Since joining 2 tea rings the traffic to this blog has certainly increased...Thank you for stopping by!
Don't drink bagged teas unless you have to!I was thinking of giving an idea for a Morrocan Tea Party (complete with tents and camels!), but I realized that I have left some of you in the lurch as it were on teas.
I have gone over the Rainbow of Teas in a previous post, but I think it is time to talk about the blends.
Here I will give just a few of my favorite black tea blends.
English Breakfast: originally this wasn't a blend at all, but a straight Keemun, it was given its name by British tea marketers. Today the term applies to any combination of China, Ceylon and India teas that yields a brw with a medium body and brisk character. Usually drank with milk as a whitener.
Irish Breakfast: Another marketing term. Heartier than English Breakfast (of course), it's usually made from high-grown Ceylon and robust Assam. Also good with milk and my particular morning favorite.
Russian Caravan: Originally I posted about the origins of Russian tea in "side tracked post" . Today this blend is likely to be made from China and Formosa Oolongs, unspecified black teas and perhaps even some Lapsang Souchong. The blend is then cured with smoke to give it its characteristic aroma and flavor. Served best with lemon slices.
These could also be considered blends, but I call them flavored and/or scented.
Earl Grey: This is said to be the finest scented tea to be drunk in the west. It's made of China black, Ceylon or India tea with oil of Bergamot extracted from a small citrus fruit ggrown in the Mediterranean and sprayed on the leaves after manufacture.
One thing I can tell you as an herbalist is that there are grades of bergamot oil, some are natural some are synthetic or an chemical ester. The best Earl Grey balances an orangey flavor with the tea taste without one overwhelming the other.
Lapsang Souchong: This tea is grown in China but rarely drank there, this tea is immediately identifiable by its smokey aroma obtained from curing in a smoke filled rooms (think hams) over pine needles. It priduces a dark red infusion that goes especially well with savory dishes.
Chai: This is the Indian word for "tea" and the ubiquitous brew of India. It is made from a combination of black (Or sometimes green) tea leaves and a combination of spices. Quality can range from delightlful, and as I can attest, to dreadful. Milk, usually condensed, is added.
Green tea blends
I only have a few of these.
Jasmine tea: What Earl Grey is to the west, jasmine tea is to North China.
Jasmine is a nightblooming flower and are picked in the morning and kept in a cool place nightfall. Just as they are about to open, they are piled next to heat dried green tea leaves which absorb the jsmine fragrance. This process is repeated two or three times for ordinary jasmine tea, or up to seven times for top grades like Yin Hao. Jasmine Pearls are hand rolled pellets that "explode" in hot water, releasing their perfume.
Watch out for inferior teas made with extracts and oils and remember that the presence of blossoms in the tea has no bearing on quality; some excellent jasmine tea has no flowers in it at all.
Green Chai: Frankly I do not understand this tea. It is a popular one out now. Green tea is so delicate and beautiful on the palate, why anyone would want to cover a green tea up with spices is beyond me.
Now some tea sites or others may go into herbal teas at this point. I may go into a few, but I must stay true to my herbalist roots.
Herbs are not to be entered into lightly. They have medical, chemical and magical properties. You may even have problem with some herbs without even knowing it.
But that is another post. As the warning states on the bottom of this blog, you must be careful upon introducing herbs into your system.
Mint Tea is a very good tea. A pitcher of iced mint tea on a hot, sultry, southern afternoon like the kind we have here in Charleston will make you think you stepped into a Tennessee Williams play. However, where mint has the power to help some people with a tummyache, people with a hiatal hernia should stay very clear of all mints.
Chamomile Tea is very good and a gentle tea. as long as you know you are getting true chamomile...there are people out there in the "herb" business not knowing what they are pulling. Is it chamomile or is it agrimony? Read labels. If you are buying a tea already made up, then it should just say chamomile flowers.
There are blends of herbs as well but I think I will do that another day.
Time for a tea break.
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