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.

Midnight Jasmine

Midnight Jasmine

Origin: China

Preparation: 70ºC for 1-3 minutes

The process of infusing the fragrance of jasmine flowers to tea leaves begins with a base of prepared green tea leaves. Sometimes an oolong base is used and although very rare is also sometimes made with a black tea base. The tea leaves are spread on huge trays with jasmine petals and placed in machines which control temperature and humidity for about 4 hours or so. In this time the dry leaves absorb the moisture and aroma of the flowers. The process is repeated sometimes up to 7 times for a more intense jasmine flavour. The petals are then blown away using giant fans and the tea leaves are roasted one final time to ensure it is dry and ready to package. Dried blossoms are sometimes left with the tea for esthetics but they are flavourless.

I found this tea was a bit on the weaker side of jasmine. It may only have been infused once or twice. It's a good tea for the novice jasmine drinker and it's pleasant enough but I would have liked a little more strength from it.

Genmaicha

Origin: Japan

Organic

Brewing Instructions: 80ºC for 1 to 3 minutes

This months tea was chosen to celebrate Japan who remains in our thoughts and hearts after the devastating earthquake, tsunami, volcanic eruption and nuclear disaster. So much destruction in so little time. Heartbreaking. Although donations are desperately needed, purchasing Japanese products goes a long way as well. In honour of this, I present April’s tea: Organic Japanese Genmaicha.

As legend has it, genmaicha was invented when a servant of a Samurai accidentally dropped some rice into his masters tea. The quick tempered Samurai is said to have killed the servant for his incompetence but rather than letting the tea go to waste, drank it anyway and was delighted by the newfound flavour. This rendition is unlikely, as raw or steamed rice in tea would not give the characteristic genmaicha flavours.

It is far more likely that genmaicha was created in rural Japan where the cost of tea was very high and the cost of rice not so much. When it tea was brought over to Japan, it was a drink for the wise and the rich but eventually made it into the cups of commoners as well. To stretch the very expensive leaf, rice was added as filler. The roasted rice added a new layer of flavour to the already popular tea and spread quickly among rural commoners and then to those living in cities as well.

Genmaicha is now enjoyed by people of all walks of life in Japan and all over the world. It is living up to it’s nickname of “the people’s tea” more and more.

Japanese sencha has a very unique taste. The grassy tones of Japanese tea can be overwhelming but the earthiness of the brown rice is a very nice accompaniment as it mellows out the flavour, gives a lovely amber liquid and cleanses the palate so it can be served with or immediately after a meal.

It ranks up in my top 5 favorite teas. What are your thoughts?