English Breakfast and muffins

Hello everyone! This is going to be a quick post because... well... I really don't have much to say on this one.

Name: English Breakfast
Type: Black
Company: Taylors of Harrogate
Purchased: In room tea at the Marriot O' Hare Hotel
Comments: Dry. I don't really understand how a tea can leave your mouth feeling dry but this one is good at doing that. The taste overall isn't anything special. But then again as you all know, I'm not especially fond of English Breakfast Tea. But I will still keep drinking it in hopes of one day finding one that I don't think is bland.

What do you think of English breakfast tea?

Grey sky, Grey tea

This one is for all you Earl Grey lovers. Besides Chamomile, the in-room tea that I brought back with me also included Earl Grey and this one is very pleasent. Not too over powering and has the right blend of Bergamot and black tea. Perfect for a day like today where it's raining, thundering and getting increasingly darker. (Is thundering a word? What an odd one that is)

Name: Earl Grey
Type: Black
Company: Numi
Purchased: In-room tea
Comments: Very smooth. Good hot, warm, and cold. No harsh after taste. In fact, not much after taste at all. It just ends on a fine note and leaves you wanting another sip.

Thunder with snow on the grounf is weird isn't?

The Noir

         Yesterday, while waiting for the hotel bus to come pick us up I was sitting by the fireplace in the lobby. A nice lady came by and asked me if I would like a cup of coffee. course I don't drink coffee so I asked her if I could switch that with a cup of tea. She walked into the hotel restaurant and brought me out a cup of black tea. As I sat there sipping it I thought that it could use a bit of honey or lemon to it. I'm not a major fan of black breakfast teas but this one was alright.

Name:  Awake
Type: Black
Company: Tazo
Purchased: Given to me by the nice restaurant lady
Comments: If you like breakfast tea you will enjoy this one. I thought it could use a bit of honey or lemon but over all not bad on its own.


What is your favorite time to drink tea?

Blue sky and Black tea

     Even though it is cold outside it is absolutely gorgeous!  The way the sun hits the snow just right makes it so sparkley. I am currently drinking Genmaicha but as I was digging through our tea cupboard I realized that I didn't post about this most recent Earl Grey I had purchased. Now as far as boxes of tea goes they usually come in packs of 20 give or take 10. So when I got home and realized I had purchased a box that had fifty, I crossed my fingers tightly in hopes that it would be good. As I poured my hot water over the tea bag the next morning, a light scent of rich black tea mixed with the perfect amount of Bergamot floated up to my nose. I let it steep for a good 4 minutes and then tested the taste. You can find out the conclusion below:

Name: Earl Grey
Type: Black
Company: Ahmad Tea
Purchased: Tjmaxx
Comments: Not only does it have a pleasing scent but the taste is wonderful. It's light enough that people who don't like strong teas can drink it. However, it has a strong enough flavor that heavy tea drinkers that like lots of flavor will be pleased. I know that sounds weird but that is the best description I could think of.

Do you have a favorite Earl Grey?

oh btw: I named my car Earl Grey

Yunnan Black Tea

         
        You can discover coffee and tea shops in the weirdest places. Yesterday I was walking around the Mall of America with a couple of friends looking for a specialty coffee and tea shop. Instead of being out in the open like most of the stores, this one was hidden in the back of Sears. Which is surprising not because of where it is but because of the amount of specialty coffee and teas it has. I was going to pick up some Pu-erh but their bulk tea had yeast on it and so you had to go through this long process to clean it and quite honestly I don't feel like risking my health. So instead I went with the tea below.

Name: Yunnan Special Grade Organic ( I think it's gold tip Yunnan but I am unsure because he didn't mark it)
Type: Black, Yunnan
Company: Coffee and Tea LTD
Purchased: Coffee And Tea Shop in Sears in the Mall of America
Comments/Taste: Smooth and some what smoky flavor. It's a very unique black tea.


If you wish to learn more on the History of Yunnan Tea visit this website. It's short and informative. http://www.tuochatea.com/history_of_yunnan_tea.htm

Chai day

        When was the last time you had a chai and thought to yourself wow this is really good? Most of the chai 'lattes' these days from big name coffee shops are a powdered mixture or a syrup. If you asked my opinion Caribou has the best (especially if you like the traditional slightly more spicy chai). Starbucks has an intensely sweet chai (sorry couldn't stand it) and Dunn Brothers is somewhere in the middle. Generally I have a hard time finding a good chai from a packet but today I hit the jackpot! We walked into a new restaurant called Reve 324. I ordered a Coconut chai and was somewhat disappointed when they handed me a cup of hot water and a tea packet. However, as the tea steeped and the smell came out I started to change my mind. The taste was amazing. Neither the chai nor the coconut tried to overpower one another. And to add to the greatness; it was all organic. Here's all the info in case you wish to try out this or another type of their tea.

Name: Coconut Chai
Type: chai, Ceylon (a Sri Lanken Tea), black
Company: Zhena's Gypsy Tea
Purchased: Reve 324
Comments: Awesome. Can be steeped for a long time without any bitterness. I would love to try their other tea.

Have a favorite place to get chai, where do you go?

The Earl of Grey

     People who drink tea and those who don't probably know of the name Earl Grey. It's one of the most famous teas in the world. Earl Grey is black tea that is blended with the oil from the rind of the Bergamot Orange. The tea is named after the 2nd Earl Grey, British Prime Minister. You can search Google for that name and find pictures of him.

Name: Earl Grey
Type: Black, Organic Bergamot Oil
Company/Purchased: Trader Joes
Comments: I'm a very picky Earl Grey drinker. If its too bitter I can't drink it but if there is too much Bergamot it reminds me the smell of sterile hospitals. This one is a pretty good blend of both, though its a bit on the bitter side.

Company: Bigelow
Purchased: Cub Foods (i think...)
Comments: Needs no longer then three minutes for it's full flavor.

Type: Black, Fruit oil,
Company: Twinings
Purchased: Free tea bag from Marriott Hotel
Comments: Typical hotel tea taste. Nothing too special to be honest. Would taste good with a bit of milk.

 Company/Purchased : World Market
Comments: One of my favorite Earl Grey teas. Has a wonderful flavor and is not too bitter. Perfect balance. Steep till 5 mins but not past 8 mins.

Name: Aged Earl Grey
Type: Italian Bergamot, Black
 - No oil in this one. Actully this is quite interesting; read here: http://victorallens-coffee.stores.yahoo.net/numteaagearg.html
Company: Numi
Purchased: TJMaxx
Comments: The World Market brand was good but then I tried this one and thought I went to Earl Grey heaven. The smell is amazing, the taste is amazing. I need to get more!

Got anymore for me to try out? Let me know!

Tasty Tea

 

   Kia Ora and good morning! (Kia is hello in Maori {which is the indigenous language of New Zealand}

           - Pronounced: kia (key-ya) ora (or-a) and Maori (mow-ree like read)

           There are many many many black tea flavors out there. But of all that I have tried so far the Blackcurrant black tea has my number one spot. Blackcurrant is a species of berry resident to central and northern Europe and northern Asia. It is a dark purple color and very high in vitamin C.

Name: Blackcurrant Black Tea

Type: Black, blackcurrant

Company: Twinings of London

Purchased: World Market

Taste: This is my favorite of the blackcurrant teas I’ve tried. Such a rich and happy flavor.

Name: China White Blackcurrant

Type: White, blackcurrant

Company: Harrisons & Crosfield

Purchased: Brit’s Pub in Minneapolis

Taste: don’t steep longer than 2 minutes, becomes too intense. However, it seems that if milk is added it gains a new and interesting flavor. And again never add milk and lemon.

Sometime I’m going to stop by Indigo and taste their Blackcurrant that they sell in bulk. It smelled really good.

Haere rā

Tea Time Ladies and Gents!

      Fancy a spot of tea? If you do then perhaps I can take a bit of your time to tell you about a very well known tea called English Breakfast. Often served with milk or a slice a lemon, but never both because lemon will curdle the milk. This tea can be found in just about any coffee shop you go into to.  Over at the coffee shop I work at, Dunn Bros, they use the Mighty Leaf brand of tea for their hot tea as well as their bulk iced tea mix. Although it is called English Breakfast, this tea is really good for any time of the time. Personally I like to drink black teas at night and green teas during the morning.

Name: English Breakfast

Type: Black, Keenum Chinese black tea

Company/ Purchased: Bigelow / From a hotel (Hey I didn’t steal it. All I did was take the free ones in the room)

Company/Purchased: Mighty Leaf / Dunn Bros

Company/ Purchased: Tea of Life / Tj Maxx

Taste: Very rich taste and almost enough caffeine to rival a cup of coffee. Most people like to drink their tea hot but I prefer to wait for the full flavor.  Many times when I drink tea I find that the pinnacle of taste comes when it reaches 100 degrees F. This I find is especially true for black tea.

Cheerio

Tea + Bubble + Milk = Bubble Tea!

We're going to take a slight detour today and talk about a new fad in tea land.

Bubble Tea!

Bubble tea is tea, usually black tea, served with boba balls (prepared by mixing tapioca and carrageenan powder). The liquid part of it is called milk tea. This can then be blended with other flavors such as Lychee, Jasmine, kiwi, etc. I won’t go into it too much because there is a lot more to milk tea then one would think. Just Wiki and find the extra info you want. You can also get bubble tea without the bubbles (or pearls as they are really called) but what is the fun in that?

The tea house I currently buy my drink infatuation from is called Indigo. It's a small shop located in Burnsville, MN. They have by far some of the best tea I have ever had. Not to mention their bubble tea is just astounding. So far I’ve tried both their black and green versions, and I am happy to say that both are great. While you can get the traditional types of bubble tea, I am hooked on the Taro flavored bubble tea. Sounds gross right? I know, but the flavor is amazing. It has a somewhat chocolaty taste to it. I first learned of Taro from an encounter with Poi in Hawai’i. That is a whole other story in itself.

 For now here's a quick look into the others I’ve had:

Taro Coconut Bubble Tea – Made with black milk tea

-  Its good but almost a little too flavorful; if that's possible. It's one of those drinks where you want to stop but can't.

 Honeydew Bubble Tea – Made with green milk tea

 - Really tastes like honeydew melon! It was amazing. Not my favorite but one I would recommend it to other people who like honeydew melon.

 Strawberry Lychee Bubble Tea – Made with black milk tea

 -  I think I was in heaven when I first tasted it. The combination of tropical Lychee with good old strawberry made for a great taste combination. I was told it is also good with raspberry.

I'm finishing up my Taro Coconut at the moment. So many pearls at the bottom!  Oh, word of advice, if you don't like tapioca don't get the pearls.

If you are new to bubble tea and are not sure of what to try just go with your tried and true favorite flavors to mix with your tea. If you need suggestions let me know!
Adiós!