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by Adam Yusko
So many people love teapots because they seem to add a certain character to the brewing ritual, and fit the stereotypical image of making and serving tea. But in all honesty teapots and other accessories are simply more things to clean and worry about breaking, not to mention their sheer bulk. Personally, I’ve brewed a lot of tea over the years in a variety of ways, and I’ve come to the conclusion that a minimalist approach to teaware is definitely one worth considering.
Some would say the teabag is nothing more than a way of ruining tea, as most teabags are filled with very small particles of tea and often produce a less than amazing brew. Yet the simplicity of the teabag is what people enjoy the most and the reason why they continue to use them. There are also teabags available that you can fill yourself. They allow you to enjoy loose leaf tea together with the comfort of an easy clean-up. They also keep the particles you sometimes get with tea-balls out of your tea. However, tea-balls and mesh infusers also count as minimalist teaware.
When you combine teabags with one of your favorite cups and some boiling water you can have tea anywhere, anytime. A minimalist approach to tea is great when traveling, as cups can be found almost anywhere and it’s simple to throw in a tea-ball or a few teabags, which take up relatively little room in luggage and shouldn’t raise eyebrows at airport security.
A minimalist approach to teaware ensures you can get consistent results anywhere you are with minimal inconvenience. I like these minimalists approaches at times, as they tend to be low fuss. I’m not suggesting, however, that you abandon teapots. Teapots are classics in the tea world for a reason, and you should keep them for when you have time to enjoy tea to its fullest.
by Adam Yusko
Twinings Tea has been a staple in my cabinet since I first became an avid tea drinker. It seems that Twinings tea has always offered a consistent quality, and a large enough variety to fit any mood. I have a fondness in my heart for Twinings, as its gotten me through many colds, sicknesses and slow mornings. There are certain tea’s we all gain a bit of an affinity for, and we should embrace them and enjoy them.
Twinings has a great selection, but I tend to prefer their black teas, especially those which I like to call “English Classics.” Their Irish Breakfast, Earl Grey and Prince of Wales are classics in my mind. I love the fact that they offer loose leaf tea’s, but I’ve been satisfied with their teabags for comfort and quality. I know this is in bad form, but as I like my tea strong I often have no problem putting one of their teabags in a thermos of not-quite boiling water and simply leaving it until it’s finished.
That thermos trick with all its simplicity has gotten me though many sleepy mornings, colds and flu’s. It’s the comfort that Twinings tea has offered me during those times that relaxes and soothes me at other times when I pull it down from the shelf. One of my favorites is their Earl Grey, which offers wonderful citrus notes, and is considerably smooth.
I consider Twinings a classic, and know it’ll help me feel better when cold and flu season approaches. However, I would like to stress that Twinings is more than just a tea for those under the weather; it’s an enjoyable beverage for anytime. It is my nostalgic tea, and as such it has a consistent place on my shelf.
by Adam Yusko
Many teashops are now selling more teas that are blended with fruits, candies, flowers, and oils. While I don’t doubt that such combinations can be tasty, sometimes we need to ask ourselves, is this really tea? I mean, sure it has tea in it, but how much of the tea are you actually appreciating? I’ve had a few of these mixtures, mostly fruits and spices, and I’d say the tea had contributed to little more than the color.
Many people enjoy these teas, and many people start off by drinking fruity and flowery blends. They might even do a bit of good for the tea industry, but in a sense I feel like the ready-to-drink bottled teas give the impression that tea has to be bland, and is best served with lots of sugar.
I make a regular tea with no added oils or goodies, and I’m overwhelmed with waves of flavors. I see no reason why anyone would want to add extraneous flavors to tea. Think of tea as a way of consuming the essence of a specific plant. It’s precisely this sort of commune with nature that promotes healthy living.
So take a minimal tea approach, try and cut as many things from your tea as possible. A nice Earl Grey works if you like a bit of a bergamot flavor. Or perhaps a tea mixed with one specific flower. Or just be as minimal as possible by drinking individual teas with nothing added. There are many different types of teas and they all taste slightly different. Embrace the differences in the tea itself. Then, decide if you like taking the minimalist approach to your tea, or if you like the added flavors in your cup.
by Adam Yusko
Why is it that a cup of green tea is never as refreshing on a dreary February day when you’re trapped inside a cold house, while that steaming hot cup of Assam feels oppressive in the summer heat? Don’t get me wrong, those of us that love tea will find a way to drink tea in any weather, and love it no matter what. But on a rainy afternoon at the start of fall, I can’t help but turn to a nice cup of hot tea as a way to embrace the changing seasons and prepare for the winter months drawing near.
Does the weather play a role in our choice of tea? In my mind I feel that I like the teas that remind me of my favorite season, and at the same time, when I want to embrace the current season I choose teas which give me the feel of the weather outside.
Every time I taste my favorite teas, Puerh and Wuyi oolongs, I say, “yes, that is fall.” Between their roasted notes, the sweetness of root vegetables, and the hints of spices permeating through them, they just invoke that sense of fall in me. Fall is my all-time favorite season.
But come spring, when I want to embrace the freshness that is Spring, green teas come to mind. Those green teas awaken the senses and refresh my spirits after the cold winter. While a good strong cup of black tea is perfect for the middle of winter, summer is up for grabs, and I drink just about all teas in the summer. But usually during the summer I drink teas that have a nice berry scent or a good floral aroma to them, as these are the things that summer reminds me of.
The weather can help make your cup of tea perfect, while the right cup of tea can make you think for your perfect weather. So my recommendations for teas will be teas that remind you of your favorite season, or teas for the current season.
by Adam Yusko
The spout of the kettle might just be the most important part, or else we might as well be using sauce pans. The spout focuses the pouring water and directs it where we wish. But are all spouts created equally? In my experience, no; a narrow spout usually achieves optimal results.
Why does a narrow focused stream produce the best results? Well, from my trials and errors with tea, I’ve found that even the heartiest and strong-willed teas will react poorly to boiling water. So a more focused stream allows you to pour from six plus inches above the pot, which in the process helps add air back into the water, along with cooling it slightly. This has made quite a bit of a difference. Plus the extra control allows for a more practiced circular pouring motion to agitate, separate, and stir the leaves while pouring.
Try and do that with a large, non-focused spout. Not only is it not aesthetically pleasing, but to be accurate with the pour you have to pour from a really close distance, or risk making a mess.
I used to use a kettle which had a very bad pour and I often had problems pouring it neatly. In order to get the water into my little pots, I’d have to be so close that the kettle would bump the table. So I started using a different kettle and the tea started tasting better, but I could not explain why until I thought about the differences in the pours. Suddenly bits of wisdom of tea masters that have reached my ears suddenly made sense to me.
To me, tea is just an art form focused on expressing your mood and current temperament in the cup you’re crafting at that particular time, whereas for others it’s a science, measured out and made as precise as possible. I hope this satisfied a bit or everyone’s personal interest in tea.
Check out Adam’s blog, The Sip Tip, for more interesting articles!
This is part two of my look into Russian tea and tea culture. Though Russia didn’t get introduced to tea until the 17th century from China, it seems that tea didn’t become very popular in Russia until the 19th century.
The tisanes they drank before they were introduced to tea, was called Sbiten – a spices, herb and honey mixture that they drank during the winter. In my research on Sbiten, I could not come to a standard description, and it sounds like it can be made to be slightly alcoholic, or made more like a spice and herb tea. But it seems to include spices like cloves, cinnamon, and ginger. And both recipes I found for it also include a small amount of fruit.
Yet, I’ve heard of stories from those who used to travel on the Russian railroad once upon a time, often recall with great pleasure a tea that would be brewed in a giant samovar in a secluded room. While those who actively sought to find this tea at a later time say they never could, they do agree it was probably some sort of Russian blend. So what makes Russian tea blend so unique? They are often a blend of Chinese and Indian tea, usually a Lapsang Souchong and Assam. They are characterized by the smoky flavor, and usually quite strong tasting, but just what you need to keep you alert and warm on a cold winter in Northern Russia.
Russia might be relatively new to the tea world, especially considering its proximity to several major tea drinking countries, but it most certainly is one that has contributed its own unique style. So if you have a russian blend on your shelf, know you aren’t the only one that has been suduced by its smoky and very strong qualities which can be both confusing and alluring.
Russia, believe it or not has been tea drinking country unique in its own respects. The Czars and upper echelon, loved their tea, and it was often had on special occasions. Their tea was also served quite strong, but with a bowl of hot water so they could dilute the tea down to their preferred strength.
One of the icons of Russian tea is the image of the Samovar. The samovar was a great way for them to keep both the tea, and the water to dilute it hot, while having it all in a very fashionable center piece. Modern samovars can now act very much like a electric kettle, while more traditional samovars are heated over coals. Samovars were also great ways for the Russian elite to show off their wealth, as many samovars dating back to the time of the Czars, which were from the very wealthy families, are quite ornately decorated. I recently spent a couple of days in St. Petersburg, and in seeing the ornately decorated palaces of the Russian Aristocracy I can vouch that they seemed quite taken by putting their wealth on display. Anyone who has seen the Amber room in St. Catherine’s palace can vouch for their general love of splendor (6 tons of amber decorated the room, for those that are interested).
When in Russia and fighting my way through the lines at the Hermitage, or touring the Yusupov palace along with many others, one thing you will find is in some room somewhere, there is a beautifully ornate tea set. The tea sets are usually fine bone china and elaborately painted. What really struck my interest was that several of the cups had no handles, like you would see in a more traditional European set. They very much were a European decorated and looking tea set, with cups closer to an Asian fashion.
In part two I will talk about Russsian Tea Blends, and a traditional warm wintertime drink which they consumed before tea became popular in their country.
In America avid tea drinkers are sometimes looked on as odd – considering the typical Americans idea of tea comes in a bag that has been sitting on a shelf for ages. But occasionally someone comes up to you asking if you could find a tea that they would enjoy. Or for a present you decide to give the gift of tea to someone close to you. This is a rare opportunity to make a new convert into the way of tea, so how do you go about such a daunting task?
First of all, finding the right tea for them, this depending on how well you know the potential convert might involve an interview of sorts. What other beverages do they like, are they a coffee drinker (how do they take it), do they like fruity beverages? If they are a coffee drinker and are up to the possibility of going from a morning cup of joe, to a nice cup of tea, have them try out a breakfast tea or two. For some people that morning cup of coffee is a staple, and won’t be changed for the world, in that case you need to think of the other questions. Fruity beverages give way to white tea or greener oolongs. If they are just looking for something cleansing and refreshing, just about all teas will work, but that’s when you point to the greens, and to some extent the whites.
It might be helpful just to give them a vague idea of what each category will taste like. White tea will be very mild and have floral and honey notes. Green tea is much more vegetal. Oolong tea is more of a wild card, and really lends itself to being explored, to let you figure out which sort of oolongs you like. Black tea is best for an occasional drink as it takes the longest to expire, and in my opinion the easiest to consistently get a satisfactory cup.
If it’s a gift you are getting for someone, consider throwing in a basic teapot, glazed preferably. Also if they are embarking into the tea world on their own a gift bag of a timer and thermometer should always be welcome. For a more experienced tea drinker consider an electric kettle if they do not already have one.
When turning to tea the possibilities are nearly endless. So spread the joy of tea to the people near you!
There have been a lot of posts talking about the proper way to brew tea. All of them basically giving the same basic ideas, sometimes slightly different with brew times or temperatures , but what happens if you throw the rules out the window all together?
I know many people whose ideas on how to make tea consist of throwing a teabag in boiling water (no matter the type) and leaving it in there the whole time they drink the tea. Places like Starbucks do little to change that mentality in fact they almost cater to it, but some people when they think of tea they love that bitter astringent taste that grabs hold of you and stays awhile.
It seems almost as though the “rules” of tea brewing are being ignored by some of the more knowledgeable people. I’ve heard of a well respected tea enthusiast brewing greens with boiling water and flash infusions. In certain Chinese communities the method of brewing they practice is called glass brewing, in which they have a jar, or glass with green or white tea on the bottom, and fill it up with hot water. Once it is cool enough to drink, they drink most of it, and then add more hot water. What you get when preparing tea this way is a very strong brew, which has every flavor very pronounced, but is also rather astringent. Far from what we would consider the perfect cup of green tea, but these glasses and jars with tea and hot water seem to be everywhere in certain parts of the world.
Tea like art and so many other things is full of rules and guidelines in the beginning, but it seems the more you learn, the more you throw the rules out the window and improvise. Yet there is one key rule in tea, it is to make good and enjoyable tea, right for your mood and your guests, but always exceptional tea.
While bagged tea is quite an invention, which depending who you talk to is either a rejuvenation or a bastardization of tea. But what if you are a firm believer in the superiority of loose leaf tea, but still want an enjoyable cup while away? For an English style cup of tea, it might just be easier than you think.
First you need to come up with a storage method for your leaves. If you happen to have a source of miniature tins with good seals that hold 10-15 grams of tea, you are golden. The rest of us need to get slightly more creative. Plastic bags and envelopes which don’t have the pungent odors of the chemical adhesive or other bad smells work well enough. To protect the leaves from being crushed into dust you can use a bit of bubble wrap around the bags or envelopes.
The other equipment you wish to bring should be a bit easier. As tea infuser should be relatively easy to pack, the trick is to remember them. But for ease of cleanup when on the go, or making a quick cup, there 
are teabags for sale of which you can fill yourself. Once you are done steeping the leaves as many times as you wish you can just toss the whole thing. Simple as that.
Now to get water hot enough can be a trick depending on where you are. If there is a mini coffee pot in your room, you can run water through it without the grounds to get it close to boiling. I would recommend sending water though a couple of times to try and wash away any coffee residue. Quite a few coffee shops and such should be willing to get you cup of boiling water. There are some mini electric kettles available that heat up roughly a cup at a time.
So traveling and making your perfect cuppa do not need to conflict. So bring some of your old favorites and must haves and enjoy a nice cup in a new spot.
