Yay! I'm the New About.com Coffee / Tea Guide

Quick announcement:

I'm the new About.com Coffee / Tea Site Guide! Right now, I'm building up a lot of new content. Soon, I'll be editing some of the recipes, articles, etc. from the previous writer, cleaning any spam out of the Forums and otherwise sprucing the site up. Here are a few new things I've been working on:

Tea, Tisane, Coffee, Cocoa & Apple Cider Recipes
A Guide to Pairing Hot Chocolate with Food
Hot Drink, Hot Drink Equipment & Hot Drink Media Reviews (Side note: If you want to contact me about reviewing one of your products, you can email me at vee (AT) vee tea (DOT) com.)
A Coffee / Tea Blog (The current topic is Tisanes vs. "Herbal Teas" -- it leaves the tisane/herbal tea nomenclature debate up for a vote.)

I'll periodically post updates on the site's progress here, but if you want more info, you can sign up for a weekly newsletter in the top right of the site and follow me on Twitter @AboutCoffeeTea. BTW, if you have any suggestions for new content, I'd love to hear them!

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!

Chilled Tea

Whew, is it hot in Charlotte today! Fortunately, I have the remedy for stultifying weather -- chilled teas. I wrote this post for Samovar, but it applies elsewhere, too. :)

Lately, I've been considering blending traditions and making an iced pu-erh with preserved lemons. Pu-erh was traditionally made as a savory, soupy concoction with spices, aromatics and even citrus. However, my initial inspiration for this was the Southern tradition of iced tea with lemon. I think it will either be delicious or terrible, with no middle ground. What do you think?

Tea Cocktails

Today is your last chance to vote for Vee Tea for the Top Tea Cocktail contest at the World Tea Expo! Vote Oolong Champagne and help me be a finalist!

Also, you can check out another tea cocktail I created on Samovar's blog for St. Patrick's Day. I'm happy to announce that I'm now posting on their blog along with noted tea writers James Norwood Pratt and Jennifer Leigh Sauer. Exciting!

BISCOTTEA Gluten-Free Review

As I said a few days ago, I recently sent out a press release for BISCOTTEA's new line of gluten-free shortbread with baked-in tea. Today, I'm putting on my reviewer hat and reviewing the new products.

I have to say that I have had some less-than-stellar GF products in the past. Usually, I won't do PR or write copy for a company unless I've tried the products I'm writing about, but I know the BISCOTTEA brand and trusted that they wouldn't release anything that didn't meet their (and my) standards. I'm glad I trusted my instincts on this one! The samples I received yesterday were incredible -- flavorful, crunchy, buttery and delicious. While I didn't do a side-by-side tasting, I found the GF version to be nearly indistinguishable from the original. (The only thing I could discern was a slight cornstarch texture to the crumbs that differed from the original, but it wasn't a detriment and the mouth-feel was otherwise the same.) Although I'm not usually a "dunker," I tested the GF BISCOTTEA for those of you who ARE dunkers, and it held up very well. So far, my favorite flavor is the Earl Grey with Darjeeling, but it was a close call. The Blueberry with White Tea and the Chai flavors are also wonderful.

Aside from the great taste and texture, I was really glad to know that the GF line is batch-tested for gluten levels with a tolerance of only four parts per million, especially given the recent Whole Foods gluten scandal. It's an issue many of the GF bloggers I talked with had voiced concerns about, so it's good to know there are more (safe!) options out there for those who are particularly sensitive to gluten.

Haiku Teacups

Love haiku? What about tea poems? And... teacups? Check this out. They're made by the writer of my tea cups blog. Cool!

September Wagashi

My good friend, video blogger Tajee, recently visited me from Tokyo and gave me some delicious September-themed wagashi, which includes images of rabbits and an orange moon. They're filled with rice paste and they're oishi (delicious), especially with Japanese green tea!

The wrapping was, as one might expect from a gift wrapped in Japan, gorgeous. Here's the outer wrapper with images of rabbits and the moon:



The second layer, with images of (and I'm guessing here) flowers and grasses (Please let me know if you think otherwise):



The simpler and quite lovely inner box, with text that most likely says the brand and/or product name:











Thanks, Tajee for the fantastic visit, and for the tasty wagashi!!! It was great to see you (as always!) and I hope to visit you in Japan soon!!!

PS -- I'm going to be posting about tea sweets all week. Between a few samples, the gift from Tajee and a box of wagashi I opened in preparation for my classes at Urasenke Chanoyu, I'm on a tea sweets kick!

Can you read Japanese?

If so, check out this new blog by my tea friend in Japan! We send teas to each other that are easily found in one place, but harder to find in the other. She also sent me the tea seeds I sent to some of you. Even if you don't read Japanese, it's worth taking a look -- she has some good photos up.

Silver Tips Tearoom Blog

You may have noticed that I added another new blog to my blogroll. It's by a friend of mine, Anupa Mueller, and it's about her fantastic NY tearoom, Silver Tips Tea. She posts about going green, tea events, tearoom stories, tea recipes, Makaibari Estate and all kinds of other goodies. Be sure to check it out!

Cool Tea Blog

I recently got an email from a fellow tea blogger and wanted to share her blog. It's called My Tea Cups and it has some great content. The blogger herself is actually starting a tea tour in Philadelphia. Cool!

Fridays

I've decided to take Fridays off from blogging. As much as I love blogging about tea, I'm too busy with other tea work to keep up. I'll still post Mondays through Thursdays, so there will be plenty of tea goodness to go around. I'll also keep you updated on some of the other tea writing I'm doing for other sites and publications. Thanks for reading!

World Tea Expo, Day 3

After a night of Vegas-style revelry, I managed to sleep through two of my classes and just make it to Rona Tison's course on online social networking as a form of marketing. (Great class, BTW. And she was kind enough to mention my blog during her lecture.) The exhibit hall was open in the afternoon, but I had seen everything I needed to see, so I decided to visit Red Rock while alI was in the area. Afterward--sleep, and lots of it. I wish I hadn't missed the courses in the AM, but this is my first time in Vegas and last night was really fun... Next year I'll have to be more responsible. :)

Record-Setting Tea Party

Clearly, I am on a "post all the old drafts" kick with my blog as of late. Soon, I'll be back to more of the regular blogging style. In the meantime, here's an odd story I've been meaning to post for a while: The world's largest tea party! Excerpt:

As more than 30,000 people on Sunday (February 24, 2008) raised their designer cups and took a sip of tea, Indore city of Madhya Pradesh set a new record for hosting the largest tea party.

Citizens responded with enthusiasm to the novel event and started arriving at a stadium, the venue for the function, well ahead of the scheduled time of 3.30 p.m. and within an hour all seats were taken.


Cool! It broke the previous record, which was 14,718 people in Nishiao, Japan in 2006. Read more on the world's largest tea party on Sify News.

New Links

You may have noticed that I've added some new links to my Blogger page. Here's a quick intro to each one.

Gongfu Girl is a tea blog that does reviews and more. Very informative and well-written.

Makaibari Estate is a rarity--a blog by a tea producer. It is by Rajah Banerjee, the owner of the last family-owned tea estate in Darjeeling (and the first biodynamic tea estate in the world).

Steph's Cup of Tea is a blog by a tea-lover that covers many aspects of tea and tea culture in the US. Charming and very well-written.

T Ching is a new tea publication that focuses on health, tea trends, and more. It has a wide range of contributors, so there's a little something for everyone.

Tea Drone is a tea review blog by my cousin and a few of his friends.* They're off to a great start, and I look forward to reading more from them.

Tea Guy Speaks is a varied tea blog with a lot of interesting information. Posts have become less frequent since Tea Guy was tapped to write for the Twinings blog, which is also on my list and a good source of info despite the obvious corporate involvement.

Tea on Tap is, according to its heading, "Reviews and notes on tea and teaware from an everyday tea lover." I think that sums it up pretty well!

The Leaf is a new free online tea publication. Though it only has one issue out at present, it's off to a fantastic start and has the tea world talking.

Vee Tea is a site about tea or something. I don't really know anything about it. I've never read it, actually. :)

wikiCHA is a cool new project by tea enthusiasts, business owners, and bloggers. It's just getting started, but I think it has a lot of potential. Those of you who are more knowledgable about tea may consider contributing to it.


*Tea runs in my family. The newest proof is my cousin's tea blog, but my aunt has been called "The Tea Lady" in her neighborhood for years and my mother owns and runs Urbana Citispa & Teabar. It was my father who first introduced me to hot tea, which I loved immediately.

Tea Thrifting

I just found the cutest blog on thrifting. The blogger (Kelly) often posts tea-related finds. Here are two of her recent purchases. (LOVE the heart cups and saucers.) She also talks about crafting a lot, which is always fun. Check it out and have a great weekend!

Another Reason to Buy Organic/VeeTea Updates

Apparently, organic foods have a higher nutrient content than conventional foods. (The New York Times decided to place an ad before this page. Just click "skip in the top right corner to get past it.") I would imagine this extends to tea, too. Cool.

Normally, I'd announce a discount for tours and classes today. (They have previously been for educators and food service workers.) This month is a little (read: very) different. I'm leaving for India on the 6th (to see the tea fields and drink lots of masala chai and Darjeeling!) and I won't be back until September 1st. So, no discount this month, as I won't be here to give classes and tours.

Also, you've probably noticed that I usually post an article each Monday. Not this month. I'll resume in September. You can wait in breathless anticipation until then.

However, I will be posting a travel blog whenever possible. For those of you reading through Vee Tea, you may want to check the travel blog through Blogger instead. I'm writing blogs as I go, then entering them when I can, which causes problems with the way RSS posts them to subscriber sites (like Vee Tea). The blog orders and dates will make more sense if you read the blogs on Blogger. If you don't know what I'm talking about, just trust me and read it on Blogger.

While I'm gone, I will be able to respond to email occasionally. Don't hesitate to contact me, just know that it may take a week for me to respond.

Fancy Food Show

Just when you thought I was done talking about trade shows . . .

I went to the Fancy Food Show on Sunday and Monday. It was ENORMOUS. There were tons of tea (and chocolate and cookies and cheese and . . . ) people. There were so many products and companies to learn about! As for the people . . . . I met the Katrina from Vosges (an undeniably cool company) and some other people I hope to see around in the future. I also got to catch up with a bunch of people I already know, which was great. The only down side of the show was that I couldn't see everyone and everything I wanted to see. Of course they DO hold it four times a year, so I'm sure I'll be able to attend some other time.

One thing that came as kind of a shock was how many people in the food industry know very little about tea. Perhaps I should focus more on employee tea training for a while.

Meanwhile, I can't wait to share what I learned in my classes and tours . . .



PS--Food blog "The Food Section" covered much more of the FFS. Check it out if you're interested. I must disagree on one point and concur with another. They praised Scharffen Berger's soon-to-be-released "sea salted" almond/milk chocolate bar. I have to say that I think Scharffen Berger is VASTLY overrated, and note that I am (at the very least) sketched out by their "undeclared milk recall." Besides, Vosges did it better years ago. On the other side of the spectrum, I'm so glad they included Ito En's Matcha Latte, even if they did link it incorrectly. Mmm . . . tasty.