We love Greys.

And now  we´re waiting for it to start again after the summer, have the last two episodes of season four to look forward to, and I have seen a spoiler which included Meredith, Derek and loads of candles *lovely*

And I think that when it does start we´ll celebrate with a bottle of wine instead of the pot with Earl grey we normally drink ;)

So.. I will try to add a vid here, wish me luck.

In today's posting, I will take a look at a brand of Earl Grey tea, sold by Rishi, which is advertised to be both organic, and free-trade approved.

I'm a big fan of the Earl Grey varieties, as it is a good, potent black tea, as well as an aromatic (courtesy of the Bergamot citrus oils) and soothing tea. Earl Grey is not only applied to black teas, as it can be used with certain varieties of greens, as well.

I purchase my tea in loose leaf form, as I have found over the years that loose tea infuses better with the water, and freshness is a near guarantee when buying in bulk, especially with the popularity of Earl Grey. you can buy any tea in pre-bagged form (Lipton, Twinnings, TAZO, etc.), but I am a strong believer that bagged tea should only be used when you don't have the time to use loose-leaf. Leafed tea is simply so much better, in a matter of freshness and quality of experience.

Each variety of tea has different steep times, and leaf amounts that should be used. When using loose leaf black teas, I use one teaspoon of measured tea per 8 oz (cup) of tea, steeped for 4-5 minutes. I say "4-5 minutes," simply due to you may not be able to have a stopwatch on your wrist (I'm a bit picky on tea taste and bitterness, so I time it) to get the timing down just right. Also, a very important reminder about brewing tea, is the quality of water, as well as the heat of the water you are using.

Most black teas require a temperature of 210 degrees or more to properly infuse the tea. How do I know what 210 degrees is, without buying a thermometer? I've found, that a great rule of thumb is, if the water is boiling & bubbling heavily, you're good to go with black, with green, as it requires a far "cooler" water temperature to bring out the best flavor, is that once the water is steaming, and tiny bubbles are starting to barely kick to the surface, it's time to remove the kettle from heat/unplug from the wall*.

*I use an electrical kettle in my workplace, simply because I nearly burned my building down due to accidentally leaving my tea kettle on the heat, then taking a phone call. Safety first!!!

Water is very, very important. Think of it as using stale chips to enjoy chips & salsa. Who wants chewy, nasty chips? A good thing to do before you put the water to boil is to fill the kettle with enough hot tap water to be able to "swish" around, and basically give the inside a good swish-cleaning, let it sit a minute or so, and fill it with filtered water--tap water isn't the best simply because of its hard water properties. These tend to linger around in boiled tea water, not allowing for good infusion of the water. I use water fountain water here at work, simply because I used tap water once, and could notice the difference. Yea, it's that important!

Back to the Earl Grey:

In this picture, you'll see my trusted tea mug (16 oz, so I will use two teaspoons of leaves), my loose leaf tea bulk-bagged, and my infuser. I use a metal-meshed infuser, simply by preference--plastic ones are available, but I don't like how infusion stains the plastic meshing, plus the metal is a bit more hardy. I use a "basket style" infuser as opposed to a tea ball style, only because I couldn't find a reasonably priced tea ball that would support more than 1 teaspoon of tea, and provide proper infusion. I do have a tea ball, but only for 8 oz cups--which is rare for me.

Now, when I go to boil the water, I have a bit of a routine that I follow, which nearly guarantees me (short of me dropping the basket into the water after infusion, and losing all the leaves into the water) a perfect cup of tea, every time:

1. Clean out the kettle (hot water, swish, sit for a minute, swish again & pour).
2. Clean out mug (if dirty for whatever reason) and fill with hot water and let sit until water is done boiling. This allows for the cup to stay warm while waiting on the boiling water, as it will allow the mug to stay hot when infusing, as to not allow the tea to get cold before consumption.
3. Clean infuser with hot water, and dry with a paper towel.
4. Measure out tea (1 tsp per 8 oz.)
5. Fill kettle with filtered (or non-tap) water, and set to boil.

As you can see, with black tea, it makes the tea water a nice dark brown-ish color (yes, that is a binder clip holding my infuser to my mug) :

I steep my Earl Grey per the suppliers reccomendations, which call for a 4 minute infusion. After that, I remove the basket from the water, press a spoon to the leaves to get out any remaining water, and flavor it to taste--I do not use any sort of milk/dairy product, simply because it negatively effects the anti-oxidants that reside in the tea... I use about 1 tablespoon +/- of sugar, as I like just a little bit of sweetness. Stir in the sweetness (if preferred), set your basket aside, and enjoy your cup!

Early Grey (in my opinion) is one of the best teas out there... Mainly for its aromatic properties, but also its abilities to rejuvenate (I think they call that caffeine), and how it tastes, even when cold. A nifty trick that my father does when making iced tea, is to brew the tea with three bags per quart of regular black tea, and add one bag of Earl Grey, to give it an "late" aromatic taste on the palate.

Today's Earl Grey tea brand was Rishi, a brand that I have frequently purchased in the past, for its affordability and freshness. You can purchase it online here, or if you live somewhere near a natural foods store, they most likely have it in bulk! My mug is courtesy of Kim, who purchased it at a Starbucks mainly because of its size, me stealing her other mug to enjoy tea in, and her luck that it was on clearance.

Four requirements for the perfect cup of tea:

1. Good water.
2. A good infuser.
3. Fresh, quality leaves.
4. A big mug, full of personality.

Next posting I will venture into the wide world of green teas, as I have some gunpowder, and decaf mango green that I'm anxious to try, thanks for stopping by!

Enjoying every single step of her protocol, she proceeds to put a water-filled earthenware teapot on the stovetop at medium flame; and as the water begins to warm up, she browses through her delicate tea selection to make a decision that would mark her afternoon. Time is running out, the water is about to boil, but she finally chooses her favourite Earl Grey black tea. She fills her teaball with its fragrant dry leaves just as the earthenware teapot begins to whistle to announce it is ready to be taken off the fire.

Your mother lovingly places the teaball within the teacup and proceeds to pour the boiling water on top. She brews a perfect infusion, exactly three minutes for a strong taste that would live through the pale milk she'd add after the two cubes dissolved leaving a sweet caress behind. Marvelled by her creation she sits before it, inspires deeply, and brings the precious elixir close to her lips. But as soon as the cup touches her mouth, the divan she was sitting on comes to life and, along with the rest of the furniture in the house, stampedes off to the hot African savannah through the walls; taking your mother away forever.

Between stupefaction, disbelief and bewilderment, you drop to your knees and cry to the horizon visible through the torn walls: 'WHY?? O, WHY!!!???' And while a myriad of reasons line up to answer your question... the one that is most relevant is 42.

“Bloody man’s dropped dead!”

A perusal of the obituary column was a traditional mainstay of a weekend at Muster’s country retreat, great amusement was to be found in accounts of the deaths of sundry despised school friends and business rivals.

Musters' rubicund features appeared around the edge of the Times, mustaches quivering with ill suppressed hilarity.

“About bloody time! Did I tell you, Perry, about the time we took Algy for a trip to the marshes? Damn fool wouldn’t know one end of a gun from another!”

I was warming my buttocks in front of the roaring log fire in Musters’ Drawing Room. Spreading my coat tails for maximum warmth. Rising onto my toes for adjustment I shook my head, murmuring some blandishment in encouragement. My eye was taken by Marion Musters, the Colonel’s nineteen year old niece, down for the weekend from Chelsea. Algy was her fiancée. I’d been on the shoot, but that wouldn’t stop Musters. Marion caught me looking, blushed and looked hurriedly away. Chuckling, I sauntered over to the table taking care to admire myself in the mirror over the fireplace as I did so.  A touch of grey to be sure, but distinguished, adding gravitas.

“Turned up at dawn, dressed up like a blithering idiot – I’ve never seen such a sight in all my life – nearly set the dogs on him!”

“Dearest Algy,” I read, over Marion’s shoulder “It has been weeks since I wrote, I can hardly believe how time flies…”

“Damned impertinence” ranted Musters, “kept mumbling about vegetables…wouldn’t touch the kidneys…Hah! kept asking Maisy for ‘Green Tea’ have you ever heard such ruddy nonsense?”

The shoot had been dismal that morning, shaking with cold and barely kept alive by regular recourse to the flask Maisy had slipped me at breakfast. Musters had blasted away like a man possessed, birds, beaters and dogs crouched whimpering with fear as one gun was exchanged for another, the barrels too hot to hold.

“…I really must apologise for Uncle Merry’s abominable behaviour, he’s a darling really, but the accident was unfortunate, it must have hurt horribly ….”

Musters' features had darkened as he warmed to his tale, now glowing a threatening shade of puce.

“Took him out to the marsh, the damned fool started fiddling around with a camera! I ask you! Wouldn’t touch a bloody gun!”

“..the look on your face, when you got back from the hospital though was quite priceless, I thought I was going to die laughing…”

“Well, you know what I think about photographers…damn fools the lot of ‘em!”

The Colonel. Bilious, belligerent and quite possibly barking.

“The bloody idiot went wading about in the water, next thing we knew he’s hopping about like a ruddy imbecile…”

I remembered the scene too well, freezing bloody cold, I was crouched in some godforsaken hide with Musters' ancient, stinking spaniel, flask empty of armagnac and the prospect of two more hours untroubled by birds of any hue. I’d peered out through the early morning murk and seen Algy poncing about with a tripod, too good a chance to miss.  I’ve never laughed so hard in my life, though Algy failed to see the funny side of it, brand new breeks, blood soaked and ripped to shreds by the hail of 30 gram number 6 shot.

“Hah!”

Musters suddenly choking, Earl Grey everywhere, hands gripping the chest. Marion, on her feet like a startled deer.

“Perry do something! For God’s sake!”

I stroll casually over to the Colonel, taking my time, then hoist him upright and slipping round behind him, clasp both hands around his chest, raise him then the sudden drop, squeezing the ribcage. There is a convulsion, dentures exploding across the room, landing with a satisfactory plop in Marion’s teacup, where they lay, partially submerged, grinning vapidly back into the room. Musters coughing now, tears streaming down his cheeks, cook summoned with a curative glass of Glenmorangie, which I eagerly quaffed.

“Thank God you were here Perry, he might have died…”

Ich liebe Tee. Eigentlich. Ob nun Darjeeling oder einen schönen Earl Grey, egal. Ob Ostfriesisch mit Kluntje und Sahne, oder "Pur". Und irgendwie kann ich Tee auch sehr viel besser ab als Kaffee. Kein Problem, abends noch ein Kännchen Tee zu trinken und dann doch noch schlafen zu können. Wenn ich den schlafen kann - das ist je sowieso mein Problem im Moment - das schlafen können.

Das - also das gut schlafen können trotz Teegenuss - ist jetzt allerdings auch das Problem. Ich trinke nämlich auch Kaffee. Denn ich sehr mag. Und vor allem, Morgens brauche! Ich hör sie schon alle rufen, "Dann mach dir doch 'n Kaffee, wenn du ihn brauchst!". Gute Idee, wirklich! Scheitert nur gerade daran, das mein Finanzminister angesichts eines total Leeren Portemonnaies, eines ziemlich weit fortgeschrittenen Monats und einer gähnend Leeren Kaffeedose in der Küche gerade akuten Kaffee-Entzug angekündigt hat.

Tja, Morgens ohne Kaffee bin ich unausstehlich - aber das kriegt ja zum Glück gerade nur Herr Pauli mit - und der hat sich schon daran gewöhnt.

Sowas ist totale Moppelkotze und ich Hasse das.

Wird Zeit, das es Geld gibt!

   

The Condensed History of British Politics will be broadcast on BBC Radio Four on Sundays 24th Aug., 31 Aug., and 7 Sep., at 10:45pm as part of The Westminster Hour.  Also, the shows will be repeated as stand-alone programmes on 27 Aug., 3rd Sep., and 10th Sep., at 8:45pm. 

The Condensed Histories were written by Adam Long, feature the vocal genius and musical stylings of Adam Long, Simon Jermond, and Bryan Torfeh, and were produced by the dynamic duo of Mandy Baker and Leala Padmanabhan.

TO HEAR LAST YEAR'S CONDENSED HISTORY OF TONY BLAIR CLICK HERE

Afternoon Tea - A British meal eaten in mid afternoon, consisting of sandwiches, scones,and pastries accompanied by tea.
Agony of the leaves - The unfurling of tea leaves during steeping.
Assam - A major tea growing region in India. These black teas are known for their strong malty flavor.
Biscuity - Tea taster's expression, often used with Assam teas that have been fired well.
Brick Tea - Tea leaves that have been steamed and compressed into bricks. Pu-erh is a common brick tea.
Camellia sinensis - Botanical name of the tea bush.
Coppery - A term describing a reddish infusion, associated with black teas of high quality.
Dhool - A term describing the coppery, fermenting tea leaf.
Earl Grey - A Black Tea blend flavored with Bergamot Oil. -
Flush - Refers to the timing of the tea harvest. "first flush" is the early spring plucking of new shoots. "second flush" is harvested late spring through early summer, yielding more body and full flavor. Autumnal flush is the late season harvest.
High tea - A meal served late afternoon to early evening which is a mixture of afternoon tea and dinner.
Light - A term describing tea that produces a weak infusion.
Orange Pekoe - Referring to size of leaf, not quality or flavor, this term indicates a larger-size grade of whole leaf teas.
Orthodox - Traditional method for picking and processing teas in India without using CTC technology.
Pungent - A term describing highly astringent tea.
Smoky - A term describing teas fired over an open fire, resulting in exposure to wood smoke.
Tannin - A term referring to the astringent polyphenols of tea, producing a bitter flavor.
White Tea - Rare teas of fine quality. White teas are known for their high antioxidant content and subtle flavor.
Yixing - Pronounced Yee-shing, a region in China known for its purple clay, and the unglazed teapots produced from it.

These are just a few of the more than 130 terms that are defined in our tea glossary on our website. Be sure to visit it and increase your knowledge of tea culture!

The secret here is to have very fragrant (good whole leaf) Earl Grey tea, being that it’s the main flavoring agent. I had to grind the tea leaves in a food processor and ended up mixing the whole batter with it (less clean up). If you prefer, you can grind up the tea leaves in a clean coffee/spice grinder and use a mixer for the batter.

Earl Grey Madeleines

• 1/3 cup organic shortening or butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp Earl Grey tea leaves
• 3/4 cup almond flour/meal
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt

Process tea leaves to a medium grind (like very coarse ground pepper). Cream together sugar and shortening, then incorporate one egg at a time till completely blended. Add in almond flour and tea, mix thoroughly. Then add flour and baking powder, mix briefly till smooth. Preheat oven to 350º. Grease pans throughly with shortening or butter. Try to under fill the molds, and you can get make 2 batches of the full sized pans or about 3 batches of minis. Bake for 18-20min (for full sized pans, 13-15 for minis) till the top starts to turn golden brown. Cool for 5min before popping them out.

-Lina

The pineapple:

• Heat the water and sugar to boiling point.
• Once the syrup is clear remove from heat and let it cool down.
• Place the pineapple in a bowl, pour over the syrup, lime juice and chopped mint.

The coconut cream:

• Heat the milk and coconut milk to boiling point.
• Melt the corn flour with a bit of milk in a cup.
• Place the yolks sugar in a bowl and add the corn flour. Stir.
• Once milk is boiling remove from heat and pour 3/4 of the milk over the yolks mixer, whisk then back to the pan on low heat. Keep whisking until thickened.
• Remove from heat into a bowl. put cling film on top of the creme and allow to cool down.
• Once creme is cold incorporate with the whipping cream.

The earl grey jelly :

• Heat the water add the tea begs and sugar .
• Bring to the boil. Remove from heat and stir in the gelatin.
• Once cool down remove tea begs and place in a bowl to set in the fridge.

To serve:

• Pineapple at the bottom then a layer of coconut creme.
• Finish the dish by piping the jelly with a star nozzle on top.

Love to eat!

My mom is mostly responsible for my adoration of tea.  She has a cup in the morning and evening, this being a ritual of her own for all of my life and prior to my coming into this world.  Growing up, she would try to get my brother, sister, and I to have a cup of tea with her.  It was not a Victorian past time she was looking for.  She simply wanted us to have a cup of tea with her.  Repetition, maturing taste buds, and an newly-found adventurous outlook towards food led to my gradual liking of tea, much to my mom's satisfaction.

In my college years, I discovered there was a vast world of tea outside of the bagged version sold in the red and yellow boxes with the captain on the topside.  I learned of blacks and greens with distinct tastes influenced by the lands in which they are grown.  I bought loose tea and infusers in search of a truer understanding of why so many people around the world brew and drink tea all day long.  It was, in many ways, both a guided study and spiritual embarkment.

                 *************

While there are many teas, there is one plant.  Camellia sinensis sprouts a few leaves at its crown. These leaves go through seperate "manufacturing" processes that transforms the camellia into all black, green, and oolong teas we drink today. The ability of one plant to produce an array of teas is often compared to wine.  Almost all wine drank around the world today comes from one species, Vitis vinifera.  

Indigenous to modern-day China, Tibet, and northern India, the plant is now culivated in a belt running around the globe between the equator and 42 degrees north latitude.  Tea enthusiasts consider teas grown in China, the Formosa region of Taiwan, Japan, India, and the Ceylon region of Sri Lanka to be the best.

Black, green, and oolong teas each go through a preparation process from field to market.  Black tea leaves are withered to remove moisture, then rolled (the best by hand), fermented to bring out the flavors, and finally fired to stop the fermentation, giving the leaves their dark color.

Green tea is plucked, panfired or steamed, rolled and fired.  Oolong, meaning "black dragon" in Chinese, is picked and withered for four to five hours in direct sunlight before being gathered for firing.

                 *************

When buying tea, there are varities to choose from.  For black teas, the most common are Assam, Ceylon, and Darjeeling, all named for the regions where they are grown in India, Sri Lanka, and India respectively.  Assam is found often in Irish and English breakfast blends.  The tea is dark in color and heavy in flavor.  Ceylon is much lighter in color and milder in flavor than Assam, and Darjeeling is fine tea with a full-bodied flavor, despite its lighter color.

Keemun (China) is another lesser known black tea.  A favorite of mine, it has a flowery overtone while remaining deep and full in flavor. Some say Keemun can have hints of smokiness and even chocolate.  An interesing note of this tea is that its flavor improves with age, the direct opposite of almost all teas.

Lapsang Souchong (China) goes perfect with a rainy cold day.  It is a distinctive smokey-flavored tea, the result of being dried over pine fires.  Lapsang is oftened used in Russian Caravan, a black tea blend rich with its own historical context.

Earl Grey is another black blend.  Usually China black or Darjeeling tea is flavored with oil of bergmot, a small citrus fruit grown in the Mediterrenean.  This is an English creation. 

There are other black teas and black tea blends out there.  I have included only these because I am familiar with them. 

(written 21 March 2004)

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1488655367/bctid1590219625

Earl Grey Cupcakes
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 cups flour
1 T. baking powder
1 cup milk
2 bags of Earl Grey tea. (Note: You can also use loose Earl Grey, but if so, you’ll have to grind it up somehow, as loose tea is not as fine as the tea in teabags)
Lemon butter cream (optional)—cream cheese icing?

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Fill 2 cupcake pans with paper liners or grease well. In a bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar and cream the butter with the sugar until it is light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in half of the flour along with the tea and baking powder. Then add the milk and the remaining flour, stirring until just combined.
Fill the cupcake pans about 2/3 full. Bake 20-25 minutes. Cool thoroughly before frosting.

(Note: If you’re frosting them, a simple buttercream frosting should be good - if you want the lemon flavoring, you could add some lemon zest and a couple tablespoons of lemon juice)

Fancy some almond scented Earl Grey cakes?

I had some fun doing this batch yesterday night. Usually I take the short cut by using paper cups for my bakes – attributing to my penchant in baking late night after work, so I always end up with the ways that will have me to wash less, and save time, especially storage – paper cups are oh so convenient!

I dug up the container of tart molds I bought last year but never got round to using them (!oops) and the mini heart molds I simply adore. Since I have no escape to utilize the paper cups, I had to brush each of the molds with butter, and later raining some flour on them…..so it was easier to detach (or if you are lucky, it will actually detach itself few minutes after u cooled them down from the oven J , cool eh?! Some of my mini-cakes actually just fall out magically when I turn it upside down….)

For these darlings, the ingredients I used are as below, directions are like any other basic cake recipe. It’s a nice tea-time snack….one bite keeps you addicted to have more.

I found the almond scent was quite strong, but when bitten and tasted, you find the delicate under-hint of Earl Grey notes. Perhaps, the next round, I will use 3 tea-bags instead.

Ingredients

6 oz unsalted butter

8 oz castor sugar (half white – half brown)

1 tsp almond essence

3 eggs (added to sugar-butter mixture one-by-one)

10 oz all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp ground nutmeg powder

a pinch of salt

2 bags Earl-Grey tea steeped in 200 ml hot water

80 ml cold milk (combined into steeped tea)

½ cup golden raisins

]]> http://mikechavarria.wordpress.com/?p=9 Fri, 23 May 2008 04:20:31 +0000 mikechavarria http://mikechavarria.wordpress.com/?p=9 Today my wife and I went to our local grocery store (Wegmans) and decided to get some loose leaf teas.  I followed my nose opening each tin and ended up smelling some tea that smelled like the back end of an elderly person who has no capability to take care of them self.  I did find an enjoyable elegant tea called Earl Grey Premium Blend.  The tea has a smooth, fresh aroma that tickles your nose.

As I sniffed this blend of tea I could not place what was making it smell so good.  Pulling every thought of flavors from my mind, I figured out what made this tea smell so good.  A hint of lemon.  Yes, it was a hint of lemon that made this tea smell just fantastic.  I just wanted to have a glass right then.

Getting home I continued to grab the tea pot and put on a pot of water.  Standing there I just kept smelling this tea.  Not only did it have an excellent lemon scent but it also has a robust earthy smell that creeps up and socks you right in the senses.  As for the perfect tea I am not quite sure it is perfect.  It does leave a slightly bitter taste in your mouth.  I would also suggest putting a dash or two of sugar in to lighten the kick.  I have had 4 cups so far and I think I am going to grab another cup.

This Earl Grey Premium Blend is a Black Tea.

Black Tea is Robust, energizing, higher in caffeine.

The steeping time is anywhere from 4-6 min and at a temperature of 200°-212° F

Benefits of Black Tea:

• Heart health: black tea can help prevent heart attacks
• Helps prevent plaque build-up in arteries
• Increases bone density
• Oral health: kills bacteria in mouth that can cause cavities
• Fights bad breath

Other General Benefits:

• Promotes mental clarity and alertness
• Stimulates neural activity and improves learning function
• Provides even, sustained energy and sound rest
• Much lower caffeine content than coffee
• Strengthens immune system and has anti-stress properties
• Cleansing, detoxifying and longevity promoting

These benefits are seen when tea is added as a healthy lifestyle on a regular basis.

I will post pictures tomorrow of the tea so you can see the fine quality that Wegmans provides.

(UPDATE)

Pictures Added

cupcakerecipe.net

After reading my friend's blog about her day baking cupcakes for her mother, I got the urge to find cupcake recipes. As you know, I am an avid sweet and dessert fan and I absolutely enjoy sweets! (Just a note, I am terribly underweight for my age) Anyway, I was browsing through and this website attracted my attention! With the cute illustration of a cupcake knight and the wonderful pictures, I present to you, cupcakerecipe.net! 

Website: www.cupcakerecipe.net

Filled with pictures of cupcakes, I love it so much... The delightful colours hypnotise me and the pretty seashell-themed cupcakes are so adorable! ^^

There is also a recipe for some Earl Grey Tea and Fruit Cupcakes, but I have yet to try it... But I most certainly will in time! They look so delicious, it makes my mouth water!

Other than cupcakes, the maker of the website, a retired British lady with a passion for cupcakes, has also made other website. Soup, pasta, salad and so much more!~

Come on, you know you want to... ^^

Happy Tuesday!

In upcoming weeks, I will be sure to post a weekly installment of "What's New In Your Cup?" on Monday's. Why? So that we can chat all week about what you, my fellow tea aficionados, are steeping!

I forgot to mention when I initially published this post, the responses received from last week. 

1. Steph W. enjoyed a cup of Coconut Pouchang - similar to a lightly oxidized green tea. You can check out the review here: http://stephcupoftea.blogspot.com/2008/05/tea-review-coconut-pouchong.html.

2. Ellen enjoyed a delightful cup of Earl Grey. You can read more about Ellen's love affair with Earl Grey here: http://happywonderer.wordpress.com/2008/04/28/hospital-i-tea-blogathon-favorite-tea/

3. As you know, I had the opportunity to enjoy several new teas... Yi-Chen-Hao Yi-Ban Wild-Arbor Cake (uncooked), African Autumn, and Meliciously Sweet. Of the three my favorite was Meliciously Sweet. You can catch the reviews here on my blog - Tea Escapade.

Now that you know what we have been drinking, I would love to hear from you. What teas have you been drinking? Green, black, white, pu-erh, red? What did you like or dislike about your tea of choice? Flavor, aroma, price?

What would you recommend to your fellow tea lovers this week?

Let's Chat...

April 27 - May 3
Tell about your favorite tea. How do you prepare it and serve it? Milk and sugar? Plain? What are some of your best memories of serving or sipping on this tea.

Truth be told I generally enjoy tea steeped with a tea bag. If I am going to steep loose tea I enjoy a good Earl Grey or English Breakfast Tea. I always have to make sure I have good ole Lipton tea bags around for my family especially my brother Leonard. Some of my sisters have moved on to herbal teas. When I was younger I put lots of sugar and milk in my tea. These days I drink most of my hot beverages black with no sweeteners. In honor of this weeks assignment Dear and I went to Cost Plus bought a tin of Twinings Earl Grey Loose Tea and steeped ourselves a cuppa this afternoon. Lovely...

My best memories of tea are from my childhood when I'd have tea with my maternal grandmother. Also whenever we get together with my side of the family we enjoy tea at the end of our meals together. Sometimes I'll have it black, sometimes with lemon, and sometimes with milk. Then the next best memory of tea is when I travelled to England for the first time in 1973. We were part of a Christian Rock band singing at local schools and churches. We would be housed by local families who were interested in our ministry. How very special it was to have a knock on the bedroom door in the morning, open the door and see a tray with a teapot steeping and tea cups and milk to get us started in the morning. What a wonderful treat and memory. I also love how when staying at Bed and Breakfasts in England we've been greeted with tea upon our arrival. This next photo is of our daughter enjoying a cup of welcome tea in our flat in Edinburgh.

I'd love that beautiful blue and white tea set! Tea is always a welcome refreshment when I am tired and after travelling a long way.

For more Tea Posts visit LaTeDah at Gracious Hospitality.

Autrement, ces temps-ci, je suis cerné par les bobos. Des vrais. Des qui vivent dans le VIe, le IXe ou le Ier, gagnent très confortablement leur vie (certains ont bossé pour, cela dit, mais sont tout de même nés avec la moitié de l'argenterie dans la bouche. Ça aide...), et me regardent bizarrement dès que je pose que le multiculturalisme n'est pas la panacée.

Je ressors de quelques expériences douloureuses, surtout pour ma chère et tendre qui en marre de payer les pots cassés.

La dernière en date a eu lieu lors d'une réunion de (belle-) famille. En verve, et forte de l'autorité que lui confère une nature sur laquelle l'âge a peu d’emprise, la maîtresse de maison, ma (belle-)grand-mère, aristo "de gauche" mais très vieille France, pour ceux qui voient le genre, lance à ses proches voisins, dont ma pomme, un joyeux : "Venez, discutons un peu politique" et attaque, songeuse, sur le fait qu'un président d'ascendance Hongroise, quand même...

"Et d'origine israélite, de surcroît", ajouté-je pour faire bonne mesure. Jusque-là, du banal, du convenu : l'idée n'est pas de soulever une polémique, à peine de faire lever les yeux au ciel aux mieux-pensants, et surtout de me marrer gentiment avec un (beau-) cousin, coutumier du genre.

Mais la conversation dérape tout doucement quand il déclare, et là, très sérieusement, que c'est très rafraîchissant d'avoir un Président d'origine Hongroise, en insistant : "Ça nous change de tous ces Mitterrand, Pompidou, Chirac..., tellement ...Franco-Français". Je garde mon calme : que le Nain soit Magyar n'est ni bon, ni mal en soi, mais que le chef d'état d'un pays soit originaire de cette terre depuis des temps immémoriaux ne me paraît pas davantage inconvenant. C'est même plutôt légitime. "Ah non, au contraire, c'est bon signe, ça prouve que la France s'ouvre". Très bien ! Dans ces conditions, ouvrons-nous tous, métissons-nous les uns les autres, puisque c'est la mode sauf que, bizarrement, l'Asie et l'Afrique accusent un certain retard et que, s'ils veulent bien nous refourguer leur trop-plein, ils semblent en revanche plus réticents à la réciproque : on risque d'attendre encore un certain temps l'élection d'un président Suédois au Gabon ou d'un Premier Ministre Sénégalais à Singapour...

Il recule sa chaise ; il a peur de ne pas comprendre ; en fait s'il ne me connaissait pas, il trouverait mes propos extrêmement douteux. Le fait est qu'il me connaît assez mal, et seulement parce qu'on partage un même goût pour la provoc. À la différence que celle-ci est chez lui un excès, quand elle est chez moi, une modération...

Il cherche l'ouverture en m'expliquant que le mélange des cultures est une richesse : "Prends une commode Louis XVI et une Ming, c'est la même...". Super, sauf qu'on n'est plus à Versailles, et que la réalité de tous les jours pour ceux qui ne vont pas se meubler Quai Voltaire, c'est Conceptua : des meubles de qualité médiocre, de style vaguement asiatique ou marocain, adaptés aux canons français inspirés de chez Conforama, débités au kilomètre dans du teck qui ne va pas repousser dans la semaine, et qui encombreront les Emmaüs dans cinq ans. En résumé, relativement moches, mais suffisamment impersonnels avec toutefois une touche d'exotisme (*) pour que ceux qui l'achètent aient l'illusion de s'ouvrir aux autres cultures, là où il ne font qu'endosser la fusion des médiocrités présentée comme le nec plus ultra du goût. Passer du faux Henri II au furnituring universel (comme on parle de "fooding") ne me paraît pas un progrès, sauf pour les déménageurs. Et encore, cet attrait pour la fonte douloureuse et les angles aigus est une source permanente de danger, pour les membres comme les murs.

Mauvaise pioche : y connait pas ce genre de boutiques... Je tape dans le haut de gamme, voyez-vous. Je résume en expliquant que la recherche de l'authentique, coûteuse ou bon marché, qui anime ces voyageurs de magasins ne s'applique qu’aux contrées situées hors de nos frontières, exception faite des enseignes de garage en plaques émaillées, et qu’un plat à tajines tourné dans l’année sera toujours plus attrayant, à défaut de faire meilleur effet, qu’une faïence de Gien centenaire.

Foin de digression sur les arts ménagers, je conclue ma tirade par mon étonnement devant ces gens qui louent tellement le mélange et qui pourtant hésitent à mettre leurs enfants dans des écoles Porte de la Chapelle. "Ah, mais je n'ai rien contre les pauvres...", proteste ce brave garçon qui n'a décidément rien compris. Je lui épargne l'humiliation de me citer ses relations dans le besoin qui doivent au moins végéter au double smic, quand ils sont chômeurs, et lui précise : brassage culturel. Il me brandit son atout : la double nationalité Franco-transalpine de ses enfants, élevés en bilingue. Ayant moi-même des origines européennes par deux grands parents - aux 3/8e pour être précis, avec quelques retours Francs - je ne saurais lui donner tort sur le principe, mais je lui demande si plutôt qu’épouser une européenne de son milieu, ayant grandi en France et parlant la même langue, donc peu risqué, culturellement et socialement parlant, il l’aurait fait aussi volontiers avec une Marocaine, une Malienne, voire une Thaï, et si les enfants de ces unions auraient été aussi intégrés que les siens, élevés aux meilleures écoles. Je lui demande alors en quoi le cas particulier des mariages mixtes - comprendre, ce qu’il fait sans peine, interraciaux - devraient être un exemple à suivre, et un bienfait pour la France, l’Europe et le monde entier, du reste. Enfin, s'il sera lui-même si heureux que cela quand les racines italiennes de ses enfants dont il est si fier se seront diluées dans une union nettement plus méridionale, puisqu'il est entendu que toute entrave à ce type de projet ne pourrait être que xénophobe.

Et c’est là qu’il m’a répondu par cette formule que je ne croyais réservée qu’aux débats télévisés : « Je crois qu’il vaut mieux mettre un terme à cette discussion ». Depuis, nos rapports sont distants : courtois mais sans hypocrisie. Pas assez proche pour qu’il me déteste. Avec son cousin, en revanche, qui avait suivi la conversation sans y prendre part mais sans en perdre une miette - paradoxe sémantique de l’observateur - et avec qui je n’ai jamais relancé le débat, nos relations sont plus chaleureuses

Dans la fausse vie, peuplée d’amis imaginaires selon l’expression de Gipi qui tend à devenir consacrée, on pousse d’hivernales et simiesques gueulantes, on détruit méthodiquement son adversaire en commençant par l’écorcher pour enfin épandre son cadavre encore tiède à même le sol en lui roulant dessus avec un rouleau compresseur. Dans la vraie aussi, mais moins souvent qu’on ne le voudrait, par convention, pour préserver ces liens sociaux qui, pour être dérisoires, sont parfois le dernier signe de civilisation qui nous reste et valent rarement la peine d’être irrémédiablement détruits. Vos conjoints vous en savent gré. Mieux vaut attendre ces opportunités que la vie offre sur un plateau avec l’indifférence affectée d’un serveur stylé qui ne vous fera aucune reproche manifeste sur votre conduite. Les éventuels regrets seront seuls juges de la justesse de nos actes. Et puis on ne s’engueule durablement qu’en famille ou avec ses proches amis. Le reste n’est que diversion mondaine.

(*) Exotisme dont les canons correspondent tout bêtement aux plus courues des destinations de séjour dits lointains. Que ce soit aux pieds de l'Atlas en hôtel-club, ou au Maldives dans un lodge de luxe qui fait passer la plus infâme bicoque de colon pauvre pour l'expression la plus achevée de l'esthétisme colonial.

oddly, i was pretty obsessed tonight to get 3 things experimented - masala chai (Indian spiced tea), Zen cha (green tea), and beautifully scented bergamot tea....Earl Grey. I love all these three teas, depending on mood and time. Usually I have green tea in the afternoons, at work (...a good detox tea, esp all that heavy food at lunch ;p ), Earl Grey at night on occasions...and a rare treat if I'm in the right eating place, Masala Chai. This is only available to specific pure Indian food joints here in KL. Sweet, pungent (to me is fragrantly intoxicating!) and little hint of spiciness - just to get your mood right! I had Masala Chai 2 days ago, and I haven't been able to put it aside since then...haha....

this time, my mind have been buzzing with a fusion of East meets West - I thought of marrying my two favourite tea together...a marble of Zen Cha & Earl Grey in cake-form. Yes, i wondered how these two would pair together, especially Earl has a very strong floral spicy note, whereas Zen is subtlely nutty yet calm. I wondered which overpowered the other, and who's the winner!

tic-toc, tic-toc...i went buzzing up and down my kitchen, first I was rummaging for all the spices as indicated in some recipes I found on the internet to make my first Masala Chai in my life! I counted the needed spices (1 cinnamon stick, 7 cardomon pods, 4 cloves, 1 star anise, a medium pinch of fennel, 2 thin slices of ginger, and 4 peppercorns) and placed them on a plate. After that, I got side tracked.....I went on to prepare the ingredients for my dreamy cake.

got round to measuring the flour, sugar, green tea, poppy seeds, chocolate chips, walnuts, milk, and steeping a cup of Earl Grey. A little of this and that, mix, beat, fold. I made a couple of just Earl Grey, just Green Tea and a few of marbled fusion of the both!

The oven was producing a very pleasant smell...which reminded me that I'm hungry, and forsaken dinner. I went on to continue with boiling my Masala Chai, I use the portion of 2/3 water, 1/3 milk. This will be a good dinner substitute! I was already heady thinking of my cup of masala tea with tea-infused cakeletts. (Truth be told, I actually wanted to make Masala cake too, but guess have to save it for another time since the day is running out!) In 5 - 8 mins later, I have a very interesting blend of Masala Chai ready for enjoyment......

Voila! My cakes are ready..... I loved the subtle hint of the Earl Grey cake, not too overpowering and really moist. The Zen-cha cake had a pleasant green hue with speckles of poppy seeds, choc chips (white), giving a nice crunch here and there. Overall, it turned out pleasantly mild & comforting. Not too sweet, very moist. So which overpowered the other?.... My take is Zen, but Earl might win the next round (probably steeping more than 1 teabag).

A good marriage here, I would say. What's your call?

Ingredients to Green Tea Poppyseed cake:

4 1/2 oz unsalted butter, softened
3 oz brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 oz all-purpose flour/ cake flour
2 oz ground almonds (meal)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp green tea powder
1 tsp green tea leaves (superfine-ground)
1 tbsp poppy seeds
100ml milk
1-2 oz white chocolate chips

Ingredients to Earl Grey & Walnut cake:

4 1/2 oz unsalted butter, softened
3 oz brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 oz all-purpose flour/ cake flour
2 oz ground almonds (meal)
1/2 tsp baking powder
100ml Earl Grey tea (1 or 2 teabags steeped in hot water)
20ml milk
1 oz white/dark chocolate chips
2 oz walnuts, loosely crushed

Both combined together yields +- 20 cakelettes.

]]> http://alancoady.wordpress.com/?p=44 Thu, 10 Apr 2008 17:24:31 +0000 alancoadymusings http://alancoady.wordpress.com/?p=44 The Food Standards Agency is pushing for a voluntary ban on six food colourings in a bid to reduce hyperactivity in children. Battenburg cake, which owes its lustrous colour to Allura red AC (E129) may fall victim to the purge. A teacher for many years, I would be saddened by its disappearance. Many a stressful period of playground supervision has been soothed by the wholesome sight of a group of normally troublesome children enlivening a game of canasta with the chequered delight and a flask of Earl Grey.

Benim vazgeçilmezim ise "bergamot çayı"dır. Earl Grey hakkında bilgi vermeden önce çay hakkında doğru ve yanlışların üzerinden özetle geçelim...

ÇAYI KİMLER BULDU?

Binlerce yıl önce Çin'in ilk imparatorlarından Shen Yung çay bitkisinin tesadüfen sıcak suya düşmesine şahit olur. Bunun büyüsüne kapılır ve sürekli çay içer. Avrupa çayla 1600'lü yıllarda tanışır.

GÜNDE NE KADAR ÇAY İÇİYORUZ?

Bir çay firması tarafından verilen bilgiye göre Türkiye'de çay, sudan sonra en çok tüketilen ikinci içecek. Nüfusun yüzde 96'sı her gün çay içiyor. Türkiye'deki pazarın yüzde 83,8'ini demleme çaylar oluşturuyor.

PEKİ GÜNDE KAÇ BARDAK ÇAY İÇMEK İDEAL?

Orta demde 10 bardak çay içebilirsiniz. Ama daha fazlası kabızlık yapar.

ÇAY YARARI NEDİR, KİMLER İÇMELİ?

Siyah çay kafein nedeniyle enerji sağlar, antioksidandır vücudun yaşlanmasını önler. Ayrıca şekersiz içilmesi kaydıyla diş çürümesini engeller. Enerji nedeniyle kalp tansiyon ve mide hastalarına içmesi önerilmez.

Yeşil çayın antioksidan etkisi siyah çaya göre daha yüksek. Ayrıca yağ yakıcı etkisi var. En önemli özelliği ise antikanser etkisidir. Çin'de yapılan araştırmaya göre yeşil çay içenler arasında meme ve pankreas kanserinde yüzde 50'ye var daha azalma tespit edilmiş. Uzmanlar hamilelerin yeşil çay içmesini ise uygun görmüyor.

PEKİ HANGİ BİTKİ ÇAYI NEYE YARARLI?

Erdem Yeşilada 'Bitki çayıyla tedavi olmaz, bazı şeylere yardımcı olur' diyerek bitkilerin özelliklerini şöyle sıralıyor:

Ihlamur:
Soğuk algınlığını geçiremezsin ama iltihap giderici özelliği var ve şikâyetleri azaltır.

Ekinezya:
Etkili bileşenleri suda çözülmez. Çay olarak kullanılmaz.

Papatya:
Sakinleştiriyor.

Yasemin:
Etkisi yok, keyif çayı.

Zencefil:
İltihap giderici olup safra söktürür, hazmı kolaylaştırır. Safra taşı olanlarda ve safra kesesi olmayanlarda ağrı yapar. Hamileler günde en fazla bir bardak içebilir.

Tarçın:
Şeker düşürücü etkiye sahip.

Nane:
Tıbbi nane sindirimi kolaylaştırır.

Rezene:
Sindirimi kolaylaştırır, gazı giderir.

ÇAYI SÜT İLAVE EDEREK Mİ İÇMELİ YOKSA LİMONLA MI?

Prof. Dr. Erdem Yeşilada kesinlikle uyarıyor: 'Sütle çay içilmez. Sütlü çay hazmı en zor besinlerden biridir. Sütte protein, çaydaki içindeki maddelerle birleştiğinde protein kompleksi meydana getiriyor' diyor. Yeşilada çayı limonla içmenin zararı olmadığını söylüyor.

EARL GREY SADECE ÇAY ADI MI?

Bergamot aromalı çay türü olarak tanıdığımız Earl Grey aslında İngiltere Başbakanı. 1830-34 yılları arasında İngiltere'de Başbakanlık yapan Earl Grey'in bu çayı diplomatik bir hediye olarak aldığı rivayet edilir.

Nasıl bir diplomatik hediye diye sorarsanız; Grey'in adamları bir Çinlinin oğlunu boğulmaktan kurtarınca Çinliler tarafından bu çay hediye edilmiş. Earl Grey bu çayı o kadar beğenmiş ki çay tüccarı Twinings şirketinden buna benzer bir çay hazırlamasını istemiş ve böylece Earl Grey ortaya çıkmış.

Bu arada ufak da bir not düşecek olursak aslında "kont"a karşılık gelen bir İngiliz asalet ünvanı olan "earl" kelimesi, Türk halkının bir kısmınca "erken" anlamındaki "early" kelimesiyle karıştırıldı ve çayın adı "early grey" olarak da yaygınlaştı.