Tea history is full of myths, legends, and stories, enough to keep the Brothers Grimm, were they alive today, busy for years writing them all down. These tales enrich our tea experience as long as we remember they are not necessarily fact. Who among us really expects a cabin in the woods inhabited by three …
Month: April 2011
Tea, Meet Beer
With the rising interest in specialty and artisanal foods and beverages in recent years have come a number of the latter that have sought to merge tea in one way or another with something that has a little more of a punch. As noted in an earlier article on this blog, these include various formulations …
Tea Kettle Philosophy — Flexibility and Tea
Hubby and I drink tea every day, cupful after cupful — that’s a lot! It gives us a great deal of “kettle sitting” time wherein we ponder the mysteries of the universe, or more often just think about silly stuff. This time it was flexibility and tea. Seemed a natural. Flexibility is the ability to …
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Raising a Cup to Will and Kate
Everyone loves a Royal Wedding. Especially one like this, between a Prince and a commoner. It’s literally the stuff fairytales are made of. The big day will have everything Walt Disney could have asked for, from the trumpeters to the eighteen-horse carriage procession to the evening of dancing in the great ballroom of Buckingham Palace. …
Tulsi: Sweet Leaf
Many tea lovers turn to tisanes, also known as herbal teas or "infusions," when they want to avoid caffeine. While there is no dearth of herbal options on retailer's shelves, one name that you might see more often is "tulsi," also known as "holy basil." Tulsi is an herb native to India, used in both …
Over 200 (correction: 300!) Years of Twinings Tea
One of the more established tea companies around is Twinings. Since 1706 when the company opened a warehouse in London, they have been wowing their customers with such classics as English Breakfast. In the mid-1800s they created a tea flavored with oil of bergamot and named it after the 2nd Earl Grey, Prime Minister from …
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A Good Year for Tea
If you are from a certain part of the country, usually rural, you will recognize the old saying: “It was a good year for peaches...or plums...or tomatoes, etc.” Many a gardener, farmer, or homemaker spending hours in a hot kitchen filling canning jars has marked a year by the exceptional bounty and fine taste of …
Getting Great “After Season” Tea Time Deals
Bargain shoppers, rejoice! Tea and teaware deals abound, especially for “after season” items. Being a bargain hunter in the extreme, I wait anxiously for special dates and occasions to pass just as avidly as others prepare for their occurring. When it comes to tea, this is especially true. Holidays are the best example of this. …
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“I Hate Green Tea”
Have you ever heard someone declare “I hate green tea”? To some of us diehard tea drinkers, this is like saying “I hate air” or “I hate sunshine”. That’s because we know how intricate and rewarding the flavors of a properly steeped green tea can be. We also know that the person making this declaration …
Aqua Vitae
I come from a country which is very aware of the importance of spring water. The Scottish whisky industry has grown up along side the burns and springs of the countryside and the difference that it makes is instantly clear in the product. Without varying the production method much at all a single malt whisky …
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