Tea Review - Thés N°25 Collection by Palais des Thés

If you live near to a Palais des Thés shop it is not too late to purchase a Christmas tea in time for the celebrations later this week. I had the opportunity to try two of the Thés N°25 Collection: Black Christmas Tea (Thé Noir N°25) and Christmas infusion (Rooibos N°25). Both the tea and the infusion are blended with citrus and spices. The citrus pieces are real and prominent. We ate a few of the peels and zest. The rooibos blend is a good way to include young children in tea drinking during the holidays; as an herbal, it is naturally caffeine free.

Since reading the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith I have become a fan of rooibos. Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi drink a lot of redbush tea or rooibos. The Palais des Thés rooibos blend is best when made with two heaping teaspoons to eight ounces and steeped for five minutes.

My favorite of the two teas is the Thé Noir N°25. Open the bag and you smell a masala chai. I prepared it similarly: in a glass teapot, two generous teaspoons, eight ounces of water, steeped for five minutes. The liquor was smooth with a creamy almond note. The tea is full-bodied but not astringent and drinks well with milk. I'll be drinking this tea throughout the season.

Thés N°25 courtesy of Palais des Thes USA.

Favorite Tea Ware - Heidi Chen of Tea Ave + Coupon Code

As a tea drinker, and I am sure this is true for you, I adore teaware, from the chasen to the yixing teapot. Everyone has their favorites! This series showcases the favorite teaware of folks in the tea blogging community. Today's faves are from Heidi Chen of Tea Ave, a Vancouver-based tea company specializing in Taiwanese mountain oolongs. Heidi and her brother Jeff co-founded Tea Ave where she is the PR guru.

The Tea Ave Classic Mug with infuser is an everyday teaware I can carry around the house, at work and when watching my favorite shows. I love how it keeps my hands warm, and not to mention it comes with the lid where I can set the infuser aside without making a mess and resteep my teas multiple times.

I also just adore the double glass tea cup set because of how pretty it looks and you can see the tea color clearly (it doesn't burn your hand either). I especially love its transparency and how it reflects the lights and surrounding to make it look like a picture in the cups.

The small sipping cup with cracks pattern where the cup is small enough for you to keep most of the tea in the teapot to keep warm and pour the tea multiple times when drinking it. It is hot to hold, but very pretty to look at and fun to drink with. I got this teacup from my dad, and he bought it in Taiwan.

A traditional gongfu teapot with long handle + the goldfish tea cup. I purchased them separately on the same trip when I visited Yingko town in New Taipei City last summer on a tea sourcing trip, and I love how the goldfish swim happily in the tea and how the gongfu teapot goes nicely together with the teacup.

Lastly, The Chillaxer Cold Brew bottle! As a daily tea drinking, I switch things up from time to time, and cold brew tea is a must on weekly basis. It is just so refreshing and hydrated. I love how convenience it is that I can carry it everywhere to go out for a walk or go to the gym with it. It is like my water bottle. I can throw in a tea bag and filled it up with filtered water to set it in the fridge the night before bed, and I will have a cold brew ready to go the next morning.

Tea Ave is offering Notes on Tea readers 15% off on all tea bags with code: NotesOnTea. The code is valid now through 1/1/2016.

I really like Heidi's long-handled gongfu teapot. I think water pouring tea out of the spout would look elegant. I think I know a tea blogger or two who would get a kick out of the goldfish tea cup. Heidi, thank you for sharing your favorite tea objects with us. All photos and stories courtesy of Heidi Chen.

Keep Calm And Gaiwan On

I have a pair of teapot earrings but my t-shirt from TeaPrints is the first item of tea-related clothing I own. TeaPrints was founded by Rosanne Muncy. Rosanne "fell in love with tea when she was living in Morocco as a little girl with her family for several years." The company offers 14 t-shirt designs. I chose the Keep Calm And Gaiwan On print in medium and city green. I wore the shirt for the first time last weekend. It was a base layer underneath a light fleece jacket. The shirt is lightweight cotton so I was not thermally uncomfortable on an energetic hike. Don't worry, I showed of my tea message as you can see in the photo below!

The t-shirt fits well at my chest but is a bit loose in the waist. It's also a bit long. Although TeaPrints t-shirts are preshrunk, hopefully my shirt will fit closer and shorter after a wash. A recommendation I have for TeaPrints is to offer different sizes/cuts for women and men. In addition to Keep Calm And Gaiwan On, my other favorite print is Tea Rex (for a child who likes tea or for a young-at-heart tea lover).

Keep Calm And Gaiwan On t-shirt courtesy of TeaPrints. Top image of the t-shirt via teaprints.com.

Notes from a Demo + Conversation with Allen Han, Founder & CEO of Teforia

We are a "tea experience company," said Allen Han of his company, Teforia. I spoke with Allen a few weeks ago while he gave a live video demo of the Teforia tea brewing device. The machine is beautiful. It's got a modern aesthetic but it reportedly produces a very good cup of tea. (Tea specialist and historian Jane Pettigrew and Samovar Tea founder Jesse Jacobs endorse the device.)Water quantity, water temperature, and infusion length are critical variables in determine the taste and flavor of tea. The Teforia device exactly manipulates these factors and others to produce a "symphony of flavor" in each cup of tea.

The device uses proprietary Selective Infusion Process (“SIP”) to precisely prepare teas. Each tea has a recipe tag. The consumer scans the tag before inserting a single-origin tea pod into the machine. (Although there is a recipe for each tea type, consumers can customize the default recipes to suit their palates.) Recipes are comprised of courses. Each course is an agitation plus a decantation. The multiple-course system ensures that each serving of tea has the correct complement of flavors for that particular tea. For example, a sencha would go through five courses before being completely infused. Tea drinkers will taste savory and sweet notes.

Going back to design of the device, the infuser globe and carafe are made from double-layer corsica glass and stainless steel. The transparency of the glass enables the consumer to visually engage with the tea making process. A few neat things about the device: (1) you can use your own tea, (2) the machine heats water in 15 seconds so your tea will not be made with preheated water, and (3) for all you tech geeks, the customization of tea recipes is done through an app. I especially appreciate that the tea pod is made of paper pulp so it can be recycled or composted (depending on your community's policy).

You can watch a press release video of Teforia. The first batch of the tea brewing device has sold out. A limited second batch has been released. Each device is $699.

All images courtesy of Teforia.

Teavana Dessert Tea Blends and Infusions

#TeasTheSeason. This is Teavana's clever holiday tag. I received the Cheer + Revelry / Joie + Enchantment tea box as well as a Floral Holiday Infuser Mug. The mug's design is perfect for the season: the cup is imprinted with big, bright red flowers and sports a coppery lid. I think the mug was my favorite items in the box.

The tea box, which shares the design of the infuser mug, contained two blended dessert teas (Chocolate Chai and Gingerbread) and two infusions (White Chocolate Peppermint and Cococaramel Sea Salt). The blends and infusions are pretty. The ingredients are recognizable and are generously sized and portioned (except for the cocoa-covered popcorn in the Gingerbread).

I enjoy eating salted chocolate covered caramels so was particularly eager to try the Cococaramel Sea Salt infusion. Unfortunately for me, this herbal blend contains anise. I can tolerate the whole anise pod in a masala chai preparation but the anise seeds are not in tune with my palate.

Peppermint Patty fans will delight in the White Chocolate Peppermint. I think it would make a good base for latte or mocha.

The final two teas are the black tea blends. I drank the Chocolate Chai first. I really, really like chocolates. This blend has a strong cinnamon flavor but it's very good with a splash of cream and maple syrup! Also, steep it at the recommended temperature but let it cool down a bit even after the addition of the cream.

If you have leftover pumpkin pie, pair a slice with a cup of the Gingerbread. I steeped 2 teaspoons (no cinnamon sticks included) in 195 degree F water for 3 minutes. Chicory is the lingering note. The candied ginger adds a sweet spice flavor.

Blends, infusions, and mug c/o Teavana.

P.S. Did you spot my accidental selfie?

Book Review - The Healthy Matcha Cookbook (& Recipe Excerpt)

There are many things to like about Miryam Quinn-Doblas's The Healthy Matcha Cookbook. One, the book is hard cover and has a dust jacket illustrated with a photo of a delicious looking Barley Risotto seasoned with 2 teaspoons of matcha. I have not yet made this recipe but perhaps I should, soon; after all, it's the cover photo! Two, the pages are stain resistant. I don't have to worry about wiping every bit of spice or sauce off my fingers before turning the page, though the book is designed such that I don't have to, which brings me to three. Each recipe and it's accompanying photo are in a facing pages layout. Four, the focus of the book is the recipes. Five, in keeping with the emphasis on recipes, there is relevant information about matcha as well as the other ingredients used to prepare the dishes. Six, there is a Resources chapter; it's short but practical. And seven, the book has a handy conversion chart for metric to imperial and Fahrenheit to Celsius. One more thing, the index is logically designed.

There are four categories of recipes: Energizing Breakfasts, Healthy Snacks, Lean Meals, and Decadent Desserts. I chose a dessert (Chocolate Chunk Cookies) and two breakfast recipes (Breakfast Frittata and Breakfast Parfaits). The frittata could work as an entree or "lean meal".
The cookies, and many of the desserts, contain coconut oil. I stored them in the refrigerator to prevent the coconut oil from going stale.  I liked the cookies, especially warm. The coconut oil was the predominant flavor so if you are not a fan of coconut oil, this might not be the cookie recipe for you.
The egg dish was also good. I didn't make it to the recipe, though. One change was that I used cumin because I did not have tumeric (the recipe calls for 1 teaspoon). The combination of matcha and cumin was delicious. The matcha added a deep green color and flavor -- similar to fresh spinach, and not baby spinach -- to the eggs.

My favorite of the three recipes was the parfait.  Again, I strayed slightly away from the recipe. I used regular whole milk and not plan Greek yogurt but this recipe is versatile so I think using a yogurt of your choice, or fresh fruit of your choice (as suggested by Miryam) will produce tasty results. The best part of this recipe was the "matcha yogurt" as I call it of yogurt, maple syrup, and matcha. I will definitely use this matcha yogurt in other recipes. And thanks to Skyhorse Publishing, I am sharing the full Breakfast Parfait recipe below.

Breakfast Parfait recipe reprinted with permission from The Healthy Matcha Cookbook: Green Tea–Inspired Meals, Snacks, Drinks, and Desserts by Miryam Quinn Doblas (Skyhorse Publishing, 2015.)

You can find Miryam and her recipes at EatGood4Life. She's on lots of social media platforms, too. The Eat Good 4 Life Pinterest boards are a delight. The Healthy Matcha Cookbook: Green Tea– Inspired Meals, Snacks, Drinks, and Desserts is sold on Amazon (affiliate link) as well as via Skyhorse Publishing.

A review copy of The Healthy Matcha Cookbook was provided by Skyhorse Publishing. Recipes were prepared with culinary grade matcha courtesy of Mizuba Tea Co.

Favorite Tea Ware - Bonnie Eng of Thirsty for Tea

As a tea drinker, and I am sure this is true for you, I adore teaware, from bombillas to matcha whisks. Everyone has their favorites! This series showcases the favorite teaware of folks in the tea blogging community. Today's faves are from Bonnie Eng of Thirsty for Tea. Bonnie is a renaissance tea drinker; her background is in health education, Asian American Studies, and culinary arts! She posts photographs of her beautiful recipes and crafts on Instagram @thirstyfortea.

This English teacup is one of my prized possessions. I got it on Etsy years ago and love its shabby chic vibe, especially the poppy colors. The cup is quite sturdy, probably made of porcelain. I like to enjoy a classic English Breakfast in it, or a bright Darjeeling if I’m lucky enough to have some on hand.

Ok, of course the irony here is that you should never, ever use tap water to brew any tea. But I like this glass bottle for taking iced teas on the go. If I know I’m out and about the next day, I like to cold brew second steepings of a tea to compare the hot and cold versions. This bottle makes a great on-the-go drinking accessory not only because it doesn’t carry over flavors, but also because it’s a reminder to myself and others to stay green.

This Chinese teacup is a vintage find. I got it at Pikes Place in Seattle several years ago at a dingy little shack of a store. The cup was hidden in the back amongst a host of granny-approved treasures. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I felt like Indiana Jones finding the Holy Grail when I got my hands on it. The cup is made of very thin bone china–extremely fragile–but great for enjoying an expensive Puerh.

This is the most practical tea ware piece in my collection, a Japanese Hario Tea Pot. I literally use it everyday. Lately, it has become a part of my sommelier coursework protocol (here, you see it with a Young Puerh). I park this on a tray with tasting cups, a thermometer, and a timer so that I can get to work. The teapot is ideal for a singular tea drinker, and because it’s made of tempered glass you can enjoy watching your tea leaves “dance” as they brew.

Again, there is an element irony here because I never use this teapot to brew tea–I use this pot solely for food photography purposes. Because of its broken handle, this gem cost only 50 cents at the local Goodwill store. The check out lady was kind enough to stick on several layers of tape over the sharp edges where the handle broke off. I like that the classic blue and white teapot design looks both iconic and humble at the same time.

This Japanese Kami cup comes straight from Hokkaido, and is made from precisely shaped castor aralia wood. To protect the natural wood grain, the cup is sealed with a protective coating. I love to drink organic, ceremonial grade matcha in this cup–the frothy leaf green against the natural wood color brings me a sense of peace.

I am so glad Bonnie agreed to participate in this series. Her favorite tea objects are gorgeous!

Giveaway - The Art and Craft of Tea by Joseph Uhl

You are probably familiar with Joe Uhl's teas via Joseph Wesley Tea. Joe is also an author. His new book, The Art and Craft of Tea, is beautiful. It looks and feels like a "coffee table" book. The writing is strong and the photographs are fantastic.

I have partnered with Quarto Cooks and Quarto Books to giveaway TWO copies of The Art and Craft of Tea. We are hosting the book giveaway on our Instagram page. The giveaway is open to residents around the world. Enter now. Good luck!

Teabook, Part 2: Interview with Jeffrey McIntosh, Teabook Founder & CEO

Have you had a chance to read Teabook, Part 1, a review of two Teabook teas? The founder of Teabook, Jeffrey McIntosh, spoke with me last week about his start in tea and future plans for the company. I'm pleased to share our Q&A below. Please note that the answers are a mix of verbatim transcription and my paraphrasing.

Notes on Tea: Before receiving my teabook I envisioned a tea bag chest that you sometimes see at an afternoon tea service. The design of Teabook is a bit like that. Can you talk about the design of the “book” as well as the inspiration for company’s name?
Jeffrey McIntosh: Teabook is the third tea company that I have opened. I lived and studied in China and am fluent in Chinese. I wanted to make quality tea accessible. People in the US find it hard to integrate tea into everyday life. With Teabook, people can have access to and get new tea every month; pure loose leaf tea. They can say, "Wow, tea tastes great on its own!" The main friction points for potential teal drinkers are (1) temperature; (2) leaf to water ratio; and (3) steep time. The Teabook concept addresses all three. Green, white, oolong, red, and a special tea will be offered. The inclusion of a special collection tea is to provide an ultra premium tea experience. The tea bags are designed to open across the top cleanly so there will be a nice pour. The minimalist box design is a nod to low cost production as well as to modern design aesthetic. 87% of millennial are drinking tea; this demographic is pushing the demand.
The company is incorporated as Xian Chan Tea Corporation but we decided not to use this name for the product because it is difficult to type and we wanted to appeal to a broader audience. The name Teabook evokes a narrative, a journey; the more you interact with the company and its teas, the more you learn.

My husband said that your tumbler reminds him of seeing office workers in China drinking tea from mason jars. Was this imagery the inspiration for your tumbler? Did you have concerns about oversteeping since the leaves remain in the tumbler?
The tea tumbler design originated with a tumbler producer in China. We did not want to use plastic so we altered the design to a double-walled glass body. The filter is stainless steel and durable but other components of the lid are plastic. In the next iteration of the tumbler, it will be a plastic exterior with a glass interior, and no plastic in the drinking experience.
We were concerned about oversteeping only on red tea but we think most people will drink the tea before the liquor reaches this point. You can steep the green tea for an hour without overstepping. There is 1-2 grams of tea in each pack and the tumbler holds 10 ounces of water. We are working on  making the portions more precise.
If you experience a plastic taste, the tumbler can be washed in very hot water and it is dishwasher safe.

In your bio, your “hands-on tea farm experience in China and modern large American tea company know-how” are mentioned. Can you describe both experiences in more detail? 
When I was 17, I walked into a small teashop in Seattle and drank a high mountain oolong. This cup of tea was literally life changing. I felt a weight lift from my shoulders and I realized that this -- holding a cup of tea in my hands -- was what I wanted to be doing. I dropped out of school and started an internship at the teashop. Through the Seattle teashop owner, I met an Los Angeles based tea master and owner of the Denong Tea Company. I completed an eight-month apprenticeship in Yunnan dos studied with her for one year in L.A. After that, I traveled between L.A. and China two to three times per year. During this time, I fell in love with puree. The first tea company I founded focused on puree and the majority of my clients were based in Russia.
The mission of Teabook is really clean tea that tastes good and is affordable, then we will introduce teaware and other aspects. My biggest fear is that tea will become a beverage industry.

Why a subscription service model and not a traditional tea seller?
I know that the subscription or curated model is hugely popular as a result of my studies at the Founder's Institute, the largest incubator in the world. We designed our subscription experience to provide a little window into the tea world every month. It is flexible in terms of commitment because we did not want the customer to feel trapped. People can go in and create account. The interface is one page and it is easy to submit an order.

I’ve noticed that many of the new tea companies – whether subscription services or tea sellers are located in the Pacific NW (Washington, Portland, Vancouver). Can you talk about your locational decision?
I don't know. A lot of beverages start ups have come out of Seattle and the Pacific Northwest (PNW). Maybe it is the cold weather, the rain. It's possible that large Chinese populations in Seattle and the PNW might be a contributing factor.

I read that the teas you will offer are based on “the season’s best”. Can you give a preview of what a subscriber might expect in each month’s box over the course of 12 months?
A new website will be launched this month. A white tea is coming soon. Next month, the box will have an oolong and a green tea and we will increase to 19 packets (9 packets each of the two regular teas, and 1 packet of the special collection tea). In the winter we will provide roasted oolong and black tea. Next year we want to introduce puerh but there is a washing aspect which we are working through. We may offer puerh through the special collection along with rock tea and Wuxi teas. Look for new quotes in the January box. We will begin to feature farmers’ gardens. Also, we are developing videos; starting in January, a video will be released every month. Finally, next year, customers will be able to customize their teabook box.

How will you maintain "seasonal offerings" with a customization option?
We will keep the choice of tea simple by type so a subscriber can’t ask for a Bi Lo Chun “out of season”, for example. Also there might be a month or so when green teas would not be included in a teabook even if a subscriber requested all greens in her box.

Is sustainability a core element of Teabook?
Sustainability is important but I am focused on validating the concept. At 10,000 + subscribers, all packages will have to be biodegradable. The first element that we would make sustainable is the tea packets. We have found a supplier in the U.S.

Jeffrey McIntosh is the founder and CEO of Teabook. Thank you for taking the time to speak with me, Jeffrey.

Teabook, Part 1: Teas and Tumbler

As part of my introduction to Teabook, I interviewed founder Jeffrey McIntosh. It was a great conversation so stay tuned for the transcript later this week. In this post, I share my experiences of the teas and the tumbler.


Each Teabook box comes with three types of tea, one of which is a specialty tea from Jeffrey's personal collection. There is only one packet of the specialty tea. There are eight packets each of the other two teas. In my box, there was Long Jing (green), a Dian Hong (red), and Xiang Ming (also a green). Each packet has approximately 2g of loose leaf and the tumbler has a liquid capacity of between 8 and 10 oz. I usually steep my tea in a taiwan (or tasting cup set) so I was not used to this ratio of leaf to water.

The Long Jing is good. It has all the classic Dragonwell elements in terms of leaf style, aroma, and flavors. However, when I steeped the tea in the tumbler, there was a plastic smell and taste. I washed the tumbler several times following instructions from Teabook to wash in the dishwasher and/or with very hot water. I have not been able to remove the plastic odor and taste from the tumbler. I also used the tumbler for the Dian Hong and it had the same effect.

Dian Hong (aka Yunnan Gold) is one of my favorite teas. I definitely enjoyed Teabook's version when I prepared it in my gaiwan which has a smaller water capacity than the tumbler. The ratio of leaves to the amount of water in the tumbler can dull the flavor of this tea. In addition, I found that steeping the Dian Hong in 185 degree F water really showcased the taste of this tea. Another tip: immediately after opening the packet, take a deep inhale of the leaves. The smell is heavenly.

I haven't yet prepared the Xiang Ming. Since there is only packet I am hesitant to steep it! I think I need an "open that packet night" similar to the Open That Bottle Night hosted by Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher, wine columnists for the Wall Street Journal.

Come back for more Teabook: (1) my interview with founder Jeffrey MacIntosh and (2) my tasting of Xiang Ming!

Teabook (teas and tumbler) c/o of Teabook.

This post was edited on November 12, 2015. Read Teabook, Part 2: Interview with Jeffrey McIntosh, Teabook Founder and CEO.

Tea Tasting - Capital Teas' Mosaic District Teabar & Boutique

A photo posted by Notes on Tea (@notesontea_) on Nov 5, 2015 at 9:50am PST

Are you wondering about the whereabouts of the Mosaic District? It's in Merrifield, VA. I'm living in the DMV this year. DMV stands for the District (aka DC) - Maryland - Virginia. I haven't been invited to afternoon tea at the White House but if Michelle Obama reads this blog, I am available to join you for tea!

I had been in touch with Capital Teas earlier in the year precipitated by a press release about the tea company carrying Tea-rrific Ice Cream in its shops. I don't know the current status of this collaboration but when Capital Teas offered a tea tasting at a location in the DMV, I accepted.

A few Sundays ago I visited the Mosaic District shop where I was met by James, the store's manager, who had selected six teas for me to taste. In order, starting with the top row, I drank Irish Breakfast, Milk Oolong, and Green Menthos followed by Chicory Chai Puerh, Yoga Tea, and Green Gojiberry in the bottom row. My favorites were Milk Oolong and Green Menthos. The latter is like a Moroccan Mint. A shou puerh was used for the Chicory Chai making it my least favorite. I prefer sheng puerhs.

James is a great conversationalist so the tasting was lively. He told me that the store carries 60 teas and his favorite is a self-designed blend of Caramel Toffee Puerh and Vanilla Creme, which he has named the Santiago Blend. Santiago is James in Spanish. I was able to observe staff interaction with customers as well as to see customer engagement with the displays. Capital Teas offers samples of two teas each week at its stores. I tried the Pumpkin Rooibos Chai and liked it.

There a couple of other teas I'd like to try. I noticed Darjeeling 2nd Flush Margaret's Hope which I enjoyed drinking at afternoon tea at the Palm Court at the Plaza Hotel. I'm also curious about Assam Bukkial. Have you drank either of these two teas?

Tasting Endangered Species Chocolate

It's fair to say that I really like chocolate. What you may not know about me is that my undergraduate major was biology with an emphasis on evolution, ecology, and conservation biology. Given these two facts, you could probably guess that I was enthusiastic when asked to review several bars from Endangered Species Chocolate. The company uses not only uses "ethically traded, shade grown cacao and natural ingredients" in its chocolate bars but 10% of its net profits donated to wildlife conservation projects. The current project partners are African Wildlife Foundation and The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. The AWF has many projects; as a fan of giraffes, it was bittersweet to read about the organization's conservation strategy for the endangered West African Giraffe. One of the main foci of The Xerces Society is pollinator conservation, think bees and butterflies.

I tasted three chocolate bars, all dark at 72%. They are (in order of tasting): the Wolf (properly the Gray Wolf), dark chocolate with cranberries & almonds; the Bat (the Marianas flying fox or fruit bat), dark chocolate with cacao nibs; and the Owl (the Eurasian eagle owl), dark chocolate with sea salt & almonds.

My favorite is The Owl. The chocolate itself is smooth with bright fruit notes and is well complemented by the salt and crunch of the almonds.

The Bat surprised me. Typically I experience chocolate bars blended with cacao nibs as gritty and bitter. The presence of the nibs in this bar did not negatively affect the texture and imparted a dark fruit flavor to the bar.

I've gone back and forth on the Wolf. I didn't taste any of the cranberry tartness I was expecting. This bar was the driest of the bars; it had the least creamy mouthfeel. I think I would use the Wolf in a recipe but eat the Owl and the Bat on their own (or paired with tea!).

Do you consider the environmental and labor stances of a company when purchasing chocolate or other foods (and beverages)?

Chocolate bars provided for review.

P.S. Two of my favorite articles for pairing chocolate and tea are were written by Jee of Oh, How Civilized and Rachel at Buddhists Who Shop.

Tea Review - Festive garden by Palais des Thés

Sensitive to caffeine in the evenings, I'm always on the lookout for a delicious herbal tea. Thanks to Palais des Thés, I have been enjoying Festive garden.

Festive garden is one of three seasonal garden blends. The other two garden blends are Forest garden (primary notes of elderberry and raspberry) and Queen's garden (primary notes of caramelize almond and cinnamon.

You can see the ingredients in Festive garden. There are seven fruits and plants: grapes, citrus, apple, cocoa kernels, hibiscus flowers, rose hip, and sunflower petals.

The liquor is almost candy pink. The company's tasting notes say the herbal "tastes like a candy store at Christmas," but that to me means peppermint. I taste candied orange peel followed by semi-sweet chocolate. The combination is like a chocolate dipped orange peel! The smell of the dry herbal is delightful too. I'm reminded of a specific confectionary shop in Massachusetts which exudes aromas of chocolate bark, caramel turtles, fudge, and yes, chocolate dipped citrus and gingers.

Festive garden tea courtesy of Palais des Thés.

P.S. The garden teas will be available for purchase beginning November 5th.

Favorite Tea Ware - Mervyn Clarke aka Murphcha

As a tea drinker, and I am sure this is true for you, I adore teaware, from bombillas to matcha whisks. Everyone has their favorites! This series showcases the favorite teaware of folks in the tea blogging community. Today's faves are from Mervyn Clarke. Mervyn is a trained accountant but was the Director of Tea House Operations at the Tea Institute at Penn State from 2013 to 2014. His Instagram handle is @murphcha.

"The gaiwan is the ultimate tool for learning about tea and for this reason alone the gaiwan is my favorite tea ware.

This is undoubtedly my favorite gaiwan that I own. I picked this gaiwan out while browsing through the tea districts in Kunming, China. My buddies and I were looking through this huge tea ware shop when I saw this out the corner of my eye. This gaiwan has an all-white matte finish with a dark brown rim. The thinness of this ware was really something that stood out, I could hold it up to the light and see right through it. With this type of thinness I do not have to worry about over brewing delicate teas or burning my hands. The wide base of this gaiwan makes it very practical for brewing a wide range of teas.

A lot of my friends really seem to like this gaiwan and I do too! This gaiwan was the first gaiwan I bought from Yunnan Sourcing a few years back. It’s made out of clay, which means that this gaiwan may be seasoned to a particular type of tea. My tea of choice is sheng puer. My favorite memory of with this ware is trying to season it by boiling a full sample of sheng puer in a pot and leaving the gaiwan to sit inside for a few hours. I learned later that the only way to truly season a ware is to use it continuously with the same type of tea.

This cup is my next favorite ware. I literally put this cup in my pocket and take it everywhere. I picked this cup up at a small antique shop in Taipei, Taiwan. While my friends were talking to the shop owner and trying to spend big money on a teapot. I saw this little cup in a small box off to the side of the counter and decided to buy it. It was inexpensive so I just wrapped in a small cloth and threw it in my bag. Since then its been with me for some incredible shots. Below is a small college with some of the pictures I have taken with this cup."

Thank you, murphcha! From your Instagram feed I learned about Penn State's Tea Institute. I think a lot of tea folks wouldn't mind such as institution at their alma mater, or local university.

Book Review - The Matcha Miracle (& Recipe Excerpt)

My family and friends have been taste testers for several recipes from The Matcha Miracle, a new cookbook written by Dr. Mariza Snyder, Dr. Lauren Clum, and Anna V. Zulaica and published by Ulysses Press. Dr. Snyder is a wellness practitioner, Dr Clum is a chiropractor, and Anna Zulaica is a nutrition consultant.  All three authors have been co-authors on other cookbooks. Lasheeda Perry, the fourth contributor to the book, is not listed on the cover. Lasheeda has an undergraduate degree from Johnson & Wales and has worked on the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts culinary team.

There are four chapters in the book. The first three focus on the history, benefits, and use of matcha. The fourth chapter is composed of recipes and is subdivided into five sections: Tea, Smoothies and Adult Beverages, Breakfast, Lunch and Snacks, and Dessert. A strong feature of this cookbook is the range of recipes. Matcha is used beyond drinks and desserts. In the Lunch and Snacks section, matcha is treated as a spice, and a savory one at that.

I made three beverages (Classic Matcha Tea, Homemade Matcha Nut Milk, Chocolate Matcha Shake), one breakfast item (Breakfast Toast), and one dessert (Dark Chocolate Matcha Truffles). To prepare a bowl of thin matcha,  I added two (not heaping) chashaku of matcha to my chasen, poured a small amount of hot (not boiling) water and whisked in a "m" motion, then thinned out the tea with more water, again whisking in a "m" motion. Since I was using culinary grade matcha, I added a bit of raw honey to sweeten the  tea.

The Dark Chocolate Matcha Truffles was our favorite of the five recipes I made.  I served the truffles at a weekend block party and they received rave reviews.  Thanks to Ulysses Press the entire recipe is excerpted below. A couple things to note before preparing these tasty truffles. At room temperature, the ganache was not firm enough to scoop into neat balls. [My recommendation: chill the ganache in the bowl then scoop balls onto parchment paper and then chill them the balls.] Also, at some point, the chilled ganache balls will warm up while they wait their turn to be rolled into uniform truffles and dipped in matcha. [My recommendation: roll them in batches.  Also, sprinkle matcha over the entire parchment sheet and then roll the truffles in the matcha.]

Dark Chocolate Matcha Truffles
Makes 24 Truffles

Ingredients:
¼ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
⅔ cup chopped semisweet chocolate *I used semisweet chocolate chips*
¼ cup matcha green tea powder *I used Mizuba Culinary Grade Matcha*

Directions:
In a small saucepan, combine the heavy cream and butter over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Add the chopped chocolate to the scalded cream and whisk until smooth. Pour the mixture into a bowl. Cover the bowl very well with plastic wrap and allow to cool to room temperature.

Once the ganache is cooled and set, using a small scoop, scoop balls of the ganache onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Chill in the refrigerator for 5 minutes.
Roll the balls with your hands into smooth, uniform balls. Dip each ganache ball into the matcha and shake off the excess. Serve at room temperature.

The Breakfast Toast was the runner-up recipe.  The combination of sprouted bread, whole milk ricotta, matcha, raw honey, and sea salt hit all the right notes, and in a balanced way.

There are several more recipes I'd like to make from the book, mostly in the lunch and snacks and desserts sections. I think the proportions in the beverage section need some tweaking. The nut milk and chocolate shake were not as flavorful as we expected.  The flavor of the cashews was not pronounced in nut milk even before adding the matcha. With 1.5 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder, the chocolate shake was barely chocolatey. I compensated by adding more cocoa powder but that only overpowered the matcha flavor.  It would be great to see photographs and coated pages in a second edition of this cookbook.

Thank you to Ulysses Press for the review copy. Also, I am grateful to Mizuba Tea Company for providing the culinary grade matcha used in the preparation of these recipes.  I would recommend their cooking matcha.

Tea Review - New York Breakfast by TWG Tea

When I've been nostalgic for New York this fall, I've made myself a cup or two of New York Breakfast by TWG Tea. The tea is courtesy of The Urban Tea Merchant. Have you read my review of the traditional tea set at The Urban Tea Merchant?

The blend has an Assam base with cocoa. The chocolate pieces are significant enough in size and amount to scent the dry tea as well as to flavor the liquor. I steep a heaping teaspoon for 3-5 minutes.

The liquor is gorgeous. The steeped tea looks different depending on whether you serve it in a (white) ceramic cup or a glass vessel. The cup on the left is from my tasting tea set while the glass on the right is an Ora tea cup. New York is brisk and sweet!  You can purchase your New York Breakfast Tea directly from TWG Tea or from The Urban Tea Merchant.