Curds at Tea Time

Let’s face it ― the word “curds” tends not to stir the appetite. Maybe it’s because of the nursery rhyme (Little Miss Muffet on her tuffet eating those curds and whey ― cottage cheese to you and me). However, curd is quite a pleasant thing sometimes.

There are two basic types of curds…

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Tea Dilemma — The Awkward Bit

It can happen — that tea dilemma — and usually does when you least expect it. You go to pour a cuppa from the teapot, anticipating that flow of fragrant, delicious tea to fill your cup, but … agh! you barely get enough for a good swallow or two. That’s the “awkward bit” leftover from a wonderful full pot of tasty tea.

Now what do you do? Well, that depends…

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Making a Pumpkin Pie for Tea Time

Those little pie pumpkins are popping up in grocery stores and farmers’ markets, signaling that it’s time to make a pumpkin pie for tea time! We picked our pumpkin and headed home to make this tasty treat that is becoming an annual tradition in our house (hubby baked pies the two previous years around this same time).

The great thing these days is…

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This pumpkin is only slightly larger that my intrepid tea buddy, Little Yellow Teapot.

When the pie was ready to scarf down, Little Yellow Teapot steeped up some Keemun Panda to go with it.

Sylvakandy Estate Ceylon Tea — Sheer Delight!

Sylvakandy Estate Tea from Ceylon just upped my taste standards when it comes to a nice cuppa black tea. The taste is quite distinctive from teas grown in the Assam area of India despite the varietal of Camellia Sinensis being the same (Camellia Sinensis assamica).

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See my review of this tea.

The Boston Tea Company Cranberry Scone Mix

The Canadians are coming…to a scone mix near you! Hubby and I received a sample of Canadian company Cobblestone Kitchens Cranberry Scone Mix from The Boston Tea Company.

We began by pulling the plastic bag containing the mix out of the diamond-shaped box. (The box is a little large, with the bag only filling up about half of it. Our one beef with this brand is the excess packaging: big box, small contents.) You need a bit of milk and vegetable oil to add to the dry mix. The mix, oil, and milk stir up easily and form a sticky glob in the bowl. Plenty of cranberries in this mix, that’s for sure.

As we’d done previously, hubby and I used our drop method for the scones and once again got 8 scones, what we expected based on the weight of the dry mix (7.5 oz.). The quality of these scones more than compensates for the small quantity.

The scones came out of the oven lightly browned and crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside. The cranberries were plentiful but not overly strong. That’s good if you like your scones au naturel (without butter, jams, clotted cream, etc., on them), and these are certainly light enough to eat that way. However, if you prefer to top your scone, try some lemon curd. I did, and it was a great flavor combo. The tea ably served up by “Tea Gang” member “Bruno” (from Louisville Stoneware) was an Assam steeped up lightly so that we could drink it straight and yet not yet have it overwhelm the delicate flavor of the scones. We scarfed down 6 of the 8 scones in no time, saving the final 2 for a treat later.

While cranberries are very popular during Winter Holidays, you can enjoy them all year round. This flavor and the others available from Boston Tea Company are great to have on hand for holiday guests. Keep some of each on hand your hungry holiday horde, or fix just one for your special intimate teatime with a “certain someone.”

See also:
The Boston Tea Company Lemon Poppyseed Scone Mix
The Boston Tea Company Blueberry-Cranberry Scone Mix
The Boston Tea Company Plain Scone Mix

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text

Tea and Candy Corn

Candy corn is available all year round, but in Autumn it seems to be much more prevalent. Perfect for a little something sweet to have with a nice cuppa tea.

What Is Candy Corn

Candy corn is, as the name suggests, candy that is shaped like oversized kernels of corn. It is sugar laden, so indulge with caution. In fact, candy corn is made primarily from…

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Developing Tea “Color Vision”

Color is an important element in the world around us, whether it’s the color of the paint on the walls and other décor of your humble abode, the colors of Nature changing from season to season, or the color of the tea you’re drinking. You just need to develop your “color vision” to truly appreciate these hues.

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Whether you’re buying, selling, or freshening, your painting the interior of your house can be very effective. Having good “color vision” is the key.

Before and after shots of the guest room. We didn’t let the purple paint on the walls keep us from buying this house. We could see the room as it would look after we painted it. That’s “paint color vision.”

One thing I can really see buyers objecting to is – ugh! – wallpaper. My husband and I bought a house a few years ago that had wallpaper on most of the walls. (We must have had some kind of moment of overconfidence in our ability to remove it all.) Most of the wallpaper was so well-applied to the walls, that we would have had one tough time taking it down, leaving us with the option of painting over it. We mulled that over for a couple of years and then decided to move (well, we also needed more space).

Tea Tin Parade

That “Pioneer Spirit” is alive and well in me, the part that just can’t bear to let go of something with a smidgen of potential to be used in one way or another. This is especially true of empty tea tins.

Tea was originally shipped from The East to Europe in metal-lined wooden chests, fine ceramic jars, and…

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Roundtable Topic: Sweeteners and Tea

This is the first of what may be a series of “roundtable topics.” Several writers who contribute to this blog will be weighing in on various topics related to tea. We encourage you to join in with your comments.

Originally, we were all going to discuss which…

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“T” Is Not Just a Letter of the Alphabet

A, B, C, D… the alphabet is great for tea! And the best letter is “T” for without it, how could we have tea? (Yes, I know, we also need an “E” and an “A” — bear with me here!)

There are lots of words for this beverage steeped from…

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British Candies Are Perfect for Halloween

Halloween time is upon us once more. Time to line up treats for the kiddies. Some of the best options are those wonderful British candies. Stock up now before that doorbell starts ringing.

Let’s set the scene…

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Keeping a Tea Log

So, you are well on your way to being a truly Picky Tea Drinker — congratulations! But what was the scrumptious tea you tried the other day that knocked your tea-loving socks off? You think and think but can’t remember. And what was the perfect steeping time for that Dou Yun Mao Jian from…

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Pumpkins and Tea

One of the favorite flavors of Fall is pumpkin. This is true for pies, tarts, breads, soups, and — yes! — teas. They make for a tasty tea time, especially as weather turns cooler.

If you opt for pumpkin pie, tarts, or bread, try some …

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My review of The English Tea Store’s Pumpkin Spice Black Tea.

Tea Time and Sticky Toffee Pudding

Tea time and sticky toffee pudding is a very British combo but also one that is becoming better known here in the U.S. First, though, we have to get past the language barrier.

“Pudding” in Brit lingo is not quite the same as…

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Auntys Sticky Toffee Pudding

The Value of Boutique Tea Vendors

Tea drinkers can rejoice. We have more than that aisle at the grocery store to choose from when needing to restock our tea pantry. One of the growing categories is the “boutique tea vendor.” They bring extraordinary value to your tea experience.

What Is a Boutique Tea Vendor?
I don’t know if that term is official, but “boutique” seems to fit tea vendors who bring you a carefully sourced selection of finer teas. Just like boutique stores where you can find some less cookie cutter merchandise that is often of higher quality than is available at a “big box” store. This is sort of built into their business model. The bigger stores, like the ones I described in my article on “chain store style” tea shops, carry quite a variety of teas, but seem to focus on lots of flavored teas. They depend on large numbers of people walking in, being attracted by the aromas, and making a purchase. The drawback: flavored teas don’t always steep up tasting as good as they smelled in the shop. Case in point is Bossa Nova from TeaGschwendner. Lovely vanilla aroma but not nearly as good tasting and, since it’s an oolong which would usually be good for several steepings but isn’t now because of the fading vanilla, tends to be a waste of money.

Boutique tea vendors will present teas that you most likely won’t get elsewhere. Most of the time, they seem to focus on presenting unflavored teas, emphasizing their natural flavors. If they do present flavored teas, they are mostly classics that have been around awhile such as Jasmines, spiced teas (chais), genmaicha, and Earl Greys, or flavors they have created special for you, the customer. They also try to present information about tea and methods of preparation so that you can fully enjoy the teas you purchase from them. Price-wise, their teas seem higher until you begin calculating the cost per cup where most of the teas can be steeped multiple times.

Some Boutique Tea Vendors I Know
Here are some boutique tea vendors whose teas I have had the pleasure to try:

Canton Tea ― A British company, consisting of the 2-person team of Jennifer Wood and Edgar Thoemmes, whose teas I tried awhile back. I tried their White Bai Mu Dan and Traditional Shui Xian (Oolong). Their lineup includes more than this, though. Each is special and personally selected by Jennifer and/or Edgar. More info on them.

Tula Teas ― Libby Gibson and her tea company are in Canada, where the “chain store style” tea shop David’s Tea has spread like wildfire. Still, she maintains her focus on a limited selection of very special teas and herbals. I’ve been honored to try several of her teas, including Formosa Green, Charcoal Roasted Dong Ding Oolong, Zealong Pure Tea, Zealong Dark Tea, Four Seasons Tea, and Green Mulberry Tisane. Each was a revelation, taking me a step further away from my teadust-in-a-string-and-tag-bag days. More info on them.

thepuriTea.com ― Going from techie to tea guy, Nav Nouhi puts his tea knowledge to good use connecting with growers in Asia and other tea growing areas. I’ve tried a list of teas, mostly unflavored, and was never disappointed. Nav offers some flavored teas, but unlike some online vendors, they are not his main focus. The site tries to give you detailed descriptions, but I have found some to be a bit too much and actually off putting. Ignore them and pick teas to try that look appealing to you. Sample sizes are available, so you won’t put out a bundle just to see if you like a particular tea you’re trying for the first time. More info on them.

Thunderbolt Tea ― My contact there is Benoy Thapa. He rides around the Himalayan mountains and foothills on his motorcycle visiting the various tea gardens in the Darjeeling area of India. He tastes and selects the best of the best and makes them available to you. If you’ve only had those Darjeeling tea blends, treat yourself to some First Flush, Second Flush, or Autumn Flush from some of the best tea gardens there, including Singbulli, Arya, Castleton, Giddapahar, Risheehat, and Goomtee, to name but a few. I’ve had the mind-blowing pleasure of trying bunches of samples from 2009 and 2010, and have several waiting their turn from the 2011 First and Second Flushes. More info on them.

Bottom Line:
There are other boutique tea vendors out there, waiting for you to check them out. Expand your horizons. It’s fine to shop with the big guys, but you will find some wonderful surprises at the smaller shop!

Disclaimer: While I have received free samples from the above companies, the views expressed here are my own and not paid for in any way. I truly find the above companies to be stand outs in the tea arena.

Tea Traditions — Malta

In the blue Mediterranean lies an archipelago of islands, one of which is named Malta. Not quite the setting where you would expect tea experts and tea traditions dating back centuries. And best known as the origin of “The Maltese Falcon” — you know, that troublesome little statue that people were…

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Enjoy tea at a sidewalk café like this one.

The Pros and Cons of Bodum Teapots

Bodum teapots can be a real problem-solver for some tea drinkers and a big turnoff to others. Like many things in life, they have their pros and cons, in part because they are mostly glass and in part because of their overall design. Sleek, modern, European styling typifies these Bodum teapots, yet they are practical since the body is made from heat-resistant borosilicate glass.

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Try using your Bodum teapot (the fat kind like this one) for blooming teas.
Just leave out the plunger and infuser basket.

Group Book Review — “Tea Reader” by Katrina Ávila Munichiello

Another new tea book? You betcha! Writer/blogger/tea lover Katrina Ávila Munichiello put together Tea Reader: Living Life One Cup at a Time, a volume of various stories about tea (she is shown as the author but only wrote small intro pieces to each section). How appropriate, therefore, for fellow writers/bloggers/tea lovers to…

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Apple-Flavored Teas and Tisanes

Apple-flavored teas are enjoyed year round but become especially popular in the Fall, a time in the U.S. when apples are typically harvested. They are also featured in a number of caffeine-free herbal mixes.

Start with…

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Read my review of Mercedes Apple Spice from The English Tea Store.

Tea and Whiskers

Tea and “whiskers” (beards and moustaches, specifically) aren’t exactly what you would call natural companions. Tea is — well — liquid and often flows where it prefers. Whiskers are the antithesis — bristly strands, grabbing like minute fingers at tiny tea drops. In short, tea and whiskers are at odds. A promo for the reality show "Whisker Wars" (no, I don't watch it — I just saw a promo) got me thinking about this feuding and how men with whiskers deal with it.

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A particularly fine example: Japanese Fine Porcelain Moustache Cup

20 Reasons to Drink Tea in October

October is chock full of dates to commemorate, including the obvious: Halloween! It is a time of harvest and always seems to be the heart of Autumn. Time to make note of some of the special dates this month and how to appropriately celebrate them with tea!

But first, a few month-long observations…

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October 28th is Plush Animal Lover's Day. Treat your plush animals to a nice tea time!
From left to right: Little Yellow Bunny, Randy the Reindeer, Hugbear, Plushybear, Bob the White Bunny, and Pete the Pound Baby

“Chain Store Style” Tea Shops

The issue of “chain store style” tea shops came up when I looked into a tea company that had sent me some samples to try. They turned out to be a “chain store style” tea shop. I wanted to stay focused on other aspects of that company, though, and postponed getting into the issue of these style shops for a separate article.

What Are “Chain Store Style” Tea Shops?

First, you might be wondering what I mean by “chain store style” tea shops. Simple. A bunch of tea shops owned or franchised by the same parent company. They look pretty much alike and have the same stock of teas and teawares in them. As the recognition of tea as a beverage worth noting in the U.S. and Canada grows, the market opens up for slick shops with rows of shiny tea tins, shelves bursting with brightly colored teawares, and tea bins overflowing with teas and herbals (usually labeled as “teas”) mostly flavored with all sorts of bits and pieces, along with a few straight teas. Thus the proliferation of these “chain store style” tea shops.

I repeat from the previous article: “To each his own” – no one is saying what a tea vendor should or should not be.

These stores usually cater to a wide range of tea tastes, relying on the aromas of the flavorings to create the appeal. It’s easier to mix in flavors people know and like than to educate them on what a nice Taiwan oolong should taste like and how to get several infusions out of the leaves.

The Downside of “Chain Store Style” Tea Shops

The biggest bugaboo with these stores is staff knowledge. Some seem to know more than the basics about tea while others do not, so you have a hit-or-miss experience. Not surprising. Tea is not a difficult subject to gain a superficial knowledge of, but it can take years to gain a really broad and in-depth knowledge. Still, employees should be able to tell Genmaicha from Sencha and Keemun from Assam. They should also have the sense to be aware of things like nut allergies and take care to keep the scoops for those teas that are mixed with nuts from also being used in those teas that are mixed with nuts. I have even heard of a teashop employee that said they put their bamboo whisks used for the matcha in the dishwasher. Astounding! That doesn’t even take years of schooling to know. It’s common sense.

My visit to the TeaGschwendner shop in North Carolina awhile back was prompted by tweets with an employee there who sounded knowledgeable. Considering that this shop was a bit of a distance from my home, I made sure he was going to be there before driving all that way. He was able to show hubby and me a number of teas that suited what we were looking for. (He has since moved away, but the store owner taught him all he knew about tea, so I’m not worried should a return visit be made.)

The second biggest bugaboo is the focus on teas heavily flavored to appeal to people who know little if anything about tea. I’ve gotten comments from a number of people who say they liked all those flavored teas until they learned more about teas and all their subtle flavors and aromas. That certainly was my case. (I still enjoy Earl Grey, masala chais, and some teas flavored with real pieces of fruit such as mango and peach.) You will often be greeted with a small cup of the tea of the day, usually something flavored. Tea tastings are held but are often again for flavored teas.

The third bugaboo is that these shops don’t help people learn about tea but cater to whatever the customer thinks is tea already. Personally, I see such places having a role in raising knowledge up among their customers. But if they do, they end up losing those customers or needing to split their business into the mass appeal side and the specialty side that features single garden teas, teas processed in ancient traditional methods, single flushes, etc.

Smaller Tea Vendors vs “Chain Store Style” Tea Shops

The distinction also should be made between these “chain store style” shops and smaller tea vendors. There are those who specialize in flavored teas such as Indie Teas, Joy’s Teaspoon, Tea and Jazz House, Necessiteas, and Mad Pots of Tea. These smaller vendors seem to have more of a connection to their flavored creations and, based on the ones I’ve tried, they aren’t just peddling tea of questionable quality hidden behind mint, fruit pieces, spices such as cinnamon, and who knows what all. There are also vendors who take the time to visit the tea gardens and know the growers and processors. Some examples are Canton Tea in the UK, Tula Teas in Canada, and thepuriTea.com here in the US.

Tearooms vs “Chain Store Style” Tea Shops

Some are better than others. Tea options are often limited by necessity. They can’t stock everything. The same issue with staff tea knowledge exists and varies widely. My experience has been that tearoom staff usually know the teas they serve but little else. Some don’t even know that much, though, but you get a sit-down tea experience and some nice food choices that you don’t get in the tea shops.

Bottom Line:

As the saying goes, to every thing there is a season. I guess to every tea shopper there is a venue, be it a Teavana or Davids Tea, or an online vendor, or the tearoom in your town. Happy tea shopping!

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text