I bring you a review on TEA! I'm kind of a tea snob, I'll admit (although would you believe that it hadn't occurred to me until now that there might be tea blogs out there, and I should be following them?). I enjoy green and oolong and white teas more than black - I do drink black teas on occasion, but I'm not a big fan of rich chai or other teas usually served with milk - and I usually drink them piping hot, without milk or anything else in it.
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| A tea tin. Keeps your tea fresh and all, though any air-tight container will do just as well. These are pretty, though, and good for gifts :D |
I buy all of my tea from
Lupicia; they have a store in HI that I used to frequent before I moved. I believe they also have a store in San Francisco, but there isn't one close to me, so now I order online. Online, free shipping is offered on orders $45 or more, and they always include samples, which is really nice. I have converted quite a few people, too - even the fiancé, who I think really only started drinking green tea when we started dating, is a huge fan of Lupicia's flavored teas.
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| 50 gram bags of loose leaf tea, and a tin. Lupicia also sells tea bags, but I don't usually buy those. |
I typically only buy loose leaf teas, which I either brew in a glass teapot with a removable infuser, or in a mug with a mini mesh tea ball or a filter bag if I'm just making an individual serving (filters can be purchased easily on Lupicia or on other tea sites, and even on Amazon, though I actually find Lupicia is cheaper than Amazon). There are all kinds of rules about the best way to brew your tea; I just use an electric kettle, pour hot water into my teapot/mug, let steep for ~3 minutes (this depends on the type of tea), and enjoy! The whole tea process is only as complicated as you want to make it - if you just want good tea, with a nice aroma and a comforting warmth, it's as easy as heating up water, and waiting three minutes.
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| You can use paper filters in teapots, too. |
We recently just ordered some new teas (and combined an order with a newly converted friend, haha) so I thought I'd do a mini-review on them. I picked up Chestnut, Tokio, Kamairicha "Takachiho", and Peach Melba. The first three are greens, and the last is a rooibos tea; I'm not a huge fan of rooibos, but I figured I'd give it a shot, since I need more caffeine-free teas for nighttime. I have some other favorites, too, so if you're interested in trying some and want more advice, let me know! In general, I just buy the 50 gram pouches, and store all of my teas in an airtight container. The tins are really pretty, though (I have a few), and make great gifts!
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| All of the specific tea-brewing instructions are printed on the label. Handy, right? |
Chestnut: I love the flavor of chestnuts, so this was a no brainer. This one is mellow, sweet, and savory in the way of sweet potatoes and other such foods. Not a favorite with S., but he prefers fruity teas.
Tokio: The aroma is delicate but sweet, and I get mostly strawberry from it. The tea itself is subtly sweet and still very delicate, with a light green tea flavor and just the hint of berry sweetness. Perfect for summer, and I think it would be great iced, too.
Kamairicha "Takachiho:" A heavier flavored tea - it has substance to it, an a more earthy flavor. I often get in the mood for a traditional green tea like this, so I make sure I always have one on hand.
Peach Melba: I'm not a fan of the rooibos flavor, but this is a mellow and caffeine-free tea, so it's nice for night time.
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| This newsletter gives instructions on cold-brewed tea, and features the summer flavors. They're all pretty interesting; a lot of them feature recipes, or brief histories of tea. Love! The tea sample is great, too. |
Also, if you spend more than $30, you are automatically subscribed to Lupicia's monthly newsletter; it's actually pretty interesting, not just junk mail.
And the best part is: they send you a free tea sample (one tea bag) every month, so you can try all kinds of teas. It's really fun! Any other purchase over $30 throughout the year will resubscribe you for the following year, which is nice.
Hopefully I haven't bored you too much :D I like tea.
What kinds of foodie things do you indulge in?
