Monday, April 28, 2008

tea wrap up

i've been meaning to do this for awhile, wrap up my tea posts now that summer is quickly approaching(at least here down south). i wasn't sure what exactly i would write but i think i'll just go over my favorites from this season and introduce another great brand from chicago.

my sister and i ate at a wonderful cafe/coffee house in chicago. they had an extensive tea selection so i had to try a few. wow--i am so glad i did because a couple of these have become my new all time favorites! this green kimono has replaced my Republic of Tea kiwi/pear as my new favorite green tea. it has a wonderful. light flavor but the sweetness of the pineapple really comes through and the spiciness of the ginger is the perfect balancing flavor. this tea tastes just like it smells--which is unusual, i find in most teas. delicious!!

and this, which i have never been brave enough to even try to pronounce is one of my favorite black teas, although i don't know if i could ever find one that can beat the Vampire chocolate/blood orange i picked up in Boulder. i'm not really sure what makes this so great, maybe the blend of green and black teas. the fruity flavor is perfect--not too sweet and not overpowered by the taste of black tea which can sometimes make fruity tea taste bitter.

and here, my all time favorite couldn't-be-more-decadent-tea. Vampire tea no less!!! who could ask for anything more!! my friend in boulder said she could see my fangs growing when i spotted this one! ha ha. this tea and the german one above are both seasonal varieties so i am really hoping they will be available again someday. i really should have ordered more of this chocolate/blood orange--i am almost out!!

and on a lighter note, i really do love the kiwi pear and the ginger lemon grass. if you LOVE ginger then this is the tea for you. it's actually a nice, light green tea but definitely has that strong kick of ginger, i love it.
so, hot tea drinking season is almost over--i do still drink tea in the morning in summer but not all day like i do in winter. the good thing about summer is that i can make all my not-so-favorite teas into iced tea so it's not wasted. i love making iced tea, you can blend flavors together and use really nice flavored agave sweeteners that really add another level of taste to the tea. you have to try these if you haven't already. i have only been able to find them in places like whole foods and central market, i'm sure other gourmet or green grocery stores will have them too.

5 comments:

Robin (Bumblebee) said...

I think you've mentioned the Vampire tea before, yes? I always look for it...never expect I'll find it. I'm probably hanging out at the wrong places!

When I was in Geneva I thought of you as I browsed all the different and unusual teas in the department store gourmet sections. I brought home three to try. The hibiscus tea looks beautiful, but I'm suspecting it won't taste very good. Now that you've reminded me, I'll need to go give it a try.

Robin at Bumblebee

Linda O'Neill said...

Hello, oh friend of tea! I have got to get me some Vampire Tea...the name is just too good.

Boulder does seem to be a tea mecca. I was just in the other day and went to the "Tea Spot". Great little place to try new blends!

kate smudges said...

The Green Kimono sounds delicious. The idea of pineapple and ginger ... yum.

I love the Vampire tea packaging.

Did you find any tea in Austin? I don't think you mentioned any that I can recall.

Unknown said...

I knew we were destined to be friends but I had no idea we shared a tea obsession. I have my entire bottom shelf in the pantry filled with tea (except when Alexandra pulls them out and spreads them out on the floor.)I love a jasmine tea that my mom gave me that is all rolled up into balls. Just chinese characters on the cylinder, so I can't tell you the brand. Some of my other favorites are 500 mile chai by Tao of Tea, People Green Tea , and two classics from Celestial Seasoning- Sleepytime and Morning Thunder. I also have a bag of tea that I picked up in Bermuda that was a creamy black tea- I have carted it around for years.

Gail said...

I love kiwi pear...it is wonderful served cold. The vampire tea is too funny! I bought some wonderful tea at a German tea shop when we were in Chicago...very cute place with delicious teas,

Gail