Zhena's Fig & Flower green tea

At my local Publix recently, I noticed some teas on the clearance table.  I saw the Zhena's tea in the little glass jar with an attached wooden spoon.  I'm usually drawn more to black teas, but I thought the Fig & Flower blend sounded interesting and the price was right ($4.50 for 2 ounces or 25 servings). 

I was happy to see that this tea is organic and fair trade. 

The green tea is blended with green apple, figs and cornflowers.  It has a lovely fragrance and appearance.

It was odd that the jar said use two teaspoons of tea in 8 ounces of boiling water.  I'd always thought that you brewed green tea at temperatures between 165-185 degrees.  I steeped it at 165 for about two and a half minutes. 

I found the tea to have a faintly fruity, subtly sweet flavor that was pleasantly soothing.  This tea has low caffeine (20mg) and will be nice to have on hand for a late afternoon cuppa, when I don't need the high caffeine in the robust black tea that I drink in the morning.

Have any of you tried one of the many flavors of Zhena's Gypsy Teas. 

Calla Lilly cake

It is taking me a long time to go through my massive book and magazine collection and decide which titles to sell and which to keep.  The problem is that something on the cover will catch my eye and then I just have to take a peek inside.  That's what happened with this Hoffman magazine from 2012 "Celebrating Cakes". 

Calla lilies have always been my favorite flower, so I found this bridal cake to be quite lovely.  Maybe I'll pass the magazine along to my younger daughter who is a talented baker.  One never knows, she might bake it for one of my birthday or anniversary celebrations. 

At this rate it could take a while to finish the sorting.   ;-)

Tiffany Taste

They dressed superbly and conversed brilliantly as they sipped tea or chocolate from flowered porcelains in the most sybaritic interiors imaginable.

This is taken from a lavish and elegant book by John Loring titled Tiffany Taste.  I love the way it is divided into events, such as Clippers and Caviar, Lunch in the Rana Palace Garden, Tiffany's Tea, etc.  It's just how I imagined the "rich and famous" lifestyle.  👌 

If you'd like a copy, try Alibris.

Afternoon Tea quote

Another novelty is the tea party, an extraordinary meal in that, being offered to persons that have already dined well, it supposes neither appetite nor thirst, and has no object but distraction, no basis but delicate enjoyment.

- Brillat-Savarin, French Epicure and Gastronome

Came across this quote in the book "Tea & Crumpets" by Margaret M. Johnson.

I have a very large collection of books in my tea library and will probably need to catalogue them all soon.  We will be going through the dreaded downsizing of our household in the next few months and sadly hundreds of books will have to go. 

If anyone has any hints or suggestions to make this process easier, I'd love to hear them.

Darjeeling Sungma Summer black tea

I recently received an order from Adagio Teas and wanted to share a little about this tea.  Darjeeling teas are grown in the foothills of the Himalayas in India at heights of up to 6000 feet.  The cool, moist climate and sloping terrain is ideal. 

Sungma Summer Darjeeling is a second flush black tea from the Sungma Estate in India.

I've heard Darjeeling referred to as "the Champagne of Teas" and this one fits the bill.  The tea has a muscatel (grape) flavor and a lovely golden liquor. 

What really pleased me is the low astringency and the smoothness of this Darjeeling.  There are brewing directions on the package and I brewed mine with water at 212 degrees for three minutes  I usually take my black tea with milk, and sometimes honey, to counteract the astringency, but this tea is very smooth and tastes lovely without the addition of milk.  This is perfect for me, since lately I've been cutting down on dairy products. 

If you would like to sample this excellent tea yourself, you can find it at Adagio Teas online here.

Next, I'll be enjoying some Masala Chai, cocoa nibs and Cloister bourbon infused honey, also available at Adagio Teas.

 

Downton Abbey ornament

I've been moving a little slower since mid December due to back trouble, so I am just now getting around to taking down our Christmas tree.  It's hard to believe that Christmas has come and gone so quickly and a new year has commenced. 

I thought I'd show you my favorite new ornament before it is packed away for another year.  My younger daughter gave it to me and I love it!

There is so much detail on the tea tray with its lovely silver teapot and two cups of tea with spoons.

The back side shows a couple of tea sandwiches (egg salad?), as well as scones with clotted cream and jam. 

This is a Kurt Adler, officially licensed Downton Abbey ornament.  The set measures 4.13 inches.  It was purchased at Amazon.

Wishing you all the best in 2017.