Iced Tea at a Coffee Shop

Picture Credit: Starbucks

I had a tea review ready to post of a new tea by a new company, however apparently the shop closed before it even had a chance to be found. That makes me sad. So instead I am going to use this moment to vent just a wee bit.

Recently my wife and I were out doing our weekly grocery shopping. As usual we stopped in Starbucks for tea. OK, it's a coffee shop but it is the only place in town to buy tea - unless Lipton in a bag is your thing.

I ordered an Iced Earl Grey with one Splenda. I have learned from past experience to tell them to steep only 3 minutes. If you don't do this the tea will be steeped for 5 or sometimes 7 minutes. That is too long in a tiny cup. I don't want my tea tasting like their coffee.

What I received was a plastic 'glass' of iced lightly colored sweet water with just a hint of Earl Grey. The barista had filled the cup with ice and poured what little fresh brewed hot tea he could into the cup. The rest of the tea that didn't fit he planned to throw out. I said, "Are you kidding me? Can I have the rest of the tea?" He politely capped the paper cup and handed it over. sigh.

On the previous visit (different barista) I had ordered the same Iced Earl Grey. What I received was a London Fog which is an Earl Grey with vanilla syrup and milk. It was really good so I didn't mind until I realized I just paid for a much more expensive drink.  sigh (again)

I have ordered this maybe 6 times. The first couple times I did not realize how long they steeped the tea unless told otherwise. It was pretty strong and bitter. One was warm because the small amount of iced used all melted. So out of 6 times 2 of them were well done and tasty. 3 if you want to include the London Fog.

Yes, I am certain they would have made it right had I said something. So I take a good portion of the blame. However, my point is coffee shops that sell tea really don't get tea. If it comes out of a concentrate container like my wife's favorite Passion Tango, it will be right every time. If they have to steep it, most just haven't been adequately trained - or the training didn't stick because they use it so infrequently.

I do try to educate them when they aren't too busy (rarely) but the turnover is apparently pretty high as I seldom get a repeat barista. I'm beginning to think my only solution is to order a hot Earl Grey and a larger glass of ice so I can complete the task myself.

I do want to finish by saying I am not just singling out Starbucks here. I imagine this will apply to coffee shops selling tea in small towns everywhere. By the way, I am completely addicted to Starbucks Green Tea Frappuccino. I also really liked the London Fog, and when they get it right the Iced Earl Grey is a refreshing treat.

My point is, when Starbucks bought Teavana many of us tea drinkers raised our hopes that this move would do for tea what Starbucks did for coffee. I am not really seeing that happen locally. I hope things are better where you live. I want tea to become so trendy that even our little town can support a shop dedicated just to tea.

Lectric Cafe, Milk Frother

Lectric Cafe Frother, batteries included

Lectric Cafe Description:
The milk frother is an affordable kitchen tool that you can benefit from morning after morning. This frother packs a powerful punch - With a 15,000 RPM motor, it can effortlessly whisk up some milk (preferably warm), creating a nice frothy foam - which is the same thing you get with a latte or cappuccino.

My Review:
A little over 6 months ago I wrote a review for a MatchaDNA Milk Frother. Sadly it has quit working already. Asking around, 6 months to 2 years seems to be the lifespan of most of them. After it expired I took it apart to figure out what happened. I learned there is almost nothing to them. That explains why you can find one for $3 if you are near a bigger city. In my town, you can't find one for any amount of money. That leaves me having to order blindly online.

Blindly factors heavily here. The day I placed the order, I was researching for a few other items I needed after picking out the frother. However, I wasn't paying attention and put the wrong frother in my cart and hit order. This one is red. So was the one I meant to order. I didn't realize what I had done until I had already started using it. Oh well, it happens.

When I ordered it, I paid around $12-13. Today as I write the review it is showing $35 on Amazon. That's crazy. Don't pay that kind of money.

Current price gouging aside, let's look at this frother?

Inside the end cap

I use a frother every day with my morning matcha and cold milk latte. I am far too lazy to whisk by hand but I do like a creamy frothy cup. This is a perfect solution.

This model came with 2 AA batteries. The whisk is stainless steel. The handle is plastic. It has a chrome on/off button on the end cap. The cap easily slides off for battery access.

You can see the inside of the cap in this picture. The small electrical board switch feels solid and I expect it to hold up well. It may not be, but the switch feels a little more high tech than the sliding version on my older model.

I mentioned earlier that when dismantling the dead unit, I discovered there is not much to these things. The whisk and rod are one piece. The rod is part of the tiny motor. The little motors are fairly powerful but have one terrible design flaw. This new one appears to suffer the same design flaw.

Down the barrel of the battery compartment

Looking down the inside of the battery compartment, there are two metal contact points that the batteries push against. That is the way batteries work so it should be fine. Except it isn't.

Dismantling the machine, you would find the contact points are part of the motor. While that is fewer parts, it is also a weak point.

On my old frother, one of the contact points broke off. On a $3 frother you toss it and get a new one. With an $8 one, you snort a little and get a new one. As they start getting more expensive it starts becoming more of an issue.

I have no idea how long this will hold up. I want to believe longer than the last. The end cap goes on smoothly so maybe it isn't placing as much stress on the motor contacts.

In normal day to day operation this performs its frothing duties very well. Though it is not the particular frother I intended to order, I am relatively pleased with it so far. That said, shop around and do not pay anywhere near $35 for any handheld unit that doesn't have a multi-year warranty and a customer service department that take care of any repairs. My suspicion is such a thing does not exist.

You can find the Lectric Cafe Milk Frother here.

Happy 2015

Last year I reviewed a lot of really good teas here on The Everyday Tea Blog. I am excited to say there are already several samples lined up and ready to go for review in the coming year.

I thought for the first post of the new year I would share something a little different. I was contacted by Golden Tips Tea in India and asked if I would like to review some of their tea. I'm no fool. I said yes. This was late December just before Christmas. Nine (9!!) days later a box of samples arrived in my mailbox.

Here is a picture:

And a closer look:

The box was wrapped in cloth and the edges sewn. Then the corners were reinforced with what I assume is wax. I asked around of other tea drinkers and apparently this is not uncommon practice in this part of the world. It is, however, the first time I have seen it. I thought it was cool enough that I wanted to share the experience.

Under the material and inside the box were a number of samples:

I will start steeping on these and many others in the coming days. I hope you join me on my continuing quest to try, and review, every tea on the planet! This could take a while.

Happy New Year All and many great steeps!

Numi, Teahouse Glass Teapot

Numi Description:
Our unique, hand-blown glass teapot is the best way to watch a Flowering Teas™ bloom. It serves up to 14 ounces (420 ml.) of tea. This teapot's dimensions: 4.25 in. (h) x 5.25 in. (w) x 4.25 in. (d)

My Review:
This is the latest addition to my teaware collection. Sometime back I broke my clear glass teapot. I loved the shape and pretty much everything about that teapot, except, from the beginning I was concerned about how delicate it felt. One day, while cleaning it, I accidentally bumped the sink faucet with it and cracked the spout. A short time later, same circumstances, except this time I broke the spout off. I was heartbroken.

I immediately started looking for a replacement. I wanted a small, single cup, clear, glass teapot for blooming teas and greens where I want to watch the leaf dance. Everything I found was either way too large or much too fragile. Then I found this one on Amazon.

It claims to hold 14 ounces. I think 12 is more realistic, if you actually want to pick the full pot up. I'm fine with that, as in fact 10 ounces is what I was looking to purchase, and what I used in the picture above. The handle on this is comfortable and solid. The spout is a pitcher type and I have to admit this reminds me of the Kool-Aid pitcher. So bonus for kid memories. The spout poured easily and drip free in my test. The glass is clear and relatively distortion free allowing for an excellent display of the test bloom - Sunshine by The Persimmon Tree.

I did find some things that I consider less that optimal. The lid fits a little loose. That is not a big issue with me, but you do need to be careful to keep a hand on the lid while pouring. That is true of most teapots. The bigger issue is the globe shape. It makes pouring a bit awkward. The teapot ends up nearly upside down to empty the contents. Holding the pot in one hand, the lid with the other, all while balancing over a strainer, is going to take a little practice to master.

While the earlier clear glass teapot was far more elegant, this one seems far more sturdy to put up with my real life clumsy activities. Until I find something practical that works better, I think this will serve my needs.    

My Little Green Teapot

Today's review will be a short one. I just wanted to introduce the newest member of my collection. I mentioned a short time back that I wanted to find a small teapot to brew my black teas. I love my press and use it almost all the time for greens, whites and oolongs. The clear glass of the press is awesome for watching the dance of the leaf during steeping.

The press has also served as my black tea brewing vessel but the time has come to adjust to something more appropriate. I just felt like something that holds the heat better would help bring more depth to my cup.

Today my wife was in Goodwill and found this little 12 ounce beauty on the shelf. There is no identifying markings on the bottom to tell me where it came from originally. The outside has not a scratch or chip on it anywhere. The interior looks pristine after a thorough cleaning.

This very gently used teapot was only $4, quite a bargain, I think. Waiting until the first Saturday of the month, it would have been half that price, if someone else didn't buy it first. I've missed out on a couple others with that tactic. Fortunately, my wife did not wait.

After cleaning and warming the teapot I grabbed some Golden Yunnan from RiverTea for the maiden session. Sadly RiverTea appears to have closed shop, which is a real shame. This slightly smoky Yunnan is an awesome tea. I poured through a steel strainer basket as there is no built in filter in this pot. The little green teapot did an amazing job. The tea did taste even better out of it. The smoke was nicely present in the aroma and it brought out leather notes in the sip I had not noticed before.

This was a well spent $4. Welcome to the collection. You will be used often.

The Future - at least for the short term

There is still a little over a week left in October. While I am still able to get the message out I thought I would share that there may be an interruption in my ability to post on The Everyday Tea Blog. This will also affect my email capabilities. Hopefully, I will find a quick seamless solution.

Back on April 1st (April Fools day but this was no joke) our internet provider (Millenicom) raised rates about 50%. They blamed this on their carrier, Verizon, for refusing to negotiate with them. Within another month we were told our email service was being discontinued. I already had this blog set up to use gmail so it had no affect with contacting me from here. That appears about to change.

Now, I have learned from a neighbor, Millenicom will no longer have anything to do with our internet as we will be dealing directly with Verizon. My neighbor was informed Verizon would be contacting us with service options. That is all fine and good except the month is almost over and we have heard nothing directly from Millenicom or Verizon. I may find myself without internet access by November 1st.

We live far from any major cities. Just as there are few tea shops in our area, there are even fewer alternatives for internet. We have no DSL, cable, or fiber optics. We did away with our land line as the line quality is so poor it could barely maintain a low dial up service.

So that leaves us with only WiFi or satellite internet. For Wifi only Verizon has a signal in our area. Millenicom used their towers but apparently are no longer welcome to do so. Verizon WiFi data plans are outrageously expensive for very little data - even if they do ever bother contacting us. I am looking into satellite but have a lot to learn as it seems very pricey as well.

With some hope and a prayer, I will find a solution that allows The Everyday Tea Blog to continue operation beyond the first of the month.    

Not Exactly Tea Related

I have made comments here and on Steepster about our construction project. Since I have gone a lot of days without drinking tea and writing reviews, I thought I would include you in on what we have accomplished.

The house we live in, I designed, and had built in 1991. While it was a small simple home it was almost more than we could afford. Our second son was born just before the home was completed. We had to cut some corners when having it built. Instead of the large covered porch we wanted we settled for a tiny deck. It was not even big enough to set on. But we raised our two sons and have had many happy years here.

    

The picture above was taken this summer. Many of the trees on our property had become infested with the ash borer beetle. In total we had over 40 mature trees dropped in our yard. We are still cleaning up the mess. We had 5 trees cut in our front yard. They weren't infected but were too close to the house, and were in the path of the porch we were finally able to build.

This picture was taken just a couple days ago. What a difference this made to the looks of our home. My wife and I have been pretty much living on it since the nailing slowed down. This is truly a dream come true for us. The gutters have not been installed, and the clean up is still in progress, but otherwise the job is complete.

Now I am going to lecture you for a moment. Two years ago I was downsized out of a job. We were afraid we would loose our home because we still had a mortgage, no income, and no prospects. In addition I was having serious health issues. It would have been easy to give up but I didn't. Now two years later we have this beautiful addition. My point is never give in. You can always quit tomorrow, but today just keep going. 

Remembering My Roots

My first post on The Everyday Tea Blog was published in 2011. This will be my 486th post. Man, have I experienced some amazing teas from around the world since those humble beginnings. Before launching this blog I had a website dedicated mainly to bagged teas that I had found in local shops and grocery stores. For posterity I incorporated my early thoughts on those teas into this blog.

Before the blog and the website my experience with tea was limited to Bigelow, Twinings, and later Ahmad tea. Most of it was Earl Grey. Much of it was bagged. What loose leaf I could buy I prepared in a tea ball. I had several of them of various sizes and styles. I eventually settled into using a 2" mesh tea ball as it seemed to provide the best room for leaf expansion.

So what prompted me to bring this up today? I ran into a friend and former co-worker. Over the years we had shared a lot of tea together. Knowing me well he almost immediately started bragging how he had just opened a tin of both Twinings Earl Grey and Lady Grey. They were always his favorite teas. That's when it occurred to me that in all my vast collection of teas I did not have a single plain black Earl Grey. If you have been following my blog awhile you may be aware Earl Grey is my number one addiction.

I have Earl Grey teas made with green tea and white. I have Earl Grey with mint, and several with vanilla. I hadn't even noticed the omission. My friend chided me, wanting to know how could I stray so far from our roots? I had no answer. So today I repented. I got in my car and drove 30 miles to the nearest store that carries Ahmad Teas and purchased a 200 g tin of Earl Grey. Arriving back home, I immediately brewed a cup and sat back to remember my roots.

So what favorite tea and old friend from your early days have you neglected lately? Isn't it time you did something about it?

The Last Tea On Earth.

The title sounds ominous doesn't it? Well this post is much more lighthearted. RiverTea is a soon to open new company and in preparation of their website launch they recently held a contest on Steepster. Their question was, "If there were only 100 grams of your favourite tea available in the world, what would you do for it?"

There were a number of entries. RiverTea chose their top five to win 100 grams of their favorite tea of choice and three samples. This was a very generous offer and such a fun contest I could not pass up the opportunity to jump in with my submission. The following is my winning entry for your enjoyment:

For the last 100g of my favorite tea… my first thought was to hide it from everyone while hissing, “My precious.” But that would just lead to stale tea making me sad.
So, my second thought was to take (two) 2g samples and send them to Dr.’s Sheldon Cooper and Amy Farrah Fowler in hopes they could extract some viable DNA for cloning more of the precious leaf. Since Sheldon possesses the DNA of Leonard Nimoy, I feel certain he is very well versed on the subject and Amy probably already knows how to make it happen. The two samples, are not because there are two Drs. involved. It is because I am pretty certain Sheldon could not resist the temptation of trying a hot beverage of the last of this leaf.

With the remaining 96g I would invite my entire small town of 12k people in southern Indiana USA to have tea with me. Since everyone else here thinks all tea comes bagged in a yellow box, they won’t show and I will simply have to sip it all by myself… while hissing, “My precious.”

I'll be reviewing "my precious" RiverTea contest winning tea on this site in the near future. In the meantime, what would you do for the last 100 grams on earth of your favorite tea?

Brita Filter Pitcher – Attempting To Fix Boring Flat Tea

I live in the country. Before I was downsized into retirement* I worked in town. My work tea was usually marvelous. In fact, I did almost all of my serious tasting at work.  At home I drank soda in aluminum cans because tea was boring. I blamed the microwave and it turns out it was only part of the problem. The bigger issue is our county water.

The wells the city and county pump their water from are only a few hundred feet apart. The taste is not so close. The waters are pumped in opposite directions to two different filtering plants. Our county water smells highly chlorinated and contains a lot of floating minerals. It tastes bad and it makes flat tasting boring tea.

My wife won’t drink our tap water. She switched to bottled water years ago. I am too stubborn and cheap to use expensive bottled water. There is also the concern of our landfills overflowing with those plastic bottles.

I have fought the battle of boring tea for years. It has become an especially important war to win now that I am at home. Enter the newest weapon in my arsenal – The Brita filter pitcher. This is the simple 5 cup version. It was $10 at Wal-Mart and came with one cartridge filter. The Brita replacement filters are $6. Cheap enough if it works. The Great Value cartridges that I have not tried yet are around $4.

Fresh cold tap water is poured into the top reservoir where it filters through the activated charcoal cartridge into the pitcher at the bottom. That's really all there is to it. You are supposed to change the cartridge every 40 gallons. That involves presoaking the cartridge for 15 minutes and then rinsing before loading it into the pitcher.

So far, I am very pleased. The water is clear with not floaters. The annoying bleach smell is brought under control. I would say it is gone but I really need to wait for one of our bad weeks to know for certain. Most importantly my tea has come alive. Seriously, the difference is day and night. The cup has more aroma. The sip is fuller and crisper. I should have bought this pitcher years ago.

I can’t guarantee you the same results but if you are not experiencing the subtleties of your cup a filter pitcher is an inexpensive possible solution.  I would be interested to hear your experience and solution to flat boring tea.


* On being downsized – at first I was very hurt, angry, and scared. You know what? I survived and learned to adjust rather quickly. Most people complain about their jobs. I did as well. Part of me warns you be careful what you wish for, you just might get it. Another part of me has become aware of what a destructive toxic environment I actually walked into each day. Turns out one of the best things the company ever did for me was to push me out the door. I am so much happier and content now. So, thank you!

Back To School

Last week I walked into a college classroom for the first time in 30 years. I was nervous and thrilled at the same time. The two hour lecture left my head spinning and for a moment I doubted whether I should be there. Then I looked around the room and saw the same panicked look on at least half the class. The two hour lab time that followed was filled with inquiring minds trying to make sense of all the information.

I am a drafter. I knew this was my career from 7th grade. For the last 25 years I have been a 2-D AutoCAD user. Upon being 'downsized' earlier this year, I learned the world had changed and I had been left behind. Every interview I managed to arrange ended once it was discovered I did not know how to draw in 3-D. So now I find myself in the confusing but fun world of Solid Works 3-D modeling.

What does this have to do with this blog and tea?

First, I find myself a bit frantic at the moment and the blog is being a little neglected. I will get back to regular updates soon - I hope.

As for tea, after the class it became clear I needed to find a laptop that was new and powerful enough to handle the software I was to download for homework. My Internet speed and WiFi usage limits are too restrictive to allow me to use my desktop computer. I got a 17" HP Pavilion and took it to Starbucks, where I sat for five hours downloading the program. Why Starbucks? My wife insisted they had the fastest public WiFi in town. I doubt it but they did have the coffee she really wanted. I ordered an iced Tazo Earl Grey.

I have never really been that impressed with Tazo. This day was a completely different experience. This may have been one of the best Earl Grey's I have ever tasted. Apparently I have never had a fresh enough tea from the purchased boxes. This tea was solid and not overdone but strong just as I like it. The bergamot was equally strong and quite fruity with a hefty floral note late in the sip. It ended with a nice astringent bite that wrapped the sides of the tongue. I still can't believe this was Tazo. I left very tired from the download but majorly impressed with the tea.

Now I am off to do more homework.

Yet Another Tea Bag Vs Loose Leaf Article

You've seen them. They’re everywhere. I am talking about the articles touting the superiority of loose leaf tea over the lowly tea bag. The fight never ends and just like the picture here of Linus and Lucy, you know it won't end well for one of them. I've decided it’s about time I voice an opinion on the subject.

Is there a difference between loose leaf and teabags? Absolutely. It’s settled. Stop fighting. The end.

Why are you still reading?

OK, being serious, I review and enjoy a lot of bagged teas. One of the reasons this blog exists is to present the everyday tea drinker with reviews of teas they can easily find at their local grocery store. I also must admit once I discovered higher quality loose leaf tea I was blown away by what I had been missing, so I review a lot of loose leaf here as well. I have heard it said life is too short to drink bad tea. I agree, but the choice between bags and loose is not always so simple.

Perfectly Good Reasons To Drink Bagged Tea:

• Convenience – this is the main reason most tea in America comes from a bag. 
• Accessibility – Every corner grocer carries tea bags.
• Variety – There is a wide range of flavored and unflavored teas easily available even locally.
• Economics – A $2.50 box of 20 tea bags translates to about $0.13/cup. That’s pretty cheap.
• Portability – Stick a tea bag in your pocket/purse/lunchbox and if you have access to hot water, you have access to tea.
• Shelf Life – A box of tea bags will keep on your shelf a long time if the bags are individually wrapped in mylar envelops.

Tea as a beverage has been around for thousands of years. Until the early 1900’s it was always brewed loose. As bagged tea caught on with a world in a hurry, what went in the cup changed with it. The tiny specks of tea known as fannings, or dust, used in most bags today, partially came about because the early bags did not expand enough to allow large leaf pieces to interact with the water. Preferences changed with the bag as well. People learned to like that fannings released all their energy quickly. You could brew one good, stout, fast cup, and move on. In my opinion, this is why pyramid sachets weren't invented earlier in history.

Taste, what about taste? You didn't mention taste and dust is just the scraps from the factory floor. It tastes inferior to loose leaf.

Taste is subjective and fannings are bought as larger pieces and intentionally crushed to make dust. They are not leftover floor scrapings. How could they be? There is far more tea sold in bags than loose leaf.

Now if you want to talk complexity, I will absolutely agree, loose leaf wins hands down. Bagged tea is generally blended so every bag taste exactly the same, every time. Loose leaf, on the other hand, gives up its flavor slowly and it changes from cup to cup and season to season.

Perfectly Good Reasons To Drink Loose Leaf:

• Complexity – A decent quality loose leaf will have depth far beyond anything from an ordinary bag. 
• Steepability – A good leaf can often be used to steep a number of times. Each cup will reveal something new. 
• Variety – With the Internet, even those in the tea barren wasteland have access to a near infinite number of excellent teas.
• Economics – If you enjoy steeping more than once, doing the math reveals loose leaf is not a lot more expensive than bagged. Sometimes it is even cheaper. Regardless, It is almost always cheaper than restaurant or coffee shop tea. 
• Meditation – This is a little subjective. I find a cup of bagged tea may charge me up or relax me, but loose leaf often takes me to another level of meditative introspection. I sip and world around me disappears. 
• The Snooty Factor – This one is a little tongue in cheek. People look at you a little odd when you have a room full of loose leaf tea. You get to feel superior. It is like you know something they don't and even if you told them they might not get it. 

The one reason that is NOT acceptable to drink loose leaf, is so that you can criticize or belittle others for enjoying tea bags. You may dislike, even hate, a particular tea or method of preparing tea. That is OK, but it does not give you authority to put down someone else for enjoying it. Sorry to be so harsh.

Not everyone is interested in the complexity of the cup. Not everyone has the desire to steep more than once. Some people just enjoy a simple fast no fuss cup. Some like it straight, some with milk. Some will use sugar, sometimes lots of sugar, or sweeteners (I have a personal Splenda monkey on my back). It's all good. There is no one-size-fits-all right way.

In the world of tea, there is no reason for the Us Vs Them mentality. All true tea is made from the leaf of the camellia sinensis plant. It is time we unite and accept one another in our differences. While there is much variation in quality, and numerous ways to prepare it, we tea people all enjoy our cuppa. We should not think of it as Loose Leaf Vs Tea Bags anymore but rather Loose Leaf AND Tea Bags. There is room for both. Life is too short to drink tea with a bad attitude.

It’s Tea Time – Exploring Six Tea Rituals from Around the World

Chai

Today, The Everyday Tea Blog brings you a guest post by Brenna Ciummo, a writer for Seattle Coffee Gear. Turns out she knows a thing or two about tea traditions. 

Tea has been around for thousands of years, and for many, there is more to drinking tea than simply combining tea leaves with water. There is a relationship between the tea and the server, the tea ware, the guest and between the tea and oneself. As a result, many tea drinkers have developed daily rituals around tea, which are often designed to be a cozy or peaceful time that allows the individual to relax or spend time with friends and family. These rituals have become an integral part of tea culture, enticing people from around the world to create their own unique tea recipes and traditions.

Chinese Gong Fu Tea Ceremony

Also known as the Chinese tea ceremony, the original term for the ceremony, “gongfu cha” means, “making tea with effort.” The idea behind the ceremony is to focus on making quality tea; and that time, dedication and effort will create the ultimate experience. Generally oolong teas are used for the ceremony, and are steeped at least two times so that guests can appreciate the tea’s full flavor. The tea is served in small Yixing teapots and cups, which are designed to emphasize the beauty of the tea. In fact, when the tea is served, the guests are supposed to examine the brew’s color and fragrance before tasting.

Japanese Tea Ceremony

Like the Chinese tea ceremony, the Japanese tea ceremony requires putting great thought into your actions, especially your movements, when preparing the tea. However, the ceremony is not just about drinking the tea but also appreciating the aesthetic, ultimately providing a place to relax in peace with friends. The guests invited also play an important role, since the ceremony’s host is supposed to keep the guests in mind when preparing the tea and the tea utensils are placed from the guests’ point of view. The tea that is served is matcha (powered green tea), which is usually frothed with a whisk. Since the tea ceremony requires extensive preparation and knowledge, many people enroll in specialized classes or schools to learn how to master hosting the ceremony.

Indian Masala Chai

Drinking chai, which means “tea” in Hindi, is a way of life in India. However there is nothing commonplace about the way it is made. Recipes for making chai tea vary, and they are often passed down from one generation in a family to the next. Generally chai is brewed with an Indian black tea, water, milk, sweeteners and spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom and pepper. The drink is so popular in India that is usually the first thing served to guests and you can find Chaiwallahs (baristas who serve the drink) on nearly every street corner.  Visiting the stands of these vendors is a daily ritual for many people in India, since they are a source for town news and gossip.

British Afternoon Tea and High Tea

According to most histories it appears that Anna (the 7^th Duchess of Bedford) started the first afternoon teatime in the early 1800s so she could indulge in a snack and appease her hunger pains that developed between lunch and the often late-evening dinner. The concept took off with England’s upper class, and became a fashionable social event that took place daily from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Meanwhile the working class adopted the tea as their main evening meal (which was served around 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.) and termed the break “high tea” in reference to the high tables at which they ate. As afternoon tea become more established, various snacks, cakes, tea accouterments (tea caddies, tea balls, tea cozies, etc.) as well as rules for etiquette were created to bring out the best in tea.

Moroccan Mint Tea

Moroccan mint tea is an important cultural tradition in Morocco. Not only is the tea served multiple times a day as a part of meals, but it is also served as a form of hospitality and used to greet guests. The tea is usually made from strong gun power green tea (the tea is rolled into small round pellets that look like grains of black power), hot water, spearmint leaves and sugar. Once the tea has been steeped, it is served in an ornate teapot and glasses (not cups as in other parts of the world). The tea is poured from several feet in the air so foam forms on the top of the tea. Tradition states the tea should be served three times, so the drinker can detect the changes in the tea’s flavor over time as it steeps in the pot.

Russian Tea Ceremony

The Russian tea ceremony has a unique take on brewing tea. Instead of heating up the water for tea in a teapot, it is boiled in a samovar (a large heated metal container) while a smaller pot, placed on top of the samovar, is used to make a dark concentrated black tea called “zavarka.” Next the tea is poured into a cup and diluted with hot water from the samovar. Finally, a lemon slice is usually added to the tea. Many people consider this to be a Russian invention, and often call tea with lemon “Russian tea.” As with the other tea ceremonies, Russian tea ceremonies provide family and friends with a place to gather and socialize.

These traditions are nowhere near comprehensive. As tea continues to be one of the most popular beverages in the world -- it is only second to water -- people will keep creating tea rituals of their own. What’s your tea ritual? Do you take your tea hot or cold? Do you start the day with spot of tea, take a midday tea break or have a cuppa to relax at the end of the day? The options are endless.

Brenna Ciummo is a writer for Seattle Coffee Gear enjoys sharing her knowledge of all things coffee and tea. An avid tea drinker, she is always on the hunt for new teas and tea rituals to explore. 

Hamilton Beach Programmable Kettle

Hamiton Beach Programmable 1.7 L Kettle

Excitement is in the air. I have new teaware to review. Woo Hoo!

I have been looking at electric kettles for a really long time. A few years back I bought a Russell Hobbs kettle with a tea pot and warming tray. I still use it and like it. Well, there are a couple of things about it that I quickly decided aren't for me, like the tea pot and warming tray. I just don't make tea that way. I heat one mug of water at a time and steep in a Bodum French Press. The kettle itself is fine, but it is plastic and I have to guess at the water temperature.

Ideally, what I have been looking for is an all stainless steel interior (no plastic), cordless electric kettle, with adjustable water temperature. I hoped to find all this in a less than one liter size. 16 ounces would be perfect. How hard could that be to find? 

Oh silly me. Such things do not exist. At least not in the American market. To find something that small you have to settle for all plastic, no/or bad temperature control, and/or an exposed heating element. Forgetting the size, you can get plastic free and adjustable, but it is going to cost you. You want how much for that kettle? All I want to do is heat some water!

Not willing to pay as much for a kettle as I did for my first car - OK kidding, but not by much - I became determined to be content with my Russell Hobbs, yet continued to keep an eye out just the same. Recently, I set up a tea station in my den. I already had one in my living room. Struggling with using a coffee drip pot at one of the stations, I decided it was time to get serious and buy another kettle.

I was on my way to buy a simple, inexpensive, mostly stainless steel kettle, when I found this one at our Walmart. The basic, simple version, was about $30. This one was $40. List is around $50. It was $44 online when I checked.

I didn't impulse buy. I came home and read the reviews. They were mixed. Most loved it. A few said it broke almost immediately. Hmmm. I looked again. It has a one year warranty and our Walmart is real good about returns so...

Taking it out of the box, this is a nice looking kettle. The exterior has a brushed finish. The interior is stainless steel and the heating element is concealed. It is cordless and feels rugged when picked up by the handle. The lid is plastic but that really doesn't concern me. The lid push button on the handle works smoothly. The opening is large enough to reach down into the kettle for cleaning, some of the ones I've examined are not.

Immediately upon getting the base out of the box, I noticed a negative. Unless you have this on a kitchen counter with an outlet nearby, you will need a heavy duty extension chord. The one on the base is way too short.

With everything out of the box and set up, I added water and noted I will not be able to tell how much water is in this unless I add more than half a liter. I probably never will, so I'll have to pre-measure.

Plugging it in, to the extension chord, and hitting the on button brought it to life. The temperature of the kettle is easily readable. Some of the reviews said it was difficult to see. Maybe they have changed this feature, but mine is clearly visible. It started at room temp of 71F and swiftly climbed to 212F. The kettle is a little more noisy while heating than I am used to but it isn't annoyingly loud.

At this point it is supposed to automatically hold the water at the set temperature for the next hour. I chose to hit the off button so I could pour. There is an auto shut off feature to prevent damage from boiling dry. I am not going to intentionally test that feature. Pouring was smooth and mess free. The removable screen filter in the spout seems positioned in such a manner as to minimize splash over that typically happens with my Russell Hobbs kettle.

The temperature can be adjusted anywhere between 150F and 212F. There are five presets: 175°, 180°, 190°, 200°, 212°. Getting this feature to work was at first frustrating. Then I realized the program button catches and you have to push a little harder to make it click. If you don't like the presets, use the closest one and then tap the + - buttons to change it.

After using this several times, I realized the kettle remembered the last temperature I had set. If I am having a green tea day, I only need set the temperature once. That's a cool feature.

Some reviews reported the kettle drifted a bit (as much as 5 degrees) when in its 60 minute temperature holding mode. To test this I refilled and set the kettle to 180 degrees and fired it up. The temperature climbed quickly then settled in at 180. I am assuming the readout is accurate as I really don't have anyway of checking. At any rate, I did not get drift.

Honestly even if I did I would not have been that upset by a few degrees, but that is just me. In my experience, most tea really isn't that finicky, and in the cup I am getting excellent results. Other reviewers did note if they waited a few minutes the kettle did cool back down to the proper temperature. Not an issue with my kettle :)

You can also set the clock time and program the kettle to kick on at a specified time. Probably handy but I am not likely to use this feature, so I haven't tinkered with it.

Bottom line - I haven't had it long so I can't speak on the durability. It feels solid. It heats the water just like it is supposed to do. I detected no off odor or taste to the water. The price is very reasonable. Honestly, I don't know what else I would want from a $40 kettle - except contain no plastic and be only 16 ounces. Since that is not going to happen, this will do nicely.

Making A Good Cup Using A Tea Bag

Tea bags often get a bad reputation for making a poor quality cup. Yet, most of us began our tea obsession with a grocery store bought box of bags and all but the most persnickety of loose leaf users still use them, at least occasionally. It is my view that too often the problem is with the preparation more than with the bag. With beginners the problem is inexperience. With the experienced, it is often a lack of attention to detail they would give to their loose leaf.

So what can you do to improve your brewing success? These tips are based on a western mug brewing technique of one bag for one cup.

1.) Size your cup appropriately.
A lot of people grab a 12-ounce mug or worse a 16-ounce tumbler and then blame the tea for being weak and flavorless. If that is your experience, your cup is too big. Most tea bags will work with an 8-ounce cup but some need a 5 or 6-ounce cup. If the company does not list the cup size in the instructions, you will have to figure it out yourself. Determining what size cup should be used depends mostly on how much tea the vendor put in the bag.

Sorry but math is required until you get a feel for this.

Look on the box for a Net Wt in grams. Divide the number by the number of bags in the box. The result will tell you how much tea is in each bag. As an example, if the Net Wt is 40g and there are 20 bags in the box, then there is 2g of tea in each bag. (40g/20 = 2g) This is a common amount of tea in many US tea bags. It will generally work fine with an 8-ounce cup.

If the box is 30g and contains 18 bags, then there is only 1.67g of leaf in the bag and you should try a 6-ounce cup. Some bags have as little as 1.33g. Try using a 5-ounce cup here.

2.) Use good tasting water.
This may seem overly obvious but if the water doesn’t taste good it won’t make good tea. If you don’t like the taste of your tap water, use bottled spring water. Do not use distilled water, as it will produce a flat cup.

3.) Heat your water to the proper temperature.
Read the brewing instructions on the box. A novel idea I know, but I am amazed how many people never bother looking. As a starting point most black and herbal teas will steep well using at or just below boiling water. Do not over boil or it will lower the oxygen level in the water. Do not use boiling water for green or white tea. Bring the water to heavy steaming and turn it off. Some people bring the water to a boil and then let it sit for one minute. I am too impatient to wait.

I personally do not like heating the water in the microwave. I think it makes for flat tea. I prefer a stove top or electric kettle. Feel free to disagree on this point.

Do Not heat the water with the bag in it. I repeat, Do Not heat the water with the bag in it.

4.) Steep for the appropriate time – remove the bag.
Once again check the box for the recommended brewing time. Just because the water quickly changes color does not mean the flavor has reached its full potential. That takes time. Usually the time will be listed as a range, like 3-5 minutes or 2-4 minutes. If you have no instructions, 3 minutes is a good average time. If you like a weaker cup, check it earlier. When the time is up remove the bag. Leaving it in can result in bitterness. It can also cause a burning sensation in your stomach if you are sensitive to it like me. The exception is herbal tea, which may require a much longer steep time – read the box.

5.) Experiment
I hope these tips help improve your cup. Remember they are just a starting point. If you aren’t completely satisfied with the results, change one of the steps at a time and try again. Use a different cup, or different temperature. Change the steep time. Note the difference. Next time change something else. Soon you will find your sweet spot.

A final comment: Proper technique will bring out the very best possible cup from your tea but technique has its limits. If you start with bad tea the best you can hope for is a bad cup. Using better quality leaf to start with offers more room for error and will deliver a more complex cup.

Give Me A Reason?

Today's post is not about tea. It is about you the reader of The Everyday Tea Blog. It is also about me as a reader of other tea blogs, and about freedom of choice.

I regularly read several different blogs that interest me. Working on my own blog, I know how much work it is to organize and (hopefully) proof what appears on each post. One of the rewards for that hard work comes from occasionally hearing from readers. As a reader myself, I am sometimes inspired, moved, and even angered, enough to want to comment on a post. Lately I am finding this more and more difficult to accomplish.

Why? Because of that little 'g+' button that appears on many blogs. When a blog becomes assimilated into the Google+ collective, it is required of those wishing to comment on a post to also set up an account. I refuse. Despite popular opinion resistance is NOT futile! I am not going to sign up just so I can comment. Instead I will just move on.

No one has yet given me a real world reason to join the Google+ realm. The best reason I found researching the matter was, "Google wants us to." There is a lot about that reason that leaves me feeling uneasy. Just plain old Google already knows too much about each of us for my comfort. Type your address into Google someday and see if the ability to zoom in on a satellite image of your house doesn't make you feel uncomfortable. I did this with a friend's address and was horrified to find a street view of his front door available to the world.

Beyond the Big Brother aspect, I do have one very good reason for avoiding Google+ like the plague. I refuse to exclude readers without a Google+ account the freedom to comment on the posts they read on The Everyday Tea Blog. Why would I want to trade the world wide web for a tiny circle?

Maybe I am missing something. Can anyone offer a worthwhile reason to change my mind?  

A Good Day On The Tea Aisle

So today my wife and I went to Bloomington to shop. My wife wanted to hit the craft stores. Did I tag along just because I am a good husband? Uhmm no. I had ulterior motives.

There is a world food store in the town named Sahara Mart. Back in my early quest to try every tea on earth this store was one of my main hunting grounds. They have an entire aisle dedicated to tea. Most of it, but not all, is tea bags. Still it was more tea than I had ever seen in my life. Most of my tea shopping now is loose leaf and found online. This place is still where I go when I need a quick fix of comfort tea.

Today I was looking for just a simple loose leaf green tea to use in mixing with several herbs I have growing in my yard. I kind of forgot what I went for and never got my green tea. Instead I walked out with a box of Celestial Seasonings Candy Cane Lane, left over from Christmas, that I have heard good things about. Also I grabbed a variety pack of decaffeinated Bigelow teas for my wife and I to share. She cannot tolerate caffeine.

The main reason I forgot my plain green was I found a one pound (actually 500g) box of Ahmad Green Tea with Earl Grey. For several years this was my absolute favorite tea. I ordered it often from Amazon as I had never been able to buy it locally. It always irritated me I paid as much for shipping as I did the tea. Today I found it on the shelf for $8.99. Did I mention this is over a pound of tea? Today being Tuesday meant it was 10% off - so $8.09! That's 200 - 250 cups of comfort tea for about 8 bucks! 400 - 500 cups if I steep twice, which I always do. That is $0.02 or less per cup. I love a bargain - especially when it is a favorite comfort tea.

Yep, it was a good day on the tea aisle.

Restaurant Tea In Small Town America

This post was prompted from a recent email. Thanks for the inspiration.

A lot of my Internet tea friends tell me they avoid ordering tea in restaurants. They say the quality is so poor they would rather do without. I am not afraid of controversy, so I am going to admit I have not found the situation to be quite that dire. Or possibly I am just too stubborn to give up my tea. I choose to persevere while looking for that elusive memorable sip (or gulp).

I have certainly had my share of weak, sour, warm, and stale restaurant teas. I have even suffered through horrible glasses of instant tea. Especially in the latter case I ordered a Coke the next time. Sounds dismal right? But I have also had some good experiences that encourage me to keep trying.

One thing I always try to do is tell a restaurant when they get it right. I also politely let them know when they miss the mark. I advise you to do the same. As I noted in “Slow down and smell the tea leaves”, tea is the fifth most consumed beverage in America. Most folks have only a casual attitude toward tea because honestly they don't know any better. Restaurants will work hard to not disappoint with their soda and coffee offerings, with tea, well, not so much.

The vast majority of tea in America is served iced and comes from a bag.  For this reason, I am more likely to avoid hot tea in a restaurant. I know I am likely to be handed a Lipton tea bag and a little metal pitcher of under-heated water. I have to admit, I am not a fan. The trouble is most restaurants, and the average consumer, don’t see anything wrong with it. They probably don’t like it either but think this is what tea is supposed to taste like. They need educated.

Our local Denny’s not only serves hot tea this way, but their water tastes fishy. I uncovered the water issue when I tried taking my own tea, only to have it taste fishy as well. I will never order tea or water in our Denny’s again. Yes, I told them so. No, it did not seem to matter to them. It’s just tea. sigh.

Even with hot tea I have found exceptions. The most notable is at our local Steak N Shake. They serve an inexpensive and little known brand called ‘Mother Parkers’. Yes, it is a bagged version, and yes I find it very pleasant – especially the Darjeeling.

With iced tea, you will generally be served Lipton, Tetley, or Luzianne. Sometimes, even then, it can be cold and refreshing... sometimes. More often it is watered down and warm because they added a small amount of ice to the hot brew and all the ice melted before it got to your table. So, you ask for more ice, thus watering it down even more.

Just when you think it couldn’t get worse, you order a glass and are served something slightly resembling tea that is soured, or stale, or both. Sadly, you have to inform them because they probably think it is supposed to taste that way – because that is the way they have always done it and no one else complained.

Sometimes they get it right and the glass makes the meal.

Our local Red Lobster serves an exceptionally good iced tea. It is clear, and bright. The taste is strong and brisk. It is a delicious Assam based tea. Their web page states they use Tetley, but the local restaurant told me it was Maryland brand. I have never found this for sale in the stores. I believe a large part of their success is filtered water and attention to detail. Tea is more than just tea.

Our Texas Roadhouse also makes a successful glass of tea that is similar and only slightly less tasty than our Red Lobster. They seem to use similar filtered water. Here I think the difference is the brand of tea used.

My absolute favorite restaurant tea to date was found at our local Cheddars. My wife noticed it as well and she is not a tea junkie. Coffee is more her thing. This tea was bright, clear, and nearly orange. The taste was earthy, with a hint of smoke. I asked the waiter what they were serving. He looked puzzled and said, “It’s just tea.” Noooooooo!

It is sad when you find an exceptional glass of tea and the fact seems to escape those who serve it. Educate them. Tell them how good it is and why. Encourage them to keep making an exceptional tea. Just maybe others will notice and comment. Just maybe you can help make a small dent in the wasteland known as restaurant tea.

I later confirmed the tea is S&D brand. This is apparently a very common brand used by restaurants. It is anything but common as made at our Cheddars.

So, what has been your experience with local restaurant tea? I'd like to hear about it.

A Review of 19 Lessons On Tea

I downloaded the Kindle version of this guidebook by 27Press from Amazon. I don’t actually own a Kindle, so I also downloaded a reader app for the PC. Both were free at the time. Yeah me! The softback book normally sells for $7.99. The Kindle version is $2.99. The book is 118 pages. It is an easy read. I read it in one sitting.

This is a basic primer that also covers some ground often left out of other books. It starts at the beginning explaining what tea is, where it comes from, and how the leaves become tea. None of this is overly deep or technical and it doesn't need to be to inspire a little awe and respect for the leaf you are steeping.

It expands from there with a chapter on each basic types of tea – green, white, yellow, oolong, black, and puerh. It covers what makes each type different and lists some of the major variations within each category. The yellow tea chapter is a nice addition, as it often gets neglected.

There are also chapters on specialty tea (blended and flavored) and even herbals. Though not technically tea, I find the inclusion of herbals makes for a more rounded discussion without being critical of those calling it tea.

There is a chapter covering how to brew. Others cover teapots, accessories, how to buy, and more. It really covers a lot of ground in a little space, and it does it well for the most part.

One area where I find it falls short is including opinions on whether to add milk, honey, or lemon to each category of tea. This is a personal call. If you enjoy white tea with additives, what does it matter to someone else? If you never add anything to Irish Breakfast, as long as you enjoy it who cares? It is your cup. Enjoy it as you please. I could understand it the authors had simply stated that traditionally one would prepare a tea a certain way, and left it open to personal tastes. One size does not fit all.

The authors did make some errors in the book concerning caffeine.  They perpetuated a couple myths that are repeated often. The first is in the chapter on white tea where it is stated white tea has "lower levels of caffeine than any other type of tea." In truth, some white teas have quite high caffeine levels. It varies from varietal to varietal.

The other error concerns a decaffeination myth. Despite what is claimed, steeping for 30 seconds, dumping the cup down the drain, and then resteeping does not remove the caffeine. It does pour a perfectly good cup of tea down the drain. Caffeine is released throughout the useful steeping life of the leaf. If you want a decaffeinated tea, you will have to buy one specifically processed to remove the caffeine. You cannot rinse it out. Repeating the myth does not make it true.

Overlooking the few trouble spots, this is an enjoyable read. It is clearly written and well thought out. My advice is save a tree and $5 and opt for the ebook version.

Slow Down And Smell The Tea Leaves

I can’t speak for the rest of the world, but here in America, we are in a hurry.  We rush out the door without eating breakfast. We gulp down our lunch without properly chewing, just so we can get back to work. We drive like crazy to get home. Then rush through our evenings, so we can do it all over again tomorrow.

Most of us approach our tea the same way. That may explain why tea is the fifth most consumed beverage among adults in America – after water, soda, coffee, and beer (Source: What We Eat in America, NHANES 2007-2008) – while it is the number two drink in the rest of the world. We don’t take the time for tea. We are the people who pound on the microwave and holler, “Hurry up!” For most people in America, tea often means poor quality iced tea someone else prepared, or plopping a teabag in a cup so we can quickly guzzle it down. What’s our hurry?

I'm in a hurry to get things done
Oh I rush and rush until life's no fun
All I really gotta do is live and die
But, I'm in a hurry and don't know why
(Alabama 1992)

The song lyrics quoted above really spoke to me when it came out a couple decades ago. I literally slowed down while driving my car. I began to set my cruise at the speed limit and let others speed on by me.

Much more recently, my discovery of loose tea has had just as big an impact. Through preparing tea I have learned to slow down and notice what is in my cup, greatly enhancing my tea sipping experience.  Loose tea, done right requires attention. Give it the time and it will more than repay. If you are not doing so already, next time you are preparing your favorite cup, slow down and smell the tea leaves.