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A Vintage Grosvenor Teacup and Saucer - http://www.friendshiptea.net/feeds/8331679440427410148/comments/default

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Salada Tea Announces Top 10 Finalists in First-Ever Nationwide Consumer Spokesperson Search
(from a press release)

Salada Tea, the company that encourages tea drinkers to switch from bottled tea to freshly brewed tea made with tea bags because of the wellness, environmental and cost benefits, has announced the top 10 finalists in the nationwide search for its first-ever consumer spokesperson. The spokesperson will help spread Salada’s “Unbottle Your Tea” message through tips and suggestions for living an all-natural lifestyle, blogging, tweeting and attending health and environmentally focused events across the country. For his or her efforts, the spokesperson will earn $10,000.

Between May 3 and June 13, 2010, nutritionists, trainers, fitness instructors and tea lovers from across the country visited unbottleyourtea.com/spokesperson to submit an entry form and upload a video explaining why they are the perfect choice for the job of spokesperson.

After reviewing the submissions, Salada Tea has narrowed the field down to the top 10 finalists:
more

Adagio Teas triniTea Tea Maker
Breville BTM800XL Tea Maker

Salada Tea Announces Top 10 Finalists - http://www.teaguyspeaks.com/feeds/5595331821999201953/comments/default

[-] When you think New York City, you don't think of crashing waves, white-sand beaches littered with shimmering blue shells, or cool, salt-spray breezes tangling your hair.


And you certainly don't think of fish tacos and iced matcha.

Well, maybe it's time to.


Rockaway Beach is one of those gems of the city, so un-urban it's hard to believe a subway brought you there. And while I'm a firm believer in the beauty New York exudes every day, this spot is a particularly breathtaking example. (And this is coming from someone who grew up on the Atlantic Ocean.)

The beach may get a little crowded on the weekends, but if you can manage to trek out here during a sultry weekday afternoon, you will not be disappointed. Even if you don't go for a swim- which is tantamount to crime in this heat- it's worth the journey for the most authentic fish taco ($3) I've ever had on the East Coast, courtesy of Rockaway Taco (95-19 Rockaway Beach Boulevard, Queens): crispy, hot fried fish; crunchy, sweet and spicy bites of shredded cabbage and radish; a bright squeeze of lime and inevitably, all over your hands and face as you devour it.



Chase it with an icy, vibrant green cold matcha ($4; supplied by Matcha Source) from Veggie Island right next door, and you may never want to leave. This adorable coffee shop/organic vegetable market also has an extensive selection of house-made herbal iced teas ($2.50), such as black mint, nettle and sorrel.


Unfortunately, I'd put away three tacos at this point, so I had to vow to try them on my next visit- I didn't want to have to wait another 45 minutes before jumping into the water.


Although, looking back at the pictures, this meal was quite possibly worth a life-threatening cramp while swimming. There are certainly worse ways to go.

Such a Beach - http://teaspotnyc.blogspot.com/feeds/8754873414154214353/comments/default

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its now officially been added to my DIY Future Projects Folder on my Desktop. Along side a pair of Lace Sunglasses, Vintage Apron and of course a Afternoon Tea Dress.

These neat Tea Glasses were found on the Country Living Magazine Website. I think they are just fabulous and what better than to sip from Fine China then sipping from Fine China that is even that much closer to your mouth - perched up on a Stem. Amen!

Check out how to make them yourself at this link. I will be crafting some sooner rather than later, and of course I will be back to brag to you all once done (and by brag to you all I mean tell you all the fabulou comments I get from fashion haters and or innocet passer-bys). 

However..... if someone gets the heart to make some before me... please send me an e-mail with photos - I'd love to share them with all my readers!

I shall leave you with the other items I mentioned above in the DIY Future Projects file that sits on my Desktop... waiting patiently for me to make some time.


XOXO
Yours Truly



Fine China with a Stem... - http://lahteadah.blogspot.com/feeds/40147813308588430/comments/default

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Just like wine connoisseurs, tea aficionados appreciate the difference in aroma and taste of teas, which is dependent on factors  like harvest time, growing region, soil texture and climate. Single origin teas can therefore have subtle changes in their character from year to year or region to region.  Many tea drinkers also enjoy the consistency of a blend and count on their favorite English or Irish Breakfast blend to have the same flavor profile each time they buy it.  No matter how we like our teas and what we appreciate in particular, somebody has to evaluate and ascertain their quality.

The daily tea production is cupped and evaluated by professional tea tasters in a very structured way. During this process, the tea taster examines the color and feel of the dry and infused leaf, the aroma of the infused leaf and finally the color and flavor in the cup.

1. Cupping begins with measuring the tea. The dry leaves are laid out  in rows on the tasting bench. The taster weighs a specific amount of each tea and places it in a special small brewing vessel. Sometimes this is a lidded mug (Gaiwan) or a small porcelain teapot. The brewing vessels are always white so that the color of the infusion is easier to assess.
2.  Boiling water for black teas, and slightly cooler water for green and white teas,  is poured over the leaves which are then allowed to steep for 3-6 minutes depending on the type of  tea.
3. The infusion is then poured into tasting bowls and the infused leave is collected on the lid of the brewing mug. 
4. The tea taster will compare the aroma of the infused leaf to the aroma of the infusion and finally taste the tea to assess its character and particularities. He noisily slurps the tea from a spoon and makes sure that all taste buds are engaged before spitting the tea into a container.

 Tea tasters taste hundreds of samples of different teas and tea blends every day. It is a task that requires keen senses and a refined palate – something that is cultivated over many years.  In fact, it takes a long time to become a professional in this art. At least five years of training are needed before becoming a tea master, however even after many decades of tasting, these experts will tell you that they are still learning and refining their skills.

At Souvia,  you can catch a glimpse of what tea tasting is all about. Our tea classes are starting up again in August with an exquisite tasting of Oolongs – also called the champagne of teas!

The Art of Cupping Tea - http://souviatea.com/blog/2010/07/23/the-art-of-cupping-tea-2/

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My Long Distance "Pot Luck" Tea Sandwich Recipes - http://www.friendshiptea.net/feeds/4146774106144314648/comments/default

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Summer is here, accompanied by sunshine, heat, and of course, iced tea.  The warm summer days almost always warrant a refreshing, cold beverage that quenches our thirst as well as satisfies our taste buds.  But watch out!  There are imitation iced teas lurking in the grocery store aisles that tempt us with their convenience and sweet taste.  Ready-to-Drink (RTD) iced teas have quickly become a sweet sell for companies who, on average, gross well over 70 million dollars a year on bottled beverages.  These teas - though some may be tasty - lack components that avid tea drinkers find necessary to enjoy a good glass of iced tea.

RTD iced teas are developed in labs, with food scientists and chemicals, and…high fructose corn syrup.  The iced tea that many people grew up with was natural sun tea or brewed iced tea, which were fortunately not heavily processed nor filled with preservatives to ensure an extended shelf life.  From the standpoint of someone who enjoys natural tastes and ingredients, home-brewed iced tea is a healthier and more fitting choice.  I do, however, enjoy a quick iced tea and have occasionally stopped at a store to pick one up.  It was not until recently that I checked nutrition labels and found high sugar levels, high sodium levels, and an ingredients list that made my eyes weary.

RTD iced teas are a wonderful idea because they are simple, delicious, and quick, but many of them are loaded with ingredients that alter the good nature of the tea itself.  The easiest way for a true iced tea lover to make iced tea convenient is to make it in advance; plan ahead for your iced tea desires.  The most common method of making iced tea is to brew hot tea and let the tea cool until it reaches room temperature.  Then serve it over ice.  This preparation means that the iced tea is readily available when you are running out the door to the beach, going on your morning commute, hurrying to work, or doing errands.  Some might argue that homemade iced tea is not as sweet or fruity as the brand-name iced teas are.  What’s the quick fix to satisfy your sweet tooth?  Add fruit, lemon, or a little sugar to the tea.  By making iced tea at home, you reduce the calories and unnecessary ingredients that may be harmful to those at risk for certain illnesses.

The alternative to a highly processed iced tea is a highly personalized homemade iced tea.  Try some soon!

MAIN | IMAGE 1

The advantages of homemade iced tea - http://www.tching.com/2010/07/the-advantages-of-homemade-iced-tea/

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2005 Guyi - Yubang "Yiwu Zhengshan" - http://half-dipper.blogspot.com/feeds/8251854859110913957/comments/default

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Tea-Rex ...What??!!?? - http://lahteadah.blogspot.com/feeds/5143885776543641984/comments/default

[-] I have read a few interesting tea blog articles over the last few days and thought some of them worth sharing.

This article 'Whose Tea Is That?' by Michael J Coffey of 'Tea Geek' has been getting quite a bit of kudos in my Twitter stream - deservedly so. Michael points out that most of the time we just don't know where our tea is coming from - and what's more, can you really say that one company's tea is better than another if they originally came from the same source? What is there to like about one, but not the other, in this case?

The issue is not just confined to single-origin unblended teas, either; in fact perhaps it's even more problematic in the case of flavoured teas. Take this quote from Charles Cain, who writes a fascinating blog about the process of opening a bricks and mortar tea store for a large US tea company, Adagio:

The supply chain for most teas sold in the US is ridiculously incestuous. Half of wholesalers buy from other wholesalers. It's not uncommon to find the same flavored tea, blended by the same large wholesaler, sold at dramatically different price points under the names of quite a few smaller wholesalers. Many independent retailers pride themselves on choosing only the finest teas for their collection. As proof of this, they buy from many different tea wholesalers. I've heard shop owners boast of having more than 30 tea vendors. The incredible irony is that I've also heard tea wholesalers boast of selling to the same shop owner under the name of a half dozen different companies. 

Read the rest of Charles' article here. Kind of depressing, isn't it. I suspect that things are not that different in Australia, although perhaps on a smaller scale; I know that in most retail tea shops I see a whole bunch of very similar blends, sometimes under slightly different names (think Monk Pear-type blends, French Earl Grey variants, Blue Mountain blends etc etc) that almost have to be imported from a bulk tea supplier somewhere in the world. They're just too similar to be individually made by each of the shops concerned. I'm not saying that these shops have NO originality because most of them probably do in some areas. I've just always found it a bit disappointing I suppose when I find that something I thought was unique actually isn't.

On the plus side it does mean you can shop around til you find the tea you like at the best price! Cloud, silver lining, etc.

Enough with the grumping, I didn't mean for this to be a depressing entry. Let's cheer ourselves up with a post from the awesome Stephane at Tea Masters (if you can't read the French, he does post a lot in English, and his photos are always worth a look). In this one he brews up a low-mountain oolong from Zu Shan and explains how important it is when starting out with tea to really get a feel for it. It can be so tempting to get a lot of small amounts of different teas and not really learn how all the variables (water, temperature, amount of leaf, even time of day) affect a single tea and your enjoyment of it. This is really sound advice and something I am going to pay more attention to.

Tea Stuff Roundup - http://joiedetea.blogspot.com/feeds/8125520198598230664/comments/default