Brewing a delicious cup of tea is an art form that requires care and attention to detail. In this comprehensive guide, you will learn all about brewing loose leaf tea, from why it is so much better than bagged teas,...
We prefer organic teas over conventional teas because of the positive impact it has on the ecology. The taste of the tea is even better, especially when you learn all the good that organic tea farming can bring. In place...
A quick rinse of the tea leaf once before making a cup can reduce the caffeine content of the tea. True or false?
If you are a caffeine-sensitive person who loves tea, you might often have been offered this work-around - rinse the leaves for a quick 30 seconds, and only then use the leaf to make your cup.
I've put this video together mainly for our customers who have seen me serve tea using our Yixing tea pots and bought the pots to try at home. I have tried to keep it simple - just showing you the basic steps for multiple steeping of tea, a style known as Gong Fu cha in China and Taiwan. The term "Gong Fu" - same as Kung Fu, which many of us are familiar with - means anything that is coducted with great effort or skill. "Cha" is tea in Chinese.
Oolongs and puerh teas are best brewed in this method. However, we have also tried Darjeeling with fairly pleasing results. Actually, if you have the patience you might be able to brew any kind of tea using this method! Remember this is a matter of "great effort".
So which tea did Queen Mary (1867-1953) so prize that she had to keep it locked in a cupboard?
According to James Norwood Pratt, pioneer of the current tea wave in the USA, it was "a fine Darjeeling with a pronounced muscatel flavor." This was the Queen Mary Tea Twinings sold as the personal choice of the late Queen Mary, he adds, in his book The Tea Lovers' Treasury.
A bit of internet "research" showed that Twinings had launched this tea in 1916 and discontinued it only in 2007, after over 91 years! It is amazing the brand lasted so long. But we amuse ourselves with the thought that they could have given it 10 more years and let it retire at a more auspicious and grand 100 years! That is if they had to drop this tea from their stable.
Selecting good tea can sometimes be daunting. But there are a few things that can be kept in mind which will guide you in your selection. Tea Bloom: Did you know that a halo is bestowed upon good tea?...
