TeaSource Ti Kuan Yin oolongs
Retail and wholesale
Stock photos

I don’t think I could live without oolong tea. Almost every morning there’s oolong in my cup. Occasionally, for variety, I might have a white tea, but the next day I’m back to my oolongs.

A lot of people seem to like strong, “trot a mouse” tea to jump start their morning, but I prefer to ease into the day with a rich yet gentle oolong.

And not just any oolong. You’ll rarely find me sipping a dark-roasted or a “peachy” oolong. No, what I like are the greener “floral” oolongs or pouchongs. Extra credit if it’s not just floral but orchid-y.

A few years ago we visited Pennsylvania’s beautiful Longwood Gardens. As we stepped into one room of their exquisite greenhouse, I closed my eyes, inhaled the aroma, and spoke just one word: oolong! When I opened my eyes I saw that I was in their orchid room. Orchids of all kinds, enveloping the visitor in an ethereal blanket of orchid-oolong aroma. It was heavenly.

I also like unusual teas — amongst my favourites are Georgia and Nepal teas, which a lot of people have never even heard of, much less sampled. When I read on Teamail that TeaSource was offering a Ti Kuan Yin in a compressed cube shape, I wanted to give it a try.

The tea arrives four to a package, with the leaves pressed into a “cube” of about 1-1/2 by 1/2 inch. Leaves are quite large and in a variety of shades of green, ranging from a dark forest green to a light, almost silvery green.

The folks at TeaSource kindly tucked in a sample of their Ti Kuan Yin Special oolong, this one in loose leaf form. This morning I did a cup-to-cup comparison of the two.

In the package, both teas exhibited a gentle floral aroma. (I always sniff dry teas in their sacks or tins; I find that the aroma is more concentrated.) Each was prepared in a small clay pot dedicated to oolongs, and served in “modified gong-fu” style; i.e., two or more steepings of the same leaves are transferred to a serving vessel. Today these were two-cup Chatsford teapots, each snuggled into a wraparound tea cozy.

Brita-filtered water was heated to a full boil in the electric kettle, then cooled to “fish-eye” temperature for rinsing off the leaves before the first infusion. Leftover water in the kettle after the first tea was prepared was discarded, and the kettle refilled with fresh water.

Having prepared the cubed tea previously, I was familiar with the needed proportion, and broke off half of a cube and placed it into the clay pot. Following the rinse, the first infusion was about twenty seconds, and the second infusion about forty seconds long.

I placed what looked to me to be a similar amount of loose leaves into the pot — my eye was apparently pretty good because the spent leaves filled the clay pot almost exactly to the extent that the cubed leaves did.

The teas were served and sipped alternatingly in a glass handleless cup.

The cubed tea is light and floral, a highly enjoyable cup, although a more generic floral. The loose leaves, on the other hand, evolved from a light floral to a very much orchid floral, with this same “catch in your throat” quality continuing through the finish. Two very good oolongs, but in the quest for orchid, the loose leaf Special oolong wins out over the novel-tea of the cube.

One last tasting note: It was obvious that both teas were capable of producing at least two more infusions beyond my experiment. Two infusions from each tea were decanted to a larger four-cup Chatsford pot. The blend of these two teas is, happily, dominated by the orchid factor in the Special. It is a wonderfully smooth blend, so good that I may have to order more of each to recreate it.

The cubes are interesting for anyone who likes to try something new and different in their teacup, and it really is a very good floral oolong. For those who prefer the full orchid quality in their oolong, the Special is the one you’ll want.

TeaSource recently updated their packaging. The new sacks are black with a beautiful image of a variety of tea leaves, and there’s a clear strip on the back so you can see what’s inside without introducing a lot of light into the tea. I think you’ll like these new packages as much as I do!

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I’m really excited about finding this new (to me) online tea shop. Art of Tea has one of the widest selections of teas anywhere — including a lot of teas I haven’t seen elsewhere.

Whenever I visit a new tea shop — online or in person — the first thing I look at is their oolongs. For me, if a tea merchant gets the oolongs right, everything else is usually pretty good too. Right away, Art of Tea’s 99% Oxidized Purple Oolong caught my eye. Sourced from Sumatra, this is a tea that I can’t recall ever seeing before. The price is a little “steep” (sorry for the bad pun) but $22 for four ounces/~100g is not unreasonable for a good oolong. Especially when you consider that oolongs can (and should) be steeped multiple times, with the best oolongs still producing an enjoyable and interesting cup after six or more infusions. But if this one doesn’t suit your fancy, they have more than a dozen other oolongs on offer, at various price points.

My second look always goes to a tea merchant’s teapot selections. If all I find are the “same old/same old” uninspired stuff you see everywhere — or (heaven forbid!) those dreadful cheap plastic gravitational brewers — then I’m outta there. Art of Tea offers a variety of teapots with built-in infusers, from Bodums and Finums and stacked tea-for-one sets, to the unique contemporary Eva Solo. Tetsubin and glassware, too. They’ve even got a set of purple clay kyusu and cups from Japan; at $45 for the full set, it’s a bargain even for those who (unlike me) don’t mind buying China tea or tea ware.

And did I mention the tea accessories? Whether you’re looking for a tea timer, a professional tasting set, travel tea sets and tea makers, iced tea pitchers, storage tins, complete matcha set … the list goes, and they’ve got it.

Of course there are plenty of black, white, green, and pu-erh teas; blooming teas and specialty blended teas; and a selection of tisanes. Plus a decent assortment of pyramid teabags — nice to carry with you when traveling, especially if you aren’t sure of the tea situation at your destination. They’ve got the whole eco/fair trade thing going on, along with organically-grown kosher teas. Shipping is a flat $6.97 up to $75, and then it’s free. Oh, and don’t miss the comprehensive Learn About Tea section by Master Tea Blender Steve Schwartz, a specialist in handcrafted teas.

Now the best news: Through October 31, 2009, TeaGuide readers get 15% off your Art of Tea order of $50 or more. Just CLICK HERE for the link to your discount. It’s not too early to start thinking about Christmas gifts, or you can “gift” yourself right now!

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* Add a sprig or two of your favourite herb to the tea as it’s infusing. (See previous post Ramblin’ about iced tea for cold-infusion method.) I like melissa/lemon balm, any type of mint especially pennyroyal, or rosemary. Roll the sprig gently between your fingers to crush the leaves and release the oil, then toss into the steeping container. Remove before serving, when you remove the tea.

* Stir in some cocoa powder and a touch of sweetener for a lovely and relatively low-calorie treat.

* Use lime juice rather than the usual lemon juice. Cut a lime into quarters, squeeze in a little of the juice, then drop it into the steeping container. If you’re feeling flush, pick up a couple of key limes and give them a try.

* Adding natural flavourings just before serving produces a tasty, refreshing, and also low-calorie beverage. Almond, rose, banana — whatever you like. Usually you won’t need sweetener, but add it if you prefer. Be cautious about how much you add, as these flavourings tend to be rather potent. Three or four drops in a quart should be enough. Find natural flavourings in the supermarket or natural foods stores. If you’re having the gang over and they can’t agree on flavours, serve the iced tea plain and put out two or three small bottles of flavourings so they can choose their favourites. No more than a drop into a tall glass, please!

* Get creative with ice. Freeze in advance cubes of any or all of these: lemonade, individual or mixed fruit juices, pureed fruits (berries work well), or another type of prepared tea that blends well with the one you’re serving. As the ice cubes melt, your iced tea will transform very pleasantly right in the glass.

For more iced tea suggestions, see Cooking with Tea and Tea Time Treats.

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Now that we’re in the “dog days” of August — so named for the ascending dog star, Sirius — everyone is asking the same important questions:

What’s the best way to make good iced tea?

And what tea/s make the best iced tea?

Well, it depends on who you ask.

Now if you ask me, I’ll tell you that the cold infusion method (also known as “refrigerator iced tea”) produces the tastiest and clearest iced tea you’ve ever tasted. Not to mention that it’s so-o-o-o easy to fix, you don’t have to worry about bacterial contamination (as you might when drinking “sun tea”), and as an added bonus it’s almost impossible for cold-infused tea to get bitter from over-steeping.

All you need are tea, disposable filters if you’re using loose leaf tea, a covered pitcher or large jar, and cold water. No need to boil the water — remember that I told you this was simple! It’s even safe enough for kids to fix.

Here’s what you do: Put the tea into the pitcher or jar, fill with cold water, cover securely, and place into the refrigerator. (I personally favour using an empty “Simply Grapefruit” juice bottle — the wide mouth allows easy addition and removal of tea, and its convenient size fits on the ‘fridge door.) Let it steep for at least two (2) hours, or put it together in the late evening and let it steep overnight. When you’re ready to serve, remove and discard the tea (bags or filters), and pour into a glass in your favourite style: “as is,” over ice, with frozen strawberry “ice cubes,” mixed with lemonade, mixed with pineapple juice, accented with lemon and/or sweetener, or with a drop or two of pure vanilla … The possibilities are endless, limited only by your own taste buds.

As far as which tea you should use for iced tea, a lot of people will tell you to “just ice whichever teas you drink hot.” The idea being, of course, that if you like the taste of a particular tea hot, logically you’ll love it just as much when it’s icy cold.

Well, I’m here to tell you: It ain’t necessarily so. Some teas are good no matter what temperature they are when you drink them, but a lot of teas simply are not switch-hitters.

There are plenty of teas that I’m just crazy about when they’re served hot, but cannot abide when they’re cold. Case in point: smoky teas. The (tea) world is divided into those who hate smoky teas, and those who love a hot cup of Lapsang Souchong or Russian Caravan, especially on a damp, chilly afternoon. Happily, I’m in the latter group. So, following the “conventional wisdom” of iced tea preferences, I have on a couple of occasions tried an iced smoky tea. Never — I say never — again! “Yuck” would be the kindest description I could come up with to describe this swill. And yet, there I am at tea tastings, happily finishing off the almost-full pot of hot Lapsang Souchong while all around me are desperately trying to get rid of the “swill” in their cups.

Several other very enjoyable hot teas just do not make it in iced teadom. Gen mai cha, a lovely gentle green tea mixed with roasted rice, is awful when chilled. Most white teas, when iced, simply leave me cold. As big a fan as I am of Darjeeling and oolong teas, frankly a lot of them can’t handle the transition from hot to cold. Matcha and gyokuro teas, two very strongly flavoured Japanese green teas, are wonderful hot but almost gag-inducing when cold. And let’s not even get started on pu-erh …

And then there are the teas I enjoy iced that I would never (or hardly ever) drink hot. Unless I were absolutely desperate, I’d never put a teabag of Wissotsky or Canadian Red Rose black tea into a teapot or cup and drink it hot, and yet these are my two favourite iced teas. Both have a clear, strong, “tea-y” flavour, and are great alone or for mixing with juices. I’m not real big on flavoured teas when they’re served hot, but chill ‘em and pour ‘em over ice and they are tasty and refreshing. There are also a few green teas that I find too grassy when they’re served hot, but when cold infused they develop a surprising springtime sweetness.

So how exactly do you choose which tea/s to drink iced? The same way you choose your hot tea favourites: drink a lot of different kinds, then winnow out the ones you don’t care for and stick with the ones you do like. Remember that it’s tea, not rocket science. You identify teas that appeal to your taste by sampling a variety. Whichever one/s you prefer become your own personal “best iced teas.”

Yes, you’ve got to go with your own taste on this, but I will recommend one tea blend that I like both hot and cold as a jumping-off point. Start with either a neutral or “nectar/honey” type of Assam; it’s not as successful with “malty” Assams. (Orangajuli comes to mind, but there are plenty of others.) Then add a sprig or two of fresh dried linden leaves and flowers to the infusion. Linden is also called lime blossom; in French it’s tilleul, and in Romanian it’s tei.) I’ve been drinking this combination for some weeks now, ever since I bought and dried a kilo of fresh tei in Bucuresti. Everyone I’ve served this blend to so far — both in Romania and USA, where I managed to bring home about a half-pound of dried herb — has enjoyed the combination, both hot and iced. Linden has a lovely fragrance and a natural sweetness that complement a “basic black” tea like Assam.

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I’ve had this tea since the spring and generally steep it as a black tea, albeit on the “light” end of black, similar to a first flush Darjeeling (slightly cooled boiled water, steep about 3 minutes). It’s an enjoyable, flavoury cup, with a hint of the subtle smokiness that I so enjoy in Georgia teas.

Normally my morning cup is oolong, but as stock has been running low awaiting a certain holiday when I expect to find one or more teas under the Chanukiah, I decided to do my daily gong-fu with this tea instead, recalling several comments in Teamail discussions about multi-steeping of black teas.

The aroma of the dry leaf is outstanding — a floral/fruity combination with barely a whiff of smoke. Someone asked recently about whether aroma is always translated into the cup. In my experience the answer is “not necessarily.” But in this cup it most certainly does reflect the aroma.

Quite nice, not a hint of the bitterness I’ve gotten when I’ve tried this technique with other types of black teas. Actually, UK-based Nothing But Tea (retail and wholesale) lists the tea in their white tea category, but I’ve never before had luck treating it as anything but a black tea. Clearly my white-tea style steeping times have been too lengthy for this airy, twisty leaf.

A light floral – fruity – smoky cup. Just perfect this morning with a plate of fresh toast and buttery spread. And a kitty snoring merrily under my chair.

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It’s that time of year again for heavy-duty gift shopping. Just about everyone has a lengthy Christmas or Chanukah gift list of family, friends, teachers, co-workers, and maybe a “secret Santa” or two. If you’ve been invited to parties, dinners, teas, or (lucky you!) a weekend visit, you’ll need to bring something for the host and hostess. And there are, of course, plenty of birthdays and anniversaries during this season as well.

If your recipient is a tea lover, you’re in luck because there are soooo many beautiful tea gifts to choose from. You could take the simple — but always much appreciated — route and choose a tea or two, a pretty teapot, an unusual teacup and saucer. These can be purchased in many places, both online and at brick-and-mortar shops. (Antique shops and eBay are terrific sources for some truly unique buys, and if you need referrals to good tea and teapot vendors just drop us a line and we’ll send you our recommendations.)

Prefer something a little different? Here’s are our top picks of gifts for tea lovers, ranging from charming little stocking stuffers to the sky’s the limit!

For the tea-loving bookworm, And Then It Was Teatime is an exhaustive compendium of descriptive teas plucked from some of the world’s greatest literature. It’s the kind of book you browse while sipping a good cuppa. Tea connoisseurs in-the-making will appreciate Mike Harney’s new The Harney & Sons Guide to Tea. And for the cook looking for tea recipes, choose from any (or all!) of five tea room cookbooks from An Afternoon to Remember Tea Room.

Sign ‘em up for a subscription to a tea magazine or newsletter, and they’ll think of you every time a new issue arrives. Our faves: Newsletters Tea and Roses Quarterly and The Tea House Times; The Tea Room News, a journal geared to tea business owners and those aspiring to a tea business; and the mass-media Southern Lady Tea Time, which is just simply delicious. Each of these publications offers a different perspective on the art and enjoyment of tea, and as far as we’re concerned they’re all must-reads.

How about a tea-shirt for a tea-loving clotheshorse? There’s a wide selection of designs at Hot Teas Gift Shop, along with an array of aprons, earth-friendly cloth shopping bags, and lots of other tea-ish goodies and gear for every member of the family. For something completely different, find truly unique, one-of-a-kind tea-dyed tea shirts, embroidered blouses, scarves, and lace pillow covers at TeaDyedTees, where they give new meaning to the adage that “tea is good for your body.” Don’t miss the beautiful gifts from this brand new shop where they’ve updated and perfected the centuries-old art of tea dyeing for today’s discriminating tea lover.

Every tea drinker needs at least one good tea cozy. Thistledown Cozies really do “keep your tea warm for hours.” They have nifty little wallets for carrying tea, filters, and sweetener too — the perfect stocking stuffer for a tea-loving traveler.

Tea “foodies” will thank you for a package or two of scrumptious Victorian House Scones, especially if they’re arranged in a festive gift basket with a jar of Marmalady’s wonderful tea jams and jellies. Add a beribboned box of Sugars by Sharon in seasonal shapes and colours, then tuck in a charming tea wheel from Linen and Tea for an elegant and thoughtful gift of tea time cheer.

More gift possibiliteas: Exquisite mosaic tea trivets and glass teapot suncatchers at Tea-and-Roses; beautiful teacup design stationery from Kimberly Shaw Graphics; tea Christmas cards and tea party invitations suitable for women, men, and children, plus the 2009 “It’s 4 O’Clock Somewhere” tea time calendar from Hot Teas; Teago, a fun Bingo-like game for tea lovers and friends.

For the jewelry lovers on your list, there’s sterling silver teapot jewelry from Dee Sharp Designs, or bead- and crystal-based tiny teapot jewelry from Shiny Stuff.

When money is no object, tea travel is the answer! Take your sweet-tea on a tea tour of Sri Lanka, India, or China. A little closer to home, there’s the First Flush Festival at the Charleston (South Carolina) Tea Plantation and the Victoria Tea Festival in British Columbia, two beautiful tourist destinations. Plan a week-long trip and see the other local attractions. Or maybe you’d rather take an oolong-la-la tour of tea rooms in Paris?

The holidays are coming up quickly, so visit these websites or your local shop today before all the tea goodies are gone.

Wishing you and yours a Joyous Christmas, a Chappy Chanukah, and a healthy, successful, tea-filled 2009! ~ The folks at TeaGuide.net

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There’s a lot to be said for the speed and convenience of electronic contact: telephone or cell phone calls, texting, email, instant messaging, and all the other bits ‘n’ bytes methods that once were considered high-tech but are now part of our daily agenda. We’ve grown accustomed to sending our words and pictures through wires or airwaves. We rely on the comforting, near-instantaneous contact we can have with family and friends. Needless to say, we’re not likely to give it all up.

And yet …

I have never met anyone who doesn’t look forward to the daily arrival of their mail carrier, nor anyone who doesn’t hope that, along with the bills and catalogues, there will be an actual piece of mail for us — that someone took the time to write a card or letter, seal it up, put a stamp on it, and send it our way.

So what does this have to do with tea?

For many a “tea person,” one of the great joys of a good cuppa is that it is a respite from the speed-of-light craziness that can be our everyday reality. We depend on tea to provide us with the purpose, and the process, to step back, to slow down and smell the tea leaves.

Preparing a proper cup of tea requires us to pay attention to, and follow, a specific protocol: rinse out the teapot with warm water to “hot” it, select a tea that suits the mood or the moment, choose a complementary teacup, carefully pour hot water over the leaves, steep for just the right amount of time, find a comfy spot to curl up by ourselves or with friends (or with a kitty cat or two). Even cleaning up and putting everything away when tea time is over requires one’s full and considered attention. I’ve heard many times that “tea is about slowing down,” and indeed a good cup of tea cannot be rushed, neither in preparation nor enjoyment. Savouring good tea is the polar opposite of grabbing a bottle of soda and downing it as quickly as possible — and it’s far more pleasurable.

Similarly, sending or receiving a handwritten letter or note is the farthest thing from instant electronic contact, because it also invites us take a few moments for ourselves and our own personal enjoyment.

The friend or family member who receives a charming letter or card can — must! — take a few minutes to open it, read it, and think about the words and the person who wrote them. Maybe while sipping a good cup of tea. And probably re-read it several times, then tuck it into a drawer or a special box to be retrieved and savoured yet again in future days, months, or years.

As the sender of such a memento, we need to think carefully about what we’re going to write, because there’s no “delete” key for this function. Then there’s the choice of pen, ink colour, and of paramount importance: the stationery itself, choosing the paper or note card that expresses our taste while at the same time gladdening the heart the recipient.

The very act of writing requires us to slow down, to become absorbed in our actions of the moment, to retrieve fond memories of a dear friend or loved one. In these electronic times, sending a handwritten card or letter is perhaps one of the most thoughtful expressions possible for leting another person know that we care.

It’s a habit I don’t want to give up, and I’m certain that’s true for a good many people. Fortunately for us, there is an unlimited variety of note cards and note paper available for every muse, including beautiful tea-themed designs. I hope these will inspire you — even if you haven’t sent a handwritten note in a while — to brighten the day of someone dear to you in this very thoughtful manner.

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Kimberly Shaw Graphics
Retail and wholesale
Image courtesy of Kimberly Shaw Graphics

Let’s be honest: tea note cards are mostly a “girl” thing. But even the toughest women like pretty things — and Kimberly Shaw’s Tea Cup Cards are about the prettiest you’re going to find.

Each note card is printed from an original watercolour, in an extensive array of colourful designs ranging from simply sweet to superbly elegant. You’re sure to find a card to please whoever you have in mind as recipient — even your Red Hatted auntie.

The extra charm, and the uniqueness, of these cards is the clever little slot in each one that holds a wrapped teabag, inviting your dear one to “share” a cup of tea with you. The top of the wrapper, in a colour coordinated to the design, peeks out to display the type of tea or infusion you’ve chosen to share. The teabags are sourced from Harney & Sons and Harrisons & Crossfield, two top-of-the-line tea suppliers.

Your words and Kimberly’s pictures: Who wouldn’t be delighted to receive (or send!) one of these? (I do hope she doesn’t mind my use of her first name, but with products this warm and friendly it feels rather stilted to refer to “Ms. Shaw.”)

Most of the note card designs are also available as greeting cards for birthdays, thank yous, holidays, and invitations. You’ll also find notepads (teabag included), a clever perpetual calendar, and sheets of tea time stickers. If you’re like me, the sticker carousel is the first place you head for in any stationery store, searching — often in vain — for anything “tea-ish.”

Additional items in the collection are teacup night lights, a variety of accessories for tea service — including several teacups that appear to have inspired the designs — and a small selection of the teas used in the cards. Order online, for yourself or for gifts, at Kimberly Shaw Graphics. Resellers can click the Wholesale link at the bottom of any page for details.

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Hot Teas Gift Shop
Retail and wholesale
Image courtesy of Ceai Frumoasa, LLC

Here’s a somewhat different approach to tea-themed stationery. Girly designs? Yes. But also plenty of images that the most manly of tea drinkers can send without any loss of macho.

Photographic and oil pastel images, from tea plants and tea-tasting accoutrements to fancy tea sets and vintage tea party art, adorn this extensive collection of note cards, invitations for both adults’ and children’s tea parties, and even a few seasonal greeting cards mixed in.

If you’d like to send a note or a card to a tea drinker who doesn’t use teabags, it’s a good bet you’ll find a design to please both you and your recipient at Hot Teas Gift Shop — perhaps the tea flower shown above, or the popular (and “girlier”) Cup of Life design.

Additional tea-themed items are available, including tea shirts, aprons, calendars, and a variety of other products. Wholesale information available by email.

Wouldn’t this be a good time to start thinking about who would be delighted to receive a beautiful handwritten note from you? It just might be the most treasured gift you give this holiday season.

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ATR Publishing
Retail and wholesale
Book cover photo courtesy of An Afternoon to Remember; additional stock photo

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Do you like to serve tea at home to friends and family? Are you always looking for delicious new dishes to serve at tea time? If so, this series of tea room cookbooks may be just your cup of tea.

The recipes in these books, developed and collected by Amy Lawrence, owner of An Afternoon to Remember Tea Parlor in Newcastle, California, encompass the wide range of dishes she serves to her own tea room customers. In these pages you’ll find elegant savouries, diet-busting desserts, plenty (and I mean plenty) of creative scones, and a variety of other recipes.

Full disclosure: I am not only a vegetarian but a vegan, following a diet that includes absolutely no products of animal derivation. Because most tea rooms cannot accommodate these dietary requirements, I’ve had to develop my own tea time recipe collection.

But I do love to read cookbooks, especially when they have to do with tea, because invariably I find recipes that either suit my dietary requirements or can be made suitable with minimal substitutions. And so it is with these charming tea room cookbooks. After browsing through I discovered several appealing recipes, and have given a few of them a try — with excellent results.

Laura’s Best of Show Cookies, with buttery spread in place of butter, are just delicious. The combination of walnuts and jam just melts in your mouth, and they paired beautifully with a pot of Balasun Second Flush Darjeeling. I fixed the Balsamic Barbecue Sauce with an anchovy-free Worcestershire sauce, and it brought rave reviews. Formosa Gunpowder green tea nicely complemented the Nutty/Fruity Mandarin Wild Rice Salad, perfect as written.

I’m still working my way through the recipes in these books, and look forward to trying the Spicy Pecans, Blackberry Pie (if I can get to our bushes before the birds next year!), Garden Vegetable Tea Sandwiches, and the Rum Balls, among others.

Along with the recipes are serving tips and general instructions for making a good pot of tea. (As I have cautioned in previous reviews, ignore the “instant decaffeination process,” especially if caffeine is really a problem for you, because it doesn’t work.) Beginners to more experienced cooks and bakers will find inspiration in each and every volume of the series.

Although I much prefer cookbooks bound in a format that allows them to lie flat rather than fighting with a perfect-bound book, this is a small quibble when the content is this easy to read and the instructions so easy to follow.

Best of all, opposite each recipe page is a blank page for notes. Why isn’t every cookbook formatted this way? All of my cookbooks and recipe cards are marked up in the margins with almost illegible suggestions for variations, notations about reducing the quantity of sugar, or calculations for increasing or decreasing the number of servings and ingredients.

I tend to approach recipes as “jumping off points:” that is, you try it the first time as written, then the next time you tweak it to suit your own taste (or to use up what’s in your pantry). A recipe that calls for summertime peaches, for example, might be just as tasty when prepared with pears in the fall. Clearly Ms. Lawrence has “been there, done that,” and has devised a format that invites readers to be creative with her recipes. Brava!

Books are paperback and printed in the USA (as all books written and published in the USA should be) and are available from An Afternoon to Remember/ATR Publishing. So far there are five volumes. Each volume is sold separately; unfortunately not available as a collection. The shop also carries their own brand of teas, plus an array of accessories for your tea table. Resellers can click on the wholesale link and set up an account.

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Sugars by Sharon
Wholesale only (List of retailers available at website)
Photos courtesy of Sugars by Sharon

Let me admit straight away that I generally do not sweeten my tea. Frankly speaking, I think it should be a felony to add anything — milk, lemon, or sweeteners — to good teas.

Like most people, I make the occasional exception to my own rule.

Some teas simply are better with additions. Strong breakfast-type blends, for example, especially those based on CTC-processed teas, almost beg for milk and/or sugar. Candy-flavoured teas — chocolate, vanilla, truffle, coconut, that type of tea — serve as wonderful low-fat desserts when enhanced with a touch of sweetener. And sometimes I just want a taste of lemon or sweetness in my iced tea.

But I’m very discriminating about the types of additions I permit in my teas. I never use dairy products, and soy milk tends to curdle in hot liquids. So if I want to “lighten” my tea I add a bit of rice milk or almond milk, or for extra richness I’ll use a soy creamer, which is specifically formulated for use in hot drinks. Lemon juice (and maybe a few drops of whiskey) works wonders to perk you up when you have a cold. And I often mix iced tea with lemonade, pineapple juice, or occasionally with chocolate soy milk. Yum!

When it comes to sweeteners, I’m really picky. Regular granulated sugars and sugar cubes are fine for hot teas, but they don’t dissolve and blend properly in iced teas. Simple syrup works great in iced tea, but who’s organized enough to cook up a batch every few days? Other syrups or honey blend into hot tea, but can introduce odd flavours. And they don’t work very well in iced teas either. (And what’s the deal with those fancy decorated sugar cubes? What the heck is in that stuff, and why would I want it in my teacup?)

Sugars by Sharon - bulk

So what’s a tea lover with a sweet tooth to do? Sugars by Sharon has the sweet answer.

Charming little hand-moulded sugars are formed into dozens of shapes and colours, from teacups to flowers, wedding bells to baby buggies, Easter bunnies to Christmas holly. And they’re available in a rainbow of colours — pastels, brights, and wedding off-whites.

Each sugar equals approximately one teaspoonful. If you like a tad more sweetener per cup, most of the shapes lend themselves to be broken in half. (One-and-a-half was just the right amount for mugs and tall glasses.)

And not only do the sugars dissolve rapidly in hot tea, but they’re equally perfect for cold drinks. I let a couple of butterfly sugars flutter to the bottom of my tall glass of iced Wissotsky tea, and within about a minute they had completely dissolved. A couple of back-and-forth stirs with iced tea spoon or straw and the butterflies disappeared completely into my tea. And stayed there: no “sugar sludge” at the bottom of the glass.

Sharon (yes, there is most certainly a real Sharon!) uses superfine sugar and blends her own colours. There are no added flavours, so your tea’s taste is enhanced, not altered.

A lot of reviewers for TeaGuide make a point of noting their unhappiness when a tea room serves loose sugar from a bowl or — horror of horrors! — in sugar packets, rather than proper sugar cubes. I’m betting that a pretty butterfly, rose, or seashell sugar will be most welcomed by these discriminating sippers. And they’re certainly pretty enough to add an elegant touch to your tea table.

Sugars by Sharon - retail package

The sugars are available in bulk for tea service, as well as in a variety of packages for resale — including specially-labeled packages suitable for wedding or shower favours.

Tea room/tea shop owners can buy wholesale direct from the Sugars by Sharon website, while consumers will find at the website a comprehensive listing of online and walk-in shops for retail purchase.

Sugar in the morning, sugar in the evening, sugar at supper time … and now Sugars by Sharon. Sweet!

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First Flush Darjeeling Singell DJ-2
Retail

No, I’m not being redundant: this is another tea sourced from the tea company Camellia Sinensis of Montreal/Quebec .

A wonderful aroma of sweet chocolate in the dry leaf — it really just surrounds you when you open the sack for the first time.

Infused, more or less as suggested by Camellia Sinensis, in a four-cup For Life Curve teapot (red, to be exact , with about four rounded teaspoons of leaf and water brought to a full boil then lowered to just bubbly. Steeped for just nearly five minutes — it would have been somewhat less but for the UPS driver ringing the bell. (Knowing that he was bringing my recent order from In Pursuit of Tea, what can I say but that the delivery was the momentary priority!)

The extra minute or so beyond what is recommended by Camellia Sinensis doesn’t seem to have harmed the tea. No bitterness, slightly puckery, smooth with a fruity/floral aroma that seems to be reaching my “sniffer” from my throat rather than through my nose. An interesting sensation to say the least.

The aroma from the cup is almost like chocolate-covered flowers. Not a strong aroma, just a gentle hint of this combination. And I like it!

The infused leaf very much resembles a white Ceylon Silver Tip surrounded by a bit of greenery. Interesting.

Camellia Sinensis’ description mentions the “traditional” Darjeeling muscatel flavour, but either I’m missing it or it was the casualty of the extra minute of steeping. Will have to experiment with this.

This is a Fair Trade and organic tea, although it was the description, not these factors, that influenced the purchase of this tea. You can read the full one-paragraph description of the Singell garden and this particular tea here. Quite an interesting story about the garden. A French-language version is also available si vous voulez.

Having now sampled four 2008 FF Darjeelings from different gardens, the common thread I’m seeing is a gentle “drinkability” rather than the intense cosmic experience we’ve had in some previous years (or the so-so quality in other years). Tea newbies, if you’ve been thinking about sampling First Flush Darjeelings but are concerned that you haven’t quite developed a sophisticated enough palate (as one newbie put it to me), this is the year to give them a try. Very “user-friendly” this year.

Camellia Sinensis offers a series of tea-tastings and workshops, so if you are in the Montreal or Quebec area, don’t miss out.

I’m quite delighted with this unusual — and unusually pleasant — tea!

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