Tea Threes

Tea threes are a way to approach your tea time enjoyment. Three seems to be a number that comes up a lot, so why not apply it to teas?

Genies, when extruded from their lamps via the sufficient amount of…

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3 steeps of Obubu Tea's Sencha of the Summer Sun

Tea Tasting without Professional Equipment

Tea tasting pros have some specialized equipment. Photos show up online all the time of long rows of white tasting sets, making them the most well-known. Long have I been salivating (no, not literally!) over these photos showing “tasting set troops” lined up and…

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Tasting cup/bowl set

Yunnan Basics

Lots of great teas come out of China, recognized by many in the professional tea world as the country in which tea drinking originated. Nestled in the southern part of that country is the Yunnan Province, renowned for some very fine Chinese teas.

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Tea Time Looping

My tea time seems to be on a continuous loop quite often. No, it’s not one of those time travel type loops. There is no danger that, by changing one small thing in the past, when I return to the future my kitchen will be upside down or all my teapots inside out. The effects of this type of looping, though, can be just as disconcerting.

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Tipu’s Chai Develops a New Recipe

Note: This was originally written on 8 April 2011, but at the vendor’s request I held off posting it until the new recipe could be announced. They were also supposed to send a sample of the final recipe. I have decided to go ahead and post this since at this point, it won’t give anything away.

A new recipe is a tricky thing. You try a bit of this, taste it, add a bit of that, taste again, and go back and forth like this for awhile until the perfect mixture emerges. Of course, this works best when you are doing something in your own kitchen for your own consumption. When you’re creating a new recipe for your product line, sometimes you need to call in some taster help.

Tipu’s Chai decided to call on their Facebook fans, Twitter followers, customers and interested parties to try samples of a couple of versions of a new recipe. Hubby and I took them up on the challenge of deciding between sample A and sample B.

This is another instant version of spiced tea, which is often called “chai” here in the U.S. (“Chai” actually means “tea” in India and other countries in that area, and “spiced tea” is “masala chai.”) Company founder Bipin Patel started with his grandmother’s recipe and was successful at marketing it to a public that was used to the stuff they serve at coffee shops or sell in little bags to be steeped in barely hot water. Such authenticity was usually only available at Indian restaurants or at the homes of friends from India, etc. We were thrilled, therefore, when we first tried Tipu’s Chai. So why not help them select between two formulas for their new recipe?

Each packet contained quite a bit of the powdered mix and needed only 8 ounces of boiling water each to produce 2 cups of spicy chai. Overall, both samples were heavy on cardamom and black pepper, but B was a bit more balanced and sweeter than A, not as overwhelming. We also found them both a little too thin, not quite a milky as we would have liked, probably because they are made with soy (I’m mildly allergic but risked it for this experiment). Neither had a chalky taste, but both took a bit of stirring to get the powder all dissolved, tended to settle, and left residue in the cups. Of course, that’s typical for anything instant.

Hubby and I think instant anythings have their place. They can save you time and yet enable you to enjoy something a bit special. Tipu’s newest instant chai recipe will be no exception.

Don’t miss our reviews of two of their other spiced teas:

• Original Black Chai
• Instant Black Chai

The sample packets:

The powdered mix:

The tea in the cups:

The residue in the cups:

Company website: http://www.tipuschai.com/

Book Review — “The Jefferson Key” by Steve Berry

Steve Berry is a hardworking author, producing a thick novel every couple of years. Lots of research and effort go into each one. That is plain to see. The Jefferson Key is the second book I’ve read by Berry. It is part of a series with Berry’s dashing character Cotton Malone, this time accompanied by the outrageously beautiful (aren’t they always?) Cassiopeia Vitt.

Did you ever come across a book that wasn’t worth putting on your reading glasses? How about one that, when you are done reading it, you say, “Thank goodness that’s over”?

Bingo!

What this book isn’t: something interesting and historically accurate about Thomas Jefferson, nor a good read about the founding of our country. If you want either of those, look up a good biography and read The Federalist Papers. If you’re looking for good character development, or even bad character development, heck, any character development, this isn’t it. However, if you care about what the folks who rank books for the New York Times bestsellers list think, then this is it.

But I promised myself to be nice here.

Berry’s previous novel, The Emperor’s Tomb was much more interesting and much less cliché, possibly because I had not read the novels in this series that preceded it. The writing style in that book bothered me, coming across as choppy due to the quick switching between scenes, sort of like a lot of movies these days where you can hardly tell what is going on. Berry seems to apply this methodology to the extreme. I was hoping that this choppy style somehow was needed for the subject matter and plot. Sadly, he uses the same style in this latest book, too. Now, I can see that he is just stuck in a rut. Or his editor is.

Again, as with The Emperor’s Tomb, this book gives the impression that the true goal is to write something that Hollywood will want to buy, since it would need little rewriting to turn the book into a script. I wish him all the best in getting such a film deal.

As for me, I want to go back to reading something more worthwhile. Time is precious, and there is no rewind button on life.

More info on the author at: http://www.steveberry.org/

The Sweet Tea Debate Heats Up

The debate among tea drinkers over whether tea should be served iced and sweetened or not heats up as the weather does. Some avid tea drinkers don’t go much for iced tea or chilled tea, claiming that the flavor of such delicate teas as most white teas get distorted or lose their flavor altogether when they are cold. Some, like me, agree with this and also find…

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Tea Fakery

Fakery abounds in the tea world, as with many other products. Why not? Expensive teas, commanding prices in the hundreds or even thousands of dollars, are as tempting to counterfeiters as are the works of Gucci and other designers. They say that knowledge is power, though, so with a bit of knowledge, you can…

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Cool Down with Curry

While you’re all going for cool treats like cucumber sandwiches, watermelon, ice cream, lemonade and iced tea, I’m going for the — curry!?! Yes, curry, as spicy as I can stand. Spicy foods like curry can be just what you need during hot weather. To many, it seems contradictory, but there is a lot of personal experience and some tried and true old wives’ tales behind it.

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All Flavored Teas Are Not Created Equal

Flavored teas have become increasingly popular in the tea marketplace. Florals, fruits, and spices are everywhere you look. This is not a new phenomenon, though, nor are all flavored teas created equal.
There is a saying that “necessity is the mother of invention.” I counter that saying with…

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Jaipur Avenue Tea — A Bit of India in Your Cup

It’s getting easier and easier for you to have an authentic cuppa Indian-style spiced tea at home. First, there was Tipu’s Chai, and now there is Jaipur Avenue Tea. Powder in a packet. Just open, dump in a cup, add hot water, stir, enjoy.

Of course, that’s not really authentic, but we’re talking authentic taste here, not authentic methodology. Personally, I’d much rather have the powder in a packet.

Owner Jillu Zaveri is another person who followed the lure of tea away from a previous career. She was a fabric designer for Oscar de la Rente. In 2010, she decided to try her hand at bringing a favorite beverage of her native India to the American market and so started Jaipur Avenue Tea. She recognized the need for a quick-to-fix yet authentic tasting tea. Since then the tea has garnered a bit of praise, including one of the top five chais in Seattle.

To promote the products, Zaveri hired one of the best PR firms around (Gruman & Nicoll) and had a great commercial photographer, Sean Hoyt, take photos (a picture is worth a thousand words — definitely). So many articles are already out there, in fact, that I was hard-pressed to tell you anything new.

The tea is sold in grocery stores in Seattle and Redmond, Washington, and on Amazon.com. Really? What can you say about a tea that’s sold on (chortle) Amazon.com? Cheap *bleeping* tea, right? Wrong. And if you do say that, I will personally come to your house, wag my finger in your face, and say “Not so!” (Well, not really, but I bet that made you scared for a moment.) It’s quality black tea from India and real ingredients, not artificial flavorings.

At this time, there are only a few flavors available:

Original Masala  —  Ginger  —  Cardamom  —  Vanilla  —  Saffron

Some of the ingredients used are shown in this beautiful photo by Hoyt (used with his permission):

Clockwise from top left: Cinnamon sticks, saffron, cardamom, black peppercorns.

When I think of India, I tend to think of bright colors, so the dull brown box the samples came in was not what I expected. The full boxes, though, as seen on the company website, are in yellows, oranges, reds, and browns, a bit more variety. However, some blues (like I see in photos of the skies of Jaipur, India) and greens (like the tea gardens the tea leaves come from) would have been nice. (These colors seem to be present in this photo by Hoyt of Zaveri’s own home.) Overall, the palette seems a bit cliché and a tad boring, but at least I have a fuller context in which to view it. And, considering that she lives in the Seattle, Washington, area, I should be happy the packaging isn’t in shades of gray.

Another Flash site – ugh! The company donates a percentage of the profits to charities. Nice but not a reason to buy their teas.

So What’s “Jaipur”?

Jaipur is the name of a very modern city in India, with many thriving industries and an international airport. Like a lot of European cities, Jaipur has gates that remain as a sign of the city’s former days when being behind fortified walls was a necessity. Lots of modern architecture abounds, too, with angled planes made of concrete, steel girders, and large panes of glass reflecting the brilliant blue of the sky over the city. There is also a very active cultural section, with arts, crafts, and performance. Most importantly, it’s a city full of people who really know their chai!

Don’t Miss the Reviews

My adventures with this tea will be chronicled, as always, on Little Yellow Teapot Tea Reviews, even though that little teapot will not be directly involved with the preparation. He will certainly supervise. Since we received two packets of each flavor, we hope to try one packet hot and the other cold with ice (yes, “ice” per the vendor’s instructions) and milk.

HOB — The Uncozy



My fave: the Steel Blue and Brown HOB



“Tea cozy” — the very name conjures images of knitting, quilting, and stitching, activities traditionally associated with the female of the human species (mainly because men get to do all the fun stuff like jackhammering!). It conveys to teatime the image of frilliness that some males find…

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Starbucks Cake Pops Summer Sensation

Someone posted a photo on either Twitter or Facebook showing this newfangled treat she had purchased from a local Starbucks. It was called a “Cake Pop.” Immediately, I had to have one. Not kidding here.

So, I wrote a note for hubby, who has a part-time job working near a Starbucks: “Buy me a Cake Pop.” (I had to explain what a Cake Pop was.) He would trundle off to work, toil away, and then come home to “Where’s my Cake Pop?” This was after I gave him a big hug — honest! He would look abashed and say, “Sorry, I forgot.”

This went on for about a week. Sigh.

Finally, one day he came home and again looked a bit down, only to pull out a little paper bag from his lunch tote and start smiling. Cake Pops! Yay!

Then, I made him wait two more days until I had a chance to take a lovely photo. Once I had clicked the shutter, those Cake Pops were really in danger! We gobbled them up, relishing every luscious chocolaty gooey bite. Aaahhh!

By the way, the liquid in the cup is definitely not coffee. It’s a yummy, malty Assam tea with milk and sweetener.

Another Great Tea to Serve Cold — Monk’s Blend

Teas blended to be served iced or cold abound, but you have lots of other options, too. Quite often a tea you love when served hot will be good when served cold. I find this is especially true of teas that have fruit flavors added in. Monk’s Blend Black Tea is the latest one I’ve tried both ways, and it has not disappointed. Quite the contrary.

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

Does It Matter If Your Iced Tea Is Cloudy?



The English Tea Store's English Breakfast Blend No. 1



A lot of fuss is made about whether your iced tea is cloudy or not. Not surprising. Visual appeal is a big part of a sighted person’s enjoyment of food. For people like me who are very visually oriented, that appeal is even more important. But does it really matter where your sensory appreciation really counts? That is, does it make a difference in taste? Let’s find out.

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The English Tea Store Japanese Sencha



Reviewing Your Tea Experiences

As you move through the awesome maze of teas, trying this one and that, take a moment to stop, look back, and see from whence you've come. Your journey may have started out in total innocence with one of the lesser bagged teas and a mug to dunk it in as a method of steeping. As time went on, though, you learned and tried more teas and discovered…

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Margaret's Hope Darjeeling

The Tea and Jazz House

Another new tea vendor. Ho hum, right? Wrong! The Tea and Jazz House is in a class by itself. Since small tea businesses, often run by one or two people, dot the Internet with increasing frequency, being a standout is important. Some do it through clever company names, such as Mad Pots of Tea, while others do it through distinctive package design like Indie Teas. The Tea & Jazz House names their tea and herbal creations after jazz legends, matching the flavor and character of the blends to that of the musician. Combine this with music playing on the site when you go to it (the page has to fully load first) and your tea buying experience will never be the same.

Music playing on websites isn’t a new thing, nor is combining music with selling tea. Nevertheless, The Tea and Jazz House has an appeal that some of these others do not. Maybe it’s the sense of energy and excitement I got just from finding out more about owner Mary Cali. Maybe it was how much hubby and I enjoyed the first of the two tea samples she sent us. Maybe it’s the tie-in with her music label JazzticFuso and The Collab Lab studio. Lots of possibilities here.

It’s a new business, so there is always a risk when ordering, but my personal opinion is that it’s minimal. Mary is pretty serious about getting this business going. I doubt that she would want word to get around that you couldn’t order from her safely. She also comes across as someone of integrity.

The bad news: this is another site built using Flash. As a former Usability Designer for Peoplesoft and other large firms, I went by the cardinal rule “just because the technology is there, you don’t have to use it,” meaning that splashy and flashy took a big back seat to creating a site that people could actually use with ease to do what the site intended. In this case, the issue is how Flash works and not having information (such as the product descriptions) clearly displayed. The site officially launches on June 21st, but you can visit it now in advance.

Get better acquainted with The Tea and Jazz House by following them on Twitter: @teaandjazz. She also welcomes your feedback on her site, the teas, and related matters.

The Controversy of “Tisane” versus “Tea”

Chamomile Tisane

A big controversy is swirling in the world of tea: what is a “tisane” versus what is a “tea.” Every time I get into a discussion of this with people, either in person or through social media (Twitter and Facebook), I’m reminded of a recent conversation of “car” versus “bicycle”:

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Doting on Dad on Father's Day with Tea

Fathers are pretty special people. I know mine sure was. So, a bit of dotage for dads is certainly in order on their special day. And what better way than with a special Father’s Day Tea.

My dad grew up during what we now call the Great Depression. He really did walk through snow and storms to get to school (the one-room style) and back home — it wasn’t just a story to tell us so we would appreciate “how good we had it.” He also learned…

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A Reading of My Poem "We Were So Very Young" by Larry Wizard

Lately, on Twitter I have been responding to "prompts" by @MyWordWizard for poems. They suggest a starting line, and people add to it. Twitter's limit of 140 chars, though, was a bit limiting, so when My Word Wizard came up with a page on Facebook, I started entering longer poems there. They liked my stuff enough to want me to submit them to their website. Then, this guy called Larry Wizard started reading some of the poems off of the website in short YouTube videos. So cool!

He just read one of mine called "We Were So Very Young". He did such a good job of it that I wanted to share it with all of you here. As you can see, he has his own unique style of presentation. Enjoy!

UNTEA — It’s Not What You Think

Years ago there were commercials touting the “uncola”! Today, there is the UNTEA. No, it’s not Rooibos, honeybush, chamomile, yerba maté, guayusa, or a host of other plant matter being called “tea.” It’s not even true tea, the kind made from the tea bush (Camellia Sinensis). So, what is this thing called “UNTEA”?

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Tea Kettle Philosophy — Form vs. Function

Another pot of tea needed, which means another filling of the kettle and serving as “kettle sitter” while it boils. An opportune time to reflect on some deep and noteworthy topic. This one is a natural for tea drinkers: form vs. function. Should your teawares be primarily functional or stretch the boundaries of the unusual? Well, actually, that’s a personal decision that I couldn’t even begin to counsel you on, but I can point out some of the teawares I’ve seen out there that not only stretch those boundaries but make them cry “Uncle!” loud and clear!

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

Some more rather unconventional yet functional designs:

A gorgeous teaset based on peacocks and one based on goldfish.
Button Cup - Tea Code
A cup with self-contained saucer
The Dunk Mug - from gadgets and firebox

Women’s Names and Tea

Tea has been seen as a “woman’s beverage” in Europe and the U.S. since it was popularized in Britain by Portuguese princess Catherine of Braganza after her marriage to Prince Charles II. As tea became more popular, a lot of tea rooms became havens where women could go and not be seen as wild or get “hit on” by strange men. Even today, tea time is more popular with women. It’s only natural, therefore, that many teas and several herbal tisanes have women’s names.

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Margaret's Hope Darjeeling from The English Tea Store

Riding the Tea Price Rollercoaster

Prices go up. Prices go down. It’s true of clothing, an ounce of gold, food, gas, and — the most important thing of all — tea! It can be quite a ride, with your budget straining or relaxing as the direction changes. When it comes to tea, you can beat the move ups with some clever price shopping and by keeping an eye on the latest tea news with an understanding of how it affects the price you pay.

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Tea Moments — A Too Quiet House

Time out for a tea moment to contemplate the mysteries of life. In this case, it’s the too quiet house.

Houses know quiet and noise. They can be filled with either and both, with one room being the hub of human activity (music playing, TVs blaring, children laughing and shouting, etc.) and another being a sanctuary of calm. There are times when…

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Trying a Couple of Teas Chilled

In hot weather, many tea drinkers chill or ice their tea to be able to enjoy a cooling treat. However, not all teas are at their best when cold versus hot. It’s hard to predict ahead of time, too. Sometimes you just have to jump in and try them. I recently decided to do just that with two teas that were fine when served hot. How will they taste cold? Time to find out.

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Is Your Teapot a Dribbler?

Lemon Slice Tea Drip Catcher



Teapots can sometimes be dribblers. Is yours? We’re not talking about whether your teapot is a basketball star or not. Of course, that would be quite a sight to see — a teapot bouncing a basketball down the court, weaving in and out between the legs of those giant players towering above him, and going for that…

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20 Reasons to Drink Tea in June

June is a great month. Lots of weddings, at which tea is becoming increasingly popular. Summer starts, Dad’s are honored, and much more. Now, I know many of you drink tea for the sheer pleasure of it, but how much more pleasurable to toast some special occasion with your teacup! To help you out there, I am once again presenting a month’s worth of perfect occasions to do just that.

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