Matcha Cupcakes

I tried making matcha cupcakes and they turned out really good! I was pretty surprised, my baking is very hit or miss. Anyhow, here is the recipe.

Ingredients

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 cups flour

2 tbsp matcha

4 eggs

1/4 cup water

Directions

1- Cream the butter and sugar

2- Blend in eggs

3- Sift in flour and matcha

4- Mix in a water

5- Pour into muffin cups/tin and bake at 350C for 25-30 mins or until toothpick comes out clean.

I added cream cheese frosting an I thought it complimented the cupcakes nicely but my family seems to enjoy them plain. If anyone is interested in purchasing some organic matcha, I have lots so let me know. $6/30g. (compare to 30g of non-organic matcha at David's tea for $21)

Spiderweb Oolong

A quick announcement before we start; as you may have already noticed, in an effort to go as paperless as possible, the letter usually accompanying the tea will now be available online.

January’s tea of the month: Spiderweb Oolong

Don't worry, the name is a reference to the long, thin, twisted shape of the leaves and has absolutely nothing to do with spiders or their webs.

Much different than a regular Chinese oolong, this particular variety hails from India and as such has a very peculiar flavour. If I were to draw a similarity, I would have to say that it tastes and smells like an earl grey. The bergamot flavour is more like muscatel grapes and there is no aftertaste. It is a very mild aroma with the lovey rich flavour of oolong.

A generous teaspoon in 90-100 degree water for 3-5 minutes brings out all the lovely flavours of this tea.

As a quick side note, Dr. Oz reports that drinking oolong tea seems to help in weight loss. I would like to report that drinking tea makes the taste buds happy while green, oolong and white teas, which are usually consumed straight, are high in antioxidants and a fantastic calorie free beverage. So indulge!

Next months tea: White Rose

Say Tea

Yesterday I visited Say Tea with my sister in law.

Once you step in, this place feels like a tea shop. It's kinda somber and warm and smells yummy. The shelves are lined with cups and teapots of all kinds from all over the world. We looked at some Japanese cast iron vs. domestic cast iron ones and were surprised that the domestic ones were much heavier than the foreign ones. The travel mugs were very reasonably priced. I almost bought one but was distracted by the hideous pattern (black with neon flowers and a lavender silicone sleeve.) The tea cups were very eclectic. Some very cute and others very ornate.

There are fresh pastries in a tiered platter on the counter and boxed cookies & teas, including Marks and Spencer teas and biscuits. I miss Marks & Sparks. It's good to know you can still get some of their treats locally. Behind the counter in big glass jars there is a large selection of loose teas in big clear jars. Cleverly they've also made up small packages of the blends as samplers for $1.50.

For $2 they will prepare you a cup of tea. I tried the Monk's Blend. It was absolutely delicious! It was strong and dark and rich. The sweet and floral aroma from the orange blossoms is pleasant and not distracting from the tea flavour. I must go back and pick up some more.

A very good tea shop although they could do with some friendlier staff. Not to say they were unfriendly but they seemed a little gloomy.

David's Tea Review Part 2

Jumpy Monkey - I am having great big issues with this one right out of the package. It has coffee beans in it! COFFEE BEANS! Why on earth would anyone going to David's Tea want coffee in their beverage?

Pure Chai - Maybe David's Tea needs a lesson in terminology. Chai literally means tea therefore pure chai should mean pure tea. This however is heavily saturated with cinnamon. Really, it's the only thing you can taste. Like a candy heart without the heat.

Dragon Pearls - Beautifully rolled little marbles of tea leaves with a strong jasmine scent and rich oolong flavour. When they do real tea, they do it well.

Vanilla Oolong - Smells fantastic and was incredible as a candle but as a tea, it's similar to liquid soap. The vanilla aroma is far too strong and artificial that you can't really pay attention to the tea itself. If you try it while holding your breath, it tastes ok... Better off as a candle.

Japanese Sencha - Don't use too much of this at a time or it will taste too grassy but when used sparingly and in not too hot water then it has a nice fresh flavour. It is also organic.

Cream of Earl Grey - Not too bad. Again it smells fantastic and although I am not usually a fan of Earl Grey I really enjoyed this one. Maybe it's the cream of but the bergamot flavour wasn't as powerful in this one. It's the vanilla that makes the cream and it's absolutely lovely.

Overall, I find that David's Tea is really made for non-tea drinkers. The teas they promote and box up into very pretty boxes are fruity and floral and spicy and sweet. They smell great and they taste like everything except for tea. Not the place for an avid tea lover. I appreciate they trying to bring tea to a wider audience but for me it's just fancy flavours in a pretty package.

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!