Tea Tasting Saturday #11 - Dragon Pearl Jasmine

Many moons ago, I received a birthday gift of this tea, only it had a slightly different name: Jasmine Dragon Phoenix Pearls. It was the first really "perfumey" tea I had ever tried. Frankly, I probably wouldn't have purchased it myself, so I was surprised to find how much I enjoyed it, and I was grateful for the gift. It was only after I'd polished off the tin of tea that I learned it was actually a pricey little tea! Still, if you've never tried this one, and you're not averse to a little fragrance in your cup, this tea is a must.

Name of tea: Dragon Pearl Jasmine

Category: Chinese Green Tea

Purveyor: Upton Tea Company

When purchased: January 2009

Dry leaf appearance: Small little balls of tightly furled tea leaves with a mostly dark green appearance, occasionally including balls of light green, even shading to white. A very pretty tea!

Wet leaf appearance: Oh, beauty is such a fleeting thing! This one starts out just gorgeous but soon returns to a normal leaf appearance. Kind of like seeing an actress or supermodel without her makeup on, the steeped Dragon Pearl Jasmine looks like ordinary tea.

Steeping temperature and time: 1 teaspoon of tea, 180 degrees, 3 minutes. I didn't remember having any problem measuring this tea the time I tried it before, and measuring the balls was really quite easy.

Scent: That lovely jasmine scent I knew to expect. However, I did detect a "vegetal" scent behind the jasmine, something I'm not sure I would have detected without the aid of this year-long experiment in tea tasting.

Color: Pale green

Flavor: Definitely has the "mouth feel" of a Chinese green, but greatly enhanced by that wonderful jasmine. Maybe it's because I love perfume anyway, but I really enjoy the jasmine fragrance of this tea.

Additional notes: I had assumed this was a handmade tea, so I enjoyed reading about Michael Harney's trip to a factory where he watched neatly uniformed women rolling the tea leaves between their palms before the tea balls were placed on racks and scented with jasmine blossoms.

Next week's tea: Gunpowder

It's not easy tea-ing green

Are you a fan of the color green? I like the lighter shades of green (the ones with names like seafoam, celery and moss), and any green found in nature is awesome, but when it comes to indoor color I'm not a huge fan of bright kelly green or grass green or hunter green. So it's kinda hard to get into the whole color scheme of St. Patrick's Day, and yet we try. It will be much easier this year thanks to this little boxed set, a Christmas gift from my parents I had patiently stashed away until March arrived.

Many of us prefer teacups and saucers above all drinking vessels, but I make an exception for mugs that have a) especially pretty designs b) tea company logos and c) teapots or teacups on them! So these qualify.

You know what else? I even like the design on this box. I don't know what I'm going to do with it, but I'm going to try to find a place for it in my crafts room, maybe holding all those empty teabag wrappers I'm saving for future crafts projects. So do you have any green teawares or anything special you'll be using for St. Patrick's Day?

The collecting bug bites again

A few weekends ago, I went antiquing with my mom and came home with nothing. No teacup, no tea linens, no tea accessories, nada. Times like that worry me, because I'm afraid I've found the last tea bargain ever and, well, that would be a sad day. But yesterday I had the day off and spent most of the afternoon in Senoia, which has a few antique stores of its own. After visiting with my friends Liz and Cydney at the family shop, I wandered down Main Street to Miss Wendy's (where I bought a dear friend a birthday gift I thought would be early but later realized is actually LATE, sigh). Then, it was on to Gail's Antiques, where I found two goodies for myself, including this new tea towel.

As a needleworker myself I rarely buy needlework made by someone else, but this sweet piece just appealed to me. And I also found a vintage tea infuser that actually worked! Most of the old infusers are pretty, but the two halves of the "spoon" are often pretty loose and don't clamp together well at all. This one works perfectly!

Once I got home and under a good light, I was able to read the back of the infuser handle, which said "Veribest Silverplate." I thought that was a cute name, and it was certainly one of the veribest afternoons of antiquing I've had in a while.

And the winner is ...

It's always fun to see which number the Random Number Generator selects! (It's at mathgoodies.com, should you ever need one.) And the number today is #3, which would be the comment from ParTea Lady! Your book will be on the way ASAP, so CONGRATS!

"Somebody went to Charleston ..."

"...and all I got was this lousy T-shirt." Fortunately, that's not what *I* was saying after my friend Holly got back from her weekend trip to Charleston, because I received not a lousy T-shirt but instead a gift of some delicious Rooibos Rising Sun Tea from Hale Tea Company, a new name to me!

Today Holly was back at work after a trip to Charleston with a girlfriend, and her mission on my behalf was simple: Check out the new Fuschia Tea Emporium recommended by Tea Lover Denise last month. She did, and I'm happy to say she gave it a glowing review just as Denise did! I am told the lunch offerings were very good (Holly, who is tiny, says she polished off hers), and the tea was excellent. She also liked that all the women in her party got to select their own teacup and saucer from a display rack on the wall. She wants to go back for the afternoon tea, and now, so do I.

It's funny, but Denise's post about this tea room appeared right about the same time Holly was asking if I knew of a tearoom in Charleston. Sadly, the only one I knew of was the fictional Indigo Tea Room, but then came news of this one. And the tea Holly got for me is perfect for late evening sipping, because it's a caffeine free green rooibos flavored with strawberries and sunflower petals. So thank you Holly! (And thank you Denise for instigating all this!)

"Oolong Dead" Giveaway

A week ago I wrote about the new tea shop mystery from author Laura Childs, and yesterday I happened to receive a *second* review copy. Since I don't need two of the books, I'm going to give one away to some lucky winner.

To enter, just answer this question: Have you ever read one of the tea shop mysteries, and if so which was your favorite? (Mine was the first one, "Death by Darjeeling," simply because it was such a pleasure to discover the series, as I really felt I had come across something wonderful for tea lovers. And I still feel that way, especially after reading the new book, which is my "recent favorite.")

You may enter anytime between now and 7 a.m. Wednesday morning. Good luck!

Hyacinths & Shady Lawns

The blogs I read are particularly lovely at this time of year, because no matter the topic it seems none of us can resist sneaking in a few flower photos, such as these hyacinths I picked when my husband and I were outside walking last night.

As we were walking, I thought about how we've been in our house more than two years and still haven't done anything with a small enclosed plot that once was a dog pen with a chain link fence. The gate on it has potential, and I can sort of envision it dolled up and decorated and growing a few plants that will tolerate the shady lawn.

And speaking of Shady Lawn (sounds like a cemetery, doesn't it?), it was also yesterday that I happened across an old postcard I've had for years, for the Shady Lawn Tea Room in Atlanta. I bought the card as a curiosity, for I'm quite certain there's no tea room in that spot today. The tea room was located at 2235 Stewart Ave., with an Ellen Burke serving as "Proprietress," offering chicken and steaks and combination meals. This was obviously the sort of tea room written about in "Tea at the Blue Lantern Inn," and although I don't think we could have gotten a cream tea there, I'll bet Miss Burke's chicken and steaks were just delicious!

Tea Tasting Saturday #10 - Taiping HouKui (Taiping Best Monkey Tea)

Holy cow! Professional ballplayers aren't the only ones using steroids, apparently. Would you get a look at the size of these tea leaves!

I suspected something interesting would be inside when my "2-ounce" purchase of this tea came in a bag measuring about 6-1/2 x 11 inches. When I opened it, I was met with these mammoth tea leaves. To make sure mine eyes did not deceive me, I pulled out a ruler. Yep, many of these babies are 3 to 3-1/2 inches in length. Again ... wow!




Name of tea: Taiping HouKui (Taiping Best Monkey Tea). (Note to self: Find out whether the bad monkeys get a tea.)

Category: Chinese Green Tea

Purveyor: Harney & Sons

When purchased: January 2009

Dry leaf appearance: Super duper long leaves in varying shades of bright green with some almost "variegated" white and yellowish patches in places. A few of the leaves appeared to be fused together.

Wet leaf appearance: Curving and curling strands of super duper long tea leaves, definitely reminiscent of cooked spinach.

Steeping temperature and time: 1 teaspoon of tea, 175 degrees, 2-1/2 minutes. I definitely had to guess on the amount of tea leaf, since these didn't exactly fit into a normal measuring spoon. I tried to judge volume.

Scent: Strong vegetal scent that seemed to have many characteristics. Asparagus? Mmm, not exactly. Roasted green beans? No, not *that* strong a roasted scent. And with a sweet finish to it, somehow. This one seemed to have a lot of different "notes" to me.

Color: Pale green

Flavor: Again, I'm just amazed at how much more pleasant this quality green tea is. After oversteeping all those green tea teabags, this is a new taste experience entirely. This one had a very good "mouth feel," with just a slight astringency afterward. I steeped the leaves three more times, finishing with a much lighter, but still enjoyable, cup of tea.

Additional notes: Oh happy day! I just read Michael Harney's account of this tea, and I am not losing it to imagine the "green beans" characteristic and the sweetness. I had not, however, detected the "cross-hatching" on the leaves he describes, so I went back and looked. Indeed yes, it's there, and I enjoyed reading about what causes the cross-hatching design. (I don't want to be a spoiler for anyone planning to read the book.) What an interesting, interesting tea!

Next week's tea: Dragon Pearl Jasmine

Tea and Coffee Trade Journal, August 1907

Over the past few years I have been fortunate to pick up copies of Tea & Coffee Trade Journal at some trade shows. I loved reading all the articles on tea, but as a mere hobbyist I couldn’t really justify the $49 for a subscription. Fortunately, you can read some of the articles online for free at teaandcoffee.net. Recently, I found a vintage copy of the magazine, and I love it so much I thought I’d scan some of the images at a high resolution in hopes you can read them as well. I'm including some of the ads as well as a feature on the World's Fair held in Virginia that year. (I'm sure not everyone will have time to read the article, but do check out the photos, especially of the Lipton Tea exhibit.) Double click and enjoy!

Victoria Muffins

You know how people like to name what books they'd want to take with them if stranded on a desert island? (I actually typed "dessert" island at first. Wouldn't THAT be fun!) Well, after my Bible the next "book" I'd want to take would be my complete set of Victoria magazines. My DH would tell you I am quite fanatical with my devotion to the old Victoria, primarily the ones published from 1987-2000 when the incomparable Nancy Lindemeyer was editor. And so I read and re-read these classic issues, including February 1992, which had a yummy sounding recipe for White Chocolate Muffins.

I had planned to make these in February but kept forgetting to buy two of the ingredients (orange juice concentrate and almonds) at the grocery store. Last night, I whipped these up beginning to end in under 30 minutes, with wonderful results! And since I tweaked a couple of the amounts (and substituted chocolate chips for shaved chocolate), here's the recipe. They called them "White Chocolate Muffins," but in my mind, these shall henceforth be known as ...

Victoria Muffins

1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1/2 cup milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
2/3 cup white chocolate chips
1/3 cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and prepare cupcake pans by inserting 15 paper baking cups. In medium bowl, combine egg, oil, OJ and milk until blended well. In another bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, chocolate chips and almonds. Mix well. Make a well in the center, add wet ingredients, and combine just until moistened. Fill paper cups 3/4 full and bake for about 15 minutes, just until golden brown on top. (I recommend having these with a nice cup of tea, of course, but they're also good with the orange juice you'll prepare from any leftover concentrate!)

The T-Squeeze

Here at the Tea With Friends blog, our motto is, "We test all those cheap, cheesy tea gadgets so you don't have to!" And today we bring you the T-Squeeze, billed as a "unique tea bag squeezer and cup cover."

So, does it work? It's easy enough to use, which is a good thing since the package photos are the only instructions that come with this device. And truly, if you need something to help you squeeze the everlasting life out of your teabags, this may be just the ticket.

Aesthetically, the T-Squeeze is kind of clunky looking. It dribbled a bit, and of greater concern, it's another item creating counter clutter (or desk clutter, if you're at the office). And may I make a confession? I don't actually *squeeze* my teabags most of the time. I just let them do their business and then toss them away. Still, for $2.99 I was content to have found a new addition to my growing collection of odd tea gadgets!

"Oolong Dead" by Laura Childs

Can you believe Laura Childs has now given us 10 of her lovely tea shop mysteries starring Theodosia Browning and the famous Indigo Tea Shop in Charleston? I'll never forget how I discovered them way back in 2001. I was in Scott's Bookstore on the square, waiting to interview a local author who had a huge line of folks waiting to have their books autographed. Never much of a mystery reader, I had landed in a spot next to a rotating rack of paperbacks when I saw the title "Death by Darjeeling" and, at the top, "A Tea Shop Mystery." Now this was a mystery series I might actually enjoy!

And enjoy them I did. From "Death by Darjeeling" on to "Gunpowder Green," "Shades of Earl Grey" and all the rest, I have greatly enjoyed befriending these characters, which is interesting for someone who never read much fiction. So much "tea talk" is woven into these stories, how could a tea lover not like them? After I got hooked on the Laura Childs series, I began reading Jan Karon's Mitford books and Jennifer Chiaverini's Elm Creek Quilts books. It's so nice when an author respects you enough to know you don't need profanity or gratuitous sex and violence in order to be entertained. So I could read a new tea shop mystery about once a month if Laura Childs could turn them out that fast!

And the latest, "Oolong Dead," is one of her best ever. Why? 1) I loved the backdrop social occasion being a Venetian Masked Ball. 2) I totally did not anticipate who the killer was, and I'd been smugly reading along assuming I knew the killer's identity early on. 3) Theodosia has some very good fortune in this book which already has me dying to read the next book in the series. 4) This book seems to include more recipes than usual. I particularly want to try the Green Tea Granita and the Honey Mustard Egg Salad. And in light of the fact Theo's 10th tale has now been told, don't you think it's time her publisher gives us an Indigo Tea Shop Cookbook? I'd sure enjoy having all these recipes in one handy volume!

Tea Time Shortbread Pan

Several weeks ago, I got an e-mail alert about a great new tea item from my tea friend ParTea Lady (whom, BTW, I had the honor of meeting face-to-face on Saturday when she came to our quilt shop here in Newnan!). She directed me to the King Arthur Flour web site and this Brown Bag Shortbread Pan, which I soon ordered. And the recipe really couldn't be any simpler: Cream 1 stick of butter. Add 1/3 cup confectioners sugar. Add 1/4 teaspoon vanilla. Add 1 cup all-purpose flour and combine til the dough is nice and smooth. You place the dough directly into the pan (sprayed with cooking spray), and about 30 minutes later, you have delicious shortbread cooling in the pan.

After 10 minutes of cooling, you turn the shortbread out onto another surface and cut it along the scored lines while it's still warm. I've made three pans of it so far (1 to share, 1 to eat, 1 just to experiment with), and I've been quite happy with the results. I added a few minutes to the baking time, so now it comes out with a slightly crispy crust, and I love it.

You can actually find these pans from a variety of sources (King Arthur Flour, Amazon, Shortbreadpan.com, eBay), so you may want to check around to get the best deal on the pan and shipping combined. I saved a few dollars by ordering mine on eBay, but the seller has since raised prices, so I would simply advise checking around if you plan to order. Oh, and mine cleaned up beautifully in some hot soapy water. It was a fun way to spend part of the weekend that we *finally* got a Snow Day here in Georgia! (But it had to be on a Sunday, sigh ...)

Tea Tasting Saturday #9 - Huangshan Mao Feng (Yellow Mountain Downy Tip)

Right about the time I was graduating from college, a British new wave band named Wang Chung was hitting the charts with a catchy little tune called "Everybody Have Fun Tonight." And what on earth does that have to do with tea tasting? Not a thing, except that the song's famous line "Everybody wang chung tonight" made me think "Everybody huangshan tonight." (And if, like me, you go around today with that song stuck on constant rotation in your head, I do apologize!)

Name of tea: Huangshan Mao Feng (Yellow Mountain Downy Tip)

Category: Green Tea

Purveyor: Harney & Sons

When purchased: January 2009

Dry leaf appearance: Long, elegant leaves of deep, deep olive green

Wet leaf appearance: Brighter green leaves that developed a fuller appearance

Steeping temperature and time: 1 level teaspoon of tea, 175 degrees, 3 minutes

Scent: Perhaps it's because we had steamed asparagus a few nights ago at dinner, but that's the first scent that came to mind!

Color: Palest green

Flavor: OK, you're going to think I'm weird(er), but this tea had *such* a rich taste, it reminded me of ... broth! I was sipping away and thinking how this was obviously just clear liquid, but it had a richness that made me think of the broth in chicken noodle soup. No chicken taste, mind you, just the fullness of the broth. I greatly enjoyed this tea!

Additional notes: Michael Harney in The Harney & Sons Guide to Tea says that while most of the Chinese green teas in his book are handmade teas, Huangshan is "one of the few made almost entirely by machines." He also notes that the handmade version of this tea is so rare, it has become a popular gift among businessmen. Interesting!

Next week's tea: Taiping Houkui (Taiping Best Monkey Tea)

"Tea an Everyday Indulgence"

"Tea is one of the most social and popular events of the day and the taste and refinement of the hostess are readily recognized in the manner in which it is served. Everything should be as dainty and attractive as possible. The tea itself should be of the best that can be afforded and must be well made..."

From the clearance table at Anthropologie comes this 2007 book from Copper Beech Publishing in Great Britain, "Tea an Everyday Indulgence." Although it doesn't exactly say so, I am assuming this book is a compilation of the tea and etiquette advice from vintage publications. A discussion of which foods may be eaten with one's gloves on, for instance, seems quite quaint today, but it's still fun to read. And it's been a while since I've dressed like the lady in this illustration at dinnertime!

A quick and easy read, this small book included quite a few tidbits I've never heard before. On teaspoons: "Up to the time of Waterloo, teaspoons were adjusted chiefly to the calibre of female mouths." Another fun fact: "The scalloped shell which appears on so many tea spoons originates from the time oriental merchants placed a real scallop shell in the tea chests so customers could inspect it before making their decision to buy." There are also a few simple recipes in the book, but the social customs and courtesies are what I most enjoyed reading.

Teapot journals

Years ago, I went to Savannah to visit my dear friend (and fellow journalist) Kathy. We were in a T.J. Maxx when I came across some gorgeous sheets (Shabby Chic, maybe?), and Kathy walked up as I was digging through the pile. She asked if I was looking for a certain size, and I explained that yes, I wondered if they had them in "Full" size, even though I wasn't even sure I wanted them. I just needed to know they had them in that size in case I *did* decide I wanted them. She got this look of fierce determination in her eyes and said, "Oh, I understand completely!" So we set to clearing sheets off shelves, and soon she pulled out a package marked "Full." Although I didn't buy them, we both left the store feeling quite good about it all. Can you imagine a man understanding that little scenario? I can't.

I remembered that long-ago incident when I was in Michaels this week and came across some really pretty initial journals in one of the $1 bins. What did I do? I looked for my initial, of course! I set to digging through all those "V" journals (I think they are a little overstocked on the "V" ones), and quite a few "N" ones, and even some "S" ones, and finally I found an "M" one! But I didn't really *need* one of these journals, even for $1, so I left it, but I thought of my friend Kathy, who I'm sure would have understood my "need" to dig around for something I wasn't going to buy.

Happily, though, I found something else in the $1 bins that was indeed needed. I'm totally out of blank tea-themed journals (I used to have several of them waiting to be filled), and I really like this sweet Mary Engelbreit design with teapots and the saying "The best antiques are old friends." I certainly can't quibble with the price. If you're out of journals as well, it might be time for a quick run to Michaels. And wouldn't these be cute tea party favors?

White Lion Tea's Honey Pearls

So where do you stand on sweeteners in your tea? Love 'em? Hate 'em? I drink the vast majority of my tea plain, whether it's a fruity flavored black tea or one of the pure teas I'm "tea tasting" this year. Every once in a while, though, and especially at tea parties, I like to enjoy a little something sweet in my teacup. A new choice for tea lovers: Honey Pearls from White Lion Tea.

I received a sample of the Honey Pearls at a trade show recently, and then the company kindly sent some more to the office. I added a packet to a cup of my beloved Emperor's Bride Tea from The Tea Room in Savannah, and it was just the right amount of sweetness.

Honey Pearls are made of all natural crystallized honey, and I'll be ordering some of these for my tea table. You can order a jar of them loose (which I think I'd prefer), but if you're someone who often travels with your sweetener you might like the packets. The single packets I've enjoyed are just 2.8 grams of sugar and 12 calories apiece. For a once-in-a-while treat, I think this is an elegant new way to sweeten tea!

Tea & Tupperware

Months ago, I saw this Tupperware tea infuser listed on eBay, but it apparently hadn't made it to the U.S. yet because its "home" was somewhere like Hong Kong, as I recall, and I didn't want to take a chance on ordering from so far away. So imagine my surprise when my friend Deberah just waltzed up to me at work one day recently and handed this to me.

I haven't had a Tupperware lady in years, so I was thrilled that my friend is Tupperware connected enough to have located this infuser for me. It has an interesting design, kind of like those ballpoint pens you don't click but instead rotate the barrel to reveal the pen. On this infuser, you rotate the barrel to open it for filling with tea and then close it. And the infuser will stand up when you're through infusing the tea.

So does it work? Well, I have to confess I'm as surprised as anyone to say ... YES, it does! Now I will test any infuser on the market, but I am accustomed to about 99 percent of them not working worth squat. My tea leaves filtered beautifully with this infuser, and there was nothing but infused tea in my teacup! When you're through, you stand this little baby upright and it doesn't drip. I do not-not-not understand this. I just knew this was going to be a dribbler for sure. So all I can say is, Tupperware rocks!

Hummingbird Cake

Looking for an easy three-layer cake to make for your next teatime? After experimenting with a new recipe in honor of my daddy's 70th (!) birthday yesterday, I am happy to be able to recommend this easy Hummingbird Cake. I've had this particular recipe sitting around in my recipe clip file for years, but I don't have occasion to make that many "fancy" cakes. Since my sister was cooking supper for everyone yesterday, I volunteered to bake the cake and was pleasantly surprised at how easy this one was to make.

Now some of you are no doubt saying "Hummingbird cake? Humph. That's no big deal." And you would be right. It's apparently been around for a few decades now, but hey, it's new to me! I love the combination of pineapple, bananas and pecans, and of course that fabulous cream cheese frosting.

But why on earth do they call this thing "Hummingbird Cake" when there are (happily for the hummingbirds) no hummingbirds in it? A little research reveals two schools of thought on the matter. 1) Foodtimeline.org says that "recent evidence suggests this confection descended from Jamaican roots. The hummingbird (aka Dr. Bird) is one of the national symbols." So that theory postulates that the cake is named in honor of a particular Jamaican hummingbird. 2) The second theory, and the one I like best, is southern and sweeter. This theory says that just as a hummingbird is attracted to sweet nectar, so is the southerner attracted to this super sweet cake which first appeared in Southern Living magazine in 1978.

Hummingbird Cake

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, beaten
1-1/2 cups vegetable oil
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, undrained
2 cups chopped bananas (about 4)
2 cups chopped pecans, divided

Cream Cheese Frosting

2 (8-ounce) packages of cream cheese, softened
2 sticks butter or margarine, softened
2 (16-ounce) boxes of confectioners sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Dash of salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three (9-inch) round cake pans and set aside. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt and stir until combined. Add eggs and oil, stirring just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Add vanilla, pineapple and juice, bananas and 1 cup of the pecans and mix. Divide among the prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of the cakes comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes. Let the cakes cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then turn onto racks to cool completely.

Frosting: With electric mixer, blend cream cheese and butter or margarine until well combined. Slowly add confectioners sugar and beat until light and fluffy, then add vanilla and salt. Generously spread the frosting between the layers. Ice top and sides of cake, and sprinkle remaining pecans over the top. Makes 10 to 12 servings.