Comfy Chai

Last week was its usual mad rush leading up to Christmas.  It just doesn't seem possible that everything will get done before disappearing off for the break.

To help get me through I love the smells and taste of Christmas such as cinnamon, mixed citrus peel, cloves and mixed spices.  So, on Friday I did something I haven’t done for a long time. I bought a chai latte.

Now, as much as I occasionally begrudgingly accept the sugary confection that forms most chai lattes today (which incidentally don’t actually have any tea in them – just sugar and flavours), I infinitely prefer something that has some basis in tea. This one was made with chai tea from T2.

I have, in the distant past, when I was a huge fan of chai, attempted on many occasions (working through about two boxes of chai) to make a good tasty chai latte. Unfortunately this skill continues to evade me to this day. It is always too strong (and bitter) or too weak or too watery or too milky. I just can’t get the right balance. So I decided some things are best left to the professionals.

Downstairs at my local work café I noticed they had the T2 chai available as a latte. I felt like a comforting blast from the past.

It was perfect. Sweet but not sickly like many of today’s chai lattes. Spicy but not too spicy like may of the leaf-based chais. It had the perfect amount of milk so that it was flavoursome but still milky. Yum!

So bravo to anyone out there that has perfected the elusive chai latte! But if, like me, you haven’t, when you can find somewhere that does a good leaf-based chai, don’t let them get away!

Super Spearole

Tea blends come in all tastes and remedies.

Dr Red's Spearole Tea falls into the remedy category.

Apparently scientific tests have been done on this tea which proves that provided you drink enough of it, you can eat whatever you want and not get fat!  Now wouldn't that be super!

Somehow I imagine that you would have to drink so much that you wouldn't actually ever be hungry and that's how the effect would work...just a theory.

Anyway, on my mother's recommendation I picked up a packet of this new miracle tea.

For tea, it is actually pretty expensive. At my local health food emporium, 150gm sets you back almost $30.

I open the foil bag and take a huge whiff - smells like chewing gum.  The spearmint kind.

It is actually a blend of gunpowder green tea, olive leaf, spearmint oil, olive skins, grape seeds and spearmint spouts.

I pop a teaspoon full into my infuser after letting my boiling water cool a bit.  After a minute, I whip out the infuser and inhale deeply.  It smells, nose-clearingly like spearmint.  Yum!

The taste is quite strong and quite astringent.  It is a darker colour green tea.  It has the lovely minty finish which is rather nice.  Maybe suitable for a little after dinner tipple for those of a healthier disposition.

I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either.  It was a little strong for my liking and I imagine if you left the leaves in for longer than a minute, the astringency would deck you.  I don't know if it is really endowed with magical waist-whittling powers but it is a good one if you like a strong green.

Dr Red also does another tea blend called Purple Carrot Tea.  I think I'll have to work my way up to that one.

The Tea Bag Tea Pot

Now this was a genius idea!

A tea pot that allows you to use a teabag but has a special little shelf to prevent the teabag from over brewing.

So how does it work?

The tea pot has a little rubber slit for the string to poke out the side.  You put the teabag into the tea pot and when the tea is sufficiently brewed, you pull the string and it pulls the teabag out of the water and up onto a little shelf in the top!

I found this little wonder at TeaGschwendner at Rockefeller Centre on my recent trip to New York.  It is made by the company, Forlife.  I bought it in the turquoise colour (left) since it reminded me of Tiffany's (where I spent half my trip!)

So if, like me, you are constantly bothered by having to yank hot wet teabags out of your cup or pot and find a rubbish bin at short notice, invest in this lovely little tea pot by Forlife and you'll never be bothered again!

High Tea at the Plaza

I recently came back from a trip to New York with my husband.  I have always heard stories and seen movies depicting the high teas of New York and I immediately booked in for high tea in the Palm Court at the Plaza Hotel.

The hotel is absolutely palatial!  It feels like stepping back in time to the era when women were women and men were men.  When tea was a national sport!

The Palm Court itself was a open large area just behind the lobby with an enormous stained glass skylight featuring rose motifs covering the entire ceiling.  The back wall of the space was set with windows inlaid with mirrored panels that made the grandeaur of the space even more apparent.

We were seated at a lovely little table complete with white linen and silver accessories.

We both chose the New Yorker High Tea which featured the usual little sandwiches, scones with a divine peach jam and an array of New York themed mini desserts, including cannoli, chocolate cupcakes and New York cheesecakes.

We both ordered the signature Afternoon Tea blend.  It was a black tea, not unlike English Breakfast.  Whilst I was keen to record the wonders of its flavour and smell, I was a little overwhelmed by the event and instead chose to merely bask in the sights, sounds and flavours of the experience as a whole.

For all its magic there were a few flaws: the maitre d' was not the friendliest of sorts (mind you we were there on the Labor Day holiday and I expect she would have much preferred to be home) and they provided sugar sticks on the tables rather than sugar cubes which rather irked me for some reason.  I suppose I had expected the high tea at such a revered institution to maintain as much tradition as possible in the setting and accessories.

Overall, it was a delightful experience.  I think next time I travel to the Big Apple I'm going to try the high tea at the Waldorf-Astoria as I've heard it's also quite magic.

Queen of Teas

I went to lunch with a former colleague a while ago and he sent me a couple of his favourite teas he picked up in Singapore.

The tea was from TWG Teas.  Established in 1837, TWG has stores in Singapore, Japan, UK and USA.

I received a green and a black tea from my friend and decided I would sample the green tea first.

Called Jasmine Queen Tea, it arrived in a small yellow foil bag bearing the elegant TWG Tea logo.  The tea bag itself is beautiful - delicately woven from cotton like a fine piece of lingere.  An overlocked string leads to a little yellow tag bearing brewing instructions.

The bag smells like fresh hay.  The jasmine is a delicate note in the background.  I am almost loathe to put it in the water instead preferring to inhale the smell of the fresh leaves.

Once brewed, the jasmine comes to the fore.  Sweetly and earthily scented like the fresh flower, it was divine.  I got so caught up in the fragrance, I lost track of time.  I quickly rescued the the cotton pillow from the water before it could overbrew.

It was the colour of a second flush green tea.  Straw yellow and clear.  The taste was smooth with very little bitterness.  It had the classic grassy aftertaste and post-drink astringency; that fussy mouth-feel.  On further tasting, the flavours of passionfruit and guava become evident.

It was extra exciting to imagine the trip the tea had taken to arrive in my cup.

Well, all good things must come to an end, so back to work for me.  Mmm...next time I'm going to try the Earl Grey!

Spring Ching Classic

I had the pleasure of attending a girlfriend's bridal shower recently.  Being a fellow tea lover, she included in her game prizes little tins of T2 teas.

I managed to score myself a tin of Lung Ching Classic!  I was quite stoked as it was a tea I was yet to sample.

The next day, I was at work and decided to indulge in a much needed break and try my new tea.  I filled a glass teapot with an infuser with boiling water and waited until it had cooled to about 80 degrees celcius.  I plopped in a teaspoon of the spear-shaped green leaves and watched them unfurl and dance for about 2 minutes before removing the infuser to prevent the tea over-brewing.

The smell was subtle, but strong.  You could barely catch a whiff of it but when you managed to inhale a few molecules the actual smell was divine.  The tea leaves barely coloured the water.

I decided to jump straight in and taste it.  The flavours were deceptively strong for such a light green tea.  It was an interesting mix of citrus-y lime and woodsmoke.  Both fresh and old.  Strange, but true!  It didn't taste astringent in flavour but it did leave a dryness in my mouth.

It tasted just like the weather that day.  It was raining but you could see pockets of sunshine between the rain clouds creating a strange dichotomy, just like the flavours in the tea.  I imagine in being a great summer/spring tea.  Both cooling and warming all at once.

Ah, what a beautiful break.  Now back to work!

Darjeeling Maikaibari

Recently I had the time to make a visit to one of my favourite tea places, The Tea Centre in Sydney's Glasshouse.

I decided on the devonshire tea which features a tea of your choice from their huge range of teas plus a divine fresh scone (a very large fresh scone too!), strawberry jam and double cream...YUM!

I chose to try their Darjeeling Makaibari FTGFOP (Organic).  Makaibari is a tea plantation in the hills of India and it makes some delicious teas.  The letters in the name of the tea indicate the grade; in this case Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe!  There's a mouthful.  This is the finest grade of tea and I am reliably informed by wikipedia that it also stands for "Far Too Good  For Ordinary People".  I can't say I agree.

Anyway, before diving into my delicious scone I took a deep whiff of the liquid gold.  It smelled smoky.  It also smelled strongly of cooked tomatos with a hint of fresh bread.  Perfect for a cool winters day!

I took a quick slurp to increase the flavour and it exploded in delicious savoury tomato and pepper flavours. 

I am always partial to tea with milk and sugar so I added a little of both.  The tomato flavour remained but now it had a soft sweetness.  The peppery flavours were dampened by the milk becoming a smooth woody taste.

It was like the taste of a lounge fireplace, with a beautiful roaring wood fire, a good book and a mohair blanket.  I daydreamed awhile before remembering my scone was getting cold.

Mmm....now to get lost in the creamy, crumbly scone...

Tingly Mint Tisane

One of my favourite tea empires (or is it empiresses), Madame Flavour has released some delicious organic tisanes.  For the uninitiated, a tisane is a herbal tea.  Since herbal teas don't actually include tea leaves in the brew, they aren't strictly tea at all.  Hence, tisanes.

I had the pleasure of trying the new Organic Mint Tisane.  Unlike many teas, even the organic mint tea bags are tasty looking.  Bright green mint leaves and tiny blue flower petals (cornflower petals I expect) jumble randomly in the cute cornsilk bag.  Even the smell is quite amazing.  I opened the packet to be greeted by the most intense scent.  Like inhaling a packet of Mint Slice biscuits.  Yum!

The brewed tisane looks like liquid gold.  It is a beautiful yellow with a less intense minty smell.  More like a vintage mint, but still fresh enough for a big sniff to clear the nose.

The taste is really beautiful.  It starts in the mouth as a slight minty taste almost like mint on a green tea base but without any of the astringency that marks green tea.  Then it develops after swallowed into a tingly minty taste all over your mouth.  I've very invigorating without being overpowering.  Each sip is a little warm zing of freshness!

Such a lovely way to start a summer's day or even for an afternoon pep up!

Madame Flavour does Pear

Green tea now comes in so many flavours it can be a minefield to work out what you like.

One I tried some time ago now is the Green, Jasmine and Pear from that divine teahouse, Madame Flavour.

I first got into Madame Flavour teas about a year ago.  I was wandering along George Street near Martin Place in Sydney when I had thrust into my hands by some marketing people three tiny boxes.  Each contained a beautifully presented cornsilk teabag with each of English Breakfast, Sultry Chai and Green,  Jasmine and Pear.  I headed back to work and immediately tried out the tea.  It was lovely!  The taste aided by the beautiful presentation: each in a tiny cardboard box with a silver lining and containing a little note explaining how to enjoy the tea.  It was so beautiful, I immediately hunted down Madame Flavour online (http://www.madameflavour.com.au/) and ordered a box of the English Breakfast.  A few days later it arrived with a handwritten note from Madame Flavour herself thanking me for my kind words and including a huge box of all different types of individually boxed teas!!!

The combination of the quality of the tea, the presentation and the generousity of the owner mean that I simply cannot say how much a love Madame Flavour!

Anyway, she does a mean Green, Jasmine and Pear.

It smells fruity and very strongly of jasmine.

The taste is of a traditional jasmine green tea however it has a mellow sweetness which introduces the pear.  It is more an aftertaste than the main fanfare but I rather like it.

It is a strong tea so those that find green teas a little too strong or astringent would probably prefer a lighter green tea flavour.

I, for one, am a fan.  So Green, Jasmine and Pear has been featuring as the green of choice in my tea box for the last twelve months and it has been very well received by my tea guests.

I would highly recommend checking out Madame Flavour's website.  Even if you don't particularly care for tea, you will still enjoy the beautiful graphics and words.  For the standard tea lover, I highly recommend the English Breakfast.  For the herbal tea lover, I recommend the White Tea with Rose (I know it is still a real tea but it is so light and sweet that you would never know).  She has also recently introduced some real tisanes to the mix.  I have not yet tried them but I be sure to report once I have!

Oooooo-long!

I have only recently been treated to my first cup of oolong tea.

I have to admit, I wasn't even sure what oolong tea was but I now regret the many years I spent bypassing it in favour of other teas.

Oolong is not a mix of green and black tea or something else altogether.  It is in fact somewhere between green and black tea.  Confused?

What makes the difference between green, black and oolong teas is purely oxidisation.  Green tea is only oxidised very slightly whereas black tea is left to oxidise for a long time, hence it ends up black.  So all tea starts off green and then it is how long it oxidises that determines its type.  Oolong tea is oxidised longer than green tea but not as long as black tea.

So that's the science bit, now for the taste and smell.

I tried the Formosa Dung Ti Oolong from The Tea Centre.  It smelled smokey and chocolatey, rich and deep.

The taste was very different to the smell.  It was soft and tasted subtly of fruit and grass.

The smell was reminiscent of black tea but the taste more like green tea.  It was perfectly balanced and deliciously different.

The look of the tea was also different.  Each tiny tea leaf was carefully rolled up so that it unfurled in the hot water.  Not just a delicious taste, but also a relaxing sight to watch as it brews.

In future I won't wait s-oolong to try out new teas!

Formosa Dung Ti:

Silver Needles

Do you want all the fantastic health benefits of a cup of tea but find black tea too strong and green tea to bitter?

China Silver Needles Yin Zhen from The Tea Centre ("Silver Needles"), is an extremely delicate white tea.  It is the tiny ends of the new tea leaves very gently plucked off the plants (usually by women as they have a softer touch).  It is a rather exclusive tea but for an even more exclusive version, try the China Silver Needles Jun Shan from The Tea Centre.  It is the finest quality and most delicate white tea on the planet. Only picked on two days each year, it is often called the Emperor's Tea.

As I'm too poor to justify the China Silver Needles Jun Shan, I have tried the Yin Zhen version. 

Silver Needles barely colours the water but the smell is beautifully fresh and very subtle.  Rather like the fresh smell after rain when the earth steps, thoroughly washed clean, out of the shower.

It tastes very slightly of green tea but is exceptionally smooth.  Not a hint of bitterness or acid.  It is extremely refreshing and I imagine it would be a fantasic drink for summer, either hot or iced.  Everything about this tea is calming but bright.

I highly recommend a good quality white tea.  It is so different from black, green and oolong teas that even those that don't care for the taste of tea will find it to their liking.  My own mother who would like to drink tea for the health benefits but cannot stand the taste of traditional teas, loves white tea, particularly when it is flavoured with fruit.

China Silver Needles Yin Zhen:

China Silver Needles Jun Shan: