As a foodie and as a person, I am thrilled to be moving to Portland. Here are some of the things I'm looking forward to most:
Urban planning done right
Bicycling (especially after living in the not-so-bike-friendly cities of NYC and Charlotte, NC)
Eating at awesome restaurants (and the availability of great veggie/vegan food at most of them)
Exploring the thriving food cart scene
Enjoying locally grown food and the riverside market
Partaking in Portland's love affair with beverages -- Imbibe Magazine, Stumptown Coffee and Tao of Tea are all based there; there's an abundance of local breweries; many California wines are readily available there
Checking out all the tea places Elin recommended on Teafolio.com
Utilizing Portland's proximity to San Francisco (my favorite U.S. city for tea)
Have you lived there/visited? What do you love the most?
Showing posts with label San Francisco. Show all posts
Showing posts with label San Francisco. Show all posts
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Tea Punch
If you like a little more than sugar and milk in your tea (nudge, nudge), check out my new Samovar blog post on tea punches. Excerpt:
Tea and punch have a long history together. Some say punch originated in India, where it was made from five key ingredients. (In Hindi, the word for five is “panch.” Many think this is where the word “punch” originated.)
These five key ingredients were: lemon or lime juice, sugar, water, liquor and vaguely defined “spice,” which could mean something we currently think of as “spice” (like nutmeg), something we would probably shun today (like a whale secretion that’s only used is perfume these days) or (yes, yes) tea.
As punch recipes spread across Europe in the 1600s, they evolved. Mixtures of multiple citrus juices and liquors were employed, and green tea and champagne widely replaced water as a core ingredient.
These innovations became much of the groundwork of the art of mixology, which is (gladly) enjoying a revival in San Francisco and other major U.S. cities right now.
Read more on Samovar's tea blog, and happy sipping!
Tea and punch have a long history together. Some say punch originated in India, where it was made from five key ingredients. (In Hindi, the word for five is “panch.” Many think this is where the word “punch” originated.)
These five key ingredients were: lemon or lime juice, sugar, water, liquor and vaguely defined “spice,” which could mean something we currently think of as “spice” (like nutmeg), something we would probably shun today (like a whale secretion that’s only used is perfume these days) or (yes, yes) tea.
As punch recipes spread across Europe in the 1600s, they evolved. Mixtures of multiple citrus juices and liquors were employed, and green tea and champagne widely replaced water as a core ingredient.
These innovations became much of the groundwork of the art of mixology, which is (gladly) enjoying a revival in San Francisco and other major U.S. cities right now.
Read more on Samovar's tea blog, and happy sipping!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Teance Spring Harvest Parties
Teance is quickly selling out of seats for their Spring Harvest Parties. I went to a Fall Harvest Party there last year and HIGHLY recommend it. Details from Teance:
ASIA ADVENTURES
May 29th 7pm
Spring Harvest Tea Party I
Celebrate the Spring Harvest with us at Teance. Our tea buyer will share stories from this year's tea trip during a slide show and a tasting of rare teas. She will speak extensively about farm conditions, the tea market in China, and of course entertaining anecdotes of the lives of the tea producers she meets along the way will be included. Each trip is full of surprises!
Rare Phoenix Oolongs
Maojian Green
Taiwan Oolongs
Space is limited. PLEASE RSVP. $18 per person
RARE TEAS FROM THE HARVEST
The Art of Tea reaches its zenith in the form of these rare teas, produced each year in extremely small quantities by only a few remaining qualified artisans. They are usually commissioned by the Central Government of China for gift-giving, and never available for sale. Even the most die-hard tea aficionados may never get a chance to taste such rarities.
Anxi White Tea
Keemun Spring Bud
Nanjing Yu Hua Rain Flower
Space is limited. PLEASE RSVP. $25 per person.
Make a reservation here.
ASIA ADVENTURES
May 29th 7pm
Spring Harvest Tea Party I
Celebrate the Spring Harvest with us at Teance. Our tea buyer will share stories from this year's tea trip during a slide show and a tasting of rare teas. She will speak extensively about farm conditions, the tea market in China, and of course entertaining anecdotes of the lives of the tea producers she meets along the way will be included. Each trip is full of surprises!
Rare Phoenix Oolongs
Maojian Green
Taiwan Oolongs
Space is limited. PLEASE RSVP. $18 per person
RARE TEAS FROM THE HARVEST
The Art of Tea reaches its zenith in the form of these rare teas, produced each year in extremely small quantities by only a few remaining qualified artisans. They are usually commissioned by the Central Government of China for gift-giving, and never available for sale. Even the most die-hard tea aficionados may never get a chance to taste such rarities.
Anxi White Tea
Keemun Spring Bud
Nanjing Yu Hua Rain Flower
Space is limited. PLEASE RSVP. $25 per person.
Make a reservation here.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Tea in SF
Tea in SF is boomsploding right now. Not sure what I mean by "boomsploding?" Check out these links:
diggnation talks tea
Samovar/Kevin Rose tea starter kit
SF Chronicle's new piece on tea (This went up today and includes quotes from yours truly.)
diggnation talks tea
Samovar/Kevin Rose tea starter kit
SF Chronicle's new piece on tea (This went up today and includes quotes from yours truly.)
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Tea in SF, NYC
San Francisco is at the heart of America's tea renaissance, and one of the companies that's really fueling this revolution is Samovar. I'm so glad to be a part of their new site, SamovarLife, as a contributing blogger. Here's my most recent blog post on tea in SF and America. It should give you an idea of what's happening with tea in America and, more specifically, SF. If you want more info on tea in SF, check out this tea industry roundtable on tea in SF and beyond.
New York City is probably second to SF in terms of tea culture in the U.S., but it still has a ways to go. I was very sad to see Harlem Tea Room close last year. I recently received an email (copied below) about a new tearoom that is struggling to open in Harlem. If you're in NYC or you visit often, I highly encourage you to check the email below out and consider donating to help them make this dream a reality!
"Dear Friends,
Take a stroll down Seventh Avenue and you'll find an abundance of eateries, but none like Harlem's newest tea room, Tea and Things of That Kind. We are a local, family owned business transforming the culinary and health landscape of our community. We are determined to open our doors but we need your help to realize this dream.
Our Story
The Najieb family, my neighbors for the past three years, started this endeavor in 2007 with two store front properties (a former bodega and laundry mat) on the corner of Seventh Avenue and 137th Street which they completely gutted and renovated.
Our Vision
Laila and Na'im Najieb are returning to their roots as certified holistic health counselors and creating a tea room in our community that embodies three principles: holistic, healthy and healing. They have partnered with holistic health expert, Dr. Llaila Afrika to offer health consultations and workshops to expand knowledge of food that is nurturing and substantive. The vitality of our community starts with nourishing the mind as well as the body.
Your Help
The tea room needs a store sign ($7,000), two sets of China ($400) and white table coverings ($200) which totals $7,600. If you can't afford to purchase an entire set of China or 50 yards of white table cloth at $200 each, a donation of $1-200 will help towards the cost of materials. Our goal is to open in time for Mother's Day. If we can't meet that goal, I'm afraid the tea room will have exhausted most of its resources. We're at the final stretch and we want to give Tea and Things of that Kind a chance to live out its fullest potential -- we've come so far!
You can send your donation in two ways:
1. Paypal Account - pay pal is a secure way to send money from your account via the internet. Our paypal account address is: lflowers83@aol.com
2. Snail Mail - Send a check or money order to Tea and Things of That Kind at 234 West 137th Street, New York, NY 10030 (Attn: Na'Im Najieb)
It is my goal to receive all donations by April 23, 2009. If you can not donate at this time, I ask that you forward this message along to close friends, family and community members that may be interested in supporting Tea and Things of That Kind. I am making a personal pledge to donate to invest in this family-run business because I firmly believe in their vision and commitment to the health and well being of our community.
If you have any questions and/or suggestions regarding fund-raising for the tea room, please feel free to contact me at my email address: LFlowers83@gmail.com.
Thank you in advance for your generosity and support!
Sincerely,
Leniece K. Flowers
P.S. (Our community so desperately needs this tea room and I want to do whatever possible to ensure that the Najieb family's dream is realized -- please help us in this endeavor)."
New York City is probably second to SF in terms of tea culture in the U.S., but it still has a ways to go. I was very sad to see Harlem Tea Room close last year. I recently received an email (copied below) about a new tearoom that is struggling to open in Harlem. If you're in NYC or you visit often, I highly encourage you to check the email below out and consider donating to help them make this dream a reality!
"Dear Friends,
Take a stroll down Seventh Avenue and you'll find an abundance of eateries, but none like Harlem's newest tea room, Tea and Things of That Kind. We are a local, family owned business transforming the culinary and health landscape of our community. We are determined to open our doors but we need your help to realize this dream.
Our Story
The Najieb family, my neighbors for the past three years, started this endeavor in 2007 with two store front properties (a former bodega and laundry mat) on the corner of Seventh Avenue and 137th Street which they completely gutted and renovated.
Our Vision
Laila and Na'im Najieb are returning to their roots as certified holistic health counselors and creating a tea room in our community that embodies three principles: holistic, healthy and healing. They have partnered with holistic health expert, Dr. Llaila Afrika to offer health consultations and workshops to expand knowledge of food that is nurturing and substantive. The vitality of our community starts with nourishing the mind as well as the body.
Your Help
The tea room needs a store sign ($7,000), two sets of China ($400) and white table coverings ($200) which totals $7,600. If you can't afford to purchase an entire set of China or 50 yards of white table cloth at $200 each, a donation of $1-200 will help towards the cost of materials. Our goal is to open in time for Mother's Day. If we can't meet that goal, I'm afraid the tea room will have exhausted most of its resources. We're at the final stretch and we want to give Tea and Things of that Kind a chance to live out its fullest potential -- we've come so far!
You can send your donation in two ways:
1. Paypal Account - pay pal is a secure way to send money from your account via the internet. Our paypal account address is: lflowers83@aol.com
2. Snail Mail - Send a check or money order to Tea and Things of That Kind at 234 West 137th Street, New York, NY 10030 (Attn: Na'Im Najieb)
It is my goal to receive all donations by April 23, 2009. If you can not donate at this time, I ask that you forward this message along to close friends, family and community members that may be interested in supporting Tea and Things of That Kind. I am making a personal pledge to donate to invest in this family-run business because I firmly believe in their vision and commitment to the health and well being of our community.
If you have any questions and/or suggestions regarding fund-raising for the tea room, please feel free to contact me at my email address: LFlowers83@gmail.com.
Thank you in advance for your generosity and support!
Sincerely,
Leniece K. Flowers
P.S. (Our community so desperately needs this tea room and I want to do whatever possible to ensure that the Najieb family's dream is realized -- please help us in this endeavor)."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
