The Tea Scoop

Sweet Tea Vodka

While National Iced Tea Day may be over, the season for iced tea is only just beginning.  For those who desire something a little stronger but just as refreshing, there are a variety of tea cocktails out there. I just came across a new strong refresher that I had not heard of before: sweet tea infused vodka. I came across it on the Pegu Blog.  The Firefly brand is apparently brewed with tea from the Charleston tea plantation.  So, pretty nifty.

Unfortunately, I will not be able to offer my own opinion of this beverage as I am not a vodka drinker. But I would love to hear the thoughts of my readers on this particular incarnation of our favorite beverage. 

Tea Cart

If you live in New York, it might be worth checking out the Tea Cart. The Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side of Manhattan will present an interactive exhibit.  Artist Michele Brody will be collecting stories and memories about tea to create an exhibit on a tea cart outside the museum.  Story gathering begins today from 4-7pm. Brody will also be collecting stories at the same time on June 25 and July 9 and 23 pending weather conditions.  

National Iced Tea Day

I know, I know. I'm only telling you this after the day is mostly over. But after the heat of the day, at least here in Northern Virginia, there is still time and good reason to relax with a good cup of iced tea.  Here at Tea Scoop HQ, we like to use a nice Assam, dump twice the usual amount into boiling water and steep for ten minutes. Despite the fact that I grew up drinking sweet tea, I never find it quite as refreshing as straight up iced tea. Mr. Tea Scoop does usually add sugar to his.  

While cruising around Tastespotting, I came across a lovely sounding iced tea recipe: Iced Jasmine Mint Green Tea.  While I rarely make them at home, I love iced green teas.  Their lightness seems to make the beverage all the more refreshing.  I haven't had a chance to make it yet, but it sounds delicious, especially since we have mint growing in our garden purely for the purpose of making tea.  If you want to try it before I get the chance, head on over to Savory Sweet Life for the recipe.

Libertea

Actually, it's Libre. Libre is a tea glass designed for people on the go.  This company is not the first to offer options for hot tea drinkers on the go.  Thermos has a stainless steel bottle with tea infuser that holds 12 ounces of tea. There are also various similar models.  

This particular bottle appeals because it has a glass interior.  The Libre can either have a poly or glass exterior, but your tea does not come into contact with plastic. As we become more and more aware of the chemicals that leech into our beverages and cause health problems, the more appealing this is.  (Just think about the massive switch from Nalgene to Sigg.) The design is appealing as well.

While I generally use blooming teas for special occasions, if one wanted to drink them on a daily basis, this would be a nice way to enjoy them during your commute. It would certainly infuse some beauty into your daily routine. The lid also has an infusing basket if you have a tea with a sensitive steeping time. 

The glass 'n' glass model holds about 10 ounces and is $25. The glass 'n' poly model holds 9 ounces and is $24.  From what I've read, the price is right. However, 9 or 10 ounces of tea is not enough for me. If I'm going to bring my tea, I want enough to get me through the day, or at least through the morning. All the same, I wouldn't mind having this pretty on hand.  The double wall construction seems like it would keep the tea warm, although the way I drink tea, it probably wouldn't have a chance to get cold.

Mighty Leaf: Go Coco for Coco Chai

Have you ever opened a new package of tea and it smelled so good that you could hardly wait for the water to boil? Or wanted to slurp it down as soon as it was done steeping, burnt tastebuds notwithstanding?

Oh man oh man. This is one of those.  As soon as I tore open the packaging and took a whiff, I knew it. This tea and me, we're soul mates.  People ask me all the time if I have a favorite, and I always tell them it depends on my mood. Nope. That's over. This is it. Hyperbole, you say?  Not at all.  (Pardon me while I take another sip).  

So what is this tea you ask?  It is in fact, not tea at all. I know, the travesty. The teamanity.  It's that popular infusion, that crazy "red tea" from Africa. Rooibos.  This little cuppa right here is so flavorful, you'll never miss the real thing or the caffeine. Plus it's just chock full of antioxidants.  And a whole bunch of other stuff. Red peppercorns, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom and coconut.  And boy is that coconut dancing.  It's got all that great masala flavor, but this version lets the coconut and peppercorn shine.  It's got a nice little bite to it.  Not to mention the red peppercorns make for an attractive looking blend in the package.  

Right now, I'm drinking it straight...I guess I have to say red instead of black.  Mighty Leaf recommends that if you have a sweet tooth, you could add some agave and rice milk.  They call it "Africa meets India."  I don't have any rice milk lying around, but this would probably be pretty good with agave, although the coconut gives it a natural sweetness.  

Just. Yum. 

How Do You Like Your Cuppa?

This morning, while browsing the internet, I came across a delightful post of mug designs.  Given that my cabinet is overflowing with various mugs, I scarcely need another, but I enjoyed looking at these.  The above allows the tea drinker to add just the proper amount of milk for desired strength from "milky" to "builder's brew."

Below are a few of my favorites, but to see the whole post, click the link above. 

Images are links to the original websites where these mugs were found. 

  

Here, rotating rings allow you to customize the mug to your tastes, selecting your beverage, dairy, and sweetness preferences.  Perfect for Tea Rounds!

If you choose to make a bold political statement about global warming, this is the mug for you.  When hot liquid is added, the iceberg melts and the sea level rises. 

You know that old dilemma of what to do with your discarded tea bag? Tuck it away neatly under your teacup in the teabag coffin.  

Well folks, hope you enjoyed these fanciful mugs. I certainly did.  I encourage you to look at the original post for more entertainment!

Top Five Places to Buy Tea in Northern Virginia

1. Whole Foods Market at Fair Lakes This location of the popular natural grocery store has quite a selection of tea.  One entire side of an aisle is dedicated to boxes of tea of all types.  This is definitely the place to go for a box of organic, fair trade tea.  There are boxes of more traditional teabags, whole leaf tea bags, and loose leaf tea.  In addition, the Japanese food bar serves blooming teas.  If you prefer a more custom experience, there is a combined Allegra Coffee/Rishi Tea counter where you can order up just the right amount of a variety of Rishi teas.  If you're looking for bottled tea, Whole Foods has that too, with a large stock of Honest Tea and other acceptable bottled teas for quick iced tea fixes.
2. Teavana at Fair Lakes Mall and Tysons Corner Center If you have read my Teavana Shopping Guide  you know there is a bit of a buyer beware element of shopping at Teavana. However, it is one of the largest loose leaf tea sellers in the area.  It is the place to go for a wide selection when you don't want to order on-line.  It is a fantastic place for last minute tea gifts as well.  The prices are sometimes a little higher than on-line stores, but you save on shipping and get instant gratification.  They have samples of some their popular blends (usually over sweetened, so be warned) and except during the holiday season, you can order a cup of tea to go. 
3. Sweet Life Cafe, Fairfax If you want to support local businesses, this is the way to go.  Owned by a local family, they have a selection of Mighty Leaf teas to go, offer afternoon tea parties, and sell loose leaf teas from Tea for All Reasons, a locally based tea company.    
4. Teaism If you want to take a trek into the city, visit Teaism.  Make an event out of it and order food if you like. I recommend the jasmine creme brulee.  A restaurant and store, their retail offerings are very similar to Teavana's.    
5. Wegman's There are two locations locally, one in Fairfax and one in Sterling.  The Fairfax location has a wide selection of teas, very similar to the Fair Lakes Whole Foods as well as a lot of tea-related doo-dads. But the Sterling location is my favorite new discovery.  They have a "Tea Spot" where loose tea is self-serve like the bulk aisle.  Sniff away at large tins of tea without the pressure of a sales person waiting for your order.  Take as much time as you need, that scale isn't going anywhere. When you are ready, scoop into the waiting bags, weigh (tared automatically) and print out a label complete with price and brewing instructions.  The prices are extremely reasonable.  This might be my new favorite way to buy tea.   

"It Was the Best of Times, it Was the Worst of Times"

Charles Dickens certainly knew how to write.  And this famous introduction from A Tale of Two Cities could certainly apply to the tea world right now.  Tea has been rapidly gaining in popularity in the United States, but the economic downturn is hitting the tea industry hard.  

When you walk into the tea store or browse that online shop, you may hesitate before buying that nice first flush Darjeeling and turn instead to a less expensive blend.  And in dire straits, you may even turn to that awful little yellow box of Lipton.  I am here to tell you not to sacrifice your tastebuds.  There is a solution.  

First, a mini history lesson.  Back in the day, tea was incredibly expensive.  The lady of the house kept her tea locked in a caddy to which only she held the key, afraid that the servants would still the precious leaves.  Tea was a luxury, but everyone had to have to it.  So how did the simple folk get their fix of this upper-class beverage?  Well, after the well-to-do had enjoyed their afternoon tea, the servants would take the used leaves and reuse them to make their own tea.  Once finished, the servants would turn around and sell the twice-used leaves out the back door for pennies.  

Many may already know that you can reuse tea leaves.  Now is the time to start doing it.  Savor every drop you can get out of that Darjeeling.  This morning, I am on the third use of a ginger pu-erh, and it still tastes delicious.  You might be surprised, as many times the second steeping is more delicious than the first.  

9 Things You Should Unlearn About Tea

The Chicago Tribune published an article on nine tea myths and the increased popularity of tea in America.  Some we have discussed on this blog, such as the idea that only infusions made with the camellia sinesis plant are actually tea, and all others are herbal tisanes or infusions.  Some of the myths address the debates about tea and health.

My favorite myth? Restaurants know how to serve tea.  That one made me giggle a little bit.  

Go on. Take a peek.  See what you might need to unlearn. 

Teaism

So the Art Teacher at my school has been recommending that I visit Teaism in D.C. and in fact, I had been planning on making a visit there for awhile myself.  So, when last weekend brought sunshine and warm weather, I thought nothing would be more fun that a visit to the city with a stop at Teaism and a visit to the newly renovated American History Museum.  

As excited as I was to immerse myself in history, part of me was itching to satisfy my tea addiction, so after a few hours in the museum, we wandered over the the Teaism location closes to the National Archives Metro stop.  Stepping in, I admired the tea menu while Dear Husband examined the list of five specialty beers.  Ladies, if you are looking for a place to go to tea with your man, this is it.  There are no lacy doilies, but they do have a mean bison burger and beer.  They also have quite a selection of Asian-influenced cuisine, as well as traditional afternoon tea far such as scones.  I deliberated over the menu for quite awhile before going with a handrolled Bento box and a jasmine creme brulee.  To accompany my meal, I requested Golden Monkey.  My bento box came with the lid on, as did the tea, and I excitedly carried my tray downstairs and past the koi pond to find an empty table.  

Yes. Koi pond.

I opened up my bento box, and found a large stack of nori (seaweed sheets), a pile of sticky rice, and some marinated salmon.  So, apparently hand-rolled meant hand-rolled by me.  Luckily, I had forayed into sushi making before, and was not intimidated although I am far from a master.  Unfortunately, the salmon was extremely disappointing, tasting rather fishier than salmon should be. As in, not quite as fresh as I would like.  So, I ended up making plain rice rolls, a very sticky business.  

The tea was oversteeped, and so too tannic for me to taste any real subtlety.  This could perhaps be because the shop was extremely busy, but I would have liked for them to have taken more care.  They also neglected to give me a spoon for my creme brulee and various utensil dispensers were empty of spoons. It took me awhile to track one down, but it was worth it.

The jasmine creme brulee was delicious.  If I had not been in public, I would have been tempted to lick the bowl. As it was, I could hardly help myself.  At first bite, it was just your average vanilla creme brulee (still one of my favorite desserts since I discovered it during my Amelie phase).  Then the jasmine flavor slowly bloomed on my tongue, flirtatious little thing.  If Dear Husband hadn't learned to make it, I would be tempted to return often just for that taste.

After lunch, I was excited to go next door and check out the teawares.  The proprietor was on the phone, hopefully with a vendor, and neglected to greet us or acknowledge us until we were ready to walk out the door.  I was disappointed to see mostly the same merchandise offered at Teavana, at similar prices.  I would have been interested in examining some of the teas more closely if the service had been better, but alas.  

I have heard such good things about Teaism that I don't quite want to give up on them, so I plan on making visits to the other two locations with hopes of redemption, and perhaps ordering something different.  As well as the creme brulee.