The World's Greatest Illustrated Chai Tea Recipe
I came across this gem on Lucy Knisley’s blog and couldn’t resist reposting it here.
Black tea
Organic Breakfast Tea by Mighty Leaf Tea (review)
The nature of a breakfast tea is to be robust. It is there to awaken. And it needs to be able to handle a drop of milk.
As a result, many lower grade breakfast teas tend to be brutish. You feel awake after drinking them, but your lips are puckered, your mouth is dry and you had to choke down those last few sips. Inevitably, the tea used for this is the scraps — the dust or fanning that remains after factories have pushed out the higher end teas. Because the tea is so small, it infuses quickly; but it also lacks the character you will find in teas made with larger bits of leaf.
Earl Grey, Lady Grey and Earl Green: Variations on a Theme
Earl Grey tea has long been a favourite of mine. Recently, I’ve been trying a few different types of Earl Grey and discovering just how much variety there is in this one blend. Earl Grey teas vary based on two main parameters: the type of black tea used as a base and the amount of bergamot oil used. Additionally, many vendors add extra elements to their Earl Grey blends.
Will the real Earl Grey please stand up?
Walk into any half-decent café and you’ll find it on their menu: Earl Grey tea, that wonderful blend of tea made by scenting black tea with the oil of bergamot, a citrus fruit. Short of English Breakfast and Jasmine tea, I think you’d be hard-pressed to find another tea as ubiquitous as our bergamot-infused friend.
But who was Earl Grey, and who did he bribe, maim or kill to have one of the world’s most popular teas named after him?
How does your mood affect your choice of tea?
My tea collection is a dominant force in our pantry. Off the top of my head, I’d guess I have over 50 teas to choose from. Yet every morning, I find myself gravitating towards three teas in particular:
- Yunnan Golden Monkey (Tea Leaves, an Australian tea shop)
- Keemum (McIvers Coffee and Tea, another Australian establishment)
- Kagoshima Shincha Yutaka Midori (from O-Cha)
25% off for new Mighty Leaf Tea customers
While browsing through Mighty Leaf’s website in preparation for the review I just posted, I noticed that they have a great offer on for people who haven’t tried their tea pouches before: Buy your first tea pouches from Mighty Leaf and get 25% off.
There are actually three separate offers – one for herbal tea, another for black tea
and a third for green tea
.
Darjeeling First Flush 2009 from Mighty Leaf Tea
I have just now enjoyed my first taste of 2009’s first flush Darjeelings, courtesy of Mighty Leaf Tea. This year, Mighty Leaf have chosen Mim Estate for their single-estate Darjeeling offering. It’s a great choice: Mim Estate’s first flush serves admirably as a well-rounded black tea and a great example of that quintessential Darjeeling flavour.
Ceylon Kenilworth from Narien Teas
I grew up in a home where Dilmah is the black tea of choice. Dilmah Extra Strong, to be precise. As I delved deeper into the world of tea, it was China, Japan and India whose teas caught my attention. Dilmah and every other Sri Lankan tea was shoved to the side as I flirted with oolongs, greens, blacks and white teas from elsewhere.
But receiving a sample pack of Narien Teas’ Ceylon Kenilworth a few weeks ago has reignited my interest in Sri Lankan tea.
Castleton FTGFOP1 Special China: Darjeeling Autumnal Flush 2006
Wrapping up my week of Darjeelings, I come to the fourth sample in my cupboard: Castleton Estate’s 2006 Autumnal Flush FTGFOP1 SPL China. This is the tea I would serve to a Darjeeling novice seeking their first taste of the region’s notorious teas. It’s robust, rich in colour and, most importantly, has that classic note of muscatel. A quintessential Darjeeling.
Springside Darjeeling Autumnal Flush
After playing around with first flush teas from Puttabong and Arya Estates, I shift focus to autumnal flush Darjeelings. First among those: Springside Estate’s autumnal flush. Year unknown.
Springside Estate is at the southern end of the Darjeeling region and has a relatively small annual output. Before seeing it in my local tea shop, Tea Leaves, I’d never heard of it.
