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With National Iced Tea Month in full swing, you might be wondering what kind of iced tea to make. Do you want to try something different from your normal iced tea? Then why not try a new tea to ice! Here are the types of tea that you can make into a refreshing glass of heaven. There is something for everyone.
Fruit and Caffeine Free – There has always been black or green tea with fruit but have you ever had a plain fruit tea? Fruit teas are usually tisanes, or otherwise known as herbal tea since it does not have caffeine in it. Many fruit teas made are usually fruit pieces, peels, flowers, and sometimes tea. Some herbal teas like chamomile and rooibos are the tea itself. More traditional teas like black and green sometimes have caffeine taken out, but take note that they are not completely caffeine free. Fruit teas are perfect for kids!
Green Tea is growing in popularity, so it is no surprise that iced green tea is trending. Many coffee and tea cafes sell iced green tea, either unflavored, unsweetened, or flavored and sweetened. Popular flavors for iced green tea include mint, lemon, and strawberry. The result is a cool, refreshing taste that will make you forget itâs summer.
White Tea is a young tea leaf with silvery white hairs that is picked early so get your iced tea early in the summer! Basic white is a good way to start but if you want to be more 
adventurous, try your white iced tea with a floral note and mild taste, the Pai Mu Tan White Tea. For a tropical flavor, go for the Oasis Mango White Tea, which provides a delicate but sweet flavor that will take you to the beach. Plus, white tea has a small amount of caffeine so iced white tea could give you a little pick-me-up.
Black Tea – The classic! Iced tea is normally made with black tea, especially in the case of Southern Sweet Tea. In general, iced black tea is the most popular type of iced tea in
the US with raspberry, peach, and lemon being the most popular flavors. The best part about black tea is that there is so much variety of black tea. Darjeeling, Ceylon, Chai, if there is a black tea you prefer, you can ice it! Homemade iced tea allows you to customize it however you please. Add milk and sugar, unsweetened, or add some of your favorite fruit.
-CD
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http://www.nationalteaday.co.uk/ April 21st, 2017
National Tea Day is celebrated in April in the UK. While tea is the most popular beverage in the UK, this is its official day. This day is entirely different from National Hot Tea Day in the US, which is celebrated each January. This day celebrates all aspects of tea, including Afternoon Tea, one of the most popular times to enjoy tea.
Whether you have a full on English Afternoon Tea with some friends or just a cup while curling up on the couch, take the time to treat yourself to a fine brew. Itâs always completely up to you if you want to go to with a familiar favorite like PG Tips or Typhoo or go with something new and different like Taylorâs of Harrogate. Have some English Breakfast, Green Tea, or how about something unfamiliar? Try a few of these teas that are becoming popular all over the world:
Darjeeling: Known as the âChampagne of Teasâ, this reigns one of the best in its class. Darjeeling is grown in India, in the Darjeeling district, which is where it gets its name. Brands to try: English Tea Store, Twinings, Harney and Sons, and Taylors of Harrogate.
Oolong: A popular Chinese tea, this distinctive tea is just a bit fermented and oxidized for a perfect balance of green and black tea. Brands to try: English Tea Store Orange Blossom Oolong, Twinings China Oolong.
Assam: Assam tea was named after the region in which it was grown in India. It is a black tea with a strong malty flavor and deep bronze color. It is perfect for breakfast or any other time of day with a little sugar and milk. Brands to try: English Tea Store and Taylors of Harrogate.
What kind of tea would you celebrate National Tea Day with and who would you share your cup with? If you are a tea lover, then National Tea Day is every day!
-CD
Subscriptions! Theyâve been around for many years but just recently, subscriptions have been taking on new forms and increasing in popularity. From movies to even dinner kits, you can get just about anything through a subscription. So when you hear about subscribing to tea, is it truly a surprise?
The answer is yes! Introducing English Tea Storeâs Tea of the Month Subscription! Each month presents an opportunity to try new teas at an unbeatable price. How does it work? You can either try the:
Loose or Tea Bag Month-to-Month Subscription: For $13.95 a month, you can choose between loose leaf tea or tea bags! Loose leaf comes in 4oz and tea bags are in packs of 25. If loose leaf is chosen, two of the 4oz packs are sent or if you prefer tea bags, you will get two packs of 25 teabags. You can also choose to get one loose leaf and one tea bag! Also included are 5 tea bag samples or a 1oz loose tea sample. This subscription is billed monthly and you can cancel at any time.
Tea of the Month, Loose Leaf Yearly Subscription: As previously described above, you will get two 4oz packs of loose leaf tea, plus a 1oz loose tea sample. However, with this subscription, you must prepay a lump sum once a year. For purchasing the yearly subscription, you get to save an extra 20%, bringing your monthly total down from $13.95 to $11.17.
Tea of the Month, Tea Bag Yearly Subscription: This subscription has the same terms as the Loose Leaf Yearly Subscription, only you get to choose the two packs of 25 tea bags per month for a prepaid annual price (same as the Loose Leaf Yearly Subscription), billed once a year when you begin your subscription. A sample pack of 5 tea bags is also included!
The boxes ship out the first week of each month for our subscribers. Tea samples are selected by our own tea enthusiasts, ensuring you will get to try the best teas! You can subscribe to these services for yourself, or you can give one as a gift! Every month will feature new teas to try and you may find a new favorite. Give us a try!
-CD
*MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTIONS
By purchasing a Monthly Subscription, you agree and acknowledge that your subscription has an initial and recurring payment charge at the then-current subscription rate and you accept responsibility for all recurring charges prior to cancellation, including any charges processed by Englishteastore.com after the expiration date of your payment card.
*ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS
By purchasing an Annual Subscription, you agree and acknowledge that your subscription has an initial pre-payment feature for 12 months of service without a recurring Annual Subscription renewal. Including any charges processed by Englishteastore.com after the expiration date of your payment card.
Orders placed on or after the 1st of the month will ship the 1st business day of the following month.
Julia Briggs (c)
Is it OK to say I do not like chocolate cake? I do make chocolate cakes and I do eat some chocolates, like Maltesers but I have never been a fan of rich chocolate cakes so I make this orange flavour cake and put chocolate chips in and it is good.
You can of course use cocoa powder in place of some of the flour if you want a chocolate colour, you can also use milk, plain or white chocolate chips, I only had white chocolate in stock. I filled half with orange marmalade and half with lemon curd and butter icing to satisfy the whole family!
You will need: Two 8″ cake tins well greased or one well greased 10″ cake tin. Oven 180 C Â 350 F Â Gas Mark 4
- 8 oz Butter
- 8 oz Caster Sugar
- 4 eggs, beaten
- A few drops of vanilla essence
- A few drops of orange essence
- 8 oz Self Raising flour
- Grated rind of an orange
- juice of half an orange
- 4 oz chocolate chips
Julia Briggs (c)
Cream the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy then add the beaten eggs with a spoonful of flour and the vanilla and orange essence. Fold in the flour, grated rind, juice and chocolate chips. Pour into two 8″ cake tins or one 10″ tin. Cook for 35 minutes until well risen and firm to the touch. Leave in the tin to cool slightly, using a cake tester or needle prick all over the top of the cake and then mix the other half of the orange juice with a little hot water and pour onto the cake. When slightly cool take from the tin and place on a wire rack until completely cold.
Slice the cake, or not if you have made two! Spread orange marmalade or lemon cheese on the bottom half then cream or butter icing onto the underside of the top half of the cake. Sandwich them together and enjoy a piece with a cup of tea.
–Â JAB
One of my favorite ways of enjoying tea may not be familiar among the British but it is beginning to sweep the United States by storm. Bubble Tea, or Pearl Tea and Boba Tea (boba is what bubble tea is called in the area I live in), is a Taiwanese variant of milk and tea but with an added twist of little black bubbles. The term bubble comes from the little black âbubblesâ or âpearlsâ* on the bottom of the cup. But what are they?
The little bubbles are actually a form of tapioca. The tapioca comes from the cassava root. Americans make tapioca pudding from this but the Taiwanese use this to make their little pearls. They make them small or large. In addition to the tapioca pearls, they add other things like pudding (not the British pudding!), aloe, and flavored jellies like lychee or mango. This can be added to the milk teas, clear teas, and even the slushies they make!
(c) Crystal Derma for use by The English Tea Store
The tea used to make the bubble tea are simple black, green, oolong, and ceylon teas. They are mixed with milk or made iced. Another type of drink that is made by bubble tea shops is called a snow, which is LITERALLY like snow! Just be warned, theyâre very hard to drink. The fun part of bubble tea is that the milk tea can be made in many flavors, like coffee, chocolate, taro, red bean, or fruity flavors. The plain teas like black, green, oolong, and ceylon can also be flavored as such. Of course, the MOST fun part is drinking the pearls through a straw. Usually a large, wide straw is given so the pearls can travel up and be chewed (yes, I eat the pearls).
Unfortunately, there is a debate among my fiance and I. Where I come from in California, there is a competition for bubble tea. I like to get the âTapioca Milk Teaâ which is made with black tea and milk and I consider it to be the basic flavor but when I visit my fiance out in Virginia, there isnât such a flavor. I tried to order it out there and everyone gave me funny looks, including the fiance. The closest thing I had to get was coffee/mocha and it just wasnât the same.
I have been a fan of bubble tea since about 2001 or 2002 as a teenager and itâs an undying love for me. The local specialty stores are finally stocking the pearls to make my own bubble tea. You need to take the pearls and cook them. Once I obtain these next time I go, I hope to tell you all how to make them! I have also been told it is just black tea that is used to make the original milk tea. However it is made, bubble tea is delicious!
*When consuming these pearls, they CAN be a choking hazard. Do be careful and supervise a young child if they are enjoying one!
~CD
Spring Pouchong is a great tea for Thanksgiving! (Photo by A.C. Cargill, all rights reserved)
Whether you have a more traditional, Norman Rockwell-esque Thanksgiving dinner or something very untraditional and unique, tea is an important part of that feast. And serving the right tea can make the difference to you and your guests between success or âso long, folks.â Not that anyone would walk away from a great meal just because you served the wrong tea with it. But they will walk away from the tea. So, letâs see how to have a bit more assurance that this wonât happen. Here are 5 tasty teas that are great with traditional Thanksgiving dishes and even non-traditional ones.
The sky is the limit here, as far as food pairings are concerned. So, no matter what your feast menu consists of, this tea should be a big hit! Great hot or iced, straight (steep only 2-3 minutes instead of 3-5 minutes) or with milk and sweetener.
- Meats: Hamburgers, Bacon, Fried or Roasted Chicken, Baked Ham, Eggs, Mexican Foods, Lasagna
- Cheeses: Goat Cheese
- Grains: Corn Bread, Couscous
- Vegetables: Chiles, Baked Beans, Mushrooms (Chanterelle, Common, Morel, Porcini)
- Desserts/Sweets: Dark Chocolate, Carrot Cake, CrÚme Brûlée, Caramel, Pecan Pie, Ones with Coffee or Mocha Flavors, Cinnamon, Nutmeg
Youâre probably thinking Iâve flipped my lid, but quite the contrary. This is a rather surprising tea, pairing with more foods than you might think. Plus, although many classify this as an oolong, it is so lightly oxidized that it is more like a green tea.
- Meats: Chicken Curry
- Fish/Seafood: Anchovies
- Cheeses: Gorgonzola, Muenster
- Vegetables: Potato Salad, Antipasto (even ones with meats in them)
- Desserts/Sweets: Baklava, Ones with Bananas, Avocados, Ones with Vanilla, Ones with Mint, Fresh Fruit
Another tea style that goes with a wide range of foods. And it can be served hot or iced (Iâm keeping all you folks in warmer climates, like the Southwest U.S., in mind here).
- Meats: Turkey, Hamburgers, Chicken (Buffalo Wings, Curry, Lemon), Lamb, Smoked Ham, Eggs, Quiche, Pork, other meat curries, Carpaccio (an appetizer made of raw meat or fish, thinly sliced or pounded thin)
- Fish/Seafood: Blinis with Salmon, Smoked or Grilled Fish/Seafood, Anchovies
- Cheeses: Brie, Cheddar, Cream Cheese, Edam (best with Autumn Flush Darjeeling), Camembert (best with First Flush Darjeeling)
- Vegetables: Eggplant, Potato Salad, Morel Mushrooms (best with Second-Flush or Autumn Flush Darjeeling), Polenta (cornmeal boiled into a porridge â can be eaten as is or baked, fried, grilled)
- Herbs/Spices: Cinnamon (best with Autumn Flush Darjeeling), Basil, Ginger, Mint, Nutmeg
- Desserts/Sweets: Chocolate (Dark, Milk, or White), Baklava, Carrot Cake, Cheesecake, CrĂšme BrĂ»lĂ©e, CrĂȘpes, Fruit Compote/Tart (Ones with Apples, Blackcurrants, Raspberries, Strawberries), Pecan Pie, Pumpkin Pie, Fresh Fruit, Avocados
An all-round good green tea that will be strong enough in flavor yet light enough in its general impression on your palate to suit your guests after that big meal. Consider this your dessert tea, although it can go with a few other foods well, too.
- Fish/Seafood: Anchovies, Clam Chowder, Prawns
- Other: Capers, Salsa
- Desserts/Sweets: Pumpkin Pie, Baklava, Carrot Cake, Cheesecake, CrÚme Brûlée, Ones with Raspberries, Ones with Caramel
Another tea that is pretty general when it comes to pairing with foods. So let your inner chef take over when planning the menu and have free rein.
- Meats: Turkey, Pork, Beef (Hamburgers, Stews, Roasts, Briskets, Steaks), Bacon, Eggs, Quiche, Chicken (Buffalo Wings, Fried, Lemon, Roasted), Baked Ham, Lamb, BBQ Meat, Salami, Lasagna, Antipasto (even ones with meats in them), Carpaccio
- Fish/Seafood: Ones that are Smoked
- Cheeses: Cream Cheese, Edam, Gorgonzola, Provolone
- Vegetables: Any Raw Veggies, Mushrooms (Chanterelles, Common, Porcini), Eggplant, Potato Salad, Baked Beans
- Grains/Pastas: Corn Bread, Couscous, Macaroni & Cheese
- Other: Nutmeg, Spicy Foods, Mexican Dishes, Pizza
- Desserts/Sweets: Pecan Pie, Pumpkin Pie, Baklava, Carrot Cake, Cheesecake, CrÚme Brûlée, Fruit Compote/Tart, Ones with Caramel, Ones with Bananas, Ones with Raspberries, Ones with Vanilla
Wishing you a great dinner and some lovely tea experiences. Enjoy!
See more of A.C. Cargillâs articles here.
© Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog, 2009-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this articleâs author and/or the blogâs owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
There is a trend toward people trying to bake their own tea. I like that âdo it yourselfâ spirit, but there are 3 reasons why you should let the vendor bake your tea. There may even be more.
Baking machine for tea used by Thomas Shu, expert on Taiwanese oolongs (Screen capture from site)
No, weâre not talking about the kind of baking that produces such deliciousness as cakes, pies, breads, and scones. This is a rather different process, but philosophically, there are similarities. Which brings me to reason #1.
1 The Process Takes a Practiced Skill
Just as when making any of the luscious treats named above so that they turn out truly luscious or like when making a soufflé that would bring tears of joy to the eyes of a chef at Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris, success with baking tea leaves takes practice which in turn builds up skill. Just cracking an egg can be tricky. Mixing the batter just right is, too. So is baking tea leaves. The right temperature and duration is determined often through experimentation. You also need to monitor the process, baking for awhile, then smelling the leaves, then maybe baking some more, adjusting the temperature up or down as you might think is due. Of course, what you use to bake the tea leaves matters, too, which brings us to reason #2.
2 The Process Takes Special Equipment
Unless youâre planning to bake a lot of tea or just like to spend your money on something that will sit around collecting dust most of the time, you may not want to buy your own tea baking oven. See the one shown above used by tea pro Thomas Shu who bakes quite a bit of tea and is a real pro in this area. Sure, you can use the regular oven in your kitchen, but this is better in that the leaves can be closer to the heat source. A toaster oven is another option, though. Itâs smaller and easier to control the amount of heat getting to the tea leaves than that big turkey-sized oven is. But even so, you could end up with burnt tea nuggets instead of a lovely nutty oolong or wonderfully toasty black tea, no matter how skillful you are. Which is a waste and brings up reason #3.
3 Wasting Good Tea Is Criminal
Well, not technically criminal. Thereâs no real law or statute or government regulation against it. But considering the time and effort that goes into growing, tending, harvesting, and processing the tea that you are trying to bake, I would certainly not be happy about it.
There are certainly legitimate reasons to try to bake your own tea: experimentation, the tea leaves have absorbed moisture from the air around them due to improper storage, the tea wasnât baked enough for your taste. Whatever the case, should you get the urge to bake your own tea, do so with care. Enjoy!
See more of A.C. Cargillâs articles here.
© Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog, 2009-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this articleâs author and/or the blogâs owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Formosa oolong (ETS Image)
There are a few significant tea producing countries or regions that have changed their name since tea began to be a significant industry there. Probably the most notable example is Sri Lanka. It used to be known as Ceylon, and to this day the tea produced there is known by the same name. And then there’s Taiwan.
Formerly known as Formosa, Taiwan is an island nation located directly to the east of mainland China. Unlike the situation in Sri Lanka, Taiwanese tea such as this one is no longer sold under the name Formosa. Much of the tea that’s produced in Taiwan today is one of a number of highly regarded varieties of oolong.
Writing about tea in the early twentieth century, in an article called The Tea Industry of Formosa, journalist Herbert Compton that there were “highly bright prospects” for the future of this industry. He also noted that Formosa, as it was still called, was “a most delightful realm for human habitation.”
Compton recounts that according to some tales wild tea plants were thought to be native to Formosa but suggests that it was more likely that the plant was brought there from neighboring China. Tea historians Victor Mair and Erling Hoh don’t go into the specifics of exactly when and how tea got to Taiwan but apparently there are records of it being grown there as early as 1701.
By 1861, according to a British government report, a fair amount of tea was being shipped from Formosa back to tea’s place of origin – China – but tea production was apparently still a relatively minor industry. Compton credits Englishman John Dodd with doing much to further the tea industry there in the years that followed.
In the half century from 1895 onward Formosa was a colony of Japan, and both sources agree that it was during this time that tea production really began to take off. Which is probably not surprising, given Japan’s long relationship with tea. Of course, Japan is best known for producing green tea and, while it would be interesting to determine how their colony became a hotbed for oolong tea, that’s a question that will have to wait for another day.
See more of William I. Lengemanâs articles here.
© Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog, 2009-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this articleâs author and/or the blogâs owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
I investigated Pouchongs in some depth a while back on this blog, having previously not known very much about them. However, although I had researched them thoroughly, I had not had a chance to sample them as much as I would like, and as such they featured on my list of five teas that I would like to explore more. Following up on this list, I decided to give the English Tea Storeâs Spring Pouchong a try.
Spring Pouchong in the cup (photo by Elise Nuding, all rights reserved)
Grown, processed, and packed in a small remote town in Taiwan, this pouchong is produced entirely by hand, using the same traditional methods followed by generations of tea growers in this area.
Pouchongs are lightly oxidised oolong teas, although the low level of oxidation means that they often taste like, or are grouped with, green teas. As such, they are at their best when brewed in water that has been lightly boiled (165-190°F or 74-90°C), and they often have a slightly shorter steep time than regular oolong teas.
The recommended steep time for Spring Pouchong is 1-3 minutesÂâ quite a large time frame, which leaves a lot of room for personal preference. For my first steeping, I decided to err on the side of a shorter steep and left the leaves for 1 minute. The result was a lightly fragranced brew with floral overtones, which had more similarities to a green tea than to an oolong tea.
Pure pouchongs such as this one can be resteeped several times, and so on my second brew from the same leaves I left them to steep for 2 minutes. On the third resteep I left them for 3 minutes. As the second and third steeps tend to be lighter, the resulting brews were of about the same strength as the first as they steeped for longer. I found that Spring Pouchong re-steeped very well, and provided excellent second and third cups of tea.
I wanted to experiment with a longer steep the first time around, and so, starting with a fresh batch of leaves, I left them to steep for 3 minutes. The result was a tea that tasted like standard strong oolongs that I am used to. The subtle floral overtones that were present in the lighter brew were masked in this stronger brew. That is not to say that I preferred one to the other, but I feel that the unique qualities of Spring Pouchong are lost slightly when brewed for a longer period of time and the resulting brew is more recognisable as an oolong.
This range of steeping times means that Spring Pouchong is a very versatile tea that can suit tea drinkers who prefer pouchongs that are closer to green teas, or who prefer them closer to oolongs. It could also be good for those who enjoy both, as they can opt for a shorter steep on some days and a longer steep on others.
See more of Elise Nudingâs articles here.
© Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog, 2009-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this articleâs author and/or the blogâs owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
To some of us the term âblack oolongâ can be a bit of a puzzle. We know black teas as one thing and oolong teas as another. Time to take a closer look.
Yes, folks, this is called a black tea. Not quite the liquid color you would normally expect. (Photo by A.C. Cargill, all rights reserved)
First, we here in North America and much of Europe know black tea as a fully oxidized tea where the dry leaves are very dark brown. (In Asia and other locations, this tea is known as red tea based on the reddish color of the steeped liquid.) And oolong lovers know that these are teas that are partially oxidized, ranging from very light to almost full.
But wait, there are those who say that oolong teas are made from certain varietals, from certain leaves, and grown in certain locations. This seems to be the case with the âblack oolongâ I received awhile ago to try. It was definitely being presented as one of those special plant oolongs but was being called âblack.â (An online search popped up a host of other such âblack oolongâ teas.)
The puzzle is easily solved here. Hearken back to that earlier statement about different levels (percentages) of oxidation. This âblack oolongâ tea is from Fujian Province in China and was generally processed in the way a lot of Fujian oolongs are. But this tea was allowed to oxidize âlonger than our normal Fujian OolongâŠâ.
So how did this particular black oolong compare to regular black teas? The aroma of the dry leaves was rich, nutty, and earthy, not smoky or malty or raisiny or jammy. The liquid (infused three times in water heated to 85°C for 2 minutes, 2œ minutes, and 3 minutes respectively) was pale, not the rich reddish color of regular black teas, and had a thick feel in the mouth that I have not experienced with black teas. After steeping, the leaves took on a nutty, slightly smoky (peat-like) aroma in the cup, with a smoky, slightly cocoa-ish flavor. That smoky, cocoa-ish quality was in the cup, too.
These âblack oolongâ teas are certainly worth searching out. Yes, there is a big world of tea out there. Enjoy!
See more of A.C. Cargillâs articles here.
© Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog, 2009-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this articleâs author and/or the blogâs owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
