How to Make Matcha, Usucha Style

Last week I had the pleasure of tasting five Japanese green teas at Ippodo Tea Company.  The first tea was a matcha.

The matcha was prepared using the tools above: a chasen (whisk), chasen-tate (whisk stand), chashaku (tea ladle), strainer, and tea bowl with serving spout.

The hot water for the tea was ladled from this majestic pot.

The matcha was prepared usucha style, quickly whisking the matcha and water for 10-15 seconds.  Beyond 15 seconds, the tea will be bitter.

You can buy a matcha starter kit at the NYC store or order a kit online from the Kyoto store.

I will post a detailed review of my experience at Ipppodo next week - stay tuned!

Gift Guide: Tea sets

Winter is a great time to introduce someone to tea or to build your or a friend's collection. Consider these tea sets from Ippodo Tea, Le Palais des Thés, Dean & DeLuca, and Harney.

1. A stacking, starter kit of Kusmi Tea from Dean & DeLuca.

2. Perfect for the office or travel - Tipu masala chai with thermos.

3. You don't have to be a newlywed to enjoy this Wedding Tea set from Harney.

4. This pretty teapot won't steal the spotlight from this sencha from Palais des Thes.

5. Looking for a specific sencha? Ippodo offers Hosen sencha paired with its Original Tokoname Yakishime Kyusu teapot.

6. Want to introduce someone to matcha? A matcha starter kit is the way to go - here is one from Ippodo.

7. Traveling with your matcha? Don't stir; shake Enishi-no-shiro matcha in your Ippodo travel flask.

Finally, looking for treats for tea time? Consider the Tutti I Dolci basket from Eataly.

This post was inspired by 6 Artisanal Gift Baskets for Foodies, Gotham Magazine.  Image sources via links.

Tea Review: Nudo Darjeeling Monsoon and Golden Harvest

Looking for a Darjeeling that drinks like a breakfast blend? I recommend Nudo Darjeeling Monsoon. Its deep flavor works well with milk. However, it is not tannin heavy, so you can drink it plain.

Whereas the leaves of the Monsoon are dark, the Golden Harvest has multicolored leaves. The tea steeps* to a deep yellow-orange, almost like the color of honey. The first sip has a lovely sweetness. Subsequent sips have an herbal profile but that sweet notes lingers on the tongue. The Golden Harvest suits a cold day and a view of brown-orange leaves barely hanging on to the trees.

This review is the second of two for Nudo Darjeeling. Read the review of the Nudo Darjeeling First and Second Flushes.

* One teaspoon of dry leaves were steeped in boiling water for three minutes.

P.S. Adopt a tea garden.  It will fund local family tea farms and support 100% authentic Darjeeling tea.

Tea in Children's Books VIII

Welcome to the eighth installation of tea scenes in children's books. Last time, we featured tea scenes from The Lonely Beast, by Chris Judge, Creepy Crawlies, by Hans Post with illustrations by Irene Goede, and Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll.

Bob in Bob's Best Ever Friend, by Simon Bartram, eats corned beef sandwiches with his tea.

Isabelle Arsenault included a couple of tea scenes in Kyo Maclear's Virginia Wolf.

 

Imogene's mother's bedside tea service in Imogene's Antlers, by David Small.  Imogene's mother took to bed after her daughter woke up with antlers growing out of her head.

Let me know if your favorite children's book has a tea scene. You can also tweet the title with the #teainbooks tag. Catch up on the series here.

How to Make: Scones

Yesterday I told you about my Rittenhouse Hotel afternoon tea experience in Philadelphia.  I enjoyed the tea scone the second time around, when it had been warmed.  I had always thought a good scone was hard to make until I helped a friend make a batch from her favorite recipe.  However, when I tried to repeat the recipe on my own, my scones failed.  My friend loves this simple scone recipe by Pam Anderson of USA WEEKEND at allrecipes.com.

Another friend - an excellent baker - recommends Mark Bittman's classic scone and especially the BBC's ultimate scone.

Do you have a favorite scone recipe?  Or a favorite shop for scones?

Afternoon Tea: The Rittenhouse Mary Cassatt Tea Room

A few weeks ago, I had the rare opportunity to enjoy a traditional afternoon tea, the kind that is served in the middle of afternoon.  I knew I would have a free afternoon in Philadelphia so made a reservation at the highly rated Mary Cassatt Tea Room at the Rittenhouse Hotel on Rittenhouse Square.

The tea room is long and narrow but its high ceilings and a long wall of French doors make it feel airy and light.  The terrace was not open due to the low temperature.  All the indoor seating face the garden so I had a restorative view during tea time.  Another nice aspect of this tea room was the friendly and knowledgeable staff.

Of the 14 teas offered, I selected one of the three house blends, the Duchess' First Love.  Have you ever heard of an Earl Grey-rooibos blend?  Duchess' First Love combines a "creamy Earl Grey" with rooibos, and Wedding Chai, "a black tea blended with vanilla and whole cardamom pod."  It was really quite good!

I ordered the signature tea which included canapes, sandwiches, scones, sweets, and petits fours. For dietary reasons, I did not eat the tuna and beef tartares and the chicken salad puff pastry but they were enjoyed by Rotea and his sidekick.  The shrimp salad on endive was refreshing and the smoked salmon with goat cheese was deliciously creamy.  The salmon is smoked daily, four hours before service.  The egg salad was perfectly seasoned.

The scone recipe changes seasonally.  During my visit I was served pumpkin cranberry scones.  The scone was not served warm though scones are baked daily.  I was offered a second scone which I asked to be warmed.  The flavor was improved.  The scones were served with Devonshire cream, jam, and lemon curd.  The latter was fantastic.

The finale was the sweets and petits fours. The four petits fours were a macaroon, a cannele, a short bread, and a madeleine.  The short bread (buttery goodness) and madeleine were my favorite petits fours.

 

The best of the sweets (and petits fours) was the passionfruit pannacotta! (The staff generously gave me one to take away.)  The raspberry tart, mocha chocolate cake, and gianduja were also good.

I recommend reserving tea at the Mary Cassatt if you plan to spend time in Philadelphia.

P.S. The harpist is a classic touch! 

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The Great Comet of 1812

On Saturday I attended The Great Comet of 1812 courtesy of Jee at Oh, How Civilized. Abby of The City Sweet Tooth and Queenie rounded out our table. The menu was a la carte afternoon tea.  The play was lively!  In addition to cast favorites, I have four food, drink, and decor favorites.  The Mighty Leaf oolong and carrot cake petit four from the a la carte afternoon tea menu.  The music and the lights.  Check them out below. 

1. Mighty Leaf Orchid Oolong

2. Carrot cake petit four

3. Music - one of the music pits

4. Lights - the comet lighting at the finale was brilliant!

Tea Received: Tea Mania oolongs

I was pleasantly surprised to receive two more oolongs from Tea Mania. I look forward to drinking them and sharing my notes with you. In the meantime, read our review of the company's Four Season Oolong.

Tea Review: Nudo Darjeeling First Flush and Second Flush

Nudo Darjeeling has altered my perception about Darjeelings.  I received four samples from Nudo Darjeeling two weeks ago.  I have prepared three of the four teas.  Here is my review of the First Flush and Second Flush.

The leaves of the first flush are choppy and small and tinged green.  The steep was astringent, reminding me of a Japanese green tea.  The aroma was of toasted chestnuts with a mildly floral flavor.

I prepared my cup using one teaspoon of leaves steeped for three minutes with boiling water.  The color of the steep was a honey yellow.  This tea would not pair well with milk, I think.  On the other hand, the second flush can handle milk but I preferred to drink mine without milk.

The second flush is different from the first flush in other ways.  The leaves are longer, darker, and tinged reddish-brown.  The dry leaves smell like cocoa nibs and so does the steep!  This flush tastes likes a classic Darjeeling.

The color of the second flush steep is quite vibrant; perfect hue and flavor for the season.  I would substitute this flush in place of English or black tea in the banana chai loaf with masala drizzle recipe available on the Nudo website.

Tea in Children's Books VII

Welcome to the seventh installation in this series of tea scenes from children's books. Last time, we featured tea scenes from Yucky Worms, by Vivian French with illustrations by Jessica Ahlberg, The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear, by Don and Audrey Wood with illustrations by Don Wood, and World Rat Day: Poems About Real Holidays You've Never Heard Of, by J. Patrick Lewis with illustrations by Anna Raff.

The Lonely Beast drinks tea during his travels.  The book's author is Chris Judge.

It's probably a black tea bag in the pot in the kitchen of the farm house in Creepy Crawlies, by Hans Post with illustrations by Irene Goede.

Tea scenes from the classic Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll.  Alice is reluctantly welcomed by the Hatter, the March Hare, and a Dormouse for their Mad Tea Party.

Let me know if your favorite children's book has a tea scene. You can also tweet the title with the #teainbooks tag.  Catch up on the series here. 

Tea Received: Nudo Darjeeling

I am so excited to start preparing and drinking the four Darjeelings by Nudo: First Flush, Second Flush, Golden Harvest, and Monsoon Flush.

Afternoon Tea: Kings' Carriage House

Last week I joined Jee of Oh, How Civilized for afternoon tea at 3 p.m. at Kings' Carriage House.  On viewing the website and seeing the building I had great expectations for this tea service. My expectations were not met but there were several things I enjoyed. One was the greeting at the door and our server's warm personality. Another was my tea pot. I like that each person was presented with a different pot.

Also, the tea cup did not match the pot. I selected the English Breakfast (from Harney & Sons) from a handful of teas.  The server asked if we wanted more hot water which is a positive sign, but with only one tea bag in the pot, the second steeping was weak.

I liked that the scones were served warm but the best thing about the scone plate was the cream and jam.  Seven sweets were served and I don't have a photo of my favorite: the chocolate-dipped strawberries.

My favorite savory was the goat cheese tartlette with mango salsa and a tomato wheel. The complete afternoon tea menu is available here.

P.S. Please excuse the blurry photos. Second, I wish I had photos of the carriage house exterior and interior. It is a charming building.

Review: Tea Drunk

There is so much to like about New York's newest tea room, Tea Drunk! The shape of its windows, the interior layout including the hanging garden on the rear wall, and its logo.

I very much enjoyed the gaiwan service at Tea Drunk.  Jee of Oh, How Civilized accompanied me and we shared the Early Spring 2013 Dian Hong, a red tea.  Shunan, the owner, also joined us at the table. She is incredibly knowledgeable about Chinese teas which is what one would expect given the focus of the tea room.

Two other things I liked about Tea Drunk were the tea ware and the tea pets. I had not known about tea pets before this experience. Shunan gave us the back story. I chose a rabbit and Jee selected a turtle.

Tea pets are bathed or seasoned at the start of and throughout the tea service.

The Dian Hong was long lasting; it was steeped at least 10 times. The flavor profile ranged from smoked cinnamon in early steeps, astringent at the peak, to a mild sweetness towards the end. Shunan has created an extensive tea menu but her descriptions make it easy to choose a tea.