Tea Room

30/03/2022

29/03/2022

What is dark tea?
Though dark tea can refer to any tea type that undergoes a “post fermentation” process (like puer tea), we are associating it here with the pile-fermented tea from Hunan province. Hunan dark tea has a long history going back to the trading routes of the ancient tea horse road/silk road. Similar to shu puer, this added step of pile fermentation uses finished tea leaves that are heaped up into piles, wetted, and covered. The applied heat and moisture are carefully monitored and used to facilitate beneficial bacterial growth in the process. After fermentation, Hunan dark teas are finished off by pine fire drying and then typically compressed into bricks, logs, coins, and other shapes. These teas (like puer teas) will age well and change in profile over the course of years.
Hunan dark teas tend to have a mildly sweet, pine/hay-like flavor without any heavy smokiness (like smoked lapsang souchong) that you may expect from the description above. Like puer, it is often made gongfu style to yield many steepings, but it’s versatile enough to cooperate with your favorite tea steeping method.

28/03/2022

What is chai tea?
Masala chai (or more casually shortened to “chai” in America) is the traditional drink of India and defined as a blend of black tea, milk, sugar, and spices. There is no exact recipe for how to make this, but all include those four ingredients. The word “Masala” means “blend of spices” and the ones most commonly used are ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, and clove (though there are many others that might be included). In its most traditional form, the black tea, sugar, and spices are boiled in water. Then milk is added, boiled again, strained and served.

25/03/2022

Does tea contain caffeine?
Yes, because all tea comes from the Camellia sinensis plant, it all contains (roughly) the same amount of caffeine. The biggest determining factors of how much caffeine will be in your cup is how much leaf you use, how hot you steep it, and how long you steep it.
“Herbal teas” are not from the Camellia sinensis plant and because of this the vast majority of them are caffeine free. These include chamomile, rooibos, ginger, hibiscus, fruit tisanes, and other non-camellia sinensis beverages that are steeped similar to tea.

21/03/2022

What is a Breakfast Tea?
To be clear, you can drink any tea you want at breakfast (there are no rules to this), but most teas labeled “Breakfast Tea/Blend” are black teas of small particle size that steep up quick, strong, deliver lots of caffeine, and can take cream and sugar without turning into watered down skim milk. It’s like your morning coffee if you don’t like coffee. These blends often feature teas from the Assam region of India, Ceylon teas (Sri Lanka) and African teas since they tend to have brisk, earthy characteristics. The small particle size will make sure the cup steeps up strong and full-bodied quickly and deliver as much of its caffeine into the cup as possible.

20/03/2022

Chai Tea
Perfect for cold nights, this masala chai tea recipe incorporates spices that make it so delicious, you'll want to drink it every day. —Kelly Pacowta, Danbury, Connecticut

17/03/2022

Tropical Tea
Brew a batch of this fragrant, flavorful tea in a slow cooker for your next family gathering. —Irene Helen Zundel, Carmichaels, Pennsylvania