It looks like the surge in popularity of full-leaf tea in the US, Russia, and Europe is making a major impact on producers' behaviors. According to a recent article from Reuters, orthodox tea production in India is on the rise and is being encouraged by the government-run Tea Board with a subsidy of 3 rupees per kg of orthodox tea produced. At present, many tea plantations in India (particularly those in Assam) produce CTC tea. Orthodox production involves the hand-plucking of tea leaves, which means that the whole leaves can remain intact and that the best new shoots can be plucked without also plucking older leaves and stems. CTC can produce a stronger flavor with a shorter brew time, but is generally a less nuanced and a much lower quality tea.* Most Indian CTC tea is consumed within the country, whereas most orthodox tea is for export.
*Despite this difference in quality, innovative Indian cooks can do amazing things with CTC! I had the best masala chai of my life when I was in Kolkata, and most of it was made from CTC. At one hotel near Darjeeling, I talked tea with the "tea boy," who had created an extensive, widely varied, and delicious tea menu out of both CTC and orthodox teas, as well as blends.
All this talk about Indian chai has me even more excited about my upcoming tea tour to India! More details on that soon to come...
Friday, February 29, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
More on Cooking with Tea
The Arizona Republic recently published an article on cooking trends with tea. Here's an excerpt:
Tea flavors range through floral, earthy, grassy, astringent, clean and brisk, and deep and hearty.
Modern-day applications for cooking with tea are surprisingly similar to those of the ancient Chinese, who stuffed fish with dried, pungent oolong leaves before steaming, and infused boiling water while boiling eggs.
Both tea leaves and brewed tea can be used in cooking. Dried leaves work best as a flavorful rub for fish, poultry, pork and beef. Use only loose tea leaves, not the finely crushed (and less flavorful) contents of brewing bags.
Agreed. However, I had to disagree with the next statement:
"Treat tea like you would any other ingredient. Go for quality, the best you can afford, because quality matters," (Charlie) Romano (vegan-organic chef at the Mandala Tea Room in Scottsdale) said.
To a point, this statement is true. However, beyond that point it absolutely does not apply. One should NEVER waste a delicate white tea or a decadently complex aged pu-erh (some of the most expensive teas you can buy) by adulterating it with any other ingredients (or treating it as an ingredient alongside anything but pure water). It would be absurd. Some of the best teas are meant for tea and tea alone (unless of course you want to infuse the tea multiple times and then make it into chagra for other uses).
I digress. Tea has an enormous potential as a culinary ingredient. I've previously written about making vegan green tea ice cream and posted a listing of tea recipes. In addition to health benefits and a fantastic range of flavors, tea may provide another perk: it may act as a natural preservative. This article pertains to meat preservation in particular, but I have heard from many sources (including the owner of NYC's own Amai Tea & Bake House) that tea acts as a preservative in baked goods as well. This is great news for those seeking natural (and even organic) alternatives to conventional preservatives. As a young city-dweller who loves baking, I find this to be particularly useful, as I no longer have to pick between letting baked goods go bad, force-feeding them to my roommate, and spending days at a time at the gym. :)
Tea flavors range through floral, earthy, grassy, astringent, clean and brisk, and deep and hearty.
Modern-day applications for cooking with tea are surprisingly similar to those of the ancient Chinese, who stuffed fish with dried, pungent oolong leaves before steaming, and infused boiling water while boiling eggs.
Both tea leaves and brewed tea can be used in cooking. Dried leaves work best as a flavorful rub for fish, poultry, pork and beef. Use only loose tea leaves, not the finely crushed (and less flavorful) contents of brewing bags.
Agreed. However, I had to disagree with the next statement:
"Treat tea like you would any other ingredient. Go for quality, the best you can afford, because quality matters," (Charlie) Romano (vegan-organic chef at the Mandala Tea Room in Scottsdale) said.
To a point, this statement is true. However, beyond that point it absolutely does not apply. One should NEVER waste a delicate white tea or a decadently complex aged pu-erh (some of the most expensive teas you can buy) by adulterating it with any other ingredients (or treating it as an ingredient alongside anything but pure water). It would be absurd. Some of the best teas are meant for tea and tea alone (unless of course you want to infuse the tea multiple times and then make it into chagra for other uses).
I digress. Tea has an enormous potential as a culinary ingredient. I've previously written about making vegan green tea ice cream and posted a listing of tea recipes. In addition to health benefits and a fantastic range of flavors, tea may provide another perk: it may act as a natural preservative. This article pertains to meat preservation in particular, but I have heard from many sources (including the owner of NYC's own Amai Tea & Bake House) that tea acts as a preservative in baked goods as well. This is great news for those seeking natural (and even organic) alternatives to conventional preservatives. As a young city-dweller who loves baking, I find this to be particularly useful, as I no longer have to pick between letting baked goods go bad, force-feeding them to my roommate, and spending days at a time at the gym. :)
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Yoga Teas
Simpson and Vail just released a new line of "Yoga Teas". Each one focuses on a different chacra. Example:
The Third Eye Chakra (Ajna) is located in the center of forehead and is symbolized by the two-petal lotus flower and the color indigo. It is in this sight center that we find the home of the part of our consciousness that absorbs the knowledge of the outer world and externalizes the thoughts of our inner world. An open and balanced Third Eye Chakra will allow us to trust our intuition, help us to focus and allow us to see an unobstructed view of reality. This insightful herbal blend brews to a light golden color with a heady aroma and a light floral taste with the pronounced flavor of lavender and rosemary. Connect to this energy center through meditation or guided visualization. Suggested yoga poses and further information on this chakra are included inside the box.
It's a cool idea, but I have to wonder how long it will take before Yogi Tea's lawyers decide to skip their morning Pranayama and file suit.
The really funny part? Almost none of these products contain any actual tea. They're almost all tisanes.
The Third Eye Chakra (Ajna) is located in the center of forehead and is symbolized by the two-petal lotus flower and the color indigo. It is in this sight center that we find the home of the part of our consciousness that absorbs the knowledge of the outer world and externalizes the thoughts of our inner world. An open and balanced Third Eye Chakra will allow us to trust our intuition, help us to focus and allow us to see an unobstructed view of reality. This insightful herbal blend brews to a light golden color with a heady aroma and a light floral taste with the pronounced flavor of lavender and rosemary. Connect to this energy center through meditation or guided visualization. Suggested yoga poses and further information on this chakra are included inside the box.
It's a cool idea, but I have to wonder how long it will take before Yogi Tea's lawyers decide to skip their morning Pranayama and file suit.
The really funny part? Almost none of these products contain any actual tea. They're almost all tisanes.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
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.
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.
Monday, February 25, 2008
England Goes Foodie, Tea Prices on the Rise?
England is following and surpassing the American trend of "going foodie." Acoording to a recent article on CNN, they are getting ahead of the American trend towards for organic, fair trade, and local: the British govenrment has even asked retailers to develop "eco-labels" that indicate the environmental impact of each product. The focus is much more on sustainability than on personal health. (It seems to me that most Americans are more interested in their own health than the planet's when it comes to organic food production.) The ethical treatment of animals (still a mojor taboo in the US, despite all of PETA's well-meaning efforts) has also gained some attention in the press on both sides of the issue.
I wonder how the foodie movement in one of the world's biggest tea-drinking nations will impact the tea market. Will more plantations and gardens go organic/biodynamic? Will packaging be altered to be more sustainable and will marketing begin to reflect the (in many cases, newfound) sustainability more? As tastes change in England, will the ubiquitous teabag be replaced more and more by loose leaf tea?
As for the prices, it is already predicted that tea prices will rise in 2008 due to civil unrest in Kenya. Of course, most tea production in Kenya is CTC at present, so it may not impact the prices of loose leaf. Perhaps a price increase in CTC black tea (Kenya's main tea product and England's favorite cuppa) will actually encourage a shift to loose leaf. We shall see!
EDITED TO ADD: A new article on the UK's efforts to make grocery stores more sustainable, ethical, and healthy. Yay!
I wonder how the foodie movement in one of the world's biggest tea-drinking nations will impact the tea market. Will more plantations and gardens go organic/biodynamic? Will packaging be altered to be more sustainable and will marketing begin to reflect the (in many cases, newfound) sustainability more? As tastes change in England, will the ubiquitous teabag be replaced more and more by loose leaf tea?
As for the prices, it is already predicted that tea prices will rise in 2008 due to civil unrest in Kenya. Of course, most tea production in Kenya is CTC at present, so it may not impact the prices of loose leaf. Perhaps a price increase in CTC black tea (Kenya's main tea product and England's favorite cuppa) will actually encourage a shift to loose leaf. We shall see!
EDITED TO ADD: A new article on the UK's efforts to make grocery stores more sustainable, ethical, and healthy. Yay!
Friday, February 22, 2008
The Leaf Magazine
A new tea magazine has arrived on the scene. It focuses on Cha Do, the Chinese way of tea, and it has some fascinating articles (including one on ancient tea expert Lu Yu by the renowned James Norwood Pratt). Check it out and have a great weekend!
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Caffeine During Pregnancy
There's a lot of attention being paid right now to a new study on caffeine during pregnancy. It's bad news for tea-drinking women who want to have children: as little as 100 mg of caffeine a day can double your chance of miscarriage. However, this doesn't mean that pregnany women have to forego all tea. "Herbal teas" (not technically teas, but tisanes) like chamomile and peppermint are still safe. (Do a little research on each one before drinking it, but most of the mainstream herbals are safe.) And there are ways to significantly decrease your caffeine consumption without dropping tea like, well, a BAD habit. Here's an article I wrote a while back that may be of some use: Caffeine and Tea. I feel that it is worth noting that MANY pregnancies have been carried successfully to term with regular consumption of large amounts of caffeine (or much worse). Yes, some of the media attention is valid and, yes, some of it is probably hype. However, I am not a doctor, so please consult with your doctor for more information.
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