Click here to check out O-Cha’s range of shinchas (some of which are unfortunately already sold out).

© Eric for Tea Finely Brewed, 2010. | Shincha 2010: Get it while you can | No comment |
Post categories: Green tea, Miscellaneous
Post tags: O-Cha

A year and a half ago, I thought spending $10 on a 100 gram packet of loose leaf tea was exorbitant. These days, I regularly come out of a tea shop having spent between $50 and $100. And I’m not coming away with that much tea either — sometimes I can spend $50 just on 150 grams of tea.

If you’re used to supermarket tea, you’ll no doubt balk at the expense. And by all means, if you don’t place a high premium on quality in your tea, stick with your supermarket stocks.

But the thing is, $50 for 150 grams of tea isn’t that expensive. It’s the equivalent of buying two pretty good bottles of wine — which will buy you about 12 glasses of wine. 150 grams of tea, even if it’s only infused once, will get you at least 50 cups of tea. If you’re talking about a high quality oolong tea, you should be able to get at least 4 or 5 cups from each batch of leaves, which means you could get as much as 250 cups from that batch of tea. Suddenly, we’re talking about a 20 cent cup of tea.

Last time I checked, you could buy a 10-pack box of Twinings teabags at the supermarket for a bit over $2 — so right there you’re paying the same amount for a stale Twinings teabag as you would for some high quality oolong tea!

Even the Hawaiian oolong that I reviewed last week, which sells for $20 per 10 grams, didn’t seem quite as expensive after I used about 3 grams of leaves and got 10 infusions (and potentially could have got more).

What do you think? Is high quality loose leaf tea expensive?

© Eric for Tea Finely Brewed, 2010. | Is high quality loose leaf tea expensive? | 4 comments |
Post categories: Miscellaneous
Post tags: buying tea, buying tea online, loose leaf tea

This is my contribution to the tea blog carnival being hosted by Adam from The Sip Tip. I encourage you to head over to his site to see how other bloggers responded to this same question.

One of my primary reasons for creating Tea Finely Brewed is to develop a deeper appreciation for tea, while encouraging others to do the same. Over the past year and a half, I have learned a great deal — and this has helped me appreciate tea more.

And yet, to really appreciate the tea I drink on a day to day basis isn’t easy. It takes time and an investment of resources. When I first started the blog, I wrote:

I want to drink tea slowly, cherishing its aroma, warmth and flavour. I want to stop and appreciate the labour that went into producing that teaspoon of tea leaves. I want to take time to consider the rich history of tea, how this simple brew has played its part through history.

In February this year, I started freelancing as a WordPress developer. I do that a few days a week, and I still work part time for Travellerspoint.com, a travel website that my brothers started back in 2002. I’m also working on a new business with two friends of mine, which will be in the field of WordPress theme and plugin development. Plus, I have a 13 month old son!

My point is: I’m busy.

So then, how do I manage to fit tea into day to day life?

More specifically, how do I fit the appreciation of tea into daily life? It’s one thing to absent-mindedly suck down a cup while working, and another thing entirely to take the time to appreciate that cup.

For me, I think the single most important thing I have done over the last year and a half, which has helped me to appreciate tea in the way I described above, is to learn. Learning things like:

• How is tea produced?
• How does this tea differ from that one?
• How do I ascertain the quality of this tea?
• How do I describe this aroma, this flavour, or the character of this tea?

These are the kinds of questions I think about while drinking teas for review, and the practice of asking these questions has developed in me a different attitude towards drinking tea. Because I ask these kinds of questions, I am more attentive and reflective as I drink tea. It becomes a time of learning, not just about

So before turning the question over to you, let me encourage you to do one thing: Ask questions about the tea you’re drinking. Where did it come from? How is it different from the last tea you drank? Would you describe it as a high quality tea, sub-par, or somewhere in between? What flavours and smells do you pick up?

Now, your turn: How do you fit tea into your daily life?

© Eric for Tea Finely Brewed, 2010. | How do you fit tea into your day to day life? | 5 comments |
Post categories: Miscellaneous
Post tags: Association of Tea Bloggers, tea blog carnival

For those of you based in Australia, head on over to Verity’s blog and sign yourself up to go in the running for some free tea which she has blended herself. Be quick though — the competition ends tomorrow.

© Eric for Tea Finely Brewed, 2010. | Valentine’s Day Giveaway for Australian Tea Lovers | One comment |
Post categories: Miscellaneous
Post tags: tea giveaway, Valentines Day tea gifts

So we’ve had teabags with cardboard cutouts of politicians; we’ve seen a tea strainer made to look like a dainty lady; and recently we marveled at the teapot made with Steampunk style.

Now there’s this: Hanger Tea.

That’s right. Little teabags with coat hangers.

Novel? Yes. Functional? Unlikely. Another excellent addition to The Wonderful of Tea Novelties.

Thanks to Bianca who sent this my way.

More novelty tea stuff

• StripTea, DemocraTea and RoyalTea
• Steampunk teapot
• 3 Brilliant Tea Kettle Designs: Tea-Off Competition Winners
• Tea Tumblers: A Buyer’s Overview of the Options
• Stain: the Tea Cup that Improves with Use
• 19 Weird and Wacky Teapots
• The Tifi Tea Strainer

© Eric for Tea Finely Brewed, 2010. | Hanger Tea: The Wonderful World of Novelty Tea Ware | One comment |
Post categories: Miscellaneous
Post tags: teabags, Wonderful World of Novelty Tea Ware

It’s the silly season, as they say. That time of year where you burn cash like it’s firewood. As my token gesture of seasonal anticipation, I have put together a list of gift ideas for tea lovers. Send this to your family and friends to give them some ideas on what to get you, or use this as a starting point if you’re buying a gift for someone who loves tea.

Tea Sample Packs

Pretty much every tea shop out there offers sample packs, which can be a great way to introduce someone to the world of tea. Adagio, for example, offer a whole range of sampler packs, including ones for black tea, oolong, white tea, green tea and herbal tea. Mighty Leaf also have a number of samplers, among them a Japanese green tea collection and a private reserve mini loose tea collection.

Also check out samplers from Teas Etc, Art of Tea and The Teaspot.

Tea of the Month Club Membership

The gift that keeps on giving. Instead of giving your loved one a handful of tea, why not give them a year’s supply? Art of Tea have 3-month, 6-month and 12-month memberships, with one seasonally selected tea going out every month. Mighty Leaf have a similar deal, with 3-month, 4-month and 6-month clubs. One bonus with the Mighty Leaf program is that you can find out exactly which teas you’ll get ahead of time. Alternatively, you might prefer O-Cha’s membership if you love Japanese green tea. Those are just three of the merchants with club memberships — I’m sure you can dig up a few more!

Flowering Tea Sets

I confess I’m not a huge fan of flowering teas, since the quality of the tea can be sub-par, but I know plenty of people love to watch these unfold. Numi Tea have a bamboo flowering tea gift set and Teas Etc have a flowering tea set that comes with a glass mug.

Matcha Starter Kit

Photo copyright O-Cha

I bought this for Bec last year for her birthday (which falls a week before Christmas). If you want to introduce someone to the wonderful world of matcha, O-Cha’s matcha starter kit is the perfect introduction. You’ll get a tin of the matcha of your choosing, an authentic Japanese bamboo tea whisk and a bamboo matcha spoon. You can also add on other matcha accessories (chawan, water cooler, whisk holder) with a 10% discount.

Art of Tea also have a matcha set that comes with a tin of their ceremonial matcha, a whisk, whisk holder, matcha spoon and matcha bowl (chawan).

Tea Travel Mug

This is what I’ll be asking for this Christmas! As I found a couple of months ago when I wrote about travel mugs, there are plenty of options out there for the tea lover.

Matcha Bowls / Chawans

If you know someone who loves matcha, check out O-Cha’s collection of matcha bowls (chawans). I found myself drooling over these last week! They’re not cheap, but they’re handcrafted in Japan and they’re absolutely beautiful. A great gift for the matcha lover.

IngenuiTEA

The IngenuiTea is a smart little device. Just put the tea leaves and water in it, allow it to steep, and then place it on top of your cup, which forces the tea to drain down.

My mom bought one of these for me years ago, and it’s been one of my favourite devices for brewing tea ever since. Easy to use and easy to clean. You can pick one up from Adagio or Teavana.

Tetsubin Tea Gift Set

A tetsubin is a cast-iron Japanese teapot. Art of Tea’s Tetsubin Tea Gift Set comes with a tetsubin, a trivet and a pair of teacups.

Stain Teacups

If you’ve been with me since the very start of this blog, you might remember these nifty teacups I wrote about back then. The cups start out white, but as you use them the natural staining that comes from tea reveals an underlying pattern. Very cool. They’re available from designer Bethan Laura Wood.

Story of Tea: A Cultural History and Drinking Guide

I’ve been raving about Mary Lou and Robert Heiss’ The Story of Tea ever since I started this blog! It’s been an indispensable guide to the world of tea and I heartily recommend it. A well-designed, easy to read guide to tea, covering everything from tea production methods to the health benefits of tea. Read my interview with Mary Lou Heiss or pick yourself up a copy of The Story of Tea from Amazon .

The Harney & Sons Guide to Tea

I actually just received this in the mail today. Michael Harney’s Guide to Tea is a lovely book providing a valuable reference point for learning more about the huge variety of teas available out there. You’ll feel like a smarter tea drinker within five minutes of picking it up! Available from Amazon .

Liquid Jade: The Story of Tea from East to West

This one is mostly about the history and culture of tea — a fascinating story. I reviewed Liquid Jade earlier this year, so be sure to read my review to see whether it sounds like something you’d enjoy. It’s available from Amazon .

Tea Shirts

Eh, you’ll have to pardon the pun! CafePress has some great t-shirt designs with a tea theme. Personal favourites? Make Tea Not War, Tea is the New Black and Instant Human. Just Add Tea….

Sigg Bottle

While you’re on CafePress, check out the tea sigg bottle designs. A lot of political stuff on that page, but there’s a few nice tea-related ones. My pick of the bunch is the Make Tea Not War bottle.

Tea Posters

I assembled a little gallery of tea posters earlier this year, but there are countless other tea posters at AllPosters.com.

© Eric for Tea Finely Brewed, 2009. | 15 Gift Ideas for Tea Lovers | 2 comments |
Post categories: Miscellaneous
Post tags: chawan, ingenuitea, matcha, tea books, tea club memberships, tea gifts, tea samplers, tetsubin, travel mugs

To those who have made the epic trip to this Chinese teahouse, I salute you.

First up, we’re going to catch the cable car up to where this tea trail begins.

This, my friends, is our trail.

Slippery when wet.

Hang onto those chains!

Don’t get too distracted by the view.

Hang on. Things are getting a bit more steep.

Almost there now!

And at last… Time for a cup of tea.

These photos were originally found at http://www.justaskshirley.com/photos/china/wow.htm. Used with permission.

© eric for Tea Finely Brewed, 2009. | The Ultimate Chinese Teahouse | 9 comments |
Post categories: Miscellaneous
Post tags: tea travel, teahouse

Exhibit A: StripTea

Exhibit B: DemocraTea

Exhibit C: RoyalTea

Whatever floats your boat, I guess.

(via Geekologie)

More novelty tea ware

There’s plenty more where this came from. Check out these other posts on brilliant teapots, cups and more.

• The Tifi Tea Strainer
• Stain: the Tea Cup that Improves with Use
• 19 Weird and Wacky Teapots
• 3 Brilliant Tea Kettle Designs: Tea-Off Competition Winners

© eric for Tea Finely Brewed, 2009. | StripTea, DemocraTea and RoyalTea: The Wonderful World of Novelty Tea Ware #3 | 6 comments |
Post categories: Miscellaneous
Post tags: tea bags, Wonderful World of Novelty Tea Ware

The tea is grown in volcanic soil and is shaded by koa trees

At the right time, the pekoe leaves are plucked…

and the leaves destined for green tea are fired

‘A’a is a fully oxidized, hand-rolled black tea made from Hawaiian tea leaves. It is not fired

Kilinoe is the garden’s limited edition green tea

It is mild and refreshing, with a hint of citrus and leafy green vegetables

Thank you to Eliah Halpenny of Big Island Tea, who allowed me to use her photos. You can learn more about Big Island Tea on their website.

Read more

• Review of Kilinoe green tea
• Interview with Eliah Halpenny, Hawaiian tea farmer
• Buy Kilinoe green tea from Narien Teas

© eric for Tea Finely Brewed, 2009. | Tea: A Photographic Journey from the Garden to the Cup | 2 comments |
Post categories: Miscellaneous, Organic tea
Post tags: growing tea, Hawaii tea, Hawaiian tea, Kilinoe Green Tea, tea production

The other thing that I quickly wanted to mention is that The Tea Spot have slashed 30% off their Vintage Oolong, which is a single-estate, medium-bodied oolong from Taiwan. Here’s how The Tea Spot describe their tea:

With a sweet, nutty flavor, this tea captures the subtlety of what amazing, full–leaf tea should taste like. Hints of ripe apricots and lilacs combine to produce a tender, timeless green oolong; hence the name! This tea yields a bright, amber liquor and should be re–steeped multiple times. Each successive steeping will unveil new flavors & aromas, until the leaves are fully opened. Delicate, refined, and understated – this is the true connoisseur’s tea!

Head over to The Tea Spot now.

© eric for Tea Finely Brewed, 2009. | New Tea Community, a year's supply of tea and 30% off Vintage Oolong from The Tea Spot | 3 comments |
Post categories: Miscellaneous, Oolong tea, Specials
Post tags: Narien Teas, tea community, tea forums, The Tea Roundtable, The Tea Spot