Something new and novel in iced tea!

It continues to be iced tea season here in my neck of the woods, so I was happy to be offered samples of some interesting new tea bags for making iced tea. Le Palais des Thés, it seems, had come out with some tea bags which claim to brew tea at room temperature in just 30 minutes. Now I steep all my iced tea in the fridge these days, but it takes hours, not minutes, to fully develop flavor. Cold brewed tea in 30 minutes? Was this even possible?

The individually wrapped, extra large muslin iced tea bags arrived quickly. I couldn't wait to see if they truly made tea in 30 minutes, and I was also intrigued that they were said to have extra-long cords on them, meaning I wouldn't have to fish the tea bag out of the pitcher later.

As you can tell, I was more than a little skeptical about that tea-in-30-minutes thing, but there it was again, right on the box.

Well, the cord indeed was long enough to hang over my pitcher, so they got points for that! (And I sampled with only one tea bag to begin with, though it takes two for a quart-size pitcher of tea.)

I sampled both the White Peach green tea and the 7 Citrus oolong tea, and I am delighted to report that they were both refreshingly fruity and quite flavorful after just 30 minutes! I sipped these all weekend and enjoyed the taste as well as the ease of preparation. While I've begun to see more cold brew tea products in stores, this is the first new tea I've seen that promises, and delivers, iced tea fast! To learn more, visit the company's website here. Also, I have saved a few of these tasty new tea samples and will be including them in an upcoming Saturday giveaway, so stay tuned if you'd like to try these for yourself!

Teatime Giveaway #31 - "National Trust Book of Tea-Time Recipes"

The winner of the Olympic tea set pin is Karen of Somerville, N.J., so congrats! If you'll send me your snail mail address via the e-mail button at right, I'll get this headed your way! And for this week's giveaway, I must confess I accidentally purchased a duplicate of a book I already own, "The National Trust Book of Tea-time Recipes" by Jane Pettigrew (1995). In my defense, this version of the (excellent!) book has a different cover, so that's why I thought it was a different book, but I checked and all the recipes are the same. So, rather than keep it, I decided I'd share this book with a reader who is interested in, say, Hot Cross Buns, Irish Plum Cake and Cornish Splits. Is that you? If so, just leave a comment to this post between now and noon EST on Friday, Aug. 10. Good luck!

Cherry Chip & Pecan Scones

When I was in Wisconsin earlier this summer, I found in a grocery store there a product I don't recall ever seeing before, Eillien's Cherry Chips. I knew that Door County in Wisconsin was famous for (among many other things) its cherry orchards, and these chips were packaged in Green Bay, Wisconsin, so I decided this "culinary souvenir of Wisconsin" needed to come home with me.

This week, I decided it was time to invent a new scone recipe. Whipping out my trusty Nordic Ware mini-scone pan from Williams-Sonoma, I used my standard scone recipe, adding some cherry chips and chopped pecans. Oh. My. Goodness! I can't tell you how delicious these were, and I am absolutely sold on these cherry chips. Happily, I did a search online and it looks like area Kroger stores carry these chips, so I won't even have to go back to Wisconsin next time I want some. Are any of you familiar with Eillien's products? I'm a fan now!

Cherry Chip & Pecan Scones

2 cups all purpose-flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons margarine, chilled
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 cup cherry chips
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray a scone pan with cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder and baking soda. Add 6 tablespoons of chilled margarine and combine using a pastry blender until the mixture consists of pea-sized crumbs. Stir in cherry chips and pecans. In separate bowl, whisk milk and egg. Add to dry ingredients and stir just until blended. Spoon batter into pan and bake for 17 minutes or until lightly browned. Yields about 8 large or 16 mini-sized scones.

A 1924 cookbook: "Tea-Kettle Talk"

Old cookbooks are so fun to read, and recently I came across this one, "Tea-Kettle Talk," which the inside pages tell me was privately printed for the Alumnae Association of the North Carolina College for Women in Greensboro, N.C. I knew the college's name had probably changed over the years, and sure enough, today it's the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

It was amusing to read this note from the inside cover. Obviously, the owner (or her descendants?) did not follow the advice to "keep"!

I always look for references to tea, of course, but I have to tell you this tea recipe left me wanting. That 1 teaspoon of tea and 2 cups of boiling water would be too weak even for someone like me who likes her teas on the weak side!

And these descriptions of Five O'clock Tea and Afternoon Tea were interesting. I don't know about you, but if I were ever invited to "Afternoon Tea" and showed up to merely a cup of tea and a wafer, I would be mighty disappointed!

There are, however, some things I'd genuinely like to try in this book, such as the Whipped Cream Roll with Chocolate Sauce, or perhaps the Soft Ginger Bread, or the Nut Salad (for 20!) by the delightfully named Brightsey Savage. Do any of you like to read old cookbooks, even if you don't cook with them? I think they are such interesting artifacts from days gone by!

Whittard of Chelsea's Breakfast Earl Grey

Today I'm wrapping up my sampling of the new teas I recently received from Whittard of Chelsea in London. This week's taste test: their Breakfast Earl Grey.

This is a minor point in the great scheme of things, but I must say how much I love their packaging. The design on this and another package of Whittard tea I received is just lovely!

But the best thing was the taste of this "breakfast" blend of Earl Grey, which I enjoyed a great deal. The round tea bags have larger holes than I usually see in bagged teas, and I can't help wondering if that helped to permit the rich, full flavor of this tea. I took a sniff before sipping my steeped tea, and I got that amazing woodsy scent that I love in tea, something I rarely find in a tea bag. I was delighted that although the tea was indeed nice and strong, I didn't get the astringency that sometimes is a concern with brisker teas. I'd never thought of Earl Grey as a breakfast-appropriate tea before, but I must say I do now!

An English tea and biscuit set

Almost a year ago, I was in Fairhope, Ala. and found a delightful new style of cup and saucer I learned is called a "tea and biscuit set." It was the first time I'd seen this type of teaware which featured a small oval plate and matching cup, slightly larger than a normal cup and saucer but nowhere near as large as a tea and toast set. The tea and biscuit set I own is shown here, and the one in the photo above was actually a recent find for my friend Sandra's birthday, which was yesterday, so I couldn't share the photo until after I shared the gift!

This is only the second time I've come upon such a set, and I find these pieces just the right size for personal noshing. A normal tea and toast set looks a little lonely with just a cookie or two on it. This smaller size set is just right for a small teatime treat—and so very elegant!

My friend loves roses just as I do, so I thought this particular tea and biscuit set would be just right for her. It's marked Windsor Bone China, Made in England, and I trust my friend will enjoy using it as much as I enjoyed finding it!

A very British tea bread

Over the weekend I rediscovered an oldie-but-goodie recipe I'd forgotten about. Perhaps because the Olympics have our thoughts turned London-ward, I had picked up my copy of The National Trust book "Tea-time Recipes" by Jane Pettigrew. The recipe I used to enjoy years ago was called Fatless Tea Bread, a name I liked because "fatless" sounds so much better than "fat-free" for some reason!

It's really just a good fruitcake-tasting tea bread, so if you don't like that spongey-springy texture of fruitcake, this may not be your cup of you-know-what. But if you do like fruitcake and those steamed pudding textured desserts, give this a try. The liquid in the batter is cold tea, interestingly enough. Here's the recipe as I made it.

Fatless Tea Bread

1 pound mixed dried fruit (I used a mixture of raisins and currants, and I've also made it with dried cranberries and sultanas with good results)
10 ounces cold tea
10 ounces self-rising flour
5 ounces brown sugar (light or dark)
1 egg

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and line a loaf tin. Combine all ingredients and mix until blended well. Pour into tin and bake for 2 hours (yes, 2 hours!) until a tester comes out clean. Turn onto wire rack to cool.

*You know how they say that if you coat the dried fruit with flour, it won't sink in the batter? Well, I DO coat the fruit with flour, and in this recipe it still sinks, although that doesn't affect the taste. If someone knows another trick to try, I'm willing!

Teatime Giveaway #30 - Olympic pin with tea set

The winner of the teatime notepad from last week is Loralie, so if you'll send me your mailing address via the e-mail button at right, I'll get this headed your way. Congrats!

And as you see from the photo above, I have two teatime Olympic pins, one for me and one for a reader of this blog! If you read yesterday's post you knew what today's giveaway would be, you just didn't know which design it would be. So those of you who guessed The Tea Set Pin yesterday already have one entry in the pot, and now you good guessers along with everyone else get another chance to win by leaving a comment to this post between now and noon EST on Friday, Aug. 3. Good luck!

Are you ready for the Olympics?

BOM bom BOM bom BOM bom BOM bom ... and I don't know how to express the rest of the tune, but I'm excited about the London Olympic games starting tonight. Are you? As with the last summer games, I have found an official Olympic pin (actually three this time) that seems appropriate for tea-loving Olympics viewers. There are quite a few of these out there, and I'd encourage you to do a search for "tea Olympics pin" if you're curious about all the fun designs, but the three I bought are (and this is important!) #1) The Union Jack Teapot.

#2 The Tea Tray

and #3 The Tea Set.

Now, let's have a little game ourselves. You see, I purchased a duplicate of one of these pin designs, and it will be offered on my Saturday giveaway tomorrow. If you can guess which one it is today, I'll throw your name in the hat a second time if you enter on Saturday! I'll give you a clue: It's my favorite one. So ... is it #1 The Union Jack Teapot, #2 The Tea Tray or #3 The Tea Set? Let the games begin!

A tea and toast set for fall

Many of you, I have observed, have teawares for every season of the year. I, sadly, do not. If it's spring or Valentine's Day or anything pink-related I'm all set, but when it comes to fall, I simply haven't found very many pretty things in fall colors and patterns. Until now!

OK, so it's just one measly little tea and toast set. Still, when I came across this set recently I knew I had to have it.

Aren't these mums? The gold and mauve colors are *perfect* for fall, which can't get here fast enough. So now, to have enough for a tea party of four, I just need to find three more of these sets.

Or really, two and a half, since the seller included an extra cup. The pieces are unmarked, but I figured if I put the word out, perhaps one of you will spot another of these sets in a shop or online one day and remember me with a shopping alert!

Relaxing is my cup of tea!

At the office we just sent off the annual newcomers' guide we publish, which is always an exhausting project, so I celebrated by taking the day off yesterday. My first task? Tackling the overflow in my crafts room! As I did, I stopped to admire something I've had hanging there for a while just because I like to look at it, this cute tea towel from my friend Phyllis. It seemed quite appropriate, because relaxing doesn't necessarily mean reclining on the couch and eating bon-bons. For me, relaxing means getting to focus my mind in a different direction. No more deadlines for a few weeks, a chance to catch up on friends' tea blogs (I'm so behind!), and thinking about going to the beach in a few more weeks. For now, that's my idea of relaxing. What's yours?

Harbor Breeze from Capital Teas

It's been a while since I've enjoyed a new fruity tea,or "tisane," so I decided it was time to break open the free sample packet of a new tisane that Capital Teas recently sent me along with my order. Isn't this blend pretty?

I got a nice whiff of something citrusy and something strawberry-ish when I first opened the Harbor Breeze tea, which the web site tells me is named in honor of Capital Teas' second store at the National Harbor, Maryland. What's in Harbor Breeze? Natural dried apple, hibiscus, rosehip, natural dried orange, calendula petals and natural flavors.

When the tea brewed up a rich, deep red color, I was a little fearful this would be one of those blends too tart to enjoy. In fact, after steeping it the recommended 8 minutes, I just knew it would be overly tart, but it was not! It was very rich in the fruit flavor, heavy on the berry side of things, but happily this brew did not make me pucker. Oh, and it ices beautifully as well, making this an excellent choice for summertime sipping.

Carson Pirie Scott Women's Club Sandies

Earlier this year, I added to my collection of department store tea room memorabilia by purchasing a postcard showing the Carson Pirie Scott tea room in Chicago and a 1962 cookbook by the Carson Pirie Scott Women's Club. (They are shown here, if you'd like to see them.) Over the weekend, I decided to try the book's recipe for Sandies, and I must say these were easy and delicious, a perfect teatime treat!

The other reason I wanted to make something from the Carson Pirie Scott Women's Club cookbook was that I recently came across an old piece of restaurant china bearing the store's name.

I was so very happy to add this piece to my little collection!

And if you're not into department store and/or tea room history, perhaps you can at least use a new cookie recipe?

I ate mine warm, fresh out of the oven and freshly rolled in powdered sugar. Enjoy slowly, with a nice cup of tea. That's my advice!

Teatime Giveaway #29 - Teatime notepad

The winner of the tea towels from last week is Marilyn of the Delights of the Heart blog! Congrats, Marilyn, and I'll have these headed your way very shortly! For this week's giveaway, we have a new magnetic notepad with teawares on it.

It even has a little rhinestone bling up top!

I'd recognize this design anywhere because I've had it on notecards, file folders, a three-ring notebook, a memo pad—and I couldn't resist getting this to share with one of you! If you'd like to win, just leave a comment to this post between now and noon EST on Friday, July 27. Good luck!

Lipton Tea & Honey Strawberry Açai

My go-to lunchtime tea at work lately has been this new Lipton Tea & Honey Strawberry Açai flavor of their Decaf Iced Green Tea. These are sort of like the "fast food" of the tea world. When I don't have time to properly brew a nice cup of tea, this makes a fun substitute. My only minor quibble is that I find it curious these packages always call themselves "iced" teas. They're not, technically, iced. They're merely cool. They're not iced unless I MAKE them iced, and the instructions on the box tell you to pour the mix into bottled water, which is not, itself, usually iced. (If my husband read this he would say, "You need to take off your editor's hat." And he would probably be right.)

But enough hair splitting! This new tea is packed with strawberry flavor, has only 5 calories and contains no aspartame. Lipton seems to make the tastiest of the powdered drink mix packets, and I can't imagine they'll ever come out with one I won't be willing to try. If you drink these sorts of teas occasionally, I'd love to hear which flavors you enjoy!

Teavivre's White Peony Tea

A few months ago Teavivre sent me some samples of their teas, and this week I decided to try the White Peony Tea (Bai MuDan).

The first thing I noticed when I opened one of the packets was how light and fluffy the loose tea leaves were. Whisper light, I'd say.

About two servings are packaged in each of these smaller individual white packets, which I imagine helps keep the tea fresh. The scent of the loose tea was that nice woodsy one I so enjoy, like the scent of fresh wood shavings in a woodworker's shop.

The flavor? Oh my, this was good! It had a great mouth feel, on the vegetal side of things, with very little astringency. It had a very light, clean quality that struck me as very refreshing—and tasty! Teavivre's White Peony Tea is definitely a hit with me, and you can read more about it for yourself here.

Teacup measuring cups!

Years ago I came across a set of teacup measuring cups, but I had a friend who I knew would love them so I gave them to her. (She has eight children, so I figured they'd see more use at her house!) Last week I had a wonderful surprise in my mailbox when Karen in Georgia, a recent giveaway winner, sent me these wonderful new teacup measuring cups!

As you can see from the box, they came from Pier 1 Imports. Now that store was not on my "tea radar" as a possible source for tea goodies, but it sure is now!

The set includes 1 cup, 1/2 cup, 1/3 cup and 1/4 cup teacups. I will so enjoy using these in the days ahead. Thanks again, Karen, for the delightful gift!

The simple pleasure of a new tea tray

There is a tea quote I particularly love which goes like this: "Bread and water can so easily be toast and tea." Those of us who enjoy the pleasures of teatime know that is quite true. Over the weekend I set a tea tray just for me, with a simple slice of whole wheat bread with butter and strawberry jam, served with a cup of White Peony Tea. Takes not five minutes to assemble, and yet it feels sort of ... special ... doesn't it?

Years ago I collected old toleware trays like this one. Some in better shape, some not so much, but I loved them all. In fact, before I married I had my kitchen decorated with them. I don't think any of my tole trays cost more than a few dollars, so I continue to be stunned when I see them in antique malls for the going rate of $50 and up, even for some of the spotty looking ones.

My mom (you're not surprised) found this one for me last week. "Do you think that tray was worth 50 cents?" she asked. Yes, yes I sure do!