This is the second of the two Taiwan oolongs I recently sampled via English Tea Store. The first tea, Formosa Oolong Estate, which I reviewed on October 16, was a darker, more roasted type of oolong. Spring Pouchong is from the other end of the spectrum; namely, a greenish, flowery oolong. And while I enjoyed …
Continue reading Tea Review: English Tea Store’s Spring Pouchong
This is the story of how a German translator and former beer drinker came to know and love tea … and became the owner of Siam Tee, specializing in the teas of northern Thailand. I’ve sampled several of these teas, and was so impressed that I had to learn more. How did you get involved …
As anyone who’s been reading my articles here at ETS knows all too well, I most emphatically do not drink flavoured tea – that is, any tea with added flavours in the form of syrups or flowers or herbs or dried fruits or whatever. I do, however, always have a few in the house for …
Ever have a shooting tea? Ours happened on a rather impromptu basis. A couple of days ago my dear husband decided he was going to buy a handgun. Unlike my spiffy little Smith & Wesson .38 revolver, he wanted a .40 or .45 semi-automatic. Our local gun shop happened to be featuring a Sig Sauer …
People sometimes ask me what I like best about living in the Southlands. Although there are many things that I enjoy about our adopted home, my answer is always the same: the wild birds. I’ve never seen so many different kinds of birds outside an aviary. In summer, when their food is plentiful, we see …
Continue reading Tea and Confessions of a Very Amateur Bird Watcher
I usually prefer to start my day with an oolong tea. Yes, I know that lots of tea drinkers need the “kick” of a strong black tea in the morning. But I like to ease into the day with a gentler cup. Generally my tastes run to the lighter end of the oolong spectrum, to …
Continue reading Tea Review: English Tea Store’s Formosa Oolong
When we lived up near New York City, we’d spend as much of the summertime outdoors as possible: hiking, picnicking, gardening, relaxing down the shore, taking an after-dinner stroll. Restaurants opened up their terraces to the warm sunshiny days and the pleasant evenings. We’d sit outside on the front stoop sipping cool drinks, chatting with …
One of the great American Christmas traditions is the cookie swap: Rather than driving yourself nuts whipping up countless varieties of holiday cookies, a group of friends arranges for each of them to make just one kind of cookie in sufficient quantity for herself (or himself) and friends. Each person bakes up a different type …
One of the most enjoyable rituals of autumn is apple-picking. Every year around the end of September we choose a day to head over to a local pick-your-own orchard. Then we spend an hour or two out in the fresh, cool sunshine, scouting out our favourite apple varieties, plucking the fruit off the trees and …
* These are the first three letters of the Hebrew alphabet, equivalent to our ABCs. Over the past few years, and partially in response to customer demand, more and more tea sellers have been seeking out and qualifying for certifications for their teas, including kosher. The laws governing kosher foods are based on the health and …
Tea Blog 