChef

• Blueberry Gingerbread

  Ilya Kreymerman

  Blueberry Gingerbread Submitted by: I like using Earl Grey Tea and 2 cups of fresh blueberries for this recipe. I usually serve it warm with fresh whipped cream. Prep Time: It doesn't take long to mix and about 40 - 45 minutes to bake. Serving Size: 9 x 13 pan Ingredients Dry Ingredients: 1 cup of sugar 1 tsp. cloves 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. ginger 1 tsp. salt 1 heaping tsp. baking soda 2 + 1/2 cups of flour Wet Ingredients: 1/2 cup molasses 2 eggs 1/2 cup cooking oil (canola is fine) 1 cup Hot Tea 1 - 2 cups of blueberries Directions Mix dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients. Add Hot Tea last.

• daria

  Ilya Kreymerman

  daria Submitted by: kiFRDj Gra7noI59Unral92Bb7wf Prep Time: kiFRDj Gra7noI59Unral92Bb7wf Serving Size: yoXBViXMasvEQpQLR Ingredients kiFRDj Gra7noI59Unral92Bb7wf Directions kiFRDj Gra7noI59Unral92Bb7wf [Via TeaChef]

• alexg744

  Ilya Kreymerman

  alexg744 Submitted by: Very nice site! Prep Time: Very nice site! Serving Size: wuryuirp Ingredients Very nice site! Directions Very nice site! [Via TeaChef]

• Grilled Pu Derh Fish Fillets

  Ilya Kreymerman

  Grilled Pu Derh Fish Fillets Submitted by: nice smokey grill flavor makes a tasty dish along with a side of vegetable fried rice & grilled zucchini an/or sweet corn! Yum! Prep Time: 30 mins Serving Size: 4-6 Ingredients 1-2 lbs of fillets cod flounder halibut whatever you prefer chopped tomato chopped scallions fresh herbs are wonderful add a dash of seasonings garlic salt pepper ms dash tad of cilantro thyme Directions brew 1 cup of very strong pu erh dante tea drain let cool a few minutes add a dash of seasonings garlic salt pepper ms dash tad of cilantro thyme sometimes I add some dry tea…

• huang shuwei

  Ilya Kreymerman

  huang shuwei Submitted by: Our company Chao An Propitious Clouds Tea Co., Ltd, is expert in producing, processing and selling tea, tea instrument and other tea- concerned productions. Our tea garden is base in the famous tea-produced center-guangdong fenghuang town. The tea garden located in low 600m high mountain where is the national excellent green-food producing center without any pollution. Prep Time: Now, we are in the beginning of the new century, We push our production out into the world by the internet. Our production will keep good quality, stable style, clear class, safe and clean…

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  Samovarlife

• Live Music and Sunday Brunch with adeptsect at Samovar Yerba Buena

  SamovarLife

  12 Nov 2009 | 7:02 pm

  Join us for a special brunch this coming Sunday at Samovar Yerba Buena as we welcome the worldly sweet sounds of adeptsect. adeptsect(all lowercase) aka Aden Liggett will be steeping an aural blend of downtempo and world elements to delight the senses. adeptsect is originally from Austin TX and now calls the East Bay home.  He currently runs and owns a small Oakland studio where he spends most of his time mixing and producing his music.  He’s hard at work on his first self-titled EP, which is slated for release on January 1st and will be available for digital download at the I-Tunes…

• Live Music & Sunday Brunch: Jef Stott of Six Degrees Records Performs at Samovar Yerba Buena

  simeon

  22 Oct 2009 | 10:43 pm

  Jef Stott brings worldly sounds to Samovar during Sunday Brunch. Join us for a special brunch this coming Sunday at Samovar Yerba Buena as we welcome the deep and spirited sounds of Six Degrees recording artist Jef Stott. Jef Stott has consistently been at the forefront of the International Global Electronica movement for over a decade as a composer/performer and DJ.  His DJ sets stylistically span the globe with sonorities from Arabia, Africa, South Asia and Northern Africa. Stott will have with him an arabic stringed instrument called an oud(pron.ood) which he will play while mixing…

• Fair Trada Gala: Celebrate Fair Trade Month

  SamovarLife

  22 Oct 2009 | 12:02 pm

  In celebration of fair trade month (October 2009), Samovar Tea Lounge will host a special Fair Trade Gala on Thursday, October 29, 2009 at their Yerba Buena location (730 Howard Street, San Francisco, 415-227-9400). Please join the Samovar Team, and several game-changing Fair Trade folks, for a fun and informative Q&A. Speakers will represent all facets of the Fair Trade movement from suppliers, to certifiers, to retailers, and farmers. The following companies will offer samples of their exceptional fair trade products: Alter Eco Olive Oil, Frontier Herbs and Spices, La Yapa Quinoa, Tcho…

• Africa Comes to Samovar

  SamovarLife

  17 Oct 2009 | 9:28 am

  Joanne Jorissen and new life Samovar Tea Lounge Zen Valley will host an evening of African tea and a discussion with Joanne Jorissen, a midwife in Africa and founder of African Mothers Health Initiative. An award-winning short documentary on her work in Malawi, Africa will be shown, and you will have an opportunity to try some rare handcrafted African teas (voluntary donations for tea will go to Joanne’s organization, African Mothers’ Health Initiative). You are welcome to have dinner while listening to Joanne speak of her travels, work, and commitment to change through the…

• Celebrating 800 Years of Matcha!

  SamovarLife

  8 Oct 2009 | 1:21 pm

  World renowned 16th generation tea master, Mr. Kazunori Handa, is coming to the Samovar Tea Lounge in San Francisco to share his life’s knowledge of Japanese Matcha tea. When: Friday, October 9, 2009,  3:00 - 5:00 pm Where: Samovar Tea Lounge (Zen Valley location) 297 Page Street (@ Laguna Street) San Francisco,CA 94102 Phone: (415) 861-0303 Admission: Free!

• 
  Tea Masters

• Thé des villes et thé des champs

  Stephane

  16 Nov 2009 | 2:40 am

  Faire du thé en appartement, c'est recréer une ambiance, un style à l'aide de ses accessoires, de son Cha Xi. La palette des possibles est infinie.Ici, pour cette brique de puerh cuit des années 1990, je veux ne cherche pas à faire 'ville' et guindé (comme dans la fable de La Fontaine). Au contraire, j'utilise mes céramiques et Cha Bu pour me transporter à la campagne. Les tons sont bruns et verts. Des coupes de Corée -cadeaux d'un lecteur polonais- s'accordent bien aussi avec les supports Nanban de David Louveau. J'y suis!A Taiwan, il est souvent possible de faire du thé à la fin…

• Reportage sur la production du puerh

  Stephane

  11 Nov 2009 | 6:27 am

  Je vous recommande le nouveau reportage-photo de Philippe Coste: La production de thé puerh, qi fait quoi. Sur cette même page, vous retrouverez les autres articles qu'il avait publié sur mon blog. Merci, Philippe, de nous mettre le Yunnan à la portée d'un clic! Et si en plus vous dégustez une bonne infusion de puerh sauvage devant votre écran, c'est comme si vous y êtiez!

• Nilu and zisha kettle

  Stephane

  10 Nov 2009 | 4:47 am

  I'm glad to present this simple set that will let you boil water the old fashioned way, with charcoals. Water tastes rounder, sweeter and more alive when boiled over the gentle fire of burning charcoals. And thanks to the porous and thin zisha clay of this kettle, the water remains fresh even after a prolonged period of the fire, as I could test today. Best is to use a wood that doesn't produce much smoke and smells nice. In Taiwan, serious tea drinkers often choose longyan wood for this purpose. (At least I do.)The zisha kettle is 17.5 cm high with its handle. It weighs 450 gr for a volume…

• Décoration de calligraphie qinghua sur porcelaine

  Stephane

  9 Nov 2009 | 12:08 am

  Qinghua est la décoration bleu-et-blanc apparue durant les dynasties Tang et Sung et qui a connu son essor durant la dynastie Yuan. Ce type de décoration a imposé Jingdezhen comme la capitale mondiale de la porcelaine. Et le qinghua est devenu le symbole de la porcelaine en Chine.Avec la calligraphie nous avons un autre élément fort de la culture chinoise. Employée comme motif de décoration qinghua, elle accentue encore le caractère chinois de la porcelaine. On utilise pour le qinghua un oxyde métallique dont l'oxyde de cobalt est l'agent colorant. On remarquera que ce pigment a une…

• Top Wenshan Qizhong and small zisha teapot

  Stephane

  5 Nov 2009 | 1:58 am

  Spring 2006 hand harvest.Wenshan area, northern Taiwan.Top grade Luanze Oolong with medium to strong roast.The dry leaves smell like light brandy, a very intoxicating fragrance. The smell under the lid is very different. It's the sweet and pleasing smell of a certain type of wood, maybe pine. In the cup, the fragrances are very different again. We are in a deep, dark forest at the end of winter, early spring. Mysterious scents of orchid, mushrooms and lush vegetation play around in my mouth and nose. The color of the brew is yellow/brown. Very good clarity.The taste is remarkably light and…

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  TeaChat

• Board statistics

  21 Nov 2009 | 9:47 am

  Board started:Jun 10th, '05, 06:40Days since started:1625Board version:phpbb 3.0.5All times are :UTC - 4 hoursNumber of posts:125006Posts per day:76.91Number of topics:8332Topics per day:5.13Number of users:7257Users per day:4.46Our newest member :davenothereMost users ever online was 89 on Oct 12th, '09, 21:10

• TeaDay: Daily Cup, TeaPoll & Discussion Topic | Re: Saturday TeaDay 11/21/09 You are such a TeaSnob IMHO?

  21 Nov 2009 | 9:46 am

  Could we tone down all the REDNECK chatter? I am from Eastern N.C. Cold Sencha was in the Theme Park 32oz cup today and some Darjeeling that I got from Victoria will be in the Gas Station 20oz thermo cup tonight. I guess this redneck is becoming a Tea Snob because the grocery store tea will not do anymore.....Have a great weekend!Chris

• Miscellany | Re: Baltimore coffee and Tea?

  21 Nov 2009 | 9:34 am

  I have ordered Oolongs from different places and maybe it is just my taste but their Black Dragon is one of my favorites. Their Sencha is pretty good also. Do not let the price fool you, it seems to me to be pretty good for such cost efficient tea's.

• Green Tea | Re: Snow sprout green tea anyone try it?

  21 Nov 2009 | 9:02 am

  I have snow bud green tea - I wouldn't really know the difference between bud and sprout to be honest.It's fantastic. The leaves are large, curled, with that furry look like a Bai Hao Yin Zhen. It's a very light, tender, vegetal green tea. I wouldn't use that high a temperature - 70" celsius at the most (that's 158 fahrenheit) - maybe a little higher after the third infusion.

• Green Tea | Re: Gyokuru in a gaiwan?

  21 Nov 2009 | 8:53 am

  I did brew gyokuro in a gaiwan with great results. There was some fine leaf and dust in there but I didn't drink from the gaiwan, I poured from the gaiwan into a cup and put a little sieve on top of the cup to filter it out.

• 
  The Voice of Tea

• It’s Curtains for Commercial Teabags

  Chris

  20 Nov 2009 | 8:52 am

  So you just got your first order of Tavalon’s premium loose leaf tea, and you are standing in front of your tea cabinet (everyone has one of those, right?), staring at your previous purchase, those two-year-old (at least!) store-bought commercial teabags. Before you castigate yourself for such an amateur decision, have no fear: those stale, old dustbags an have a use - you just have to be creative. And as I was browsing through a recent issue of Time Out New York, I found the perfect alternative to tossing the tasteless teabags: as textiles. The article suggests sewing or gluing the…

• That’s One Big Drink of Tea!

  Chris

  19 Nov 2009 | 1:53 pm

  It stands 5 1/2 feet tall and measures nearly 10 feet wide from rim to rim. In fact, the handle alone was over 3 feet long. When completely filled with its luscious delights,  it weighed more than 2 and a half tons. What I’m referring to, of course, is the new Guinness World Record for the largest teacup on the world, and when observed by the judges it held nearly 700 gallons (that’s about 15,000 servings - or approximately 10-12 Sommelier-size servings) of tea. And, appropriately enough, the sponsors that made this incredible feat possible was a health center, called Mercy…

• Tea Video: Room 403

  Chris

  18 Nov 2009 | 1:00 pm

• Tea Cocktail: The Sencha Samurai

  Chris

  17 Nov 2009 | 1:35 pm

  An homage to Japanese cuisine, my newest delectable tea cocktail combines a great Japanese green tea with other traditionally Japanese ingredients. When one becomes a master of Sake, he or she is given the title “Sake Samurai” - the inspiration behind the name of this masterful drink: THE SENCHA SAMURAI 2 oz ginjo Sake 1/4 teaspoon freshly-grated ginger 1 1/2 oz sencha, chilled 1 tbsp simple syrup 1 Mitsuba leaf  (or substitute Cilantro) Mix sake with ginger, allow to infuse for about 20-30 minutes.  Shake with ice, simple syrup and green tea. Strain and serve in a martini glass…

• Obama’s Green Tea Memories

  Chris

  16 Nov 2009 | 2:23 pm

  As anyone who has watched the news or picked up a newspaper (or the internet equivalent) in the past week could tell you, President Obama is spending the week in a diplomatic tour of Asia in an effort to pursue greater cooperation with countries across Asia. On Saturday, Mr. Obama reached the end of Japanese leg of the tour, meeting Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, discussing myriad topics ranging from commerce to the President’s fond memories of visiting Japan in his youth. His fondest recollection from his adolescent voyage to the Land of the Rising Sun, he admits, was his first…

• 
  T Ching

• Move over Joe bag, here comes the full-leaf lady

  Waye Brendan

  20 Nov 2009 | 1:01 am

  The stinging disappointment of poor tea service used to wash over me time and time again in the 90’s.  I particularly remember a time many years ago when a friend and I were dining at a swanky steak house in Edmonton. I had suggested we cap off the exceptional meal with a nice pot of tea to settle our stomachs – we had unduly gorged ourselves and I was feeling just a tad bloated.  Ike wholeheartedly agreed and I summoned the waiter for his tea selection.  He reappeared momentarily with a little wicker basket.  It yielded the following choices (I remember this clearly): Red Rose,…

• More on tea - a drink with jam and bread

  Uspenski Maria

  19 Nov 2009 | 1:01 am

  Pairing tea with gastronomic breads was a rather frivolous assignment, but here are the results of my past week’s happy research, on location in Europe! Some general findings: As with the breads last month, texture played a role in the success of these tea pairings.  With sweeter rolls and dessert breads, the butter/shortening type and content made this a more straightforward difference than with the “straight” breads.  Also, the higher fat content allowed white and green teas to shine brighter with this group than with the previous breads, so this was a nice find, and allowed for…

• Steve Smith…where are you?

  Michelle Rabin

  19 Nov 2009 | 12:58 am

  Steve Smith…where are you? I’ve been following tea super star Steve Smith’s new Portland start-up activity since last May when The Oregonian did a piece on him. It sounds like Steve was getting a bit bored during his year-long visit to France, and I suspect his do-not-compete clause was probably running out with Starbucks, so he was preparing for his return home to Portland. For those of you who don’t know this creative entrepreneur of the tea industry, he’s responsible for creating Stash Tea and then Tazo Tea, all in his home town of Portland, Oregon.  His attention to detail…

• The women of the tea fields deserve our thanks

  Hayward Naja

  18 Nov 2009 | 1:01 am

  I recently returned from three weeks abroad during which I traveled through the tea estates of Southern India. One thing I discovered during my travels was that we take for granted the leaves that we love.  More specifically, we take for granted the people who pick the leaves that we love, and these people are mostly women who work an average of six days a week for not much more than $1.50 per day. I met a group of women who made me smile with their curiosity and generosity on a morning walk through the Tata Tea estates (which was completely by accident, mind you!).  I wandered up a hill,…

• My journey with tea

  Wemischner Robert

  17 Nov 2009 | 1:01 am

  Tea has taken me on a journey to many actual destinations, but, above all, to a place of calm - quiet, restorative, relaxing, and solitary.  The mere act of taking time to brew a proper cup of tea from fresh, premium-quality leaves calms me, centers me, and focuses my attentions away from the stresses, intensities, and din of the day.  Instinctively ensuring that the water temperature is just right and counting the minutes until the tea reaches its peak of extraction is the start of that journey away, erasing much of the quotidian reality of the day and leading me to a sanctuary, to a place…

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  Tea Guy Speaks

• Tea Review 104 - Adagio Huang Jin Bolero

  William I. Lengeman III

  20 Nov 2009 | 9:40 am

  Huang Jin BoleroAdagio TeasMy interests in tea tend mostly toward black and green, for the most part, but I'm not averse to a good oolong now and then. The heavier, smoky oolongs don't do much for me but the lighter more delicate varieties do. Which is where Adagio's Huang Jin Bolero fits in. This one has that subtle, fragrant - almost fruity - aroma that I think of when I think oolong. But your mileage may vary.Here's Adagio's blurb for Huang Jin Bolero: "Huang Jin Gui is an Anxi oolong whose name means "Golden Flower." A lightly roasted oolong our 'Bolero' reveals an intensity with hints of…

• Tea Conservation, Tea Hangovers & Kuka

  William I. Lengeman III

  18 Nov 2009 | 12:20 pm

  I'm all for conservation, recycling and green living in general, but let's admit that it is possible to take this sort of thing too far. As the Telegraph recently reported, a British government agency recommended that "reheating cold cups of tea could save consumers £110 million a year, and help cut back on the 3.5 billion cups thrown down the sink every year." More on the environmental impact of wasting tea here. Hardcore tea fans have probably experienced the phenomenon of being tea drunk at some point and the inevitable hangover that follows on the heels of any binge - be it tea or…

• World’s Largest Cup Of Tea

  William I. Lengeman III

  17 Nov 2009 | 10:40 am

  And you thought you drank a lot of tea. Well, no matter how much you drink it's a mere drop in the teacup compared to what took place at Mercy Health Center, in Fort Scott, Kansas a little while back. As reported in the local paper, the Morning Sun, "The cup held 700 gallons of tea. The tea alone weighed more than two and a half tons, and served almost 15,000 servings. The teacup, created by J.D. and Ed Webster, is 9.5 feet wide at the rim, has a three foot handle, and stands 5.5 feet tall." No word on what kind of tea was served.More about this spectacular tea extravaganza (and a photo)…

• Another Tea Rap

  William I. Lengeman III

  15 Nov 2009 | 9:42 pm

  Yet another attempt to detail the assorted and sundry merits of tea in rap form. Buy Loose Leaf Tea in Canada RedUmbrella Tea, Canada’s Loose Leaf Tea Co.

• Tea Master Training Slated for San Diego

  William I. Lengeman III

  13 Nov 2009 | 8:50 am

  Tea Master Training Slated for San Diego(from a press release)Aspiring tea aficionados will be gathering in San Diego in January to take part in the 13-Week Tea Mastery Certification Course offered by the American Tea Masters Association. The training includes the initial 3-Day Comprehensive Tea Mastery Course held on-site at the Courtyard by Marriott, Liberty Station, followed by the 12-Week Tea Master TeleCourse involving home study, tasting and evaluating 38 different teas, and weekly group teleconference calls for registrants to share their personal experiences. The program offers the…

• 
  Insani-TEA Blog

• Fruit Flavored Tea

  Tea-Rex

  18 Nov 2009 | 8:55 am

  If you find yourself drinking the same cup of green, oolong or black tea simply because you can never decide which new flavor to try, a really easy way to get out of your rut is to simply brew it with a little fruit. You can begin with any flavor of tea and add fruit peels or dried fruit pieces for an extra fruity infusion. You can enjoy your flavored tea either hot or cold.A great iced tea flavor combination is white grape and lemon. You can make a pitcher of this tea as quickly as you can simmer water. Heat a gallon of water and brew six bags of black tea. After you're done steeping, add…

• Airstream Teapot!!

  Tea-Rex

  2 Nov 2009 | 11:26 am

  Check out this AWESOME Airstream Trailer Teapot! This thing rocks! It was designed by the Tea Pottery of North Yorkshire, England, and is hand painted with a mirror-like finish that's meant to replicate a shiny aluminum Airstream trailer. Oh, man! I've got to get myself one of these!insani-tea.blogspot.com

• 29 Oct 2009 | 11:42 am

  Tea-Rex

  29 Oct 2009 | 11:42 am

  I stumbled upon what looks like a great recipe for sesame cookies with matcha icing. In case you don’t know what Matcha is, it’s a powered green tea used in the Japanese tea ceremony.Apparently, these cookies are great with either black or green tea. You can also make the cookies into any shape you like, including that of tea leaves. According to author, you should use the best quality matcha that you can find. Just keep in mind that matcha is by no means cheap.insani-tea.blogspot.com

• Lapsang Souchong

  Tea-Rex

  28 Oct 2009 | 8:41 am

  Last night I sat down with a nice hot cup of Lapsang Souchong from the English Tea Store. I’ve been drinking Lapsang Souchong for years, and I’ve come to love its smoky flavor and aroma. However, I had never tried the English Tea Store brand, so I thought I’d give it a taste.When I opened the bag, I noticed that the tea’s aroma was not overwhelmingly strong, as is often the case with Lapsang Souchong. In fact, it smelled wonderful, like a warm campfire I once built beneath the stars along the California coast at Big Sur.I got out some spring water and put it on the stove to warm. When…

• Darjeeling Tea

  Tea-Rex

  27 Oct 2009 | 7:14 am

  Unlike the majority of teas from India, Darjeeling tea is made using the small-leaved Chinese variety of the Camellia sinensis plant. In the past, it was always made as a black tea. More recently, however, Darjeeling green and white teas have been gaining in popularity.As its name suggests, Darjeeling tea hails from the Darjeeling region of West Bengal, India. The region’s tea plantations date back to the middle of the 19th century, when the British were moving into the area. Over the years, Darjeeling’s tea growers developed unique black tea hybrids as well as their own techniques for…

• 
  Tea Escapade - Tea Blog

• Black Friday or Cyber Monday?

  teaescapade

  20 Nov 2009 | 4:03 pm

  Everyone knows that Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving. Even more importantly, it is the retail shopping event of the year  and the kick-off for holiday shopping. But have you ever heard of Cyber Monday?  For you techy types, you are probably well aware of the term Cyber Monday. However, for those of you who are still in the dark… Cyber Monday is the Black Friday of e-commerce. It is the Monday following Thanksgiving and represents the kick-off of Internet holiday shopping. So if you missed Black Friday… No problem! Pull out your computer and begin e-tailing! In honor of…

• Tea Top Brew Mug

  teaescapade

  9 Nov 2009 | 5:58 pm

  It is always exciting to find a new tea related product. Especially one that adds convenience to tea drinking. Recently, I received a Mighty Leaf Tea – Tea Top Brew Mug. The travel mug is stainless steel which is great for keeping beverages hot or cold. The body is shaped perfectly for holding the mug while walking, driving, or curled up with a book in Barnes and Noble. My only complaint – the steel on the top portion of the mug can become pretty warm and uncomfortable to hold when full of hot tea.  However, the remainder of the mug remains cool and easy to handle. Additionally,…

• Oriental Beauty – First Prize

  teaescapade

  6 Nov 2009 | 10:58 am

  After enjoying a late breakfast/early lunch, I decided to brew a small pot of tea and snack on some delicious bread pudding my husband purchased for me a few days ago. I figure, after eating a healthy meal and spending 30 minutes doing a yoga tape, I should be entitled to a sinfully sweet dessert. Shouldn’t I? In my opinion, nothing pairs better with an incredibly rich dessert than a delicious oolong. Of course, I’ll enjoy a cup of tea first, then eat my bread pudding paired with a second cuppa tea. Today’s choice… Oriental Beauty-First Prize also known as Dong Fang…

• 1000 Cranes White Tea Blend

  teaescapade

  23 Oct 2009 | 12:21 pm

  When I attended the 2009 World Tea Expo in May, I had the opportunity to meet Beth and Newman Johnston from Teas Etc. During my chat with Beth I learned about the amazing history of 1000 Cranes White Tea Blend.  I thought I would share the story right from the  website of Teas Etc. “The Story… Nathan, who has worked with us for the past 4 years, decided to ask Nicole to marry him. It’s not that he asked but HOW he asked that makes this a “story.”  The happy couple was spending the afternoon at one of their favorite places, the Morikami Museum in Delray Beach.

• Pomegranate Peach Passion White Tea

  teaescapade

  20 Oct 2009 | 9:09 pm

  After enjoying a cup of jasmine green tea before dinner, I needed a treat after dinner. To satisfy the relentless cravings of my insatiable sweet tooth I grabbed a snack consisting of Table Water Crackers, homemade quince paste, and manchego. A girlfriend of mine, and fellow tea lover I might add, makes an awesome quince paste. For those of you that don’t know, Quince paste also known as dulce de membrillo is a firm, sticky, sweet reddish hard paste made of fruit from the quince tree. It has a sweet taste and a slightly floral flavor. For the trivia lover, quince paste is extremely…

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  tea « WordPress.com Tag Feed

• Bugs Bunny San no Blog - Layer Zero Three

  bugsbunnysan

  21 Nov 2009 | 11:11 am

  Bugs Bunny San no Blog Layer # Zero Three #1 Slow Blog Time Slow blog these days, but it’s all mine!! (^_^) Sitting by the Rivers of Babylon, watching the water flow. Kinda like this: Peter Green – Slabo Day . #2 Tea Time Tea is a great goodness. Lao Tse said: “Drink tea to forget the stress of the world” (or something like it). But not only the ancient Chinese know about tea. Here’s a most eludicating, illuminating and witty FAQ covering all aspects of Russian tea making (and then some).

• tea//

  viceversaweekly

  21 Nov 2009 | 10:53 am

• November 20, 2009

  jackiesurplusproject

  21 Nov 2009 | 10:35 am

  Weight: 209 lbs. Breakfast: A donut and an energy drink – I woke up late again. 9:30 a.m. Today is Friday and therefore going to be a long day. Lunch: Sandwich, banana, chips and tea Water: Nine cups 1:02 p.m. No one is working. One co-worker is asleep and snoring; one is on the phone outside; one has disappeared for a three-hour lunch; and the last one is watching videos on YouTube. Classic Friday productivity. 3:42 p.m. About 15 minutes until I can home. I am very excited. I plan to workout and then study for my test tomorrow. EXERCISE: I did the routine my trainer gave me. I felt good…

• When is a pot of tea not a cup of tea? At BHS!

  pastymuncher

  21 Nov 2009 | 10:27 am

  This morning, it being a weekend, and the weather being dry for a change, I visited BHS to have a breakfast in their Restuarant. I must say, whilst it is not anything fantastic, it is remarkably cheap.  I worked out a while ago (can’t say I’m a regular there, possibly every few months) that they make their money on their drinks.  I had an 8 piece breafast once, with an orange juice and a pot of tea.  The food was something like £2.50 – the drinks £4.20!  Anyway, so, this morning I had my breakfast, with a pot of tea.  Since I last went (I have worked out it was end…

• Day 21

  gemmaseltzer

  21 Nov 2009 | 8:44 am

  I take my place at the till and you tell me how much you are looking forward to X Factor. The twins are very bad and you laugh when you see them. They are bad, you say, very bad. Their haircuts! Your name is Ivy. I hear about the judges, bad too, as I pack my shopping and then say I don’t own a television. This is important information for you. What do I do without it? Books, radio and cups of tea. You look at my organic oakcakes and tell me I can still watch the show on the internet.  

• 
  Tea Nerd

• Stale tea

  26 Oct 2009 | 10:15 pm

  I brewed up the last of a sample of 90's Golden Pearls Dancong. A bit stale, but still tasty. I have to say, I'm not sure tea would be quite as good if I knew it would never go stale. Hope you weren't expecting a lot of text!

• Tea and Weight Loss | IT'S ALIVE, kind of

  4 Oct 2009 | 6:37 pm

  Bwahaha, I'll bet I had you going for a minute there with this title. It's actually exactly the opposite of what you are thinking. This is mostly a "look guys, this blog really isn't dead" post, but here's a fun fact: over the past few months, despite drinking almost zero tea, I have lost 20 pounds. Now, I could use this anecdote to launch into a satire about how dumb the customers of weight-loss tea companies are, but this has already been done to death so I'll spare you. Anyway, look guys, this blog really isn't dead. ["Comatose" works, though.] Like I said, I just haven't been drinking…

• Classic Roast Tie Guan Yin from The Tea Gallery

  5 Aug 2009 | 9:34 am

  Class: Oolong Origin: Anxi, China Year: ? Vendor: The Tea Gallery (Product page) Price: $9.00 (25g) / $33.00 (100g) nomnomnomnomnomnomnom This was a free sample I got with my order. I almost ordered a small amount but decided against it; apparently they can read minds (is there anything The Tea Gallery people don't do well?). This is a very solid tea, definitely worth picking up if you like roasted teas. It is roasted just heavily enough without being harsh, at least to my palate. I brewed it pretty strongly, using all the leaf shown in the photo. I still haven't quite figured out this…

• Newbie's Guide to Teaware: Getting Started and T.O.C.

  4 Aug 2009 | 8:30 am

  Table of Contents The Spartan The Lone Ranger The MacGyver The Orient Express (Part II, Part III) Where's the matcha guide? I wrote this before I started the Newbie's Guide series, but it is probably still helpful to mention it here: Matcha Madness (Part II, Part III). Which is best for me? If you have no experience brewing tea, or have only dunked teabags in coffee cups, you will likely find The Spartan and The Lone Ranger guides the most useful. If you have some experience brewing loose leaf tea, you probably already have a setup similar to The Spartan. You may find The Lone Ranger…

• Newbie's Guide to Teaware: The Orient Express (Part III: Cups and Miscellany)

  3 Aug 2009 | 7:14 pm

  Continued from Newbie's Guide to Teaware: The Orient Express (Part II: Teapots and Gaiwans). Addendum to Part II I forgot to mention a common concern of new Yixing owners: pre-seasoning or pre-treatment. This is another topic about which everyone and their mother has something to say! My advice? Don't worry. Some don't think any treatment is needed before use, some boil their pots in water, some boil their pots in tea, some soak their pots in tea, etc. etc. I doubt you could do permanent damage with any of these treatments, so don't be concerned about possibly choosing the "wrong" one. (If…

• 
  Gongfu Girl

• “Auction of the World’s Finest Teas” to benefit HandReach.org

  Cinnabar

  17 Nov 2009 | 11:35 am

  A number of very generous and respectable tea companies, including Imperial Tea Court, Jaya Teas, Tea Classics/Hancha Tea, Rishi Tea, Eco-Prima Tea, The Meaning of Tea, Den’s Tea, and Teaism, have donated tea, tea-related products and other items to an auction and event to raise funds for the work that HandReach.org is doing with its Children’s Healing Initiative. “Auction of the World’s Finest Teas” consists of a live auction, which will take place November 18th, from 7:00pm to 9:00pm at Teaism in Washington, DC and an eBay charity auction, which anyone can participate…

• Tipping the Cup on the Day of the Dead

  Cinnabar

  16 Nov 2009 | 4:45 pm

  The first day of this month, All Saints Day, the first half of the two-day festival El Dia de los Muertos, I saw a much-needed period of un-allocated time laid at my feet, in between all of the running about, executing tasks and organizing, writing and building. I decided that this allowed me sufficient attentiveness to brew some of the 1979 Taiwanese Oolong that I bought from Hancha Tea at the Northwest Tea Festival in October. As the water began heating in the Kamjove kettle, I sat down at the tea table, pulled out a dark yixing-style, white porcelain-lined gaiwan and similarly-lined aroma…

• The Metallic Spirit of a Tea Scholar

  Cinnabar

  26 Oct 2009 | 2:22 pm

  One thing that I find interesting about nearly all of the portrayals I’ve seen of Lu Yu, the 8th century Chinese writer of the Cha Jing (茶經, “Classic of Tea”), is that they are so consistent in style. He is almost always seated and shown with a teapot to one side of him on an integral, raised platform part of the structure he is seated on. I have seen some “tea mascots” in the form of Lu Yu in which the teapot is absent because the sculptural platform is intended as a resting place for an actual functional teapot during the Gongfu Cha session. While in use, the…

• There’s a Lot of Interesting Tea in This Coffee Town

  Cinnabar

  13 Oct 2009 | 2:59 pm

  Weekend before last, at the Second Annual Northwest Tea Festival, Marcus of Teahouse Kuan Yin gave me a very unusual fang cha pu’er to try. (”Fang Cha” are single cup or mug sized, square, flat pu’er cakes.) I was told that this curious little square block of tea was made with a coffee bean in the center of it, deeming it the perfect Seattle tea. The idea of hiding a coffee bean inside of a pu’er cake struck me as marvelously subversive, but I was also quite interested in what it would taste like. There is a similarity in character between some dark pu’er…

• Tea Review: auraTeas: Formosa Aged Wuyi Variety Oolong

  Cinnabar

  2 Oct 2009 | 3:28 pm

  I had gotten quite weary of reading so many flavor and character analogies between wine and tea, and began building up a determination to avoid them myself. It seemed to me that people were often just taking the short cut of borrowing language from the wine industry instead of taking the trouble to develop their own. So naturally, as these things often happen, when I opened the package of auraTeas’ Formosa Aged Wuyi Variety Oolong, emptied the tight, darkly colored leaf into the presentation vessel and inhaled deeply, I was struck with the sense that the tea smelled like port. It…

• 
  Hou De Tea Blog

• Hou De Tea Blog – Updated!

  Guang

  21 Nov 2009 | 9:33 am

  Hou De Tea Blog has been acted “out of whack” recently. New posts disappeared without a warning, and spammed comments poured in like Bailout money for Wall street! Finally updated the WordPress system to its latest version, which promises many bugs fixed and a better security. We will see. Hope you like the new design of our blog. I will post new topics very soon. Guang

• Chai-Tea-Latte-BaoZhong?

  Guang

  4 Sep 2009 | 7:21 am

  It’s unofficial. It’s just rumor on the street. But the boiling talk among tea producers in San Xia (from where we got our Bi Luo Chun) is: Starbucks wants to buy many tons of teas or acquire lands! The dilemma of the farmers is: supplying “many tons” of teas to beverage companies has not been the “business model” of most San Xia farmers – some of them do so during summer season to supplement incomes, but not in that grand scale. OK, you don’t have teas? Then Starbucks wants to buy your farm. I doubt if any of these ideas will work out. At least…

• Enjoy the Spring Delight Amidst Summer Heat

  Guang

  21 Jun 2009 | 2:19 pm

  The Father Day’s gift I received is a quiet Sunday afternoon, all to myself, with just a string attached – “you gotta update something new for Hou De Blog!”. Hmmm.., why I cannot fully comprehend it as a gift? Anyway, happy Father’s Day! Keep working hard and stay healthy, just don’t expect too much on the gift … you know, it’s more a Mother’s Day thing. Ok, back to tea. Last week we gladly received Tai-Tung green tea and black tea from the same producer we sourced last year. The green and black teas from him were really popular, and received many positive feedbacks.

• Thanks for attending Tasting Workshop @ WTE 2009

  Guang

  6 May 2009 | 6:33 am

  The tasting workshop, Focused Tasting: Puerh, had been concluded on the morning of May 3rd @ WTE 2009. We were again excited by the number of people who attended this workshop, about 45, and the quality and quantity of questions/comments raised. The WTE staff worked very efficiently to make this a professional event. My sincere thanks go to you all who came to the workshop and the WTE staffs who helped make it a success. Comparing to the presentation we did in WTE 2008, we had similar number of people – which is great, considering the current economy situation. But we had more questions…

• Sounding Bowl “Xian Wen” by Master Shao Yi-Yan

  Guang

  3 Dec 2008 | 3:14 pm

  Two of the most respected Tian Mu (Tenmoku) masters in Taiwan – people called “Bei (North) Shan Yi-Yan, Nan (South) Jian Yu-Ting”. Master Shao tends to like using porcelain-ware as bases to play his glaze magic, while Master Jian usually using earthenware as bases. Among the two Masters, Mr. Shao has been troubled by deteriorated eyesight in recent years, and thus making fewer and fewer pieces. I was lucky to have the chance to visit his studio in my September trip to Taiwan. Here I would like to share with you one of my acquired babies: a large-sized Mu Yien Tian Mu “Sounding”…

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  Tuo Cha Tea

• Oolong speculations

  Tuo Cha Tea

  8 Nov 2009 | 11:41 am

  A very disturbing article about speculation with prices of Taiwan oolong teas can be found at TC Formosa Tea. I hope this will not become a regular activity next years and we will be able to acquire a good quality lishan tea in next years.

• Beta - "You Le Zhi Chun"

  Tuo Cha Tea

  25 Sep 2009 | 4:07 am

  This is the second sample of tasting of pu-erh teas made by Yunnan Sourcing. First was one of the most expensive teas made from high altitude Yi Wu mao cha, this tea is made from spring 2009 mao cha harvested in Long Pa village of You Le Mountain. The beeng is on a looser side with nice whole leaves. The fresh scent is less powerful, than the smell of the Yi Wu sample.I liked this tea less then

• Alpha - "Yi Wu Gua Feng Zhai"

  Tuo Cha Tea

  23 Sep 2009 | 2:19 pm

  This is the first of the series of cakes produced by Scott at Yunnan Sourcing LLC. The tea leaves were picked at "Gua Feng Zhai" (The Stockaded Village of Howling Wind) - according to descriptions, one of the remotest and highest regions of Yi Wu. Leaves from the same area were used by Chen Guang He Tang in his 2006 and 2007 Yi Wu beengs.This tea is very fresh. After opening the sample bag I

• 2009 Wen Shan Fo Shou

  Tuo Cha Tea

  16 Sep 2009 | 2:34 pm

  I had the Fo Shou (Buddha hand) oolong harvested in summer 2009 in Wen Shan area of Taiwan. I got this tea from a local vendor, Longfeng, who delivered me lots of great teas before. This particular oolong is hand harvested and home roasted.The leaves are small and even with light fruity smell. I prepared this tea “Czech tea-house style” – it is actually a gong-fu preparation in a yixing teapot,

• 2007 Hai Lang Hao Bulang Wild Arbor

  Tuo Cha Tea

  9 Sep 2009 | 1:58 am

  This tea sold by Yunnan Sourcing claims to be wild arbor pu-erh made from first flush 2007 spring mao cha harvested in Bulang mountain range from 70-80 years old tea trees. I got a sample of it together with various other Hai Lang Hao samples, and I decided to give it a try, since Hobbes praised it quite high.From the sample I got I decided to use the whole part – as for most of my stone-pressed

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  Teaspoons and Petals

• pots of tea

  admin

  5 Nov 2009 | 12:51 pm

  One of the many benefits of sharing my passion for tea with friends, is that I often receive emails filled with photos of teaware, updates about new tea companies and invitations to join them for a cup of tea. So, I was thrilled when my friend, Jolene, emailed me this fabulous photo (originally from the Just Be Splendid blog). …time to resteep an oolong and dream of the day that I’ll have a tea room with built-in bookshelves lined with my teacups…

• Tea Talk: Kate Gover of Lahloo Tea

  admin

  1 Nov 2009 | 5:56 pm

  Tea allows me to travel via slow sips of exotic blends that conjure images of foreign lands and cultures. Beyond the steep, I often find that I can take a journey through the words of tea enthusiasts, such as Kate Gover of Lahloo Tea located in Bristol, UK.  After exchanging emails with Kate a few months ago, she agreed to answer some questions about her love of tea and the story behind Lahloo. I’m thrilled to share her words and beautiful images with you. (p.s. I’ll be posting reviews of teas from Lahloo very soon!) What are your top 5 favorite pieces of teaware? Ooh a tough question,…

• haiku

  admin

  29 Oct 2009 | 9:40 am

  I often wander over to Flickr.com and search the word “tea” just to see a variety of photographic gems fill my screen. I stumbled upon this delightful photo of teacups hanging from a lit chandelier, and it inspired me to write this haiku: flickering lights gleam ribbon embracing handle afternoon tea sways photo credit: Sherry’s Rose Cottage

• teaspoons & petals’ tea granita recipe featured in Food Trust

  admin

  21 Oct 2009 | 10:20 pm

  Hooray! My tea granita was featured in the Food Trust’s newsletter (yes, this announcement is a tad delayed as the warm weather was just fading to chilled air when it was published). For those of you not familiar with the Food Trust in Philadelphia: “The Food Trust strives to make healthy food available to all. Working with neighborhoods, schools, grocers, farmers and policymakers, we’ve developed a comprehensive approach that combines nutrition education and greater availability of affordable, healthy food.” Lots of love for the Food Trust. Take a peek at the recipe…

• tea style: leanne marshall

  admin

  19 Oct 2009 | 10:04 pm

  I often dream of the day that my closet will be filled with the elegant creations of Leanne Marshall (winner of project runway 2008). When I stumbled across this dress on her blog and in her etsy shop, I was blown away by it’s delicate beauty. Even though it’s designed to be a wedding dress, I’ve imagined wearing this to a garden tea party while serving flowering teas from large glass pots. Champagne pink roses and lilacs would be strewn about the table. Maybe I’d serve lavender cookies. While dreaming of wearing the dress, I was inspired to write this haiku: peony tea…

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  The Virtual Teahouse

• Guest post by Geraldine: Tangy and Terrific Turtle Bean Soup and the Black and White of Autumn

  Beth Patterson

  15 Nov 2009 | 5:47 pm

  One of the best things about blogging to a prompt site is that you begin to know the other people who also post to the site and a relationship is formed. So it is with Geraldine. She is an avid writer, vegetarian cook and photographer. I'm delighted that Geraldine is interested in having a guest blog on the VTH, and since she and Tania were having such a wonde rful conversation about conscious food preparation , she sent the following post from one of her several sites, Veggies, Crafts and Tails...(read more)

• Ten things I learned this week--November 15, 2009

  Beth Patterson

  15 Nov 2009 | 8:50 am

  Second in this series --I am beginning to feel the practice of it. When I'm walking the dog, cooking a meal, washing my hair, I'm wondering 'what in this experience may be one of those precious ten things I'm learning this week'? Not that of course I can't learn more than ten. But one has to work up to stuff like this, like starting with 5 lb weights in physical training! So here are my ten learnings for this past week. 1. Letting sleeping dogs lie can have a high pricetag. So can waking them up....(read more)

• found art goes metaphysical

  Beth Patterson

  15 Nov 2009 | 12:25 am

  Struggling to become incarnated embodied really live in this body and not my always-editing mind, on what grounds do I engage what re-incarnation might entail? The closest I can get to understanding reincarnation is making art of of found pieces of what is otherwise described as junk. A little of dis a little of dat Some glue, glitter, screws and fine wire. Voila. No…I didn’t make this. Wish I had! Click on the photo for other great pieces of found art. Thanks to a favorite, Gautami Tripathy of Rooted...(read more)

• Booked, busted and banned

  Beth Patterson

  14 Nov 2009 | 2:01 pm

  Here are some responses to a silly email game. You send this question out to your so-called friends and see what they come up with. I sent it out this week and got the following responses. Some of them only close friends would recognize as...satire? If you saw me in a police car what would you think I got arrested for? MLK'esque demonstration/resistance gig doing a volunteer ride along to better understand what police officers have to deal with --the underbelly of life! impersonating some saint Geronimo...(read more)

• Guest post by Kathy Powell: 'Salmon Becomes Them'

  Beth Patterson

  14 Nov 2009 | 1:33 pm

  One of the best parts of the Virtual Tea House is that it is becoming an incubator for new voices. Out of the recent Nature of Words workshops here in Bend, I met a new-to-be friend, Kathy Powell who lives here in Central Oregon. This is her first post on the VTH, but I hope it won't be her last. Please let Kathy know your responses to her story, Salmon Becomes Them . It is especially important for new bloggers to receive responses, as this lets them know that, indeed, somebody's 'out there'! Kathy...(read more)

• 
  Blog entries

• Mirrored pot of tea

  20 Nov 2009 | 11:00 pm

  I have always thought a teapot a work of art.  This includes an image that is painted on the vessel.  And, now that I have seen Jo St. Baker’s canvases, I think a painting on a teapot within a painting is truly a work of art.  With fine brush strokes, acrylic paints and an eye for recognizing the beauty which silver reflects, Baker has mastRead More...

• Spot of tea

  19 Nov 2009 | 1:12 am

  Who hasn’t heard the saying ‘a spot of tea’?  Apparently very few, at least that is in the UK and the US.  According to the World Wide Words Organization Americans use the phrase as often, if not more over the last few decades, than the Brits.  However, interpretation is not the same.  Additionally, regiRead More...

• Surprising teapots

  17 Nov 2009 | 12:32 am

  Joy Imai has been a potter for 35 years.  After many years of raku firing pieces, she has returned to her original study of soda firing. This now makes the outcome of her teapots and mugs a surprise even to her. I spray a solution of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and water into a hot kiln, and the high heat causes the solution to break down into sodium vapor and carbon dioxideRead More...

• Tea bowl restrictions

  15 Nov 2009 | 2:47 pm

  Mel Jacobson was an apprentice to master potter Kunio Uchida in Kyoto, Japan.  During his twelve month apprenticeship he learned that tea bowls are to be used for functional purposes and aesthetically should not overshadow the traditions of the tea ceremony.  The historical restrictions of an authentic tea bowl are:

• Etching a career

  12 Nov 2009 | 11:00 pm

  What originally caught my eye were the colours of this teapot.  As with any original work of art I am then compelled to read the artist’s statement, as that is what makes the piece special.  Sally Jaffee had no formal academic training in her bio; what she does have are 35 years of passion for pottery.  She, alongside other potterRead More...

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  Lainie Sips

• Lost Malawi Tea Video from Rare Tea Company

  admin

  21 Nov 2009 | 11:21 am

  Henrietta Lovell, owner of UK-based Rare Tea Company, recently went on a tea buying trip to Malawi. Here is a video of her adventures.  Ms. Lovell was a recent guest on my podcast, Lainie Sips, and you can listen to our interview on Blog Talk Radio.

• Golden Moon’s Coconut Pouchong (review)

  admin

  20 Nov 2009 | 5:57 pm

  Name: Coconut Pouchong (Podcast review available at Blog Talk Radio) Brand: Golden Moon Type: Oolong, flavored Form: Loose leaf Cost: 2 ounce tin is $15.99 (quantity discounts available) Review: For those who are huffing and puffing about a tea company that flavors oolong, particularly a pouchong/bao zhong, you will just need to put a lid on your teapot and stew. I love this stuff. Flavored oolongs aren’t a bad thing, actually. To use a musical analogy, oolong is like a strong bass player in a band. You may not notice the bass in the midst of thundering drums or wailing guitars, but you…

• News and Updates

  admin

  20 Nov 2009 | 10:40 am

  First of all, please join me in welcoming Jason Witt as the new Minneapolis/St. Paul Tea Examiner. As most of you know, I am the Chicago Tea Examiner, and it is always great to have familiar faces join me at the Examiner. Secondly, please don’t forget to enter the Golden Moon Tea Giveaway. The contest ends tomorrow! Thirdly, if you are a tea company owner, work in the tea industry, have traveled to a tea-drinking country, or have something interesting to say about tea, I’d love to have you as a guest on my podcast, Lainie Sips. Contact me and we can work out a date and time for an…

• Free Shipping at Adagio on Orders over $25!

  admin

  18 Nov 2009 | 4:31 pm

  I just got word from my friends over at Adagio that they are offering free shipping on orders of $25 or more now through November 30th.  (Yes, you can schedule delivery for December!) Adagio has some great gift sets this season, so click on the banner above and start shopping!

• Review of SentTeaMental Moods “Chicago Passion” on Examiner.com

  admin

  18 Nov 2009 | 3:37 pm

  A review of Chicago-based SenTeaMental Moods “Chicago Passion Tea” is now up on Examiner.com, along with information on how you can get up to three samples of SenTeaMental Moods tea for a small shipping and handling charge!

• 
  Tea Party Guide

• Christmas Tea Party Setting?

  19 Nov 2009 | 1:42 pm

  Question: Our church group is doing a Christmas tea party. I am responsible for one round table of 8. It will be in the church rec room, so the

• Tea Lady to visit

  19 Nov 2009 | 1:40 pm

  Question: Hi, I am trying to hire a Tea Lady to speak to our Women's Club in February. Do you know of any in my area? Northern suburbs of Chicago? or

• A Thanksgiving Tea Party This Year, Can Help You Relax

  16 Nov 2009 | 10:35 pm

  Thanksgiving is in the midst of the rush of the holiday season. Start this year off right with a Thanksgiving Tea Party

• Time for a Christmas Tea Party

  16 Nov 2009 | 10:26 pm

  Taking time for a Christmas tea party can and will help you focus on the overall meaning of Christmas not just the immediate rush-rush of preparing for it.

• Rent A Tea Party ~ Los Angeles, California

  9 Nov 2009 | 11:37 pm

  Everything you need for the perfect tea table! Of all the California party rentals, Rent A Tea Party has everything you need for a successful tea

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  Tea Finely Brewed

• Keemum Double-Header: Keemum by Narien Teas and Teas Etc

  admin

  11 Nov 2009 | 3:32 pm

  Enjoying a quiet morning tea while Benny plays Long-time readers of this blog will be well aware of my fondness for black teas. While I concede that black tea doesn’t — for the most part — have the depth or range you can find in other types of tea, I remain an avowed fan of our fully oxidized friend. This morning, with heavy eyes from too little sleep, I decided to turn my attention to one of the most well-regarded of all black teas: keemum. Keemum is a region in Anhui Province, China, near the city of Huangshan and the Huang Shan Mountains (where one finds the teahouse I featured…

• Proper Pu-erh Storage for Best Results

  eric

  9 Nov 2009 | 4:46 am

  Pu-erh. Photo by brian.ch. I know, I know, I’ve been awfully quiet lately. But I’ve been busy working on some exciting stuff behind the scenes, which will hopefully be unravelled very soon… Anyway, I’m very pleased today to share a wonderful post by Linda Louie, a pu-erh tea specialist who runs Bana Tea Company. Linda has sent me a sampling of some of her pu-erhs, which I will be writing about soon. But in the meantime, here is her advice on how to properly store pu-erh tea. Enjoy. A good Pu-erh tea for brewing and consumption requires a quality base tea, careful…

• Monk's Bliss by Mellow Monk

  eric

  25 Oct 2009 | 4:25 am

  How do you like my new tea set? I celebrated my birthday last week and got three new tea brewing devices: a porcelain gaiwan, a yixing teapot and this one, a simple Japanese teapot with a large infuser basket. It has been fun experimenting with the gaiwan over the past week, while I’ve been considering which type of tea my yixing should be devoted to (anyone have any thoughts?). I decided to use the teapot pictured above to make today’s tea, Monk’s Bliss by Mellow Monk. Monk’s Bliss is a shiraore, which is a green tea with some leaf stems. The result is a mellow green…

• The Ultimate Chinese Teahouse

  eric

  19 Oct 2009 | 3:47 am

  I consider myself a pretty passionate tea drinker, one who would go out of his way for a good cup of tea. But this, this is commitment on a whole other level. To those who have made the epic trip to this Chinese teahouse, I salute you. First up, we’re going to catch the cable car up to where this tea trail begins. This, my friends, is our trail. Slippery when wet. Hang onto those chains! Don’t get too distracted by the view. Hang on. Things are getting a bit more steep. Almost there now! And at last… Time for a cup of tea. These photos were originally found at…

• The Mini Green Tuocha Experiment

  eric

  8 Oct 2009 | 4:58 am

  4 cups of tuocha I am no expert on pu-erh tea, but I’m learning. Over the past few months I’ve tried several loose leaf pu-erhs, as well as a small pu-erh cake I picked up from Ten Ren here in Melbourne. Last week, I made my latest pu-erh purchase: a small bag of mini green tuocha, sold by Tea Leaves (a local Australian chain of tea stores). Today, I finally got a chance to make this for the first time. As I said, I’m no expert on pu-erh, and for a minute there I stopped and realized that I wasn’t really sure how to brew this. Ardent pu-erh aficionados tend to prefer…

• 
  The Exotic Teapot

• Mirrored pot of tea

  20 Nov 2009 | 11:00 pm

  I have always thought a teapot a work of art.  This includes an image that is painted on the vessel.  And, now that I have seen Jo St. Baker’s canvases, I think a painting on a teapot within a painting is truly a work of art.  With fine brush strokes, acrylic paints and an eye for recognizing the beauty which silver reflects, Baker has mastRead More...

• Spot of tea

  19 Nov 2009 | 1:12 am

  Who hasn’t heard the saying ‘a spot of tea’?  Apparently very few, at least that is in the UK and the US.  According to the World Wide Words Organization Americans use the phrase as often, if not more over the last few decades, than the Brits.  However, interpretation is not the same.  Additionally, regiRead More...

• Surprising teapots

  17 Nov 2009 | 12:32 am

  Joy Imai has been a potter for 35 years.  After many years of raku firing pieces, she has returned to her original study of soda firing. This now makes the outcome of her teapots and mugs a surprise even to her. I spray a solution of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and water into a hot kiln, and the high heat causes the solution to break down into sodium vapor and carbon dioxideRead More...

• Tea bowl restrictions

  15 Nov 2009 | 2:47 pm

  Mel Jacobson was an apprentice to master potter Kunio Uchida in Kyoto, Japan.  During his twelve month apprenticeship he learned that tea bowls are to be used for functional purposes and aesthetically should not overshadow the traditions of the tea ceremony.  The historical restrictions of an authentic tea bowl are:

• Etching a career

  12 Nov 2009 | 11:00 pm

  What originally caught my eye were the colours of this teapot.  As with any original work of art I am then compelled to read the artist’s statement, as that is what makes the piece special.  Sally Jaffee had no formal academic training in her bio; what she does have are 35 years of passion for pottery.  She, alongside other potterRead More...

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  Bon Teavant

• autumn tea harvest

  Jennifer Sauer

  11 Nov 2009 | 8:50 pm

  You might be aware that there is an autumn/winter tea harvest in Taiwan, and some of the finest teas from this season are about to arrive.  While spring teas are light and sexy, winter teas have a rich, sometimes more complex and fuller flavor profile.  For me, a winter Lishan is something I look forward to all through the spring and summer months.  No spring tea can replace itThis season we will no doubt see fewer Alishans because of the destruction to the tea farms in that region during the recent mudslides.  We can hope that some will get their teas out and that some…

• cooking with tea

  Jennifer Sauer

  26 Oct 2009 | 4:25 pm

  Why cook with tea?  With the hundreds of herbs and spices available, you might wonder why someone would focus on tea. Robert Wemischner, chef and author of Cooking with Tea, took some time out from the kitchen to explain. To begin with, "tea has no calories, no sodium, no carbohydrate, no fat, and yet a lot of flavor," says Wemischner. As well, he enthuses, tea transforms the food that is made with it. He uses tea in several ways to cook both sweet and savory dishes.  Whether you use it to smoke meats, create rubs, marinades or sauces, tea is a versatile and exciting ingredient for…

• african midwife comes to samovar

  Jennifer Sauer

  15 Oct 2009 | 11:51 am

  Samovar Tea Lounge in San Francisco will host an evening with midwife Joanne Jorissen in which she will share her experiences as a midwife in Africa. An award-winning short documentary on her work in Malawi, Africa will be shown.  Please join us for a cup of handcrafted African Tea (provided by Bon Teavant) at Samovar's Zen Valley location.  Joanne will discuss her work and her organization African Mothers' Health Initiative. Details: Monday, October 19, 7-8:30 pm  Samovar Tea Lounge 297 Page Street @ LagunaSan Francisco The event is open to the public and free of charge.

• international outdoor tea ceremony

  Jennifer Sauer

  12 Oct 2009 | 12:59 pm

     "Wu-Wo" tea ceremony is an outdoor tea ceremony, based on the Taiwanese gong-fu style tea brewing method, but embracing all different cultural styles of brewing tea. As many as 1000 people brew tea outdoors for themselves and each other--simultaneously and in silence. If you are interested in viewing or participating in such an event, you will have a rare and outstanding opportunity to do so this weekend.The12th International Wu-Wo Tea Convention--a bi-annual event usually held in Asia-- is coming to the United States for the first time, next weekend. Hosted by the American Tea…

• nw tea festival news

  Jennifer Sauer

  7 Oct 2009 | 7:47 pm

        The Northwest Tea Festival held last weekend in Seattle was a great success, with nearly 1500 visitors, more than a dozen tea tastings, and special presentations by great tea peeps like James Norwood Pratt, Shuiwen Tai, and "Tea Geek" Michael Coffey.  If you missed the festival this year, be sure to put it on your schedule for October 2011 in Seattle.Students had an opportunity to taste countless teas with tea vendors, importers, and specialists, as well as enjoying information about WuWo Tea Ceremony (more soon on this), tea and caffeine, rare oolongs, and a special…

• 
  Camellia Sinensis

• Bestselling Teaware of 2009

  Virginia

  21 Nov 2009 | 11:07 am

  If you're wondering what teaware our customers are choosing to brew their favorite teas of 2009, here's a roundup of our bestselling teaware this year. In keeping with the current economic climate, 2009's most popular gaiwan and yi xing teapot are practical and affordable, solid performers that deliver great value.Our sturdy, functional Teahouse Gaiwan is our customers' choice from our gaiwan

• Bestselling Teas of 2009

  Virginia

  20 Nov 2009 | 11:27 pm

  With a chill in the air we're all enjoying a bit more tea than usual this time of year. If you're looking for something different or perhaps a gift for tea-loving loved ones, here are some suggestions courtesy of customers of our online store: our top-selling teas of 2009.Green tea lovers are looking for healthy choices. Our customers' favorite green tea this year is Organic Everyday Green Tea,

• Variations on the Theme of Purple

  Virginia

  19 Nov 2009 | 10:02 pm

  One afternoon recently an email arrived disparaging our Imperial Tribute Harvest Purple-Tip Puerh. The heckler (who never tasted our tea) found a “purple-tip puerh” online at a rock-bottom price and questioned the merits of our pricier flagship tea. The spirit of tea is all about being curious and open-minded, so I was immediately intrigued. Could Roy have wasted months negotiating and competing

• Irresistible Lucky Teapots

  Virginia

  12 Nov 2009 | 11:16 am

  In times like these we can all use a bit more luck, and what better way to invoke it than by brewing tea? Extraordinary times call for extraordinary teapots, and with that in mind we're pleased to present three Lucky Teapots from Taiwan, whose innovative teaware never fails to attract the eye. All of the teapots are meticulously crafted from unglazed clay. They make great gifts, and don't forget

• Preview of Coming Attractions

  Virginia

  11 Nov 2009 | 9:31 pm

  It's been a busy month here at the teahouse. First we shipped Roy's book off to the printer, and now we're working on the new and improved web site we hope to launch this month. The image at left is a preview of the new home page.In addition, in this year of great oolong tea, more good news for oolong lovers: the bounty continues! Last week Roy and I cupped some candidates from the crop of winter

• 
  World of Tea

• Elephants Trample Tea Garden in Eastern India [via:NDTV]

  Tony

  21 Nov 2009 | 8:14 am

  “On Thursday a herd of around 25 wild elephants trampled a tea garden in the Doars region of India’s West Bengal state.” The elephants are losing their natural homes as humans are... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

• Make Yourself Some Moroccan Mint … drink

  Tony

  20 Nov 2009 | 10:52 am

  I began watching “The Meaning of Tea” tonight. There was a lot of footage from Morocco, and the sweet mint tisane they refer to as “tea” there. I’ve had Mint Tea before,... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

• Pakistanis facing sugar shortage: putting candy in tea [via: Reuters]

  Tony

  19 Nov 2009 | 9:24 am

  Due to a bad sugarcane crop, Pakistan is facing a massive sugar shortage. As tea is a daily staple in Pakistani life, tea with large amounts of sugar, the people of Pakistan have resorted to adding... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

• Tea Buying Trip to Japan by Mellow Monk

  Tony

  15 Nov 2009 | 11:03 am

  Mellow Monk teas has been posting videos of a recent tea-buying trip to Japan on their blog and on YouTube. I highly recommend checking them out, it is a six-part series and is very fascinating: Part... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

• An Authentic Milk Oolong

  Tony

  15 Nov 2009 | 7:49 am

  I’ve read a lot on Milk Oolong, this type of Oolong naturally imparts a creamy, milk-like aftertaste. While many fakes have appeared on the market – having been steamed over milk, Nav... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]