Jag's Tea House

[Jag]

I love tea. I've been drinking it since I was a child. Whether it be bag, loose leaf, store bought, or home made...tea is amazing!

To start off, I just want to say that I am not an expert. My opinion of tea and such is in no way to be take as factual. Most of it is just that, my opinion. I will do my best to provide truthful and honest information, but when it comes to the taste of the tea and what I prefer is all my opinion. I do like to think that I know a lot about tea, but there is a world of tea that I've never delved into. I do hope, one day, to sample at least a little bit of everything.

You might be wondering what exactly I'm going to put in this blog, well, I'll tell you. Not just my opinion on the teas I sample, but pictures of them before and after brewing (when I remember to take them). Also, I hope to do my best to describe the taste and smell of the teas. I would also like to delve into the health benefits of tea. The differences between bagged and loose leaf. Tea balls and infusers. And even try to answer any questions people may have. I'd also like to teach people how to make their own teas (it's not that hard) and what types of herbs and such that you can find right in your yard to make them with.

Tea has a long history, after all, what's easier than finding some plants and tossing them into hot water? I don't wish to go into great detail about it's history, but it's been around for a very long time. There are dozens and dozens types of tea and I couldn't possibly give the exact, historical details of everyone of them...but I will try my best to provide accurate information.

Anyway...most of my tea comes from Adagio Teas. They are a wonderful company that lets you buy sample tins, mid-sized pouches, and even large tins of tea so you can decide for yourself how much you get. They also have a rather nice rewards program and a fairly active Facebook community. My favorite thing about them is their "Fandom" teas. Tea blends meant to represent characters or shows as a whole in their taste and smell. It's fun.

Now, as much as I love Adagio, they can get expensive. Good, quality tea is usually a little pricey, but they are not the only options. Grocery stores can offer a wide selection of good, bagged and loose leaf tea...you just have to look hard enough. Always check the ingredient listings on the box. Teas with artificial flavorings are usually something you'll want to put back.

Also, you should have the right tools for making tea. It's not complicated. A tea kettle, either a simple metal one, glass one, cast iron one (be aware that cast iron does season and develop a taste), or an eletric one. All of them are good and have their own benefits, but they all do the same thing...boil water. If you're going to use loose leaf tea, you're going to need a tea ball, these come in many shapes and sizes. I prefer the ones with mesh because there is less chance of any small bits floating out. You can also use a French Press, but the longer the tea stays in the water the stronger the flavor becomes and eventually becomes bitter. I don't like using them, but whatever floats your boat. I'll go into more detail about infusers and frech presses later on. Last, but not least, you will need a cup! Any cup will do, but I prefer a nice, big coffee mug. Save the fancy tea sets for parties or after dinner when you have a lot of people. The other option is the tea for one sets. They are cute and useful. I prefer the stack-able ones. Most come with the tea pot, cup, and saucer (though I never use a saucer).

If you're going to make homemade tea, there are a few more 'tools', but I'll address that as I get to them.

~Jag

Tea Index:

Misc. Teas

Celestial Sleepytime Tea
Lipton Bavarian Wild Berry Black Tea
Sunshine Iced Tea

Adagio Teas

Sifan Sea Grog
Stonewood Brew
Vaprian Cordial

Discontinued TeaCo Teas

Pomegranate Green Tea - Tea is Discontinued
Chocolate Butterscotch Rooibos Tea - Tea is Discontinued
Strawberry Kiwi Tisane - Tea is Discontinued
Blueberry Cheesecake Green Tea - Tea is Discontinued
Strawberry Daiquiri Green Tea - Tea is Discontinued

Articles, Instructionals, Tips:

Men's Health: Benefits of Tea article
What is Tea?
How to make a Tea Bag
Redefining the Tea Bag - The New Shape
Tea Storage
Tea Grades
Tea Tannins
How to Dry Herbs/Flowers for Tea

Herbs & Flowers:

Viola Odorata

[crystaltears]

Ooh, Michi. I'll look forward to reading this blog. I only started drinking tea for my voice back when I was taking voice lessons and as such I've only tried a few different types. Chamomile with Lemon, Oolong Tea, and Cinnamon Apple come to mind.. But maybe I'll be able to pick out a few new ones to try from reading about the ones you enjoy. :-)

Thanks for starting this! I'm gonna have fun following it.

[Neroon]

Great blog idea, Michi and I look forward to reading your reviews.

When I use loose leaf tea, I prefer to let it brew without a tea ball in the pot and then pour through a tea strainer.  I find the greater freedom of movement for the tea gives it more flavour in a shorter time.  Admittedly, I do follow the whole warming the pot and bringing the pot to the kettle routine too, so it's possible I'm a bit OCD over my tea drinking.

I was interested to see you mention dandelion tea.  I've never tried the tea but I have found that roasted dandelion roots make a pretty good coffee alternative.

[Jag]

Ooh, Michi. I'll look forward to reading this blog. I only started drinking tea for my voice back when I was taking voice lessons and as such I've only tried a few different types. Chamomile with Lemon, Oolong Tea, and Cinnamon Apple come to mind.. But maybe I'll be able to pick out a few new ones to try from reading about the ones you enjoy. :-)

Thanks for starting this! I'm gonna have fun following it.

Thank you for your support. ^^

Great blog idea, Michi and I look forward to reading your reviews.

When I use loose leaf tea, I prefer to let it brew without a tea ball in the pot and then pour through a tea strainer.  I find the greater freedom of movement for the tea gives it more flavour in a shorter time.  Admittedly, I do follow the whole warming the pot and bringing the pot to the kettle routine too, so it's possible I'm a bit OCD over my tea drinking.

I was interested to see you mention dandelion tea.  I've never tried the tea but I have found that roasted dandelion roots make a pretty good coffee alternative.

Dandelions have many uses. Tea, coffee, salads, etc...it might be a weed, but it's a damn useful one! I love dandelions. My high school couldn't get their mower close enough to the teaching trailers, so the dandelions got huge. I would go over and yank them up, roots and all, and take them home with me. Got a few strange looks from the gym teacher, but at least I got what I wanted. ^^

And I will be going over ways to use loose leaf without a tea ball/infuser. My tea ball has too many little holes in it that let leafs through, so I've come up with a few ways to get around having leafs in your tea. ^^

[Paradox]

Strong start! I'm glad to see you made this a reality. I had no idea that making tea was so complex. For me, tea has always been a matter of "insert bag of dubiously-colored plant matter into water, move it up and down for two minutes, let it sit for a second, then drink" (that sounded like a terrible sexual metaphor, sorry), so I'm interested in seeing all the fancy tools you mentioned in action.

[Jag]

Strong start! I'm glad to see you made this a reality. I had no idea that making tea was so complex. For me, tea has always been a matter of "insert bag of dubiously-colored plant matter into water, move it up and down for two minutes, let it sit for a second, then drink" (that sounded like a terrible sexual metaphor, sorry), so I'm interested in seeing all the fancy tools you mentioned in action.

Did sound just a little sexual there. But that's okay. :P And a lot of teas are just 'dunk the bag in the water'. Most aren't very complicated.

[Nadir]

>_>

<_<

*marks up Michi's blog so shi is alerted when new posts are made*

*blows a kiss*

*vanishes*

[Wistful Dream]

What a lovely idea <3

[Autumn Sativus]

If you need any tea's to try yourself for your blogging Michi, let me know. I've been a tea addict for many a year and my selection of delicious brews is very extensive.

[Jag]

Tea is Discontinued

Loose Leaf Pomegranate Green Tea

"TeaCo's Green Tea is a 'True' tea with leaves coming from the Camellia Sinensis plant. It is created by the leaves going through very little oxidation while being processed. There are many health benefits to drinking green tea. Green tea is anti-oxidant rich and has been linked to lowering cholesterol levels. Studies have also shown that green tea is healpful in preventing or reducing cancer, arthritis, infection, and cardiovascular disease.

TeaCo's Pomegranate Green Tea is made from the finest ingredients possible. This freshness is unmatched in the tea industry and provides the consumer with one of the most unique drinks imaginable.

Ingredients: Green Tea, Pomegranate Peel, Hibiscus Flower, and Natural Pomegranate Flavoring." -TeaCo

Now, while Green Tea does have health benefits, it does not mean that drinking a cup a day is going to keep you healthy forever. The health aspects of Green Tea are widely debated. Over a decade of studies to determine all the health aspects of tea and yet there are very few real-world evidence. Most of the facts are coming out of labs and not from word of mouth reports. There are very few studies actually done on humans to determine the exact effects of Green Tea.

Despite that, it does have important antioxidants and compounds that help in maintaining good health. The antioxidants in Green Tea are similar to the ones found in grapes and berries, red wine, and dark chocolate. It is also unknown just how much Green Tea would need to be consumed in order to reap the full benefits of the leaves.

Still...it's good to drink.

Today I've brewed myself a cup of TeaCo's Pom-Green Tea. For Loose Leaf Tea you're going to want some way to get the leaves and pieces out of the cup (though they are not harmful to digest). You can use a tea ball, French Press, tea strainer, cheese cloth, or even make your own tea bag. I use a combination of tea ball packed with a homemade tea bag. To make the tea bag you can either purchase empty bags and fill them yourself or pay $1 for those boxes of 100 Iced Tea bags at the store and empty them yourself. I empty them myself and save the Iced Tea leaves for use in the summer when I need to make pitchers of Sweet Ice Tea for parties and what not.

Measure out your leaves 1tsp per 8oz of water. My cup holds 10 oz and I like my tea a little stronger, so I put 2tsp. Heat your water and dunk your bag or press into your infuser. Let steep for 2-5 minutes depending on how strong you like it. The longer is steeps, the stronger the flavor. Be aware that the longer your tea steeps, the more bitter it can become too. For a first time taster, I would say about 3 minutes steeping should do to get you a nice, light flavor.

The color should be a light, tannish color. You may need to bob the tea ball or bag a little to get the coloring and flavor to disperse. If you look in the cup before that, you can see the tea water settling at the bottom of the cup. But don't worry, once mixed up it won't separate again. The longer you let it steep, the darker the color will be.

As for the taste, since I like mine a little stronger, tastes a bit like biting into a Pomegranate seed. It's a light flavor (even after 5 minutes of steeping) and you just barely get them smell of the fruit after steeping. While steeping the scent is a little stronger. Those with not-so-good sense of smell may not smell anything at all. The taste washes all over your tongue, getting more bitter as it reaches the back and down your throat. Strangely enough, if you have ever bitten your cheek or lip while chewing or anything like that...it kind of leaves that irony taste in your mouth for a few minutes after drinking.

While I don't add anything to my teas, this is a tea that can have honey easily added to it without damaging the flavor. The honey may make it easier for some people to drink it since most people are more used to sugary flavors. Again, I don't do this, but I have in the past and I don't enjoy it. Still, many people do and it doesn't hurt the flavor. It will get rid of that irony after taste and does cut some of the bitterness if you over steep. I would say that about 1/2 to 1tsp of honey is more than enough for a 8-10oz cup.

Personally, I think it's a nice starter tea. Like most Green Teas, it can sit and cool without losing it's taste. Personally, I like dropping a few cubes of ice into it.

Now, while the Loose Leaf Pomegranate Green Tea is wonderful and I do prefer it...there are Bagged Tea options that are just as good:

Bigelow Green Tea with Pomegranate
Bigelow Green Tea with Pomegranate For Keurig Brewers
The Republic of Tea, Pomegranate Green Tea
Yoga Teas Golden Temple Tea Co Green Tea

Bigelow, Republic of Tea, and Yoga Teas are the brands that I find to be equal in quality to most Loose Leaf teas. Bigelow is one that you can usually find in your grocery store.

If you don't live near a TeaCo store, you can purchase this tea from their site: TeaCo Pomegranate Green Tea.

[Wistful Dream]

That does sound like a lovely tea, though does it have caffeine in it?

[Jag]

That does sound like a lovely tea, though does it have caffeine in it?

I should have mentioned that. :P But no. No caffeine or added sugar.

[Oniya]

I was under the impression that green tea has less caffeine than black tea, but it still has some.   ???


*tags thread so she can keep up with it ;)*

[Wistful Dream]

I should have mentioned that. :P But no. No caffeine or added sugar.

Ah, yay! I loved the first entry, it was so informative and I am really enjoying tea since I went to England; but I have to be careful because I can't have caffeine. Seriously. Soda I can only drink sprite or sierra mist, though I tend to go with Ginger Ale. I love tea but finding good un caffeinated ones can be a pain sometimes, outside of chamomile and as much as I love it it makes me sooo drowsy.

~makes notes to find this Green Tea~ Green Tea is suppose to boost your energy as well right?

[Jag]

I was under the impression that green tea has less caffeine than black tea, but it still has some.   ???


*tags thread so she can keep up with it ;)*

Ah, yay! I loved the first entry, it was so informative and I am really enjoying tea since I went to England; but I have to be careful because I can't have caffeine. Seriously. Soda I can only drink sprite or sierra mist, though I tend to go with Ginger Ale. I love tea but finding good un caffeinated ones can be a pain sometimes, outside of chamomile and as much as I love it it makes me sooo drowsy.

~makes notes to find this Green Tea~ Green Tea is suppose to boost your energy as well right?

I'm sure it has some caffeine in it naturally, but it is considerably less than black tea and soda.

There is, approximately,    23.0 miligrams of caffeine in Lipton Diet Green Tea with Citrus. Bagged tea has more caffeine in it than loose leaf. The more you can see of the leaf, the less caffeine it tends to have (partly because it's less processed). The stems and lower leaves also have less caffeine than the larger, top leaves of the plant.

A good way to lower the caffeine in tea is to brew it twice. Brew a cup, dump it, then re-steep with the same bag/leaves. There is such thing as caffeine free green tea, you just have to search for it.

As for boosting your energy, it's kind of hit or miss. Since most data on how good tea is for your metabolism and energy is lab based and not really tested, it's hard to say. I do find that drinking a full cup before a meal does help fill me up and does help keep me from feeling too-full or sluggish after eating. Also, drinking it in the mornings is better because of that little bit of caffeine to help give you that morning boost.

[Wistful Dream]

~nods~ Thanks for answering all the questions hun :)

[Autumn Sativus]

Wisti, for you, I'd recommend any screen style tea ball and a whole lot of Rooibus. It's naturally caffeine free and as far as I'm concerned it's some of the most delicious tea on the market.

I'll also suggest Mate, as it is caffeine free, using an alternate stimulant.

[Ryven]

How lovely! ;D  I will definitely be following this, and I will also be stealing the index idea you use for my own blog.

TeaCo has a store in my city! Yay!  I will go check them out and buy some teas. :D

Awesome work, Michi!  I look forward to more posts. *hugs*

[Jag]

Thank you for all the kind words everyone! We were just in town and I got myself a new, fully mesh tea ball (yay!) and a new canister of tea. It's Rooibus Chocolate Butterscotch (got it just for you Wisti since it's caffeine free). So that will probably be my next 'review'. ^^

[Wistful Dream]

That sounds wonderful! After you review it, if its good I'll have to look into getting some. I bought a few teas when we went to this amazing store locally with lots of imported stuffs. A strawberry Pomegranate one, and 'get relaxed' by The Republic of Tea. Both sans caffeine of course.

[Lilias]

I find that detox blends work well for energy levels, and considering I'm one of those people who normally can't function without a cup of coffee first thing in the morning, that says a lot. My favourites are Birt & Tang's Detox, which does have green tea in the mix, and Twinings' Morning Detox, which doesn't (and unfortunately isn't available in the US Twinings range).

[Jag]

Which Tea is for You?

With a world of teas out there, it would be impossible for me to pin down every single one of them. While I feel that people should give any tea offered to them a try, that doesn't mean people will. Some people are looking for something specific and it can be hard to find.

Sencha
Best for: Green Tea beginners. It's sweet and mellow, without the bitter bite that some other green teas have. Great with sushi or dessert.

Genmaicha
Best for: And afternoon pick-me-up. This Japanese green tea is mixed with roasted rice kernels. It has a savory smell, almost like popcorn.

Sur le Nil
Best for: After-dinner relaxing. Its flavor is more delicate than that of many green teas. Think of it as chamomile-plus, with hints of lemon and spice.

High Mountain Oolong
Best for: Relaxing after work. It's made with thick tea leaves, which gives it a full floral flavor with an earthy finish. A good balance for before dinner.

Wood Dragon Oolong
Best for: Guys who've quit coffee. Because it contains more stem than leaf, this strong, woodsy brew has significantly less caffeine than other oolong teas.

Honey Phoenix Oolong
Best for: Wintertime defrosting. It's a robust tea, with a flavor almost like a cherry pit. That makes it sweet, with a tinge of bitterness.

Vanilla Rooibos
Best for: Dessert, and not just because it's free of caffeine. You'll taste a light sweetness followed by a creamy finish.

Cassis
Best for: Snapping awake on a cold morning. This black tea is rich and powerful. You'll taste black currants, with a sweet, dry finish.

Pu-erh Tuocha
Best for: Coffee drinkers. It's strong and earthy, and has a kick of caffeine. The black tea comes pressed into nuggets, which break apart when you boil them.

This info comes straight from Men's Health Magazine: Health Benefits of Tea (yes, I read Men's Health sometimes).

I read this article in the magazine and thought it would be nice to share. ^^ So enjoy!

[Ryven]

I, honestly, have never liked straight green tea.  I love blends with other flavors, but any green tea I've ever had has had too much of an astringent flavor to it.  I love black tea and Oolong.  Rooibus I've only had once, and I really didn't like the flavor either.

[Jag]

I've always enjoyed the bitter-bite that green tea seems to have. Though when it's not blended with anything else I will admit to sometimes putting a little honey in it just to cut the bitterness.

As for Rooibus, I like it. It's not my favorite, but I like the flavor of blended rooibus compared to straight rooibus.

One tea that I do have a hard time with is black teas. I drink it, but again, it's not my favorite. I can usually only handle about a half a cup of it. Oolong and green teas are my favorites. ^^

Last night when we went to the mall the hubby tried TeaCo's Tropical Green Tea. He got it iced, but they messed up the order and gave it to him hot. So when he got it iced there was about half a cup of hot tea still left in the original cup...I must say, I didn't really like it. It smelled amazing, but it really just tasted like plain, green tea and it tasted a bit over steeped.

By the way, they have this nifty little infuser that they use to brew their teas. You put the leaves in the top and let it steep and then you place the infuser over the cup and press down just a little and it dispenses the tea! I was fascinated with it. :P No bag, tea ball, or anything. It was their Genie Infuser and they make them in larger than 1 cup sizes too for parties and what not. I need to get my hands on one. I bet I could make coffee in it too. >.>

[Wistful Dream]

That vanilla one sounds interesting ~makes notes to find it~

[Jag]

That vanilla one sounds interesting ~makes notes to find it~

Tazo Tea Herbal Infusion, Full-Leaf Sachets, Vanilla Rooibos
Caffeine Free South African Rooibos Loose Leaf Herbal Tea with Vanilla & Almond Bits
The Republic of Tea, Good Hope Vanilla Red Tea (Rooibus = Red Tea)


^__^ I'm sure you can find it cheaper in other places, but those are some brands to look for.

[Wistful Dream]

You are like the Tea Fairy <3

[Jag]

You are like the Tea Fairy <3

^__^

[Ryven]

I would say she is the tea fairy.

[Wistful Dream]

~agrees~ And that's so much better then the Tooth Fairy

[crystaltears]

~agrees~ And that's so much better then the Tooth Fairy

*Nods agreement.*

[Jag]

So, first few sips of the Chocolate Butterscotch Rooibus and I must say it is FANTASTIC! I think I'm in love.

Anyway...I'm going to give it a cup or two before I give it a write up, but it's very promising. It's so light and smells amazing. You can really smell the butterscotch, but the flavor isn't over powering at all. Nor is the chocolate flavor. The chocolate and butterscotch chips melt so slowly though, I fear over steeping. Maybe next time I'll just dig the chips out of the tea and plop them in the hot water and let them melt on their own and the tea in it's ball.

*makes note for choco/butter chip experiment with the next cup*

[Wistful Dream]

Oooh it has actual chips in it?

[Jag]

Yup. Little chocolate and butterscotch chips. ^^

[Wistful Dream]

~wants even more~

[Jag]

What is Tea?

Most people don't know the difference between white, green, black, and oolong tea. Rooibos is even stranger on it's own! Other than taste and color, most people probably couldn't tell you very much about these teas. Strangely enough, all these teas (except rooibos) are harvested from the same plant. The Camellia sinensis. The difference between these teas have to do with how much oxidation the leaf in question goes through. Not to go into too much detail about oxidation, but the simplest terms are: Oxidation is the loss of electrons or an increase in oxidation state by a molecule, atom, or ion.

On a small side note, we also have 'Kukicha' which is twig tea and made from the stems and twigs of the camellia rather than the leaves.

For those that have never seen a 'tea plant', here is a nice picture:

It's a beautiful plant and if you ever get the chance to actually handle one, I highly recommend it. To get an idea of how big one plant is...the flower is usually about 2-4 centimeters with about 7-8 petals. The leaves are about 4-5 centimeters long and about 2-5 centimeters wide, and contain about 4% caffeine. As for height, they can grow higher than six feet and are considered a tree or a shrub.

White tea is taken from the buds and younger leaves. It's allowed to wither naturally in the sun light before placed through production to prevent further oxidation. White tea also tends to contain more of the natural 'goodness' that is in tea. White tea also contains less caffeine than other teas (with the exception of rooibos).

Green tea leaves a just barely more developed than white tea and put through the bare minimum of oxidation. This gives it that 'bitter' taste people associate it with. Unless specifically stated on the packaging, green tea contains caffeine. The amount varies per cup and how many leaves you use and such, but a good way to judge is the average serving of brewed coffee contains 145 mg of caffeine, the same serving size of green tea provides 25 mg. That isn't perfectly right, but it's about as close as you can get. The average serving would be an 8oz cup.

Black tea is a very highly oxidized tea. More so than white, green, and oolong. It also contains the most caffeine. Despite it being called a 'black' tea, the color is actually a rich reddish color. Strange since rooibos is the 'red tea'. Where green tea tends to lose it's flavor after sitting on the shelf for a year or so, black tea travels and sits much better. It can hold it's flavor for several years of shelf life. This makes it one of the most widely traveled teas (in the past and before better shipping methods emerged). Some of the most well known tea blends are made from black tea. Such as Earl Grey, English Breakfast, and Irish Breakfast. If green tea provides about 25 mg of caffeine per average serving, black tea provides about 45-60 mg; so this is not the tea for people trying to avoid caffeine.

Oolong tea is withered under a strong sun and then highly oxidized to get it's flavor and 'curled' look. It is one of the only teas that you can use the same leaves more than once. Most teas lose much of their flavor after the first brew, but oolong can be used 2-4 times and still maintain much of the flavor. While it's hard to pin point how much caffeine is in oolong, it is less than black and green tea.

Another, strange, tea is Pu-erh tea. I've never tasted this tea before, but I've seen it and plan on tasting it sometime in the future. The strange thing about this tea is that it's compacted very tightly into a ball. It's sometimes called 'dark tea'. While with other teas you just want to heat the water, not boil it, with Pu-erh you have to boil the water. Since many forms of Pu-erh are sold in brick or large ball form, you'll need a knife/letter opener/pu'er knife to pry chunks off.  Or you can steam it and flake pieces off for brewing.

Rooibos is one of the only teas not made from the Camellia plant. It is grown in South Africa and considered the 'red bush' or 'red tea'. It is also considered an herbal tea. Rooibos comes in two specific types. Red and Green. Red is more easily produced and oxidized, while the Green is unoxidized and much harder to produce (it's produced much like green tea is and is more expensive than the 'red'). It is commonly drank with a slice of lemon  and sugar or honey to sweeten. Though many do drink it naturally because it is said to have a sweet, nutty flavor on it's own. The color of natural rooibos tea is a beautiful, deep amber color. This is also one of the only teas I've had to fight with. The fine, needle like leaves slip through even my mesh tea ball. I had to wrap it in cheese cloth and stuff it into my tea ball. Rooibos is also naturally caffeine free!

Rooibos Plant:

Well...I've rambled on long enough. I hope some people found this informative.

[darkangel76]

Oh my goodness! I can't believe I'm only just seeing this today! Michi! I <3 you for this like you wouldn't believe! As a fellow tea drinker, I applaud you. So far, you're doing a fantastic job! And was bouncing when I saw that your first highlighted tea was pomegranate green tea (my favorite!). Excellent job so far, keep it up! I'll be reading for sure!!! :)

[Jag]

Thank you, darkangel! I'm glad someone else like Pom Green Tea. It is one of my favorites. ^^

Anyway...here is a little teaser picture for the next review of that wonderful rooibos tea:



Isn't it pretty?! After the rooibos, I'm going to review and go into a few bagged teas.

[Wistful Dream]

That was wonderfully informative Michi, I adored it :) You are doing such a wonderful job with this.

[Caeli]

This is very informative and interesting. :) I love learning about tea (I've done a lot of reading on my own) and drinking tea, so this should be fun reading material. ^_^

[Jag]

That was wonderfully informative Michi, I adored it :) You are doing such a wonderful job with this.

Thank you, Wistful. ^^ Once the weather warms up a bit and more fruits come in season I'm going to go over Fruit Teas (Fruit Tisanes) and how you can make them yourself. Fruit Teas are usually caffeine free since they usually don't contain any real tea leaves.

This is very informative and interesting. :) I love learning about tea (I've done a lot of reading on my own) and drinking tea, so this should be fun reading material. ^_^

Yay, more readers. ^^ *hugs Caeli*

[Wistful Dream]

That sounds promising :) I had the strawberry pom tea last night and it was really yummy.

[Jag]

Hopefully I will be able to get my hands on a few good pomegranates again this year and get to experiment with them. I only have one fruit tea on hand and it's Wild Strawberry. Strawberry bits, rose hip, and hibiscus. It smells so good. ^^ Making your own fruit tea can be a pain if you are like me and don't own a dehydrator (spending hours staring at the oven while it slowly dries fruit is bothersome)...but I hate buying dried fruit in bags. Most of them are so packed with sugar, it's really not worth it.

I'll have to try juicing some pomegranates and soaking some fruit in it. Hmmm...that does sound good. ^^

[darkangel76]

That sounds absolutely delicious!

Another fave of mine that I've only tried relatively recently is Bigelow's Cranberry Pomegranate Green Tea. It's just so very delicious and has a nice little sour zip to the flavor. When I saw it I just had to get it though. I love both pomegranates as well as cranberries. And though the idea of putting them together had never crossed my mind, I figured I had to at least try it. OH! I'm so glad I did!

[Jag]

Found this wonderful little article on how to make your own tea bags (cause it is simple to do). Also, if you're like me, you get a little frustrated and OCD when there are tea leaves floating in your cup. They aren't harmful to you, but it's annoying and eye twitching.

How To Make A Tea Bag
By: H.P. Mandrake

If you are a hardcore tea junkie with a cabinet full of tins, bottles and bags of assorted teas, you will someday have to know how to make a tea bag. You never know when you will break your strainer, smash your teapot or completely lose your mind and burn down your house. These things happen in life. The only part you can be 100% sure of is you will not have a way to make any tea when you need it the most. A tea junkie probably won’t have any Lipton lying around, so you will have to improvise.

To make a tea bag, you might need:

    * Material such as muslin, cheesecloth, cotton, hemp or even a paper towel
    * String
    * Needle, thread or sewing machine

   1. Gather materials. To make a tea bag, you will need some sort of material to hold the tea. Muslin or cheesecloth will work the best. In a pinch, you can use anything from an old cotton t-shirt rag to a plain old white paper towel. Make sure you thoroughly rinse any of these items before using.
   2. Construct the tea bag.  To actually make a tea bag that you can reuse, cut a four inch piece of material. Poke two holes near the corners about a quarter of an inch below the top of the material and thread your string through. Leave some string hanging out. Fold the top over and sew the edge to create a tunnel for the string. Now, sew the sides and bottom shut with tight stitches but leave the top open for tea.
   3. Emergency tea bagging. To make a tea bag for an emergency situation, cut a four inch square of your material. Dump in some tea and fold all the corners up. Twist the ends of the material to help hold in the tea and tie off the top. Make sure you leave a little extra string so you don’t have to burn your fingers fishing the bag out of hot water. -Source



Another thing you can do in a pinch is drag out one of those tea bags you bought forever ago and found out the tea tasted horrible and so stuffed away in your cabinet. Pull one out, pry the little staple free, empty out the contents, re-fill with your loose leaf of choice, and then use the string to twist the top up and tie it together. You can either leave the string long enough so that you are not digging into hot tea to get the bag out or stick it inside your mesh tea ball and plop it in.

Also, making a reusable tea bag out of woven muslin is a money saver for people that get tired of spending money on tea bags and just tossing them out. You can use it over and over and over again and it's washable. Granted, it will likely get tea stained, but a good washing should take out any former tea taste (just don't bleach it). Here is a nice tutorial on how to make a hand sewn, reusable tea bag.

[Jag]

Tea is Discontinued

Chocolate Butterscotch Rooibos

"TeaCo's Rooibos Tea is made from the leaves of the Red Bush plant which is grown in South Africa. It is not derived from the traditional Camillia sinensis plant like most other teas, therefore it is considered as an herbal drink. It is traditionally drank with sugar and milk, though many drinkers today prefer it plain or with a bit of honey.

Rooibos tea is high in anti-oxidants and many minerals. It is also caffeine free. Studies have shown Rooibos tea to help prevent cancer, increase immune functions, and reduces headaches, insomnia, and irritability.

Ingredients: Rooibos tea, Chocolate chips, Butterscotch chips, and Natural flavorings." -TeaCo

Once again, I would like to point out that while I believe in the health benefits of tea, most of the studies done are not 'proven' or done in a controlled setting/environment. The health benefits of teas are things that I prefer to think of as 'home remedies'. Yes, it is high in anti-oxidants, but depending on your diet, activity, and life style...drinking a cup of tea a day while sitting around eating nothing but pizza and candy, the tea isn't going to help. For me, tea is a light feeling drink. It makes you feel warm and happy and makes it easy to jump up and move around or sit back and relax.

Now, while tea may be good for you and better for you than most drinks...don't force yourself to drink it. It's not medicine. Don't chug it down while holding your nose like you would for nasty tasting cough syrup just to get the good benefits of it. All, natural, teas have anti-oxidants. So if you're going to drink it for that, find a flavor and type you like.

Remember, Rooibos is naturally caffeine free! The next step up from this tea type for caffeine is white tea.

Anyway, today I have brewed myself a cup of TeaCo's Choco-Butterscotch Rooibos. Since I've already discussed the importance of using a tea ball for loose leaf tea, let's discuss when a tea ball fails. I posted how to make your own tea bag for a reason. Rooibos is a 'broom' like plant. This basically means that the 'leafs' are thin and almost needle like. When dried out and made to be used for tea they became like tiny, little splinters that seep through every little opening...even that of a mesh tea ball. They slip through the crease of the two ball parts and even through the mesh itself. I'm sure not all Rooibos does this, but this one sure does.

After a few little experiments, I find the best thing to do is to make a tea bag or empty one and fill it up with the tea, the stuff that into the tea ball. That should prevent any tea leaves from seeping out. On the other hand, you can forgo the tea ball and bag all together and use a French Press or Infuser. Both of which would work wonderfully for this kind of fine leaf tea.

Unlike green tea, Rooibos takes a 5-7 minute seeping. The longer it seeps, the darker the color and richer the taste. Over seeping (more than 10 minutes) will leave you with bitter, cold tea. So watch the clock or set a timer. This specific blend has chocolate and butterscotch chips in it. I recommend either using very hot water or just putting the chips in the bottom of your cup. I put them in the bottom of my cup and just stirred till they melted. Doing as I do tends to leave the water looking a little cloudy rather than that clear, red color that Rooibos gives, but it doesn't hurt the flavor one bit.

As for the color, when not putting the chips in the bottom of the cup, it should be a rich, deep rusty color or a beautiful, dark amber color. It really is one of the most beautiful colored teas I've ever seen. The chocolate/butterscotch chips even give it a 'shine' and makes it almost glitter. It's really amazing. I took a picture of it yesterday for you all and posted it. Just like the Pom-Green Tea from before, you may need to bob the tea ball or bag a little to get the color to mix with the water.

The taste is almost as wonderful as it looks. It's rich and smooth. Naturally sweet and warm. Not a bit of bitterness in it at all. It's almost creamy and buttery. I don't know how it would taste iced, but I wouldn't dare put ice in it. It really does taste perfect at a lukewarm temperature. Even the smell is nice. Before putting the chocolate/butterscotch chips in, you should dunk just the tea in with the hot water and take a good smell. It's hard to describe, but it smells warm, buttery, and just made me smile. While you can really smell the butterscotch just from opening the canister, you can't really smell it once it's mixed in the water. The Rooibos itself smells fantastic. It's dusty and deep.

As I've said before, I don't really add anything to my teas other than what is in the bag/canister...but yes, traditionally it is drank with milk, honey, and lemon. I don't like adding milk to tea, I think it tastes funny and sour. But I do like honey with plain green tea and lemon in nearly anything. While I don't think this blend needs anything added, I can see lemon giving it a nice tang to balance out the sweetness.

Overall, this is a wonderful tea experience. The flavor is deep without being over powering. It doesn't leave any kind of 'weird' after taste. While I still think green tea is a good starter for people just starting to drink tea, this would not be a bad start either.

Now, while the Loose Leaf Chocolate Butterscotch Rooibos  is wonderful and I do prefer it...there are Bagged Tea options that are just as good (though none that add butterscotch that I could find):

Belgian Chocolate Rooibos Sample
White Chocolate Rooibos
Aztec Chocolate Rooibos

If you don't live near a TeaCo store, you can purchase this tea from their site: TeaCo Chocolate Butterscotch Rooibos Tea

[Wistful Dream]

I really really hope I can get my hands on that tea, it does sound divine. Thanks for all the little tips in the last two posts as well.

[Jag]

I'm glad you liked it Wisti. TeaCo is the only place I found Chocolate-Butterscotch, but I only looked on Amazon. I know TeaCo is trying to get together 'sample packs' so people can get small versions to test out before buying the big canister.

[Ryven]

Another great post, Michi.  I do have a quick question.  Do you plan on doing any posting with iced variations of the teas you post about?  I imagine it might depend on the tea.  Some are better hot than cold and vice versa.  I am curious as, at least for me, hot tea in the summer time (which is just around the corner) isn't something that is drank as regularly as in the colder months.

[Jag]

Considering it's still rather cold where I am, I'm sticking to hot teas for now...but yes. I do plan on going into iced teas as spring and summer set in more. ^^ Almost any tea can become iced, but a lot of people think of iced sweet tea when it comes to cold teas. While I can make Sweet Tea, I can't drink it. Too sugary for me. So yeah, there will be iced teas. ^^

We have a Disney store in the same mall as the tea store that has the cutest little water/iced tea pitchers that come with jelly Mickey heads that you freeze and keep the drink cold. I am very tempted to get it. >.>

[Ryven]

Considering it's still rather cold where I am, I'm sticking to hot teas for now...but yes. I do plan on going into iced teas as spring and summer set in more. ^^ Almost any tea can become iced, but a lot of people think of iced sweet tea when it comes to cold teas. While I can make Sweet Tea, I can't drink it. Too sugary for me. So yeah, there will be iced teas. ^^

We have a Disney store in the same mall as the tea store that has the cutest little water/iced tea pitchers that come with jelly Mickey heads that you freeze and keep the drink cold. I am very tempted to get it. >.>

I figured.  It's still pretty cold here.  I was just wondering for future reference and to sate my curiosity.  Not everyone thinks of iced tea as sweet though.  Native northerners think of iced tea as unsweetened.  It's a culture shock going north from down where I am and vice versa for northerners.  Your location really depends on what you get when you ask for 'iced tea.'

[Jag]

Yeah...I'm from Chicago originally and the first time I I got Iced Tea in Alabama I nearly spit it out on the table after the waitress gave it to me. There was sooooo much sugar in it. You can usually tell if someone is originally from the north or not been down there very long because they will ask for 'Sweet tea' or 'sweetened iced tea' instead of just 'iced tea'. :P Or at least the ones that know better enough to ask for it that way (unlike me).

But, yes, I will be getting into iced teas as it warms up outside. A lot of times it's as easy as plunking some ice cubes in the tea and letting it cool that way rather than just sitting it out on the counter to cool (it just gets bitter that way).

[Oniya]

One tip I've seen with making iced tea is to make a simple syrup (1c sugar, 1c water, heat to dissolve, cool slowly, then refrigerate) and keep that separate so that you can sweeten it to your personal taste without having to try to dissolve sugar in a cold liquid, or presweeten to a 'standard' taste.

[Rhedyn]

I must admit I'm not the most adventurous tea drinker, mainly because I have found so many that I dislike that I've kind of stopped trying many new ones. I do enjoy plain herbal teas such as nettle, dandelion, camomile, fennel and peppermint though.

I'm finding your blog really interesting Michi and may well have to reinvest some effort into a few new types, thank you for all the advice and inspiration so far.

[Jag]

One tip I've seen with making iced tea is to make a simple syrup (1c sugar, 1c water, heat to dissolve, cool slowly, then refrigerate) and keep that separate so that you can sweeten it to your personal taste without having to try to dissolve sugar in a cold liquid, or presweeten to a 'standard' taste.

Will have to try that. ^^

I must admit I'm not the most adventurous tea drinker, mainly because I have found so many that I dislike that I've kind of stopped trying many new ones. I do enjoy plain herbal teas such as nettle, dandelion, camomile, fennel and peppermint though.

I'm finding your blog really interesting Michi and may well have to reinvest some effort into a few new types, thank you for all the advice and inspiration so far.

I'll try any tea once. ^^ I do enjoy herbals very much, dandelion being my favorite. Hopefully I'll get a good gathering of chamomile this spring and summer to make tea with.

I am glad you're enjoying the blog. ^^

[darkangel76]

Michi, you know I'm loving this!!!

And I'm excited about the iced tea posts that will be coming up once summer is upon us! I'm from the north originally, so I'm an unsweetened tea drinker. Occasionally, I'll drink the sweet tea, but it's not all that often that I'll do that. I just prefer the unsweetened much more so.

Anyway, these past couple posts have been great! I really have to check out this TeaCo. I just buy the brands you can get in the stores like Bigelow, Stash, Twinings and Lipton. I will venture out to the Asian markets to get my plain green teas and ginger teas, however. Though I've yet to find a ginger tea that wasn't a powder. So, if you could do a post about that, that would be wonderful!!! Another would be plum tea. I've only ever found that in powder form at the Asian markets as well.

Great job!!!

[Jag]

Actually, DA, TeaCo has Ginger Black Tea with bits of ginger mixed in with the leaves. ^^ Not sure how it is, but I'll put it on my list to at least try at their store...I'm not a big fan of black tea, so I usually just taste them at the store and debate whether I will drink it enough to actually buy it.

And it looks like The Repulic of Tea has a wild beery & plum tea and I found some loose leaf plum too...so that is most certainly on my list. ^^

I, unfortunately, do not have unlimited funds for buying teas, but I know I can make a lot of them at home (at least the none tea plant ones). I could make my own plum fruit tea when the stores get them in. ^^

Bigelow is a good store brand, I have nothing against them. ^^ If you can get Bigelow, it's a good quality tea.

[darkangel76]

OH! Even more reason for me to look into them. I have a feeling I'm going to have fun browsing their site. XD

[Jag]

Like I said before, they are looking into making 'sample packs'. I look forward to them doing that. Hopefully every tea will be available in a sample size for the packs. That would be awesome. ^^

[darkangel76]

I will definitely be all over that when those come out! My goodness! Samples are great ways to try a tea, especially if you aren't sure. Though, I've more or less liked most of the teas I've tried. There are a few that aren't as good as others, but I'll drink most. Oddly, the one I cannot drink (and it's because of the smell, not the taste... and the Captain Picard fan in me dies a little because of this) is Earl Grey. >.<

[Oniya]

Michi, you know I'm loving this!!!

And I'm excited about the iced tea posts that will be coming up once summer is upon us! I'm from the north originally, so I'm an unsweetened tea drinker. Occasionally, I'll drink the sweet tea, but it's not all that often that I'll do that. I just prefer the unsweetened much more so.

Anyway, these past couple posts have been great! I really have to check out this TeaCo. I just buy the brands you can get in the stores like Bigelow, Stash, Twinings and Lipton. I will venture out to the Asian markets to get my plain green teas and ginger teas, however. Though I've yet to find a ginger tea that wasn't a powder. So, if you could do a post about that, that would be wonderful!!! Another would be plum tea. I've only ever found that in powder form at the Asian markets as well.

Great job!!!

I have made ginger tea by taking thin slices from fresh ginger root (a potato peeler works nicely for both stripping away the outer 'bark' and making the slices) and boiling to the desired intensity.  With roots and other 'hard' plant parts, boiling or powdering is about the only way of getting the flavor out of them.  Ginger root is commonly available in the produce section of large groceries.

[Jag]

I have made ginger tea by taking thin slices from fresh ginger root (a potato peeler works nicely for both stripping away the outer 'bark' and making the slices) and boiling to the desired intensity.  With roots and other 'hard' plant parts, boiling or powdering is about the only way of getting the flavor out of them.  Ginger root is commonly available in the produce section of large groceries.

I don't like ginger, nor do I have much love for black tea...but I might try that instead of the Ginger Black Tea.

[darkangel76]

Hrmm... that might be why I've only ever found it in powder form in the Asian markets. Very interesting. Thanks Oniya and Michi! <3

And I might give that a go, Oniya. It'll be interesting to see how it turns out. :)

[Jag]

As much as I love loose leaf and as much as I don't mind preparing it the 'slow' way, I love pyramid bags. I used my first pyramid bag in my Junior year of high school. A friend gave me a canister of Republic of Tea pyramid bags. For the first time I got to experience whole leaf tea without having to pluck it from my own garden or using a tea ball. I've found no article better for describing the change in shaping tea bags than this one. Be aware that this article has a lot of 'interviews' and quotes from tea company representatives.

Re-Defining Tea Bags - The New Shape
BY AMELIA C. LEVY

If you grew up in the United States, or in any of a number of industrialized nations, when someone says the word "tea" to you, visions of a flat paper bag filled with unidentifiable, dark, powdery substance, with a string attached to it by a staple, would inevitably flash through your mind. For many of us, tea, in terms of preparation, has never been anything but another beverage like soda or juice, except for the added step of dunking a bag into hot water. But as we move forward, we paradoxically look back to a time when what we consumed was more identifiable with the original product. Thus, there has been a growing popularity of whole leaf tea in the specialty market. But we still are unable (or unwilling) to take time out to follow the tradition of preparation, even if we love the taste of whole teas and herbs. So, like humans always do, we adjust, and find a happy medium: a teabag that can deliver a brewed whole leaf tea in not much more time it takes to crack open a can of soda pop.

Packers are finding that when unique sizes, shapes and materials are used for tea bags they can give the consumer the "best of both worlds" - they can use whole leaf teas and herbs with convenience, adding value and therefore allowing them to charge higher prices. But what are the challenges of these new technologies, and what do members of the industry feel about it? Are they really worth it or simply a waste of time, a passing fad? In such a traditional market as tea, equipment is set up for how it has been used for decades or more. We went around the world to find out how professionals from all sides of the industry feel.

We chose to focus on the hottest trend in teabags of the moment - pyramid shapes made with silky, food-grade nylon materials, with no glue or staples, and filled with whole leaf tea, fruit, flowers and herbs. A concept that was first launched by NASA/Fuso industries in Tokyo, Japan, in the 1980s especially for green tea, it took until now for the market mature to the point where a large enough group of consumers for it to be profitable were open to such an idea. Today the use of these new bags has exploded, to the point where most specialty packers have at least a segment of their line in a pyramidal shape and/or a nylon material - and changed the shape of the teabag industry.

"Until now the teabag market had been made with the conceptin mind that 'teabags are cheap and convenient.' But we think that the development of these new shapes and materials adds the new idea that teabags can deliver the real taste of tea," says Toshimasa Shiraishi, Manager/Sales, at Yamanaka Industries in Kyoto, Japan.

Tatsuya Hayashida of NASA Corporation says that since pyramid bags have more space inside than the traditional flat bags, it allows room for packers to put what they formerly put in tins, in teabags instead. "When you pack leaf tea in a pyramid bag and put the bag in boiled water, the tea leaf expands and circulates inside the bag, so you can extract very nice flavor from it. Our bag is transparent so it looks attractive to consumers and is better for extraction of tea." The woven mesh filter they use instead of paper has a faster hot water infusion because the size of the openings in the mesh is wider than paper, so that it can extract better taste and flavor. "So there is no need to cut the leaves down into small pieces, and one can enjoy the real taste and flavor of full tea leaves."

The specialty market in the U.S. has really taken advantage of being able to bring whole-leaf tea to consumers who appreciate it, but need a convenient way to enjoy it. Those who look for these types of teas tend to be the high-end, LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) consumer, and often they and the packers are analyzing the origins and ingredients of everything to do with the product. "We pack extremely high quality tea into our infusers, and are attracting very high quality customers," says Peter Hewitt of Tea Forte, a specialty packer in Massachusetts. Tea Forte's tea infusers are a tall pyramid shape, with a square flat bottom, designed with semi-rigid walls to hold whole leaf teas with large leaves, flowers, and herbs. "Our silken infusers [made of food-grade nylon] are filled by hand in the tea gardens of Asia, as to not disturb the fragile tea. We weave our own material to have the proper flow through properties, rigidity, and visual properties…They stand tall in the cup so that the tip of the infuser never dips under water. The string is natural cotton woven around a aluminum core. This flexible string insures that the string and label willnot dip into the water."

Republic of Tea, specialty tea packers in California, offers a line of "open and airy fine gossamer mesh pyramid tea bags that allow top-quality leaves to reach their full potential, unfurl, and expand for even and flavor-rich infusion," says Marideth Post, "Minister of Enlightenment" at Republic of Tea.

For at least the higher-end segment of the retail market, pyramid and nylon tea bags seem to be a great way for connoisseurs to enjoy without the convenience factor removed. This also holds true for higher-end restaurants and hotels. What better way to serve up fine quality tea without having to train staff and use up their valuable time? Nylon and pyramidal bags are indeed making a splash at these fine establishments. "Some restaurants and cafes don't have the resources or the staff to serve full-leaf tea in the traditional format, so this is an ideal solution," says Post.

While these innovative designs and materials attract customer's sense of taste and aesthetics, they also present challenges to everyone involved.

IMA is a manufacturer of teabag machinery in Italy. Paola Dalla Casa of IMA warns that new designs can be costly. "Any time a new teabag shape or design is required, a new machine has to be designed and manufactured. This involves a great economic commitment by the purchaser and a great resources commitment by the producer." He adds that one great limitation for machinery producers is that machines already dedicated to a certain packer (e.g. for a special shape) are almost always covered by exclusivity rights and therefore can't be placed on the market to be used by other customers.

Marc Broeking of Schoeller & Hoesch, manufacturer of teabag paper in Germany, warns that "Packaging machine characteristics typically bind manufacturers to a specific range of shapes. The machinery speed and the maximum utilization of paper rolls are economic factors for all designs of shapes." The production speed of pyramidal bag machines is considerably slower than the traditional single or double chamber bag machine, and due to the triangular shape, production scrap is increased, adding to the bill. The shape also uses up more packaging materials, says Volker Brueck, global sales manager at Teepack, a teabag machinery manufacturer based in Germany. "Therefore, production of these new shapes is less efficient and more expensive and may not be cost / price competitive to traditional tea bags."

However, Shiraishi says this price difference evens out in the end: "Since the triangular teabag is used for high-grade teabags, the slow production rate can be absorbed into benefit by higher prices."

NASA says another challenge in the manufacturing of the bags is that there are no sealing seams on a pyramidal bag. So they use an ultrasonic device (instead of a cutter and heater bar) to cut and seal the nylon and non-woven fabric.

While everyone we spoke with felt positive about the new innovations, manufacturers remained wary, sure that this will remain at least somewhat of a niche market, with the traditional bags making up the bulk of their business.

Volker of Teepack says: "The influence on the machine business may not be very dramatic, at least not at the moment. Only new bag shapes lead to a need for new machines. But only some packers see their chance to create or enter a profitable niche by going into a new bag shape. Many others try to innovate the tea, infusion or flavor, but stay with their established bag shapes."

Dalla Casa of IMA agrees: "Generally speaking, packers in the teabag sector stay with a standard teabag, which means in most cases with a double chamber one, and do not change their whole production very easily…They might decide to dedicate a small part of their production to a niche product, but they would always keep the standard teabag for the major market." Dalla Casa goes on: "The most innovative packages represent in most cases a luxury product which is with no doubt dedicated to a particular and small consumption."

Volker of Teepack feels similarly: "We see these new shapes as one of the tea packers' approaches to establish in profitable market niche…Tea business is still traditional, brand logos seem to be long lasting. However we monitor a steadily growing rate of product innovation in some markets, especially in central Europe." He adds: "We see [these shapes] more as the packers' tool to resist to the retailers' price pressure."

Broeking of Schoeller & Hoesch says that while his company "always supports manufacturers, especially brand companies, in looking for something special and extraordinary", he feels there are "no facts to go on for added value created by these atypical shapes" due to the extra cost.

"We do not see these new shapes as a mainstream change in the industry, but more of a temporary variation because packaging machine characteristics typically bind manufacturers to a specific range of shapes…[for us], the typical square size shape is the established design for teabags and it fulfills most of the demand of the market."

While there are obviously obstacles to change in an age-old industry, innovation is a part of our culture - and if it tastes better, is convenient, looks better, and is interesting and new, this trend is sure to play a role in the future of the tea industry. Says Teddy Treu Gronbech of Dansk Tefilter, a tea filter manufacturer in Denmark: "I know the tea filter market is growing due to the increasing interest in all sorts of loose tea... However, the teabag will always be there. As my grandfather once told me: 'Any investment in consumer convenience (laziness) will pay back.'"  -Source



Now, that article is from 2005. The tea market has obviously changed a bit since then. To the point where pyramid bags are much more readily available from a large number of companies. I can even find Lipton tea in pyramid bags now. Pyramid bags may never outsell the old, flat bags, but they are (thankfully) becoming more cheaply available on the market.

And, to point out, the flat bags and pyramid bags are not your only options. You can make your own bags or some are coming in 'square' or 'circle' shapes that just float in your water without a string. In fact, my next review is a Sleepytime tea that comes in a stringless, square shaped bag.

[Oniya]

A utensil that I've found surprisingly useful in fishing out those stringless bags with a minimum of lost tea:  A fondue fork from that inevitable wedding gift. (Fondue pot has never been used, but damn, those little forks can come in handy some times!)  The bag sort of folds in half over the fork, dripping just a little bit without wringing out the tannins.

[crystaltears]

I loved the article, Michi. And.. unsurprisingly.. I'd never thought of the possibility even of having differently shaped tea bags! Thanks for sharing.  ;D

[Paradox]

I'm going to have to pick up some of these pyramid tea bags.

Do they make Egyptian tea in them too? Seems like the perfect combination.

[Jag]

A utensil that I've found surprisingly useful in fishing out those stringless bags with a minimum of lost tea:  A fondue fork from that inevitable wedding gift. (Fondue pot has never been used, but damn, those little forks can come in handy some times!)  The bag sort of folds in half over the fork, dripping just a little bit without wringing out the tannins.

We don't have a fondue fork, but I usually just grab them with a regular fork.

I loved the article, Michi. And.. unsurprisingly.. I'd never thought of the possibility even of having differently shaped tea bags! Thanks for sharing.  ;D

Glad you liked it. ^^ And yeah, when I first saw them I kind of stared at them questioningly too. :P

I'm going to have to pick up some of these pyramid tea bags.

Do they make Egyptian tea in them too? Seems like the perfect combination.

Like I said, most tea can be found in a pyramid bag these days (if you look hard enough). One of the teas we have in the cabinet that I'm going to 'review' is a Lipton tea in a pyramid bag. Bavarian Wild Berry Black Tea. As for Egyptian Tea *chuckles* not sure, you'll have to look that one up. :P


On another note...I've decided my next 'big' tea purchase is going to be Flowering Teas (which I need a glass teapot for to get the full effect). They start out as little, tightly wrapped balls of flowers and leaves and turn into this as it steeps:

[crystaltears]

On another note...I've decided my next 'big' tea purchase is going to be Flowering Teas (which I need a glass teapot for to get the full effect). They start out as little, tightly wrapped balls of flowers and leaves and turn into this as it steeps:

That... is so cool. Same premise as the sort where you see flowers in the bottom of tea cups, I suppose.

[Jag]

That... is so cool. Same premise as the sort where you see flowers in the bottom of tea cups, I suppose.

Actually it's the same exact thing. ^^ Flowering Teas/Blooming Teas can be put into a pot or into a cup. It blooms and flavors the water in your cup or pot and looks pretty while doing it. Supposedly they can be used more than once before losing their flavor (kind of how some tea leaves can be used for 2-3 cups before becoming bitter). I'll have to test that out when I get my hands on some. Amazon has a few 'sets' for them on their site. It comes with the flower balls, glass tea pot, and clear cup....I'll probably look into one of those.

As nice as they look, I'm not going to buy a bunch of them just for looks if they don't taste good too.

[crystaltears]

It comes with the flower balls, glass tea pot, and clear cup....I'll probably look into one of those.

As nice as they look, I'm not going to buy a bunch of them just for looks if they don't taste good too.

That makes perfect sense to me. I'll look forward to that review. ^^

[Jag]

That makes perfect sense to me. I'll look forward to that review. ^^

This one looks promising. It's not too expensive (I saw one listed for over $300!), and it's green tea with jasmine. Also, if I don't like the tea, I got a neat looking teapot. ^^

Primula Black 40-Ounce Teapot Set with Loose Tea Infuser and 3 Flowering Green Teas.

[Jag]

Tea Storage

Since Spring will, eventually and hopefully, be on us...that means that it's almost time for me to start getting out there and picking flowers and such for home made teas. For this, if you choose to do it as well, you'll need proper tea storage. Whether it be for loose leaf, bagged, or home made...proper storage is essential. Why? Because tea is suspected to 5 things: air, light, odor, heat, and moisture. When exposed to these elements for a long period of time, it will start to lose it's flavor and become stale.

To help prevent this, you will need something to store your tea in. The best place to store it would be in double-lidded, airtight tin canisters or ceramic containers. Another very important rule to remember is to always keep tea at cool and dry places. The most common tea storage are these types:

Anytime I buy a tea in these canisters and finish the tea inside, I wash it and keep it put away for when I need it for a homemade tea or a loose leaf that comes in a bag.

If you tend to buy more bagged tea than loose leaf, then a Wooden Tea Chest is always a nice option. Instead of having a bunch of little tea boxes laying around, you can organize all your bagged teas into one big box with different compartments for the bags:

You can find these in all sorts of wood and bamboo with as many as 2-24 compartments (each compartment holding any number of bags depending on the bag). And some places even offer hand-painted tea chests as well. But if that is not for you either, there are other options. Such as Wood Tea Caddies, which are the same as the canisters, but wood and has nice carvings. You can also get the caddies/canisters in silver, pewter, and brass. There are also tea tins and jars, some even made specifically for loose leaf. Not to mention porcelain.

Now, just because there are all these fancy, made-specifically for tea storage devices doesn't mean those are your only options. Anyone that watches Alton Brown's Good Eats knows that if you can find a multitasker kitchen tool, it's generally better than having an entire kitchen of single task items. Any air tight kitchen storage device can hold tea! Anyone still use these:

I bet you have at least one in your kitchen somewhere or at least your mother does/did. Those jars can hold damn near anything! So why not tea? I see no good reason not to throw your tea bags in there or your loose leaf or you hand picked leaves. Or why not these:

Tea storage is not complicated and it will help you in the long run. How? Ever found a box of tea in the back of your cabinet and decided 'Hey, I want some of that' and brewed a cup only to realize it tastes like stale garbage? If you properly stored it, it can last and keep it's flavor for up to 3 years. Also, putting it in a storage container usually means you're not going to shove it in the back of a cabinet to be lost forever. You're more likely to stick it next to your coffee tin or toaster (not everyone is like that, but that's been my experience).

In short...store your tea properly and you can enjoy it for years to come.

[Wistful Dream]

Ooh more useful tips, thanks hun :) This is a great blog so far, loving it.

[Jag]

Celestial Sleepytime Tea

"In 1969, Celestial Seasonings began blending fresh herbs picked in the Rocky Mountains, transforming the best of nature into delicious and healthful teas. Today, our veteran team of tea experts source more than 100 varieties of the finest quality teas, herbs, spices and fruits from more than 35 different countries to craft our distinctive blends.

The comforting aroma and flavor of spearmint from the Pacific Northwest blends with soothing Egyptian chamomile to make this the perfect cup of tea for bedtime. The ingredients come from all over the world --and all over the world, generations have wound down their day with this classic blend. With herbal ingredients that have been soothing for centuries, Sleepytime helps you relax by blending the best of nature. There's no time like Sleepytime!

Blended in Boulder, Colorado." -Celestial

Ingredients: Chamomile, Spearmint, West Indian Lemongrass, Tilia Flowers, Blackberry Leaves, Orange blossoms, Hawthorn Berries, and Rosebuds.

"Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each." -Henry David Thoreau

First things first, if you look at the ingredient list for this tea you will notice that there are no rooibos or Camellia sinensis leaves. That is because this is a herbal tea, not a 'true' tea. It is not made from any parts of a tea plant or tea bush. In truth, even rooibos is considered more of a herbal tea than a true tea. Most herbal teas are made from fruit, flowers, and herbs. These are the kinds most people make when they make homemade teas, mostly because a camellia sinensis or rooibos plant would be rather difficult to grow in your backyard.

Since this is a sleepy time tea, that means it is caffeine free. Also, the great thing about it is that you can drink it during the day. There is no reason not to drink it. Unless you, like many people, find chamomile (or some spell it Camomile) to be sleep inducing. I am lucky enough that it does not do this to me and I can drink this wonderful brew all day long.

Camomile itself is a wonderful plant. For one, I think it's pretty. And if your yard is like mine, then you probably have wild camomile getting ready to poke it's little yellow buds through the ground. It looks like this. Not as attractive as the flowering camomile types, but it works just as well. When it comes to tea...camomile is camomile. Caffeine free camomile teas (whether it's blended with other stuff or not) is great for restlessness in children and flatulent related colic. It's also a good wash for open wounds or sores, though I don't recommend that. In nature, these flowers/buds can be seen blooming mostly in June and July, so keep your eye out.

This is my first bagged tea review, but the instructions are pretty much the same. Instead of 1 tsp of loose leaves, you're going to plop 1 bag of tea into your hot water and let it steep for 4-6 minutes. This tea doesn't really go 'bitter' if you let it sit too long or even if you squeeze the bag, but it does get cold and can give you that dry mouth feel.

The color is really nice for a bagged tea. It's a very lovely golden color. Almost as bright yellow as the camomile flower itself (though not the petals).

As for the taste and smell. Even though I feel the camomile is the real player in it being a sleepy time tea, the biggest scent and taste is the spearmint. Spearmint is, of course, a mint plant. The Mentha spicata plant. Spearmint, like many mints, is very fragrant and aromatic. It is also not very hard to grow. It can grow in full sun shine or the shade and likes wet soil, so if you can get your hands on some, go a head and stick it in your garden. The bright green color is always a nice addition and so is the lovely smell. Drinking this tea is like nibbling on a spearmint leaf (which you can do!). A neat little fact/being proven tidbit about spearmint tea is that it is used as a treatment for hirsutism in women.

The taste itself, other than the spearmint, is actually rather thick. It feels dense on your tongue as it goes down your throat. Personally, I wouldn't add anything to this tea, but honey wouldn't be bad. Also, since it doesn't have any tea leaves in it to get bitter, it does well if you drink it slow or iced.

Over all, this is a lovely tea. Not as good as fresh made or loose leaf camomile and spearmint tea, but a very good substitute and for use in a pinch. It's a nice way to unwind for the day. Sit with a nice, hot cup of sleepytime tea and a good book while cuddled up in a nice thick blanket after a hard day of work or dealing with a cold or rainy day...I can see nothing better than that.

This is a tea that shouldn't be too hard to find at your local grocery store, but if not you can easily get it on Amazon:

Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime from Amazon.

[Nadir]

You inspired me to expand my palette - I got Twinings Rose Garden and Lapsang Souchong. *griiins*

[Jag]

Yay!

*hugs and snuggles Eden*

<3 Eden...and the Lapsand Souchong sounds interesting, though it is a black tea (still not a fan of black tea). We have a lot of Twinings brand at the store here. I'll have to check them out.

[Nadir]

^_^

Rose Garden is also black, fused with herbal. Its quite pleasant, very light and lacking the tang tannin usually leaves. I've not tried the Lapsang yet but it smells lovely!

[Ramster]

I'm quite a fan of Lapsang. I really like this blog Michi, but I hope you can get someone to review some black teas for you! Some of us are all about the tannin. ;)

[Jag]

I do plan on doing some Black Tea reviews (I have a Vanilla Hazelnut one). I'm just extremely picky about my black tea. :P

And I'm glad you're liking the blog, Ramster. ^^

[Jag]

Tea Grades

Have you ever been at the store and picked up a box of black tea tea that says 'Orange Pekoe', bought it, brewed it, and tasted it to realize that there is nothing 'orange' about it or it's taste?

Well, there is a good reason for this. That reason is that 'Orange Pekoe' is not a flavor.

Much like most other foods and beverages, tea (mainly black tea) is graded. Most of these grades vary depending on area and region, but for the most part they are fairly standard. Orange Pekoe is a fairly good grade, but not the best. It's the kind that you're most likely to find at the grocery store. Most of these grades tend to lean towards the types of teas served in India, but they have slowly made their way around the world.

These grades usually describe the type of tea leaf used in the making of the tea.

Pekoe - The leaves of this grade are shorter and not as wiry as an orange pekoe. In Europe this type of leaf is often referred to as curly.

Orange Pekoe (OP) - A good quality tea, consisting of large leaf pieces. Long, thin, wiry leaves which sometimes contain yellow tip or leaf buds. The liquors are light and pale in color.

Flowery Orange Pekoe (FOP) - A leafwhich is as long or longer than on OP but is not as tightly rolled. The cup tends to be lighter than the broken grades.

Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe (GFOP) - A higher quality tea, that includes the golden tips of the young buds leaves.

Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe (TGFOP) - Similar to GFOP, but with an even higher proportion of golden tips. This grade tends to be one of the most sought after, even if it isn't the highest grade.

Fine Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe (FTGFOP) - Extremely high quality TGFOP.

Souchong - A bold, flat leaf, often light in liquor. Formosa and China are the most common producers of this grade.

Broken Orange Pekoe (BOP) - The smallest of leaf grades. The liquor usually has a good color with strength in the cup and is very useful in many blends.

Broken Pekoe (BP) - A very short, even, curly leaf. It develops a dark, heavy cup and is very popular in the Middle East.

Fannings / Dust - The tiny bits and pieces, usually leftovers from processing. Commonly found in low quality tea bags.

Most of the time, you'll never see anything other than 'Orange Pekoe'. It is the most common and is good quality. Most small tea companies don't even use these labeling on their packages (TeaCo doesn't), but that doesn't mean that their product is low quality. It's simply not a widely used grading scale, but it does tend to be useful when you can find it. After all, if a box of tea says 'Fannings' or 'Dust' on it, you're likely to want to put that back on the shelf.

Also, these grades primarily apply only to Black Tea. So it's really not an effective scale for all teas, still it's always good to remember that 'Orange Pekoe' is not a flavor! It means that it's a black tea of decent grading. ^^

[Wistful Dream]

~laughs~ How tricky of them, another very useful article.

[Autumn Sativus]

Lapsang Souchong is very much a "love it or hate it" kind of deal from my experience. It's like having a campfire in your teacup, as far as I'm concerned. It's my Christmas tea. :)

[Caeli]

I had a cup of genmaicha the other day and was reminded of how much I love the smell and flavor. :) If you haven't tried it, Michi, I recommend it. I've never had it loose-leaf, only bagged, by Yamamotoyama.

[darkangel76]

More wonderful stuff, Michi!!! I'm finding all of this rather informative. Thanks for that, hon!

Some herbal teas I'll drink in the winter time are of the Yogi Tea brand. Being asthmatic and prone to upper respiratory tract infections, I find drinking their Breathe Right tea very soothing. Though the flavor might be one most tea drinkers have to get used to.

[Jag]

I had a cup of genmaicha the other day and was reminded of how much I love the smell and flavor. :) If you haven't tried it, Michi, I recommend it. I've never had it loose-leaf, only bagged, by Yamamotoyama.

I will look into that, Caeli. Thanks! ^^

More wonderful stuff, Michi!!! I'm finding all of this rather informative. Thanks for that, hon!

Some herbal teas I'll drink in the winter time are of the Yogi Tea brand. Being asthmatic and prone to upper respiratory tract infections, I find drinking their Breathe Right tea very soothing. Though the flavor might be one most tea drinkers have to get used to.

Yogi brand is pretty good. ^^

[Jag]

Viola Odorata

Since the weather has decided to start warming up a little (still windy out, but a very nice wind). It's like clockwork. The moment we get nice weather our yard is filled with those tiny, little purple flowers. They usually have five little petals with a white bit in the center and a yellow stigma in the center.

Most people think these, like the wild chamomile, are weeds. These little darlings are most certainly not 'weeds'. While a dandelion can be considered a weed, despite it's many uses...this little purple darling is not a weed in any sense of the word. It is, in fact, a violet! A little flower that is native to Europe and Asia, but was introduced to North America and Australia.

This little flower's Binomial name name is Viola Odorata, but is commonly referred to as 'Sweet Violet', 'English Violet', 'Common Violet', or 'Garden Violet'. In Victorian times this flower was very popular for it's remarkably sweet scent and was used to produce many perfumes and cosmetics. But over time it has been deemed a 'weed' and something to be ripped out of your yard. I say no! I love seeing the little dots of purple in my yard. Not only that, but it's a very useful plant! That sweet smell is not it's only good quality.

It's very easy to grow these darlings, but the problem people have with them is that they grow anywhere. Wet or dry soil, shade or no shade, sunny or cloudy...they will take over your yard if you don't control them. They need nearly weekly attention. You have to keep them to one area or let them take over. They are very invasive. Once it takes over your yard, it'll take over your neighbor's and they won't appreciate you for that. If you want to keep these darlings, then you're going to need to police them. Rabbits do not eat them enough to control them and most garden stoppers (chemicals or fences to make around a garden) will not stop them as their roots will spread under it and sprout up anyway. So if you don't have the time to control them, then go out there and yank them up and toss them (or mow them down). If you do want some, you're in for a lot of work to keep it from taking over.

Other than the scent, most don't see a use for these violets, but they do have some. They are not hazardous to our health. They can be candied. They can be used to scent your house. They can be used in salad. The root can be used as a laxative and in large doses induce vomiting (though I'm not going over those ones). And, most importantly, they can be used for syrup and TEA!

As a tea, it can be used as a way to fight headaches. Research into using it as a tea has turned up that it naturally produces a small bit of glycoside of salicylic acid (a natural aspirin). It was once recommended that a garland of them be worn about the head to ward off headaches and dizzy spells. Now, like most tea, this is a hit or miss thing. I tend to believe that the more you believe in it, the better it will work.

The syrup can be used for sore throats and coughing. It can be added to iced tea for a sweetener.

Syrup: Pour 1 pint of boiling water over 1 cup packed, of fresh crushed flowers and leaves cover and let stand for 12 hours. Strain and squeeze through cloth, add 2 lb. of sugar and boil for 1 hour or until syrupy. Store in glass jar. Give 1 tbs. -1 tsp. for children 2 or 3 times a day.

Tea: Steep ¼ cup dried or fresh herb in 1 cup of water for 10 min. stain, flavor to taste. Take in ½ cup doses twice a day.

Another use for it, that does not involve ingestion, is to crush up the fresh flowers and add them to your hot bath water. The scent is relaxing and the oil from the crush petals is very soothing to the skin.

And while the leaves are edible, they are very tough and hard to eat...so eat them at your discretion in salads. Also watch out for pesticides when picking these flowers or any flower from a garden. Know what sprays and water you use on a plant before deciding to eat them. Also, check your allergies. You don't want to get sick or hurt after all.

For those that have no idea what flower I'm talking about:

*Info comes from Wikipedia, The Herb Book, Dave's Garden, and my own experiments.

[Jag]

Tea Tannins

Tannin(s) is a word I'm sure some of you have seen in this thread once or twice or heard it else where. But what exactly are these 'tannins'? Many beginner tea drinkers probably don't know and I'm sure there are some long time tea drinkers that don't know. Most people say 'I've heard of it, but I don't know what it is'.

Tannin is an astringent bitter plant compound that binds to and precipitates proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids. The astringency from the tannins is what causes the dry and puckery feeling in the mouth following the consumption of unripened fruit or red wine. It is usually confused with Tannic Acide, but tannin in tea does not contain any tannic acid (which can be used to tan animal hides). Most confuse the two because they look and sound alike...but no one would recommend drinking straight tannic acid or trying to tan animal hide with tea tannin.

Tannins are found in many other foods and drink. For example the seeds of grapes, chocolate that contains cocoa, cranberries, red wine, and some beers contain naturally occurring tannins.

Tannin is found in any tea that contains leaves from the Camellia Sinensis plant, which means most herbal and rooibos teas don't have it. Tannin is responsible for that puckery, bitter taste many associate with green tea. The longer the tea is steeped or brewed, the more tannin that is released. Also, the more oxidized the tea leaves are the more tannin that is released during the brewing. This is why black tea is so 'strong'. The less you steep your tea, the less tannin that is released. Though it should be noted that most tannin is released in the first two minutes of loose leaf steeping and in the first forty seconds of bagged steeping. Keep that in mind. The less steeping time, the less bitter and less strong the tea will taste.

Now, there are good and bad health side affects of tannin. Tannins are said to keep bad bacteria out of your mouth, and tannins help to prevent cavities. So even if stronger teas may stain your teeth with too much drinking, it will also help with bad breath (though your mouth is not the only place for bad breath to be caused) and help with over all dental care.

The bad side effect of too much tannin consumption is that too much of it can interfere with your body absorbing iron. This can cause other health problems with your body. If your iron is low, you may want to talk to your doctor about your tannin intake if you're a big tea drinker. The iron level maybe caused by something else, but the tannin isn't helping it. Tea is one of the biggest sources of tannin, so watch your intake!

On an ending note, if you happen to like that bitter, puckery taste of tannin...squeeze your tea bag after steeping. This will release that last little bit and make your tea stronger.

[Jag]

How to Dry Out Herbs/Flowers for Tea

First off an herb is a plant that is valued for flavor, scent, medicinal or other qualities. Herbs are used in cooking, as medicines, and for spiritual purposes. There are some really remarkable herbs out there in the world. Not only are there a world of flavors and scents, but some herbs are even 'smart' in the non-traditional sense. When I say 'smart', I just mean rapid plant movement. The Mimosa pudica is most known for this. If you touch it's leaves it will react very quickly and retract it's leaves for protection. It's rather amazing. Watch:

Anyway...I'm not going to go into details about the mimosa pudica or why and how it does that when touched. Basically, plants are awesome. They can be as complex and complicated as the human body. Nature has made them perfect. Some grow year after year and some need to be replanted every year. Either way, they know what to do with themselves and there is no such thing as an herb that doesn't grow in the wild. These are not man made things. It's only through years and years of studying them and using them that we have now began to be able to use them to their full potential.

Herbal remedies and drinks have been around a lot longer than vaccines. That doesn't mean they are better or you should give up on modern medicine. Honestly, I'd be dead now if it weren't for modern medicine, but that doesn't mean I can't believe in the power of herbal remedies.

In my opinion, the best way to drink herbals is in tea form.

The best way to start this is by locating your herb of choice. If you're not familiar or well versed in which herbs are dangerous and not to be ingested and which ones are safe, the best way to go is to go for the well known, safe herbs: Chamomile, Catnip, Horehound, Lemon Balm, Lemongrass, Rose Hips, Sassafras. There are hundreds of other plants to choose from, but I suggest extensive reading and research before just picking up some random plant off the ground and brewing it in a tea ball. This blog will contain plenty of herbs and flowers that are safe to ingest, such as the Viola from the other day, but that doesn't mean everything in your yard is safe.

Using a very sharp knife or garden scissors cut your stems.  Do not pick them as it will cause bruising on the stem and a place for decomposition to start.   Leave an extra inch or two at the bottom of your herbs for bundling. Harvest your herbs in the late morning when all the dew has had a chance to dry.  This helps to prevent mildew.  Gently shake herbs to remove any bugs. Visually inspect herbs.  Remove any damaged leaves or flowers with your sharp knife before drying.

Once you have your herb/flower/plant, the first thing you have to do to it is wash it. Just find a strainer and rise it with cold water. I said cold water, not warm or hot. Warm and hot water can damage the plant and cause it to lose some of it's natural goodness by starting a slow 'cooking' process. After rinsing them, I would suggest pat drying them. You don't have to make them perfectly dry, just get some of the excess water off. Again, pat dry. Don't put them in a towel and start rubbing. Just a nice, easy, gentle patting over the herbs.

Next step is to bundle them for drying. While you can use the herbs right away, just drop them in the hot water and let them steep (or crush them just a little to help them release better), I find the best herbal teas are the ones with dried herbs and flowers. Why? They are more concentrated and they last longer. For drying, you need to bundle them and there are two ways you can do that. One is to just bunch them together and put a string or rubber band around the cut end. You want it tight enough that they won't wiggle loose during drying, but loose enough so that air can flow through. The other way, and the way I don't usually use, is to paper bag it. Using paper lunch sacks that you have prepared by cutting a couple dozen half inch holes in on the sides of the bag, not the bottom or within 1 inch of the bottom, place your herbs in the sack. You will want the 1 to 2 inch of your stalks to be outside of the opening of your bag.  Then using your rubber band or a piece of string secure the open end of bag to the stalks. 

Do not bundle different herbs together as their flavors and fragrances will transfer to each other during the drying process.

For drying, you just hang your bundles either on a drying rack or you can add an extra bit of string to the tie and hang them from those little hooks on plastic clothes hangers. Just make sure the bundles are not laying against a wall or anything. You want them to have air flow. They need to hang somewhere open. Honestly, I've used my closet. I clear out a side of it and put a towel on the floor to catch and falling pieces and space out the hangers. You want them out of direct sunlight with good air flow. You can even dry them outside in a shady area so long as you bring them in every night. No matter where you place your herbs for drying, try to put something under them. Cause when they start drying out, they are likely to release seeds. You can collect them and use them for growing next year or for adding to food for flavor or just feed the birds.

You'll know your herbs/flowers are dried enough when the leaves crumble easily.

At this point, you'll want to store them. See my Tea Storage entry. It needs to be air tight, keep away from heat and light, and don't put it in your fridge.

To make tea with it, just take a good pinch (about a teaspoon) of your herb/flower and put it into a tea ball and brew to your desired strength.

Warning: As I said before, some herbs are not to be ingested. Also, if you get your herbs from a store, they were likely sprayed with pesticides (unless the tags state that they weren't). Do not brew these. Even washing doesn't get it all off. You're better off growing your own or picking them from a place that you know there is no pesticide spraying. Most herbs are not difficult to grow and can be easily grown in a window sill if you don't want or have the space outside. The benefit to home growing is that you'll always know what it was grown with.

Also, always check with your doctor before starting home made remedies for your illnesses. Sure, it's alright for a simple sore throat or cough to try these first, but if you have a serious problem that needs medication, talk to your doctor first! These are not medical facts, these are wives tales and home brewed. Never replace a medicine with a home brew before talking to your doctor.

Plants can be very dangerous, but there are plenty of books out there that can help you study to know which ones are not and are good for tea. I suggest The Herb Book by Dr. John Lust. It can be difficult to find, but if you can find it, it's wonderful and informative. Of course, that's not the only herb book out there. The larger bookstores usually have a nature or gardening section, or even check the New Age sections.

[Jag]

Lipton Bavarian Wild Berry Black Tea

"Sweet and indulgent, Lipton Bavarian Wild Berry Tea tantalizes the senses with its vibrant flavor and tobust aroma. Our long-cut tea is handpicked from only the top two leaves and a bud and packaged in our unique pyramid-shaped bags that allow the tea to flow freely with real pieces of fruit for a truly authentic tea infusion. Savor the flavor of 100 years' tea expertise in every cup.

Lipton Bavarian Wild Berry Tea contains 90mg per serving of naturally protective antioxidants (flavonoid antioxidants). Antioxidants help to neutralize free-radicals." -Lipton

Ingredients: Black Tea, Dried Fruit Pieces (Apple, Blackberry, Black Currant, Blueberry), Rosehips, Roasted Chicory Root, Cinnamon Bark, Licorice Root, Orange and Ginger Peels, and Natural Flavors.

First off, Lipton nor Black Tea are my teas of choice normally. Lipton tends to taste...cheap and weak. Normally the only thing 'Lipton' that enters this tea lover's cup is overly sweeted Iced Tea (and only because that's how the hubby likes his tea). I also tend to dislike most black tea blends. It's just too strong for me. Not to mention the caffeine. Black Tea does have the most caffeine amount of all the tea leaves.

In some countries, black tea is known as 'red' tea because of the color it turns the water. While not obviously red as rooibos, it is a pretty shade of red. The term 'black tea' is because of the color of the leaves, not the color it turns the water, where as rooibos is red tea because of the color of the leaves and the water. Also, because of how long it is oxidized, it is the most well traveled tea. Some say it still accounts for 90% of all tea drank around the world because it can be stored for several years in brick form without losing it's flavor. Some of the most well known teas are black teas: Earl Grey, English Breakfast, and Irish Breakfast are all black teas.

And even though I tend not to like Lipton, it is the largest producer of black tea in the world. Black tea is probably the only tea I recommend from Lipton.

The only reason I even have this tea being steeped in my cup is because it's surprisingly good and it was one sale at the local grocery store. Also, because it's a pyramid bag. Most companies that take the time to put a tea in a pyramid bag tend to be trying to redeem themselves and since it does cost more to make the pyramid bags, the tea is usually slightly better quality.

I've already posted about pyramid bags, but basically, the shape of the bag allows better flow for the tea. The old, flat bags keep the tea stuck at the bottom and it's hard to get the water to flow through the leaves. Pyramid bags allow the leaves and pieces to float around and flavor the tea better.

Anyway...this tea is surprisingly good. Not great and I've certainly tasted better berry teas, but not bad for the price and brand. The smell is probably the best thing about it. The cinnamon bark scent is not overpowering at all, nor is the licorice root. It's a very strong scented tea, even after taking the tea bag out it lingers in the cup. The thing I seem to smell the most is the blackberry. It really smells fresh, which is a very good sign. Because of the berries and the orange (which is a citrus fruit) peel, it's not nearly as bitter as most non-blended black tea. I find that adding any kind of citrus to black tea helps to cut that puckery taste.

If you follow the directions on the box, which is add hot water to tea bag and cup, steep for 3 minutes...you'll have a nice cup of tea. It's warm and very nice to smell. A properly brewed cup will have a clear, red-orange color. You should be able to see the bottom of your cup (unless it's a black cup or big mug). It's not shiny or glossy like the rooibos blend that I have.

The taste is...meh. It's not great, but it's not bad. It doesn't have much of a taste when you first drink it, but it leaves a nice after taste on your tongue. Again, all I can really taste is the berries, mainly the blackberry. It's a nice soft tasting tea without much of a bite. I'd use this as more of a pick me up in the mornings because of the caffeine content and light flavor since I can't stand overly bitter black tea in the morning. The very light taste really just leaves me wanting for more while sipping it so close to noon. I'm tempted to dump it and get a glass of soda or brew a more flavorful tea.

Overall, not bad and not great. Kind of a middle ground tea. Probably something I would keep in the cabinet for when you have last minute company who like tea. It's simple, not fancy, and won't overpower any little snacks or treats you leave out for your guests. Not something I would brew everyday or even on a special occasion. More of something I would brew when I have a lack or time to mess with loose leaf and the tea ball. I also think it would taste better iced, so I might revisit it when I get around to iced teas.

Since it is Lipton, it's likely sitting on your grocery store shelf right now. If not, Amazon is always a good place:

Lipton Black Tea, Bavarian Wild Berry, 20-Count Boxes (Pack of 6) (six boxes for $13.28, not bad since black tea can store for 3+ years).

[Oniya]

I've noticed that most teas that use licorice (with the exception of Stash Licorice) have it in there very sparingly and more as a sweetener to balance the taste of the tea than for the 'licorice' taste.  (Fun fact:  Licorice root contains glycyrrhyzin, which is 30-50 times sweeter than sugar.)

[Jag]

Sunshine Iced Tea

It's finally spring! Huzzah! Not only is it nice and sunny out, but it's nearly 80 out there. It's fantastic. I'm wearing shorts and a tank top, doing some spring cleaning, playing with the baby...and making my first batch of iced tea of the year!

As Oniya pointed out in an earlier post, the best way to sweeten is to make unsweet tea and a simple syrup for people to sweeten it to their taste. To make this syrup, you just pour 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar and melt them together in a pan and put into the fridge. Then you can just serve that with the tea and people can spoon in how ever much they like and not have to worry about trying to dissolve sugar into cold tea.

Iced Tea is not a science. It's actually very simple, but some forms can be time consuming. First a little history.

In the early 1900s, people mostly drank green tea from China and some were introducing black tea to America. The story is that Englishman Richard Blechynden was at the St. Louis World's Fair with his Black Tea and trying to serve it up to the masses. As it happens, there was a heat wave going on and not many people were lining up for hot tea drinks. Frustrated, Richard and his team brewed the tea, filled several large bottles, and placed them on stands upside down - thus allowing the tea to flow through iced lead pipes. This free iced tea was very much welcomed by the thirsty fair goers. After the fair, Blechynden took his lead pipe apparatus to New York City, offering free iced tea to shoppers at Bloomingdale Brothers Department Store, demonstrating iced tea is a desirable summertime drink.

It was an instant hit. Though that's hardly the creation of Iced Tea. Blechynden simply modernized and advanced iced tea's popularity. English and American cookbooks have had Iced Tea recipes in them since the 1800s, so Blechynden simple made it popular as a summer time drink.

Also, there are two main types of Iced Tea. In the South most swear by the sweet tea and if you order tea in the South, you're likely to get a tall glass of very sweet, iced tea and maybe a wedge of lemon. When I was in Alabama, I actually met a waitress that looked confused when I asked for unsweet tea. She'd never heard of it and was a little frustrated to make it.

They take their sweet tea so seriously that the state of Georgia played an April Fool's joke in 2003 about it:

Georgia State Representative, John Noel, and four co-sponsors, apparently as an April Fools' Day joke, introduced House Bill 819, proposing to require all Georgia restaurants that serve tea to serve sweet tea. Representative John Noel, one of the sponsors, is said to have acknowledged that the bill was an attempt to bring humor to the Legislature, but wouldn't mind if it became law. The text of the bill proposes:

    (a)  As used in this Code section, the term 'sweet tea' means iced tea which is sweetened with sugar at the time that it is brewed.

    (b)  Any food service establishment which served iced tea must serve sweet tea. Such an establishment may serve unsweetened tea but in such case must also serve sweet tea.

    (c)  Any person who violates this Code section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature.

I know many people that probably took that seriously and were angry to find out that it wasn't a real law. That's how serious Iced Tea is. My hubby is one of those people that believes tea means Sweet Iced Tea.

There are several ways to make Iced Tea. I do it one of two ways. Either the fridge method or the sun brewed way. Both take several hours. Right now I have a jar sitting outside in the sunshine brewing. To do this you will need 1 tight lidded jar (a mason jar, these keep the buggies out), 5 tea bags of the tea of your choice (or 5 tsp of loose leaf), and cold water. For today I'm simply using five tea bags of Luzianne brand. It's a good brand for iced tea because it's cheap, good, and because you're going to be making a pitcher. Iced Tea is rarely made per glass, so sometimes it's okay to skimp on using your expensive loose leaf to make it. >.>

Fill a container with 4 cups of cold water, preferably filtered. Place 5-6 bags or 5-6 teaspoons of tea and cover or cap lightly. Place in direct sunlight for 2 to 4 hours (depending on desired strength). Remove bags or strain and serve over ice.

Ta-Da! You're done! Of course if you want it to be sweetened while brewing, you can melt some sugar in just 1/2 a cup of hot water and then add your cold water and tea bags. Or if you want it unsweetened and let people sweeten it on their own either make the simple syrup or have artificial sweeteners.

Good iced tea should be (depending if you use black tea, white tea, oolong, rooibos, or green tea) a rich amber color when it's done brewing. White tea is likely going to be a lighter color and green tea might even be a little yellowish-green. It should also be clear, not cloudy. While the cloudiness doesn't affect the taste, it does affect the appearance. Pretty tea is happy tea. >.>

Loose leaf tends to be cloudy more so than bagged teas because it's tannins that cause the cloudiness and loose leaf has more tannin. If you added sugar or hot water to it, it's going to be cloudy. Let it cool before trying to fix it, sometimes the cloudiness will disappear. If it's still cloudy, sometimes a little lemon juice helps. Go a head and add lemon juice or slice up a lemon and dunk it in the pitcher.

What looks better than this on a nice sunny day?

Yes, that is sitting on my back porch right now brewing and will be ready for drinking in just a few hours. I can't wait! You can see right through it and just barely see the flowers from that tree on the other side. Perfect for a nice spring day.

EDIT:

I put the tea out to brew at about 10am and that picture I took was at about 11am. It is now 2:15pm. 4 hours to brew, brought it in, put it in the large pitcher, added just a little sweetener...and here is the finished product:

My glass fogged up a little, but the tea is actually clear. So what do you all think? And how do you like your iced tea? Sweet or unsweet? Lemon or no lemon? Orange or no orange? ^^

For the most part it tastes like very lightly brewed black tea with lemon. It's very cold and very refreshing.

[Caeli]

Wonderful article on iced tea, Michi. ;D I actually could never figure out the secret to good iced tea, so I'll have to try out some of the suggestions!

Me, I actually like unsweetened. I've grown up on hot and/or cold black teas and green teas and barley teas, and I've never felt the need to add sugar, milk, or any other kind of sweetener. I absolutely love the taste of all tea, even its bitterness - it makes me appreciate its sweetness that much more.

[Jag]

Tea is Discontinued

Strawberry Kiwi Tisane (Fruit Tea)

"TeaCo's Fruit 'Teas' are a rich and flavorful fruit drink that is made from a blend of dried fruit pieces, rosehips, hibiscus, and natural flavorings.

These 'Teas' do not contain any actual tea leaves, therefor they are cafeeine-free and provide a delicious and healthy alternative to our regular tea base. These blends contain no added sugar, so they are a low calorie alternative to regular fruit drinks. They are also a good source of Vitamin C and low in carbohydrates." -TeaCo

Ingredients: Dried Strawberry and Kiwi pieces, Rosehips, Hibiscus, and Natural Flavorings.

For those that don't know, a tisane tea is just a fancy word for a herbal tea. Basically, it just means that there is no rooibos (which is sometimes considered a herbal tea too) or camellia sinensis in the blend. Herbal Teas are the ones that are dated back the furthest in history. Many plants and flowers have medicinal properties and for centuries people have been boiling these plants into teas to reap their benefits.

This specific tea contains rosehip and hibiscus. You will often see these two together in tea. Rosehip, or rose haw, is the fruit of a rose plant (not all rose plants make rosehip) that is usually a red-orange color, but can also range from dark purple to black in some species. It is a vitamin-C rich fruit and is often fed to chinchillas and guinea pigs as a way for them to get their vitamin-C. It's also given to horses to improve coat condition and hoof growth. It's vitamin-C content is so high that it's labeled as one of the most vitamin-C rich plants on the planet. Along with tea and a vitamin-C producer, it's also used to make Pálinka (a Hungarian brandy), the hairs inside rosehip are used in anti-itching powders (some, not all), and as a potpourri.

Hibiscus is rosehip's little partner in crime when it comes to tea. As I said before, they are often used together. Their flavors are mellow and blend well with nearly everything. Hibiscus is a flowering plant and it's the flower that is used in most tea blends. These flowers come in many colors; ranging from light pink and white to bright yellows and red-oranges. They also attract butterflies, but also bees. It too is rather high in vitamin-C. Due to it's beautiful coloring and myths surrounding the plant, a red hibiscus flower is traditionally worn by Tahitian women. A single flower is tucked behind the ear. It is used to indicate the wearer's availability for marriage. Some countries crush them up into a sticky juice and use them for making bubbles, this is mostly done by children. A 2008 USDA study shows consuming hibiscus tea lowers blood pressure in a group of pre-hypertensive and mildly hypertensive adults. Three cups of tea daily resulted in an average drop of 8.1 point in their systolic blood pressure, compared to a 1.3 point drop in the volunteers who drank the placebo beverage. Study participants with higher blood pressures readings (129 or above) had a greater response to hibiscus tea: their systolic blood pressure went down by 13.2 points. These data support the idea that drinking hibiscus tea in an amount readily incorporated into the diet may play a role in controlling blood pressure, although more research is required.

While rosehip and hibiscus is wonderful, it is not the star of this tea. The stars of this tea are the strawberry and kiwi. Personally, I would never put a real kiwi in my mouth. I dislike the texture very much, but I do love the taste. The strawberry even takes a backseat to the flavor of the kiwi in this tea. It's tart and yet very sweet. It even takes over most of the scent. That doesn't mean I can't taste the strawberry in it. When you drink it, the strawberry is most certainly the first thing you taste. It's sweet and smooth. But once it washes over your tongue the kiwi takes over and hits you with that strong tart flavor.

The color is very nice. It's a pretty, rose pink color. The longer it steeps, the darker the color. After a seven minute steep time, mine is bordering on a dark pink-red color. Since there is no tea leaves in it, you can steep it for longer periods of time without it becoming bitter. Also, since it's fruit drink, it does well cold or iced. I think it would be nice bottled up with some ice to take with you around town or to the beach. I can just imagine sitting on a beach chair with the sound of the waves and people splashing in the water nearby with my hand wrapped around a bottle of beautiful pink tea with ice cubes floating around in it. It being just sweet enough to wash over your tongue without feeling sickly-sweet with the heat of the beach sun. That would be wonderful.

Overall, a good summertime tea to turn into iced tea (which I'll probably do when it warms up more). Not something I would drink everyday or make for a party or house guests, but just something to sit outside with.

This is not likely to be a tea blend you're going to find sitting on your grocery store shelf, but there is always Amazon. When looking for a fruit tea, always look for brands that have fruit pieces in it. I'd also always recommend loose leaf for these teas, because then you can see the fruit pieces.

Harney & Sons Strawberry-Kiwi Fruit Loose Tea
Strawberry Kiwi Herbal Tea
Elmwood Inn Fine Teas, Strawberry Kiwi

If you want this exact tea, you can always purchase it from TeaCo: TeaCo Strawberry Kiwi.

[Oniya]

Didn't know that about hibiscus - I'll have to add that to Mr. Oniya's HBP regimen (along with the garlic to help his cholesterol).

[Jag]

And you can find it in many teas, so it's not like he'll be stuck with one flavor. ^^ TeaCo alone has 9 fruit tea flavors with hibiscus, but many of their teas do contain it. Just a quick search on Amazon yields many varieties and flavors:

Amazon Hibiscus Tea Search

[Oniya]

I've seen it in just about any non-caffeinated fruit tea I've come across - probably mostly for color reasons, as you pointed out.  I'd always figured that was its major purpose, in fact.

Seriously, though, he goes through a lot of iced tea on a daily basis, so getting him to drink three cups a day should be easy.

[Jag]

I'm sure the color and light flavor were a big factor before people started doing studies on it's health benefits.

[Jag]

I've been too tired and busy lately to review teas and write up herbs. I will be getting back into it as soon as I can. In the meantime, Cecilia sent me this and I couldn't help but giggle:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eELH0ivexKA&feature=player_embedded#at=146

Enjoy!

[Wistful Dream]

Hehe, that's hilarious Michi :) And I look forward to your next write up :)

[Nadir]

I found a site, Teapigs, that seems to offer a range of tea like your TeaCo, which makes me effing excited. I'm going to explore them most rabidly.

[Jag]

Oh, Eden, that's a wonderful find. Their Smart Tea Set with the candle warmer is so...sexy!

*makes grabby hands*

[Jag]

Tea is Discontinued

Blueberry Cheesecake Green Tea

Ingredients: Dried blueberries, Green Tea Leaves, Cheesecake Flavoring

I got a sample pack of this tea a few months ago and it got buried in my tea bowl (yes, I have a big bowl of tea). I found it while I was digging around in the bowl for something to drink a few nights ago. I saw the little, gold, TeaCo sample pack sitting near the bottom and decided it was high time I brewed some of it.

Upon opening the bag the first thing anyone should notice is the smell of blueberries. If you pick through the leaves you will find whole, dried blueberries. There are plenty of advantages and disadvantages to dried fruit. When it comes to storage or travel, dried fruit is the better way to go. It's easier to carry around with you in a baggie or container without having to worry about it spoiling or going bad. A disadvantage, and a big one, lies with the nutritional values of dried fruit. The heat involved in drying out fruit decreases some heat sensitive vitamins...such as Vitamin C. What it loses in vitamin C, it retains in being high fiber. Dried blueberries, specifically, are approximately four times higher in antioxidants than their fresh counterparts.

Now, since we're not going to be actually eating these blueberries, the question might be is the goodness in these dried blueberries released into tea? Yes and no. Tea will never have all the benefits that eating a handful of dried fruit or fresh fruit will. Many of the vitamins, minerals, etc are put into the tea when you brew it.

For this tea specifically, there are no secondary players in this tea. It's all about the blueberries. Blueberries are wonderful. The little dark-blue balls of joy. Seriously, they are. The Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry has linked wild blueberry juice in helping with the symptoms of depression in adults. There is little these berries can't do. From being linked with helping depression to Alzheimer's disease to urinary tract infections. It's just fantastic what the things grown in nature can do.

This tea is just everything good about blueberries. It's flavorful and it smells like sticking your nose into a blueberry bush. From the moment you open the sample bag/canister to the last drop of tea, it's all blueberry. I only put two dried blueberries into my tea ball and that seems like more than enough. It blends so nicely with the green tea. There is no bitterness or dry mouth feeling like you get with most green tea. Even after steeping it for 5 minutes (which average is 3-4), it's not bitter at all.

Now, this tea is called Blueberry Cheesecake Green Tea, not Blueberry Green Tea. So where is the cheesecake?! Unfortunately, as much as I hate to put down a tea that tastes so good, there is very little that is 'cheesecake' about this drink. There is a hint of something sweet that is obviously not blueberry that runs over your tongue and it does have that sweet smell of cheesecake behind the berry. It's a creamy flavor and smell that is definitely not blueberry. I really think they could have done better with the cheesecake flavor. Maybe add some cream bits like they do in the Orange Cream tea. Or even find a way to put actual cheesecake bits into it (I'm pretty sure it can be done these days!) to add a more cheesecake flavor to it.

This will never replace real blueberry cheesecake and I would never want it to. It's a wonderful blueberry tea that happens to have a sweetness to it. Even the color is nothing much to write about. It's a green tea. It's good, flavorful, and light. Very nice for an after meal drink, maybe lunch or breakfast. While I don't plan on buying a canister of this one, I do recommend it to people that like blueberries, green tea, and lighter teas.

This is another one of these teas that you're not likely to find on your store shelf, but here are some nice alternatives:

Republic of Tea Blueberry Tea
Bigelow Green Tea with Blueberry
Celestial Seasonings Green Tea Blueberry Breeze

If you want this exact tea, you can purchase it from TeaCo: TeaCo's Blueberry Cheesecake Green Tea.

[crystaltears]

I love this blog. Every entry. This last one has me intrigued. Blueberry Cheesecake Green Tea will go on my list of things to try if ever presented the opportunity. :-)

[Jag]

Tea is Discontinued

Strawberry Daquiri Green Tea

Ingredients: Strawberries Pieces, Green Tea Leaves, Natural Flavorings

Okay, not even going to mess around with the benefits of green tea or strawberries for this one. There really is no point to it in my opinion. There are better teas to go to than this one.

For the first time, I'm highly disappointed in a TeaCo tea. Normally I'm like their unofficial spokes woman. They are a wonderful company that takes time, research, and care into crafting their teas. Not just flavorful teas, but beautiful ones with bits of fruit and perfectly green dried leaves and the most aromatic scents I've ever had the pleasure of partaking in a tea.

Sadly, this tea hit none of those buttons with me. It was bland, plain, and I'm considering tossing the lot of it out. Thankfully, I didn't spend any money on this one as it was one of my free sample packs. I'd be very upset with myself if I had spent a penny on it.

Where to start, where to start...oh, I know, the dry tea itself. Normally when you open a canister or bag of TeaCo tea you see lots of nice little curled leaves. Instead of that pretty sight, I see a bunch of twigs. Now there is nothing wrong with tea twigs, but they simply aren't the best part of the plant to use, nor are they very attractive. Instead of a dried green color, they are more brown and it's very unappealing. The small sample bag really doesn't let you see this.

It would have been a saving point with the strawberry pieces to put off those ugly twigs, but there was like one strawberry bit in the whole 10oz package. I had to dig to the bottom to fish it out just so I could toss it in the tea ball with my sticks.

At this point I proceeded with standard tea making procedures. Also known as 'drop the ball of twigs and my one, half a centimeter strawberry bit into hot water and steep for 3-4 minutes in my tea pot'. Now, whenever I make a pot of tea as opposed to a cup, I always make two tea balls with 1 tablespoon of leaves in each ball. One would think this would be enough flavor, but no! After 3 minutes my tea water still looked like plain, clear water. So I swished the balls around a bit and put the lid back on for another 3 minutes. Pouring a cup I noticed the water is still hot-warm, but still very clear. Not the color you expect from a green tea. No pretty yellowish color or anything.

I know this is disgusting, but it's the best way to describe the color...it looks like someone who was very well hydrated emptied their bladder into my cup. That very, very pale color and the whole time I'm wondering why I can't smell anything. I don't smell the green tea or the strawberries. So not only does it look like piss water, it doesn't even smell like strawberries!

The taste was like drinking really iron-filled tap water. If you've ever tasted really bad tap water, then you know what I'm talking about. I was raised in a house with that kind of water and I have no desire to ever taste it again in my life. So I did what any good woman should do when they get something bad tasting in their mouth when they'd been expecting it to be good...I spit.

I will admit that this is not the first time I've had this specific tea, but I wasn't exactly in a good state of mind to really enjoy the tea that first time. I'm not sure how I managed to choke this down last time. No matter what the reason, I'm not drinking it again.

Sorry, TeaCo, but you all need to take this one back to your kitchen and do something, anything, to fix it. I'm so disappointed in it that I didn't even waste my photobucket space for pictures and I'm not linking it to your site.

[Jag]

Went to TeaCo yesterday with my best friend. I got a 12oz, iced Lemongrass and bought two things...One is a canister of Magnolia Oolong and the other are these neat little filters. They slip onto a stick (that came with them) and you put the leaves into it. Then you use the stick to hook it on the cup and slowly pour the water through it. Once it's brewed, you just lift the stick and slide the filter onto either a napkin or into the trash. You can get about 3 uses out of a filter (using it with the same tea each time) if you don't tear it.

I plan on using these only for my Rooibos since that stuff seems to make it through even my mesh tea ball. The Lemongrass, by the way, was effing awesome. ^_^ My friend got herself a sample pack of Gunpowder Tea. I can't wait to try it.

[crystaltears]

Went to TeaCo yesterday with my best friend. I got a 12oz, iced Lemongrass and bought two things...One is a canister of Magnolia Oolong and the other are these neat little filters. They slip onto a stick (that came with them) and you put the leaves into it. Then you use the stick to hook it on the cup and slowly pour the water through it. Once it's brewed, you just lift the stick and slide the filter onto either a napkin or into the trash. You can get about 3 uses out of a filter (using it with the same tea each time) if you don't tear it.

Do you by chance have a picture of the... filters (one of your own or one you could link to)? I'm having trouble wrapping my mind around what they would look like and it's got me curious now.

[Jag]

TeaCo doesn't have them on their site, but here they are:


Mini-minit Coffee/Tea Filters

[Izzie Aditi]

Love the blog Michi, thanks for pointing me to it!

So many teas to try..so little time..

[Jag]

Thanks, Izzie. ^__^

Also, I was befriended by a tea maker in Utah a while ago and I've been itching to get some samples from her. Since I can't go to her store like I can TeaCo, I just want to get samples instead of whole canisters to start with. I can only get 3 for now, but I'm having a hard time choosing which teas to get, so I want everyone's opinions! Here are the options:

Cherry Chocolate Marshmallow Black Tea
Orange Marzipan Rooibos
Raspberry Jasmine Green Tea
Strawberry Lemonade Green Tea
Hojicha La Creme Green Tea
Cherry Colada Green Tea

So, which three would you all like to see me write about? They all just look so good and I can't decide on my own! Help!

[Silverfyre]

First off, I have been reading this all morning and I love it.  Thank you so much for posting what you post, Michi.

I am inclined to say the Orange Marzipan Rooibos, Cherry Chocolate Marshmallow Black Tea, and the Hojicha La Creme Green Tea for your samplers.

[Izzie Aditi]

Only..3? Ugh, decisions, decisions..

I would be interested in reading about the Cherry Chocolate Marshmallow Black Tea, the Strawberry Lemonade and the Hojicha La Creme Green Tea :-)

[Ryven]

This is too cute not to necro this thread back.  It's a Fred & Friends creation. ;D

[Jag]

*dusts thread off*

I got some tea samples and have decided it was time I got back into drinking tea more again. If I'm going to be drinking it more again, I might as well share with you all! So look forward to new posts soon!

[Lilias]

[Jag]

It is alive!

So...I got my first sample case from Adagio Teas. I got a sample tin of each of their Dark Crystal: Age of Teasistance (I love a punny name).

They are: Dousan Draught (Green and Rooibos blend), Drenchen River Tonic (Oolong and White blend), Grottan Moss Tea (Green and Black blend), Sifan Sea Grog (Oolong and Black blend), Spriton Ale (Green and Black blend), Stonewood Brew (Black tea), Vapran Cordial (White tea), and Skeksis Essence (Black tea).

They also sent me a free sample of Pisces from their zodiac line. It's a blend of rooibos tea, black tea, and white tea with chamomile flowers, orange peel, lemon grass, blue cornflowers, orange flavor, and grapefruit flavor. They also sent me a free sample of their 2quart bag of Mango Iced Tea. It has black tea, mango pieces, and marigold flowers. I have it steeping per the instructions in a pitcher in the fridge right now.

Here is just a picture of all of them (minus the ice tea pouch, cause I already got that in the water). I'll do individual pictures of the tins and the contents when I post up about each one.

I love the tins. They are so beautiful. Each sample tin makes around 6-8 cups.

[Jag]

First up...

Sifan Sea Grog

Ingredients: Blended with vanilla oolong tea, butterscotch black tea, apple pieces, natural vanilla flavor, cocoa nibs, rose hips, butterscotch flavor, marigold flowers.

Lore: The Sifa clan are sea gypsies who enjoy a hearty grog onboard their ships. Vanilla Oolong tea with a hint of indulgent Butterscotch, accented with ornate Marigold flavors.

From the Creator: This tea contains a high level of caffeine | Steep at 212° for 3 minutes.



When I got all my Dark Crystal samples, I smelled each one. I tend to pick what I want to eat or drink based on what smells the best. Sifan Sea Grog smelled incredible. Looking at it, it looked well balanced. There didn't seem to be too much or too little of any of the ingredients.

I did enjoy the taste of it, because I do love butterscotch (which is probably why it smelled the best to me). For me, it could have had more butterscotch. However, I will say that for anyone who is kind of 'meh' on butterscotch, I do feel it was the most important taste and scent. It did overpower the other flavors a little. It did taste more like a black tea with butterscotch, rather than a black tea with all of these amazing sounding ingredients.

I will be purchasing more of this one, because I did like it that much. Despite being an oolong/black tea, it did not taste heavy or get bitter at all. It didn't leave me with that dry mouth feeling that some darker teas do. It was very well balanced.

Since this is a 'Fandom' tea, I do feel the need to comment on how it relates to what it's representing. In the books and show, the Sifa Clan are sea fairing Gelfling. Most other Gelflings say "A Sifa never does anything for free". They are merchants, but they are also symbol keepers. No one knows more about signs and symbols than a Sifa. They are known for having soothsayers in their clan who can see the future and their clanship is made of living coral.

Since something 'salty' to represent the ocean would have ruined the flavor profile, I think butterscotch was a good way to go. It's a unique taste and easily identifiable (like the Sifa with their curly, deep red hair that no other clan has). The rose hips in the blend look nice for the red coloring of their hair. The marigold flowers look like bits of coral.  So over all, I think the taste and look of the blend works well for the Sifa Clan.

[Jag]

Stonewood Brew

Ingredients: Blended with black tea, natural forest berries flavor, raspberry leaves, orange, blue cornflowers, raspberries, strawberries, natural vanilla flavor, natural bergamot flavor, natural creme flavor

Teas: forest berries, earl grey moonlight

Accented with: freeze dried strawberry

Lore: The Stonewood clan are fierce warriors, they drink a strong brew laden with the flavors of the forest. Earl Grey tea with Forest Berries

From the Creator: This tea contains a high level of caffeine | Steep at 212° for 3 minutes.



This is a very strong tea. It's very flavorful, but it's also super rich and heavy. It's almost coffee like. I'm not a fan of coffee, but the berries and bergamot really cut through the bitter flavor of coffee that I normally don't like. If you're unsure of what bergamot is, it's a citrus fruit. It looks like the lumpy child of a lime and an orange. It's a very fragrant fruit and I can smell it in this tea.

Normally, I don't like adding things to my tea. I generally only put a little candied ginger or a tiny bit of honey if I put anything at all in them. For this, after my first initial cup, decided to take it to work with me like coffee. I added some almond milk and a tsp of simple syrup. It was really good. I've actually drank it like this every morning. So much so that I probably only have enough left for one more small cup to make. I think it's safe to say that this is one I'll be buying a full tin of.

I really like the way this one looks. Everything was very nicely blended like the Sifan tea. Seeing the red strawberries, the blue cornflowers, and the orange peel just makes it so pretty. It really makes it look woodsy.

Which leads me to the fandom side of it. The Stonewood clan are a forest clan that live in Stone-in-the-Wood and are considered fierce warriors. They make tools, weapons, and are considered a clan with a deep and long history. They are home to the most well known Gelfling hero, Jarra-Jen and their village is marked with all the songs of their history.

I really think that this tea works well with the idea of their clan. In the show, they are seen as having a 'bar' of sorts where travelers can grab a cup and freely drink all they want from the brew fountains. Obviously, this isn't alcoholic tea, but it is very strong. I imagine this is what the Stonewood warriors drink the morning after their evening brews to get started for the day.

[Jag]

Vaprian Cordial

Ingredients: Blended with white tea, rose hips, rose petals, pineapple pieces, mango pieces, hibiscus, cranberries, apple pieces, natural pineapple flavor, blueberries, natural mango flavor, apricots, natural peach flavor, and marigold flowers.

Teas: white eternal spring, white peach

Lore: The Vaprans drink this lovely tea to keep warm in their snowy mountain city. White tea with delicate floral accents and sweet fruits.

From the Creator: This tea contains a low level of caffeine | Steep at 180° for 3 minutes.



I didn't really like this one. I saw rose hips, pineapple, mango, cranberries, apples, and apricots listed in the ingredients and thought "Wow, this is going to be super nice"...I didn't taste any of it. I've drank the whole tin. I've used a thermometer to make sure I'm steeping at the exact right temperature. I've gone up and down with the temperature and same with the steeping time. Still nothing. It just tastes like plain white tea. Which isn't terrible, but I'm not a big fan of white tea.

The scent is super pretty though. It's strange that there is such a big scent to it, with so little taste.

It's not a bad tea at all. It's very soft and elegant. It's just not my cup of tea.

As for how it relates to it's name sake, the Vapra clan of gelfling live in snowy mountains. They are considered highly educated and most cultured of the clans. They are known for their long, silverling white-blond hair, beautiful gossamer wings, and delicate features. They can read and write, where most gelfling can't. As the All-Maudra, ruler of the gelflings, is a Vapra, they are the ruling clan.

Given all that, I think this tea if perfect for a Vapra. It's soft, delicate, and beautiful. Great for sitting with a book in the cold weather with a warm blanket over your lap.

[Salvation]

I love this!  So glad to see it active again, and thank you for sharing.

[Jag]

I got a new tea infuser. It's a floating frog!



It's so cute. I love it and it works so well.

I love this!  So glad to see it active again, and thank you for sharing.

I'm glad you enjoy it. ^_^

[FoxWriter]

Hi Jag!

i have a question about Tea, if you don't mind?

recently, i've been having some, ah... issues, with tea in that drinking too much of it seams to have given me a bit of a... well. bladder infection. which, isn't uncommon i'm told but still annoying now that it's cold enough to actually enjoy drinking my nightly cup (okay cups) of tea.

are there herbal teas that aren't a diuretic that you know of?

also, do rose-hips taste like roses? i was thinking of getting a sample of Hibiscus and of butterfly pea since i've been told those aren't floral in flavor at all. i know i don't like lavender or rose tea because the floral taste is like drinking perfume XP. are rosehips as strong as rose petals are?

[Oniya]

Rose-hips are actually fairly tart - not like perfume at all. 

I don't know about the diuretic bit, though.

[FoxWriter]

neither does google xDDD

[Jag]

When looking for a non-diuretic tea, you'll want to look for teas made without the Camellia sinensis plant. This knocks out all white, green, black, and oolong teas; as they are all made from this plant. You'll want to look for teas there are non-caffeinated. They do make white, green, and black de-caf tea; however they are still made from Camellia sinensis. Look for red teas, like rooibos that are naturally non-caffeinated. Or look for teas that are strictly herbal, but avoid dandelion, fennel, chamomile, fennel, or ginger; as they are all diuretics. Really, it's going to be a matter of reading labels in depth and researching each individual plant involved in the mixture.

[FoxWriter]

b...but chamomile. my favorite DX

well, mint is my favorite, but i like chamomile a whole lot too.

i do love rooibos too, so i'll look into that one some more.


thank you Jag! ^^

[Oreo]

Just tried my first bit of dried lemon grass as an additive to my tea. *is in love*

[Jag]

Got some new fandom blends from Adagio teas.

I haven't tried Aziraphale's yet, but I have tried Crowley's.

Ingredients: black tea, lapsang souchong, natural caramel flavor & natural almond flavor

Teas: lapsang souchong, almond, caramel

Accented With: cherry, chocolate chips & red peppercorn

From the Creator: This tea contains a high level of caffeine | Steep at 212° for 3 minutes.

I drank this tea every day for about 5 days and I still don't know if I like it or not. It's very unique. I've never had a tea with any kind of peppercorns in it before. I know from using them in cooking that red peppercorns aren't like black peppercorns. They are more mild and even 'fruity', but it is still a peppercorn. It certainly looks beautiful in the blend and it does add a strange taste.

It tastes and smells very dark, but it has a slightly sweet flavor from the chocolate and cherries. As far as being a fandom tea, it certainly does embody Crowley. Dark, but a little sweet. It's perfect for him.

I have found that I prefer it with a little bit of almond milk in it.

[Oreo]

Those sound wonderful Jag. I want to go make some hawthorn tea now. It has a very peppery taste that I love.

[Jag]

Adagio is having a Leap Day sale of a tea they are calling "Brigadoon". It's only available today and is named after a tale of a Scottish village that only appears once a century for a day. I forgot they were selling it today, so I missed out on being able to get a tin. I did get two 3oz pouches though. It's blended with assam melody tea, keemun concerto tea, silver needle tea & blue cornflowers.

I also ordered 3oz of pu'erh dante tea. According to reviews, it smells like dirt and mud and tastes like licking a forest floor. Another said it smelled almost of rotting fish. Another said it smelled like a wet, muddy horse. Someone said it tasted like creamy salt water. So I'm excited to try it, cause I'm open to trying the weird shit now. ^^

[Oreo]

Thank you Jag. I was able to snag some. I had never heard of them before. I do have blue cornflower, but not the other ingredients. Looking forward to tasting this. Made it my treat for the month.

>_> Brigadoon was one of my favorite childhood movies.

[Jag]

Not going to lie. I've bought a lot of tea lately.

Blueberry White Tea
Peach White Tea
Strawberry White Tea
Eternal Spring White Tea
Brigadoon
Pu-erh Dante
Berry Creme Compote Herbal Tea
Lemon Meringue Green Tea
Irish Stout Black Tea
Elderberry Wine
Irish Breakfast
Scottish Breakfast
Blackberry Sage Oolong
Earl Grey Moonlight
Fear & Loathing in a Cornfield (Batman fandom tea)
Paladin (DnD based tea)

I've tried most of them. I'm really liking the Irish Breakfast with a little bit of oatmilk creamer and Brigadoon. I got a sample of Fear & Loathing in a Cornfield with my large order (one tea bag of it) and really liked it. So I ordered a sample tin of it and the Paladin. I got those two samples in the mail yesterday.

I plan on reviewing each of them at some point. >.<

I have a tea problem.



>.>

That's not all of them.

<.<

[Jag]

Pu-erh Dante

Tried a very new tea today. It's called Pu-erh Dante. It's extremely different from anything I've drank before.

Pu-erh is the type of tea, like green or black or white. Dante is like the blend, like green chamomile or black almond.

I've always known that white, green, black, and oolong teas were all made from the same plant. I was surprised to see that this form of tea is as well. The Camellia sinensis plant. The differene between those four is the the amount of time the plant is allowed to grow (white tea is made from young leaves) and the processing time (oolong is processed the longest). Pu-erh is another step in the process. It is fermented tea. I love fermented things. I like making my own pickles, sauerkraut, and all sorts of stuff that my German great grandmother taught me. Fermented tea sounds fantastic to me.

What really drew me to the tea was the comments on it. About how it smelled like mud and mushrooms and damp forest. Why wouldn't I want to drink that? I'm a magical bitch and I should be drinking hot mud.

I was not prepared for just how earthy it smelled. When I opened that bag, it was like shoving my face in the dirt. It was very strong.

I was also drawn to the fact that it can be a long brew tea. Some mornings I just don't have time to watch my tea and get the leaves out before leaving for work. It can sit in the water steeping for over 30 minutes without getting bitter. So I can toss it in my thermos, drive the 45 minute to work, strain it there, and be good to go. And since fermenting makes the flavor so strong, I can save the leaves and re-steep it later in the day for a second thermos full.

It's a very strong tea if you let it steep more than five minutes though. It's just like BAM. Kick you in the jaw, despite being a rather smooth flavor. I don't like coffee, but this doesn't come off like coffee the way some black teas can. It's so smooth and earthy. I love it.

I put some vanilla oatmilk in it this morning and it looked like red clay run off water. >.< It was still really good, but I put a little too much oatmilk so it watered it down a bit.

I'll take some pictures of it when I get some extra time.

[Jag]

With the order I just got yesterday and the order I placed this morning, I have (and have coming):

The Dragonheart Series (taste testing this for someone else before they put it up as a buy-able series...it's five tea samples)
Rooibos Pecan Turtle (thank you Daeva)
Fear & Loathing in a Cornfield (I really like this one, so I ordered a larger pouch this time)
Lavender Lemon
Dragon Fruit Dream
Foxtrot
Peppermint
Chamomile
Berry Blues
White Strawberry Basil (thank you Oreo)
Lemon Soleil
Assam Melody

Sadly, with work the way it's been, I haven't had the energy to sit down and write reviews. I have been drinking a lot of tea, just no energy to take pictures or write about it. I hope to get back to it soon. In the meantime, feel free to talk about any teas you've tried or recommendations you have!

[Oreo]

Boy was I surprised today. I was peeling a mandarin orange while boiling water for my tea. My head tilted and I thought I wonder if this would taste good in my Prince of Wales tea...that a certain someone gifted me for Christmas past.

OMG! It tastes so good! Then I wondered if there was any nutritional value in adding the peel to brewing tea.

Turns out there is...

[Azy]

I very much love tea.  I used to use bags, because that's what I grew up with.  And then I met a man who grew up with a dad who is very fussy about his tea.  The man grew up in England, and is of the opinion that American bagged tea is so wrong on so many levels.  After tasting loose leaf, I have to agree that it has a much better flavor.  Adagio tea is pretty good.  I've been getting their cold brew iced tea bags and keeping a batch in the fridge.  I only put in a little sugar to taste, which makes it so much better than what you buy from the store.  I also get those fill them yourself paper bags.  They make things much less messy because there's no ball to clean out, and no holes for rooibos to escape through.  On Adagio I believe you get 100 bags for $5, so not horribly expensive either.  I've seen other places charge more.   

Sipsby seems like a pretty good way to try samples of all different kinds.  I've found some really good ones.  Also some really bad ones.  But you can rate your teas. 

I think 52 teas is a good place to get uncommon flavors.  The downside to them is they are a small company so they make small limited batches of everything.  I've had sugar cookie, lemonberry whip, pumpkin cheesecake.  They even had lime jello, but I decided not to try that one.  When she did a Harry Potter theme one of them was Amorentia, which was a strawberry chai green tea.  Delicious.  A new flavor comes out every week.  A lot of the green teas seem more delicate, and need brewed at lower temperatures, so I got an electric kettle with temp control, and that worked out great.  They have small taster pouches, and they used to have large pouches of every flavor, but not as much anymore.   

August Uncommon is another good company if you like tea that is uncommon.  They had me at Psycho Candy, which is a pumpkin caramel rooibos that is a new favorite.  They also have 15 cup sample pouches, and a lot of them were really good.