Chinese tea week

To make up for not posting for a few weeks I have been really good this past week and dedicated 29/04/13 - 05/05/13 to Chinese tea.

I went even further than just dedicating this week to Chinese tea and decided to dedicate each day to a different variety.

Monday: Black Tea - Because Mondays are hard I chose nice high in caffeine black tea. I started my day with a bit of a cheat as I had a Breakfast Blend but I'm sure it contained some kind of Chinese tea. In the afternoon I drank copious amounts of Keemun because Keemun Black tea is by far my favourite Black Chinese tea. Did you know that in China they sometimes call black tea "red tea"...just a little tea fact for you there :)

Tuesday: Puerh Tea - I had the day off work so I thought that Puerh tea would be a good one for today as in my opinion it is the most time consuming Chinese teas to brew. I chose a 2006 Puerh teacake that I hadn't had of yet so it took a little bit of time to cut the cake before brewing. It's a great experience though - I like working for my tea! With about 3-4g from a good aged Puerh teacake you can rebrew about 8 or 9 times and that is what I did - Puerh all day long! It was great.

Wednesday: Green: I was back to work so I packed a few samples of green tea to take with me - these included a Long Jing Grade 3, a Lu An Gua Pian and then to end the day in work I drank some of my favourite Chinese Jasmine Dragon pearls.

Thursday: Oolong: I didn't drink tea at work which was a shocker so when I got home I got out my Gaiwan and brewed some beautiful cups of Tie Guan Yin.

Fridays: White - Seeing as it was friday I treated myself to Silver Needle white tea from a cute tearoom round the corner from work. When brewed correctly this tea is divine!

Saturday: Yellow - Not a huge fan of Yellow teas so I struggled this Saturday but I got through it by making sure I only drank high quality leaves.

Sunday: Aged Oolong - Sunday is a day of rest and to me it is quite a grand day and so I paired it with a grand Da Hong Pao. One of my all time favourite Chinese teas.


I have to say it was a good week. I like recording what teas I am drinking - I guess this week was a little different as the teas didn't always reflect my mood as I was choosing from the specific varieties for each day.

Have you done this before? I would love to  hear your experiences of keeping a tea diary!

Peace Out,

Gary the Tea Freak
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My tea diary!

I saw this idea on another tea blog and thought it was pretty cool - I'll never have time to do it for every cup of tea I drink but I will try to do it once a day. And this is what I did for the past week My Tea Diary.

8th April: Monday morning and of course I needed to start my day with a strong pot of Chinese Puerh tea in one of my Yixings.

9th April: Tuesday I woke up late and so couldn't have any tea until I got to work so my first cup was from my work stash and I had chose a Gunpowder Green tea. I keep Gunpowder in work because it's quite a hardy tea due to the rolled leaves. I don't like keeping delicate teas in work.

10th April: Wednesday I was feeling a little bit rundown so I started my day with a shot of Match. I'm not a huge fan of the taste which is why I take it in shot form but I do believe it sorts me out when I'm not feeling great.
11th April: Thursday I treate myself to my favourite Da Hong Pao Oolong tea. I say treated myself because I'm running a bit low on it and funds are sparse these days so I am trying to make it last (especially as it is one of the few teas that age well).

12th April: Friday I was naughty and made myself a tea cocktail - this basically involed 2 measures of irish whisky topped up with some cold brewed lapsang souchong. Oh delicious!!

13th April: I met one of my friends for "coffee" on Saturday afternoon at our local coffee shop but I had an Earl Grey with lemon. It came from a teabag but it was actually ok and the chat was good!

14th April: Ah Sunday, the day of rest! My most memorable cup of tea from this day was not actually tea at all but a refreshing peppermint tisane that I drank after a rather hefty Sunday dinner.

So there you have it, my tea diary for the week. Obviously I drank more than one cup of tea a day but these were the ones what stood out for me the most!

Have you ever kept a tea diary before? How long did you do it for?

Peace Out,
Gary the tea freak
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Steepster!

Hey guys,

Carrying on from my last post about tea reviews (I'm still yet to post my first reivew I know!) I found this cool website where there is a whole community of reviews!

It's called Steepster - http://steepster.com/

The homepage states:

"Dive into the universe of tea.

Write a tea journal, see what others are drinking and get recommendations from people you trust."

Perfect for what I was talking about in my last post! Can't wait to get started!!

Peace Out,

Gary the Tea Freak

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Loose leaf CommuniTEA

So it turns out that there are A LOT of tea blogs out there - I am not the only tea freak after all. It's a huge communiTEA (hehe) of tea lovers like me!


Loads of the blogs do tea reviews which I think it's a pretty bloody good idea!

So I am going to carry on blogging about my normal tea rants and related escapades but I think I'll throw in the odd loose leaf tea review too!

So if you are a Chinese tea company and want me to review your tea then please do get in touch.

In the meantime I'll have a look in my tea cupboard and see what I've got....

*runs to kitchen and checks*

Ok, I'm back, and I think I will do my first review on LuLin Teas Da Hong Pao - a dark Oolong that tastes like.....find out more tomorrow!!

Oh I'm all excited now!

Know any good companies to get tea from to review? Let me know!

Peace Out,
Gary the Tea Freak
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One Direction in tea news AGAIN!

Well well well looks like One Direction have been in the tea drinking news again (I wrote about them a few weeks ago here).

This time they have shunned alcohol on their most recent tour for Peppermint tea - how very on rock and roll!!

How old are those boys anyway? Are they even old enough to drink alcohol?

Anyway I'm all for it - it's great to see role models in the spotlight setting a good example for their fans.

Hmmmm what could I do to get famous so I get sent free tea? I'll have to get my thinking cap on!!

Read the full article here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2294451/One-Direction-shun-booze-order-peppermint-tea-drink-backstage-tour.html

Peace Out,
Gary the Tea Freak

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What's in a Chinese tea name?

If you like Chinese tea as much as I do then you will be aware that there are many funny and pretty crazily named loose leaf teas out there.

Let’s take a look at a few of my favourite ones:

Monkey Picked Oolong: This Oolong tea hasn’t actually been picked by monkeys but the legend surrounding the tea does state that monks used to train monkeys to climb to the top of the wild tea bushes to pick the youngest buds and bring them down. Read more here.

Big Red Robe: Another Oolong tea with a funny name, it is traditionally known as Da Hong Pao but was named big red robe because the original tea bushes were protected throughout the winter by being covered by red robes. You can read more about that tea here.



Iron Goddess of Mercy: Yet again another Oolong tea! This tea is also known as Tie Guan Yin. The name Iron Goddess of Mercy comes from the goddess who gave a tea plant to a monk to reward him for making offerings in and keeping tidy an abandoned temple. You can read more about this tea here.

I love all the different funny Chinese tea names – these are just a few but there are plenty more!
Do you know any more you want to share with me? I’d love to hear from you!

Peace out,
Gary the Tea Freak
xx

Went to Harrods last weekend

Hey guys,

So I went to Harrods on Saturday while on a trip to London and I just had to go in and visit the Food Pantry to see their tea selection. As my friends perused the shoes and handbags (yes it was me and a bunch of girls!) I spent a good 45 minutes analysing the tea they sell.

I have to say they have a pretty good selection. Unfortunately my phone had run out of battery and we didn’t sit at a seat with plugs on the train so I couldn’t charge it and therefore couldn’t take any pictures but you can see examples of most of the teas on their online store.

I love the Harrods own brand packaging of tea – the little gold tea caddies with the image of Harrods on the front. It seems to combine Chinese and English tea culture for me very well.

I am also quite a big fan of the We are Tea range in their metal tubes – I like that it’s a bit different.

Anyway it was pretty cool but I’ve really gotta rush and get back to work. Sorry about the short entry and lack of photos but please do comment if you’ve been to Harrods and checked out their tea section!

Peace out,
Gary The Tea Freak

Tea Tattoo anyone?

So apparently Louis Tomlinson from One Direction has gotten a tea tattoo! To be honest it‘s a pretty basic tattoo, not much skill involved BUT it is a teacup. Apparently he got the tattoo (his 74th!) as a dedication to his favourite line “you can't go to bed without a cup of tea” from the One Direction song Little Things.




Another famous tea tattooed celeb is Ed Sheeran but his tattoos are pretty crazy. Heinz Baked Beans anyone?



It got me thinking about tea and tattoos and would I ever get one. I do love tea and I do love tattoos but for me the link just isn’t there. For me, Chinese tea is a passion and I would be lost without the serenity I achieve from it. But a tea tattoo? I’m just not convinced. I mean what would I get tattooed? I cup of my favourite Oolong while it brews? A Puerh tea cake? Hmmm. I am really not convinced. Maybe what would be better for me would be to get a tattoo of what Chinese tea culture symbolises for me. The Chinese symbol for ceremony perhaps or serenity. Maybe that’s too cheesy but that is how I feel.

How do you feel about it? Is a tea tattoo something you would consider? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Peace out,
Gary the Tea Freak

p.s click here for quite an informative Chinese tea website.

To tea cosy or not to tea cosy…

Well that is the question. If you brew your tea in a teapot, do you use a tea cozy. Does it really work?
It’s a real British tradition to get the teapot out, count the number of guests – 1 teabag for each person plus 1 for the pot (just a quick note, I brew loose tea so I hate this concept) pour in the boiling water and whack on the tea cosy. To you know, keep the teapot nice and cosy....

But does the addition of a tea cosy actually work to keep your tea hotter longer or does it just give Auntie May something to knit when she’s bored?


I currently own a silly amount of teapots but I don’t actually own a tea cosy. After doing some research online I have come to the conclusion that I should definitely get one! Apparently it isn’t just a fad! I guess it makes sense, especially for woollen cosies. You are cold, what do you do? Put on your wool jumper and voila you are nice and toasty again. Your Mao Feng green tea is cooling down to quickly so what do you do? Put on your woollen tea cosy and jobs done!

I think that I have previously had an aversion to tea cosies because I do associate them with “the elderly” and I just saw them as a (sometimes) ugly addition to my beautiful teapot collection. But I feel like I am at a turning point in my life (maybe I am getting older) because I am going to take the step and buy a tea cosy. Or better yet, get one of my talented friends to knit me one.

So the answer to the questions is: Yes to tea cosy. According to good old google search engine, they do actually work and I have been a fool all these years.

Peace out,
Gary the tea freak xx

MADhatter Tea Party

So I am thinking of throwing a tea party. But you know, I am a dude and that’s just not as socially acceptable for me to do as it is for women. Life is unfair sometimes right? Wrong – if you don’t like something then change it. So, to hell with social conventions, if I want to throw a tea party for my friends that’s exactly what I am going to do. But to “man it up” a little I want it to have a theme, I’m pretty set on the whole Mad Hatter thing to be honest.

Obviously I will be the Mad Hatter seeing as I am the host. I’m going to steer clear of the Johnny Depp look from the Tim Burton Alice in Wonderland film and go more for Disney Animation style. But proper mad.

So what do I need to prepare for my party:
Invites – Facebook will do (ah the joy of lazy social media)
Costume – I have a pretty cool green top hat already, I just need to scour some charity shops for the rest.

Food – I am going to ask each of my guests to bring an Alice in Wonderland inspired dish, this could be anything from Eat Me Cupcakes to Queen of Hearts Jam Tarts. But basically I will provide some “finger sandwiches” and my guests can deal with the rest because I will be focusing on the most important thing…
Tea! – Obviously I will serve loose tea only while showing off my fancy collection of Chinese teaware like my Yixings. If I ask my guests to tell me what foods they are bringing I can try to match this to which teas I will serve. Obviously my head is spinning with all the Oolongs I can introduce my friends to but I am actually most excited about Pu Erh. This is a post fermented tea that a lot people turn their noses up at because if I’m honest it does smell a bit weird. But seeing as this is MADhatters Tea Party normalcy shall not apply and my guests will try my aged tea and they will like it…

Well we shall see. I should stop blabbering on here and get my invites prepared. I think I will use the original illustrations for the Facebook event! Exciting!

Peace out,
Gary the Tea Freak x

Keep Calm

“Keep calm, drink tea and carry on”

This is my new mantra. I’m not going to lie, I have a bit of a short temper and it does get me in trouble sometimes. So I have decided to live my life by this new rule. Every time I can feel myself getting tense or stressed I am going to remove myself from the situation and make myself a cup of tea. It sounds simple but will it really work?

Here’s why I think it will..
The art of making tea, especially loose tea is in fact quite therapeutic. Your mind is focused on a simple task but a task that actually does require quite a lot of attention, For example if I was making some Jasmine Pearls ( a favourite Green tea of mine ) I would need to ensure the water temperature was correct, the number of pearls in my infuser were going to be the right ratio to the water I would add and then of course that I don’t steep the tea for too long a time.

During these tasks I am hoping that I will be able to reflect upon whatever trivial thing has upset me and I will move on while I sip my tea enjoying the experience.

So that is why I think it will work.

Do you agree? Or do you have some better tips on how this tea freak can control their stress and anger levels?

Peace out,
Gary the Tea Freak
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A tea related rant

My rant today is about coffee drinkers and how they get preferential treatment over us tea drinkers.

Take *insert name of EVERY big coffee chain* for example, you go in and check out their menu. They have about 25 different coffees; you scan through them hoping that you will find what you are looking for and there…right at the end…you find the tea.

Normally you have a choice of tea or peppermint tea. Yeah cause those are the only teas available apparently. But you know, you aren’t a coffee drinker so what are you going to do? You order the “Tea” and hope for the best. What you are served took the barista about 10 seconds (compared to the minutes they spent making you mates double espresso caramel macchiato or whatever they asked for) and comes in teabag form and sometimes they have even added the milk for you. *GASP* No thank you.

It’s not just me right; you’ve had this type of experience before too? Where as a tea drinker you feel completely overlooked and like you aren’t worthy while your coffee drinking friends are worshipped and waited on hand and foot. OK, I’m exaggerating but would it be so hard for them to get a bit of loose leaf tea? What about Chinese tea? Wouldn’t that make a great addition to the coffee menu that is longer than my arm? Throw in some green tea or oolong tea and give us tea drinkers the time of day we deserve!!

I know I’m being a moan and if I want proper loose leaf tea I should not visit big corporate coffee chains but sometimes I am forced to (coffee drinkers = highly strung and pushy!) and I would just like my tea drinking needs to be shown the same respect as the coffee addicts! Who is with me on this?

Ok, rant over.

Peace out.

Gary the Tea Freak
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Big Bang Theory: Making Oolong for Leonards Mother

Big Bang Theory: Making Oolong for Leonards Mother

Why The Maternal Capacitance is the best Big Bang Theory episode ever!

I love The Big Bang Theory and I love tea (Oolong in general being my favourite). So imagine how unbelievably happy I was when I was watching a rather funny episode of the Big Bang Theory and Leonards mum Beverly asks for tea and not just any tea, oh no, Oolong tea! My favourite! I couldn't believe it! The character of Beverly played by Christine Baranski drinking my favourite tea! Well you will soon see that she doesn't actually drink it as she is quite fussy but still it is pretty cool.

If like me, you love Oolong then you should check out this Oolong tea and if you want to find out more about the Big Bang Theory scene I am talking about (The Maternal Capacitance) keep reading for the YouTube clip, the script and more information about Oolong including how Beverly takes her Oolong, the "official" recipe, how she could improve her experience of it and most importantly, "What is Oolong!"

Quick little fact before we begin, Christine Baranski (Beverly) has won two Tony Awards for "Best Actress" and won an Emmy for her role as Maryann in the hit TV series Cybil! Apart from The Big Bang Theory, her most recent role has been Diane Lockhart in The Good Wife.

Watch the scene!

See Beverly in action!

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Recipe Module

Leonards Mothers Oolong Tea

How Beverly takes her Oolong

• Serves: 1

• Prep Time: 2 minutes

• Total Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

• Tie Guan Tin Oolong

• Milk

• Raw Sugar

• Water

Instructions

Add 400ml of water to kettle and boil.

While this is boiling heat milk separately in microwave.

Once water has boiled add to Tie Guan Yin Oolong and brew for exactly 3 minutes.

Add the milk that has been heated separately so that the ratio of water to milk is 98:2.

Add one teaspoon of raw sugar and stir.

Before serving, ensure the tea is hot!

Why I love Beverlys Oolong

 "Loose, not bagged" -the best way to prepare an Oolong is by using loose leaf tea! Preferably in using a Gaiwan!

"Steeped, three Minutes" - This gives the Oolong a chance to brew properly so you can experience the full taste!

What is in Oolong tea?

 Well, just like green and black tea; Oolong tea is made from the leaves of the Camellia Sinensis plant. The leaves are picked fresh, wilted and the partially oxidised so that full fermentation does not occur. You could say that in this sense they are in between a green and a black tea.

So what is in Oolong? Tea! It is just the process to make it is a little bit different.

What can Beverly do to improve her Oolong?

 What Beverly can do to improve her Oolong Experience?

1. I would suggest not using milk, even if it is only "2%" the flavours of Oolong shouldn't be masked by anything else and some research suggests that milk can actually prohibit the anti-oxidants found in Oolong tea from working.

2. Rinse your Oolong first - i love that Beverly brews her tea for 3 minutes but before that she should pour a small amount of water on the tea leaves, leave it for 30 seconds and discard the water. This cleans the leaves and it is customary in China to never drink the first brew of your tea. Quite often this water is actually used to clean the cups.

3. No sugar - Similarly with the milk the addition of sugar could negatively affect the flavour of the tea. I would suggest using honey instead to compliment your Oolong if you have a sweet tooth. This goes especially well with Da Hong Pao.

check out this Oolong tea

My first post!

Hi there, my name is Gary!

I have never run a blog before but it seems like a pretty cool way to spend my time so here goes. It didn’t take me long to decide what I was going to write my blog about after all, everyone who knows me will tell you – I am a tea freak. No scratch that. I am THE tea freak. Seriously, if I could have a tea drip constantly attached my arm I would. Although would that ruin the tea experience? I think actually, yeah, I would miss the whole experience of making and drinking the tea.

Don’t get me wrong, a quick cuppa in the morning is great but what really gets my juices going is brewing my Puerh bricks in their assigned Yixing, or getting out my Gaiwan to make some Oolong. Oh I just love Oolong made in a Gaiwan, the washing, the brewing it over and over and over again- each time the tea taking on a slightly different taste or aroma – releasing all the subtle nuances that are so often missed.

Anyway I digress (something I do often!)  I just wanted to get the ball rolling with a quick introduction to me (I am a tea freak) and to see how this Blogger stuff works.

I will mostly be posting about tea from around the world (sometimes I may get sidetracked by Chinese tea in particular ) and the cultures that surround tea. I mean come on, how small is the UK and look how big our tea culture is, imagine what it’s like in massive countries like China and India!?

So this is me and my blog and I hope you like it!                     

          

Peace out,

Gary the tea freak

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