Teavivre (Tea for Life)

It is a great mail day when I find that a box of Teavivre tea has arrived from China.

I’ve reviewed tea from this company before with blog posts in December 2011 and January 2013.  They have such great packaging with stylish silver foil resealable bags that protect the tea from light and moisture.

I now have lots of new teas to sample.  Since I’ve been feeling a little under the weather and Pu-erh tea is known for excellent health benefits, I thought I’d start with Fengqing Wild Tree Yesheng Raw Pu-erh Tea Cake 2013.  The fresh spring leaves of this tea are harvested between March to May.  One third of the leaves are tea buds.  My sample was loose, but if you wanted to buy a brick of Pu-erh, Teavivre has a terrific video on how to loosen some tea leaves from the brick. There is even a special tool you can use. 

This company has so much great information available on their website, not to mention all the beautiful photos and videos.  This video showing Pu-erh brick preparation is very interesting.

My sample of raw Pu-erh made a very enjoyable cup of tea.  Not too earthy and with a lovely sweet aftertaste.

I’ll be tasting Tribute Pu-erh, Ripened Pu-erh 2005 (Pu-erhs are aged like fine wine), Yunnan Dian Hong, Fengqing Dragon Pearl and Keemun Hao Ya over the next couple of weeks.

Meanwhile, if you would like to buy some excellent tea and learn more about all the wonderful types of tea, how they are processed, where they are grown, cooking with tea, brewing tea and even a “tea working song”, be sure to visit Teavivre website.

Hello Kitty

Publix is a great store for grocery shopping (love those buy one get one free items) and sometimes I find an unexpected gift item like this Hello Kitty placemat.

My eldest granddaughter loves tea parties with Nana and anything with kitties.  I can’t wait till her next visit when she spots this cute placemat at her place at the table.

I thought the teacup, cupcake and teapot (although more of a coffee pot shape) were adorable.  The item is also on sale this week – perfect.  ☺

Zak Designs  products have been featured in Rachel Ray magazine.  Their website has lots of colorful and practical items for adults and kids.

TeaPops

The weather is starting to heat up where I live in Georgia.  It will be in the low 70’s today – iced tea and frozen treat weather is on the way – I hope. 

Today I came across a website for DeeBee's TeaPops, a frozen treat made with tea.

Dr. Dionne Laslo-Baker came up with these when she couldn’t find “low sugar, nut free, organic, non-GMO, gluten free, kosher and vegan” frozen treats for her children.  (Isn’t it great when you find a tasty product that is good for you.) 

So far, the company has five flavors including Berries & Cherries (with white tea), Tropical Mango (rooibos), Minty Mint (rooibos), Toasted Coconut (rooibos) and Southern Iced Tea (black tea sweetened with honey). 

I’d love to try the Southern Iced Tea pop and at only 35 calories a bar, I could enjoy it and still stay on track with my weight loss plan.  ☺

The bad news is that these TeaPops are not available in my area yet.  The company is located in Canada, but they have plans to bring the product to the US market, hopefully soon.

Have any of you tried them?  I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Happy Valentine’s Day

This crazy, icy Georgia weather is on it’s way out and the temperature should reach the mid fifties on Friday.

Do you have plans to enjoy a cup of Valentine’s tea with someone special?

I’ve been seeing lots of great recipes on Pinterest for special dinners and especially decadent desserts. Hubby would be perfectly happy with a simple grilled steak, baked potato and salad, although I’m sure he wouldn’t say no to a heart shaped chocolate cake or red velvet cheesecake for dessert.

 

I’ve been enjoying Harney & Sons “Valentine’s Blend” tea for the last week – delicious!  How about you – what’s your favorite blend for Valentine’s Day?

All you need is love.  But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.

- Charles M. Schultz

Happy Valentine’s Day

 

Matcha Day

The Nishio Tea Trade Association named today Matcha Day in honor of the 120th Anniversary of the founding of Nishio Tea.

You can find the website for Nishio Japanese Green Tea here.

I’ve been wanting to try using Matcha powder in recipes, especially to make a green tea latte or maybe some cookies.

How about you – what’s your favorite Matcha recipe?

 

The House of Tudor Tea

What to do when Georgia weather goes bad – stay warm and cozy inside and drink tea, of course.

One of my gifts at Christmas was a Keurig machine.  My husband is the coffee drinker of the family, but I thought I’d try brewing some K-cups of tea.  I tried the Bigelow Earl Grey, Tetley Green Tea and Chai Latte. Not bad and quite convenient for one quick cuppa. 

Then I wondered about using my own loose tea in the machine and so I purchased a Brew & Save Cup and some Simple Cups Filters.  While shopping at TJ Maxx recently, I found a tin of The House of Tudor green tea.  I had never heard of this company before – amazing how many tea companies are out there. 

This tea, packed in Sri Lanka, comes in a pretty tin and contains 250 grams of loose tea.  As you loose tea drinkers know, that is a generous amount of tea and seemed like a bargain at $5.99.

Turns out that this works great in the Keurig and to brew a quick cup of healthy green tea.  The company website claims that it is processed to retain the maximum amount of polyphenols and antioxidants.  Although, I’m not sure if you get all the health benefits when the tea is not prepared the traditional way (steeped in a pot).   

I wonder how many of you tea enthusiasts would prepare tea in a Keurig machine.  Would you?

Vintage Tea Party

Vintage Tea Party by Carolyn Caldicott was one of the “tea” gifts I received at Christmas.  This book contains lots of information on the history of tea, teatime food and drinks and tea parties.

The gorgeous photos alone are enough to tempt any tea enthusiast to add a copy to their library.  There are wonderful shots of teatime foods, tea ware, beautiful English gardens, quaint thatched roof cottages and seaside villages.

There are hints on where to find the vintage look and how to cheat in style for the non baker or time challenged cook.

This book covers lots of interesting subjects like the history of the tearoom, choosing tea, brewing tea, the history of the sandwich, and much more.

 

Included are more than a few recipes that I’d like to try.  Raspberry Millefeuilles, Potted Salmon, and Butterfly Cakes with Vanilla Cream for a start.

I’m so happy that my daughter gifted me with this new addition to my “tea” library.