Month’s Reviews | December 2009

This month the following teas were reviewed in the Tea Colleciton

• Dammann Freres Thé Blanc D’Anji
• Loyd Tea Tea with Mulled Wine Plum
• Tea & Philosophy Tea Star

The making of Blooming Tea

This is an great video about blooming/flowering teas and the most interesting part is towards the end, when they show how these teas are made by hand and what process they go though. It is truly amazing how much work goes into creating one of those and it requires a lot of patience and dedication. 

Month’s Reviews | March 2009

This month the following teas were reviewed in the Tea Colleciton

 

• Revolution Tea Sweet Ginger Peach Tea
  
• Touch Organic Thé Blanc
  
• Dammann Freres French Line L’Atlantique
  
• Dammann Freres French Line 1ére Classe
  
• Shanshan Tea Oolong Tea Milk
  
• Tetley Mandarin Orange White Tea
  
• Double Orchids Mulberry Tea

Dammann Christmas Editions

In time for Christmas Dammann Freres has released three Christmas Teas. These special teas are loose leaf teas and they come in beautiful, decorative caddies. Tea Blanc is a white tea from China with purple blueberry petals, shades of fruited almonds and cherries, with a dash of spices and ginger. Tea Rouge is ceylon/Chinese teas with notes of orange, pineapple, caramel, maraschino with orange rind and fruit pieces. Tea Vert is a green tea from China with orange rinds and pieces of apple, scanted with vanilla, orange and spices.

I have tried Christmas Tea Blanc and I was blown away by its form and aroma. The white tea leaves are mixed with a large amount of pink petals creating dreamy contrast. Combined with the saturated cherry/sakura aroma it creates perfect harmony. I think is is one of the most beautiful and attractive looking teas I have seen so far. The liquor is of pale yellow color just like other white teas and as fragrant as in dry form. I defiantly want to try the two other teas if I have the chance.

These teas unlike a lot of other Christmas teas or winter teas have unusual ingredients. Instead of the traditional cinnamon-clove-raisin combinations they are more exotic, yet they bring the Christmas spirit with them, which I think is fantastic. You can also buy them in a gift box of three.

 

 

Related links – http://www.boutique-dammann.com/

Lipton Red and White Ice Teas

With the rising popularity of tea in the western world, beside our classic black iced tea new tea types started finding their way to the bottle. Among many brands the known and recognized Lipton has brought Red and White Ice Teas to supermarket shelves. I have tasted them both and here is what I think.

Lipton White Tea has the smell resembling sour cabbage – not very pleasant at all. The flavor is much better then the smell, delicate, just like white tea should be, but much more like jasmine scented green tea. It’s not a surprise, since the content lists 0,12% green tea extract and 0,02% white tea extract. At this point I can’t help felling a bit cheated. It’s not very sweet, but rather sour , like lemonade with that slight hint of the mellow white tea taste.

Lipton Red Tea on the other hand is more like a tropical fruit lemonade and resembles tea a lot less then the White variant. The tea content here is 0,1% black tea, 0,05% rooibos and 0,05% red tea. The aroma here is much more friendly – fruity and exotic and the flavor is similar to the previous tea – sour and not too sweet. I don’t feel like this one is related to tea at all.

To sum up the White Tea is more authentic to the tea actual tea, but the Red Tea is much more pleasant to drink. Generally, if you’re on the go, they are ok (a better choice then Coca-Cola), but I’m not at all satisfied with the quality and that the content of actual tea in those is ridiculously low.  

Recycled tea

Sometimes, after you’ve made your tea, you feel like it’s such a pity to throw the infused leaves away (especially if it’s and expensive or rare tea). Well, I found this article on Product Dose about recycling tea some time ago and I have been doing it since. There is a certain satisfaction to being able to use the same leaves twice for different purposes, however it doesn’t come hassle-free. If you want to recycle tea you have to be determined, decide what you’ll be reusing the tea for and have a plan.

I decided to recycle only one type of the the one I drink on a regular basis and buy in large quantities, in my case that’s Gunpowder green tea. This way the tea will have a uniform aroma. It’s also best to use unflavored/unscented tea, which is not blended with other ingredients, with the exception of Jasmine tea). I wouldn’t advise recycling teas other then green and white, because the idea of recycling is to either enjoy the tea aroma or its benefits.

After you have made your tea, you take them out of the infuser and spread them either on a clean piece of paper or on a plate. It’s good if the leaves are as little clumped as possible. You can let them dry naturally or put them over the element and take them off once they have completely dried.

Product Dose gives the following suggestions of what you can do with the recycled leaves

Bathing

Green tea is great for your skin. Potent in antioxidants, green tea has been found to protect the skin against free radical damage and has been linked to skin cell rejuvenation. For simple use in the bath, fill a cotton bag with tea leaves and place into hot water. The tea will essentially steep in the water, and your skin will soak up the beneficial brew. Once the leaves have fully opened, you can then also rub your body with the tea bag, more acutely exposing your skin to the tea leaves (I can also suggest making a strong essence of the recycled leaves instead of using the leaves themselves, so you can just pour the essence into your bathtub).

Cat Litter

Because green tea is a natural odor absorber, recycled green tea leaves can be used in a cat litter box to minimize the smell. Green tea is also characterized by natural anti-bacterial properties, creating a more sanitary environment when used in a litter box. Simply scatter dried tea leaves within the cat’s litter.

Cleaning (Carpet, Mats, Flooring)

Because tea leaves reduce odor and eliminate bacteria, they are an ideal natural element in cleaning floors and floor coverings. For carpets, spread dried tea leaves and brush them gently over the area, allowing the leaves to crumble into dust; then vacuum the remains up off of the carpet. For flooring and mats, wrap tea leaves in a damp cloth, squeeze it the cloth, and simply wipe the floor, cleaning and polishing the surface.

Cleaning (Cutting Board)

Similarly to the way that green tea can be used to clean flooring, it is also useful for taking odors out of cutting boards, as well as your hands. After preparing an odorous food on a cutting board, rinse the board with water. Spread recycled green leaves over the board and rub the board with your hands, rinsing with water afterward. The interaction between the green leaves and both the cutting surface and your hands will reduce odor in both.

Eye Pads

Because green tea is so beneficial in rejuvenating protecting the skin against free radical damage, it is ideal for reducing puffiness around the eyes. Fill a cotton bag with used green tea, dampen, and place on your eyelids.

Incense

Green tea is an ideal odor absorber, but it is also fragrant when burned as incense. A variety of incense burners, suitable for tea leaves, are available, but the leaves can also be burned within a ceramic pot or container. A boiling pot, with shallow water, containing tea leaves can also give off a pleasant aroma when gently simmering.

Mouth Wash

Using green tea leaves when gargling can both fight bad breath and kill bacteria in the mouth. Tea also contains fluorine, which strengthens teeth and fights both cavities and gingivitis.

Natural Manure

Green tea is a helpful ingredient to compost, but it can also be use don its own to enhance plant growth. Place tea leaves near the root and cover with dirt, preventing the growth of surface mold.

Pillows

Although it sounds weird at first, dried green tea leaves are an excellent option for an organic pillow. Not only soft when used in bulk, the faint aroma of the leaves is also a natural sleep enhancer. A pillow-sized mass of tea leaves will take you a while to collect, but, once you do, air out the pillow outside once a week to avoid mustiness.

Refrigerator Deodorizer

Because of its odor enhancing properties, green tea is an ideal deodorizer for the refrigerator. Because refrigeration can effect the taste of new tea, recycling used tea leaves in this capacity is recommended.

Rust Prevention

The antioxidant properties of Catechin, contained in green tea, have been found to protect iron from rust. The ingredient can create a thin coat on the surface of ironware, keeping away rust. Simply wrap tea leaves in a dry cloth, squeeze it, and with the surface of your pots and pans.

Guide to Chinese White Tea

White tea is an unoxidised type of tea, that consists of youg leaves and buds. This type of tea is specific to the Fujian province in China (except for a few other variations like assam white, darjeeling white and ceylon white teas). Below are the five types of Chinese White tea.

Bai Hao Yin Zhen “Silver Needle” – highest grade Chinese white tea. It consists only of buds that have long, needle-like shape, pale green and covered with small white hairs. Overall the tea has a uniform appearance, with no twigs or leaves. The liquor is very delicate and smooth with light and fresh fragrance, slightly sweet.

Pai Mu Tan “White Peony” – usually considered as one grade lower then Bai Hao Yin Zhen, for this tea the bud and two top leaves are picked. The tea is picked between March and April on non-rainy and non-humid days. The brew is clear and shimmering, with a golden color and a floral fragrance. The liquor is devoid of astringency or grassy flavor. leaves are naturally withered and dried in the sun

Gong Mei “Tribute Eyebrow” – this tea is more processed then the two previous white teas and is also a lower grade (3rd grade tea). The leaves are this tea come from Xiao Bai trees – small withe tea trees. Consists of young leaves and no buds. It has a dark and full taste and is often served with Dim Sum. The name ‘eyebrow’ comes from the curved shape of leaves used.

Shou Mei “Longevity Eyebrow” – along with Gong Mei is a lower grade tea, more oxidised the first two, picked after Yin Zhen and Pai Mu Tan. Consists of upper leaves and tips collected between April-June. The leaves are large and bold Flavor and appearance-wise is often compared to oolong teas.

Fujian New Craft White Tea – a new white tea, its production process was developed in the 60s to increase overall white tea production. This process consists of three steps – withering, slight rolling and drying. The leaves have a long, curled appearance and a dark green/brownish color and the tea liquor was a weak fragrance, but strong taste. This tea is made of leaves less tender then the ones used in White Peony or Longevity Eyebrow.

Guides – Chinese Oolong | Chinese Yellow | Chinese Red | Japanese Tea

Teaposy Blooming Tea

Teaposy offers a wide selection of beautfully blooming teas. I watched this video showing the teas they offer and it makes me want to try them soon.

Not much more to say. I thought Red Song looks very exciting. They offer different packges, each contains 6 teas andyou can chack them all out on their website. More on the teas once I’ve tried them.

Related links – http://www.teaposy.com/