Home Coffee and Tea Bar

After seeing a picture of an adorable coffee bar set up on The Vintage Wren (which I found via Pinterest), I wanted one for my kitchen.  Our coffee maker, tea kettle, and their accessories were taking up quite a bit of space on the countertop and in the cabinets.  Having a special space for these items was the perfect solution.

Carrie, creator of The Vintage Wren, mentioned that she found the top shelf at Hobby Lobby, so, I was elated when I found the exact same shelf at our local store.  I already had the cups and saucers that are inside the metal baskets.  I bought the wooden “W” and the coffee house clock at Hobby Lobby and got the white teapot and the “I will not be seen without my caffeine” sign at Kirklands.

The actual cabinet was the hardest part to obtain.  I wasn’t satisfied with the cabinets (or the prices) at Hobby Lobby.  Alas, I came up empty handed after searching other local stores for the ideal cabinet, as well.  I finally found the perfect cabinet with the right height, color, price, and storage space on Amazon.

Three hours of assembly later, the coffee and tea bar is complete!  I have only used it for a few days now, but I love it… in both design and functionality!  Thanks, Carrie, for the inspiration.

New Tea Tray Magic

My husband bought me this beautiful new tea tray for Christmas. 

I loved my old tea tray, but it had one ultimately fatal flaw: a wooden base.  I didn’t realize this would be an issue until the day I found water/tea all over the table and the floor.  After years of use, the wooden base that held excess water/tea had eroded along the cracks and finally broke completely through.  I didn’t leave water in the base for too long after each tea session, so I was rather surprised this happened.

I spent months thinking I was going to fix my beloved tea tray, but that never happened.  I couldn’t find a wood glue that would sustain boiling water temperatures without giving off a horrible aroma.  Without the use of a tea tray, making tea, especially with a gaiwan, was a bit of a hassle.  Therefore, almost without realizing it, I had stopped using gaiwans and yixing pots altogether.  My tea sessions were not as fun as they used to be and I started to lose interest.

All of these realizations came to light when I set up my new tea tray, dusted off all of my tea ware, and made a delicious cup of sencha using my favorite gaiwan and tasting cups.  Not only does this tea tray have a plastic bottom base for catching the water (which won’t erode), but it is slightly bigger that my old tea tray (which means more room for my tea ware).

I can’t wait to make more tea, take more pictures, and write more about this previously neglected hobby.

New Tea Review Method

It has been a long time since I have sat down to do a tea review... and there is a reason for that.  I have finally changed a significant part of this blog that I have wanted to change for a while: my tea review method.

I made my previous review method in a hurry and simply took into account what other tea review blogs were doing.  I was new to the tea blogging world and thought "this must be the way it is done."   However, after writing for this blog for over four years, I have learned a lot about what is really important when describing a tea and what isn't.

I did some research by reading other tea review blogs and paying attention to the sections that I read, sections I skimmed over, and sections that I felt were missing and I wanted to know more about.  Additionally, I polled a few tea-drinking, non-tea-drinking, blogging, and non-blogging friends to incorporate their thoughts; We ended up coming to the same conclusion.  Thus, I took my previous review method, scrubbed it clean of unnecessary information, added some new essential categories, and prepared it for it's debut.

Here we go...

The categories that I have migrated from the previous review method are the type, origin, price, vendor, and brewing method.  I believe this is still essential information when getting to know the ins and outs of the tea.

The type is a given.  It is important to know the oxidation level as well as a little of the expectancy of what this tea will taste like.

The origin is very important.  If a vendor has neglected to give the origin of a tea (or at least the base tea for flavored teas), then I must look at them with suspicious, squinty eyes.  The overall flavor of a tea is effected by so many factors such as climate, evaluation, rainfall, shade/sun, harvest time, storage, drying, oxidation, firing, processing, shipping, and everything in between.  A vendor who shares origin information and even estate information most likely (but no always) is a vendor who cares about the quality and reputation of their tea.

The price category stays because, well, that is what everyone wants to know, right?  Yeah, yeah, this tea is good, but how much is it going to cost me?  If you have shopped for anything while on a budget you know that can make or break a sale in seconds.  The price is something I have listed for all of my reviews, but something I didn't talk a lot about.  I think this is something I need to improve on with my reviews; I need to talk about the perceived value of the tea versus the vendor's asking price.

The vendor is obviously important.  I will continue to provide a link back to the tea's particular page on the vendor's website as I have done in the past.  Please note, I have removed all affiliations with tea vendors (or any vendors for that matter).  I am not trying to sell any of the teas I review; the reviews are my honest opinions and I do not get paid to write them.  I provide the link simply for your, the reader's, convenience in case you would like to know more about a the particular tea and/or how to get it.

The brewing method is essential in order show exactly how I prepared the tea.  I try to use the methods provided or suggested by the vendor because those are the instructions given to average consumers.  How one prepares the tea can effect the taste just as much as the climate, rainfall, etc., that I mentioned above.  Some teas are very picky about their water temperature and steep time... and the wrong times and temperatures can result in a completely different cup of tea.

Now for the new stuff...

I have nixed the overall score section as I don't think it provided anything to the review.  Even when writing out a scale for the numbers, I still picture the reader asking, "what the hell is a 4.3?"  Then I asked myself, "what does it mean?"  I couldn't answer.  My point is, I think numbering scales don't provide enough information.  Plus, I always hated writing that section during the review.... I never knew what to put!  One might argue that the numbered scales are a quick reference to the quality of the tea.  However, after looking over my past reviews, most of them are 4's.  How does that help anyone if most teas get this B rating?  How do you compare one tea to the next if they are all "good" teas, just not "perfect" teas?  Thus, the overall score section is gone and I couldn't be happier.

I added an ingredients section.  I always listed the ingredients - if the vendor provided them - in the body of the review, but I think they deserve a section up top as a quick reference.  Again, I lose respect for any vendors who do not list the ingredients in their blends.  I want to know exactly what is in the tea I am drinking and just how much of the so called "natural flavors" are in it.

Furthermore, I have added a summary section.  In this section I will give a quick summary of what I think are  the "good" parts to the tea and what I think are the "bad" parts to the tea.  I realized that others may have a difference in opinion of what they think is good and what they think is bad... some people might actually enjoy the overwhelming flavor of bergamot (and I think you are weird!)... but this is my review and, even though I will give as much information about the tea as possible, I will still give my honest opinion on what I consider "good" and "bad."

After all of this, of course, I will write my thoughts in paragraph form about the dry leaf, steeping aroma, wet leaf, served aroma, taste, and overall thoughts and impressions. Meanwhile, I will still provide photos of the dry leaf and liquor.  I believe photos are an essential part of my reviews because it shows I actually had the tea in my hands, this is what I used to make it, these are what the leaves actually look like, etc.  The photos provide a little something extra that just can't be described in words.

Your comments, thoughts, and criticisms about this new method are welcome.  I will start reviews again soon and should have a new one up shortly.

Butiki's Raspberry Truffle Review

Type:  Black
Origin:  India
Price:  Free sample (regular price – $5.00 for 1oz)
Vendor:  Butiki Tea
Brewing Method:  Per Instructed - 1.5 teaspoon of leaves, 1 cup of filtered water, heated to 210°F, steeped for 4 minutes
Overall Score:   4.4 out of 5

Raspberry Truffle is a Kundaly Indian black tea base mixed with chocolate chips and raspberries; all organic ingredients.  The huge raspberry and chocolate chips stand out amongst the tiny black tea leaves.  I am tempted to pluck out and eat one of the chocolate chips from the blend just to see if it has been infused with the black tea and raspberry flavors... but I won't. 

The aroma of the dry blend is super sweet.  I can smell the fruity raspberry with a hint of earthiness in the background... not sure if that is coming from the chocolate chips or the black tea. 

The subtle aroma of the steeped blend is a mix of sweet, tart, and earthy.  I can smell the raspberries up front with the earthy and hearty black tea aroma in the back ground.  The liquor is a light brown color.

The taste is quite tart at first.  After each sip the tartness gives way to sweetness.  I can't really detect the chocolate by itself, but I believe the chocolate is what is helping the black tea flavor move more towards the front.  What I mean is, usually with flavored teas you just taste the flavoring.  However with this, I can taste the raspberry flavor AND the earthy tones of black tea.  I think the chocolate makes the actual tea flavor richer so it does not become hidden by the raspberries.

When it comes to adding milk, cream, or sweeteners to this tea... I like it the way it is.  I believe adding cream would mask the flavors too much while sugar might bring out the raspberry flavor more than it needs to be - unless you really like raspberries.

If given the choice, I would pick an actual raspberry truffle over this tea - mostly because of the lack of chocolate flavor.  However, this is a flavored tea that I wouldn't mind keeping in my stash.

Tea During Disney Honeymoon

I planned the wedding while the husband had the fun job of planning the honeymoon.  However, we both helped each other out at times as we are both organized people who love making plans and schedules anyways.

After much discussion we decided to honeymoon in Orlando, Florida visiting Disney World, Universal Studios, and Sea World.  Since I discovered my fear of flying when we flew to Miami, Florida in 2011, I thought it best to pick a destination within reasonable driving distance.  From Indiana to Florida was about 17 hours, but, even though I did all of the driving, I found that much more relaxing than having to spend three hours on a plane.

I could go on and on about our amazing trip to the magical world of Disney, but since this is a tea blog I will keep the event topics strictly to those that involve tea.

I have drunk from many teacups, but this is the first time I got to ride in one.  The Mad Tea Party ride in Magic Kingdom is incredibly cute with all of the bright colors, the giant tea pot in the middle, and the whimsical spinning teacups.  After boarding our teacup and spinning around for about 10 to 15 seconds, the ride slowed and stopped.  We knew something was wrong since we had watched a few sessions of the ride before it was our turn and saw that it normally lasted longer.  We were instructed to stay in our teacups for a moment while the crew worked out an issue.  So, we took this opportunity to snap a few pictures of each other chilling in our cup.  After a few minutes the crew instructed us to exit our teacups as the ride needed further maintenance.  Thus, our ride was cut short, but I really didn’t mind because of the pictures we were able to take while on the ride and the new perceptive I gained from inside a teacup.  Although, I can’t help but to wonder how much tea would fit into one of those cups!

I spotted several tea items/locations while in EPCOT.  We checked out the Twinnings store in the England area.  I didn’t buy anything, but it was an adorable store.  We sniffed around the Joy of Tea booth, but it seemed like an Americanized version of tea with all of their fruit flavored mixes.  Finally, we made it into the beautiful China and gorgeous Japan areas.  I think I may have spent a little too much time (and maybe a little too much money) in those two places, but the tea and tea ware displays were so pretty!

The husband, knowing my love for tea, made reservations to the Garden View Tea Room at the Grand Floridian resort.  Although we had kind of a flighty waitress who tried to serve us the same course twice and kept forgetting things, the overall experience was elegant.  I had a pot of a basic green tea and the husband sipped on a citrus flavored green tea.  We were served five small finger sandwiches, a tiny tart, and two small dessert pastries.  The manager brought out a special dessert for it being our honeymoon.  The tea was average, but the food was full of flavor.

While at Hollywood studios, we had a few minutes before we needed to head to the Fantasia light show so we ducked into a café to have a look.  It was a cute little coffee and tea shop that had comfortable seating and shelves of books, tea, coffee, and drink ware.  I ended up buying a big box of Alice in Wonderland themed teas, plus we both bought a cup of freshly made tea to go to take with us to the light show.  It was about eighty degrees outside, but the hot English breakfast tea I ordered was still refreshing.

During our shopping spree in Downtown Disney, we visited a tea and spices store.  The whole place had kind of a homey kitchen feel to it.  There were rows and rows of teas and even more spices along with utensils, plates, drink ware, aprons, etc.  At that particular time the store was quite busy so we didn’t stay long, but I bought some chocolate flavored tea and a black and white Disney mug.

Almost all of the restaurants that we went to had some sort of tea menu.  Some menus were larger and more sophisticated than others, but the overall selection was far greater than any restaurant in our home town. 

At Jiko in the Animal Kingdom resort we had a dessert that featured green tea ice cream.  Additionally, while at Artist Point in the Wilderness Lodge resort, we had a pot of a delicious gong fu style tea along side a bowl of mixed berry cobbler.  Feeling bold, I asked our waiter how much they are required to know about tea.  Being the friendly gentleman that he was, he stopped and told us all about how they have a professional tea taster come in to train them on different types of tea, the brewing process, steep times, temperatures, etc.; He sounded very knowledgeable on the subject.

Neither of us were previously into the whole Disney propaganda… until our trip.  In fact, I have never seen Alice in Wonderland or Snow White (among other movies, though I do know the plots).  However, by the time we got back into town we were already planning a return trip.

My Tea-Themed Wedding

The hours and hours (and oh my goodness the hours!) of preparation paid off.  Everything went smoothly.  Despite all of the fun this past year, I am glad it is over.

The “Soon-To-Be Tea-Themed Wedding” post discusses my ideas mid-planning.  Please enjoy pictures of the final result.

It was a little difficult to find true tea items for decoration, so I had to stretch the theme and use leaves and vines.  One detail I was very pleased about is that the carpet of the venue in which we had our ceremony was dark green with gold leaves/vines.  Additionally, our wedding colors were black, white, and green.  Notice my dress?  Yes, I couldn't help but to add my favorite color to it.

After working with the cake decorator we came up with a design for the cake to have a smooth white background with dark brown piped vines decorated with protruding fondant leaves.  The leaves are actually lemon leaves, but they were the closest thing to tea leaves that I could find.  There was no way I was putting a topper on this cake because 1) I think toppers are stupid and 2) they take away from the overall design of the cake.

I wasn't going to get custom made napkins but the husband surprised me with these.

I designed the guest tables to have a black table clover with a white table runner in the center.  On the white runner is glass teapots with green LEDs on the bottom with rocks on top of the LEDs to hide the light source but still show the light (they looked a lot better when the overhead lights were off).  I took the lid off the teapots, sat them next to the teapots, and filled the teapots with flowers.  On each side of the teapots I had glass teacups filled with green rocks with a tea light candle in the center.  At each seat sat custom made coasters (another surprise from the husband), wedding favors filled with custom made tea, bells to ring us in as we came into the reception hall, and custom made pens.  I put white covers on the chairs with a green tulle bow on each one.

These were the custom teas that were available to the guests during the reception.  These same blends were in the favor boxes on the guest tables.  I couldn't find a picture of them at the reception so I took a quick picture to show off the design of containers... which were also custom made.

A few more tea-themed items from the wedding were my necklace and earrings that had leaves/vines on them, my tiara that had flowers and leaves, and the cake knife, server, and toasting flutes that sported leaves and vines.  Furthermore, since this was a secular ceremony, I printed the ceremony wording landscape style then wrapped the printed pages around a few of the pages from "The Book of Tea" so the officiant looked like she was reading out of the book.

Now that everything is over, I have over 20 glass teapots and over 40 glass teacups that I might sell or give away soon!

Tea-Themed Bridal Shower

Amongst planning the layout of the reception tables, the order of the processional, my overall survival of the wedding day, etc., there was one wedding related event that I didn't have to plan – my bridal shower.

My bridesmaids graciously hosted an elegant tea-themed bridal shower in honor of my – at the time - upcoming nuptials.  No detail was spared; Pastel green table cloths covered five long tables – three tables for guests, one for gifts, and one for cake and punch.  Upon each guest table sat two vintage teacups with saucers, each holding a bouquet of fresh purple flowers.  Placed on the saucer were teabags filled with green tea adorning custom made tags that said “Brittiny and Kevin” one side and “The Perfect Blend” on the other side.  Additionally, each place setting had its own set of materials needed for each game.  The cake table held not only the beautiful cake, but also the delicious green punch, nuts, and handmade mints.  There were color coordinating cups, napkins, and forks for the occasion, as well. 

The games we played were surprisingly fun and resulted in loads of laughs.  Here is what the bridesmaids’ planned:

The first game lasted the entire time of the bridal shower.  Each girl started out with one clothes pin that they clipped to their shirt.  The only rule was that you could not say the groom’s name and if someone caught you saying the groom’s name then they got to steal your clothes pin.  The object was to be the person with the most clothes pins at the end of the party.

The second game was bride bingo.  Each person had a custom made bingo board that had a question about the soon-to-be wedded couple in each box.  Examples of some of the questions are, “Where did the groom propose,” “How long has the couple been dating,” and “How many dresses did the bride try on before she found the one?”  The guests were allowed time to answer each question to the best of their knowledge.  

Next, the bridesmaids read the questions and I answered them.  If the guest wrote down the correct answer, then they can mark that square.  The object was the get five squares in a row like a regular bingo card (across, up and down, or diagonal).

The third and final game involved matching each guest with their celebrity husband.  Each guest secretly wrote down their celebrity husband on a small piece of paper, folded it, and put it in a collective basket.  The bridesmaids then pulled out each name, read it aloud, and each guest had to match the celebrity with the guest whom they thought wrote it down.  To make this easier, the bridesmaids had given each guest a list of names of all of the guests at the party.  The object was to have the most correct matches.

The bridesmaids also had each guest write their name and address on a small envelope which ended up being the envelopes used for the thank you cards that I filled out later.  So thoughtful!

The prizes for the games were the beautiful teacup center pieces.  I didn't win any of the games, but I received a teacup just for being the bride!  After the games we loaded up on cake and punch while oohing, aahing, and chuckling as I unwrapped the gifts.

I am not the girly-est of girls and I only have a few girlfriends whom I hang out with on occasion, so being in a room full of the coolest ladies I know ended up being more fun than I had originally thought.

I’m Back… No, Really!

Seriously!  Yes, I know, there have been several gaps of silence followed up with I-apologize-for-not-writing-more-posts posts and the I-am-back-and-starting-to-write-again posts. A lot of crying wolf, I know.  However, now that the wedding, honeymoon, and move are over and done with, I can get back to my hobbies.  Seriously.  Hey, wait!  Just hear me out.

I did not realize how much of a life suck wedding planning was going to be.  Holy.  Crap.  I do not mean that wedding planning sucked; I mean there is a lot to it (especially when on a tight budget).  I swear I had more free time working and going to college than working and planning this wedding.  It is over now and things couldn't have gone better (pictures to come)!

Another thing that stole a lot of time was that we planned to go on a honeymoon right after the wedding.  When I mean right after I mean we left town the very next day.

Furthermore, we had planned (maybe stupidly) to move from an apartment to a house right after we got back from the honeymoon.  This meant that we had two weeks to pack and move once we got back into town.  We did it, though (surprisingly)! 

What does all of this have to do with tea, you ask?  Well, I had a tea themed bridal shower, tea themed wedding, and spotted several tea venues/items on our honeymoon… which makes for some interesting blogging content.  Additionally, I have thought of other interesting tea topics to write about since the last time I have posted (if only I would actually write for this blog as much as I thought about writing for it…).  Trust me, I have never stopped thinking about this blog and I am not about to give up on it; I just had to take a break to get over a few time draining life events.

All of my tea ware made the trip safely.  I have an even bigger tea nook/office so review pictures will be a bit better and easier to take.

I hope to start more regular posts in the very near future.  I’m serious!

Soon To Be Tea-Themed Wedding

I am sure you can figure out from the title of this post where all my free time has gone.  I still love tea (a lot) and think about tea (a lot), but, after getting engaged in August of 2011, wedding planning has consumed my tea blogging time.

However, I hope I can make up the lost time to my wonderful readers by managing to spare a few moments from my wedding research to share some of the details about my tea-themed wedding.

Tea has been such an important part of my life over the past five years (almost the entire time I have been with my significant other) that I thought I should incorporate it into the ceremony and reception.  The fiancee loves tea, as well, so he doesn’t mind.

Because I love green tea most of all, my wedding colors are green, black, and white.  At the ceremony, the unity sand will be in these three colors.  Additionally, the bridesmaids’ dresses and the groomsmen’s vests and ties will be green.  At the reception, there will be green tulle bows on the backs of white covered chairs.  

I am making three custom blended teas to serve at the luncheon reception and to be given as favors; one to represent the bride (green tea base with raspberry, apricot, and spearmint), one to represent the groom (black tea base with peach, vanilla, and ginger), and a wedding blend that combines the two (oolong base with raspberry and vanilla).  Even though most of my guests are coffee drinkers, it is my party and I will have tea if I want to.*

Teapots and teacups are going to be used as centerpieces.  A glass teapot will be in the center of each table holding a small bouquet of flowers while two glass teacups, one sitting on either side of the teapot, hold green glass pebbles and a tea-light candle.

One can only take the tea theme so far meaning I had to stretch the concept by using generic leaves and vines in some places.  For example, the cake knife and server, the toasting flutes, and the tiered cake will all be decked out with leaves and vines.

I am hoping all of this detailed planning is time well spent and everything comes together during our celebration in the fall.  Still so much to do…

*Not to worry, guests, coffee will still be served, as well.

Happy New Year... Hello?

Is anyone there?

Oh wait... is six months a little too late to be fashionably late?

When I got engaged on August 31st, 2011, I didn't realize my life would be consumed by a gigantic wedding planning monster.  I have managed to get a lot of the wedding planning stuff done early, however.  Therefore, this very weekend I was able to come up for some air, only to realize I haven't posted on my beloved tea blog since... wow... last year.

Not only have I not posted on this blog, but I have neglected tea forums that I regularly lurk and post.  I tweet only every now and then.  And, I almost forgot I had a Facebook fan page for this blog.  Being buried under invitation samples, cake designs, and color swatches kind of does that.  Not to mention my poor tea ware hasn't been touched in months.

I am beginning to shake off the dust and get back into the hobby I love the most.

I have done some clean up to the blog.  I took away the affiliate links section... something I have been wanting to do for a while.  I always felt like that section made my reviews look dishonest.  I also took away the vendor links section.  It looked cluttered.   If you would really like to know my favorite vendors, just ask me... or ask around the tea forums.

Which brings me to tell you that I have added a section about my favorite tea-related links.  Several of them are forums filled with amazing tea lovers, aficionados, and connoisseurs.  Finally, I have changed the location of a few sections mainly for aesthetics. 

I still have some more editing to do before I am pleased with the layout of this blog.  For one thing, I need a logo.  I have wanted a logo since I made this site - 5 years ago - but have been unable to create or think of one I like.  So, the yellow gaiwan will remain in the header for now.

I already have a few blog posts written as well as a few ideas for other posts aside from tea reviews.  My next goal is to be more active with the Facebook fan page and Twitter.

Thanks to all of those readers and fans who stuck by me through my wedding planning coma and didn't pull the plug on this blog, yet.

See you soon...

Not-So-Good Tea Pairings

I have read many books and blogs about pairing tea with other things to make a great combo – tea and chocolate, tea and almonds, tea and oatmeal, etc. However, what about things that should be avoided while drinking tea? Here is my mental list of not-so-good tea pairings that I have added to over the years (side note – in all combinations the teas were unflavored and consumed while hot):

Black Tea with Cheetos Puffs – While at work one day, I wrestled the vending machine for some cheesy poofs as a mid-morning snack. I tried washing it down with the black tea that I had brought with me to work that morning which resulted in a smoked fake-cheese aftertaste. I was dumb enough to try the same thing with green tea at a different point in time to discover that was even worse. I like cheesy poofs, okay?

Green Tea with Grapefruit – After eating a grapefruit I felt like I wanted to keep this “health food” trend going so I brewed up some green tea only to find the combination was an unpleasant grassy, acidic, bitter taste. However, black tea with grapefruit isn’t bad.

Green Tea with Original Flavor Pringles – I love them both separately, but together the salty/grassy mixture is just… weird.

Green Tea and Peanut Butter – I thought this combination was going to be okay since tea and nutty flavors go well together (I love Dragon Well!). I didn’t find the combo all too pleasant when I tried pairing green tea with peanut butter on toast. Black tea might not be so bad, but I haven’t tried it yet.

Green Tea and Nachos – Yeah… um… no. Just… no.

White Tea and Chicken Alfredo Pasta – I don’t know what I was thinking. I had finished making a cup of white tea at the same time the fiancée had finished dinner, so I brought the cup with me to the table - bad idea. I thought it would be fine considering sometimes pasta Alfredo contains broccoli (which is similar to the vegetal flavor of some white teas). Nope. The combination of white tea and Alfredo sauce doesn’t work for me.

That is all that I can think of at the moment. I am sure I will be adding to this list again soon. I think it is safe to say that I do not like the combo of tea and cheese flavors. However, I am infatuated with both separately.

Do you have any not-so-good pairings that you would like to warn about?

Oolongs and Pu Erhs will probably never make this list because I usually save those to drink only when I have time to dedicate to Gong Fu Cha. Thus, I concentrate on the tea alone and do not pair it with anything else.

Image Reference Links: Cheetos Puffs, Nachos

The First Casualty

After four years of studying, writing about and drinking tea, the unthinkable happened… for the first time I broke a piece of my teaware.

Gasp.

I feel ashamed and remorseful. It was eight o’clock on Christmas morning and I wanted to make some tea before family arrived at my place to feast and open gifts. In a rush, I grabbed my tea tray with my Tsuki teapot and Holiday mug and headed to the sink to clean them before preparing the tea. After thoroughly rinsing the teapot and giving it one last shake to remove the excess water… it happened. The teapot slipped out of my wet hands and fell into the sink. That is when I heard the ominous sound. I cursed and looked down to confirm my suspicions… yes, what was once an elegant piece of teaware was now two incomplete pieces. My heart broke equally as much.



Ok, so, the break isn’t THAT bad. It is just the handle of the teapot in which a trip to the craft store for the right epoxy will hopefully remedy my clumsiness. At the moment, I am still using the teapot by wrapping a tea towel around it to pick it up and pour.

I would hate to stop using this teapot just because the handle is missing. First of all, I use gaiwans all the time and they don’t even have handles. Second, this teapot is the perfect one cup size, especially for my small Holiday mug. Finally, I just simply like this teapot too much to give up on it even with it now having a minor inconvenience.

So why am I making such a big deal about this injured teapot? The reason is that I look at this as a reminder to slow down. I haven’t even had the time to write about tea in the last few months. Why? Oh, where is my list of excuses? I know it is around here somewhere. I have changed my list of priorities and in doing so I have become rushed, clumsy, lazy, and stressed in other aspects of my life, not just with tea.

This episode is a reminder to get myself back on track with what I do best; developing plans, lists, and structures to organize and prioritize my time so that I am not rushed/stressed and that I do not overlook the details.

I want to get back to thinking and writing about tea on a regular basis. I also have a wedding to plan and implement by the end of September (tea themed, of course!). These are the two major goals on the list for 2012. I just hope that there are no more casualties.

Sue and Esther's Tea Room

Last weekend I had to travel six hours north for a corporate party in Michigan. Whilst there, my mother and I decided to make a weekend out of it by visiting the nearby city of Frankenmuth.

The holiday theme shops were gorgeous and a gem to walk through. Even with it being only the beginning of November, seeing all of the Christmas décor definitely put me in the holiday spirit. All of the shopping eventually made us hungry for lunch. Luckily, while browsing for things to do in town, I had come across a tea room that recently opened near the main strip of shops.

Once I stepped inside Sue and Esther’s Tea Room I noticed the interior is much prettier than the exterior, as the tea room is tacked onto the end of a brown brick mini-mall. We were greeted with the friendly face of the owner and shown to a table in the back of the restaurant. The owner was soon replaced with our waitress who not only donned a friendly smiled but a cute tea party hat.

After looking over the menu, I found their prices to be reasonable for a typical tea room. I ordered “Sue’s Savory Salad” – greens, tomato, cucumber, cheese, cranberries, almonds, chicken, and house dressing – plus a cup of Ceylon tea. All of that came to around $10 before a T.I.P. The salad was rather large and all of the ingredients tasted fresh. My complaints would be with the chicken – it was dry – and the house dressing – it was spicy. A marinade of brine with the chicken would help.

However, I am not going to pick on the food too much because this is a tea room… in which I expect emphasis on the tea – and there was!

I could not find a list of their tea selection online which worried me if this was going to be another tea’d off disaster. However, once in the restaurant I was more than pleased with their variety of teas. They had a little of everything for just about every style of tea drinker. There were unflavored teas of the basic four; then they had a few flavored teas for each type. They also had iced tea and even bubble tea.

The cup of Ceylon tea that I ordered was perfectly steeped. If we had had more time I would have ordered the endless pot of tea ($3.50 per person) and tried more.

In retrospect I should have ordered the green tea to see if they knew about the correct water temperatures and steep times. Although, I believe the staff is very knowledgeable in the field of tea. I didn’t personally ask any questions, but I overheard a few groups of ladies inquiring about certain types of tea in which the wait staff seemed happy to answer. They described the flavors of tea and even the correct pronunciations which is more than I can say for the last tea room I went to.

Walking to the front of the restaurant to pay the bill, I took a peek into their small gift shop to find a trio of ladies oohing and aahing over pastel colored tea ware. After the cash exchange with the smiley, friendly owner, we were on our way out of the door properly satiated and caffeinated.

Even with the overall girly theme of pastel colors and frilly hats, if I lived near this tea room, I would most certainly be a frequent visitor.

Butiki's Pumpkin Creme Brulee Review

Type: Black
Origin: Ceylon
Price: Free sample (regular price – $8.50 for 2oz)
Vendor: Butiki Tea
Brewing Method: Per Instructed - 1 teaspoon of leaves, 1 cup of filtered water, heated to 210°F, steeped for 2.5 minutes
Overall Score: 4.6 out of 5

Pumpkin Creme Brulee is a Ceylon black tea base with pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and natural flavors (which I am assuming is where they get the cream flavor); all of which are organic ingredients. I noticed that the black tea leaves are in huge, twisted pieces - always a good thing. The overall blend is dark with the black leaves and dark orange pumpkin flakes. After failing to find a good pumpkin spice type of tea, I am excited to try this one in hopes of finding a great fall treat.

When I opened the package I felt like I just released autumn. The cinnamon and nutmeg aromas are prominent with the pumpkin aroma not too far behind. One thing I am happy about is that there are no cloves in this blend; not one single annoyingly spicy clove sticking its ugly little head out from amidst the black tea leaves. Anyone who adds cloves to a tea blend thinking that will "spice things up a bit" needs to be kicked in the shin. Hard.

The aroma of the steeped blend is spicy, but not too spicy. The pumpkin aroma is brought out more when hot water is added. The liquor is a nice deep orange color.





The taste is... just what I was looking for in a spiced up pumpkin tea... well, it is pretty darn close. The spices are at the perfect amount. You can taste the flavors and feel the heat without it being too overwhelming. Because of that, this tea is actually refreshing, like tea should be, instead of hot and dry like some other spiced up teas. The only thing I would ask for is a little more pumpkin flavor.

I am not getting much of a cream flavor, but I bet adding a touch of cream - just a touch - would send this tea over the top. Even without cream, I am most enjoying the "no clove" detail about this blend. Happy face.

White August's The Girl Next Door Review

Type: Green
Origin: Not Stated
Price: Free sample (regular price – 7.95 for 50g)
Vendor: White August Tea Company
Brewing Method: Per Instructed - 1 teaspoon of leaves, 1 cup of filtered water, heated to 180°F, steeped for 1-3 minutes
Overall Score: 3.0 out of 5

The description of this tea on White August's web site starts out with "Our hidden love,..." in which they definitely have the word "hidden" correct because they do not describe anything that is in this tea other than a "passion fruit aroma." Thus, with nothing to go on, this is going to be interesting.

Passion fruit it is. Immediately after opening the bag, I am assaulted with the fruity aroma. I don't know why but I always think of the aroma of passion fruits as the aroma of grapes combined with that of lemon. It is citrusy yet earthy at the same time. So, passion fruit, passion fruit, and passion fruit... that is all that I get. The delicate green tea leaves are reeking with it.

The aroma of the freshly steeped batch of leaves is of, but of course, passion fruit. The aroma coming from the liquor, which is a nice greenish-yellow color, is more subtle than that of the dry blend, but it still screams with sweet, fruitiness.




The taste is tart at first then it settles with a sweet flavor that lasts for quite a while. I think this blend might make a nice iced tea because it pretty much tastes like drinking fruit juice. There is nothing from the green tea leaves themselves. I guess that is not a bad thing if you really like passion fruit. After a few sips the sweet flavor builds more and more. If, at this point, you wanted to add sugar... I would have to call you crazy.

Just like with the previous reviews of White August’s teas, I would really appreciate more information. What little is given is nowhere near enough for me. If passion fruit is all that flavors this tea then that is fine; there is nothing wrong with saying so. An origin of the green tea would be great, as well.

"Facepalm" Moments With Tea

Over the past four years that I have been studying, experimenting with, writing about, talking about, and drinking tea there have been some rather humorous moments regarding the discussion of tea with others. These particular moments would fit under the definition of "facepalm" moments.

What is a facepalm moment? According to Wiktionary (I can't believe this word has its own Wiki page either), facepalm is an action "to bring the palm of one’s hand to one’s face as an expression of mixed humor and disbelief or disgust or shame..."

Here are a few facepalm moments I have experienced so far:

We were having a carry-in at work...
Me: I thought about making a couple of pitchers of iced black tea, probably Assam, to bring in. Do you think people would like that?
Co-worker: Sure. I like McDonald's iced tea, so if it tastes like that I will drink some. But, McDonald's tea is brown, not black.
Me: *facepalm*

Talking about the different kinds of tea...
Me: ...and then there is matcha, which is powdered green tea. They use that in Japanese tea ceremonies.
Guy: What do they do with the powder? Snort it?
Me: *facepalm*

Talking about weight loss...
Girl: Yeah, green tea is good. I have been drinking it instead of Coke to lose weight. *Holds up a Lipton RTD citrus flavored green tea bottle*
Me: You know, that bottle has almost the same amount of calories and sugar as a bottle of Coke. Real green tea is better for you.
Girl: Yeah, I tried that, but I had to add, like, a ton of sugar and even then it was totally gross.
Me: *facepalm*

Classmate sees my clear travel mug full of wuyi oolong (which brews up a pale yellow color)...
Classmate: Are you drinking beer in class?
Me: No, it's tea.
Classmate: Pee?
Me: No, tea! Ugh...
Different Classmate: Is that beer?
Me: *facepalm*

Those are all I can think of at the moment. I know there several more as the concept of good tea really hasn't hit the people of Indiana yet. Because of that, I am sure there will be more comical times ahead.

So, do you have any facepalm moments that you would like to share?

Image reference link: Facepalm girl

Poll #2: How Many Brewing Vessels?

I would like to thank everyone who participated in the first poll on MySI! This gave me a lot of insight to several things...

First, it let me know more about my readers. Thanks to all who took the time to comment on the poll post. I did not get an answer directly to my "Do you like polls?" questions, but the number of votes and comments alone let me know that people are okay with sharing their opinions. Again, thank you! I loved reading all of your responses and finding out more about fellow tea-lovers.

Second, I think I may have been a little preemptive about the "weekly" portion of the polls. I thought I wanted a weekly feature on this blog, even though it all works in theory, it would just not work for this particular blog. However, I am glad that I tested it out and saw it for myself. The reason I don't think it would work is because I try to post thorough articles less frequently rather than small, asinine posts frequently. Because of that, I am afraid that this blog would house more surveys than informative articles. Thus, I am removing the "weekly" part of the poll and doing it more at random.

Third, all of the comments to the first poll came from the Tea Trade mirrored blog. I both like and dislike that at the same time. I like that because that means Tea Trade is a good source to link blogs with other tea-peeps, but I don't like that because that means more people are going to the crappy-looking mirrored blog than my original blog... the one I have worked so hard to create. This leaves me with issues to ponder...

Anyways, the tallied results of last week's poll was that a good 50% of the voters said that either a handle or no handle was fine because it was more about the design of the tea cup. Very interesting.

On to the second poll question! There is no set time limit to answer this question... it is just whenever I decide to put up a new question.

How many brewing vessels (teapots, gaiwans, yixing, kyusuu, etc.) do you currently have?

I have a total of 20 brewing vessels. Three matcha bowls, four ceramic gaiwans, one glass gaiwan, one cast iron teapot, two ceramic teapots, two glass teapots, two yixing, four kyusuu, and one gourd. Wow, I didn't realize I had so many. As for one ultimate favorite brewing vessel, I am not sure I can pick. However, I have favorites in each category. For example, my red cast iron teapot and glass gaiwan are two vessels that I reach for more than most.

So, how many do you have? What are some of your favorites? Why?

White August's Camellia Sin (My Happy Place) Review

Type: Herbal
Origin: Not Stated
Price: Free sample (regular price – 16.95 for 50g)
Vendor: White August Tea Company
Brewing Method: Per Instructed - 1 teaspoon of leaves, 1 cup of filtered water, heated to 206°F, steeped for 5-7 minutes
Overall Score: 3.2 out of 5

Based on the description of the tea on the package and on White August's website, this herbal tisane is a blend of chamomile and bananas... at least that is the only ingredients that they mention. However, looking at the dry leaf blend there appears to be more to this tisane than just chamomile and bananas.

The dry blend smells sweet and fruity - kind of a mix of apple and banana aromas. I can find the chamomile flowers and banana pieces, but as for the other stuff... hmm... maybe some lemon grass and rooibos? The chamomile definitely gives the floral aroma, but there is a hint of spice somewhere in there.

The aroma of the steeped tisane is very apple-like. It reminds me of hot apple pie between the sweet fruitiness and the background spice aroma. The liquor is a deep orange color.





The tisane is really hot! I got excited and didn't let it cool enough before I took a sip. Let's try this again. The tisane tastes just like it smells... there is a sweet apple flavor but the banana is hard to find. It tastes very similar to apple cider. It has the flavor profile of rooibos, woody and fruity, so I believe my suspicion of the little red flecks in the dry blend being rooibos is correct. I can see this being a dessert tisane as it is super sweet and the flavor is straight to the point.

Just like with the previous reviews of White August’s teas, I would really appreciate more information. What little is given is nowhere near enough for me. It would at least be nice to know all of the ingredients that are in this herbal blend.

Your Opinion on Polls | Weekly Poll #1: Handles?

I have wanted to have a weekly feature on my blog for quite some time, but couldn’t put my finger on exactly what I wanted to do… until now.

Every Sunday night I will post a new poll that will be located at the top of the right hand column of my blog (See it?). I will also make a blog post giving a back story as to why I chose the question while talking about the results of last week’s poll, as well.

All of this sounds great in theory, but it is not going to work unless you are willing to give your opinion. Are you? I personally like answering polls that interest me. However, I am not sure what everyone else thinks about them. Do you like polls? Do you think they are fun and interesting or does that depend on the question and/or source? Would you like to see that kind of interaction on this blog?

What I have in mind so far is that the polls will be mostly related to tea, but I may go off on a tangent and get a little random. Why not? I am also going to try to stay away from questions like “What kind of tea do you like? Green, White… blah blah blah” and “If you were stuck on an island and could only have one type of tea what would it be? Green, White… blarg blarg blarg” because it seems like tea companies have beaten those poll questions mercilessly into the ground via social media.

Now for the first poll question…

Which do you prefer: tea cups with handles or tea cups without handles?

I personally don’t care if the cup has a handle or not. I pick the tea cup that fancies me at the time. I think if I had to choose between the two I would pick a cup without handles just because I think holding a cup by its handle is uncomfortable. Plus, I get to feel the warmth of the freshly made tea when I wrap my fingers around the cup.

My two favorite cups are in each category. The cup I bought from the World Market a long time ago has a small asymmetrical handle near the rim. I usually stick my index finger through the handle while wrapping the rest of my fingers around the cup. Although, when the tea is really hot, the handle comes in, well, handy. The other favorite of mine is a cup my boyfriend bought me several Christmases ago. It does not sport a handle, but it is the perfect size for when I make tea with a gaiwan.

Tell me what you think! After submitting your answer, you can leave a comment on the poll feature itself or on this blog post.

The poll closes Sunday, July 31st, at 7pm EST.

Intact and Complete

Most of the moving and settling in the new place is done. Moving is always a lot of work, but I found this particular experience to be a lot of fun amongst the blood (damn cardboard cuts!), sweat (90 degrees outside!), and tears (so happy!).

Another note that I am happy to report is that there was no broken teaware during the packing, transporting, and unpacking – thank you news paper and bubble wrap! I put the boxes of teaware in my car instead of the moving truck because I was so worried about my precious pieces.

Anyways, my office/tea room is now set up and complete so the blog posts can resume. Lately, I have been so busy with the new place to be on the computer that some people think I have fallen off the face of the online world. Well… I am back, and yes, I have missed you, too.