DAVIDsTEA Winter Collection

The Winter Collection + the Nordic tea mug with infuser and lid from DAVIDsTEA is a perfect gift for tea folk who like blends and want to prepare them easily at the office or at home.

I don't work in an office but I've been using the mug often. I like the lid - I can cover my mug while the tea is steeping and it's a convenient saucer for the infuser. Another neat feature of the mug is its heat sensitivity; the reindeer design on the exterior change color when you pour in hot water.

The teas in the collection are sugar plum forest (Rooibos), apple custard (tisane), cocomint cream (tisane), bubbie's baklava (oolong), and vanilla chai (black). The serving size is curious - 1.25 teaspoons. I would suggest a heaping teaspoon for the tisanes. Also I think I would prefer the tisanes as iced teas would make refreshing iced teas. For the oolong and black tea based blends, I would suggest using two teaspoons to extract more of the base tea flavors.

All the teas are very aromatic and put you in the season, so to speak.

Tea and tea mug c/o of Bratskier & Company. Images from DavidsTea website.

Tea Review: Golden Tips Tea CTC Assam Exotic

Golden Tips Tea has one of the most creative packaging I've seen. The teas arrived in a cardboard box which was wrapped in cotton that had been hand-sewn closed. The company provided several Darjeelings, three Assams, a Nilgiri and an herbal a rose-flavored green tea. As I mentioned on Twitter, I haven't figured out how to properly steep the Nilgiri but I have finished the Mankota Exotic Assam and the CTC Assam Exotic. The Mankota Exotic Assam is a loose leaf and well flavored tea. The CTC Assam Exotic also has a good flavor given that is a CTC.

I prepared the CTC Assam three ways: (1) steeped in a teabag; (2) steeped in a glass kettle; and (3) boiled in a pot with milk and sugar as suggested by Golden Tips Tea via Twitter. To the pot I added cardamom, cinnamon, and clove to make masala chai.

The masala chai was very good. You might consider adding a bit of condensed milk, about a teaspoon, to sweeten the experience (pun intended).

I will post about the Darjeelings soon - stay tuned.

Chambre de Sucre collaborative teas

It's always a delight to receive tea in the post. Last evening a package from Lisa of Chambre de Sucre arrived filled with No. 17 Alex the Grey, No. 31 Serenity, 9th Street Blend, and blue stars of sugar. The 9th Street Blend was made exclusively for the Eileen Fisher Boutique on 9th Street. I like that the 9th Street Blend came in a bottle! Alex the Grey and Serenity were blended for the Chambre de Sucre x Free People collaboration.

I infused the Alex the Grey this morning. I assume the essential oil is bergamot but it did not overwhelm the Sencha or the herbal additions (orange peel, cornflowers, lemon peel, and safflower). If you are shy about Earl Grey, you might like Alex the Grey. I added a blue star to my second infusion and it was the perfect amount of sweetness.

The 9th Street Blend also has a green tea base (Guo Lu) but is blended with ginger, lemon grass, and lemon myrtle. I think it will be a perfect way to warm up after my morning errands. The wind chill is in the teens today!!

Tea Shop - T Shop

There's a new tea shop in my neck of the city. I learned about T Shop from Nicole's Instagram feed. T Shop NY opened on Elizabeth Street in Nolita approximately three weeks ago. Prior to opening the shop, Theresa, the owner, worked at a tea place Fang Gourmet Tea in Flushing, Queens. Tasting Table noted that Fang Gourmet tea is "considered by many connoisseurs the best place in New York for Chinese and Taiwanese teas."

Theresa travels to Taiwan to source the teas or works with a trusted distributor. Currently there are eight teas to choose from. Jee and I were presented with two oolongs and we selected the Roasted Oolong - the aroma wowed us.

We ordered the Tasting tea service. Theresa sat across from us and prepared five steepings of the Roasted Oolong. There was a noticeable astringency by the fourth steeping but the floral notes and creamy mouthfeel tempered this sharpness.

The small shop is at the end of a hallway with not much natural light but it is brightly lit and Theresa is a warm person who clearly enjoys tea culture. She's procuring new teas for the shop so I'll be sure to return.

You can read Jee's review here.