Thanks to my family, and many other people I couldn't even begin to list completely here, I had a very enjoyable Christmas. There was plenty of tea in the celebration, so let me say a bit about it here.
My parents and my brother and sister-in-law enjoy tea, so I gave them the Bodum Tea Press pot as gifts. I have been using this pot for a few months and I really like it. I still use my little ball infuser when I want to make one or two cups of tea, but it's nice to have the pot for those increasingly frequent times when I want to enjoy tea by the quart (liter).
Inimino, my friend and fellow blogger here at The Manly Teas, has informed me that the Yixing clay teapots are supposed to be the best to use for preparing tea. The Yixing pots are notable for their use in the Chinese gongfu method of preparing tea. When I recently became reacquainted with my old friend, tea, I did not know this. (Thanks for the info, inimino!)
I thought about getting a Yixing pot (or several, because they are supposed to work best when you prepare only one variety of tea in them), but as I read more about those interesting teapots on the Web, the whole process was getting a lot more involved than I had planned and I was worried that I would never get around to drinking any tea. So I settled on the Bodum pot that has served me well, and I hope Dad and Mom and Paul and Pat will get a lot of use and enjoyment out of theirs, too. I will eventually buy a Yixing pot, but right now, I did not want to complicate things too much for myself and I did not want to give a gift without knowing more about it.
Of course, I felt that a teapot without tea would be an incomplete gift (or at least one that obliged the recipient to spend some money to enjoy the gift), so I gave Mom and Dad the Holiday Tea Set (photo) from Argo Tea. This sampler contained three special blends of black tea: "Santa Tea," "Holiday Dream," and "Winter Blend." I gave the Holiday Tea Set to my brother and sister-in-law, too. Also, since my sister-in-law had not previously tried white tea, I gave Pat and Paul Argo Tea's "White Tea" and "Melon White." I hope Pat will enjoy white tea as much as I do.
Finally, my parents gave me the gift of white tea. Dad and Mom gifted me with Orange Blossom White Tea from the Republic of Tea, and Silver Needle Organic White Tea from Rishi Tea. As I write this, I have tried the Orange Blossom White Tea (I need to write a separate entry about it). I'll sample the Silver Needle soon.
All in all, it was a really enjoyable Christmas for many reasons. Tea was a nice element of the celebration and I am grateful for it.
Friday, December 29, 2006
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
ineeka Himalayan Black
Today, I have been working at the Swim Cafe. I like this place. It's a good spot for working and for writing and, on days like today, for seeing the sunshine and the blue sky. Yes, we're having a rare day of mid-December sunshine here today--how glorious it is!
I've been listening to an interesting mix of Christmas music that they're playing here. The fine folks at the Swim Cafe have treated us to some charming Cajun Christmas music: joyful bayou arrangements of the familiar carols and a few original songs for Christmas. I've also heard some of Vince Guaraldi's classic jazz tunes (think Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, and the rest of the Peanuts gang). It's a pleasant place to work and to sip some tea.
Speaking of tea, I am enjoying some ineeka Himalayan Black. It's a whole leaf tea with a bright flavor and just a hint of spice in the flavor, but hardly noticeable in the aroma. This is a pleasant tea. The tin containing the tea pouches says "Intensity." That might be overstating this tea's flavor a bit. I'd call it more "smoothness" than "intensity," but reasonable minds can, of course, differ on matters of taste. Also, referring to this tea's smoothness is a compliment; I don't intend to disparage it by labeling it as something other than "intense."
A brief word about packaging. The ineeka Himalayan Black tea comes in pouches that look like a cross between a tea bag and a paper sack--the kind you might carry your lunch in. Surrounding the pouch is an interesting cardboard mechanism that allows you to pull the bag open and hold it expanded in the cup (or whatever container you are using to steep the tea) by stretching cardboard handles across the cup and anchoring them on opposite sides of the cup. This arrangement allows the tea to expand and drink up more of the hot water. It's still not the same as entirely loose tea, but I am learning that even the degree of looseness in the tea can be something that affects its flavor when brewed, and one can appreciate differences in the degrees of that flavor, too.
More to follow, of course. Drink up!
I've been listening to an interesting mix of Christmas music that they're playing here. The fine folks at the Swim Cafe have treated us to some charming Cajun Christmas music: joyful bayou arrangements of the familiar carols and a few original songs for Christmas. I've also heard some of Vince Guaraldi's classic jazz tunes (think Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, and the rest of the Peanuts gang). It's a pleasant place to work and to sip some tea.
Speaking of tea, I am enjoying some ineeka Himalayan Black. It's a whole leaf tea with a bright flavor and just a hint of spice in the flavor, but hardly noticeable in the aroma. This is a pleasant tea. The tin containing the tea pouches says "Intensity." That might be overstating this tea's flavor a bit. I'd call it more "smoothness" than "intensity," but reasonable minds can, of course, differ on matters of taste. Also, referring to this tea's smoothness is a compliment; I don't intend to disparage it by labeling it as something other than "intense."
A brief word about packaging. The ineeka Himalayan Black tea comes in pouches that look like a cross between a tea bag and a paper sack--the kind you might carry your lunch in. Surrounding the pouch is an interesting cardboard mechanism that allows you to pull the bag open and hold it expanded in the cup (or whatever container you are using to steep the tea) by stretching cardboard handles across the cup and anchoring them on opposite sides of the cup. This arrangement allows the tea to expand and drink up more of the hot water. It's still not the same as entirely loose tea, but I am learning that even the degree of looseness in the tea can be something that affects its flavor when brewed, and one can appreciate differences in the degrees of that flavor, too.
More to follow, of course. Drink up!
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Green Tea Tropical
My friend Scott, who lives in New Hampshire, introduced me to this tea: Green Tea Tropical from The Mighty Leaf.
This is a flat leaf tea and the preparation contains dried fruit (pineapple) and flowers. Green Tea Tropical has a cheerful, fresh aroma before steeping and a mild, sweet scent that persist after infusing it in the hot water.
The tea has a bright tropical flavor that reminded me of being in Hawaii. I like the packaging, too. While it's not loose tea, the Mighty Leaf's Tea Pouches(TM) allow the tea to expand more and to move more when the water envelops it than traditional tea bags permit. (I have not yet tried any of the teas in the new Lipton "Pyramid" tea bags, so I cannot make any comparison with those. Of course, it is just a matter of time before I try the "Pyramid" teas, too.)
I like Green Tea Tropical. It's a good tea for me. I'll go so far as to call it a joyful tea. I liked it enough to give some of it to my parents to try, and I bought a box of it for my brother. Thanks again for the recommendation, Scott!
This is a flat leaf tea and the preparation contains dried fruit (pineapple) and flowers. Green Tea Tropical has a cheerful, fresh aroma before steeping and a mild, sweet scent that persist after infusing it in the hot water.
The tea has a bright tropical flavor that reminded me of being in Hawaii. I like the packaging, too. While it's not loose tea, the Mighty Leaf's Tea Pouches(TM) allow the tea to expand more and to move more when the water envelops it than traditional tea bags permit. (I have not yet tried any of the teas in the new Lipton "Pyramid" tea bags, so I cannot make any comparison with those. Of course, it is just a matter of time before I try the "Pyramid" teas, too.)
I like Green Tea Tropical. It's a good tea for me. I'll go so far as to call it a joyful tea. I liked it enough to give some of it to my parents to try, and I bought a box of it for my brother. Thanks again for the recommendation, Scott!
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