122 replies to this topic

[tanabutler]

I have tea every day of my life. I've been drinking it since I was seven years old, despite having grown up in a family of coffee drinkers. I don't have the world's biggest collection, but I do have some lovely kinds.

My Sri Lankan friend brought me a collection of "Pure Ceylon" Mlesna teas, and I am slowly working my way through the samplers.

I'm an Earl Grey lover, in particular, but it has to be the right balance of bergamot, otherwise it's too much like drinking perfume.

Recently, Adagio Teas offered a free sampler to some food bloggers, and my choices arrived last week. They let us pick any four we wanted, so I chose Earl Grey, Apricot, Mango, and Yunnan Gold, but they sent Yunnan Jig instead. No complaints: it's wonderful. The apricot is easily the best apricot tea—and one of the best teas, period—I've ever had: it even has mouthfeel. I don't like many flavored teas, but I got hooked on apricot tea in my early twenties.

I've got several kinds of the Republic of Tea (we love their Mango and Ginger Peach, and I wish they still made the Passionfruit Peppermint), some jasmine tea and rose petal tea from Chinatown in San Francisco, and some other kinds, too.

One thing I particularly love about being with Bob is that he is a tea drinker, too. We make each other tea every morning. It's our ritual. You can't be mad at someone over a cup of tea.

And lest someone lord it over anyone: we do have both loose tea and teabags in the house. I have far more loose teas than teabags, but Bob would not be able to operate a teapot without first having tea, so the first cup in the morning is made from teabags. It's just easier for him. So sue me.

[omnivorette]

http://chezpim.typep...ing_the_te.html

[tanabutler]

And then there is iced tea. I made a batch of simple syrup with mint and using it to sweeten my iced tea.

SIMPLE SYRUP WITH MINT
1 c. sugar
1 c. water
1/2 bunch mint

Boil the water and sugar until dissolved; turn off the heat, add the mint and steep for 15 minutes. Then chill.

. . . . . . . . . . .

The Adagio apricot tea is superior for icing.

Bob and I are both milk and sugar people. 2% milk, that is. I can't drink hot tea without it, or it upsets my stomach a bit.

[banh cuon]

I'm an avid tea drinker as well, although I prefer mine plain with no milk or sugar. I also prefer loose teas since this allows me to better control the strength of the tea, and since I like to used a teapot.

My favorite straight teas are first flush darjeelings, pearl jasmine, and sencha and genmaicha.

For flavored teas I enjoy Bernardaud apple tea, Betjeman and Barton's rhubarb and blueberry tea, as well as the Marco Polo flavor from Mariage Freres. The Marco Polo is particularly nice when iced.

[monkeymay]

We have 8-10 loose teas we offer on a regular basis at the cafe.
Our tea comes from Sungarden who features organic and fair trade teas. My two current favorites are their green tea which is flavored with lavender and bits of citrus, and a french plum which we use for our ice tea as well.We also brew their incredible chai (as opposed to a liquid concentrate like eveyone else)for our lattes. I found these great tea bags at the Japanese market - you fill the pouch, fold it over (like a baggie) and a string detaches from the side to remove the bag from the cup. It's the perfect DIY. I drink green tea all afternoon - it maintains my 'clarity' buzz.

[StephanieL]

I found these great tea bags at the Japanese market - you fill the pouch, fold it over (like a baggie) and a string detaches from the side to remove the bag from the cup. It's the perfect DIY.

I use a similar sachet from I think Germany, though it doesn't have the string.

I don't drink tea every day, so it takes me a long time to get through a supply of loose leaves. Right now I've got a morning blend from T Salon as well as green, jasmine, and herbal from McNulty's that a friend brought me when I was recovering from surgery.

[tanabutler]

If anyone would like a $5 gift certificate for Adagio tea, send me your e-mail address, and I will send you a coupon. I just ordered the Earl Grey and apricot. I love this stuff.

[banh cuon]

They sell a large variety of Mariage Freres tea at the Soho location of Dean and Deluca; and happily they almost always have the Marco Polo flavor in stock. Balducci's has Mariage Freres tea as well, but a smaller selection. Also, a small tea shop/patisserie calle The Adore (17 E. 13th St.) stocks and sells Mariage Freres tea and they often have Marco Polo as one of their iced teas and it's just delicious.

[mongo_jones]

if it doesn't have tea in it, it isn't tea. if it is flavored it isn't tea (especially if it is earl grey--then it is poison).

i brought back 3 small packets of premium darjeeling tea from delhi--a first flush, a second flush and an autumnal. beautifully packaged in handcrafted kashmiri bags. but i'll be buggered if i can tell the difference between the first and second flush--i suspect i've been had.

[mongo_jones]

some of you heathens may be interested in this site. full disclosure: this is owned by a classmate from boarding school (though i haven't seen him in 19 years). his family's been in the tea business forever. he has a lot more money, but i have a lot more hair.

[tanabutler]

if it is flavored it isn't tea (especially if it is earl grey--then it is poison).

You're not the boss of me!

[mongo_jones]

from my egullet blog (ah memories):

(foodie52 @ Jun 17 2004, 07:53 AM)
You can find the history of Earl Grey tea

HERE

foodie52, you would dare explain EVIL? do we really need to know anything other than what is obvious: earl grey is what the demon mahishasura dribbled out of his anus while the goddess durga was sticking it to him. all this history schmistory is clearly revisionist.

but let no one say i am not open to other ways of knowing the world:

Earl Grey of Howick Hall, near Craster, was one of Britain’s most popular Prime Ministers. His 1832 Reform Act completely changed the democratic system in Britain to the system we have today of parliamentary constituencies of (roughly) equal size and a one man, one vote electoral system.

notice how all this preamble is needed to set the guy up before the demon-juice can be mentioned.

As Prime Minister, he also once sent a diplomatic mission to China and by chance the envoy saved the life of a Chinese Madarin. In gratitude, the Mandarin sent the Earl a delightfully scented tea, with its recipe. The special ingredient with which it was flavoured was oil of Bergamot.

and notice how quickly the chinese are blamed. clearly this was an assasination plot that went awry because the earl was a mechanical ninja and needed daily infusions of oil of bergamot to keep his privates moving.

Earl Grey was delighted and in future always asked his tea merchant – the Tyneside company, Twinings, for that blend. His drawing room soon became famous for its tea and in due course the family gave permission for the blend to be sold to the public.

might this have been when the family fortunes began to sag? in any event it becomes clear who is really to blame for it coming near my nose. not the chinese, the english.

Today, Earl Grey is the world’s most popular blend and is sold in more than 90 countries.

i believe st. john points to this as the ultimate sign of the closeness of the apocalypse.

[tanabutler]

I remember all that fondly, Mongo. But you, by your own admission, don't even eat eggplant!

[pim]

i brought back 3 small packets of premium darjeeling tea from delhi--a first flush, a second flush and an autumnal. beautifully packaged in handcrafted kashmiri bags. but i'll be buggered if i can tell the difference between the first and second flush--i suspect i've been had.

I suspect so, Mongo. You should be able to tell the difference between them, not only from the look of the dried leafs, but also the color and taste of the brews. The first flush for sure, as it should be much greener, and the leafs more "tippy", with white-ish bits, than the others. The difference between second flush and autumnal flush, depending on the estate, might be a little bit more subtle.

Were your premium darjeelings labeled with the name of the estate it came from? Someone at Peet's once tried to sell me "premium first flush darjeeling" without telling me where it came from, "urr...India?" was the answer.

Selling generic First Flush is, to me at least, like selling generic First Growth Bordeaux.....really, it came from Bordeaux, but we are just not gonna tell you what chateau....

heh.