Friday, October 30, 2009

I want Kandy

Black tea has always been my favourite tea!  Regardless of all the new-fangled types and blends that come along, a plain whole leaf black tea is the classic.

The Tea Centre has a lovely, relatively inexpensive black tea that is just lovely: Ceylon Kandy OP.

So what's in a name?

Ceylon:  obviously, the tea is from Sri Lanka;
Kandy:  no idea, but is sounds tasty; and
OP:  this stands for "Orange Pekoe".  Yes, I know that Orange Pekoe is a tea type in its own right but orange pekoe actually refers to a tea made using the full unbroken black tea leaf.  Blended teas like English Breakfast and Irish Breakfast are not made using full tea leaves, rather broken leaves, so they are not orange pekoe tea.

So, in front of me is a lovely cup of Kandy.  It is without sugar or milk.  It smells very strong.  Like rich tomato bolognase, like chocolate and hot chips.  It's a whole meal in one small cup and yet the smells seem fitting and right together.

The taste is slightly smoky but full-bodied.  Like a red wine.  The flavour is like tomatos and rich lasagne.  It is delicious but not sweet.  It is a heavenly savoury taste, unexpected in a cup of tea.

There is no bitterness, bite or acid.  It is smooth and aromatic.

I don't think I need dinner now.  Or maybe some lasagne would hit the spot....



Thursday, October 8, 2009

Floral Magic

I had seen those balls of woven tea leaves many times but never tried one.  Today I did.

It was a Jasmine Peach Buddha Ball from The Tea Centre.  The shop assistant had regaled me with tales of the ball opening to a beautiful flower in the heat of the water and I was quite excited.

I filled my glass teapot with hot filtered water and let it cool a little.  The ball was made of green tea leaves with a pink section on the top.  As green teas should be brewed using water about 70 degress celcius, I let the pot sit for a little to cool.

I then popped in my ball and sat back to watch the show.  First the little pink section perked up and became spiky.  It became clear that this was in fact a little pick flower blooming atop the ball, brought to life by the water.  Gorgeous!

Then the ball began to expand and each little tea leaf swelled and detach from the underside of the ball.  The tiny hairs on each tea leaf looked very soft and downy under the water.  So it looked rather like a tarantula with a pink floral hair piece than a giant tea flower but it was rather beautiful anyway and quite fun to watch unfurl.

The tea itself became slightly peach-coloured.  It smelled very soft and delicate.  The flavour had only the most subtle hint of peach.  If you didn't know it was supposed to taste of peach this may have been lost altogether.  Otherwise it was a lovely, very smooth, green tea.  More subtle than a straight green tea with a delicate and refined taste.

While I can't say it tasted more amazing than a beautiful green tea with a hint of peach, the ritual of brewing it and the visual beauty of the flower and the tea leaves coming to life made the overall experience very enjoyable and more than just the usual cuppa.


Friday, October 2, 2009

Grass of a Different Kind

I had the flu a few weeks ago (not the swine flu, thank goodness) and I decided that I wanted a tea that would be healing.  Meet T2's Lemongrass and Ginger Tea.

Of course it is strictly at tisane rather than a tea but it still has the same warming and healing feeling you get from a good cup of tea.  Rather like your Mum popping round with chicken soup and butter menthols.

It smells fresh and warm.  The taste is surprisingly mild.  Not bitey like some ginger teas.  The lemongrass doesn't actually taste like lemon or grass.  More a very mild hint of lemon but in no way bitter or acidic.  Like a lemon soother rather than an actual lemon.  It tastes refreshing and healing.  Like it could almost stop the flu in its tracks and send it packing.

Plus, those lovely pyramid tea bags that are common nowadays, mean that you have the pleasure of watching each tiny dried cuts of lemongrass swell up in the warm water and swirl around.  Watching this just adds to the relaxing feeling brought on by drinking the tea itself.  Like watching a goldfish meander around a bowl.

Whilst I am feeling much better now, I can still feel a warm glow of safety just thinking about a cup of Lemongrass and Ginger Tea.  I rather feel like chicken soup now too, come to think of it.