David's Tea Reviews

This Christmas I was given the fantastic gift of tea. A very big thank you to my sister-in-law for such a thoughtful gift. There have been a lot of tea places going up across Toronto lately. It seems ever time I step into a mall for the first time in a few months another tea place has popped up. Although I find this very exciting, I am really hoping this new found passion for tea is not a fad.

I'm loving the dozens and dozens of varieties of loose leaf tea available and within easy access. It's nice to be able to only buy a small quantity of tea when you just want to try it, instead of entire tin or box at the grocery store and have it sit in your cupboard untouched. I will give credit to the staff as well. They are well trained and they know their stuff. Premium teas require premium prices but it also raises certain questions. For the price, I would like to see more organic and Fair Trade teas available or at least some better communication about their efforts or plans.

As a side note, Infusions Tea Club only distributes organic teas from responsible plantations with Fair Trade Certification wherever possible.

But back to the original topic. As I sample the teas, I will be sharing my thoughts.

Baked Apple: A tisane of apples, nuts and spices. It wins more points for scent than flavour. The nuts over power the taste and scent of apple but there is a nice tangy aftertaste.

David's Organic Breakfast: My favorite thus far. Nice, rich, black tea blend. I'm also really liking the 50% biodynamic, 100% balanced and organic.

Love Tea: Black tea, rose petals, chocolate chips and strawberries. Although I was put off a bit by the tangy smell of the strawberries, this tea smells sinfully good. It would make a great candle but as for flavour, it's a little too much for me. There is too many flavours distracting from the tea.

Chocolate Chili Chai: Black tea, chocolate and chili peppers. Once again it smells sinfully good and the flavours don't fight one another in this blend. The kick of the chili really balances out the chocolate but I do wish the black tea was stronger. That would have really pulled it all together, if the tea had been a little more full bodied.

Anyhow, that's all for now. More as I drink.

What is everyone else drinking? I'd love to hear from you.

Upcoming tea selections

It's almost time for me to order another batch of tea. The only problem... too many to choose from! As you may have noticed, I have started a poll so please help me decide. Eventually we will try them all but I would like to keep the teas diverse every month. Here are my narrowed down choices

Black Teas:

Ancient Forest Black - Fair Trade, Biodynamic & Organic. A Chinese black tea from the ancient protected tea tree forests of the Yunnan Province which is full bodied, earthy and apparently like no other black tea anyone has ever tasted before. I am curious.

Los Andes - Organic. From the only real tea plantation in Latin America, half the leaves picked are from the plantation and the other half from neighbouring farms. The plantation manager travels to the many farms to ensure the production and organic standards are adhered to. The estate is very commited to the social development, education, and health of its workers. Perhaps less for the taste and more for the social impact, I would like to support this plantation.


White Tea

Silver Needle: Organic silver leaf buds yield a piquant fresh flavour with a flowery finish and a light astringency. If I were to compare it, it reminds me of a peppermint tea without the bite.

Strawberry, Blueberry or Lemon White: Organic. 3 flavours to choose from. Fruit is the perfect companion for white tea. The flavour of the fruit is infused over multiple days but the flavour remains light and fragrant without overpowering the white tea taste.

White Rose - Organic and infused with rose petals this tea is silky smooth and very healthy. It's high in vitamin C and contains the same amount of anioxidants as green tea.

Any thoughts or requests are welcome.

December 2010 - Kashmiri Chai

Allergy Alert: Contains Almonds!

It’s already December and what better way to warm us up than a cup of spicy aromatic tea blend from exotic Kashmir. This traditional recipe is flavoured with cardamom, cinnamon, and almond flakes for a rich, semi-sweet and nutty flavor. In addition to being delicious, this tea is also Organic, Fair Trade Certified and Biodynamic.

There is no such thing as a tea time in India nor is there such a thing as preparing a cup of tea. Tea is prepared by the potful throughout the day and shared among family and friends. A coworker once asked me how to make a cup as she had never used a tea bag and water dispenser before. She was so used to boiling a pot that the idea of a single cup was foreign to her. Tea is considered an essential part of any meal or snack, whether to be served with or to finish the meal. It greets the morning, energizes when you need a pick up and calms you down after a long day. It welcomes guests and at the end of the night, sends them on their way. In fact, although India is the second largest producer of tea in the world, 70% of the tea it produces is consumed domestically.

Although undocumented, the camellia sinensis plant was indigenous to some regions of northern India and had been used as a beverage long before the British introduced it for commercial growth and popularized it throughout the country and the world. The flavour loving Indians of course added their own twist to the beverage and masala chai was born!

The traditional way to brew chai is to measure 1 part milk, 1 part water and 1 teaspoon of tea per person. Everything is brought to a boil in the pot then strained, served promptly and sweetened to taste.

For a simpler method, steep one generous teaspoon in a cup of boiling water for 3-5 minutes. Water that isn’t hot enough will make for a weak infusion while water that is over-boiled looses oxygen which results in a very flat flavour. Strain the tea then add milk and sugar to taste.

Happy Holidays!

Japanese Shincha

Our first tea is a delicious Japanese shincha. Japanese green tea differs from the Chinese variety in the way it is prepared. Where Chinese teas are roasted after picking, the Japanese variety (sencha) is flash steamed for 15-20 seconds to halt oxidation. The result is a very light, crisp flavour reminiscent of fresh leafy green vegetables. Shincha refers to tea that is picked at the very beginning of the season which gives the tea very mellow and refreshing tones. Overall, this is a very high quality tea.

To prepare this tea, the ideal temperature for the water is 70C. This means when small bubbles start to form at the bottom of the pot when boiling. It can also be achieved by letting boiling water cool for about 2 minutes. 1 tsp of tea per cup is enough to be re-brewed 3-4 times. Using 70C water ensures that the tea will not overstep so the leaves can be left in the cup or pot without turning bitter.

What was you impression of the tea?

Just received the first shipment of 0rganic teas. They smell SO good!

So we are just about ready to begin. Hopefully by November the club will be up and running.

We are always looking for new members so tell your tea loving friends about us!