Some of you may remember my tea and food (and SXSW) trek to Austin last year (scroll down a bit to get to it). Well, my tea research from then (and from the last few weeks... and the last few years...) is now in print in The Austin Chronicle. Here are a few excerpts from my piece on tea in Austin:
(on popular tea types in Austin)
Iced (and often sweetened) tea
Trend starters: Southerners looking for respite from the summer heat
Who's catching on: Northerners and other non-native Austinites who love the icy, refreshing brew's sugar/caffeine boost
Where to buy it: Most restaurants and grocery stores carry bottled iced teas, such as local brand Sweet Leaf Tea. Spots such as the Steeping Room, Halcyon, Galaxy Cafe, and Chado Tea Market offer fresh-brewed, specialty versions of the drink.
Rooibos
(aka red tea or red bush tea) and honeybush (a close relative of rooibos), an antioxidant-rich, caffeine-free tisane from South Africa that's often used in fruity, floral, chocolaty, or otherwise sweet blends
Trend starters: South African expatriates and a new generation of tea blenders
Who's catching on: African-Americans who are interested in their heritage, people seeking an antioxidant boost or who love sweet, flavored blends
Where to buy it: Whole Foods' tea bar, Tea Embassy, Chado Tea Market, the Steeping Room
(on switching from coffee to tea)
The trick, said Amy March, tea sommelier and co-owner of the Steeping Room, is to wean yourself off coffee slowly as you replace it with the right teas for your tastes. She added that the mouthfeel, aromas, and flavors of coffee can be paralleled in tea, but "tea has a mellowing effect from L-theanine. It's never quite the same as coffee, even with the same caffeine level. You're clear and relaxed instead of hyper and jittery." Here are her recommendations for making a successful transition to tea based on your current coffee preferences:
Your coffee craving: Pungency, strong flavor, and full body, but not a lot of complexity
Teas to try: Kenyan black teas or Irish breakfast tea, with or without milk
Your coffee craving: Roasty, mellow flavors, as in South American coffees
Teas to try: Houjicha roasted green tea
Your coffee craving: Extra flavors (vanilla, chocolate, caramel, hazelnut, fruit, mint, etc.)
Teas to try: Similarly flavored teas
Your coffee craving: The richness of lattes
Teas to try: Malty Assam black teas or tea lattes
(on tea tasting for wine lovers)
Jeffrey Lorien, tea sommelier and co-owner of East Austin's Zhi Tea Gallery, said developing a tea palate can be easier than developing a wine palate because, "wine still hasn't been totally democratized here, but there's accessibility with tea. It's the people's drink." Here are some tasty suggestions for wine lovers from Lorien.
Your favorite wines: Spritzers or other wine-based drinks
Teas you'll love: Tea-infused cocktails or flavored teas
Your favorite wines: Assertive, full-bodied reds
Teas you'll love: Lightly oxidized oolongs for mouthfeel or Assam/Sri Lankan (aka Ceylon) teas for flavor
Your favorite wines: Mellow, balanced reds
Teas you'll love: More oxidized oolongs and high-quality, well-aged pu-erhs
You can read the rest of the article in The Austin Chronicle.
Showing posts with label Austin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Austin. Show all posts
Monday, February 9, 2009
Monday, May 5, 2008
New VeeTea Article on TeaMuse
You may remember that last month, I published part one of an article on tearooms in Austin on TeaMuse. Well, now it's time for part two! Excerpt:
In the heart of Austin, nestled between a New-Orleans-esque college party street, a cluster of indie rock music venues, and a neighborhood that's becoming gentrified by 20-somethings at an alarming rate (watch out, Williamsburg!), lies Koriente Restaurant and Tea House, a charming spot that serves Korean-inspired food and Harney & Sons tea to hip kids and college Greeks alike. The decor reflects the jumbled location and the unexpected blend of patrons;it looks like a hipster bar/coffee shop, homey tearoom, and family-run Asian restaurant all at once. The menu is more focused; it leans strongly toward healthy, fresh, Asian fare and includes a variety of reasonably well-made hot and cold tea drinks...
Read the full article on TeaMuse. Happy Cinco de Mayo!
In the heart of Austin, nestled between a New-Orleans-esque college party street, a cluster of indie rock music venues, and a neighborhood that's becoming gentrified by 20-somethings at an alarming rate (watch out, Williamsburg!), lies Koriente Restaurant and Tea House, a charming spot that serves Korean-inspired food and Harney & Sons tea to hip kids and college Greeks alike. The decor reflects the jumbled location and the unexpected blend of patrons;it looks like a hipster bar/coffee shop, homey tearoom, and family-run Asian restaurant all at once. The menu is more focused; it leans strongly toward healthy, fresh, Asian fare and includes a variety of reasonably well-made hot and cold tea drinks...
Read the full article on TeaMuse. Happy Cinco de Mayo!
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Two NYT Tea Articles
Here are two articles from last year that I've been meaning to link for some time. They are both from The New York Times and they cover very different aspects of tea. The first is similar to my recent Tea Muse article on tea in Austin. Its focus is Portland and it is written by the talented Ceil Miller Bouchet. The second is about the owners of a specialty foods store who, like me, love to teach tea and who, unlike me, recently published the wonderful book “The Story of Tea: A Cultural History and Drinking Guide."
Excerpt from Beyond Tea and Crumpets in Portland:
"... that's why I came to Portland: to connect with this moist metropolis through my favorite brew. Building on the success of established Portland tea businesses like Tazo Tea, Stash and Oregon Chai, the city is host to one of the most distinctive tea scenes in the country. Locally owned tea spots have sprouted throughout the city, supported by an epicurean population that travels miles for the perfect cup. From mushroom tea to tea paired with sake, these citizens of the Pacific Rim are thinking way beyond tea and crumpets. And no tea bags allowed."
Excerpt from Lessons From the Professors of Tea:
"In Shanghai they visited a bustling regional wholesale tea market that was featuring first-of-the-season teas from the eastern provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui. (Cramped in the back of a van full of Chinese passengers, no officials saw them as they rode through the checkpoint into a Chinese-only wholesale section of the city.)
On a boat ride on the Lake of a Thousand Islands, in Zhejiang Province, a woman named Wei Cui Lan, one of China’s leading tea authorities and one of the last women to graduate from tea school before the Cultural Revolution, showed them the methods required to brew at least 30 different varieties of green and oolong tea."
PS--I still have two free tickets left for the Coffee and Tea Festival. Email me with your name and a comment or suggestion for Vee Tea to win them.
Excerpt from Beyond Tea and Crumpets in Portland:
"... that's why I came to Portland: to connect with this moist metropolis through my favorite brew. Building on the success of established Portland tea businesses like Tazo Tea, Stash and Oregon Chai, the city is host to one of the most distinctive tea scenes in the country. Locally owned tea spots have sprouted throughout the city, supported by an epicurean population that travels miles for the perfect cup. From mushroom tea to tea paired with sake, these citizens of the Pacific Rim are thinking way beyond tea and crumpets. And no tea bags allowed."
Excerpt from Lessons From the Professors of Tea:
"In Shanghai they visited a bustling regional wholesale tea market that was featuring first-of-the-season teas from the eastern provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui. (Cramped in the back of a van full of Chinese passengers, no officials saw them as they rode through the checkpoint into a Chinese-only wholesale section of the city.)
On a boat ride on the Lake of a Thousand Islands, in Zhejiang Province, a woman named Wei Cui Lan, one of China’s leading tea authorities and one of the last women to graduate from tea school before the Cultural Revolution, showed them the methods required to brew at least 30 different varieties of green and oolong tea."
PS--I still have two free tickets left for the Coffee and Tea Festival. Email me with your name and a comment or suggestion for Vee Tea to win them.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
New VeeTea Article on TeaMuse
There's a new Vee Tea article on Tea Muse this month! It's a two-part article that covers my recent tea excursions in Austin and trends in tea in the US. Excerpt:
"In order to learn about tea trends in Austin, I started where coolness often originates-near the college campus. On Guadalupe near downtown ('The Drag,' as the locals call it), there are two boba tearooms on the same block, Tapioca House and Coco's Cafe II. Boba tea, for those who are unfamiliar, is a sugary concoction which is, as Douglas Adams put it, 'almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea.' It is a frothy drink made of tea, sugar, milk, and (often, but not necessarily) tapioca flour spheres, it comes in a variety of flavors, and it is also known as 'bubble tea' and '(tapioca) pearl tea.' I jokingly refer to it as a 'gateway tea,' because young people try it, get really into it, and then move on to the more serious stuff. Although the two tearooms (and the boba teas I sampled from each place) are remarkably similar, they are both popular enough to be supported by a steady stream of college students seeking their sugary fixes. In many ways, this is indicative of the nascent stages of tea culture in the US-a sugary something for when you're on the go, like a cola but 'better for you.'"
Read more on tea in Austin on Tea Muse!
"In order to learn about tea trends in Austin, I started where coolness often originates-near the college campus. On Guadalupe near downtown ('The Drag,' as the locals call it), there are two boba tearooms on the same block, Tapioca House and Coco's Cafe II. Boba tea, for those who are unfamiliar, is a sugary concoction which is, as Douglas Adams put it, 'almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea.' It is a frothy drink made of tea, sugar, milk, and (often, but not necessarily) tapioca flour spheres, it comes in a variety of flavors, and it is also known as 'bubble tea' and '(tapioca) pearl tea.' I jokingly refer to it as a 'gateway tea,' because young people try it, get really into it, and then move on to the more serious stuff. Although the two tearooms (and the boba teas I sampled from each place) are remarkably similar, they are both popular enough to be supported by a steady stream of college students seeking their sugary fixes. In many ways, this is indicative of the nascent stages of tea culture in the US-a sugary something for when you're on the go, like a cola but 'better for you.'"
Read more on tea in Austin on Tea Muse!
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Photo from SXSW/Austin
For some reason, Blogger is still having major issues. However, I was able to get one photo to load. I'm hoping the issue will be resolved soon so you can see more (the amazing cheese plate, the great performances, etc.). In the meantime...
Delicious Nilgiri tea at The Steeping Room
Delicious Nilgiri tea at The Steeping Room
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Travel Day
Flying from Austin to LGA. Flights delayed due to flooding. I wish they had decent tea in this airport!
SXSW (or "South by" as the locals call it) was amazing. Austin is a very cool town. I look forward to visiting again! But for now, it's back to NYC where I will have friends visiting for the next two weeks. Can't wait to have my full tea collection on hand again...
Tomorrow I'll post more photos of SXSW, tea, and food.
SXSW (or "South by" as the locals call it) was amazing. Austin is a very cool town. I look forward to visiting again! But for now, it's back to NYC where I will have friends visiting for the next two weeks. Can't wait to have my full tea collection on hand again...
Tomorrow I'll post more photos of SXSW, tea, and food.
Monday, March 17, 2008
More SXSW
So, I am finally ready to post more on SXSW. Unfortunately, Blogger is being weird and not letting me post all my photos. Once I'm on my own computer again, I'll try to remedy that.
I've been having way too much fun here! Between the great shows, fantastic (and, for a New Yorker, cheap!) food, and the gorgeous scenery, I've been having a blast.
Great Music
Slim Cessnic's Auto Club--The name sounds silly, but the band put on one of the best shows I've seen here! They played off of the Southern revival tradition and said things like, "This song is for good country folk like you and me" before launching into songs that can only be described as pure rockabilly fun.
Akron/Family--I saw a full set of theirs with some friends who missed them before. It was fantastic. They wore headdresses, got the crowd going, jumped into the audience, lead everyone on a march outside at the end of the show... Looking forward to seeing them in NYC (they're from Brooklyn) soon.
The 8-Bit Peoples Show--Gameboys and Segas and printers as instruments. Totally danceable. There were some sound difficulties with Anamanagichi (whose album I recently bought and love), but some of the earlier bands made it all worth it. Very cool.
Fantastic Food (and Tea!)
Vegan macrobiotic goodness at Casa de Luse (yoga center, spa, restaurant, etc.)
Genmaicha and an iced tisane blend at Casa de Luse
Foods from the local co-op (Wheatville):
Vegetarian Frito Chili Pie (a veg version of a Southern favorite that I have yet to see grace any NYC menu)
Sauteed greens (also Southern and delicious)
Tempeh taco (with all the local fixin's!)
Cashew-butter cookie
The local hangover cure
The original Whole Foods
One of the two local beers. The other one is Lone Star. Despite Lone Star's extremely cheap pricing and instant hipster points, I prefer Shiner. (Side note: Craft breweries are popping up all over the US. When I travel, I find that drinking local can be a fun way to try new things and stay more sustainable.)
I wish the other photos would load, but here's a taste:
More tea!
My friend Lauren's famous "Egg Goo" (the perfect post-bar snack)
Gorgeous Scenery
Barton Springs--This is an all-natural limestone spring the size of a football field. I went swimming when it was 91 deg F outside. The water is 68 deg F year-round. I can see why the locals love it so much!
Zilker Botanical Gardens bridge
Unlike NYC, Austin has way more birds than just pigeons. Here are some black ducks and grackles (mean but beautiful black and indigo birds)... and some pigeons.
Small skyline, but what a view of it!
Soon, you'll also see:
Tanaguchi (Japanese Tea) Garden
View from The Pedestrian Bridge
Flowering plants (NYC is still mostly barren)
Austin's rad landscaping
PS--Thanks to Steph for all the well-wishing!
I've been having way too much fun here! Between the great shows, fantastic (and, for a New Yorker, cheap!) food, and the gorgeous scenery, I've been having a blast.
Great Music
Slim Cessnic's Auto Club--The name sounds silly, but the band put on one of the best shows I've seen here! They played off of the Southern revival tradition and said things like, "This song is for good country folk like you and me" before launching into songs that can only be described as pure rockabilly fun.
Akron/Family--I saw a full set of theirs with some friends who missed them before. It was fantastic. They wore headdresses, got the crowd going, jumped into the audience, lead everyone on a march outside at the end of the show... Looking forward to seeing them in NYC (they're from Brooklyn) soon.
The 8-Bit Peoples Show--Gameboys and Segas and printers as instruments. Totally danceable. There were some sound difficulties with Anamanagichi (whose album I recently bought and love), but some of the earlier bands made it all worth it. Very cool.
Fantastic Food (and Tea!)
Vegan macrobiotic goodness at Casa de Luse (yoga center, spa, restaurant, etc.)
Genmaicha and an iced tisane blend at Casa de Luse
Foods from the local co-op (Wheatville):
Vegetarian Frito Chili Pie (a veg version of a Southern favorite that I have yet to see grace any NYC menu)
Sauteed greens (also Southern and delicious)
Tempeh taco (with all the local fixin's!)
Cashew-butter cookie
The local hangover cure
The original Whole Foods
One of the two local beers. The other one is Lone Star. Despite Lone Star's extremely cheap pricing and instant hipster points, I prefer Shiner. (Side note: Craft breweries are popping up all over the US. When I travel, I find that drinking local can be a fun way to try new things and stay more sustainable.)
I wish the other photos would load, but here's a taste:
More tea!
My friend Lauren's famous "Egg Goo" (the perfect post-bar snack)
Gorgeous Scenery
Barton Springs--This is an all-natural limestone spring the size of a football field. I went swimming when it was 91 deg F outside. The water is 68 deg F year-round. I can see why the locals love it so much!
Zilker Botanical Gardens bridge
Unlike NYC, Austin has way more birds than just pigeons. Here are some black ducks and grackles (mean but beautiful black and indigo birds)... and some pigeons.
Small skyline, but what a view of it!
Soon, you'll also see:
Tanaguchi (Japanese Tea) Garden
View from The Pedestrian Bridge
Flowering plants (NYC is still mostly barren)
Austin's rad landscaping
PS--Thanks to Steph for all the well-wishing!
Friday, March 14, 2008
SXSW Day 3
More on SXSW... In the last 24 or so hours, I:
Drank tea on a front porch
Drank some green powder beverage that had green tea extract and tasted disgusting (I much prefer the green energy bar that's also in the photo)
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Saw a local bed & breakfast's tea offerings
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Saw "Austin Tee Party" while waiting in line for an Akron/Family day show
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Heard Akron/Family (Great show! Hippie meets hipster. Lone Star beers and a suggestion from the band to stay hydrated.)
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People-watched on 6th (this street is SO much more crowded at night)
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Drank tapioca pearl (boba) tea (The cup is atop an Onion stand, which you can find at practically every street corner here.)
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Bought some cute stockings (If you like cool stockings, check out Sock Dreams. They're AMAZING!)
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"Shoe-gazed"
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Drank tea and Stella (and ate tasty vegan food and green tea ice cream) at a cute Japanese restaurant (Koriente, right next to Beauty Bar)
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Danced to dirty robot rock for hours at Beauty Bar (the uber-hipster joint in town)
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Ate some Israeli-inspired food made by my ex-roommate Yinon and his friend Kelsey (who will start working for NPR soon... cool)
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Despite the fact that it is not photo-documented, I will also claim to have:
Seen Dark Meat (hippie jam band merges with high school band and covers ska, punk, and metal favorites)
Seen The Raveonettes (good show, annoying audience... I'll just listen to their recordings next time)
Walked around a lot (even for a New Yorker)
Spent about an hour trying to hail a cab (and explaining to all the non-New-Yorkers that if the "Vacant" light is off, yelling and waving will NOT make the cab magically become vacant)
Slept in abundance
Today I'll relax and drink tea (Makaibari Second Flush at the moment) before catching some shows tonight. It's stultifyingly hot (peak of 91 deg F), so I think it will be wise to take it easy. More news tomorrow!
Drank tea on a front porch
Drank some green powder beverage that had green tea extract and tasted disgusting (I much prefer the green energy bar that's also in the photo)
.jpg)
Saw a local bed & breakfast's tea offerings
.jpg)
Saw "Austin Tee Party" while waiting in line for an Akron/Family day show
.jpg)
Heard Akron/Family (Great show! Hippie meets hipster. Lone Star beers and a suggestion from the band to stay hydrated.)
.jpg)
People-watched on 6th (this street is SO much more crowded at night)
.jpg)
Drank tapioca pearl (boba) tea (The cup is atop an Onion stand, which you can find at practically every street corner here.)
.jpg)
Bought some cute stockings (If you like cool stockings, check out Sock Dreams. They're AMAZING!)
.jpg)
"Shoe-gazed"
.jpg)
Drank tea and Stella (and ate tasty vegan food and green tea ice cream) at a cute Japanese restaurant (Koriente, right next to Beauty Bar)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
Danced to dirty robot rock for hours at Beauty Bar (the uber-hipster joint in town)
.jpg)
Ate some Israeli-inspired food made by my ex-roommate Yinon and his friend Kelsey (who will start working for NPR soon... cool)
.jpg)
Despite the fact that it is not photo-documented, I will also claim to have:
Seen Dark Meat (hippie jam band merges with high school band and covers ska, punk, and metal favorites)
Seen The Raveonettes (good show, annoying audience... I'll just listen to their recordings next time)
Walked around a lot (even for a New Yorker)
Spent about an hour trying to hail a cab (and explaining to all the non-New-Yorkers that if the "Vacant" light is off, yelling and waving will NOT make the cab magically become vacant)
Slept in abundance
Today I'll relax and drink tea (Makaibari Second Flush at the moment) before catching some shows tonight. It's stultifyingly hot (peak of 91 deg F), so I think it will be wise to take it easy. More news tomorrow!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
SXSW Day 2
A few quick updates. Photos and links soon.
In response to a reader question: The tearoom I went to yesterday was Jade Leaves on Guadalupe (or "The Drag," as the locals call it). I'll be writing a full review soon.
Last night I had dinner and talked about web design and NPR with my hosts and their friend. We headed into town and I broke the first rule of SXSW (hang out with people you like to talk with) and opted to break off on my own. I had all the info I wanted stored in maps and emails on my iPhone and in about 1,000 rated songs on my iPod (can you tell I'm a Mac fan?), so everything was great... Except that I left my iPhone at my friends' house and the only show I thought I knew all the details for (MGMT) turned out to be tonight, not last night. Unphazed, I headed to 6th Street to take in the New Orleans-esque debauchery and a bit of Kimya Dawson (the long-time low-fi queen who became über-famous after Juno) and Capsula (a rock trio from Argentina that put on a great raw and raucous performance). Soon enough, I found out the hard way that I am allergic to Austin's abundant cedar trees and, with some breathing difficulty, hopped a cab "home."
At the moment, I'm on a bus downtown to hear Akron/Family. Hoping to catch MGMT and some boba tea after that. Lots of great shows coming up tonight--tomorrow I'll tell you what I heard.
In response to a reader question: The tearoom I went to yesterday was Jade Leaves on Guadalupe (or "The Drag," as the locals call it). I'll be writing a full review soon.
Last night I had dinner and talked about web design and NPR with my hosts and their friend. We headed into town and I broke the first rule of SXSW (hang out with people you like to talk with) and opted to break off on my own. I had all the info I wanted stored in maps and emails on my iPhone and in about 1,000 rated songs on my iPod (can you tell I'm a Mac fan?), so everything was great... Except that I left my iPhone at my friends' house and the only show I thought I knew all the details for (MGMT) turned out to be tonight, not last night. Unphazed, I headed to 6th Street to take in the New Orleans-esque debauchery and a bit of Kimya Dawson (the long-time low-fi queen who became über-famous after Juno) and Capsula (a rock trio from Argentina that put on a great raw and raucous performance). Soon enough, I found out the hard way that I am allergic to Austin's abundant cedar trees and, with some breathing difficulty, hopped a cab "home."
At the moment, I'm on a bus downtown to hear Akron/Family. Hoping to catch MGMT and some boba tea after that. Lots of great shows coming up tonight--tomorrow I'll tell you what I heard.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
SXSW Day One
Arrived safely in Austin. Got the party rolling last night with my Austin friends and their friends. Today, I:
Figured out the local transit system (which is better than you might guess)
Interviewed Sweet Leaf Tea (based in Austin) about their RTD sweet tea
Saw an art exhibit on growing edibles in your yard (and on sustainability in general... Actually there was an overlap between this exhibit and one I saw in London at The Tate Modern last summer.)
Went out for amazing tea and food with my friend Austin (Yes, his name is Austin and he lives in Austin. He's also a grad student at UT Austin.)
Visited the local food co-op, where they carry tea-kettle egg timers
Bought a gun
Went show shopping
Swang on a genuine front-porch swing
Drank some "tea" soda that turned out to only have tea extract (lame)
Tonight I'm going to some shows. Tomorrow I'll tell you who I heard and how they were (IMHO--I'm a tea expert, not a music expert!), as well as any more tea news I might have.
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