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Stepping outside, it almost feels like you could swim through the air. That’s humidity in Northern Virginia, and with temperatures remaining in the eighties and nineties, iced tea weather is here to stay.
Luckily, I’ve got a good stash to keep me going. PG Tips is on the same wavelength, and they recently sent me some of their tea to try iced. I’m always experimenting to find the perfect plain black iced tea, so the package was quite welcome.
I’ve been a fan of PG Tips since high school, when a friend’s parents always had it on hand. It had just the right amount of maltiness to go with bacon and toast for breakfast. While not the highest quality of tea, it’s a down home comfort tea. However, until this summer, I hadn’t thought to try it on the rocks.
I should have tried it sooner. The slightest smoky flavor comes through, giving the tea some real body, even when the ice melted. I prefer unsweetened iced tea, but I feel that this would take sweetening well without being overpowered. We went through two pitchers this weekend. I definitely recommend PG Tips for iced tea.
To make your own PG Tips iced tea, use two teabags per cup, and steep for three to five minutes. If you prefer sweet tea, either add sugar while the tea is still hot so that the granules dissolve, or use a simple sugar syrup to add sweetness to individual servings. Don’t want the trouble of making a whole pitcher? Make an individual serving and use a cocktail shaker to shake it up with ice, then pour over the rocks for a quickly cooled refreshing summer drink. If you really want to shake things up, add some lemonade to that shaker for an Arnold Palmer.
Remember, stay cool, and stay hydrated!
For more great tea tips, check out Stephanie’s blog, The Tea Scoop!
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© Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog, 2009-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this article’s author and/or the blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
The image of befeathered patriots dumping tons of tea into Boston Harbor conjures strong feelings even today. Even more so in the eighteenth century. You may have read my previous article about the feelings of those early Americans towards our favorite beverage. Today, we drink tea out of choice, among a plethora of other beverages. Yet denizens of the eighteenth century, both in the Americas and in England, had little other choice.
You had better drink tea! Or I reckon you'll wind up looking like this here drunkard!
Instead of images of genteel ladies sipping tea with delicately raised fingers, instead picture drunken magistrates, tipsy doctors, and a generally intoxicated population. For most of the eighteenth century, public drunkenness was not seen as anything out of the ordinary. In fact, men bragged about the volume of alcohol they could consume in a single sitting, much like overgrown college students. On the other hand, there were not many other safe options on the beverage menu.
Water was largely polluted, completely unsanitary to drink over ice. The idea of drinking fruit juice would have been seen as a waste for most people, as fruit was prohibitively expensive. Apples, less expensive, were pressed into cider. Yet, most often, this cider then fermented into hard cider. Coffee, likewise, was a luxury for the rich. While the poor drank a horse chestnut substitute, it seems that this concoction was only for the most desperate because of its vile flavor.
That left tea, steeped in water made more safe through boiling. It was affordable by most, especially if the lower classes bought used leaves from the backdoors of the rich. People drank black and green tea, especially gunpowder, congou, and hysson. They took their tea without milk.
As you can see, this lovely beverage provided one of the very few non-alcoholic alternatives in the eighteenth century, and ladies began to promote it as an alternative to booze after dinner, as well as a break in the late afternoon. With consumption of tea constantly on the rise, it was all the more shocking when the Sons of Liberty tossed it into the waves.
Don’t forget to check out Stephanie’s blog, The Tea Scoop!
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© Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog, 2009-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this article’s author and/or the blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
It’s that time of year when I am in love with spring. The tree pollen hasn’t started to get to me yet, my garden is still full of promise and dreams, and neither heat nor rain has driven me mad. All in all, it’s the time of year when I can’t stand to go inside any more than I have to, and I am giving my thanks to the person who invented laptops.
Chamomile
As I write, I am sitting here looking at the very first bud on my German chamomile plant. I sowed the seeds back in February, safely inside and separated from blizzards by our backdoor. Being a rather invasive little plant, it will stay safely in its pot. While one bud does not a harvest make, it does feel rather gratifying that I am on my way to growing my own herbal tea garden. The chamomile is only the first, and will be joined by plugs of other herbs later on. In the next several weeks, I should be receiving a lavender plant, and as soon as the farmers’ market opens, I will bring home some peppermint. I’ve also seeded some edible flowers that may make their way into a teapot as well.
I’m eager to try out a couple of recipes, including one for lavender lemonade (pardon the foray from the world of tea). When I find some good ones, I’ll be sure to share them. But for now, I wanted to leave you with my recipe for a refreshing pitcher of iced tea.
Boil one quart of water. When it boils, pull it immediately off the heat, and add eight teaspoons of black tea. I like Irish Breakfast for iced tea, mixed with perhaps one teaspoon of Scottish Breakfast. Add eight teaspoons of dried peppermint. If you are using fresh peppermint, double this amount. Add four teaspoons agave nectar. Steep for 3-5 minutes, then strain out the leaves and pour over ice in a pitcher. This will keep well for several days, if you can keep from guzzling it before then.
Happy spring!
Check out Stephanie’s blog, The Tea Scoop, today!
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© Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog, 2009-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this article’s author and/or the blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
A tea shop in England claims to have tea from five continents: Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, and Australia. They are lacking a variety from our own shores, largely because there is not that much in production. The United States is home to only one commercial tea plantation, in Charleston. That doesn’t keep people from trying to cultivate tea in such diverse states as Hawaii and Oregon. Recently, one entrepreneur bought land in California, hoping to begin selling tea within three years.
But have you ever heard the saying that the more things change, the more they stay the same? This entrepreneur will not be the first to attempt to cultivate camellia sinensis in California, although he is probably the first in this century.
In 1863, a Mr. Sonntag hailing from near San Francisco planted around a thousand tea plants grown from seeds imported from China. He reasoned that the climate at the foot of the Sierra Nevadas closely resembled that of the very successful tea producing region of Assam, along the foot of the Himalayas.
This information comes from an article in The Weekly Vincennes Western Sun, an Indiana newspaper, on August 8, 1863. The author cites Assam as a region producing tea far superior to the tea produced in China. Interestingly enough, most tea cultivated in China is the variety camellia sinensis sinensis, while the tea grown in Assam is the variety camellia sinensis assamica.
It seems unlikely that Mr. Sonntag would have ordered assamica seeds from China, resulting in the high quality tea hoped for in the article. Unfortunately, I have been unable to find the results of this early American tea cultivation experiment, and I would be curious as the success of it in the middle of a war.
Alas, Mr. Sonntag, no attempt has yet been successful. I do hope, you weren’t ruined by your own attempt.
Get a fresh scoop of American tea over on Stephanie’s blog, The Tea Scoop!
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© Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog, 2009-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this article’s author and/or the blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Georgia Peach Rooibos
The birds and the bees are singing in the trees, flowers are blooming, and allergies are attacking. We haven’t turned on our A.C. yet, but tree pollen will soon force us to close the windows for a time, at least until the shower of golden dust ceases.
In addition, I’m going to be house-sitting for my parents, who have two cats that get me sneezy and itchy. I take the generic version of Claritin, but would love to avoid pills. And so, I end up intrigued with claims of using rooibos, or red tea, to treat allergies.
In case you are unfamiliar with the herb, it comes from South Africa, and is processed in a manner similar to tea. It is naturally caffeine free and high in antioxidants. Folks in South Africa have been drinking it for centuries, but it’s only now becoming very popular here in the States. Like tea, companies make many claims about rooibos’ health benefits. Is there any truth?
Anecdotally, peoples in Africa and Asia have been using rooibos as a healing herb for ages. And it may have some healing properties, thanks to its high levels of antioxidants, which may exceed those of green tea. “Allergies: An Amazing Discovery,” written in 1970 by South African mother Annique Theron, tells of the health properties of rooibos investigated by Theron. On the other hand, Dr. Ray Sahelian, who spends his time evaluating natural supplements, has not found a great deal of research to support claims such as rooibos relieving allergies.
The jury may be out on rooibos as a miracle treatment, but you might want to try it any way. It makes a great caffeine-free substitute for tea, and it takes to blends well. We use peach rooibos for our any-time-of-the-day iced tea. Who knows if it helps our allergies, but it sure is refreshing.
Make sure to stop by Stephanie’s blog, The Tea Scoop!
Disclaimer: This is not intended as medical advice. Please consult your physician for your particular needs.
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© Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog, 2009-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this article’s author and/or the blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
The season is quickly approaching for that refreshing glass of iced tea. We made a batch last night of peach oolong….yummy! But what’s the best way to go about it? In the South, sun tea is quite popular, but the FDA condemns it. I’m no scientist, so I’m not going to take sides in that debate. I’m just going to give a neutral alternative.
When you are making iced tea, the most important step is to double the amount of tea that you use, since the tea will be diluted with ice. That means two teaspoons of tea for every eight ounces. Of course if you want stronger tea, feel free to make those heaping teaspoons.
Bring your water to a boil, and steep for the usual time. When I make herbal iced tea, however, I let it steep for a great deal longer than I do when I make hot tisanes, since there’s no risk of bitterness. I let herbals steep for at least 15 minutes. I just let the leaves free float in the hot water, to infuse as much flavor as possible. Then I fill a pitcher with ice, and strain the tea into the pitcher. Voila, easy done with no specialized equipment.
If you are going to sweeten your tea, the best time is during the steeping process. Unless you are looking for southern style sweet tea, I find that about a teaspoon of sugar or honey per eight ounces makes for a refreshingly sweet but not cloying glass of iced tea.
What teas make the best iced teas? Sikkim is refreshing, particularly with a squeeze of orange or lemon. I find in general that Indian blacks take well to being iced. Citrusy greens and berried blacks also do well. And as we found last night, peach oolong is utterly delightful iced. Of course, in the end, ice what you like!
Stephanie offers up free scoops of tea advice each and every day on her blog, The Tea Scoop!
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© Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog, 2009-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this article’s author and/or the blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
If you found this article by Googling “tea and weight loss,” you also had nearly 21 million other hits. These days, the topic of tea and weight loss is hotter than your cuppa. But is there any truth to these claims?
Sencha
Maybe, maybe not. Green tea might ward off weight gain, according to a study on WebMD. But that’s only based on preliminary studies on mice. On the other hand, these mice were getting a heavy dose. Even assuming that green tea had the same effects on people, a tea drinker would have to consume seven cups of green tea per day for the same effect. As much as I love tea, that’s a lot of green tea. And, I’m very aware that I am not, in fact, a mouse. Many of the claims about tea and weight loss come from manufacturers.
On the other hand, if you’ve been guzzling sodas and sugary fruit drinks, switching to unsweetened tea probably will result in weight loss, simply because you are replacing beverages filled with empty calories with a zero calorie beverage. Not to mention, tea does seem to be a rather healthy beverage.
My real problem with these claims is that they turn tea into a health drink. Tea is perfectly delicious whether or not it is a miracle infusion. Drinking tea should be about pleasure and relaxation, not about losing weight. Unfortunately, our society puts a lot of pressure on what a scale says, and people become desperate to try anything to make that number go down. Don’t let that pressure take your enjoyment out of life. Being healthy is one thing, taking desperate measures to fit a standard is another.
So go ahead, eat healthy and drink healthy. Go for a walk. But above all, enjoy your cup of tea, and love yourself no matter what.
Stephanie offers up healthy scoops of tea information daily on her blog, The Tea Scoop.
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© Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog, 2009-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this article’s author and/or the blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Do you remember reading Little House on the Prairie as a child? My eight-year-old niece recently read the series. One morning, her parents woke up to find her in the kitchen trying to make dumplings from scratch. She declared the day a “Pioneer Day” and told them to turn off computers, TVs and iPhones. Of course, since she is only eight, “Pioneer Day” ended when she decided she wanted to watch Scooby Doo. But, the impact of the books has stuck with her. She has been cooking more, making aprons, and embroidering tablecloths. While some might be shocked at this step backwards from feminism, I think it’s admirable that she’s taking such initiative.
We’re a from-scratch household here at Tea Scoop Headquarters. We haven’t bought a loaf of grocery store bread in nearly a year. I bake almost every week, and on the rare occasions that we need to buy bread, we go to a local bakery. My bread recipe was my grandmother’s, and it made enough to feed a family of nine. Since there are only two of us, we usually give away a loaf each time I bake. I make my own yogurt and granola for breakfast, and sometimes, we even make our own marshmallows.
I’m here to propose to you that the next time you host a tea party, you take the time to do it from scratch. Your guests will be impressed, and you will be amazed by the taste. I’m not going to give you recipes, because there are amazing bread and scone recipes out there. Try them. Making bread is not as intimidating as you might think, as long as you can follow a recipe. I will tell you how to make butter for your scones and yogurt for fruit parfaits as we head into warmer days and fresh fruit seasons.
For butter, it’s very simple, especially if you have an electric mixer. Pour heavy cream into the bowl of your mixer and stir with your paddle attachment. Turn it as high as you can without the cream splashing out. If you want salt, add it to taste as the cream is being stirred. Keep an eye on it, but pretty much just leave it alone. After awhile, the butter will separate out from the liquid, or buttermilk. When you have solids and liquids in the bowl, your butter is done. Strain out the buttermilk and reserve it for scones or pancakes. Then put the butter in a bowl or wrap it in several layers of cheesecloth. Run cool but not cold water over the butter, pressing it, until the water runs clear. You’re done. If you plan on keeping it for more than a day or two, sterilize your equipment with boiling water ahead of time. A quart of cream makes about a pound of butter and 2 cups of buttermilk.
Yogurt might be even more simple although it sounds intimidating. Bring a quart of milk to a boil, but don’t let it boil over. Then let it cool to about 116 degrees. Whisk in two tablespoons of store-bought yogurt that is labeled as having live active cultures. Pour into a sterilized container and put in a warm place for about eight hours. Then you have yogurt! I strain the milk-yogurt mixture into the containers, to keep any bits from the bottom of the pan from ending up in my yogurt. And for a warm place, I just put it in my microwave with the oven light on. We’ve also used the oven after baking, once it has cooled below 120 degrees. When you are ready to make your parfaits, stir in some honey or agave nectar to sweeten the yogurt.
See, it’s easier than you think!
For more great tips on planning a tea party, head over to Stephanie’s blog, The Tea Scoop!
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© Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog, 2009-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this article’s author and/or the blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
The spring equinox has come and gone, while we our still waiting for our last frost date to get serious about the garden. The crocuses and daffodils are out in force, and the tourists are flocking to D.C. to see the cherry blossoms. We’ve even had a few beautiful days, although today definitely feels like a March day. Yet, for me, it doesn’t quite feel like spring. For some odd, nostalgic reason, I need bunnies and colorful eggs to mark the beginning of spring. Luckily, that particular day is only a week away. I’ve been bookmarking creative things to do with hard-boiled eggs, and thinking about what I’m going to wear to services with Mr. Tea Scoop’s parents. Then, it will truly feel like spring.
As you may have realized, I’ll take any occasion to throw a tea party. Unfortunately, this year, our schedule doesn’t allow for one. But that hasn’t stopped me from fantasizing about what it would be like. Since I can’t have one, I’ll share my ideas with you.
Decor is easy. There are Easter decorations everywhere. Even if you don’t celebrate Easter, consider having a Spring Fling tea. Decorations are largely the same. Who doesn’t think of spring when looking at fluffy yellow chicks?
For food, of course you must have hard-boiled eggs with colorful shells. Consider dying them with natural dyes this year for some unique, non-Paas colors. Or, use a pin to poke a whole in each end, and blow out the yolk. Make one hole slightly wider, and rinse the shells well. When they are dry, pour in melted chocolate. Then paint the shells gold (or whatever colors and designs you prefer). When your guests crack them open, they won’t get the egg that they are expecting! Nestle a few Peeps in a nest along with the eggs. Of course, the traditional tea sandwiches never go wrong. You might also try some cupcakes decorated with edible flowers.
It might also be time to break out the iced tea. Whether you decide on hot or iced, stick with light black teas, such as Darjeeling, and delicate florals.
Happy Spring!
Don’t forget to check out Stephanie’s blog, The Tea Scoop!
[Editor's note: Our blog is chock full of great articles on this topic. Use our search feature to find them!]
© Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog, 2009-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this article’s author and/or the blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
I know I’ve been harping a bit on spring, but it’s all that I can think about really. It’s getting to be that time of year when you start airing things out. In other words: spring cleaning. When you’re getting around to it, don’t forget your tea cabinet. Because if it’s anything like mine, it might be a little bit out of control at times.
People ask me all the time how long tea lasts. The simple answer is a year to two years. On the other hand, the real truth is that it varies widely. After all, some pu-erhs are prized for the age. Other teas don’t even last that long after you buy them. After all, you have no idea how long that tea has been waiting to be sold, and the packaging might not be quite up to par.
To purge your tea cabinet, sniff your teas. If they don’t smell like anything, they aren’t going to have any flavor. If you’re not quite sure, brew up a cup and see how it tastes. Throw away anything stale, as hard as that is. If there are teas that you haven’t pulled from the back of the cabinet in awhile, either try to drink them or give them away to someone who will. Tea swaps are great for this purpose.
To keep your tea fresh for as long as possible, you need to keep it away from its two enemies: light and air. A simple airtight container will suffice for this purpose. I do occasionally use a glass mason jar, but I keep my tea in a dark cabinet. Make sure all of your tins and jars are labeled, because as much as you think you might remember, you probably won’t.
Keep all of your teas in one place, so you don’t forget anything. I try from time to time to keep a list of everything I have, but too many things come and go for me to do a good job keeping up with it. But I have to say, it would make things a lot easier when guests come over if I could be a bit more organized.
Of course, once you have done all of this purging and organizing, you’ll find that you have more room for tea.
After you get yourself organized, sit down with a good cup of tea and take a gander at Stephanie’s blog, The Tea Scoop.
[Editor's note: Our blog is chock full of great articles on this topic. Use our search feature to find them!]
© Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog, 2009-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this article’s author and/or the blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
