Notes on Tea

Sullivan Street's Green Oolong

2012-02-18T19:34:00.000-05:00

Technically speaking "green oolong" is a misnomer. Oolong is semi-oxidized while green tea is minimally oxidized. However, Sullivan Street's "Green Oolong" is less robust than other oolongs the shop carries, for example its "Ancient Beauty." The Ancient Beauty retains its caramel sweetness even if prepared with boiling water while Green Oolong requires lower temperature water for steeping.

The dry leaf of the Green Oolong is beautiful and aromatic. The liquor is mellow with a sweet and creamy finish.

We also purchased an ounce of Milk Oolong which we have not yet prepared. Stay tuned!

Nom Wah Tea Parlor

2012-01-30T10:00:00.000-05:00

Last summer I read Untapped Cities "Death by Dumplings" blog post and learned about Nom Wah Tea Parlor located on the infamous Doyers Street in Chinatown. In the early twentieth century, the pronounced curve in the short street was known as the "Bloody Angle," the scene of many tong wars.

Nom Wah was first established at 13-15 Doyers in 1920 and served Chinese pastries and tea. The parlor moved to 11-13 Doyers in 1968. I did not eat at the restaurant when I visited it last summer though I noticed an open cupboard of teas above the register. An article about the restaurant's re-opening in January 2011 by the New York Daily News reported that the tea parlor would serve "10 traditional Chinese teas" in addition to "more Western flavors, like Earl Grey." Owner, Wilson Tang observed that tea is "integral to the dim sum experience [...] because it washes away the oily taste of the dumplings before the next dish."

I like the pink and green color palette used in the parlor's new signage but am pleased the owners preserved the old sign.

David's Tea on Bleecker Street

2012-01-14T13:19:00.003-05:00

The new tea kid in Greenwich Village is a David's Tea outlet on Bleecker Street. My first attempts to visit the store failed as I could not navigate the crowds with a stroller. Sans stroller and with Rotea in tow, I visited on a calm day. The interior of the store is unusual for a tea shop. The walls are painted stark white, it is brightly lit, and it does not feel cozy. On the positive side, the staff was friendly and the selection is extensive.

The Chocolate Chili Chai sample smelled amazing but it was sold out. You can read Sagaci-Tea's review of this tea here. We bought a Chocolate Rocket to-go and two ounces of English Breakfast. We would buy the English Breakfast again. The smell of the Chocolate Rocket promised more than it delivered, at first. As the tea cooled I was able to detect more than the chocolate. I would buy Chocolate Rocket again but for home brewing.

Because our tea service was slow, we were given a coupon for a free cup of tea. Which tea should I try next? Here's the tea menu.

Discovering new things tea

2012-01-04T16:12:00.000-05:00

At the end of last year, we visited David's Tea on Bleecker Street, one of two stores recently opened in Manhattan. The company is based on Canada. Stay tuned for a review of our experience.

Only four days into the new year, I have discovered two, new-to-me tea blogs. The first is not purely a tea blog but Kathy YL Chan writes regularly about tea and her posts on the subject can be read here. Following a link from Kathy's post about tea pairings at Union Square Cafe, I found Le Palais des Thés's tea blog, Discovering Tea, written by its founder François-Xavier Delmas.

Have you discovered new tea shops or tea blogs?

Red Rose and other supermarket teas

2011-12-31T19:14:00.000-05:00

This holiday season I drank tea prepared from Red Rose tea bags. The tea was smooth when served with milk yet the brisk notes associated with Indian black teas was apparent. In a review of supermarket teas by Cook's Illustrated in 2007 (July/August), Red Rose loose tea scored well earning a third place spot among "best teas with milk." What teas did you drink to celebrate the year's end?

Teapot in a Tempest

2011-12-21T10:00:00.000-05:00

Image: Defiance of the Patriots book cover via Yale Univ. Press (source)

Teapot in a Tempest is the subtitle of the introduction to Benjamin L. Carp's Defiance of the Patriots: The Boston Tea Party and the Making of America (2010). Reading Ana Dane's post about the Boston Tea Party in 1773 reminded of this book. I attended a book talk held at Harney & Sons SoHo but took poor notes. Here is a description from the publisher, Yale University Press:

On the evening of December 16, 1773, a group of disguised Bostonians boarded three merchant ships and dumped more than forty-six tons of tea into Boston Harbor. The Boston Tea Party, as it later came to be known, was an audacious and revolutionary act. It set the stage for war and cemented certain values in the American psyche that many still cherish today. But why did the Tea Party happen? Whom did it involve? What did it mean? The answers to these questions are far from straightforward.

In this thrilling new book, Benjamin L. Carp tells the full story of the Tea Party—exploding myths, exploring the unique city life of Boston, and setting this extraordinary event in a global context for the first time. Bringing vividly to life the diverse array of people and places that the Tea Party brought together—from Chinese tea-pickers to English businessmen, Native American tribes, sugar plantation slaves, and Boston’s ladies of leisure—Carp illuminates how a determined group shook the foundations of a mighty empire, and what this has meant for Americans since. As he reveals many little-known historical facts and considers the Tea Party’s uncertain legacy, he presents a compelling and expansive history of an iconic event in America’s tempestuous past.

First colony loses a century-old tea company

2011-12-17T21:51:00.000-05:00

I had not known about Bencheley Tea before seeing several canisters in a display beside the register at a local grocery store. PR Newswire reported that the company is "renowned for its high quality teas with varieties that range from exotic, including Bencheley® "French Vanilla" and "Cherry Almond" to more traditional blends like Bencheley® "English Breakfast" and "Earl Grey" teas." Bencheley Tea was purchased by White Coffee Company on December 1, 2011 and executive vice president of the White Coffee Corporation Jonathan White stated that "Bencheley has a loyal following and an excellent reputation in the specialty tea industry." (You can read the entire press release at White Coffee Corporation Acquires Bencheley Tea from First Colony Coffee & Tea Company.)

White Coffee Company is based in Long Island City, NY and was started in 1939. Bencheley Tea is a product of First Colony Coffee & Tea Company of Norfolk, VA (formerly the James G. Gill Company) which was founded in 1902. First Colony Coffee & Tea Company sold its coffee brand to White Coffee Company in August 2011. The First Colony Coffee website consists of only a single page with a message from the company's president of which the first half is excerpted below:

It is with great sadness we announce that First Colony Coffee & Tea Company has moved to undergo a corporate restructure.

As a result of the restructure effective immediately all sales, manufacturing and shipping operations have been ceased at our Norfolk, VA. facility. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your understanding.

From our beginnings in 1902 as the James G. Gill Company, and later the First Colony Coffee and Tea Company, it has truly been both an honor and a privilege to partner with and serve our customers. We would also like to thank the entire First Colony employee family, past and present, for their 110 years of dedicated craftsmanship allowing us to deliver the finest coffees and teas to our loyal customers.

Bruce Grembowitz
President
First Colony Coffee and Tea Company

Sad.

Birthday tea

2011-11-30T20:50:00.001-05:00

The 5 & 10¢ store. Poster for the Works Progress Administration shows various items that can be purchased at a five and ten cent store: a ring, checkers board, scarf, notebook, tie, gift box, pan, cactus, handkerchief, photoframe, calendar, birthday card, scissors, tea set, and pitcher. Silkscreen print by the NYC Federal Art Project, between 1936 and 1941. (By …trialsanderrors (The nickel and dime store, WPA poster, ca. 1941) [CC-BY-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons).

I celebrated a birthday this month and surprisingly did not think about treating myself to tea on the day. Here's hoping to next year so I can celebrate it with tea. How have you incorporated tea into your birthday or other special occasion?

5 Tea Strainers

2011-11-30T12:30:00.001-05:00

I own five tea strainers. The metal spoon strainers are too small; they cannot hold a teaspoon of leaves and do not allow the leaves to expand properly. The metal bowl strainer is a better option than the spoons. I purchased the bamboo strainer in an anti-plastic, anti-metal moment but it does not sit well in cups. I have to hold the handle until the tea leaves are steeped. Also, it imparts a slightly herbal note to the teas steeped in it.

My favorite of the bunch is the plastic and fine mesh strainer, pictured above left.

What is your favorite strainer? I recently learned that there is a tea strainer for teabags. The one sold by Williams Sonoma can be viewed here. And on May 3, 2003, James Hurlock of Portland, Oregon filed a patent for a dual-purpose tea leaf and teabag strainer, pictured below. It looks like a citrus press to me.

Chai-spiced tea cookies

2011-11-22T20:49:00.001-05:00

As soon as I read the ingredient list for the chai-spiced shortbread cookies by Anissa Shea published in Sunset magazine I knew I would bake them. I also knew my son would want a cookie so I did not include the English Breakfast leaves. The resulting batch of nine* cookies are delicious. Malty, spicy, buttery. I will eat a few with tea tomorrow.

* I halved the recipe because I did not have two cups of butter nor did I have fennel seeds.

Dragonwell by Boston Tea Company

2011-10-31T10:01:00.000-04:00

Dragonwell or Longjing tea is grown in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China. The flat appearance of the leaf is a defining characteristic of this tea. Dragonwell is a popular green tea and it is one of my favorites. I like the multiple flavors available in each sip - nutty, creamy (butter), sweet, astringent.

Boston Tea Company's Dragonwell is dominated by nutty and astringent flavors. The absence of creamy and sweet notes might have occurred from damage during shipping. I received four samples from Boston Tea Company and the leaves in the Dragonwell pouch appeared crushed. On the other hand, there are several varieties of Dragonwell and perhaps this type is not characterized by sweetness or a buttery mouthfeel.

Here are the company's tasting notes for this tea:

Give your tummy some TLC! Considered a digestive aid and named for the village of Dragonwell, in the Chinese province of Zhejiang where it is produced, this superior tea is regarded as one of the finest Chinese green teas. Its flat, jade green leaves yield a mellow, aromatic brew that leaves a slightly sweet aftertaste for a refreshing cup anytime of day! Treat your belly well with Dragonwell!

Although I associate green teas with spring, the strong nut and astringent qualities of Boston Tea Company's Dragonwell make it an ideal winter beverage. Again, thank you to Caitlyn Scheuermann for providing us with generous samples of tea.

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Read our review of Irish Breakfast by Boston Tea Company.

Broome Street Tea History

2011-10-27T13:55:00.001-04:00

Broome Street, according to a poster we spotted in the window of a Soho luxury apartment building, was named for tea importer Henry Broome. Coincidentally, this area of NYC houses several tea houses now: Harney & Sons SoHo at 433 Broome; In Pursuit of Tea around the corner at 33 Crosby; and Ten Ren at 178 Lafayette. Read our blog post about places to buy and to drink tea in Soho!

In a volume of history of American commerce between 1795 and 1895 edited by Chauncey Mitchell Depew, I learned that Broome & Platt "were among the first to engage in" tea trade with Canton, China after the Revolution. Also, John Jacob Astor was a tea trader, one of the "two largest East India merchants".

Irish Breakfast by Boston Tea Company

2011-10-19T12:13:00.001-04:00

Our samples from Boston Tea Company arrived just in time for the cooler weather. We received three black teas (Irish Breakfast, English Breakfast, and Ceylon Symphony) and one green tea (Dragonwell). We have tried all three blacks and the Irish Breakfast is the subject of this review.

The official tasting notes for this tea are:

A blend of full-bodied, robust Assam Tea with high notes of high-grown Ceylon tea brews a deep red liquor that is hearty, malty and rich in flavor.

We found it brisk yet smooth, and nutty. It does not lose any of its flavors with the addition of milk. Also, it complements a variety of foods. We have drunk it with a breakfast of cereal, fruit, and yogurt. My favorite time to drink this tea is in the afternoon, accompanied by something made from chocolate.

Finally, it is quite curious that the Boston Tea Company is located in Hackensack, NJ. Although Hackensack does not have a tea history to speak of, a "tea party" took place in Greenwich, NJ on December 12, 1774. Tea en route to Philadelphia was stolen and burned to protest the Townshend Act of 1767.

Our thanks to Caitlyn Scheuermann for providing us with generous samples of tea. Stay tuned for more reviews.

Celebrating our life

2011-09-28T20:36:00.001-04:00

For a recent special occasion, Rotea thoughtfully gave me a cup
warmer, a "Fiesta" mug, and a tea straw.

The warmer is inspired and works well: I can drink hot tea after going
off to cater to youngster. And the straw is a great teaware: I can
directly steep tea in a cup without straining the liquid. I mostly do
so with mild teas or with tisanes.

Shiso Sencha at Kaffe 1668

2011-09-14T10:01:00.000-04:00

I ordered a Shiso Sencha from Tribeca's Kaffe 1668 this summer.

Shiso Sencha, according to Ito En, is an "excellent summer cooler". I agree, however the tea did not yield its "umeboshi (pickled plum)" flavor perhaps because of the type of cup used to steep it. I do like For Life's Curve Tall Tea Mug Infuser with Lid, though for a black tea.

Pour le thé

2011-09-13T10:01:00.000-04:00

We are big fans of Mille-feuille's pastries. We especially like the madeleine, macarons, and the savory cheese brioche. The bakery recommends you eat the following items with tea:

Madeleine
Financier
Citron Cake
Walnut Cake
Chocolate Chunk Brownie
Hazelnut Brownie

However, it does not offer a pairing menu. Rotea prepared loose leaf Irish Breakfast this morning (purchased from Porto Rico Imports) and I enjoyed my cup with milk and a handful of almonds which made me think that Irish Breakfast and other malty black teas would pair well with the financier. The financier is a teacake baked with almond flour.

What type of tea(s) would you serve with each of the recommended pastries?

Carry On Tea & Sympathy

2011-08-31T16:12:00.000-04:00

Carry On is the name of Tea & Sympathy's store. Interestingly, a popular meaning of the idiom "carry on" is to be noisy and rude which is not what one associates with tea time, especially British tea.

Anyway, a few weeks ago we walked to Tea & Sympathy but there was no room for our carriage (we made this assessment and not the shop). Instead of a proper, sit-down service, we opted for iced tea to go from the store which is full of bagged black teas, biscuits, tea pots and cups, and more.

Teariffic's Ginger Black Milk Tea

2011-08-23T10:45:00.001-04:00

Sweet, spicy, creamy yet refreshing. The ginger contributed warmth
and balanced the milk.

East Wind Tea Nokcha

2011-08-20T11:40:00.000-04:00

Steeped for 2 minutes with 160•F water: nutty and caramel sweet.

Huang Jian Lin's Pi Lo Chun for Adagio Teas

2011-08-15T07:00:00.014-04:00

This post was originally posted on August 9 but was removed and reposted on August 15 to coincide with the publication of other reviews of Adagio's Roots Campaign and Pi Lo Chun by participating members of the Association of Tea Bloggers.

About three weeks I received an email from the Association of Tea Bloggers (ATB) seeking participation in Adagio Teas' Roots Campaign. The Roots Campaign allows tea drinkers to learn more about the farmers that grow the teas they drink. The featured farmer of this round is Huang Jian Lin of Dongting, Jiangsu. I agreed to participate and received a generous two ounces of Pi Lo Chun last week.

Preparation 1: Steep 1 (30 seconds)

Since then I have brewed the tea several times. In the first preparation I found that the best liquor was produced after the second steep (= 60s) in my gaiwan. My empty cup smelled like butterscotch. Rotea tasted hay. I detected a cream note. The first steep of this preparation was 30 seconds while the third one was 90 seconds. I used 180 degree F as recommended by the notes on the packet. I felt this temperature was too hot.

I prepared the tea a second time in a ceramic pot with a sieve, again using the 180 degree F water as well as the 2 minute brewing time. The third time I prepared the tea, I again used a gaiwan but with 170 degree F water and steeped the tea for 2 minutes. This latter preparation yielded good liquor, too.

In preparing this post, I read Huang Jian Lin's profile and he recommends preparing the tea in a glass container though his temperature recommendation is 14 degrees hotter than that recommended by Adagio (90 degrees C = 194 degrees F).

Pi luo [sic] chun is very tender. Do not use boiling water with 100 degrees centigrade. Better use the water with 90 degrees centigrade. Second, use glass cup to brew the tea. Do not use teapot with lid. Because pi luo chun needs more air for brewing. While waiting for the tea to be cool down, you can enjoy the beautiful green soup with pleasant aroma from the glass cup.

I followed Jian Lin's advice about a glass vessel and brewed a heaping teaspoon in 180 degree F water, leaving the leaves in the cup (pictured above). The taste and smell changed dramatically over the course of our breakfast, from butterscotch nose and hay and cream flavors to dried fruit (Rotea thinks cherry) and seaweed nose and burnt toast and smoky (according to Rotea) flavors. I wonder what we will detect the next time we prepare Pi Luo Chun.

From the Roots Campaign profile of Jian Lin, we learned that he starts picking tea leaves at 8 a.m. Guess what? We drink our morning tea at 8 a.m.! (Yes, we know there is a 12-hour time difference.)

Read what other ATB members have to say about Adagio's Roots Campaign and Jian Lin's Pi Lo Chun:

Black Dragon Tea Bar
Gongfu Girl
Walker Tea Review
LeafJoy
The Tea Enthusiasts’s Scrapbook
Tea For Today
Tea Pages
teaspoons & petals
That Pour Girl

Administrativa: Adagio Roots Campaign, farmer Huang Jian Lin, and Pi Lo Chun tea

2011-08-10T21:22:00.004-04:00

You might have noticed that our post about the Adagio Roots Campaign, farmer Huang Jian Lin, and Pi Lo Chun tea has been removed. The post will return on August 15, 2011 at 7 a.m. (EST) to coincide with the publication of other reviews of the tea in the Association of Tea Bloggers carnival.

Loose leaf tea inventory

2011-08-01T10:01:00.010-04:00

Image: Drawing of a branch, leaves, and blossoms of a tea tree via Library of Congress (source)

A friend recently asked us how much tea we drink each day. I replied, "Two cups," while Rotea said "one." I used to drink several cups a tea per day but with a youngster it is hard to find to the time to properly steep and to drink several infusions or even a few cups of tea. We told ourselves that we should do what we used to - steep loose leaf tea in the morning and for me, in the afternoon, tea. We were tempted to purchase new tea but when we inventoried our tea cupboard we realized that would be foolish. We have a lot of tea at home. Here is our loose leaf tea inventory by type:

Herbal
East Wind Tea Company Sobacha

White
Sun's Organic Garden White Peony (organic)

Green
East Wind Nokcha
Tea-Treff Sencha Fuku
Harney & Sons Sencha Scent of Mountains
Sullivan Street Tea & Spice Company Matcha
The Tao of Tea Lincang Maofeng
Tao of Tea Sencha

Oolong
China Kwaiflower
East Wind White Tip
Harney & Sons Li Shan
Oolong (unknown)
Sun's JinXuan
Sun's Four Season Spring
Sullivan Street Wuyi
Tao of Tea Black Dragon

Black
Andees Darjeeling (organic)
Darjeeling (unknown)
Boh Seri Songket black tea (with cinnamon)
Jing Chai
Tao of Tea Kali Cha
Twinings Assam
Zawadi Jambo! Pure Black Tea

Puer
Tao of Tea Golden Puer

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Can you tell our tea preferences?!

Tea in the Landscape Supermarket

2011-07-27T19:34:00.001-04:00

van Bergen Kolpa Architecten's proposal in the Glimpses of New York and Amsterdam in 2040 exhibit at the Center for Architecture in New York City includes tea production! The architecture firm proposes to convert the Dutch polders - former "icons" of that country's food production - into a Landscape Supermarket. Tea, vegetable and seed oil, coffee, cacao, rice, fruits, and vegetables will be grown and animals will be raised for fish, meat, and poultry.

West Village tea strolling

2011-07-26T10:01:00.001-04:00

Did you read the inaugural post in the West Village tea stroll series? It's a review of the matcha latte at Bosie Tea Parlor. We wrote about visits to Sullivan Street and Grounded and it is likely that we will visit these tea shops again during our tea stroll. On our list are The Meaning of Tea, Tea & Sympathy, and The Tea Set.

Where do you drink and buy tea in the West Village (of Manhattan)?

p.s. We did not include Sanctuary T in our All the tea in Soho series. Check out Sara S.'s review at Tea Happiness.

West Village tea stroll

2011-07-18T10:01:00.000-04:00

Our West Village tea stroll will be conducted one tea shop at a time. First up is the Bosie Tea Parlor on Morton Street. We read about Bosie on Amy Edding's blog for WNYC. Ms. Eddings raved about the parlor's steamed matcha with almond milk. Here is her description:

It was warm and soothing and creamy ... all the qualities I love about coffee, and have missed while drinking herbal teas.

Well, of course we had to order this drink on our first visit! It was refreshing, made with matcha, almond milk, and surprise, coconut water. It was creamy, a bit like "liquid ice cream" as it was described to us by owner Nicky. Rotea found a bit heavy on the almond milk.

I shall return to sample the loose leaf tea menu.