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?

Ancient Forest Black

Origin: Yunnan, China

Fair Trade Certified, Biodynamic & Organic

Brewing: 100C for 3-5 minutes with milk and sugar to taste

Description: A strong bold tea best consumed early in the morning or when you need a healthy boost of energy. This is no delicate tea. It's astringent and has a slight spice to it, like bitter cinnamon.

History: Chosen more for it's origin than it's flavour, Ancient Forest Black is from the Ancient Protected Tea Forests of Yunnan, China. This forest is the oldest human planted tea forest in the world with trees ranging in age from 500-3000+ The oldest tree in the world is found on this plantation and is rumoured to be 3750 years old.

The picture posted is from a user named Lawrence who took some amazing shots on a trip to Yunnan. See his album here on Picasa.

White Rose

What better tea for the month of February than White Rose? A romantic, sweet white tea with rose petals.

Out of the package it smells a little intoxicating but drop a teaspoon in a cup of almost boiling water and let it steep for 3-5 minutes and the scent mellows to a luscious honey aroma. It's sweet and sensual and absolutely delicious!

White tea is grown almost exclusively in China, (this particular blend is organic and Fair Trade Certified) and refers to the youngest leaves of the camellia sinensis shrub which are allowed to wilt naturally in the sunlight before being lightly roasted to stop the fermenting process. This results in the light, delicate flavour that makes it perfect for pairing. The name white tea comes from the fine silvery white hairs on the buds of the tea plant and also for the whitish gray colour of the infused tea.

Although white tea is usually paired with fruit, the roses are a very nice accompaniment to the tea as the flavour and scent really are very mellow and don't overpower the tea. I've added another favorite to my list.

Thoughts?

Fish

As you may have noticed, I put up some fish! You can feed them if you like. Just click on the water and little yellow pellets appear and the fish rush to eat them. It has really nothing to do with tea except the blue fish are called "Tea House Blue" but it is fun. :)

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)