Tea

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  Images for tea on Daylife

• Photo from Getty Images

  12 Oct 2009 | 9:25 pm

  WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND - OCTOBER 13: New Zealand Prime Minister John Key takes afternoon tea with 6 year-old Breanna Newman, winner of the 'Phones for Starship' competition, at The Beehive on October 13, 2009 in Wellington, Australia.

• Photo from Reuters Pictures

  10 Oct 2009 | 8:14 am

  Tea garden labourers pluck tea leaves at the organic tea garden of Temi Tea Estate in India's Himalayan state of Sikkim October 10, 2009.

• Photo from Reuters Pictures

  10 Oct 2009 | 8:13 am

  A tea garden labourer plucks tea leaves at the organic tea garden of Temi Tea Estate in India's Himalayan state of Sikkim October 10, 2009.

• Photo from Reuters Pictures

  10 Oct 2009 | 6:24 am

  Teagarden labourers pluck tea leaves inside the organic teagarden estate at Temi village, about 66 km (41 miles) south from Gangtok, capital of India's northeastern state of Sikkim October 10, 2009.

• Photo from Reuters Pictures

  10 Oct 2009 | 6:23 am

  Teagarden labourers pluck tea leaves inside the organic teagarden estate at Temi village, about 66 km (41 miles) south from Gangtok, capital of India's northeastern state of Sikkim October 10, 2009.

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  MarshalN's Xanga

• 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,…

• The information age

  6 Oct 2009 | 9:25 pm

  I used to write a lot of "tea reviews", if you can call it that.  For maybe two years, this blog was mostly one review or another.  Sometimes it's an oolong, others a puerh, but generally, this blog was a daily report of what I was drinking that day.In the past year or two, that has changed.  I no longer talk about specific teas so much.  I find it meaningless, at least for myself, because most of the time, the teas I drink are not interesting enough for me to talk about them.  Other problems and issues, such as techniques, names, varietals, or teaware seem much more…

• Troubles with a bush

  30 Sep 2009 | 7:15 am

  Recently there's been some discussion of the nature of dancong online at various places, and one of the topics of discussion was the proper nomenclature of dancong itself.  I was not too convinced by what was being said, simply because some didn't sound right, so I went and investigated.The discussion centers around the word "cong" and which character should be used and what it should mean.  I first went to my trusted source, the Hanyu Da Cidian, which is a 12 volume monstrosity and is the Chinese equivalent of the OED.  I first looked up 叢.  Its basic meaning is…

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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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  a Felicific life

• busy busy busy

  24 Oct 2009 | 7:48 am

  I hadn't realised it had been so long since I last posted. I hadn't come across anything that I'd wanted to relate to the world & have been generally so busy that I didn't have the inspiration to post.Hopefully that will change a little soon - I have my bags packed and am heading off to Taiwan for a couple of weeks. This time though it's business related - Kathy & I hope to open a tea house in Cornwall in the next couple of months. We've been on a couple of trips to scout for potential premises, done a lot of work sorting out the financial and other responsibilities & it looks like it's going…

• Nannuo tea picking song

  6 Jul 2009 | 1:11 pm

  I thought I'd post this - apologies for the poor sound quality and short length, but you get the idea.A Traditional Ai-Ni (the minority living in Nannuo) tea picking song...

• Chen Qi Nan

  27 May 2009 | 4:31 am

  I thought I'd post some pictures of a visit I had to Chen Qi Nan's studio last week. This man makes some really beautiful teaware. In past years he was an engineer, then gave it up to devote his time to making pottery and throughout he drank tea and practiced Qi Gong. These different aspects of his life come through perfectly in his work - his pieces have the practical construction of an engineer, the functionality that a tea drinker would wish for and the art and spirit of someone who has a feeling for more subtle things.Many pieces he makes using pieces of wood he finds in the mountains and…

• Naka

  2 May 2009 | 5:11 am

  I thought I'd post some photos of some of the trees I made tea from this year.First up... Naka, a relatively unfamous mountain about 1 hour drive from Menghai, known for its abundance of old trees with characteristically small leaves & home to the La Hu minority. These trees are apparently ~400 years old. Smooth clean taste, with some bite and nice chaqi.

• Yiwu

  22 Apr 2009 | 11:04 pm

  I felt a little disappointed upon leaving Yiwu this year, despite learning a lot. I guess this year, being able to speak the language a bit better and with the novelty of a new place wearing off, I began to see the cracks of commercialism that had gone mostly unnoticed last year. This year I went during the peak of Spring and the town was awash with fancy jeeps as tea producers from all over China, Korea and Taiwan made their yearly trip to collect tea.The farmers we stayed with were busy pressing cakes and buying maocha from neighbouring villages to fulfil orders from people who didn't have…

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  CHA DAO

• 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…

• Our Neighbors to the North

  30 Aug 2009 | 11:42 am

  by LEW PERIN Montreal City Hall. Photo: David Iliff for Wikipedia As July turned into August in New York, my wife and I headed north for a week in northern Vermont and Montreal. For most of the trip, tea wasn't at the top of the agenda, but it turned out that there were several tea experiences to be had before we returned to what Geraldo calls the Big Teaberry.We spent a couple of days in Burlington, Vermont, which is the place I usually think of when I consider the possibility of ever living in a small city. Burlington is nice all year round, but it has a special glow in summer. There we…

• A Proud Moment

  11 Jul 2009 | 1:30 pm

  by CORAXI am exceedingly proud to report that CHA DAO has been ranked among the 'Top 10 Tea Blogs That Aren't Trying To Sell You Something,' a list by Daren Spence at www.blogs.com. Of his rationale in choosing those ten sites, Daren says, 'I selected the following blogs because tea has become big business and as such tea companies purporting to be your friend are actually trying to sell you something. The following blogs (in alphabetical order) simply celebrate tea in all of its slightly quirky glory. Enjoy!'Of CHA DAO specifically, he remarks: 'This blog is dedicated to the musings of a…

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  MattCha's Blog

• 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…

• One of Those Obscure, Mystery Farmer Teas: '2009 (No Label) Jiri Mountain Yellow Tea'

  27 Oct 2009 | 8:46 pm

  This is one of those mystery teas that tea lovers so appreciate. Some obscure, small scale production. No glits, nor glamor. No fancy packaging (which is pretty much a must in Korea). This tea simply came in an common tube, inside the tube a simple foil pack. Completely writing on either- no indications on the packaging as to what when it was picked and produced or who produced it. There is something about these teas that makes drinking it more intimate. Knowing that is was probably make perhaps with more care than say, a large production tea.Considering the current tea market in Korea as…

• 2009 'Dan Seok' Emperor's Jiri Mountain Yellow Tea

  25 Oct 2009 | 9:26 pm

  This is a fall tradition.The dry leaves smell of frosty mountain pines. Sweet, sour, citric almost like marmalade.Although these leaves can handle hot water, one instead uses more leaf and lets the water temperature drop before pouring it into the pot.The result is a smooth creamy, subtle chocolate soup, that is quite nutty. The mouth is covered in light silk, the breath is witness to its hidden chocolate and more overt nutty tones. More infusions take place to round out its flavour. Making it fuller in the mouth, more nutty. The energy of this tea is comforting as it warms the stomach and…

• Another Beautiful Autumnal Buncheong Style Tea Bowl By Uh Sang Myung

  21 Oct 2009 | 6:42 pm

  This bowl glows an earthy red- an autumn leaf about to change colour.Its colour is its beauty. Dry, gritty, brownish red. The outside wall of the bowl is darker and more vibrant on one side then the other. It is marked at the extreme by a burn blotch reaching over the lip of the bowl- an unpredictable scar from the fire in the kiln. Inside the bowl also reflects this imbalance- one side is darker, more colourful than the other. This is also the case as ones eyes move from the rim down on both the inside and outside of the bowl. This effect is profound. It creates a feeling of fleeting warmth.

• Economics & Green Tea: Premium Green Tea In Korea This Year and The Story of the Small Scale Producer

  20 Oct 2009 | 6:24 pm

  Loose leaf Korean green tea is expensive. There are many things that result in the high price of Korean tea.Firstly, there is not so many tea producing areas in Korea. Not so much tea is produced. Almost everything that is produced is consumed in Korea. In fact, most tea consumed in Korea, isn't even Korean tea but comes from China, Vietnam, or other neighbouring nations that can produce tea much more cost effectively.Secondly, the labour cost of producing tea in Korea isn't cheap. Remember Korea is a G-20 nation, one of the most developed countries in the world. The cost of production is…

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  Puerh Tea Community

• 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

• Proper Pu'erh Storage for Best Results

  29 Aug 2009 | 4:56 pm

  A good Pu’erh tea for brewing and consumption requires a quality base tea, careful pre-processing and well-designed post-processing.  Pre-processing refers to the preparatory steps to produce the “raw materials” (green mao cha) and post-processing refers to the storage condition under which Pu’erh teas are aged to enhance proper fermentation. In other words, it is not necessarily true that the older the Pu’erh tea, the better.   A superior Pu’erh tea for brewing requires that one start with a good quality “raw tea,” that is…

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  Bearsblog

• 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…

• Tenacious Tea

  26 Jun 2009 | 10:17 am

  At the moment I have Menghai Factory's 2005 "Ba Ji Pu Bing" (Grade 8 Pu'er Cake) in my cup. I'm on my second day of drinking this good, mild shu pu'er.Yesterday marked 48 hours spent brewing many infusions from the same pot of gao shan leaves before I tossed them out. They probably could have continued juicing, but two days was enough.8 days ago, I ended a 3 day brewing session of a pot of a Taiwanese oolong, an inexpensive Alishan from a local store.In attempting to place the reason why one pot of leaves could go so long, the idea that these teas were better than those I encountered…

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  Tea Obsession

• 香满怀

  4 Nov 2009 | 12:55 pm

  心幽未载情已浓玉莹露透香满怀一盏天逸梦萦绕诗雨相依潮凤天Current feeling while drinking Tian Yi Xiang Dan Cong...

• 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…

• New arrivals - tea, pots and cups

  21 Oct 2009 | 8:56 pm

  This is the longest wait for some pots, so it seems to me.Finally they have arrived safely and wholly!20 Wu's Chao Zhou Sandy Red Clay Pots 09 Ya Shi - Duck Poop Aroma (It's actually Ginger Flower Fragrance), last of this years production09 You Hua Xiang - Pomelo Flower Fragrance, last of this year's production08 Dong Fang Hong #2Hand made small white cups - egg shell thin

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  The Half-Dipper

• 2008 Douji "Shengdou" Zhuancha

  6 Nov 2009 | 1:00 am

  This brick is a tiny thing of beauty. Nom Isn't it adorable? Pictured below (with dodgy white balancing), the "Shangdou" [SHANG DOH] reclines alongside its sibling, the delicious 2008 "Dadou". I loved the Dadou, and grabbed two boxes, each containing six zhuancha [DJUAN CHA, bricks]. Both varieties came from Puerh Shop for a very decent price. Meet the twins Like the Dadou, the aroma

• The Big Dipper

  5 Nov 2009 | 1:00 am

  clear night, soundof cloth-poundinghails the Big Dipper- Matsuo Bashotr. Lucian Stryk

• 2008 Mengyang Guoyan "Yiwu Chahuang"

  3 Nov 2009 | 1:00 am

  I don't rate Mengyang Guoyan tea very highly. Maybe this is because I just haven't look far enough, but they seldom impress - with the exception of the 2005 Lao Banzhang private production (which I notice has crept up from $33 earlier this year to its current price of $56). These Mengyang Guoyan teas are, at least, fresh and energetic. It's name means "Yiwu Tea Emperor". It is sold for a

• 2003 CNNP "Yunnan Qiaomu"

  1 Nov 2009 | 1:00 am

  $120 is a lot for what looks to be a CNNP release, despite the ornate wrapper! Thanks to GV for kindly providing the sample.Yunnan Qiaomu BingPuerh Shop describes this as being from Banzhang. I've given up hoping for actual qiaomu [CHEEOW-MOO, arbor] from big labels, let alone rare Banzhang qiaomu. Isn't it marginally depressing that CNNP would put "qiaomu" in the name of this cake? Well, we

• The Brushwood Gate

  31 Oct 2009 | 2:00 am

  high wind - tealeaves whip againstthe brushwood gate- Matsuo Bashotr. Lucian Stryk

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  Adagio Teas: What's New

• Create your own Halloween-themed blends

  Ilya Kreymerman

  19 Oct 2009 | 5:00 pm

  What frightful, ghoulish, and mischievousness things await us this Halloween 2009? Though it may be one of the scariest times of the year, we hope that our customers look at the sweeter side of Halloween. Create your own Halloween-themed blends on our Signature Blends page; the most creative blend will be featured on Adagio TeaV's special Halloween episode! [Via Adagio Teas]

• Review our teas

  Ilya Kreymerman

  7 Oct 2009 | 5:00 pm

  We appreciate all the reviews our customers write. We want to reward everyone in a new way by granting 5 Frequent Cup Points per review. This way your review writing won't go to waste, and you can accumulate points for a larger discount on a future order! [Via Adagio Teas]

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  News from Upton Tea

• 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: Harishpur Estate TGFBOP CL

  4 Nov 2009 | 4:00 pm

  A great everyday Assam, with characteristic strength and some malty nuances. This tea also works great as a base for masala chai.

• 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).

• New Product: Tie-Guan-Yin Vintage Style

  4 Nov 2009 | 4:00 pm

  This tea was produced specifically for Upton Tea Imports, utilizing an older process with longer roasting time at a lower temperature. This produces a mellow tea with a gentle, toasty quality. The liquor is very smooth, with light fruity and floral notes.

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  TEA - Google News

• Tea party steeps on Capitol Hill - News-Medical.net

  Google Inc.

  St. Louis Post-DispatchTea party steeps on Capitol HillNews-Medical.netThe Washington Post reports: "Newly emboldened after Republican victories in Tuesday's elections, 'tea party' protesters and other demonstrators from across Capitol Hill Tea Party IIPoliticoKing Calls For Tea Party II Tomorrow At The CapitolTPMDC (blog)Ft. Hood Drowns Out the Tea PartyThe Nation.Kaiser Health News -CNN Political Ticker -Huffington Post (blog)all 381 news articles »

• Hundreds attend 'tea party' at Capitol - Austin American-Statesman

  Google Inc.

  Chattanooga Times Free PressHundreds attend 'tea party' at CapitolAustin American-StatesmanThe Tea Party Express made a stop in Austin on Friday, drawing a few hundred people to the south steps of the Capitol for a rally that Bozeman Tea Party protests national health care legislationMontana's News StationHundreds protest at Tea Party Express stop in AbileneAbilene Reporter-NewsKing rallies with “tea party” activists in DCRadio IowaGreat Falls Tribune -Examiner.com -SalemNews.netall 28 news articles »

• Study: Green tea may fight oral cancer - abc7.com

  Google Inc.

  Laboratory EquipmentStudy: Green tea may fight oral cancerabc7.comPHILADELPHIA (KABC) -- A new study adds support to research identifying green tea as a way to protect the body against cancer. Green Tea Extract May Fight Oral CancerKIROtv.comGreen Tea Extract Helps Prevent Oral CancereMaxHealthGreen Tea May Help Prevent Oral CancerU.S. News & World ReportPR Web (press release) -MedPage Today -Investor's Business Dailyall 115 news articles »

• Tea Partiers lead GOP to ruin - Examiner.com

  Google Inc.

  TPMDC (blog)Tea Partiers lead GOP to ruinExaminer.com(AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) Tea Parties are leading the GOP to ruin, and the GOP seems powerless to stop their free fall from mainstream to fringe. Patriot Games: GOP Reps Pick Tea Party Rally Over National-Security VotesTPMMuckraker (blog)Arena Digest: Should GOP worry about tea parties?PoliticoWere elections a blow to tea parties?News ChiefPolitics Daily (blog) -Fort Worth Star Telegram -Cato @ Libertyall 31 news articles »

• UN court hands Rwanda tea boss 8 year prison term - Reuters

  Google Inc.

  Radio NetherlandsUN court hands Rwanda tea boss 8 year prison termReutersDAR ES SALAAM, Nov 5 (Reuters) - A UN genocide court on Thursday sentenced a former tea industry official from Rwanda to eight years in Former Rwandan official convicted of complicity in genocideCNN InternationalRwandan tea baron jailed over genocideafrol NewsFormer senior Rwandan executive jailed for 8 yearsThe Associated PressJURIST -Organisation de la Presse Africaine (Communiqué de presse) (Blog) -AllAfrica.comall 120 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…

• 
  Samovarlife

• 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!

• Blackbook Magazine Highlights Samovar

  jpcutler

  8 Oct 2009 | 1:14 pm

  San Francisco: Top 10 Eggs Not for Breakfast by Katie Robbins October 6, 2009 Samovar Tea Lounge (The Castro) “This bastion of relaxation pays homage to the tea rituals of many great chai-centric societies, including a classic English service, a Moorish medley, and a Chinese tea tasting. If your hot beverage mood is steering you to Russia with love, then the house-blend black tea goes brilliantly with Samovar’s devilled eggs, which takes the traditional Ruskie whole wheat blini topped with caviar and egg yolk and inverts it, instead stuffing the egg with caviar and serving alongside…

• 
  Tea Masters

• 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…

• Rencontre et traditions

  Stephane

  1 Nov 2009 | 11:08 pm

  En buvant du thé à plusieurs reprises avec des membres de Doulce Mémoire, nous avons pris conscience des similitudes dans nos démarches: étudier, pratiquer, préserver et célébrer un art vivant du passé. Pour eux, il s'agit surtout des musiques profanes et sacrées de la Renaissance. Pour y arriver, ils s'intéressent de près à l'histoire des instruments, des compositeurs, de l'écriture de la musique... Lucas, par exemple, joue principalement de la viole de gambe, un instrument tombé dans l'oubli pendant plus de 2 siècle. Ce n'est qu'à la fin du 20ème siècle qu'on la…

• Tang dynasty ware

  Stephane

  31 Oct 2009 | 8:59 am

  Yesterday's show in front of the National Palace Museum used this famous Tang dynasty painting for its billboards and programs. We can see a group of Tang women playing music and drinking tea (full picture here).This is the picture I was referring to when I showed this big bowl in 2006. The Secret Color Porcelain ware kept the secret of its origin until 1987. Then, archeological findings at the Fa Men Temple could prove that Mi Si Tsi (Secret Color Porcelain) was made in Yuezhou (Yue Yao, Yue kiln) near the Shanglin lake in the Zhejiang Province. Celadon wares were made in numerous kilns,…

• Préserver la doulce mémoire du passé

  Stephane

  30 Oct 2009 | 8:51 am

  Mon blog m'a permis de faire la connaissance de plusieurs membres de la compagnie de musique Doulce Mémoire, en tournée à Taiwan. Ce soir, j'ai pu assister à la première de leur co-création 'Mémoire des Vents du Sud' en collaboration avec la compagnie taiwanaise Han Tang Yuefu. Ce spectacle de danse et de musique ancienne a eu lieu devant le Musée national du Palais, à Taipei, où sont entreposés les trésors des empereurs de Chine. Une douce brise d'automne nous a caressé. Comme vous le verrez dans les fragments recueillis dans ma petite vidéo, ce spectacle imagine la rencontre…

• Brewing Wenshan Baozhong in a gaiwan

  Stephane

  29 Oct 2009 | 8:23 am

  To drink my spring Wenshan Baozhongs, I like to bring the colors of this mountainous forest on my Cha Xi. All kinds of greens can be found in this subtropical forest, but the major color is dark green, like my Cha Bu. The strange sounds you hear in the background are Taiwanese frog songs!This is the small qingbai gaiwan I used. It weighs 120 gr with the saucer, 74 gr without. Its volume is 8.5 cl maximum and 6 cl normal. (It's made by a different factory as the singing cup, and the color is slightly lighter.) You will notice that the saucer isn't evenly round: it looks like 4 petals. Cute!Its…

• 
  TeaChat

• Board statistics

  6 Nov 2009 | 10:49 pm

  Board started:Jun 10th, '05, 06:40Days since started:1610Board version:phpbb 3.0.5All times are :UTC - 4 hoursNumber of posts:123665Posts per day:76.77Number of topics:8228Topics per day:5.11Number of users:7190Users per day:4.46Our newest member :MacRebantMost users ever online was 89 on Oct 12th, '09, 21:10

• TeaDay: Daily Cup, TeaPoll & Discussion Topic | Re: Saturday FreeDay 11/07/09

  6 Nov 2009 | 9:34 pm

  For a rarity, I've already set out the tea I'm going to be enjoying tomorrow. A darjeeling sample. (I'm a tiny bit out of order on the Lochan series of samples.) Yum, can't wait! In my cup tonight: a single malt scotch in one of my lovely guinomi from Cory. I know, it's supposed to be sake, but I'm more of Speyside girl. In other news, (since this is "free day,") I got my new camera! Poppets are still investigating.something is different around here...

• TeaDay: Daily Cup, TeaPoll & Discussion Topic | Re: Friday TeaDay 11/06/09 Coooler TeaDays?

  6 Nov 2009 | 9:25 pm

  They've maybe altered slightly as I do find myself wanting to drink Russian Caravan and other smokey or spicy teas more than usual. Plus a lot of my green/white teas just seem too 'light' right now, although that might just be because I need teas with a huge caffeine boost to get me through the school semester. Right now, however, I'm drinking Yogi Tea's Egyptian Licorice mostly because I have a slightly sore throat.

• Green Tea | Re: Favorite Infusion #?

  6 Nov 2009 | 9:16 pm

  I like 2nd infusion when using more leaf & multiple infusions. 3rd infusion is the worst, always (I don't go beyond that). However, I nearly always prefer to use less leaf and longer infusion and infuse just once - for convenience. I find that it's almost as good as the 2nd infusion with the first method and my kyusu is 11oz - 2 infusions would be more than I want most of time. I'd rather take more smaller tea breaks than a few larger ones...

• Green Tea | Re: Yet another storage thread..

  6 Nov 2009 | 9:12 pm

  I'm experimenting now with what I think is a better method of storage for sencha and at the same time as convenient as a regular small tin. Here's what I use: a matcha tin with matcha foil bag that comes with it!! The foil sort of folds over the leaves when you close the lid, keeping most of the air in the tin from direct contact with the leaves.When there's little tea left on the bottom, I put a spool of thread inside, it pushes down on the foil and keeps it closed, with the lid pushing down on the spool.I've just started a bag of Miyabi so I don't know how well this will work as time goes…

• 
  The Voice of Tea

• Frankie Say Drink Tea

  Chris

  6 Nov 2009 | 3:44 pm

  Here’s a fact that we’ve all known, but it wasn’t until now that science has actually proven: Folks who drink tea are, in general, more good-humored people.  Possibly more eccentric, but definitely more mellow. The study showed that folks who enjoyed 5 cups (or more) of tea per day were significantly less stressed compared with those who consumed 1 cup or less per day.  In fact, these relations persisted when the subjects were stratified by their social status, age, gender as well as a plethora of other factors… in other words, it’s almost definitely the tea.

• Help Subtract with Tea

  Chris

  5 Nov 2009 | 12:08 pm

  With increasing obesity problems (and all the resulting ailments) weighing down America, a solution desperately needs to be found.  While by no means an all-encompassing answer, drinking tea is always a good idea.  But if you are a numbers person (like me), you like to see the figures in front of you.  So I present a little math, fueled by tea: Most sugary (or more likely, high-fructose-corn-syrupy) beverages contain about 140+ calories per 12 oz serving.  Tea, on the other hand, contains just trace amounts of calories.  That means that, by switching just one of those sugar drinks to tea…

• Tea Video: Private Eye

  Chris

  4 Nov 2009 | 1:22 pm

• Tea for the Stress of the Move

  Chris

  3 Nov 2009 | 12:58 pm

  After a long week of packing up our Brooklyn warehouse, moving it out and over to our brand-spankin’-new New Jersey location, then unloading all our tea goodies, we are pretty tired and very sore! Luckily, we had plenty of energy to expedite the process, thanks to our energizing teas, some soothing tranquility, thanks to our calming teas, and we were able to unwind after a few of those long days with a nice tea cocktail! And now, we’re back in business, and better than ever - shipping your favorite teas right to your doorstep in no time!

• The Silent Voice

  Chris

  28 Oct 2009 | 5:26 pm

  Just wanted to drop a note to my dear readers so none will worry: the Voice of Tea may be a little silent for the next couple days as Tavalon moves from our Brooklyn warehouse to a much larger warehouse to fit our growing needs in New Jersey. In the mean time, sit back and relax with a nice cup of tea and enjoy the silence… Check back soon!

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  T Ching

• Japanese green tea: Sencha

  Williams Tiffany

  6 Nov 2009 | 1:01 am

  In 1731, a Japanese Zen priest observed Chinese immigrants, living in Nagasaki, drinking sencha - steeped or infused tea.  Sencha liberated tea drinkers from the rigid rules and expensive tea room decorations of chanoyu and represented a rejection of the chanoyu regime. What is sencha?  Is it a type of tea leaf?  Is it a ceremony?  Is it a custom?  It is all the above. Sencha the Tea Leaf Seventy-five percent of Japanese green tea production is sencha.  Harvested leaves are machine picked, de-stemmed, steamed, withered, rolled, and quick dried.  The quick drying forms the leaves into a…

• A student’s guide to drinking enough tea a day

  Linton Sarah

  5 Nov 2009 | 1:01 am

  If you are an above-grade-school student, you are probably no stranger to the horrors of too much homework and evil teachers, and know that “free time” is just a baseless rumor. No matter how busy you are, however, there should always be time for tea.  Tea is a necessity of life, and you should not deprive yourself of it.  No matter how difficult, you should make sure that you get your fill of tea during the school day.  Here is a guide: First off, always carry teabags with you.  Loose-leaf leaf is higher-quality tea, but there just isn’t enough time, and it saves…

• Pairing tea and chocolate: Two great tastes that go great together

  Logsdon Laura

  4 Nov 2009 | 1:01 am

  When paired well, tea and chocolate can be a heavenly experience.  The warmth of the tea melts the chocolate.  They mingle in your mouth, creating a silky, flavorful combination.  However, if paired badly, the combination can create a sour, mushy goo that is hard to swallow. In my quest to find the perfect pairing, I tasted twenty-five different teas and paired them with twenty different chocolates.  I tried dark, milk, and white chocolate plus a few other flavored chocolates that I thought might go well with each particular tea.  Through my experimentation, I found five combinations…

• The oolong tea ritual: Part 2 of 3

  Pratt James Norwood

  3 Nov 2009 | 1:01 am

  Now let us review these steps once more, with feeling.  Seated at a table, arrange your utensils so that the kettle is to your right (if right-handed) and implements with tea towel to your left.  On the drainer in front of you place the tea boat, a small pitcher (if desired), and the thimble cups (their saucers are positioned in front of each guest).  The teapot sits in the tea boat.  The first order of business is to clean and warm these utensils. Using boiling water, fill the teapot.  Pour this water from the pot into the thimble cups, then empty these into the pitcher.  Bamboo…

• Transforming fears into tea

  Hoover Alexandra

  2 Nov 2009 | 1:01 am

  In an article in the Fall 2009 edition of Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, Marc Lesser suggests five ways to make more of your time by doing less.  To Lesser, doing less is a lot harder than most of us realize.  It sounds so simple, but it is often quite complicated to actualize in our lives.  To enjoy living at a slower pace and to get more meaning from what one does, Lesser suggests eliminating five “self-defeating habits.”  These include fear, assumptions, distractions, resistance, and busyness.  Such behaviors lead us to “do more and accomplish less.”  Relinquishing these…

• 
  Tea Guy Speaks

• The Rookie

  William I. Lengeman III

  5 Nov 2009 | 10:22 am

  RedUmbrella TeaCanada’s Loose Leaf Tea Co.

• Offbeat Teahouses

  William I. Lengeman III

  4 Nov 2009 | 1:14 pm

  Looking for an unusual place to take tea? You could start with Teas And Toes, located in Glen Elyn, Illinois. They bill themselves as a "teahouse and foot sanctuary." So if you're keen to have your little tootsies soaked and rubbed while pounding down some Sumatra Oolong Barisan or Temple of Heaven, this would be the place.If you'd like to try something a little more off the beaten path, consider the Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouse, in the Canadian Rockies. It's not exactly what you'd call accessible, but that didn't stop it from recently marking its fiftieth anniversary.Speaking of remote and…

• Rishi Tea Announces Taste Of Origin Gifts

  William I. Lengeman III

  3 Nov 2009 | 9:39 am

  Rishi Tea Announces Taste Of Origin Gifts From Wild-Harvested Ancient Tea Trees(from a press release)Rishi Tea, the 1st Place Award winner at the World Tea Championship for two years in a row, debuts Taste of Origin. This distinctive program will educate tea drinkers about the geographic origin of tea — and why it matters. The first featured Taste of Origin is Mannong Manmai in Yunnan, China, where remarkable teas are harvested from wild, ancient tea trees.The Taste of Origin program launches with 3 exclusive Organic and Fair Trade Certified Gift Sets. Each set features unique teas from…

• Tea Blog List Updated

  William I. Lengeman III

  1 Nov 2009 | 1:09 pm

  We're turning up new tea blogs all the time. Here's the latest batch and here's the whopping huge-o enormous master list.An International Tea MomentThe Association of Tea BloggersBlack Dragon Tea BarBlue People TeaCha Cha Tea BlogDoctor OolongGreen Teas ChatterGreen Tea TVHalcyon TeaKopius TeasLainie Sips - A Tea BlogMy Cup Of TeaPembrokeshire Tea CompanySip LocallyTea At Nigelewan.comTea For Me PleaseTea Geek BlogsTea JournalTeaosphereTea Reflections - A Tea BlogTea ReviewTea Time With A.C. CargillTea TravelerTeatunesTwo Leaves And A BudWorld Of TeaAdagio Teas triniTea Tea MakerZarafina Tea…

• A Tea Shop In India

  William I. Lengeman III

  31 Oct 2009 | 11:30 pm

  Adagio Teas triniTea Tea MakerZarafina Tea Maker Suite

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  Insani-TEA Blog

• 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 on 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-Stain.com

  Relznuk

  10 Dec 2008 | 6:59 am

  Greeting readers,Today, I want to tell you about a website where you can build a custom tea mat for your tea club or reading group. The mat features 8 "places" to put a tea cup, as well as names of the members of your tea group.The site for this product is basically a site where you can personalise a mat to sit on your tea tray for all the people in your tea round, say at work or in a book club etc.The mats are neat, and of excellent quality. They are intended to be placed upon your tea tray, and to act as a serving tool for your tea.Check it out at tea-stain.com. I recommend this product,…

• 
  Tea Escapade - Tea Blog

• 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…

• November 2009 – Co-Op Tea Swap

  teaescapade

  6 Oct 2009 | 8:11 pm

  SAVE THE DATE! November 1, 2009, is the date for the next Co-Op Tea Swap! A fantastically fun collaboration between Tea Escapade and Authori+ea. Membership is free!  Here is an opportunity to try new teas, share some of your favorite teas, and meet great people. To join in on the fun, simply email the following information to Nikki at TeaEscapade@yahoo.com no later than October 31, 2009, to participate in the upcoming December 2009 Swap: Name: Mailing Address: Phone Number: Sample Preferences (if any): Sample Restrictions (are you allergic to any herbs or ingredients?): Referred By: For more…

• Tea, Please – Tea Poetry

  teaescapade

  5 Oct 2009 | 12:12 pm

  I’ve taken tea on Bahrain’s isle, Sri Lanka and Hong-Kong, Where desert sands run mile on mile And sunlight’s powerful strong; Tea from the gallery in our plane Gave ease when flights were long. In tropic heat, in freezing rain The tea-cup came along. Tea in Japan, tea in Malay, Tea in Aden’s heat. At cricket on a summer’s day A tea is hard to beat. And I remember taking tea in the land of Lorna Doone With Devon cream – just you and me Whilst on our honeymoon. ~Jasper Miles, 1994

• 
  tea « WordPress.com Tag Feed

• Friday = Takeout

  Marianne

  7 Nov 2009 | 12:17 am

  Yes, it’s another instalment of Friday Night Takeout at my house. You’ll be happy to note, that we did not have pizza or Chinese food. I know, how is that possible? Those are the 2 standbys around here. But I put my foot down (or just whined alot). I had really hoped we could get something from a place that serves sweet potato fries, because I’ve had a serious craving lately, but I was out voted. Hmph So, what was on the menu? Fish & chips. Here’s my piece of halibut, with some delicious tartar sauce. And the chips, with ketchup. It’s fish & chips. Not much more you can…

• Enough Is Enough: Cantor Stands Up To Tea Partiers And Limbaugh

  audiegrl

  6 Nov 2009 | 11:20 pm

  Posted by Audiegrl TPM/Rachel Slajda—At yesterday’s tea party rally on Capitol Hill, at least one protester brandished a large graphic photograph of the victims of the Dachau Nazi concentration camp, comparing health care reform to Nazi policies. Today, Rep. Eric Cantor’s (R-VA) spokesman called the photograph “inappropriate.” Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY) has also condemned the poster. Cantor, in an interview today with Bloomberg, also offered some criticism of radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh’s comparison of President Obama to Adolf Hitler. “Do I…

• November Blog Party! Morning Beverages

  aartiana

  6 Nov 2009 | 8:08 pm

  Celestial Coffee Mug by WV Etsy Crafter "DancingPigPots" Thank you, Dancing in a Field of Tansy, for hosting this awesome Blog Party! No matter how disconnected from ourselves (and our planet) our modern Western culture seems to be; the one thing that seems to bring us into a connected space, even if only briefly, is the ritual of our waking beverage for the day – and I often think the ritual of preparation is just as important as the beverage itself! I eagerly read with interest the participants’ posts from this Blog Party, since many have varying degrees of herbal…

• Off the Tourist Track

  tkneller

  6 Nov 2009 | 6:55 pm

  There’s so much to say about what I’ve seen so far, it’s hard to know where to start. We’ve been here 3 full days and we’ve done some tourist things, but also visited some friends. I’ve drank no less than 35 cups of tea — most very small — and had 5 incredible meals. Last night, we went for “hot pot.” There’s a franchise restaurant that has a long counter top that winds its way through the room. There are holes in the counter in front of where each person sits, where the pot goes. Underneath, there is a shelf where the hot…

• Transform Siberia Teahouse News

  Alex and Yulia

  6 Nov 2009 | 6:28 pm

  Dear Friends, we have developed a new e-newsletter called “Transform Siberia Tea House News”.  This newsletter will go out on a regular basis to inform people of what we are up to and how they can pray for us. If you are not receiving our newsletter, but would like to, please sign up here or drop us a line at transformsiberia@gmail.com For the record, Irkutsk was located on what was known as the Tea Road, a road stretching from Moscow to Kalgan, China (approximately 125 miles West of Beijing). Many a tea-merchant had fabulous digs in Irkutsk prior to the Reds taking over.

• 
  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…

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  Gongfu Girl

• 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…

• Chasing Down a Rumor

  Cinnabar

  1 Oct 2009 | 3:07 pm

  After a discussion about the reliability of a story about tea leaves being dried in a Chinese factory by driving leaded-gasoline-fueled trucks over them, thus contaminating them with lead, I decided to find out the source of the information. I easily found the same quotation of a statement made by William Hubbard, the former deputy commissioner of the FDA, repeated in many places: “To speed up the drying process, they would lay the tea leaves out on a huge warehouse floor and drive trucks over them so that the exhaust would more rapidly dry the leaves out,” Hubbard says.

• Do you have Prince Albert in a can? No, but I have Lu Yu in a box.

  Cinnabar

  29 Sep 2009 | 9:04 am

  If there’s one figure in history that those of us entrenched in Chinese tea culture have to hold in high esteem, it is the 8th century scholar Lu Yu (陆羽), often called the “Sage of Tea,” and sometimes called the “Saint of Tea.” His best known work, the Cha Jing (茶經, “Classic of Tea”), is still highly valuable in tea scholarship today, for its breadth of information, but also for the historical context it provides about tea culture during the Tang Dynasty. The work is frustratingly difficult to obtain in English translation, since it has been…

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  Tea News Darjeeling

• Green tea & mint: Twinings tunes into new territory

  12 Oct 2009 | 6:54 am

  Twinings India, a part of UK-based food major, Associated British Foods, known for its premium-flavoured teabags, is looking at expanding its reach in tier-II cities. The brand is now available in 30 cities. It is targeting to enter 300 cities in the next five years. Twinning is looking at roping in a brand ambassador by January 2010. The company has earmarked Rs 50 crore for the coming five years.“Our claim to fame is tea for every mood and moment. So far we have 15 varieties in India out of the 200 global blends of tea. In India, Twinings is available in only 30 cities and our next level…

• The nature of black tea

  12 Oct 2009 | 6:40 am

  Most people have heard about black tea – but as with many of the tea terms its precise nature may be unclear to many.So here is a handy guide to the product.Black tea is one of the four major tea types. The other three are white, green and oolong.It comes from the dried leaves of Camellia Sinensis, as does green tea, white tea, and oolong tea.It is basically green tea but the leaves are further dried changing the colour and taste.Black teas include Lapsang Souchong, Keemun, Dian Hong, Tibeti, Assam, Darjeeling, Ceylon, Kenyan, Vietnamese, Nepalese, Turkish and Thai tea.Black teas are often…

• Electrocuted jumbo dies in Assam tea garden

  12 Oct 2009 | 6:40 am

  GUWAHATI: An elephant was electrocuted near a tea garden in the Kathiatoli area of Nagaon district, about 140 km from here, on Saturday.The carcass of the pachyderm was found near Kandoli tea estate. Forest officials said it was an accident and not a case of retaliatory killing. "The elephant died after its trunk touched a livewire near the tea estate. It was not killed by human beings," Nagaon divisional forest officer A Ahmed said. "There has been an increase in the movement of elephants between Karbi Anglong and Nagaon since the past few days. But there has been no untoward incident," he…

• Tea estate destroyed, workers shaken

  10 Oct 2009 | 12:33 pm

  RAIGANJ, 9 OCT: Alleged criminals raided the Bhadrakali Tea Estate in Islampur police station, North Dinajpur district and wreaked havoc over a large area of the plantation uprooting tea bushes and damaging other property of the estate Thursday night.They threatened the workers’ union leaders active in the plantation with dire consequence as well over telephone. The incident has left the plantation management a shaken lot. The uncertainty in the plantation has turned the workers’ future tentative.According to the plantation management, the raiders destroyed tea bushes standing on 15-acre…

• Green Tea is the new Black

  6 Oct 2009 | 11:24 pm

  Drinking green tea is a fashion statement for the health conscious, but supply in India is still limited.Rajive Kaul, Nicco group chairman ,attributes his habit of drinking green tea to the Korean influence, being the Honorary Consul General of South Korea. Till a few years ago, he and a growing band of converts to green tea would have had to import their tipple or buy it at the odd tea boutique or Tea Board outlet. Today, they can buy more of it — albeit in limited quantities — from India (it was, in fact, first produced in Darjeeling 20 years ago).India currently produces 10 million kg…

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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

• Play It Again, or Don't Think Twice, It's Alright

  Bill Ellis

  4 Nov 2009 | 2:43 pm

  A long time ago in the midst of strife and warfare and strife caused by warfare part of a generation dared to imagine a new world of peace and harmony, and dared to believe that it could be realized not only in some supernal realm where burdened souls take refuge from intractable facts, but in this world, right here. And they wrote songs expressing this hope, and we all sang them, and in singing them we too dared to hope. Now those same songs are being used by huge companies to convince us to buy...(read more)

• Questions Shift In Time

  DancesWL

  2 Nov 2009 | 1:53 am

  I lost a friend to cancer at an early age. Though my parents had a profound impact on me and who I am today, this event, meeting her, knowing her and losing her in a matter of a year clearly was the single most important event of my life and changed me in ways both innumerable and indefinable. My child’s heart Your love-light My innocence Your child’s face with A shaman’s soul. Yes, just one moment Two alone, but one; Your tenderness was softly snaring; An organic etching to hold my beating heart...(read more)

• forgiveness in the thin places

  Beth Patterson

  1 Nov 2009 | 3:26 pm

  Samhain Day of the Dead All Soul’s Day Our prayer: Bring us to the edge of the known Allow us access to what we swim in but don’t usually breathe. These thin days shift us like turned pages like the enter key like sleep. We enter the darkness of the year with more friends than we can shake a stick at. Ancestors abound in our dreams And guide our hands and hearts in so-called waking life. As we become the ancestors we dream of these days bring us to awareness healing moves backwards and forward along...(read more)

• Invitation: Stories of healing are requested for a documentary

  Beth Patterson

  1 Nov 2009 | 11:06 am

  A friend, Willow Durant, is seeking stories of healing for a documentary project. I am honored to support Willow in the project. She is a loving, deep soul with a healing heart. --Beth Seeking Individuals interested in sharing their healing stories I am gathering stories and working on a documentary that portrays individuals that have healed from, or that are in the process of healing from health challenges, disease or illness using alternative healing modalities. I want to connect with individuals...(read more)

• November 2009 Poem of the Month: Sweet Darkness

  krayna

  1 Nov 2009 | 10:51 am

  Poem of the Month ~ November 2009 May you allow sweet darkness embrace you this month and surprise you with gifts as of yet unimagined. --Krayna Sweet Darkness When your eyes are tired the world is tired also. When your vision has gone no part of the world can find you. Time to go into the dark where the night has eyes to recognize its own. There you can be sure you are not beyond love. The dark will be your womb tonight. The night will give you a horizon further than you can see. You must learn...(read more)

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  Blog entries

• Shino masters of tea ceremonies

  4 Nov 2009 | 11:00 pm

  Shino glaze originated in the 16th century, which ever since has been favoured by masters of tea ceremonies. It is believed shino is a variation of shiro, the Japanese word for white.  Originally artists painted under or over the white glaze with various shades of brown.  In the 1970’s, shino fire colours were introduced.  Read More...

• Hand and hand maturing

  2 Nov 2009 | 11:00 pm

  Bob Kinzie has been a potter since 1960.  But it has only been ten years for wife Sandy.  Now their desire is to: together evolve and mature aesthetically.  With Bob using a pottery wheel and Sandy hand building teapots, they work side by side in their studio.  Both have created magnificent textured pieces that areRead More...

• Sung Dynasty Teapot

  31 Oct 2009 | 11:00 pm

  Hsin-Chuen Lin attributes his pottery to the Sung Dynasty (960-1279).  With all these years of Chinese cultural resource, Lin believes the creation of new ceramic pieces is endless.  However, he readily admits that the exposure to contemporary processes in ceramics has allowed him the freedom and spontaneity to integrate the old Read More...

• Pots of Halloween

  29 Oct 2009 | 11:56 pm

  With it being Halloween eve these are a just few fabulous teapots to remind us of this festive occasion.Mary Dorsh’s Ghost Squared TeapotWickedly Witch Teapot

• Design of nonfunctional teapots

  28 Oct 2009 | 9:57 pm

  Linda Mau believes new techniques lead to solutions for old design issues.  But because she is married to an engineer, the concept of design, technology and materials has escalated.  This is evident with her paper clay teapots.  She first designs them on paper.  Wearing thick gloves, Linda then transforms tRead More...

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  Lainie Sips

• Review of Treleela’s (Ineeka) “Invigorate” Assam Black on Examiner.com

  admin

  6 Nov 2009 | 11:45 pm

  My review of Treleela’s (an Ineeka brand) “Invigorate” (a very tasty Assam) is now available on Examiner.com.  I strongly recommend this tea to Assam lovers who prefer not to add milk and sugar to their tea!

• Drink the Leaf’s Blood Orange Black (review)

  admin

  3 Nov 2009 | 3:52 pm

  Name: Blood Orange Black Brand: Drink The Leaf Type: Black tea, flavored Form: Loose Leaf Cost: $5.50 for 2 ounces (quantity discounts available) Review: This is a most interesting flavored black tea from Drink The Leaf: Ceylon tea is blended with blood orange flavoring and safflower petals for a refreshing, citrusy brew. The dark brown leaves infuse to a gorgeous red-orange color. The black tea meshes well with the blood orange flavoring: Citrus dominates, but the tea is quite detectable. Like the other Drink the Leaf teas that I have tried, this is a very fresh tea, and the fresh quality…

• SpecialTeas’ Cocoa Cardamom Tango Tea (review)

  admin

  26 Oct 2009 | 12:23 pm

  Name: Cocoa Cardamom Tango Tea Brand: SpecialTeas Type: Black tea, flavored Form: Loose leaf Cost: $5.95 for 1/4 lb (quantity discounts available) Review: I am sorry to say that this tea was a bit of of a disappointment. The nose on the dry leaf was rather nice, but the flavors just didn’t come together in the cup. I found the base tea to be rather harsh, and with the dominant cardamom, the result was an acrid brew. The addition of sugar and milk did soften this tea some, and the cocoa notes become more obvious. Still, the flavors never really came together, and while it the sweetened,…

• Tea Tip: Clean Teaware Prevents Breakage

  admin

  19 Oct 2009 | 3:06 pm

  I drink a lot of tea and use a lot of teaware. It isn’t uncommon for me to drink three, four, five different teas in a day. Some I brew in my Yixing pots, others I brew in a gaiwan or some other form of teaware: All under the watchful and beady eyes of Claudius, my little tea-pet. I am not always as careful as I should be about cleaning my teaware after each use, though. Take my gaiwans, for example. I’ll rinse the bowls with boiling water between teas, but I may leave the base/saucer on its own for a bit. This is a bad habit, though, and one I am trying to break, because spilled…

• Dream About Tea Opens Online Store

  admin

  16 Oct 2009 | 3:23 pm

  I am pleased to report that my favorite tea tea room, Dream About Tea, has opened up its online store at Dreamaboutteastore.com. Dream About Tea is an independent retailer and importer of teas, and are adding new teas daily to their online selection. Through November 30th, you can use coupon code freeship09 for free shipping on any order over $10. Dream About Tea specializes in pu’erh and Chinese teawares. Here are a few of my favorite items from them: Yunnan Golden Silk: This is hands-down my favorite black tea (aka “hong cha”). It is incredibly sweet and spicy, perfect…

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  Teatrekker's Weblog

• Pu-erh Envy

  teatrekker

  21 Oct 2009 | 6:22 pm

  Pu-erh 'stupa' This foot high, 2-piece Pu-erh ’stupa’ is the largest size that we have been able to procure from China. But believe me, this 1-kilo tea structure is a tiny tot compared to the 5-foot tall, multi-level stupas we have encountered in Yunnan. The term ’stupa’ here refers to the shape of the tea which resembles the shape of Buddhist Stupas – there is no religions connotation inferred by this that I know of.  In fact, tea shops in Yunnan proudly display their monumental tea stupas for their customers admiration. Used in this…

• 2009 Anxi Monkey-Picked Tieguanyin ( Wild-Grown )

  teatrekker

  23 Sep 2009 | 9:40 am

  Wow…. those monkeys have been working overtime again. Thanks boys, for rushing this delicious tea to us; it is perfect for late-afternoon sipping on a warm fall day just before the cool of the evening settles in.   Kidding aside, those of you who follow this blog know that I love the monkey-picked yarn, but a yarn it is. For more on that, please read my blog posting on November 25, 2008. Nevertheless, it’s time for the 2009 Anxi Wild-Grown Monkey-Picked Tieguanyin oolong. We decided to up the wow-factor this year and search for a wild-grown version of this tea.

• More New 2009 Tea

  teatrekker

  22 Sep 2009 | 8:18 am

  Nepal Hand-Rolled Tips New shipments of tea are arriving here daily and in rapid fire. These new additions are late spring /early summer green and teas that have been shipped by sea from China and Taiwan, and second flush Darjeeling and Nepal teas that have been shipped via air-cargo. We are in the process of  unpacking all of them, and it is a lot of work to make sure all is well with the tea and to get all of the peripheral information recorded. For example, we must literally unpack all of the tea to make sure it is all there. Then, we must taste it all to insure that each tea…

• Tea Trekker Tea-Shirts

  teatrekker

  18 Sep 2009 | 6:52 am

   Our beautiful new dusty-sage green tea-shirts are here and ready for wearing. Declare your love for the leaf and wear one with pride! Our shirts are a nice weight of 50/50 cotton/polyster blend to prevent shrinking ( we all know that we do not gain weight, but that our clothing shrinks).  A contingent of tea professionals recently all wore our tea-shirts on an educational tea trip to Taiwan – we loved that ! These thirts are printed for us by a non-profit company, Valley Tees. This unique business is run by The Association For Community Living, a Springfield, MA based program…

• He Became She and then Came Tea

  teatrekker

  14 Aug 2009 | 3:16 pm

  Many tea enthusiasts have discovered the delightful taste of China’s most famous oolong tea – Tieguanyin. This semi-ball rolled style tea is made in 27 tea villages located in the vicinity of Anxi in southern Fujian Province, and is manufactured in both modern and traditional oxidation styles. Some of it is roasted, perfect for aging, and some is not, perfect for drinking now. This region has steep mountains and deeply-cut valleys and terraced tea gardens as far as the eye can see. It is serious oolong tea country. But how many of you know that this tea is named for a Chinese…

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  Tea Party Guide

• Rent A Tea Party ~ Los Angeles, California

  6 Nov 2009 | 12:48 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

• Pumpkin Tea Cakes

  6 Nov 2009 | 12:47 pm

  Dear Sheila, I just got your newletter and have been having a craving for anything Pumpkin - so we made the recipe for pound cake you included called:

• Tea Party Supply Rentals For Convenience

  6 Nov 2009 | 12:15 pm

  Use great party supply rentals for your tea party and leave the care and worry of your china to someone else.

• California Party Rentals for Your Tea Party

  6 Nov 2009 | 12:11 pm

  Look for California party rentals here to simplify your party planning

• Tea Party Recipes

  6 Nov 2009 | 11:35 am

  Find all the tea party recipes you will need for your afternoon or high tea party.

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  Tea Finely Brewed

• 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…

• Giddapahar Musk: 2009 2nd Flush Black Tea from Darjeeling

  Eric

  24 Sep 2009 | 5:00 pm

  Giddapahar Musk. Second flush black tea from Darjeeling, India. Those of you who have been following this blog for some time will know that I have a soft spot for teas from Darjeeling. A while ago, I received a wonderful bundle of teas from Benoy, the benevolent man behind Thunderbolt Tea, a Darjeeling-based tea vendor. I’ve been following Benoy on Twitter, and one thing that is very clear to me is how much work goes into picking the best teas each season. Today’s tea, a lovely 2009 2nd Flush from Giddapahar Estate — the tea is nicknamed Giddapahar Musk — is a testament to…

• Special Deals for September

  Eric

  23 Sep 2009 | 12:01 am

  So call me slow, but over the past week I’ve seen a few different tea sellers promoting some great specials. If you’re looking to buy some tea, now’s the time! Mighty Leaf Tea are giving a 25% discount off selected black teas. This offer runs out on September 25, so you have to act quick. If you’re looking for a good place to start, try their Organic Breakfast Tea. Numi Organic Tea is offering a 25% discount on their flavoured pu-erh teas. Get 2 boxes of their pu-erh tea for $14.95 when you quote Coupon Code NMP99. This offer runs out after September 30. The Tea Spot…

• 
  The Exotic Teapot

• Shino masters of tea ceremonies

  4 Nov 2009 | 11:00 pm

  Shino glaze originated in the 16th century, which ever since has been favoured by masters of tea ceremonies. It is believed shino is a variation of shiro, the Japanese word for white.  Originally artists painted under or over the white glaze with various shades of brown.  In the 1970’s, shino fire colours were introduced.  Read More...

• Hand and hand maturing

  2 Nov 2009 | 11:00 pm

  Bob Kinzie has been a potter since 1960.  But it has only been ten years for wife Sandy.  Now their desire is to: together evolve and mature aesthetically.  With Bob using a pottery wheel and Sandy hand building teapots, they work side by side in their studio.  Both have created magnificent textured pieces that areRead More...

• Sung Dynasty Teapot

  31 Oct 2009 | 11:00 pm

  Hsin-Chuen Lin attributes his pottery to the Sung Dynasty (960-1279).  With all these years of Chinese cultural resource, Lin believes the creation of new ceramic pieces is endless.  However, he readily admits that the exposure to contemporary processes in ceramics has allowed him the freedom and spontaneity to integrate the old Read More...

• Pots of Halloween

  29 Oct 2009 | 11:56 pm

  With it being Halloween eve these are a just few fabulous teapots to remind us of this festive occasion.Mary Dorsh’s Ghost Squared TeapotWickedly Witch Teapot

• Design of nonfunctional teapots

  28 Oct 2009 | 9:57 pm

  Linda Mau believes new techniques lead to solutions for old design issues.  But because she is married to an engineer, the concept of design, technology and materials has escalated.  This is evident with her paper clay teapots.  She first designs them on paper.  Wearing thick gloves, Linda then transforms tRead More...

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  Bon Teavant

• 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…

• steeped in history with beatrice hohenegger

  Jennifer Sauer

  8 Sep 2009 | 7:28 pm

  If you could walk through a time machine and visit the landscapes and history of tea, it might look like the new exhibition, Steeped in History: The Art of Tea, now on display at UCLA's Fowler Museum until November 29, 2009.Nearly a decade of dedicated attention went into the creation of this seminal collection of Chinese, Japanese, European and American tea ware, paintings, scrolls and other tea paraphernalia. The exhibition was put together artfully by guest curator and author Beatrice Hohenegger, who wrote the fascinating book on tea, Liquid Jade (2006 St. Martin's Press).Click here…

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  Camellia Sinensis

• Construction Zone!

  Virginia

  3 Nov 2009 | 12:05 am

  If you're a regular Camellia Sinensis reader you've no doubt noticed some changes to the blog and possibly a few intermittent glitches. These are related to a major redesign of the ImperialTea.com web site, due to launch in the next week or so. Among other improvements, we'll be integrating the blog into the main site. Until the official relaunch you may notice occasional strange looks or odd

• Meetup in the Berkeley Teahouse

  Virginia

  1 Nov 2009 | 11:54 pm

  We're pleased that the new San Francisco Tea Meetup Group chose our Berkeley Teahouse for its inaugural meetup today. Bay Area-based Tea Sommelier James Labe selected six of our oolongs to taste and discuss: from Taiwan, Wen Shan Bao Zhong, Imperial Green Oolong, and Gui Fei Cha, and from China, Monkey-Picked Tie Guan Yin, the Phoenix Mountain oolong Bai Ye, and from Wu Yi Shan, Yan Ru. It was a

• Roy's Book Is Off to the Printer!

  Virginia

  1 Nov 2009 | 1:33 pm

  This morning we did the final signoffs and Roy's upcoming book, Great Teas of China, is heading to the printer! Assuming all goes well from here, we should have copies in our warehouse in about four weeks. You can preorder the book on our web site. We're also trying to arrange e-book editions. More details on that as the situation evolves.

• All Treats, No Tricks in the Teahouses This Weekend

  Virginia

  30 Oct 2009 | 3:27 pm

  If you're in the San Francisco Bay Area don't be spooked! Mark your calendar for a couple of fun events this Halloween weekend, when it's all treats/no tricks in our teahouses. Tomorrow we're celebrating the holiday with a Halloween Special: an order of delicious, handmade pumpkin shao mai plus our popular Winter Spice tea, all for just $8.Then on Sunday, November 1, join the San Francisco Tea

• Tea Lovers Holiday Shopping Guide: Five Fine Gifts Under $120

  Virginia

  30 Oct 2009 | 11:40 am

  If you're shopping to truly delight and impress your favorite tea lover, and give a gift that will be enjoyed for a long time to come, we have five fine tea items to suggest. High-quality, unique, attractive, and functional, they'll be the envy of any tea table:For those who love to drink lots of tea, or enjoy sharing with friends and family, our carefree and versatile glazed stoneware

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  World of Tea

• The Tea Round Table’s Holiday Gift Swap

  Tony

  3 Nov 2009 | 5:27 pm

  The holidays are upon us, and what better way to celebrate than to participate in the Tea Round Table’s Holiday Gift Swap. Here’s how it works: You fill out a simple form and once the... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

• Google Reader Tea Bundle – 85 tea blogs and counting…

  Tony

  2 Nov 2009 | 10:16 am

  I’ve been using Google Reader for about a year now. Its a powerful tool to use when the number of blogs you like to follow becomes daunting. I have put together a comprehensive tea... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

• Having People Over for Tea Tasting

  Tony

  30 Oct 2009 | 8:02 am

  I had a few friends over recently. They had never “experienced” tea. So I decided to give them a bit of a tasting, but I also wanted to have several courses of food to pair with the tea.... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

• Quick Note: Jason Witt’s book “Spirituality of Tea” is now available…

  Tony

  26 Oct 2009 | 12:36 pm

  Jason Witt’s book “Spirituality of Tea” is now available on Amazon: http://tr.im/D5fR Bookmark to: [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

• Kenyan Tea Prices at Record High

  Tony

  23 Oct 2009 | 8:30 am

  Reuters reported this week that Kenyan tea prices were at a record high, mostly from concerns that the next harvest will be bad due to foretasted bad weather. Read the full report here... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]