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Well, I have to say, other than the one slight burp, I'm incredibly impressed with Adagio's customer service. A new IngenuiTEA and a new strainer for the broken one came today, only two days after I emailed them about the problem, thanks to the miracle of FedEx. (Tom Hanks of Castaway would be quite proud). Dad informs me that having FedEx deliver on a Saturday is twenty to thirty bucks, so Adagio really did their part to please me.
Thanks, Adagio!
You never know where tea is going to prop up these days: deoderant, chocolate, it's everywhere. Even, as I just discovered, in my oatmeal.
Kashi's Heart to Heart Golden Brown Maple oatmeal contains "decaffeinated green tea extract"
Surprisingly, this isn't advertised on the packinging, minus a drawing of what might be a tea leaf. I'm guessing it's in there for it's beneficial properties for the heart.
Just goes to show that there's no escaping tea!
So, normally, I am a huge fan of Adagio, the on-line tea company. Their teas are sent out quickly, are of good quality, and they make samples available for a reasonable price. I also like the way they foster the tea community with things like TeaChat (forums), TeaChef (cooking contests), and TeaMap (teahouse locater).
But, my IngenuiTEA is really breaking my heart. This morning, new strainer in place, I pour my hot water in, and all the leaves float up...along with the strainer. Sighing heavily, I grab another basket-type strainer and strain it through that into my thermos...but if I was going to mess with that, I never would have shelled out the twenty bucks for the IngenuiTEA.
I wrote to Adagio as soon as I got the chance, and they reminded me that it was past the 30 day warranty, but luckily had it on record that I'd been having problems before that period was up, so hopefully they will send me a replacement. At this point, it seems like it's not the strainer, but the teamaker itself.
Since they use them regularly at the Whole Foods I frequent, I'm thinking that I just got a defective one. But all the same, it's a huge pain and not worth it for the cleaning convenience of the removable strainer. Teavana's Perfect Teamaker has a permanent strainer, and if you stay on top of keeping it clean, there is no need to remove the strainer. (They also make an Easy Tea Steeper with a removable strainer). All in all, I am extremely disappointed.
(From left to right: Adagio's IngenuiTEA, Teavana's Easy Tea Steeper, Teavana's Perfect Teamaker)
Back in February, an absolutely terrible thing happened to me. My Adagio IngenuiTEA, which I had bought to replace my well-worn and broken Teavana Perfect Teamaker...ceased to work. The strainer would float up, destroying its efficacy as a strainer, and the leaves would clog the spout. An all around tragedy of epic proportions. Being that I use teaballs only in the most desperate straits, this severely cramped my tea-drinking style. I immediately wrote to Adagio, who promised to send me a replacement strainer the following day. I was surprised that they wrote back within an hour, and felt warm fuzzies at the quick resolution of the problem. Adagio explained that sometimes the strainers are manufactured just a smidgeon too small, which was apparently the problem with mine. Until my replacement strainer arrived, I was advised to preheat the teamaker like a pot. I assume this was so that the swelling would hold the strainer in place, however, the swelling was not enough for my poor, under-sized strainer. Knowing that Adagio products usually arrive with a ridiculous speed, I resolved to wait a day or so for my happy ending.
A happy ending that was, sadly, to be postponed. I waited, and waited. A month went by, and no strainer appeared on my door step. I was reduced to teaballs that restricted my oolong leaves and teabags. I refused to simply go out and buy a new device, relying on Adagio to come through. Finally, I wrote to Adagio again. Within an hour, they had written me an apology for their mistake, and the new strainer arrived very shortly afterwards.
This morning, I enjoyed a nice, well-infused cup of Jasmine Oolong. And I am very pleased with Adagio's final action, if the delay was a bit frustrating. At least they came through in the end.
Thanks to my mother's spring cleaning, she found a fascinating little pamphlet from the Urasenke Foundation, describing a breif description of Chado or the Way of Tea, a history of a tea master and his legacy. It is also a brochure about the foundation itself, which is an ancient organization dedicated "to promote a better understanding and appreciation among the American people of the rich cultural heritage of Japan." Their main focus is: tea.
Visit their website for a fascinating history of tea in Japan, and some wonderfully Eastern essays on the topic.
Today is Day 3 of the "Get Gorgeous" experiment, and I have tried drinking the tea in various manners to improve the taste, which is just too fruity for me. Generally, I prefer fruity teas to be iced and sweetened, so that it's more like juice or a cocktail. So far, I have tried it iced and unsweetened (not something I would recommend) and sweetened hot. When hot and sweetened, it is a bit more palatable, but I think I used a wee bit too much Splenda, so there will be more experimentation on future cups.
As for as the skin part of the experiment goes, three days seems a bit too soon to see any change, so I will not be reporting on that yet.
So, I am beginning a new experiment. I have always struggled with my skin, and nothing has ever really worked for me, even when I went to a dermatologist. I've noticed that white tea makes a bit of a difference. Since it's high in antioxidants, and rooibos is even higher, I thought perhaps Republic of Tea's "Get Gorgeous" tisane for skin would make a difference.
The tisane contains rooibos, orange peel, hibiscus flowers, chamomile flowers, red clover flower, chaste berries, burdock roote and "natural pomegranate flavor," and the instructions recommend drinking 3-4 cups on a daily basis. I'm starting a bit late tonight, but I am going to discuss my results on this blog.
Republic of Tea begins the description with "Let's get one thing clear." Clever slogan. But does the tea live up to it's reputation?
Well, the only question we can answer today is that of flavor. First of all, it is extremely fruity. Hibiscus and berries are definitely the dominant flavors. Derek (the boyfriend) says "Well, better fruity than flowery." I guess that depends on your point of view. If you were a more flowery person, this might not be your flavor. My guess is that this would make a better iced tea than hot, which perhaps will be attempted tomorrow. Rooibos is a pretty neutral flavor, and non-existent in this tisane. The chamomile flavor is quite mild as well.
Non-skin advantages: naturally caffeine free, meaning it can be enjoyed all day; packed with antioxidants which are good anyways; and it can count towards your fluid intake.*
*The FDA's recommendations for eight eight ounce glasses of water per day have been adapted to include any caffeine-free clear liquid.
While we were at the Secret Garden Tea House, a woman came in looking to buy a teacup and saucer for a bride-to-be whose shower was that weekend.
She told us she had learned from her Irish mother that this was a tradition in Ireland. One would give a young bride a teacup and saucer for her trousseau. Personally I thought this was a lovely tradition. She said that the tradition was growing in popularity along with the beverage.
Sounds good to me!.
Last Friday, while visiting my sister in San Francisco, we visited the The Secret Garden Tea House, near Golden Gate Park with my two nieces. They reveled in the dress-up accessories that were available.
The girls (aged five and almost three) ordered the Princess Tea, which consisted of Ghiradelli hot chocolate, peanut butter and jelly tea sandwiches, teddy-bear shaped cinnamon toast, a pig in a blanket, a petit four, and a mini iced brownie. My sister order a lox plate, and I went for the full "Bedford" afternoon tea, which came with six different tea sandwiches, a little savory croissant, and several tea pastries including a delicious macaroon. And of course, there was the traditional scone with devon cream and preserves.
The food was great, and the girls had an absolutely lovely time, although they required a lot of supervision with all of the breakable bits that decorated the cute little shop. But unfortunately, the service was terrible. We were the only customers, and there was a single waitress. In her defense, she was quite young and probably the owner's daughter. But she was quite clueless and a little slow. When she brought out my tiered food display, she neglected to bring me plants for one.
Next time: What did we learn from the mysterious woman who came into the shop while we were there?
I received an email from a gentleman named Neil, who informed me of an adventure that he will be doing with six teammates to celebrate the 350th anniversary of tea's introduction to Britain. They will travel from Calcutta to Britain, through many of the world's tea drinking countries. Besides being a road trip, they will investigate tea's cultural impact.
The venture is called "Tracing Tea", and will culminate in a book and a television series. The expedition is also keeping a blog.
So, what vehicle will they be using for the expedition? Tuk tuks, or autorickshaws.
The image is from their blog.
All in all, it sounds incredibly exciting. Check out their website for more details. I know I'll be checking in frequently.
