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News from Upton Tea
New Product: Heirloom Yellow Buds Organic Fair Trade
Produced in the Yunnan district from heirloom tea bushes, this selection has a pedigree as unique as its character. The flavor is ethereal, with delicate, sweet notes that some have likened to apricot and apple. The finish is mellow and sweet. Supplies are limited....
New Product: Deniyaya Estate FBOPF Ex. Sp.
This aromatic, rich tea from the Ruhuna district was produced from an extra-fine plucking, composed primarily of small, tender tips. The modest complement of fine black leaves lend strength and color. The liquor has notes of raisin, chocolate and vanilla. This flavorful tea can take a generous addition of milk...
New Product: Chatsford Earthenware Mug
Made by Chatsford, these earthenware mugs come with an infuser basket and a matching lid. These are offered at a discount due to being slight seconds and overstock....
New Product: China Gu Zhang Mao Jian
Exceptional quality and flavor. A green tea with deep flavor notes and good body, priced for everyday consumption. New lot, back in stock....
New Product: Iddalgashinna Estate OP Green Organic
The bold leaves of this selection yield a very clean cup, somewhat reminiscent of a fine green Yunnan. Infusing with water under the boiling point for 2-3 minutes yields a flavorful, floral liquor with a hint of honey-like sweetness and a smooth, clean finish....
New Product: China Special Green Mao Feng
Produced from specially selected leaves of superior quality. This tightly rolled leaf produces a flavorful tea with exceptional aroma. For the green tea enthusiast! Back in stock....
Gongfu Girl
The changing face of Ito En’s Golden Oolong
There are a few places around town that sell Ito En’s bottled teas. So occasionally, amid shelves full of horrid syrrupy-sweet, fruity flavored drinks with a bit of tea in them, I can find a product I’m willing to drink. These particular Ito-en teas are unsweetened, either just tea, or...
For the past couple of weeks – seemingly forever – I’ve been sick with some sort of annoying viral thing that is probably a common cold. Aside from the general inconvenience of it all, one of the most aggravating aspects of it is the impact it has had on my...
I generally scoff at combinations involving tea and alcohol (or food, for that matter), but I sometimes make exceptions when I’m feeling inventive, and as long as no really high quality tea is harmed in the process. The particular cocktail shown in the photos is shochu with jasmine pearls infused...
Happy Lewis Carroll’s Birthday!
Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson) – writer, mathematician, photographer, Anglican deacon, and perpetrator of glorious logic-puzzles and nonsense – was born on this day in 1832. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the best known of his works, and a book no doubt responsible for fostering a great many fixations on tea,...
Tea Review: TeaSource: Puerh Special Grade
I anticipated that Puerh Special Grade, a loose leaf pu’er from TeaSource, would brew into a nice liquor after I smelled the intense sweet aroma of the dry leaf. I was not disappointed. In general, but especially in the initial steep, it was very malty, almost like graham crackers or...
A few weeks ago I ventured into a grocery that I had passed by hundreds of times in the past without my curiosity the least bit piqued, having previously assumed that it would not have anything of interest on its shelves. But for whatever reason, on this day I decided...
T Ching
A is for Aroma, the beautiful scent of tea as it steeps and you wait for it to be ready to drink. B is for Brew Basket, a tool used to make loose-leaf tea that I have exceptional difficulty using. One would think I would have figured it out after so...
Harnessing Americans’ competitive spirit to advance tea
Last month I thought I’d take a rest from overeating and drinking with my little diet blog post and that (unexpectedly, I must say) brought on great discussion with my tea industry colleagues. So this month, I’m actually asking for input. Just food for thought, intended primarily for tea compatriots...
new evidence as to why everyone should see their way to drinking more tea
By now, it’s not news to anyone that green tea is at the top of our Super Foods list. Over the past 10 years or so there have been myriad research studies showing that tea has very powerful anti-oxidative effects that provide significant health benefits for numerous organs and systems...
A whiff of the exotic inspires me when preparing tea-flavored butter. A fast and easy final touch to a weeknight dish of pan-sautéed fish, seafood, and chicken, this simple adornment captures some of the spirit of yak butter tea, a mixure of strongly brewed tea, salt, and you know what. ...
New electric tea pot without the BPAs
Every once in a while, the perks of being the editor-in-chief of the #2 tea blog are particularly sweet. I saw the Capresso PerfecTea pot a few weeks ago and was eager to give it a try, so I contacted the company and they sent me one for my review. ...
Pu-erh - a tea with a multitude of exceptional qualities
It’s unlikely you would go out of your way for a cup of aged tea, even if someone told you it was a delicacy. However, there is an exception to everything. Pu-erh is an unusual kind of tea; in fact, many people think it tastes better when it is old. ...
MarshalN's Xanga
It's been many days since I blogged. This is probably the longest break I've taken with blogging since I started this thing.I've been rather distressed recently with a broken teapot. Postal services are often your worst enemies, and in this case they've proven to be quite capable of destroying my...
Some of you already know this. You're supposed to air out a tea, if it's a wet stored puerh. The problem with wet stored tea is that if you don't air it out, all kinds of nasty, "storage" smell remain, and will affect how much you can enjoy your tea. ...
or not to blend? That is the question.Lots of people have discussed this before, and a long, long time ago, I think I said something about it too, although it's been so long that it might as well not exist. The thing here is mostly concerning puerh -- whether or...
One of the most confusing things about buying tea is that there is virtually no naming scheme and standards. I can go buy some green tea from a wholesaler and resell that as "jade green spring", which sounds awfully like biluochun "green snail spring", and perhaps lead you to think...
I opened a bottle of spoiled wine yesterday. It was not a great loss, as it was only a cheap Cotes du Rhone that I had kept for a few years. It went through various types of poor storage, including a year and half in a U-Haul storage facility. The...
So last entry we stopped at actually looking at listings. Let's now turn to those.Over the years pictures on Taobao has really improved. I remember when I was in China in 06, very often the Taobao listings would have no pictures at all, or a really bad, grainy, and small...
Samovarlife
“Listen to Yourself” Small Business Rules visits Samovar to chat with Jesse
Lindsay Campbell of American Express Small Business Rules pays a visit to Samovar to hear Jesse Jacobs' advice to other small business owners....
ABC News The View from the Bay talks tea and food pairing with Samovar’s Jesse Jacobs
Jesse Jacobs, Samovar Tea Evangelist, pays The View from the Bay a visit to talk tea and food pairing. Deliciousness ensues!...
Huffington Post Recommends the Samovar Romance Tea Set for Your Sweet Valentine
Margaret Ryan, Huffington Post blogger, lists the Samovar Romance Tea Set as an ideal, good taste, gift for your Valentine sweetheart - man or woman....
Specialty Coffee Magazine Makes Tea a Cover Story- With Samovar’s Jesse Jacobs!
Even coffee folks are interested in tea! For their Modern Tea issue, Specialty Coffee Retailer looked to Samovar's Jesse Jacobs to guide them on the Placid Path of tea....
SF Weekly’s Katy St. Clair Finds a Moment of Peace at Samovar Castro
In her SF Weekly Bouncer column, Katy St. Clair shares her experience of getting cozy with some tea and people watching/listening at Samovar Tea Lounge in the Castro....
Samovar in the NY Times: Teahouses’ Unique Blends Are Not Just in the Cup
The New York Times Dining and Wine Section features Samovar among the colorful and diverse San Francisco Bay Area teahouses....
The Mandarin's Tea
Expectation from a 80's Pouchong Oolong
Drawing wisdom from a recent tequila tasting in Mexico.... I am surprised how difficult for us to unlearn or undo our own experience in taste and senses. Expectation is one of the darkest enemy, and raw perception could end a good tasting session prematurely. The fact that most people are...
New York Asia Society Tea Event
Please come and join us for a Tea Tasting Reception on the 17th of March. I will be sharing and brewing a couple of my favorite selections. Hope to see you there. www.asiasociety.org...
虎年行大運，身體健康，龍精虎猛，財源廣進!...
Visual Judging of Dong Ding Oolong Tea.
I remember a third generation tea farmer from Nantou once taught me what to look for in High Mountain oolong."Anything lower than 700M is not considered as High Mountain," He begins. "The harsher and more extreme the growing environment, the tastier the tea is..... and it's all about the sheen,...
Taiwanese Er Mei Shan Old Bush Eastern Beauty
It was a great holiday season for me. Wonderful Family time, food, gifts, tea gatherings and great company filled up the festive month. Chinese New Year is around the corner, so before that, I wish to taste most of the newly collected. Over this weekend, I got to taste an...
Jiang Rong's Mou Lu Ni, Spring Lotus with Frog and Snails
Being a Yixing enthusiast for over 15 years now, I still remember the moment that the spell was casted.The display shelves were full of yixings, big and small. Back in those days when Jiang Rong and Gu Jing Zhou's pots were still available for a price not as hefty as...
Heaven of Tea
Teaviews’ review of Eastern Beauty Oolong
Jamie form Teaviews.com rates Eastern Beauty Oolong tea a 9/10: “A delectably satisfying, sophisticated but easy to approach oolong. This would make a great show off tea for friends you are trying to woo into the wonderful world of loose leaf teas.” Eastern Beauty, a rare Formosa oolong, is a fragrantly sweet...
In a previous post we shared that “legend has it that Buddist monks trained actual monkeys to climb to the top of the Camellia sinensis plant and pick the youngest tea buds for a premium oolong tea,” as the monks were unable to climb to the highest branches to pick...
Celebrate International Women’s Day with CARE
CARE presents a night to celebrate women with Half the Sky LIVE. Don't miss it!...
As we fight through the last weeks of winter, we are all craving a bit of sunshine and the vibrant views of flowers. In hopes of sending spring my way a bit early this year, I’ve been sipping teas inspired by the garden. Sweet Fruit Garden herbal tea is filled...
CARE has done great work in Haiti, but needs more help. Teavana is still matching donations up to $20,000....
Walker Tea Review’s Video Of Teavana’s Silver Needle White Tea
While searching through videos that mentioned Teavana, I came across this incredibly informative tea review of our Silver Needle White Tea on Walker Tea Review. Jason Walker carefully examines the tea leaves and offers fabulous insight into the aromatic and flavor profiles of the delicate white leaves after being steeped. He...
CHA DAO
The 'Starbucks of Tea': A Surprising Turn
by CORAX Photo: Corax When Argo Tea opened its first locations in Chicago, its founders were quoted as wanting Argo to become the 'Starbucks of Tea.' Quite apart from the questionable decision to refer to their tea houses as 'tea cafes,' to couch one's aspiration in terms of...
by DOGMA_ICeaseless flows the river, water ever changing; bubbles in still pool gather and subside, impermanent: so in this world are we and all we devise.–Kamo no Chōmei, HōjōkiA couple of sunspot cycles ago, a soi-disant Zen teacher warned a novice against high expectations when offering ego repatterning to help...
by STEVEN D. OWYOUNGWhen Yi Mok wrote the Ch’abu 茶賦 (Korean Ode to Tea) in the late fourteen hundreds, the Ode joined the long and illustrious history of tea. For centuries, Korean court annalists wrote of tea in the kingdom’s earliest records, and scholars and poets filled their literary compilations...
by WARREN PELTIER[[EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the third in a series of entries by Warren Peltier on Korean tea texts. For the first and second entries, click here and here. This third entry is an examination of the Dongdasong of Seon monk Cho Ui 艸衣禪師.]]Previously, we looked at a broad...
Korean Tea Texts, Classical and Modern [ii]: The Cha Bu of Hanjae Yi Mok
by WARREN PELTIER[[EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the second in a series of entries by Warren Peltier on Korean tea texts. For the first and third entries, click here and here.]]In this entry I offer a summation of the basic ideas expressed by Hanjae in Cha Bu, accompanied by my own...
Korean Tea Texts, Classical and Modern [i]: An Overview
by WARREN PELTIER[[EDITOR'S NOTE: In a recent review of THE TRUE HISTORY OF TEA, DougH laments that book's almost total omission of information on Korean tea culture. This is surely an important lacuna in any truly comprehensive account of tea history and culture; and indeed it is about to be...
Lainie Sips
Name: Golden Chai Brand: Type: Black tea, flavored Form: Paper bagged tea, individually wrapped Review: Cardamom lovers rejoice! If you like your chai redolent of the pungent, mouth-numbing stuff, Numi’s Golden Chai is just your cup of tea. The cardamom content in this chai blend was evident when I opened unwrapped the bag. The...
Plum Blossom Oolong Reserve by Teas Etc (review)
Name: Plum Blossom Oolong Reserve Brand: Teas Etc Podcast: Listen to my podcast interview with Beth Johnston of Teas Etc. Type: Oolong Form: Loose leaf Cost: 1 ounce tin, $16.95, quantity discounts available. Review: I drink a lot of tea. Most of it is either good or indifferent. Some of it is bad, and there is...
Glass Brew Mug by Teas Etc (review)
Name: Glass Brew Mug (click on link at right to view on Teas Etc’s site) Brand: Teas Etc Type: Teaware Cost: $14.95 Podcast: Listen to my podcast interview with Teas Etc founder and co-owner, Beth Johnston. Review: I do love well-designed teaware, and anything that makes drinking loose leaf tea more enjoyable gets a big...
Greetings, Just a few bits of news for my tea-loving readers: The Philadelphia Inquirer ran a story today entitled “The Tea-He’s: Men Savoring Brew by the Cup”. My good tea-friend, Tony Gebley passed this on to me, and I thought it a great read. Speaking of Tony, he just opened his own online...
Name: Be Cool Brand: Kusmi Tea Type: Tisane Form: Loose leaf (teabags are available) Cost:$18.40 for a 3.5 ounce tin (quantity discounts are available) Review: This is the latest in Kusmi Tea’s line of “Wellness Teas” and while “Detox” remains my favorite in this range, “Be Cool” is nonetheless a tasty tisane. Be Cool is a...
ZeroWater Z-Pitcher & TDS Meter (review)
Name: ZeroWater Pitcher Brand: ZeroWater Type: Water Filter Podcast: Listen to my interview with ZeroWater’s VP of Sales, Robert Roney, on Friday, February 26th, at 2pm central time. The show will be archived at this same link (and on iTunes) so you can listen in at any time. Review: As folks know, I am...
Tea Escapade - Tea Blog
I don’t think anyone is more excited than I that today is March 1st. This winter, especially February, has been filled with record-breaking snow days, snow drifts, freezing rain, and below-freezing temperatures. While there is always the possibility of more snow, the likelihood has significantly decreased. Not to mention, the...
BISCOTTEA – Blueberry Tea Shortbread Cookies
My girlfriend Chara, owner and founder of WanderingLotus – a mobile yoga studio, came over in preparation for our upcoming yoga and tea event. As always, we began our meeting with the usual ritual… I put on a pot of tea and Chara procures a yummy sweet treat. I am a...
Tea Poetry by The Minister of Leaves
A toast to the grace of the pot, ready at all time To give up its emptiness for the tea. ~The Minister of Leaves ...
The last two weeks I have felt physically crappy – some days better than other – but today is the worst. I am in need of some sniffling, sneezing, aching, coughing, stuffy-head, fever, so-you-can-rest medicine! It’s funny how, when feeling under the weather, we seek to surround ourselves with things...
“Oh the weather outside is frightful, But the fire is so delightful, And since we’ve no place to go, Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! It doesn’t show signs of pausing, And I’ve bought some corn for popping, The lights are turned way down low, Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! When...
Thistledown’s Newest Tea Cozy – The HOB
While not a stranger to the concept of tea cozies, I never actually owned one. That is until recently when I became the proud owner of two HOBs from Thistledown. Of course, I understood the concept of the tea cozy coined the HOB by Thistledown, but must admit I was...
MattCha's Blog
Victoria Tea Festival: Dao Tea (Finally A Good Korean Tea Dealer In The West)
Firstly and most importantly: Dao Tea is a company out of Vancouver that sells good Korean tea for a very good price....Okay... on with the intro... One actually encountered Dao Tea on the second day of the 2010 Victoria Tea Festival. The extremely personable and passionate owner of Dao...
2009 Asamushi Sencha- Ashikubo Gold Lightly Steamed Traditional Sencha
This tea, another sample from Chado Tea House, is a type that one has never tried before- a Fatsu-Mushi (traditional lightly steamed) Sencha. Apparently, the lightly steamed method of production was the only way Sencha was produced until the longer steamed method was discovered in the 1970s. This...
2009 Sumibi Meijin (Imperial Silver) Sencha
This tea was one of the samples kindly sent by Chado Tea House. Their web page claims that special care has been taken by the producers of this tea and that this tea has won a gold medal Monde selection in the years 2007 & 2008 (thought those...
Victoria Tea Festival: Chadao Tea House
Came across exhibitors Peter and Fumis from Chado Tea house in Vancouver at the Victoria Tea Festival. Their table featured exclusively Japanese teas. They had them all, even some interesting ones. Their tea is sourced from specific areas of Japan- Fumis really seemed to know her tea.One received a few...
2009 DoMatcha Master's Choice (Produced By Marukyu Koyamaen)
This matcha is the highest grade sold by Vancouver matcha company, DoMatcha. It is a unique colaboration between DoMatcha and famous matcha producer Marukyu Koyamaen.The water is taken off boil, it is time to prepare tea. It is prepared in ceremony- slowly, empty, mindful. One uses hot water to...
Victoria Tea Festival: DoMatcha
One has seen this matcha around town but wrote it off as one of those mass produced, gimmicky, health store stocked varieties. Couldn't be more wrong... except for the 'health store stalked' part. Based out of Vancouver, DoMatcha seems to be a regular fixture at health stores on the island...
Teatrekker's Weblog
We just received a shout out from Kent at the Tian He Healing Arts in Australia ( www.tianhehealingarts.com.au ) announcing an upcoming tea trip to China that he is leading. This trip sounds fantastic and we would love to go, but we have a full plate this spring with the April...
Chinese ‘12 Flowers of the Months’ Teacups – March/Peach Blossoms
It figures……there’s a snag in this concept. Just as I was about to write the March post for cup #3 in my series – peach blossoms – I realized that my set does not have the appropriate cup. Or more correctly, does not have a cup with the appropriate flower. According to the best...
A Win in the Bronze Category for Me
YOKOSO JAPAN VISIT 2010 FOLLOW YOUR IMAGINATION No, I am not talking about an OLYMPIC win, but a win in the recent Japan National Tourism Organization ”Visit Japan” Contest Entires were solicited in two categories: original composition and photography. In each category the prizes were: 3 Grand Prizes : airfare to Japan 4 Gold Prizes:hotel accommodations or...
We are thrilled to be able to offer tea enthusiasts a distinguished grouping of 2009 Wu Yi Shan oolongs. It is not often that such a fine selection of these teas can be purchased from one well-sourced place in the West. Those in the know will recognize these teas: they are...
Chinese ‘12 Flowers of the Months’ Tea Cups – February/ Peach Blossoms
This is the painting on the front of the 2nd cup in my set of 12 Chinese Flowers of the Months tea cups. The lovely painting depicts a gnarly yet elegant peach tree festooned with flower buds and open blossoms. The calligraphy on the back reads something like: ‘the fragrance of small peach blossoms in spring’ For detailed information...
The Politics of Bottled Green Tea
I recently discovered this hand-out titled The Politics of Bottled Green Tea . It was written by Korene Schmitz from the Sociology Department at St Cloud State University. I was thrilled to find this piece, and would like to make Tea Trekker readers and tea enthusiasts aware of what this author has to say. Much has...