The Tea Scoop

Market Spice Pike Place Blend

"Do you have any other tea at home?"  A boyish face gazed back at me from the other side of the counter, although I have to admit I was distracted by his face by the five-inch long zipper earring in his left ear.  The question also caught me quite a bit off guard. I had been standing there, sniffing at jars, for the past fifteen minutes and had been answering my friends' questions about tea.  My friend Janet just laughed at the question, having seen the tea cabinet in my kitchen.  "It's a yes or no question," he said impatiently.  Finally, I answered with a bit of an embarrassed chuckle.

"At last count, about eighty-five."  He ignored the high number as he pulled the jar off the shelf and had me take a deep whiff of the hot cinnamon tea he had recommended after hearing me talk about Harney and Sons Hot Cinnamon Spice (now served at Uno's, of all places).  

"Keep this tea away from all of your other teas."  Now, I am quite careful with my tea. If it's not in a tin, it does not sit near another untinned tea, and I tin them as quickly as possible.  I informed him that I do have good tin habits, and he shook his head.  "Put it in a tin, and then keep it on the other side of the room." He shook the large silver scoop at me.  "We use this scoop only for this tea.  After I scoop it for you, I am going to go wash my hands before I touch any other tea. It's that strong."  With that recommendation, I took the paper bag in trembling hands, and put it in my purse, away from the more delicate Mauritian tea that found its way home with me.  My purse still smells like cinnamon.  

The suspense was killing me.  Keeping his advice in mind, I pulled out an as yet unused tea scoop and brand new teaball.  If they still smell like cinnamon after I wash them, then they will remain dedicated to this tea.  The smell was extremely powerful. When he opened the jar, someone standing five feet away commented on how lovely the cinnamon smelled.  Think about walking past those cinnamon scented pine cones at Michael's. It's that powerful.  

We're not talking cinnamon sticks in your tea here.  This tea is scented with cinnamon oil, and sure enough, the scoop did smell like cinnamon after having been used a single time.  And the taste! Mmm.  It's richer than Harney and Sons, and spicier.  Like a red hot candy, but even better. My tongue is all a tingle, and it feels cozily warm on this cold rainy day.  This might be the tea to feature at my Christmas Cookie Exchange Tea in two weeks.  Not to mention, take the throne as my new favorite. Which is good, since this tea might need its own room to accommodate the whizz-bang cinnamon flavor.  

KTeas: Chocolate Mate

My sister and her son visited this past weekend. They are both tea drinkers, so I took great pleasure in sharing my tea collection with them.  My sister greatly enjoyed Teavana's White Ayurvedic Chai and Tealuxe's Copley Square Vanilla, while my nephew liked Mighty Leaf's Mayan Chocolate Truffle.  I told them of my quest for decadent chocolate teas, and they wished me luck.  

Today, that journey continues with KTea's Chocolate Mate. As a reminder, mate, or yerba mate, is not tea at all. It is a caffeinated herb from South America, particularly Argentina.  I was surprised to learn that it is actually a member of the holly family. Now that this little lesson is out of the way, back to the review.  

Many chocolate teas have a very specific flavor, not quite that of a piece of chocolate or chocolate cake.  There is no doubt that this flavor is attempting to recreate chocolate, but it does not quite get there. I've experienced the same flavor in chocolate lip gloss.  This flavor is what keeps me searching for great chocolate teas.  Unfortunately, that flavor is present in this cup.  It's a shame, because I think if the chocolate flavor were pulled off better, this would actually be a great flavor combination.  I have to admit, I did start out a bit skeptical as to how green mate would pair with chocolate, but I can see now that if done well, the bitterness of the green mate would do a nice job cutting the sweetness of real chocolate.  Unfortunately, it is the artificial chocolate flavor that lingers on the tongue.  KTeas does not have an ingredients list, so I can't tell you what's in the tea for sure, but it looks kind of like a blend of mate and rooibos.  But no chocolate.  

And so, the quest continues.

Yogi Tea: Black Chai

After a few disappointing stops on the journey of chai, including one that didn't make it onto the blog, I was hoping for something a little better to help get me excited about trying new chais again. 

Thank you, Yogi Tea.  A little bit of sweetness came from stevia leaf, but the dominant spice is cardamom.  The black pepper gave it a nice kick, as did the ginger root. This is one of the spicier chais I have enjoyed, leaving behind a pleasant tingle on the tip of my tongue along with whiffs of cinnamon.  I would have liked to add just the slightest bit of milk and honey, but alas, had none on hand.  It would not need much honey as the stevia is a natural sweetener. My only complaint is that the Assam, a usually full-bodied tea, is completely overwhelmed by the spices.  Apparently the spices in this blend are Ayurvedic spices, so if you are into that kind of thing, this is a tea for you. My favorite quote from the company? "We don't have laboratories, we have kitchens."

Bravo, Yogi Tea.  I'll be looking for you again. 

Indonique Vanilla Chai

I know, I know, you are probably tired of reading about chai, I've been on such a spicy jag lately. But let's face it, there are just so many endless varieties to explore.  Most of the time, it's quite a pleasurable journey. Unfortunately, I need to report a less pleasant stop along the way. 

I had not heard of Indonique before I received this particular Vanilla Chai in a tea swap, so I can't attest to the quality of any of their other teas. Perhaps I simply got a bad batch, or not one of their best flavors.  But when I opened the bag, I was a bit dubious.  The leaves in the bag were little more than fannings, the tea dust used to fill teabags.  Taking a whiff did not improve my suspicions.  I could smell the tea, a blend of Indian teas, but there was hardly any vanilla scent at all, without a bit of the spiciness that we love so much in chai blends.  

Because of the small leaf size, I only steeped the tea for two minutes. (The smaller the leaf, the more quickly the tannins are released, causing the tea to become bitter). Even then, the tea was very tannic.  I could taste the Indian tea, which was fair, but nothing about the tea struck me as vanilla or chai in the slightest. 

I tried adding milk and honey, as these sometimes enhance flavors, but alas.  Nothing could improve this rather dull, bitter tea.  

I'd be interested in hearing from other Indonique customers, especially if they have a positive experience. I love to be wrong when I form a negative impression about a company.  

Ode to Irish Breakfast

It doesn't matter to me that your leaves are small and of ambiguous blend. It doesn't matter to me that you are strong enough for a mouse to trot on. In fact, I wouldn't want you any other way. Let the mice trot away, I say, for you are the invigoration of my morning, my get up and go, in cup form. With milk and sugar, you fom my mid-morning snack, a way of holding off the hunger pangs until lunchtime.  You feed my brain and make it work.  You warm me on this nippy fall morning, heating me as you slide down my throat and making me feel as if I am wrapped in a nice warm blanket cozy and comfortable, instead of working in high heels and slacks that need to be ironed.

Oh Irish Breakfast, do not desert me.  I am only thankful that you do not only belong to Teavana, for they have committed sacrilege by discontinuing you. Irish Breakfast, I love you.

Vanilla Hazelnut from Bigelow

Unfortunately, this tea does not appear to be currently available. But if you would like to read my review of Bigelow's Vanilla Hazelnut, head on over to the Tea Review Blog

Republic of Tea's Cranberry Blood Orange

After reading Liquid Jade, which addresses many of the current social issues of the tea industry, I am especially interested in Fair Trade Certified teas. Therefore, I was quite excited to receive some of Republic of Tea's Fair Trade Certified Cranberry Blood Orange Black Tea in my tea swap box (along with about twenty other kinds of tea, so stay tuned). 

I love orange. A lot, as you may have noticed from that Chocolate Orange Truffle post.  Unfortunately, this tea lacked much orange flavor, dominated as it was by the cranberry.  I couldn't taste much other than cranberry, including the black tea base. 

As much as I like Fair Trade, I'll have to pass on this one for now. However, there are a multitude of goodies still in my tea swap box, and I can't wait to dive in further. 

Mighty Leaf: Chocolate Chip Truffle

 I have consistently been impressed with the high quality of Mighty Leaf's Chocolate Truffle Collection.  They top the list of my quest for satisfying chocolate teas and the Chocolate Chip Truffle is no exception.  In addition, the CCT, seems that it would lend itself well to blending. Perhaps it is the name, perhaps it is the slight flavor of baking chips, but I find myself wanting to toss in a little rooibos vanilla, perhaps a little almond tea, with the intention of making a chocolate chip cookie tea. The first sip tasted much like a handful of baking chocolate chips, and I feel quite decadent drinking it for breakfast.  

My only warning is that, like baking cookies, timing is of the essence. This tea should only be steeped for three minutes, or the tannins will overpower the chocolate. 

Tea and cookies anyone?

Mighty Leaf: Chocolate Orange Truffle

Do you remember those orange-shaped chocolates that you would bang on the table to make it split into segments? And then the sweetness of taking a bit and having orange-flavored chocolate? I love those. Something about orange and chocolate makes one of the most amazing fruit-chocolate pairings. And when I sniffed at this tea, steeping away, those candies immediately came to mind.  Or orange-flavored English Smarties (similar to M&Ms). Taking my first sip, I was rewarded with that same flavor laced with good black tea to boot. 

We had finished dinner on the patio with friends and moved inside due to a thunderstorm. I offered tea, and Liza, a friend for many years, teased me that I had to ask.  The four of us moved to the kitchen, where Mr. Tea Scoop shook his head as the three of us explored the tea cabinet, looking at labels, opening tins, sniffing, exclaiming. You may have noticed that I have a bit of an obsession, and the tea cabinet is overflowing. At last, each person selected their tea, and I pulled out the Chocolate Orange Truffle, which I had yet to try. 

This was a wonderful after-dinner tea for conversation into the wee hours.  I had to briefly distance myself from the conversation simply to savor it, but found that once I had settled into the second cup, I could pull myself away from the chocolate covered orange and participate in the conversation once again. 

Sustainabilatea

Like many of you out there, I spend a lot of time thinking about ways to make my lifestyle more sustainable, especially by trying to buy local when I can.  From May to October, we have a farmer's market within walking distance that makes the produce part easy.  We can even buy local dairy and buffalo meat.  But, local tea has been out of reach.  While I can find local sources of herbal infusions, my camellia sinesis habit has to be fed by China, India, Japan, and other places on the other side of the world.  I do seek out organic and fair trade as much as possible, but it's still a huge carbon footprint to bring it across all that water.  

Bigelow has bragged of having the "only American tea garden," in Charleston. This is a place I would definitely like to visit, since I have never been to a tea garden, but I'm not so much a fan of the tea itself. Now this may be because the American Classic is only offered in bagged form, and so I can't taste the full flavor that a whole leaf would offer, and I would encourage Bigelow to work on offering a whole leaf variety, either loose or as part of their Novus  whole leaf tea bag line.  

The big push for "going green" may have an impact on the tea industry beyond just organic and fair trade teas.  According to World Tea News, there are also tea gardens in Hawaii, Washington state, Oregon, and Alabama.  Hopefully over the next several years, we can look for more locally grown teas.