5 Teas to Taste
Pearl Grey Tea - Atlas Purveyors - Boulder, Colorado
You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me. - C.S. Lewis
The world slows when you have a cup of tea in your hands.
I've had the privilege of drinking tea with friends all over the world.
I have shared mint tea with Moroccan shepherds in the High Atlas mountains of Morocco. Tea that was so sweet it left a film on the enamel of your teeth. I learned to pour the tea by hovering the silver, scorching hot pot about a foot above the glasses - barely bigger than shot glasses - and bingo. The tea hits the glass with a splatter and a comforting pop.
I have had the pleasure of sharing endless cups of tea with my flatmates in England. We'd buy communal 100 count boxes of Twinings and we drank it - black with a bit of milk and sugar from Tesco. This was ritual. We'd recover from the night before with cups of tea. That kind of warmth that only a cup of tea can provide when you are bone cold.
I have shared cups of green tea - plain, no sugar - with teachers and students in Japan. I've watched the corners of their eyes crinkle as they take the first bracing sip. Holding the cup with both hands, rather than by a handle. The balance of the cup in our hands. When I didn't speak a lick of Japanese, this ritual brought closeness.
Lupicia Tea Shop - Yokohama, Japan
I began learning about tea as a barista during college. I learned how to observe tea, then brew the tea and then studied the leaves after brewing. I learned to see the difference between a tea and a tisane (the latter is often erroneously called tea, is not tea - it's an herbal or fruit gathering in your cup). I discovered how to steep tea properly. And, most important, I learned how to slow down and enjoy a cup of tea.
Driade Caffe - Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Five New Tea Discoveries
Pu-erh Classic (Rishi) the finish is long on caramel, soothing. The color of the tea is deep chocolate. If you like Pu-erh at all, you'll enjoy it (available in the States)
Chesnut Green (Lupicia) it is rare that a tea truly emulates a food. This one tastes like chestnuts that have been roasted on an open fire. It links me instantly to Japan, where I bought it earlier this year. Even the most diehard tea fans are impressed (available in Japan)
Meditative Mind (The Tea Spot) A blend of whites, green and jasmine. The jasmine doesn't mind taking a side seat to the rose bud that hits the nose when you drink this (available online)
Orange Dulce (Mighty Leaf) of all the bagged teas, this is one of the best I've discovered for a slow release of caffeine that is rounded out with bergamot, vanilla and a bold orange stance (available online)
Pearl Grey (Atlas Purveyors) a pleasing blend of Indian black tea, blue mallow flowers, bergamot oil and vanilla bean. Best as a tea latte (available in store)
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Coconut Pouchong - Atlas Purveyors - Boulder, Colorado
Occasionally I lead small groups through tea meditation. Before I gave up coffee this year, I tried to adopt a meditative stance towards my morning cup. I never completely succeeded in doing so.
If you'd like to come by for a cup of tea sometime, please let me know. We'll make time for it.
Flowering Jasmine
What tea did you discover this year?
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Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Reader Comments (19)
I was never a tea drinker/lover. Loved the smell, but then I'd taste it and be sorely disappointed, That seems to be changing this winter. So far, though, I have not progressed beyond red teas because I avoid caffeine.
Those flowering teas are so beautiful!
I loved all the apple tea I drank in Turkey. I hadn't even thought about that in answer to this question, it's been so long since I was there. I'll have to go hunt through one of the downtown markets. Someone has to carry it in LA.
Ginger tea with condensed milk and some water !
It felt like a therapeutic experience.!
glad you see that you've been successfully off the coffee!
I'm definitely going to check out these 5 teas.
thanks
Beautiful post Gwen. I love tea but usually stick by my favorite and have earl gray. I'm going to try out some of your recommendations. They sound fantastic!
Mighty Leaf's Celebration is amazing. I'm loving Harney and Sons Holiday tea right now. I also bought some Moroccan Mint at a farmer's market.
We need to keep talking about tea, every day, all the time, and get it to be the most natural thing in the world to drink, not only for special occasions. USA get with the program!
A David's Tea just opened up at the end of my street (in Toronto) and I've been indulging in their Read My Lips tea, a chocolate peperminty black tea complete with tiny sugary red lips! I also love their Exotica, it is like an herbal chai with lemongrass. My all time favourite (and always a hit with guests) is the South African Redbush Masala Chai from Kali's Kollection. Once you've tried it you can never go back to another chai.
I have different types depending on the time of day - English breakfast to get me going in the morning, Read My Lips or Masala Chai for an afternoon pick-me-up treat and Exotica in the evening for an aromatic wind-down. Oh, and good old Earl Grey with High Tea (of course!).
Tea truly is life. I love late at night relaxing with a great cup of hot tea, feeling the warmth, letting the flavor roll across my taste buds, savoring it. Mmmmm, yes.
I went to a new tea shop in my neighborhood last week, and bought among other teas a precious small quantity of carefully vacuum-packed Gyokuro, the famous japanese green tea. I tasted a leaf in the shop (once you have drunk it, you can apparently eat it too!), and it was extraordinary. I still haven't opened it because I want to find the right moment to taste it.
That Chestnut green you're talking about must be wonderful... I also love the mud-like / earth-after-the-rain taste of Pu-erh, and one of the best teas I've ever had was a vintage one. That new shop in my neighborhood has a 23-year old one!
Thanks for that post that I read drinking Makaibau Darjeeling in my new favorite mug, a perfect mix of japanese elegance and big mug sturdiness and capacity (tea mugs and cups... a whole subject in itself!).
Loved this. Thanks :)
I'm a big fan of Earl Grey, but the Pearl Grey sounds fantastic! I'll have to see if I can find it somewhere nearby.
Harney & Sons Hot Cinnamon Spice tea - it's delicious! Three of my collegues drink it now, too, and we gather around someone's computer once a month to place our collective order.
My best tea experience of 2009 is that my sweet hub finally agreed to try tea...and he likes it! Only chamomile, but I love sharing our nighttime cup of tea together. It's so sweet!
PS: look forward to trying out some of these recs! Yum!
I always wanted to work at a tea shop. The smells are just pleasantly overwhelming. I could drink tea all day - just skip the water.
that would be the black tea with caramel & vanilla..mmmm yummyyyy :))
Okay, now I'm going to have to get one of those tea thingys that looks like a French press. Thanks Gwen! LOL
Actually...that IS a French press in the picture, isn't it?
I just saw this linked from todays tweet about Pu-erh and had to look! Sounds lovely!
One of my current faves is something called "Monet Blend", which is Rooibos with rose, orange, lavender and other goodies I can't quite identify. If I don't mind some caffeine, I go straight for Irish Breakfast.
And thank you to Emma for the beautiful reminder of sipping apple chai at a carpet co-op in rural Turkey. Mmmmm...
Susan where might one find the Monet Blend? Sounds delightful.