Bon Appetit's teapot round-up

Hot Pots feature in Bon Appetit, Feb. 2013, pages 96-97.

The spread of teapots in the February 2013 issue of Bon Appetit is enviable.  My teapot collection needs a design and numeric infusion!  Lucky for me, two of my favorites are relatively affordable: the red Oiva by Marimekko ($87) and the glass Norm Kettle by Menu Glassware ($60).  The gold-topped Magic Flute Sarastro by Rosenthal is lovely and I wouldn't mind using the grey stoneware pot by Brickett Davda for my green teas and the cast-iron Ciacapo by Covo Shop for my oolongs.

I like the simplicity and versatility of the white Oiva.  The small, blue and white porcelain Siirtolapuutarha bowls in the background would make an excellent tea set.

If you haven't already done so, check out Oh, How Civilized's teapot round-up.

Tea Review: Porto Rico's Golden Black Gunpowder

Golden Black Gunpowder is one of two teas I purchased this week, both from the Bleecker Street Porto Rico store.  I had not heard of this tea before but the name and look caught my attention.  A more descriptive name might be Golden Gunpowder Black Tea as it is a black tea rolled in the gunpowder style.

The Tea Table website recommends one-half teaspoon per cup steeped for three to five minutes.  I used one teaspoon in a gaiwan steeped for one minute intervals.  The temperature of the water was about 190°F.  Teavivre recommends 185-194°F for traditional green gunpowder.

Now for the taste.  The tea is delicious and complex!  I detected caramel in later infusions but in earlier infusions, a pleasant astringency upfront followed by a creamy nuttiness and also a slightly woodsy flavor.  The rolled leaves are beautiful with their golden tips and when unfurled are long and intact.

I've mostly prepared this tea without milk; when you steep a tea in a gaiwan, milk does not seem appropriate.  But, I did drink a cup of it with milk and it reminded me of a smooth Assam so it is also a good choice for those who like to drink black tea with milk. Please let me know if you drink this tea with milk.

Recipe: Oh, How Civilized's matcha hot chocolate

I really enjoy baking and cooking and I usually modify the recipes I use.  Sometimes it pays to follow the recipe, as in the case of Oh, How Civilized's Matcha Hot Chocolate recipe.  The recipe calls for white chocolate but not liking the sweetness of white chocolate I decided to substitute dark chocolate.

 

Initially, the drink tasted great, like a rich brownie but as the tea cooled it acquired an overly earthy flavor.  Admittedly I used Nestle dark chocolate morsels (I had recently purchased them to use in a granola recipe).  (I estimated 1/4 cup would equal "2/3 of a 3.5oz" bar.)  Also, I used ingredient-grade matcha (see above) which tasted delicious in the iced matcha drinks I made in 2011 based on the ones at the In Pursuit of Tea pop-up shop.  However, the hot chocolate recipe called for ceremonial-grade matcha.  I need to update my pantry!  I will try the recipe again but I will use white chocolate.

By the way, any recommendations for white chocolate?  Jee of Oh, How Civilized used Lindt.

Recipe: Brooklyn Supper's spiced ginger lemon tea

I had great success with Oh, How Civilized's Masala Chai (recipe here) that I decided to regularly recreate tea recipes from my favorite blogs.  The next recipe I tried at home was a Spiced Ginger Lemon Tea, by Brooklyn Supper.

Coincidentally I read the recipe a few days before I got a cold.  This tisane is delicious and effective!  I mostly stayed true to the recipe only substituting one ingredient: star anise for fennel.  The star anise and honey were sweet in different ways and balanced by the heat of the ginger and tartness of the lemon. I smelled the cardamom more than I tasted but perhaps it was that smooth warmth beneath the ginger. Oh, I added rum to one batch because Rotea's cold was more severe than my own.

A final note, the lemon I used in the first batch was too big and so the drink was a bit sour. The next batches were less so but I think in the future I will use a sweeter lemon.