Hosted by: Joey
Pictures by : SH
Purpose: To celebrate the new year and reviving the the tea party. It has been 6 months from our last tea party(Sanrio) we had together. Joey wanted to do a slight twist of classy and mature theme compared to our previous tea parties. Even though we (Joey, Mae and I) have a busy schedule, we will try to keep our monthly tea parties alive this year. So lets toast this new year and hope all is well, friends!
- (*-*)Putri(*-*)
Good Morning! Good Morning! Good Morning!
Cochin Masla Chai
As I was abruptly woken up, I became so disturbed from my rest I was not able to return to bed. The night air was chilly and the ceramic tiles of my home felt like ice beneath my feet. What was better to warm me up and ready myself for today? Some spicy Cochin Masala Chai Tea!
I eagerly boiled a pot of cool filtered water. While I was waiting I opened my cabinet and pulled a jar of this tea I recently picked up at The Tea & Honey Store in Grand Central Station. I figured something full bodied and spicy would be nice for the fall mornings to wake me up and excite my tongue to get my day started. Nonetheless, this particular tea does just that.
I was slightly skeptical at first seeing as the tea itself does not look like the regular rolled leaves I am accustomed to. However, the moment the can is opened, the waft of aromas was filled with smoky warm spices and a light kick of ginger in the back of my tongue. The tea after being brewed had a liquor of dark oak wood that also was aromatic. My first sip was instantly warming on my lips. Then fluidly flowed to the back of my throat and ended with a nice kick ginger and pepper, which definitely woke me up. I later added a touch of milk to lighten my cup to a gorgeous cinnamon color, in turn also altered the flavor to be more mild in spice and creamy in texture. It was the rest of the pot that became my perfect morning, energizing me for my day, while keeping me warm as the temperatures are nearing frigid cold.
Alas, as I reach the end of my blog I have finished my six cup pot of tea all by myself. Looks like it is time for another pot!
Catch Ya Later!
Joey
Top of the Canister
Chai Tea Container
So my brother Ruben took a trip down to Florida and brought back a whole bunch of tea for me. This time, along with the Mad Tea party blend, he gave us Jasmine Green. The tea’s flavor is of medium strength. Its a premium chinese green tea with jasmine blossom. The dried tea scent is very floral and strong, but after steeping the scent is milder. When it comes to my personal taste, I found that the Jasmine flavor out ruled the green tea flavor. I drink a lot of jasmine and green tea — usually separately. This was the first tea I had where both jasmine and green tea are combined, and this was more of a typical flavor compared to what I usually drink. ( The type of jasmine I drink is an Indonesian brand/style)
Putri ( *-* )
It’s May and definitely a long time since I’ve checked in. Last time I was here I proposed a project to try to blog once a week about tea places. Well, unfortunately I ultimately couldn’t follow through. However, I still haven’t stopped my love of drinking tea.
Today, I got to try this amazing tea flavor Jasmine Pearl Tea from Vital Tea Leaf in San Francisco, CA thanks to Mae. Apparently, Mae’s sister was on a trip and brought this back for us! YEY!
Upon opening the cute packaging I was amazed by the beautifully hand rolled pieces of pearl tea. Mind you it didn’t only look beautiful it smelled like amazing! It reminded me of open grassy fields on a sunny day.
After carefully brewing the tea, I watched how the pearls unfurled into shiny lengthy leaves and change the water from clear to a fine tea liquor. Very aromatic that really brings me home, I can easily drink this during dim sum or with rice and short spare ribs. Taste wise the tea was slightly grassy with a sweet tannin like after taste. Truly something unforgettable, I can drink this daily and never get tired of it. I think I’m in love! Well that’s all for now, this is Joey signing out. >Peace<
A quick way to skip the pot, is to go straight to the cup! The best way to do that is invest in an infuser mug, I happen to own two. Infuser mugs come in three separate pieces: a lid, a strainer and a mug. Simple, no? It’s just like brewing a regular pot: boil the water, place the loose leaves in the strainer and let seep — lid on of course. As Un Petit, we prefer loose leaf, I like to line the ceramic strainer with a coffee strainer to make sure all the leaves stay out of the cup. What I really love about infuser mugs are, that I don’t end up wasting tea — with out my infuser mugs I end up brewing an extra two cups of tea and pouring them out later. Since the strainer is in the mug when you pour the hot water, after you remove the strainer I have enough room for my half and half and honey. I pack mine safely and actually tot it to school and actually use it there.
-Mae
Based On The Two Books:
Alice In Wonderland&Through The Looking Glass
Hosted by: Mae
Hosted By: Joey.
Purpose: It wasn’t themed this time, it was actually to help raise money and awarness for ACS
Thanks to Miss. SH there are alot of photos!
Hello everybody out there in Tea land. Just thought of an amazing idea! I’m not sure yet as to how I’m going to accomplish this yet, but over the past few days I’ve been pondering about the many tea rooms out there in my area as well as New York City. Well, the main idea is to go on a pilgrimage to all the tea rooms/vendors out there in the New Jersey/New York City area.
The plan, to visit a tea room once a week and blog about it here to you! Hmm… sounds like an adventure right? Well, let see this college boy work this out! I hope all of you reading out there will accompany me on this journey and tell me your thoughts on my adventures and tell me stories about outings of your own. Here I go!
Joey
Regardless whether it be clothing, a lifestyle ,or electronics, it’s a commonality we all are drawn to the name brands and high quality product. Well what does this have to do with tea? Tea is also subjected to being labeled and marketed as a high quality product. Many brands bring claims that this tea does this and that tea does that, all for a price.
Isn’t it obvious? Quality comes with a price. Now, the real question is “Is it worth it?” Well, I personally don’t have many loose tea resources in my current living area. There is chain store (which I will not release) in a mall about 45 minutes away, and the only other store I’ve bought tea from is a charming little shop in the west village of NYC. So, I made a stop to the mall to visit this chain store which claims to provide high quality tea and a unique experience at their store to provide a healthy outlook to everyone. I was thinking only to spend somewhere around 20 dollars on about 8 oz of tea. Instead I’ve spent $57.45 on 6.4 oz, compared to the tea shop I bought tea from in NYC where I bought 4 oz of great tea for somewhere around $9. I didn’t mind shelling out the money for it, however I was really shocked that I had spent that much for tea. The tea I had bought from the store was 2.3 oz of their claimed highest grade of oolong, and a sweet smelling white tea with goji berries. Do these type of teas really cost that much?
After doing much research from online vendors of tea, I saw the price was a little bit more at the store. Although, it was not by much. In all of the chaos going on in my mind on how I seriously just spent fifty-seven dollars on tea, I decided to brew the tea to see if it was worth it. Alas, it was. The oolong tea was smooth with a light veggie like taste, but it left my palate feeling clean and refreshed. It gets better as you steep it again and again. The white tea I bought was also very light and sweet with a very fruity finish, while the aroma was very flowery reminiscent of lychee fruit. I infused the teas together as an experiment, and there was a beautiful balance in the end result. It started sweet and it ended very refreshing, I added a touch of honey to bring it all together and it tasted like heaven in a cup.
In the end, even though I thought it was worth it. I kept wondering if I could achieve the same result from other vendors for a cheaper price. Honestly, I can’t afford to buy tea from this store as often as I like. Are there quality teas out there that are affordable? If so, where do you buy your tea from? What do you buy?
Eager to hear from you all
~Joey
Strainers and infusers for tea can come in various shapes and sizes. They run from $2-20+, depending on style, make and brand. Some are used in tea pots, single service strainers for cups or are built in the pots themselves.
Out of the three of us here, I own the least tea-ware. ( Both Joey and Putri have strainers ) When I do drink tea at home — usually alone, I use the white paper coffee filters to strain the loose leaf blends directly into a cup.
Homeade strainers:
1. Take atleast 2+ paper filters and place desired amount of tea into the center.
2. Place filter and tea inside the cup — don’t pack it into the bottom. Pour the hot water in and let the filter soak the water in. Don’t fill the cup completely with water, the leaves will flow up and out of the filter
3. Using a spoon, lift the filter up and fold the open edges over the lip of one side of the cup. The moisture from the water should secure it closed.
4. Pour the remaining hot water into your cup. Place a small plate over the top of the cup to let the tea steep.
The paper strainers stay shut after the intial use and can be used more than once at one sitting.
(As always — pictures will be posted asap)
Mae.
