Cold-Infused "Chilled" Tea

From Rishi's website:

For cold-infused Jade Oolong, add 1 teaspoon of tea for every 8 ounces of cold water. Add Jade Oolong to a pitcher, cover with cold water and reserve in the refrigerator overnight. Strain and enjoy. We like to call this style “chilled tea” as it tastes better chilled without ice. Many of our teas are great chilled- such as flower scented teas, Earl Green and all white teas.

Oolong - Citron Oolong - Rishi

This is how a citrus blend should taste: it's flowery and bright, with a taste of citrus (lemon, orange). The taste is natural and pure.

Rather than replace my citron green and mandarin green from Adagio, I will buy more of the Citron Oolong. It is great hot and cold. I will try the chilled tea technique on Rishi's website.


Water: 195°F / Leaves: 1 teaspoon per 8 ounces / Infusion Time: 3–4 minutes / Ingredients: 100% Organic oolong tealeaves, 100% Organic jasmine flowers, 100% Organic lemon myrtle, natural essential oils of orange and osthmanthus flowers. / Origin: Rishi Blend.

Oolong - Jade Oolong - Rishi

This morning, I had my first pot of Jade Oolong: Wow.

The flavor reminded me of lilacs and orchids. It's less coppery than the Iron Goddess of Mercy.

Central Market sells it in bulk.

195º for 4 minutes.

New Purchases - Central Market

Citron Oolong, Organic Oolong Tea
http://rishi-tea.com/store/product.php?productid=5058&cat=5&page=1

Organic Citron Oolong is an artisanal blend of high-grown oolong tea, rare blossoms and succulent citrus designed to refresh and rejuvenate. Rishi’s master tea blenders resurrected the ancient practice of infusing tealeaves with real fruits and flowers to create Citron Oolong.

Water: 195°F / Leaves: 1 teaspoon per 8 ounces / Infusion Time: 3–4 minutes / Ingredients: 100% Organic oolong tealeaves, 100% Organic jasmine flowers, 100% Organic lemon myrtle, natural essential oils of orange and osthmanthus flowers. / Origin: Rishi Blend.

Jade Oolong
http://rishi-tea.com/store/product.php?productid=5027&cat=5&page=1
http://www.rishi-tea.com/store/images/Jade-Oolong.jpg

This oolong tea from the mountainous region of Nantou, Taiwan, has a fresh, clear and golden green infusion. Its flowery aroma, which is reminiscent of lilacs, is cherished by oolong tea lovers across the globe. The tightly rolled leaves and connected stem unfurl slowly, revealing a new character with each subsequent infusion. Jade Oolong can be prepared as an oolong or a green tea and makes great cold-infused iced tea. For cold-infused Jade Oolong, add 1 teaspoon of tea for every 8 ounces of cold water. Add Jade Oolong to a pitcher, cover with cold water and reserve in the refrigerator overnight. Strain and enjoy. We like to call this style “chilled tea” as it tastes better chilled without ice. Many of our teas are great chilled- such as flower scented teas, Earl Green and all white teas.

Water: 195°F / Leaves: 1 teaspoon per 8 ounces / Infusion Time: 3–4 minutes / Ingredients: oolong tealeaves. / Origin: Nantou, Taiwan.

Evening Teas - Scarlet & Spicy Blend

Scarlet is my favorite night tea, but last night I wanted something spicy.

I blended cardamon cinnamon and adagio's apple cantata. The apple cantata is still a disappointment, but it blended well with the spicy blend. It's still not quite what I am looking for, but it's a start. I want to find something sweet, tart, and spicy.

No Sugar, Etc.

Throughout my tea drinking life, I have prefered sweetened tea - honey, sugar, natural (brown) sugar, splenda, sweet n low, and in less evolved days, the blue stuff.

Over the past 16 months, I have bought and used boxes of splenda. It's reasonably sweet and lacks that overwhelming artificial taste.

Sometime this summer, I just stopped. No sugar, etc. I think that may have been the turning point from tea drinker to tea junkie.

I was still buying and drinking expensive loose tea, just sweetening it, and, in the case of chai, adding milk.

Now, nothing.

Just tea in a tea cup.

Teas to Try

Wuyi Oolong, Organic Oolong Tea
How could I pass up a tea known as "Profound Orchid": "Known as Wuyi Qi Lan or “Profound Orchid,” its flavor is quite unique with sweet notes of raisins, honeysuckle and roasted sugar."

Orange Blossom, Organic Green Tea
From the description, it sounds like a perfect iced tea: "A profoundly flowery blend of select green teas, rare blossoms and aromatic lemon myrtle leaves. A great hot or iced tea with natural sweetness and a balanced aroma of roses, jasmine and fresh citrus. "

Jade Oolong
From the description: "Its flowery aroma, which is reminiscent of lilacs, is cherished by oolong tea lovers across the globe."
Interestingly, Rishi provides a recipe for something called "chilled tea," in which the tea is cold brewed in the refrigerator overnight. We will definitely try that.

Ginger Lime Rooibos, Organic Botanical Blend
Described as: "The dry and pleasantly flavored West Indian Lime variety gives our Organic Green Rooibos a unique and zesty citrus flavor with notes of ginger and rare spices. The brilliant turmeric-yellow and orange infusion glows in the cup and has wonderfully refreshing notes of tropical fruits and spices. The unique flavor of this rare lime variety is quenching and known to enhance circulation and immunity. Get the juices flowing with this stimulating yet caffeine-free blend of anti-oxidant rich and longevity enhancing botanical blend. "

Citron Oolong, Organic Oolong Tea
From the description: "Organic Citron Oolong is an artisanal blend of high-grown oolong tea, rare blossoms and succulent citrus designed to refresh and rejuvenate. Rishi’s master tea blenders resurrected the ancient practice of infusing tealeaves with real fruits and flowers to create Citron Oolong."

Peppermint Ginger, Japanese Green Tea
It's a combination of my favorite flavors: roasted green, peppermint, and ginger. From the description: "A signature Rishi blend of smooth, toasty houjicha, a rare peppermint varietal from Japan’s Hokaido prefecture and a hint of zesty Chinese ginger. Sweet, aromatic and soothing, this blend has naturally occurring notes of caramelized sugar, candied ginger and chocolate."

Keemun Hao Ya Special
From the description: "The grade is known as Hao Ya which is the top grade of Keemun available. Its rich flavor and deep burgundy infusion have a well pronounced aroma and flavor which suggests roasted sugar cane, cacao, port wine and notes of fresh pine needles. "

All Day Breakfast Full Leaf (Keemun Oolong Tea)
The description sounds wonderful: "A superb, concentrated character, reminiscent of the depth and clarity of a fine Bordeaux. The oolong adds a bit of smokiness to the blend." It's a blend of black Keemun and Formosan Oolong.

Golden Yunnan
This is the description: "Smooth, rich and malty with pleasing floral overtones."

Tea Bags - Jasmine Pearl - Adagio

Since I am upping my tea drinking, I threw a bunch of the Adagio Jasmine Pearl tea bags into my purse this week.

I have been able to drink my own tea at the Belmont and at the club, and I really appreciated it. I was surprised that the waiter at the club removed the tea pot saucer and tossed the bag after the first infusion, but that's jut a training thing.

I had 3 or 4 infusions at the Belmont and they were all very good.

The packaging and website identify it as oolong. The other Jasmine Pearl tea I have been drinking is identified as green tea -- young green tea, in fact.

The tea was definitely above average, though not as good as the Rishi or the Republic of Tea.

How Much Tea?

I am drinking about 8 cups of tea each day.

Black in the morning (and maybe at lunch).
Oolong at lunch.
Green in the afternoon.
Roasted green before dinner.
White or herbal at night.

The little ingenuiTea brews 16 oz at a time and I decant it into my Bodum 2 cup assam.

Black Tea - Mambo - Adagio

I thought I did not like Mambo on first cup. Since my TKY/IGoM inventory is a little light, I started drinking it again this week. Now it is all gone.

I kinda like it now. It's still reminscent of beef broth and yeast, but that's not unpleasant.

Adagio's website says: "With smoky highlights and flavorfully rich body, our Mambo tea is guaranteed to rev up your engine each morning. And keep your feet tapping all day long."

I will reorder when I reup our Adagio teas.

Diet - Week One

I have been on my diet since Tuesday.

I am doing a faux detox for a couple of weeks:

I am drinking a lot of tea (blacks in the morning and at lunch; greens in the afternoon and before dinner; whites and herbals at night). I am eating almonds and sunflower seeds (and blending them into my smoothie). I am avoiding all tomatoes and citrus (even avoiding the lime in my seltzer). I am avoiding bread, crust, pasta, rice, etc., though I had a sprouted wheat pita with no ill effects.

I am making my own version of Bittman's How to Cook Everything Spinach Miso Soup (organic chicken broth, spinach, miso) every night for dinner.

It's weird: I feel extremely good. No nausea, no itchiness, no feeling like my stomach acid is going to eat through my stomach lining at night.

I had a strong workout on Wednesday, but my recovery was a little slower. I was super sore on Thursday and Friday in my pecs and my calves. (I forgot to take my 2 benadryl before my workout and I didn't need it. I felt a little queasy by the end of my back extensions, but typically, I want to vomit throughout my workout and the back extensions are excruciating. This time, I skipped the altoids, which I have had to consume from hamstring curls on to get through it without wanting to projectile all over the Hills.)

Yesterday, I had the holiday luncheon at the club and a fundraiser for PAC, so I was off it a bit. I had a glass and a half of champagne (Greg Norman, I think. It was excellent.). I tasted my excellent dessert, before getting it boxed up and bringing it home for A. I had a glass of wine at the fundraiser, but I had a smoothie beforehand, and I ate nothing there. When I got home, A had saved me a couple of tiny pieces of his square pizza. Still, I am down 0.2, so at least I did not gain. I was itchy last night, so pizza is out. A is glad that Home Slice is now all his.

I am down 6.2 pounds since Tuesday. It's going well so far, though I know that's all water. feel thinner, and I feel like my face looks thinner.

Who knows, maybe this is the thing.

New Iced Tea: Citron/Pekoe/Lemongrass

Latest experiment: Adagio Citron Green, Adagio Green Pekoe, and Adagio Lemongrass.

Ingredients: 4 tsps each of the greens (180º for 3 min) and 2 tsp of lemongrass (180º for 7 min).

I like it. It's more caffeinated than I usually make the tea.

I don't like the citron on its own. It has a bit of an artificial taste. Blended with the Pekoe and the Lemongrass, it rounds out the flavor.

The taste is fresh with a mild lemon sweetness.

I liked it, but not enough to buy more citron from Adagio. The Pekoe/Lemongrass is definitely a winner.

My diet

I am on a diet. Again.

I have a lot of weight to lose. Maybe 30 pounds. I have a personal trainer with whom I spend two (expensive) hours each week. I generally eat well - heathful, smartly, etc. I keep a food and activity diary. I work out a lot. I am healthy, but I am fatter than I would like. When I was 30, I weighed between 113-118. I wore a 2-4. Now, not so much.

I have tried doing the Perricone diet straight, but it was costing me about $200/week from Whole Foods. And that's just my food, without any purchases for the Mr. Sure, I could have purchased food from the supermarket, or I could have purchased less expensive, more hormone and antibiotically filled turkey, etc.

I have done straight calorie counting. I have done the Zone.

After spending Thanksgiving with my extremely skinny mother, and seeing pictures of myself from 5 years ago, when I was skinnier than she is, I have rededicated myself. Again.

I used to aim for 1400 calories/day, but I have actually gained weight eating that amount of calories and working out. I weigh everything and use myfooddiary.com for calculations, so I know I am not making estimate errors. Plus, I work out with a hrm.

I will not be following my mother in her diet of light yogurt and dry cereal, but I need to do something.

New Cookbook

My friend Jules E. D. Shepard has just released her first cookbook for sale at Nearly Normal Cooking for Gluten Free Eating.

I ordered it immediately, and I am looking forward to seeing it. Jules has a great perspective on Celiac disease, and she is, by far, the best cook I know. We spent many, many nights our third year going from the gym to her kitchen, watching as she cooked and baked for those of us who had never done much of either.

Night Tea - Serene - Rishi

Rishi Serene is my night tea of choice.

In speaking with my friends, the one tea everyone had as a child was "sleepytime." Serene lacks the minty character I remember, though I have not had it in years. Serene is floral, with a deep Sun yellow color, and a hint of mint at the finish.

Serene is a blend of 100% Organic chamomile, 100% Organic lemon myrtle, 100% Organic jasmine flowers, 100% Organic peppermint, 100% Organic lavender and jasmine flowers.

212° for 4–5 minutes. Rishi says 1 tbs per 8 oz.

Hojicha - Republic of Tea

An excellent, mellow afternoon or postprandial tea.

The flavor and aroma is roasted with a hint of wood, and a good bit of smokiness.

Per cup, slightly more than 1 tsp at 180º for 3 minutes.

Chai Blends

I used to drink 1 tsp of Cardamon Cinnamon blended with a PG tips pyramid as my morning chai.

I would steep 2 tsp of Cardamon Cinnamon with 2 tea bags at 212º for 5 minutes, then remove the bag and continue steeping the Cardamon Cinnamon for additional 2-5 minutes.

(I have also prepared it with Rooibos in place of the black tea.)

I would add milk and splenda to the pot and drink it all day.

Now, I am blending the Cardamon CInnamon into Adagio's Mambo, which is Yunnan and Wuyi.

Best Ti Kuan Yin - Rishi

I have been making comparison pots of Ti Kuan Yin from Adagio and Rishi. Rishi clearly wins, although Adagio is a delicious tea.

They are both coppery/iron-y in flavor with floral (orchid, mostly) notes.

Rishi has a richer color. I prepare it following their instructions (190º for 4 minutes) and increase steeping time by 30 seconds for each subsequent infusion.

Adagio instructs brewing at 212º for 5 minutes. I have brewed it that way, and the Rishi way. I prefer the Rishi preparation.

My reorder will be Rishi.

Black Tea - Apple Cantata / Cinnamon - Adagio

I was extremely underwhelmed by Adagio's Apple Cantata. It lacked discernable color and flavor when I made it alone, so it sat in the back of the tea pantry. This afternoon, I mixed 1 tsp of Apple Cantata with 1 tsp of Cinnamon (212º for 5 minutes). It was very good.

The Cinnamon is a blend of cinnamon stick and black tea with a full flavor, but not too spicy. It rounds out the apple flavor and the blend tastes a little like the Cinnamon Apple teas from Celestial Seasonings and Bigelow (with the obvious exceptions of being caffeinated and with a subtler flavor.

I will make it again.

Iced TeaS

I have been experimenting with iced tea.

The requirements are simple: green tea, some flavor, relatively easy.

I like minty flavor in my iced tea. I am passionate about the flavor of the Hibiscus Mint tea at Austin Java, mixed with everything else. I also love the mint flavor in Sweetleaf Tea's Green Tea & MInt bottled tea, although it is WAY too sweet.

I have been brewing my own Moroccan Mint tea (Rishi OG Jade Fire and Rishi OG Peppermint). In a pinch, I have used Adagio's gunpowder and peppermint, but the quality is just not the same.

The Mister hates minty flavor, as I have only recently discovered.

His preference is fruity or lemony. For him, I have made a blend of Adagio's Blood Orange and Dragonwell. I brew the Blood Orange (180º for 7 min) and Dragonwell (180º for 3 min) separately and then blend them together. He loved it, so he will be getting more of it. To me, it's a little kool-aid-y.

New Purchases

I finally made it down the hill to WF to restock. I absolutely love Rishi teas. They are (mostly) organic, the tea is extremely aromatic, and I love the blends.

I bought 0.08 oz of Ti Kuan Yin (organic), which smells and looks amazing. I have not had Rishi's before, and I love Adagio's version, so I am looking forward to having it tomorrow. It's about the same price at Adagio's.

I restocked my OG Jade Fire, which is similar to gunpowder. Rishi says "Known as Huo Qing (Fire Jade), this tea dates back to China’s Ming dynasty and is the predecessor to the ubiquitous Gun Powder green tea. Make no mistake, however, Jade Fire is of a much higher quality and far more satisfying than any gun powder green tea." The first bag I had, I thought I was not too crazy about it, but I went through the whole thing in less than a week.

I restocked my organic peppermint and Serene.

I also restocked my cardamon cinnamon from the Republic of Tea. I have been out of that for a couple of months, replacing it with both masala chai and green chai. I usually blend it with black tea -- I had been mixing it with PG tips bags, but I have a few things I want to try.

The best tea company?

Over the past month, I have bought a ton of tea from Adagio. It's easy and I love the ingenuitea(s), which are genius.

I found them because of the ingenuitea. I had been looking for the perfect glass tea pot. I have a LOT of teapots (clay, china, cast iron), but I thought glass would be perfect for me -- doesn't hold flavor, easy to clean, obvious when to make a new pot. Turns out, the perfect glass tea pot is plastic, which I dump into my 2 cup assam bodum.

Anyway . . .

I have been noticing that the quality is just not as good as the Rishi or Republic of Tea.

It's disappointing because I really like the company. They have great customer service, the shipping is ridiculously fast and cheap, and it's family-owned and operated.

The prices are comparable, I think. Rishi may be $0.50 more or so. Republic is a little more expensive, but that's marketing and shelf space costs, I am sure.

I have been checking other sites and tea blogs for ingredient guidance, but I have not yet found anyone who has said "Rishi is the best!" or "Republic of Tea Rules!"

I have been drinking Republic teas for years -- in bags and loose. They make excellent tea blends and I loved the Hojicha. Plus, their super-premium jasmine pearl is the best tasting tea ever. It's also the most expensive tea I can imagine purchasing. The cute factor of their brand had been a bit of a turnoff, since it makes them seem (to me) a little less serious about tea, but I realize that's silly of me.

Rishi is the brand I have been drinking the most over this year, although I didn't realize it until I did my original inventory in June. I like the fact that a lot of it is organic. (I try to consume organic whenever possible, in addition to "wild," "hormone free," etc. It's not just about sustainability. I am nervous about the chemicals I put into my body.)

From my reading, there are people who are extremely, extremely serious about their tea purchasing. I am not sure that I can get into the different estate or vintage, etc. I don't have that kind of time. As with everything in life, I prefer to have pro who sorts through everything for me.

Search for the Perfect Iced Tea - Tests 1 and 2

First test batch - Gunpowder, Lemongrass, Peppermint

gunpowder 1/2 tsp
lemongrass 1/4 tsp
peppermint 1/4 tsp

Steeped at 180º for 3 minutes.
Resteeped at 180º for 4 minutes.
Blended the two.

Flavor: Smoky. Some mint in the middle. Finish is smoky. It's very drinkable, but the smokiness is almost too "on the nose."

I wonder if ingredients are the problem. In the bottom of the glass measuring cup into which I emptied the pot, there is a lot of sediment-y looking tea dust. I suspect there are "natural flavors added" to the adagio.

Second test batch - Hojicha, Peppermint

hojicha 1/2 tsp
peppermint 1/2 tsp

Steeped at 180º for 3 minutes.

Flavor: Roasty and minty. I like it. The flavors are more pure.

Search for the Perfect Iced Tea

Now that I have the iced tea ingenuitea, I am pondering iced tea blends. It would be easy to buy a blended tea, of course, but for the first couple of pots, I am going to try it myself.

What I want is minty, lemony, and green, but not grassy. Maybe ginger.

So for the first pot . . . I think I will combine half gunpowder, one-quarter peppermint and one-quarter lemongrass. I will chop up a two inch piece of ginger and steep that with the green.

I am going to make a test pot first and if it works, then I will make a pot.

Rishi has an intriguing blend called Peppermint Ginger, that I may recreate this afternoon.

First Pot - Irish Breakfast - Adagio

Yuck.

I just brewed 2 cups of this at 212º for 5 min. according to the instructions and it was awful.

The color is beautiful -- it's a rich dark red. The aroma reminded me of beef broth and very good won ton soup and fermented soy. The flavor reminded me of won ton soup. Really. Which is great for a soup. It's just not my cup of tea.

It's meaty and yeasty, which is beloved by many. But I prefer more nutty, floral, or earthy notes, I guess.

Now that it's cooled, it's drinkable, but the aroma is still hard for me to ignore. (And I drink pu-erh!) The malty, yeasty taste is more than I can bear.

I will be passing the tin along to mom.

Music, Music, Blah, Blah, Blah

I've been listening to iTunes for the past 4 hours or so. In that time, 6 different artists' demos have popped up. Some of it is excellent. The great thing about the interweb is the democratization of music distribution. All of these guys have myspace pages. They all perform around town or around the country. People can find them.

The trick, of course, is marketing. How do you choose an album or 20 to buy if there are tens of thousands released every year? Some study I read years ago for LBJ said that Gen X is all about partnerships and information sorting. Gen Y takes that to a whole new level, and the kids behind them should be stupid-clever with the sorting. At this point, they're too young to really measure, but it seems brands will be more important to these kids. Not necessarily the big brands or the big labels, but "tastemakers" -- the blogmen who can extol and crush a single before a frame of video footage is shot or a real tour is announced. They scare me a bit.

I am protecting the band from all of that for as long as possible. They've had some minor local press, but it's been more about word of mouth. (The November show should be insane!) I run their name through search engines and p2p just to see if their stuff pops up yet and so far so good.

Last week at The Belmont, we discussed potential cover songs. Since I am not on Creative, I am not going to be interfering in those discussions, but I may make some suggestions to S about it. I am thinknig classic funk, current brit-pop, or an interesting hip-hop song. They can pull off anything they want. Everything is extremely up-tempo, and I would love to hear them take something mid-tempo and make it their own. So to speak.

(While writing, Lost Prophets' live cover of Cry me a River and Sublime performing Loser as a punk song. Weird. Now I have Gil Scott-Heron's "Whitey on the Moon." It's still so current after 35 years(?!). It's too late to hear Craig Mack. Charlie Hunter is much more my speed this time of night. It jumped to the Killers - the original version of Mr. Brightside, unplayed since I saw a cover on RS:S this summer. I should have just put it on jazz in the first place.)

My other obsession . . .

Okay, even I think that is funny. I have many other obsessions, as fully recorded in my google reader folders and tags.

Let's see . . . we have my personal obsessions: hoops, SEC football, the wire, cover songs, live recordings of cover songs, and my semi-professional obsessions with fashion, media matters, indie music marketing, productivity, technology, and the daily software downloads from lifehacker to make my macbookpro the best possible machine.

Now I have forgotten about what this entry was to be. Ah, yes, chief among my myriad obsessions is music.

It's 2 am. The mister and the furball of love are both asleep and I am listening to The Kooks live acoustic cover of Gnarls Barkley's Crazy from the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge show. It could be my new favorite song, along with Lily Allen's live acoustic cover of The Kooks' Naive.

Itunes is on shuffle, so we went from The Kooks to Norman Mason & Crew's "Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll" (sent to me by Al in 2005) and then it jumped to a hip-hop demo (which is better than I had remembered, but it takes more than a good song to make it).

Now I am on a track by Bobby Valentino, who is apparently a singer with Ludacris's DTP. It says it's been in iTunes since April 28, 2005. I cannot remember ever hearing this before, though it isn't terrible. Catchy little track, very spare instrumentation. It was mislabeled as "pop", so it should come up at least randomly. At least a 3 star.

The Louis XIV track is on the cusp of deletion. It's a 2, which is generous. It's not a terrible song, per se, it's just kinda boring -- the kiss of death for a "rock" song.

I have a Miles Davis palate cleanser -- Flamenco Sketches (original take). My ringtone is still "So What." It makes the phone ringing so much less annoying.

Got a Brand New Bag

I received jasmine pearl pyramids from Adagio today.

I am going to be spending some quality time in the office in Montréal and I hate flying internationally with loose tea.

Yet another sign of my addiction . . . willingness to drink slightly substandard tea rather than risk being stuck with bigelow bags or whatever they keep in the kitchen there. The last two times, I went tealess and it was awful. Unrecognizable black tea bags for breakfast, nothing for lunch. It was all too terrible.

Next time, I will be fully prepared with my own.

This Week in Tea Drinking

I am drinking between 4 and 6 2-cup pots/day.

I was drinking black in the morning, green at lunch and in late afternoon, and herbal at night, in addition to multiple green infusions.

The black was cinnamon adagio or masala chai, or a yunnan/wuyi blend. After my bad day on Tuesday, I have cut out black entirely for the next week or so.

The greens change significantly depending on my mood -- white monkey, dragonwell, or mandarin green during lunch and jasmine pearl, hojicha, genmai cha, or my own moroccan mint (og jade fire/og peppermint or gunpowder/og peppermint) later in the afternoon.

The Ti Kuan Yin from today will be working its way into afternoon rotation. It would make a good morning tea because it's slightly less tempermental than the greens, so I can make it while I am making breakfast without having to watch the kettle so carefully.

The Tea Addiction

It's not my fault, acually.

I blame Shannon -- if she hadn't been working at the tea counter at Whole Foods HQ, my tea-drinking might have remained a pleasure and not an addiction. But she gave me imperial dragon pearl and I was hooked.

Full-fledged signs of addiction: I am up to 25 or 30 different teas and I spent quality time this evening researching new sources for Ti Kuan Yin and any premium tea suppliers for future addictions. I have also considered ordering the ingenuitea for my mother, so I can use it at Thanksgiving, and for my brother so I can use it at Christmas. I will probably order it for them for Christmas anyway. Especially now that I have the new super-sized iced tea pot.

First Pot - Ti Kuan Yin - Adagio

I received this from Adagio this afternoon.

The aroma is of orchids, and the flavor is mild, flowery, and full. It's a wonderful tea.

It's a chinese oolong whose name means "Iron Goddess of Mercy."

Tea Stuff to Buy

Tea Canisters

Second Look - Hojicha

I HATED this the first time I tried it. I bought it from the new, lesser Shannon replacement at Whole Foods and it had no instructions, other than to use slightly more than 1 tbs per cup. I hated it so much, I was about to throw it away,

Today, I tried it again using the Adagio instructions (180º for 3 min) and it was wonderful.

The flavor is smoky with a clean finish -- no bitterness or funky aftertaste. The color is a beautiful deep, rich reddish brown.

The aroma is smoky and earthy.

It's a great afternoon tea. Hojicha is supposed to be lower in caffeine than regular green tea, so 2 cups should be okay.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hojicha

Loose Tea Inventory

Green Tea

Jasmine Pearl - OG Jasmine Dragon Pearl - 08/06/06, 09/23/06
$57.99/lb

Mandarin Green - Adagio - 10/20/06

Dragonwell - Adagio - 10/20/06

Gunpowder - Adagio - 10/20/06

Hojicha - Republic of Tea Big Green Hojicha - 08/06/06
$40.99/lb

Kukicha - Adagio - 10/20/06

Decaf - Republic of Tea People's Green Decaf - 10/08/06

OG Sencha Special - 10/08/06
Grassy. Blends poorly with mint or with ginger.

White Tea

Organic Snow Buds - 10/08/06
Melon notes.
$34.99/lb

Black Tea

Mambo - Adagio - 10/20/06
Blend of Yunnan and Wuyi.

Christmas - Adagio - 10/20/06

Cinnamon - Adagio - 10/20/06

Chai

Rishi Masala Chai Organic 10/08/06
Spicy. Good morning tea.
$27.99/lb

Chai - Green Chai - 09/23/06
Mild.
$29.99/lb

Pu Erh

Wild Tuo Cha Pu-ehr - 04/01/06

Herbal Tea

Rishi Serene - 09/23/06

Scarlet - 09/23/06

OG Peppermint - 09/23/06

Apple Cantata - Adagio - 10/20/06

Purchases - Second Order - Adagio

This week, I ordered and received the following:

Black Teas:

mambo sample
christmas sample
cinnamon sample

Green Teas:

dragonwell sample
gunpowder sample
mandarin green sample
white monkey sample
kukicha sample

Herbal Teas:
apple cantata sample
blood orange sample
lemon grass sample

First Pot - Apple Cantata - Herbal Tea - Adagio

This is my first adagio disappointment.

The tea was weak and insipid.

I brewed it for seven minutes, according to the instructions and came up with some thing closer to watered-down, unsweetened apple juice.

I may add a tsp it to the cinnamon black tea some afternoon, to see if I can use it to make a caffeinated approximation of "apple orchard," a favorite herbal tea of my childhood.

For the time being, I am sticking with Scarlet when the mood for "fruit tea" strikes.

First Pot - Mandarin Green - Green Tea - Adagio

Brewed the first pot of Mandarin Green from Adagio..

It's an excellent green -- very mild, light flavor. Not grassy at all.

The orange (and cinnamon, they say) is very mild. It is far superior to their citron green, which was included in the ingenuity green sample set.

Brewed 2 infusions. The first was bright and mild. The second was deeper. Both excellent.

First Pot - Cinnamon - Black Tea - Adagio

This afternoon, I brewed my first pot of Cinnamon from yesterday's adagio.com order.

I followed their directions (212º for 5 minutes).

The tea was perfect.

The color is beautiful. The cinnamon was very mild, and it was a perfect match to the Moroccan lamb stew from the soup peddler I had for lunch.

Brewed in the ingenuitea.

Favorite Teas

Jasmine Pearl

Imperial Republic Jasmine Pearls Full Leaf -- Republic of Tea
Best ever.
$175.00/lb

"OG Rishi Dragon Pearl"
Purchased every couple of weeks from Whole Foods.
The flavor and aroma are full and rounded.
Steep 1 tsp in 180º water for 3 minutes for first infusion. 2nd infusion for 3:30. 3rd for 4 minutes.
Introduced by Shannon at WF.

Scarlet
Evening tea.
Purchased from WF.
Dried Blueberry, raspberry, orange peel, etc.
Very fruity
Steep 1 tsp 7-10 minutes in boiling water.
Introduced by Shannon at WF.

Serene
Night tea.
Rishi.
Purchased from WF.
Chamomile-based.

Peppermint
Purchased from WF.
Prepare alone or blend with other teas.

Mint Tea
1 tsp of Gunpowder (adagio) and 1 tsp of peppermint.
Steep 3 minutes at 180º. 2nd for 3:30. 3rd for 4 minutes.

Genmaicha
(roasted green tea with popped brown rice)
Perfect afternoon tea.
Steep 1 tsp.for 3 min at 180º. 2nd for 4.