I realized the other day that I have not reviewed any artisian loose leaf teas in while.

Alot of the reason for that is that our finances have been tight and grocery store teas are so much easier to come by…Kettle and Cup is not beig enough or well known enough that tea companies offer to send me teas for review so I buy them.

But..I have a little change in the coffer and I am ready to try a company I haven’t tried before…so…here is the deal..

Do any of you have a company that you buy from that you like best? I have shopped Adiago, Golden Moon, Teavana… Make some suggestions in the comments.  I am ready

to try something new.   See the empty cup?

Image:Marye Audet 

Post from: Kettle and Cup

Numi Dry Desert Lime was an interesting tea. This is not a wimpy kids limeade from Sonic. Nope. Very lime. Very Dry. I have no clue how they did it.

Personally I like my drinks to be a little sweeter. Even with added sugar this one makes you pucker.
Numi Dry Desert Lime is refreshing, and I can see it as one of the ingredients in a herbal tea based sangria or punch. But how to explain the taste?

Have you ever drank the Emer-Gen-C vitamin packets when you were sick?

I like it with about 1/4 c of sugar. I am pathetic, I know. I don’t like sour candy either. Once you have it sweetened it is good. But you might as well be drinking hot Sprite.

If you are prone to getting food related headaches this one may kick it in. It does with one of my sons. He loves the taste but within about 4 sips a headache has begun.

It says that it is made from 100% dried desert lime.

This is a good tea IF you like the tangy taste. I tend to mix it with so much sugar that it really isn’t something I should drink very often. I can see it as a great lemonade type of drink in the summer…but not for me.

Has anyone tried it? What do you think?

Image:Marye Audet

Post from: Kettle and Cup

Cooking and baking with flowers just seems to be the ultimate in tea room fare.  When I had my tea room we used several of the flower flavor Monin syrups, as well as candied flowers, flower petals, etc.

They just look pretty, but also give an unusual and delicate flavor to foods.  Lavender has somewhat of a citrus flavor but it can be overpowering if you aren’t careful with it.  The small purple flower buds are beautiful scattered through a cake or scone.  In this tea cake the citrus flavor of the lavender  is mellowed by the sweet richness of the vanilla and the end product is something marvelous…

Easter is just around the corner, and all kinds of spring foods are available.  It is easy to get into a rut by making the same things over and over. Food grade lavender flowers are usually available at Whole Foods and other natural stores.  Be sure you get the food grade types to be sure there has been no pesticide use.

Try this with a delicate afternoon tea, for a snack and be transported back to silk dresses and lace collars.

1 cup sugar
1/3 c unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
1 tbs Monin Natural Lavender Syrup
2 tablespoons food grade lavender buds

Glaze:
1/3 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 tbs cream, or enough to et the right consistency
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat sugar, butter, and vanilla at medium speed until blended. Add eggs one at a time, beat well after each addition. Combine the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, and salt, stir well.
Combine sour cream and lavender syrup.
Add flour mixture to the sugar mixture alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in lavender buds.

Pour the batter into an 8-inch loaf pan , greased and floured. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Glaze:
Combine the powdered sugar and remaining ingredients. Spread on the warm cake. Cool in pan.
To serve, slice cooled cake thinly, dust with confectioners sugar, add a dollop of clotted cream and a candied violet.

Image:Morguefule.com

Post from: Kettle and Cup

The poll I posted for January was, What is your favorite tea?

Earl Grey won with- 6 votes

English Breakfast- 3 votes

Herbal, Green, Oolong, White-2 votes each

Irish Breakfast, Flavored, Other- 1 each

So, what is it about Earl Grey that people like so much?

History

First of all, Earl Grey is not a type of tea, but a black tea that is flavored with bergamot, a small type of orange. Because of this, the tea can actually be very low quality with the producers using the flavoring as an enhancer.

The blend is named after the 2nd Earl Grey, a British Prime Minister that served during the 1830’s. His major accomplishment while in office was abolishing slavery in the British Isles, however he will forever be associated with tea.

Legend has it that a Chinese Mandarin’s son was rescued from drowning by one of Lord Grey’s men and the Mandarin gifted the Earl with this special tea, flavored with bergamot oil. Another legend says that it was actually an Indian Raja that was the grateful father, HIS son having been rescued from a tiger by one of the men.

The truth of either of those stories is questionable, but Jackson’s of Picadilly, a prominent British tea company (since the 1600’s), claims to have originated the manufacture of the tea, after Lord Grey gave them the recipe in 1830. The original recipe is said never to have left their hands, all other recipes only being based on it.

Lady Grey Tea was invented because, according to some, straight Earl Grey tea caused improper impulses in women. (If you know what I mean, shove, shove,  wink, wink, say no more, eh, say no more) and it is believed that the additional flavorings curbed these unusual appetites. I don’t know how true this is either, but I DO have 8 kids, and I DO like Earl Grey tea.

Types

There are numerous types of Earl Grey now. Other flavorings are added along with the bergamot, and Adagio even has a Green Earl Grey. Some of the best one’s I have personally tasted are:

• Mrs. Earl Grey by Teavana
• Numi Aged Earl Grey
• Tea Guys Earl Grey Cream
• Earl Grey Lavender, that my tea and coffee supplier came up with for me personally.

If you want to see reviews on numerous, and I do mean numerous Earl Grey Teas check out Tending Toward Tea

Earl Grey Tea Drinkers in Fiction

• Jean -Luc Picard
• Bruce Wayne
• James Bond
• Frasier
• Piglet
• Bertie Wooster

London Fog

London Fog is a drink made with Earl Grey. It is most often made with whole milk, but I like it best with half and half or full cream. Why? Because I am depraved when it comes to things like cream and butter. I like the luxury of it!

Steep 1 Tbs Earl Grey in 1/2 c water. Strain and add it to a warmed cup. Pour steamed milk or heated cream into the cup to fill it and add 1 tbs vanilla syrup. Sip while reading Carry On, Jeeves by P.G.Wodehouse.

Post from: Kettle and Cup