[-] I received a package from Sanctuary T on Saturday morning. I had requested a number of samples from them after they had e-mailed me; I hate to be a bitch but to be completely honest the tea from this company is the only promotional/sample package of tea I've looked forward to in awhile. Their website is bad ass, they have tea-based spices and they have good flavors. I also respect tea companies that divide their teas into flavored and unflavored, AND have the werewithall to offer Lapsang Souchong, which is surprisingly hard to find in decent quality from most tea purveyors.

I've sworn off most flavored teas, but I will never give up Earl Grey. One would have to pry my tin of Kusmi Anastasia from my cold, dead hands... earl grey has long been one of my favorite teas, and I don't care if it's flavored, or if I am at some point verbally abused by a mouthy Brit at some point in my future for adding milk every so often (oh! the horror!).

First, Sanctuary's stuff is beautifully presented. Their tea tins are chic, the leaves themselves are beautiful. I requested two earl greys, gyokuro, genmaicha and darjeeling, plus their spices (more on those later).

The Lady Grey is wonderful. This is an earl grey flavor that I like to add milk to on occasion; if you brew it strong and add milk and sugar it's great as a rare nighttime treat. Overall, it is best plain, with nothing added... the lavender flavor is prominent and almost a bit soapy, the tea itself is strong and dark, with a bit of sweetness and limited astringency. Overall it is full flavored and absolutely perfect. I could not be happier with this tea. It smells amazing.

The White Tip Smoky Earl Grey is the real winner of these two, though... all you smell is strong smoke lapsang souchong when you open the tin, but the fine bergamot flavor comes to when you take a sip. It is not even obvious in the smell; you'd think you were drinking straight lapsang judging by the smell of the leaves.

I am psyched about both of these teas, namely the White Tip Smoky. I will probably purchase this in the future... and I am very much looking forward to trying the other samples sent. Sanctuary has done an amazing job of categorizing, presenting their teas well, offering interesting tea-based products that are still rare in the marketplace, and offering quality and diversity. Props! Stay tuned ~

More Earl Grey: Lady Grey & White Tip Smoky Earl Grey from Sanctuary T - http://authoritea.blogspot.com/feeds/248302307082194023/comments/default

[-] So I decided to make the leap into Korean tea's in part to go along with a Korean Tea book club sponsored by Mattcha that will be hosted on his blog. I figured I would be reading these books on Korean tea, I might as well try some of the tea that comes from the same country.

Hankook Organic Doo Mool Green tea - http://www.thesiptip.com/feeds/4770578346533807546/comments/default

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Two weeks ago on the Art of Tea blog, we shared some of the key components that set Japanese green teas apart from each other. This week, we’re continuing the story of what makes Japanese green teas unique with more information on Japanese green tea processing styles and Japanese green tea blending.

Processing Styles

Most Japanese green teas are steamed. However, some (like Houjicha, our roasted-style Kukicha Twig Tea and Kamairicha) are roasted or pan-fired in a manner akin to Chinese green tea processing.

Within the category of steamed green teas, the amount of time the leaves are steamed also influenced the tea’s final flavor, aroma and appearance. For example, Fukamishi (deep-steamed) Sencha like our Zuisha Sencha has a bold green color with a mild aroma and a straightforward flavor, while Asamushi (light-steamed) Sencha has a light golden-green brew, nuanced aroma and complex flavor.

Some teas are steamed so heavily that the leaves begin to fall apart. In some cases, the veins and stems of the leaves are removed and the remainder of the leaf is slowly ground into a fine powder known as Matcha. Some Matcha teas (like our Ceremonial Matcha andMatcha Grade A) are whisked into a frothy, emerald-green brew before consumption. Others (like our Ginger Matcha) can be whisked or they can be blended into hot or iced tea lattes and smoothies.

Unusual variations on Matcha include Tencha (leaves that are steamed to make Matcha, but left un-ground), Kenacha (a lower-grade powdered tea made from un-shaded leaves) and Kokeicha (a powdered green tea that is kneaded with rice starch, extruded, cut into leaf-sized pieces and dried).

Blending

In Japan, some green tea (usually Bancha) is blended with toasted and puffed brown rice to make a nutty, low-caffeine tea called Gen Mai Cha (“brown rice tea�). If Gen Mai Cha is dusted with Matcha, it’s known as “Matcha-iri Genmaicha� or Gen Mai Matcha.

Here at Art of Tea, we employ artisan-blending techniques on some of our Japanese green teas. Using the naturally fresh, vegetal flavor of steamed Japanese green tea as a base, we draw upon all our senses to create blends like Tropical Green Tea Pineapple, Mango Melange, Japanese Cherry, Holiday Berry Green Tea and Ginger Matcha. We also combine the roasted, deep flavor of Houjicha with cold-pressed vanilla essence and white chocolate to make our decadent, latte-like Houjicha de la Crème. These are certainly not traditional blends, but they have been instrumental in helping an international audience come to love the flavor of Japanese green tea.

Japanese Green Tea 101 – Part II - http://artoftea.com/wordpress/2010/07/26/japanese-green-tea-101-part-ii/

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Gong Fu Ceremony By Ingrid Folkers - http://www.friendshiptea.net/feeds/6019821724241222073/comments/default

[-] Le départ est pour demain.

Pour me mettre dans l'ambiance, j'ai composé un petit Cha Xi pour me mettre dans l'ambiance. J'ai choisi un Oolong de Formose (mon Shan Lin Shi du printemps 2009). Ce genre de thé est très apprécié où je vais.
Plusieurs indices (j'en compte 5) devraient vous mettre sur la piste de ce pays.

Où vais-je?



Vacances dans l'autre pays du thé - http://teamasters.blogspot.com/feeds/4026333280017077357/comments/default

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I poured the tea and waited till quarter past three …
while it cooled – I steeped.
The visions soon crept – I am not one to be fooled.
Love finally arrived … and it was radiant … and right on time.
I asked, “Where have you been and what have you seen?�
Love said, “I have been all around, all over and under.�
I asked love, “Speak to me as I sip my tea and tell me of the song in your heart.
Sing it to me right from the start
I wish to know every note of you.�
Love gathered itself …
it breathed and let itself be.
It gathered its threads.
“Ah, what a fine cloth we shall weave, you and me.�
Silver threads of wisdom;
Golden threads of wealth;
Copper strands of worthiness;
as love breathed, it covered me in its tapestry.
As I breathed, I felt its warmth.
“Take me in slowly,� it said.
“I wish not to singe your lungs
nor burn your heart.�
Love said it had been here from the start,
that it began long ago.
It said, “I am smiling at you,
I am taking in your youth, for I am very old.�
It said it was all the stories I had ever been told – and more.
“How much more can love be and how old can you be?� I asked.
Love smiled, its teeth were large and white.
Love said, “I am older than time and I am as old as truth.�
It informed me that love and truth were born together.
Love knew truth, and without truth, love could not really be.
Truth and love agreed to be together forever.
So, I invited truth to sit down for tea.
We all sat down, us three.
Love, truth, and me, we sipped our tea, all from the very same cup.
I wondered where we three would journey and if we had ever missed a spot.
As I sipped the last drop … I worried not.

MAIN | IMAGE 1

Love came for tea - http://www.tching.com/2010/07/love-came-for-tea/

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2009 Zhimingdu "Bada", "Mengsong", "Bulang" - http://half-dipper.blogspot.com/feeds/7087937519001425906/comments/default

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Largest Variety of Earl Grey Tea Available at Teadog.com
(from a press release)

Although tea is the second most popular beverage in the world, behind water, many enthusiasts limit consumption to plain varieties. Few realize that Earl Grey is the second most popular type and the number one flavored variety. teadog.com, an Internet retailer, offers the largest selection of Earl Grey tea from brands around the world.

Earl Grey is traditionally a black tea flavored with bergamot, which is a small, pear-shaped sour orange that has a citrus flavor. Today, even green, white and herbal varieties are available in the flavor.

Many enthusiasts are unfamiliar with the large number of companies offering Earl Grey. These international brands offer high-quality varieties easily available in the USA.

more

Adagio Teas triniTea Tea Maker
Breville BTM800XL Tea Maker

Largest Variety of Earl Grey Tea - http://www.teaguyspeaks.com/feeds/1210962936397104815/comments/default

[-] Normally on the weekends I don't do much blogging only because my life is pretty scripted, by choice. Friday Evenings we normally get home to either relax and have a comfort food dinner or hang out friends who want a low key night. Saturday if my husband doesn't work OT (which during these sunny weekend is far and few in between) we spend the day taking care of our home, from gardening to house cleaning to renovations. Sunday comes and we normally have a morning visit from my father-in-law, making some sorta fancy breakfast and then spend the day Grocery Shopping. I know I know, Your thinking how the heck does one Grocery Shops all day? We split our Grocery Shopping to 3 separate locations, Our Organic Meat Market our Fruit Market and our Grocery Mart - and this my friends - is why it takes us so long.

I did get a chance to browse through my fellow favorite bloggers this morning and noticed this very interesting post. Thanks Heaven of Tea  for this post and fabulous information I am able to share with my readers. To read the complete article please click here.

As if I needed a reason before to consume more Tea.... Good thing I made some Ice Tea Popsicles this weekend (posting to follow) - 8:52am means nothing, it's hot damn it - that should give me reasons enough to be eating one this early.


XOXO
Yours Truly


Improved living and diet habits — including lots of physical activity, regular tea-drinking and sufficient vitamin D levels — could reduce the risk of brain decline, according to three studies presented Sunday.

"These are encouraging," says William Thies, chief medical and scientific officer of the Alzheimer's Association. "These types of studies make people think, 'Well gosh, maybe I can do something about this disease.' "

The studies were presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Honolulu.

One of the studies is from the Framingham, Mass., cardiovascular risk study, in which researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, among others, tracked more than 1,200 elderly people over 20 years, 242 of whom developed dementia.

In a second study, including data on more than 4,800 men and women ages 65 and older, participants were followed for up to 14 years. Tea drinkers had less mental decline than non-tea drinkers. Those who drank tea one to four times a week had average annual rates of decline 37% lower than people who didn't drink tea.

Coffee didn't show any influence except at the highest levels of consumption, researchers say. Author Lenore Arab of UCLA says, "Interestingly, the observed associations are unlikely to be related to caffeine, which is present in coffee at levels two to three times higher than in tea."


(Photo thanks to Ooah Lady on PhotoBucket)

Tea puts Dementia down for the count! - http://lahteadah.blogspot.com/feeds/9042481380252351110/comments/default

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The Empty Platform - http://half-dipper.blogspot.com/feeds/2553197605129084302/comments/default