Mint Chocolate Clouds

I have to apologize for this one. I fell for the trap. I read mint and chocolate and it sounded really good. It tastes of mint and smells of chocolate but does it taste of tea? Barely. I was disappointed by this tea so I couldn't make it a tea of the month. You are welcome to have it, try it and share your opinions about it. It is a black tea so 90-100C water is necessary but again the tea flavour is minimal and the brew does not do well with milk.
I solemnly swear never to make this mistake again. I will choose teas and not flavours in the future.

Earl Green

Earl Green

Origin: Sri Lanka

Certification: Organic

Biodynamic green tea scented with bergamot oranges.

There are many variations of Earl Grey in tea. Lady Grey, Crème of Earl Grey,… They all have one thing in common, they are all scented with the rind or oil of bergamot oranges. Usually infused with black tea, this Earl Green is an exotic departure of Sri Lankan green tea and the same popular aroma that made Earl Grey “regular” tea.

Earl Green is best infused at 70-80 degrees. It is flavourful and bold and doesn’t need sweetening but can hold its own if you prefer a sweeter taste. Green tea is a perfect partner for bergamot oranges as there are little to no tannings and therefore minimal bitterness and aftertaste.

The legend of Earl Grey is told in many variations. One story claims a young Chinese boy was rescued by Earl Grey (then a soldier and later Prime Minister of the United Kingdom) and presented him with the blend to express his appreciation. An unlikely story as Earl Grey II never visited China.

Another tale has two prominent English tea companies fighting for the invention of the blend.

Finally the Grey family claims that the tea was made as a special request for their family as the water available to them at the time contained a lot of lime. The bergamot flavour would have concealed the lime in the water.

All I know is that I'm glad someone came up with it.

Supplier Woes

Hi everyone,

My supplier woes are finally through. Apparently they were moving so my first order was ignored, then my second and I finally got a response with the third when I tried an alternate email. Their excuse was that they had received my order and it would be shipped out soon. Two weeks later and another email and it turns out they have been moving. How silly of me. Of course moving takes 2-3 months. But long story short they are in now so look forward to Earl Green coming within the next 2-3 days.

George Carlin on fruit teas

So it's been forever! Sorry guys, I'm working on it. This week I promise.

In the meantime, here is a quote from George Carlin about fruit flavoured teas. This has just made my night.

I would like to talk to you about fruit-flavored teas. These would be teas that are flavored like fruit. Fruit-flavored teas. You need to understand that. These are not fruits. They’re teas.

But they taste like fruit. All right? They have names like strawberry kiwi, lemon berry, orange mango, wild cherry, blackberry and cranberry. They taste like fruit. And they sound like fruits, too, don’t they? They’re not. They’re teas. Fruit-flavored teas. And frankly, I don’t understand this.

Personally, I’ve always been of a mind that if you’re looking for fruit flavor, if you’re genuinely interested in something that tastes like fruit, and you find yourself in the tea section, you’re probably in the wrong aisle.

My advice is, if it’s fruit flavor you’re after, play if safe, go ahead and get some fruit. I have found in my experience that fruit almost always turns out to be reliable source of fruit flavor.

Another good place you may wish to look for fruit flavor would be in fruit juice. Fruit juice is made by squeezing the juice out of the fruit. Apparently, the juice that runs out of the fruit has fruit flavor. Perhaps that’s why they call if fruit juice. It doesn’t taste like tea. For tea taste, you would need to get some tea.

So let’s sum this up: If it’s fruit flavor you want, you can’t go wrong with fruit. Or, as I’ve pointed out, fruit juice. Don’t be ordering tea. Tea has tea flavor. It’s not like fruit. It’s more like tea. If you want tea, I say order tea. That’s a different experience. It’s known as “having tea.”

Have you noticed, by the way, there are no tea-flavored fruits? Take a clue from nature.

Take that David's Tea!

Organic Fujian Pear

Origin: China

Infusion: 70-80ºC for 3-7 minutes

White tea is for me the perfect summer tea. It is so refreshing and mellow. Truly the type of tea you want, either iced or warm on a hot summers day. The infusion of pear to white tea is perfect. It’s sweet in aroma, retains its true white tea flavour and finishes with the slight tang of fruit. Unlike many flavoured teas,

This tea is very well suited for an iced tea. Brew as you usually would. Discard the leaves and let the tea sit for a few hours at room temperature. This intensifies the flavour while being economical on tea leaves and avoiding a bitter infusion. Sweeten to taste although this tea tastes fantastic even without any sweetener. The aroma and undertone of the pear, carries the tea all on its own. Refrigerating the tea is best if you don’t want to dilute the flavour.

For a hot infusion, 80ºC is really the maximum for this tea. I find that 70ºC for a longer amount of time if the best. If I don’t have the right temperature, I usually put 1 part cold water to 3 parts hot water and it works just as well. Another benefit of low temperature infusion is that you don’t need to wait for the tea to cool down. You can start drinking it right away.

What did you think?

Organic, Fair Trade Certified Assam

Origin: India

Instructions: 100 C for 3 to 5 minutes

Assamese tea has a bold, dark infusion with enough strength to hold up to milk and sugar with out compromising it's taste. The tea trees from Assam are native shrubs. When the British introduced the idea of cultivating tea in India, they imported a sturdy Chinese variety. After many failed attempts, they conceded that the native bush was indeed best suited to the geography of Assam.

Like the British, Indians like their tea strong and as a result, black tea is higher in caffeine than other types of tea. However, there is a way to decaffeinate any tea with 3 easy steps.

1- Pour hot water over tea leaves

2- Let sit for 30 seconds and drain the water

3- Pour more hot water over the leaves and steep as usual.

Easy and takes just a minute longer than usual to enjoy a cup of caffeine free tea.

What are your thoughts on the tea?

Canada Post Strike

Hello everyone,

The club is currently on hold as Canada Post sorts itself out. Once the strike is over, everything will be back on schedule.

Thank you for your patience.