Today in Ohio it is a cloudy cold day with the threat of rain. While sitting snug as a bug at home in my cozy sweats, I can’t help thinking about comfort food. Which for me usually equates to something hot and sweet in the winter and cold and sweet in the summer. If you are not familiar with the term “comfort food”, I define it as food that a person is instantly drawn to when feeling strong emotions – positive or negative. Wikipedia defines “comfort food” as familiar, simple foods that are usually home-cooked or eaten at informal restaurants. They are foods that are often emotionally significant to a person or group of people and are sometimes related to pleasant associations of childhood. Either way, I think you get the picture.

Never a stranger to multi-tasking, I find myself engrossed in blogging, tweeting, watching the Bengals’ game while simultaneously thinking about and searching allrecipes.com for comfort food.  I was excited to discover the following recipe for Indian Chai Hot Chocolate, as it appeals to my winter comfort food craving – hot and sweet to taste while easy to prepare.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup milk
• chai tea**
• 1 (.55 ounce) package instant hot chocolate mix

Directions

1. Mix water and milk together
2. Bring to a boil (either microwave or stove top)
3. Pour liquid over chai tea and steep according to tea directions and strain
4. Stir in the hot chocolate mix

** There are many chai options. Some of my favorite chai teas that I would use in this recipe are: Black Vanilla Chai from Dragonwater Tea, Original Masala Chai from Yogic Chai, or Indian Spice from Harney and Sons Fine Teas.  If you are not a loose tea drinker or prefer the convenience of a tea bag, feel free to substitute for this recipe.

I hope you enjoy creating and drinking this winter treat. Please return to share your experience. Until then… Happy Tea Drinking!

Everyone knows that Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving. Even more importantly, it is the retail shopping event of the year  and the kick-off for holiday shopping. But have you ever heard of Cyber Monday?  For you techy types, you are probably well aware of the term Cyber Monday. However, for those of you who are still in the dark…

Cyber Monday is the Black Friday of e-commerce. It is the Monday following Thanksgiving and represents the kick-off of Internet holiday shopping. So if you missed Black Friday… No problem! Pull out your computer and begin e-tailing!

In honor of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, I have compiled a list of fantastic tea companies, who in the spirit of holiday shopping are offering some awesome deals.  Find great gift-giving ideas for your friends, family and co-workers. Don’t forget to add a little something special in the shopping cart for yourself.

Let the shopping begin!

It is always exciting to find a new tea related product. Especially one that adds convenience to tea drinking.

Recently, I received a Mighty Leaf Tea – Tea Top Brew Mug. The travel mug is stainless steel which is great for keeping beverages hot or cold. The body is shaped perfectly for holding the mug while walking, driving, or curled up with a book in Barnes and Noble. My only complaint – the steel on the top portion of the mug can become pretty warm and uncomfortable to hold when full of hot tea.  However, the remainder of the mug remains cool and easy to handle. Additionally, I was specifically enamored with the extra-large spout. As the proud owner of several stainless steel mugs, it is quite irritating when air bubbles form under the lid, pop and hot tea shoots through burning my lips.  Not a problem with the Tea Top Brew Mug.

But the greatest thing about the Tea Top Brew Mug, is on the opposite side of the lid – there is a slit made especially for tea bags. A bit picky about the quality of my tea, I was excited to test the Tea Top lid with one of my loose-leaf tea sachets.  It was simple – after sliding the tea sachet/bag tag through the slit the bag itself dangled into the Tea Top Brew Mug while steeping. Once complete, the slit is made wide enough for the sachet to be pulled partially through while sipping tea (see picture to the right). The bottom half of the tea bag fits neatly into the special molding of the lid.  I must report, it worked like a charm… no mess… no fuss…  What an awesome travel mug!

Purchase your own Tea Top Brew Mug

Retailer: Mighty Leaf Tea

Price: $12.95

Size: 12 ounce

After enjoying a late breakfast/early lunch, I decided to brew a small pot of tea and snack on some delicious bread pudding my husband purchased for me a few days ago. I figure, after eating a healthy meal and spending 30 minutes doing a yoga tape, I should be entitled to a sinfully sweet dessert. Shouldn’t I? In my opinion, nothing pairs better with an incredibly rich dessert than a delicious oolong. Of course, I’ll enjoy a cup of tea first, then eat my bread pudding paired with a second cuppa tea. Today’s choice… Oriental Beauty-First Prize also known as Dong Fang Mei Ren or Bai Hao.

Composition: Taiwanese oolong harvested at the end of spring.

Dry Visual: Very dark reddish-brown leaves dominate. Tips are present with a splattering of light green leaves. The leaves are withered, long and somewhat curled.

Dry Aroma: Sweet with a honey scented aroma.

Flavor: Oriental Beauty has a lovely taste. Somewhat full-bodied, this tea is complex. It is very floral yet sweet. The sweetness which I tasted more on the back of the tongue was that of honey and a fruitiness I could not quite discern. Some experts have claimed peach, I would love to hear your thoughts. I have steeped Oriental Beauty on several occasions playing with the steeping time. When steeped for a longer period of time, this tea also presents a toasted flavor. There is even a honey-flavored aftertaste long after the cup is gone.

I found the brew to have little astringency (no bitterness, but a subtle dry feel in the mouth).  Nevertheless, no sweetener was needed nor would I recommend it.

Liquor: A rich yellow hue with a hint of red. When steeped for longer periods of time the liquor takes on a reddish or amber hue.

Brewing Time: According to the directions, the recommended steeping time is 3-5 minutes in water that ranges from 190 to 200 degrees F. I have steeped for 3, 4, and 5 minutes for the first infusion. For this tasting, I steeped for 4 minutes.

Manufacturer: TeaSource

Caffeine: Yes.

If you have had the opportunity to enjoy a cup of Oriental Beauty-First Prize, please stop by and share your experience. Until then… Happy Tea Drinking!

When I attended the 2009 World Tea Expo in May, I had the opportunity to meet Beth and Newman Johnston from Teas Etc. During my chat with Beth I learned about the amazing history of 1000 Cranes White Tea Blend.  I thought I would share the story right from the  website of Teas Etc.

“The Story…

Nathan, who has worked with us for the past 4 years, decided to ask Nicole to marry him. It’s not that he asked but HOW he asked that makes this a “story.”  The happy couple was spending the afternoon at one of their favorite places, the Morikami Museum in Delray Beach. There is a Japanese saying that if you give a 1000 cranes and/or receive a 1000 cranes you are granted one wish. It was that day that Nathan presented Nicole a rather large box to open. Inside the box there were 999 white origami cranes that Nathan had laboriously folded 1 by 1. At the bottom was a larger, gold crane number 1000. In that gold crane was the ring which was followed by the proposal. How romantic! Shortly thereafter, Nathan and Nicole put together a list of ingredients with special meaning and the 1000 Crane Blend was born.”

I don’t think I could have told a better story – instead I’ll share the review of 1000 Cranes White Tea Blend.

Composition: Organic bai mu dan (white tea), strawberry white tea, organic strawberry pieces, rose petals, coconut shreds

Dry Visual: A rich variety of color – deep green tea leaves with brown stems present, rusty-red fruit pieces, creamy coconut pieces, mauve and pink leaves. Thanks Teas Etc., for the picture.

Dry Aroma: Absolutely yummy! Floral and fruity sweet I loved to simply sit and inhale the loose tea.

Flavor: 1000 Cranes White Tea Blend is a mild tea blend, characteristic of bai mu dan. A lover of white tea, particularly bai mu dan, I thought this tea was blended very well. The other ingredients – strawberry, rose petal and coconut actually complimented the white tea instead of overpowering it. The strawberry flavor was present from start to finish. I found the rose petal to be less prominent in the start, but definitely present at the finish. I cannot say I was able to easily discern the coconut. I’m brewing another cup for a second opinion.

A full-bodied tea, 1000 Cranes White Tea Blend can easily be enjoyed without sweetener – the method I used to enjoy my first cup. However, in my second cup, I added a little Sugar-In-The-Raw. That is when the coconut really “popped”.  It’s subtle taste was definitely present, yet not overwhelming.  I found the brew to have no astringency; yet, I think I prefer drinking 1000 Cranes White Tea Blend with just a touch of sweetener. I found the tea to be delicious.

Liquor: A rich yellow actually golden hue.

Brewing Time: According to the directions, the recommended steeping time is one (1) teaspoon for 3 – 6 minutes in water that ranges from 180 to 190 degrees F. Initially, I steeped for 3 minutes – tasted, then steeped for an additional 3 minutes using about 1.5 teaspoons fresh leaves each time versus multiple infusions.

Manufacturer: Teas Etc.

Caffeine: Yes.

If you have had the opportunity to enjoy a cup of 1000 Cranes White Tea Blend, please stop by and share your experience. Until then… Happy Tea Drinking!

After enjoying a cup of jasmine green tea before dinner, I needed a treat after dinner. To satisfy the relentless cravings of my insatiable sweet tooth I grabbed a snack consisting of Table Water Crackers, homemade quince paste, and manchego. A girlfriend of mine, and fellow tea lover I might add, makes an awesome quince paste. For those of you that don’t know, Quince paste also known as dulce de membrillo, is a firm, sticky, sweet reddish hard paste made of fruit from the quince tree. It has a sweet taste and a slightly floral flavor. For the trivia lover, quince paste is extremely popular in Southern Europe and the Middle East. Now back to my snack… quince paste tastes great spread on a cracker with manchego – sheep’s milk cheese made in the La Mancha region of Spain. Once my cheese and jam were assembled, I dug in with great fervor and washed it all down with Pomegranate Peach Passion White Tea.

Composition: White Peony Tea, fructose, POM Wonderful Pomegranate Juice from concentrate, POM Wonderful Pomegranate Antioxidant Extract, peach juice from concentrate, passionfruit juice from concentrate, natural flavors, citric acid

Dry Visual: N/A – pre-maid tea juice drink. Many thanks the POM Wonderful website for the picture.

Dry Aroma: Sweet and fruity with peach being the predominate aroma.

Flavor: Pomegranate Peach Passion White Tea is a tasty treat for juice lovers.  I found the tea juice blend to be dominated by the fruit juices – peach, passionfruit, then pomegranate respectively. As one would anticipate from the list of ingredients, this drink is pre-sweetened. I believe the fructose eliminates the tartness often found in pure pomegranate juice. White tea, regardless of whether Bai Mu Dan, Silver Needle, or in this blend White Peony is a very mild tea. Therefore, it is not easily discernible in this tea drink. This in no way detracts from the flavor, as I found Pomegranate Peach Passion White Tea to be delicious as well as a low calorie dessert. However, to set proper expectations, I would characterize this as more of a juice drink versus a tea drink.

Liquor: A pale salmon colored hue.

Brewing Time: N/A as this is a pre-maid juice/tea drink

Manufacturer: POM Wonderful

Caffeine: Yes.

To the left, I have included the nutrition facts for Pomegranate Peach Passion White Tea. This is for the regular version, not the Light. If you have had the opportunity to enjoy a bottle of Pomegranate Peach Passion White Tea, please stop by and share your experience.  Until then… Happy Tea Drinking!

References:

1. Dulce de membrillo. (2009, September 25). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 03:35, October 21, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dulce_de_membrillo&oldid=316087488

2. Manchego cheese. (2009, September 15). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 03:44, October 21, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Manchego_cheese&oldid=314156250

SAVE THE DATE! November 1, 2009, is the date for the next Co-Op Tea Swap! A fantastically fun collaboration between Tea Escapade and Authori+ea. Membership is free!  Here is an opportunity to try new teas, share some of your favorite teas, and meet great people.

To join in on the fun, simply email the following information to Nikki at TeaEscapade@yahoo.com no later than October 31, 2009, to participate in the upcoming December 2009 Swap:

• Name:
• Mailing Address:
• Phone Number:
• Sample Preferences (if any):
• Sample Restrictions (are you allergic to any herbs or ingredients?):
• Referred By:

For more information, visit the Co-Op Tea Swap page found here on Tea Escapade. Don’t miss the opportunity to share your love for tea with others who are just as passionate about tea as you are. Remember to participate in the November Swap all requested information must be received no later than October 31, 2009 , otherwise you will have to wait until the December Swap.

Let the swap begin!

I’ve taken tea on Bahrain’s isle,
Sri Lanka and Hong-Kong,
Where desert sands run mile on mile
And sunlight’s powerful strong;
Tea from the gallery in our plane
Gave ease when flights were long.
In tropic heat, in freezing rain
The tea-cup came along.

Tea in Japan, tea in Malay,
Tea in Aden’s heat.
At cricket on a summer’s day
A tea is hard to beat.
And I remember taking tea in the land of Lorna Doone
With Devon cream – just you and me
Whilst on our honeymoon.

~Jasper Miles, 1994

Drinking tea is more than just an opportunity to rehydrate the body.  It is also an opportunity to relax the mind,  nourish the body,  and challenge one’s intellect.  The tea experience can be enjoyed alone or shared with friends.  Tea crosses cultural and geographical boundaries. Tea is enigmatic in its universality. I invite you to share my experience when drinking Organic Yellow Flower.

Composition: Organic green tea grown in China’s Anhui province

Dry Visual: Rich dark green leaves  resembling thick pine needles with some yellow leaves interspersed throughout.  Additionally a buds are present.  In comparison to other teas, Organic Yellow Flower reminds me somewhat of Anji Bai Cha.

Dry Aroma: Sweet almost sappy aroma. Yet fresh and clean smelling.

Flavor:  Organic Yellow Flower is quite delightful.  Almost delicate, this mild green tea reminds me of  several white teas I have had the pleasure of drinking. While mild, Organic Yellow Flower is surprisingly  fullbodied and consistently floral and clean tasting from start to finish.  Missing is the vegetal quality found in many green teas – I’m not complaining. The aroma is somewhat deceiving in that it is quite aromatic in contrast to the mildness of the liquor.

I found the brew to have little astringency (no bitterness, but a subtle dry feel in the mouth).  Nevertheless, no sweetener was needed nor would I recommend it. Altering the flavor profile would be a concern to me considering the mild nature of the tea.

Liquor: A pale yellow hue.

Brewing Time: According to the directions, the recommended steeping time is 2 minutes in water that ranges from 170 to 180 degrees F.

Manufacturer: Mighty Leaf Tea

Caffeine: Yes.

If you have had the opportunity to enjoy a cup of Organic Yellow Flower, please stop by and share your experience. Until then… Happy Tea Drinking!

Tea pairs well with everything. Just ask the group of amazing women I shared my Saturday afternoon with. About a month ago, my best friend became a Silpada Sales Rep and subsequently asked that I host a Silpada Party. Of course I agreed and in a flash, we planned my “Tea and Bling” party. Translation… a combination jewelry and tea party.

My dining room table held a beautiful display of jewelry, while my kitchen table held an awesome display of tea cups, tea foods and tea treats. A perfect setting for afternoon tea. In preparation for the party and to ensure I was able to keep the tea flowing, I purchased two fun little teapots from The English Tea Store – the Amsterdam 2 Cup Infuser Teapot in Burgundy and Sahara. The Sahara pot is pictured on the left and the Burgundy pot is on the right.

Upon receipt, I immediately fell in love with my Amsterdam Teapots. I found them to be not only adorable, but suitable for everyday household use.  As anticipated, both teapots had matching infuser inserts perfect for brewing loose leaf tea.  Thus, my guests enjoyed fruit oolong, silver needle, a blooming jasmine green, and masala chai. Don’t worry tea aficionados, I used a different teapot for each tea served.  I forgot to pre-heat the Teapots before serving tea, however, the Amsterdam teapot was easily microwavable to restore the tea’s warmth.

In addition to the teapots, I purchased the matching Amsterdam Teacups and Saucers in Sahara and Burgundy.  The Amsterdam Teapots hold approximately 23 ounces of tea which equaled about 3 cups of tea in the matching teacups. By the end of the party, we were not only stuffed with chicken salad and croissants, scones and clotted cream, tea and tea cookies, fruit and more… we had an awesome time chatting and buying jewelry. (All sweets were purchased from my favorite French bakery – The BonBoneri.) Even better, clean up was easy – I was able to toss my new teapots, cups and saucers into the dishwasher and worry no more!

Here are the pros and cons of my purchase:

• My order was placed with The English Tea Store on Tuesday of last week. I paid extra for shipping and received my order in record time – the next day to be exact.
• The cost of the Amsterdam Teapots and Teacups were quite reasonable – $11.99 and $3.50 respectively (the teacups were eligible for a bulk discount).
• The infuser for the burgundy Amsterdam Teapot arrived broken. While I wasn’t able to obtain a replacement in time for my party, The English Tea Store was easy to worth with when facilitating a replacement.
• The color on two of the burgundy teacups appeared to be worn.
• The spout of my Amsterdam Teapot in Sahara dribbled a little when pouring.

Overall, I was happy with my purchase and received many compliments on the spread. I look forward to purchasing more tea accessories from The English Tea store. If you have had an opportunity to purchase any of their tea accessories, please stop by and share your experience. Until then… Happy Tea Drinking!