Tea Ware!!!

Okay, so today I am going to cover tea ware a bit, because you can't do much without it! Before we begin, I want to mention the amount of tea to use. The recommended amount to use is 1 tablespoon per 8 ounces (1 cup) of water. Like most thing with tea, it is approachable. If you want it to taste stronger add more tea, for weaker add less. Okay, now let's get to it then!!

This pot right here is one of my favorite things I have. Tea isn't just about the taste and aroma, another big aspect is the aesthetics. One of the most fulfilling things about tea for me is watching it change color as it steeps. Many teas like Pu-erhs (aged tea from Yunnan China) start off at a light reddish brown color, but with a longer steep turn to a very dark coffee like color. A tea that contains matcha powder in it will turn into a Very Bright green color reminiscent of green Kool-aid. Located beside the pot is the infuser that was packaged with it, a nice bonus considering many basket style infusers can be expensive. Additionally one of my favorite things about this pot is the size. The pot is just above 2 cups, which is perfect when I am drinking by myself or with one person. I came across this at World Market for only 5 dollars. My only complaint is that it is rather fragile.

Ah, the memories! This was my first pot! Sadly, the lid was broken just last week... But no problem! Anyways, This pot is a lot more traditional, nothing really of note with it. I do like this one for the size, this is the pot I use when I have more than two people. This pot holds about 4 cups. One thing i didn't like about this pot, is the ceramic infuser in the picture. Let me just say that it is AWFUL. Many pots come with the ceramic infuser. The main problem with it is that the holes are too big so a lot of leaves come through, which kills pretty much the last cup or two. But I fixed that problem!

I bought this infuser a couple weeks ago, it is much better than the other. This one has very small holes, so the only leaves that get through are ones that are supposed to. The main thing that makes infusing baskets one of the best kind of infusers, is that they really allow the leaves to open up. This not only makes the tea taste much better, it also makes the aroma much better. Baskets like this can run anything from 10-20 bucks, they should all be about the same quality.

Okay, Here is the warning portion of this entry. Tea Balls are NOT the answer. Tea Balls restrict the leaves from opening up, which is not something you want. Honestly, it is just better to put a basket in your cup.

Well, thats it for this time. There will be more ware posts in the future, as I still have a couple things to cover. Next time I am going to post about Pu-erh teas and more specifically Teavanas' Strawberry Pu-erh. Until next time, have a Tea-riffic day!

Masala Chai!!

Hey everybody! Todays post is about Masala Chai! Masala Chai almost literally means "Tea Spice" because it is the regular Camellia sinensis tea leaf mixed with assortments of spices and herbs. It is an Indian style of tea that is traditionally mixed with milk, although it is common to drink Chai without milk. There are many different blends of chai, but Masala is one of the most popular and widely distributed. I typically make my Masala with milk, and below you will find the recipe to prepare the tea and a couple pictures.

Here is what you'll need. Naturally, you will need a teapot and some kind of strainer or infuser and a burner to heat up the tea. Also, this is entirely an approachable thing. If you want sweeter add more sugar, if you want it stronger then add more tea. This is the way I do it so it is sweet but still have the natural flavor of the tea.

2 tablespoons of Masala Chai

2 tablespoons of Sugar

2 cups of water

2 cups of whole milk

1 deep pot

Okay, before we begin I want to be clear about something. I understand that some people don't like whole milk or have trouble drinking it for various reasons. As far as making this type of tea goes, it is very important to use whole milk because the tea and spices meld with the fats of the milk and make it much better. Of course, it is approachable and you can use other milks if you want but i know from experience, it isn't the same.

Okay, now on to the good stuff!

This is the Masala I am using currently, it is Teavanas' blend. So far this is the best blend i've had.

The first thing you need to do is pour the 2 cups of water into the pot and bring it to a boil. Feel free to add the 2 tablespoons of sugar now too and wait for the sugar to dissolve into the water. Once the sugar is dissolved add the 2 tablespoons of tea into the mix. Here is the fun part! Let it boil for ten minutes. During this ten minute period your house will smell AMAZING as the spices and tea leaves open up. After the 10 minutes is up, it is time to add the 2 cups of milk.

Here is the most important part of the entire process. Once the milk is added, you have to keep an eye on it. It is very important not to let the tea boil over or you'll have chunks and a filmy casing on the top and ultimately a ruined pot of tea. Just watch over it as it gets to the boil and occasionally stir. Once it gets hot and boils for a few minutes turn off the burner and let it sit for another 10 minutes with occasional stirring. Once again, the house will smell FANTASTIC!

Run it through the strainer or infuser that you have in your teapot to remove any excess leaves and seeds, and you will have some wonderful Masala Chai to drink. Although, I prefer to drink it hot this tea is fantastic chilled overnight, which is what I did with this pot. This is a really wonderful dessert tea because of the sweetness. This tea is also great to make on a date, it is an activity to do together that takes a while and is pretty hard not to like!

This is what it should look like in the end. Believe me, it came out great!

Sorry for the length and wordyness of this post, had A lot to say, most posts won't be this long as the preparation is much less typically. I felt like this would be a good tea to start with because it is a tea that almost anyone would like. Also, the next posts will have better quality pictures after I find my digital camera.

If anyone has any suggestions on a tea for me to try or review, or any questions, comment below! Have a Tea-riffic day!

Here we go!

Okay, I have no idea what the interest in this blog will be like at all, honestly I don't care. This blog is going to be about my adventures trying as many different kinds of Camellia Sinensis (tea) that I possibly can. Hopefully in the future i can get some good stuff up here. One thing that i'm going to have in the near future is a traditional Matcha ceremony, which will be pretty awesome.

Matcha is pulverized and ground green tea, made into a fine powder.

Typically Matcha is ground in a marble or granite grinder, much like this one.

Well, that is going to be it for now, tomorrow i'll post pictures of a Masala Chai I made. Sweet dreams all.