Instead of worrying about keeping your tea hot while you’re outdoors though, what about letting it get cold? You might notice different, more subtle flavor notes as your tea cools,  and if you like what you taste, you may even wish to try your tea iced. Now is the perfect time to introduce yourself to this treat, with the weather getting warmer in the Northern hemisphere.

Iced tea is becoming more and more popular, and some companies sell it pre-bottled. But if you are a true lover of tea (and I suspect you are), it’s quite easy to make your own. Yours will also undoubtedly taste much fresher, and lack the unnecessisary sweeteners that are added to pre-bottled brews. Simply steep your tea as your normally would, then chill it either by popping it in the icebox for a bit, adding ice, or letting it sit until it reaches room temperature. Spoons made of ice would be a fun way to stir your beverage,  but be careful not to let your tea get watered-down!

Jasmine tea is particularly delicious when cold, and you’ll notice all sorts of light nectary flavors emerge when they’re not masked by heat.  Try using this Japanese iced tea pitcher when making your iced tea with loose leaves. Simply steep the tea, remove the diffuser, and refrigerate.

Part 1: Picking the tea

Part 2: Heat-Treating the Leaves

Part three: Rolling and Drying

Part Four: Final Processing and Sifting

Matt will take you to Korea and show you, step by step, the process by which tea comes to your cup from the bush. Click on the links to read his commentary and see his lovely photographs documenting the process of making green tea the traditional Korean way.

The idea was born in the facebook group, “A cup of tea solves everything”  and participating members will pause at 4pm on June 28th to relax with a cup of their favorite tea.

At first, only London tea-drinkers planned to engage in the time-stopping event,  but as tea-lovers everywhere popped up, the idea grew to include world-wide teaophiles. If everyone has a cup of tea at around 4pm (in their own time zone), it may just be the world’s longest tea party yet!

The Tea Council of the USA is hosting a scholarship competition all about tea. The scholarship at stake? $20,000 USD.

Each entrant must create a 1-2 minute video focusing on a unique or creative way to drink tea (real tea, not herbal). It must also mention one health benefit of sipping an afternoon (or morning, or evening) brew. Sorry, but entrants must be citizens of the USA or Puerto Rico and be at least 16 years old.

The deadline is August 6th, 2008, so get those ideas (and film) rolling!

Even if you don’t live in the USA or don’t need a scholarship, it will be fun to see what sorts of videos these kids make. I’ll be keeping an eye on the gallery page so I can watch the videos as they’re posted!

Last year’s video is kind of funny, but I’m honestly not TERRIBLY impressed… it sounds like a pretty cheesy advertisement. I’m sure you can do much better!

(Tippy Leaf is not responsible for any of the health claims made in the above video. Seriously.)

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You’ll find tons of information about different kinds of tea, different countries’ teaware, and tea culture. There’s also a tea on the net section which includes a full list of tea blogs if you’re looking for more places to read about your favorite beverage!

One funny page to check out is the Tealolz page… it’ll have you in stitches!

Go take a look, and if you become a contributor, please make sure to add your favorite tippyleaf articles to the databasse!

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By 2010, thanks to the efforts of the Darjeeling Tea Association (DTA), most Darjeeling gardeners will be able to answer, “Organically!”

Currently, there are 87 tea gardens which grow Darjeeling tea. For each one to make the switch to organic gardening styles, it takes about three years, during which time the tea production decreases (up to half of normal production).

For teas to be grown organically, not only are chemical fertilizers and pest control substances restricted, but some “natural” controls are as well. For example, organic gardens may not use tobacco juice to control pests.

This is a huge undertaking, but soon, you’ll be able to sip a cup of the freshest of fresh Darjeeling tees, with the knowledge that there is nothing but tea in your cup.

From the Metaphor Contemporary Art website:

Homer’s paintings make one feel that they are out walking through a wonderfully disheveled backyard garden in the company of a visionary naturalist, one able to spot unique fauna flitting amongst the tangled flora. Homer’s birds once again stand in her work as symbols of vivid life engaged in behaviors every bit as mysterious as our own. In a group of smaller works the birds have somehow made their way inside and refresh themselves at tea. In these playful works the birds are painted more or less life size and seem delighted with their transgressions.

Somehow, I thought the birds were still outside, and that Susan Homer was enjoying her tea outdoors while happily painting. Wouldn’t that be divine, to be painting and sipping a cup of tea, when a little robbin or sparrow comes to visit?

See the rest of Susan Homer’s exhibition at Metaphor.

What makes it so special?
Green tea is a light, refreshing beverage that is wonderful for quenching your thirst. But more than that, green tea also provides vitamins C and E, calcium, and iron, as well as beta carotene. It is also quite low in caffeine, which makes it ideal for afternoon or evening tea.

What kinds of green tea are there?
Bancha tea is a popular everyday tea in Japan.

Genmaicha is basically bancha combined with toasted brown rice. Some of the rice pops similarly to popcorn during the toasting process, and this adds a nutty flavour to the tea.

Gunpowder tea is made by tightly rolling the leaves into “pearls” or little balls. This tea originated in the ZheJiang province of China, and was ideal for carrying on long journeys from China to Europe. The flavor of this tea is somewhat dry, and very refreshing.

There are many other types of green teas available, and each one is unique!

What does green tea taste like?
Green tea tends to have a subtle flavor that is slightly woodsy or toasted. However, different green teas will each have a unique flavour, depending on the growing region’s climate and soil, the weather, time of harvesting, and processing methods.

So, how do I brew it properly?
In order to avoid bitter taste, green tea has a relatively short brewing time. Use one teaspoon of loose leaves for each cup you plan to brew. Heat water to boiling, then let it cool for a few minutes (until it measures 82-88 degrees Celsius) before pouring over your tea in the teapot. Brew for 1-2 minutes, then pour and enjoy.

Lower quality green teas may require longer steeping, but high-quality teas only steep for a short time, and the leaves may be reused for a second or third cup.
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You should certainly read it in its entirety, as it is quite eloquently written, but if you are pressed for time, here is a summary of his “golden rules.”

1. Use only Indian or Ceylonese tea.
2. Tea should only be made in small quantities, never en masse, always in a teapot of earthenware or china.
3. The teapot should be pre-warmed.
4. Tea should be strong. (“one strong cup of tea is better than twenty weak ones.”)
5. Only loose tea should be used, and not confined to any bags, strainers, or other mechanisms. Straight into the pot!
6. Take the teapot to the kettle, not vice versa. The water should be at a rolling boil at the point of impact.
7. After brewing, always stir or shake the pot.
8. Drink out of a cyllindrical cup. It holds more and keeps tea hot longer.
9. Use milk that is not too creamy.
10. Pour tea into your cup first, followed by milk. Never the other way around.
11. Never add sugar. Ever.

“On Sundays, Orwell liked very rare roast beef, and Yorkshire pudding dripping with gravy, and good Yarmouth kippers at high tea. (p.501) . . . He liked his tea, as well as his tobacco, strong, sometimes putting twelve spoonfuls into a huge brown teapot requiring both hands to lift.”

-George Orwell: A Life, Bernard Crick, p.502

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Cup of Brown Joy
Lyrics (as best as I can discern… if you have corrections, please comment, and I’ll edit the post):

Love a cup…. I would… ah, God yes!
Ooh that is gorgeous. Yeah!

I need a cup of the brown stuff, the shade of an acorn.
Made warm by the same source that I take my cakes from.
Using a tea pot, a mug, or fine china…
Being hooked up to IVs, and constant supplies.

…and the ___ of my urges might verge on the verge of an earthy brown tea.
I’m certain it’s worth it.

We ___ to workers and use a fresh fountain,
I deserve brews from Peruvian mountains.
I’ve slurped up a cup from an elephant’s trunk
with a couple of monks who utterly stunk.

I’ve had bourbons with sultans and creams with queens,
and I’ve bathed in Earl Grey. I’m really that keen!
And missionaries dismiss me for my singular epiphany.
The difference between him and me is a simple sip of British tea!

So when times are hard and life is rough,
You can stick the kettle on and find me a cup!

Now when I say Earl Grey, you say yes please!
Earl Grey — yes please!
Earl Grey — yes please!

When I say Assam, you say lovely!
Assam — lovely!
Assam — lovely!

When I say ooh, you say ahh!
Ooh — ahh!
Ooh — ahh!
Ooh — ahhhhhh!
(muttering?)

I’ve been around the world in 80 brews
to see the place you take me to
to make the brew that tastes like the cream cakes made by angels do.

I’m not the same as you; get shaky with ___.
To swig amazing fluids, but don’t make it the same.
Now, using fine leaves, picked by pretty maidens,
in a bag knitted by a seamstress who lives in Copenhagen.

Brewed up in a pot made of semi-precious metal
And then let the bless-ed contents settle in my very special kettle.

Now, when I say Oo, you say long.
Oo–long!
Oo–long!

When I say herbal, you say no thanks.
Herbal — no thanks!
Herbal — no thanks!

Mmm….no! No, I want.. I want milk in it.
Strong though! I want to see that spoon stand up!

If you’re tired of tea, then you’re tired of life!
Ah-ha! I’m madder than a hatter. It defies my might!
Liken me to Earl Grey, Assam, or Ginger
Lapsang Soushong raise my pinky finger.

Keep your sodding coffee in a proper copper coffee pot.

…. and spot me loving teapot
coffee clocks, nodding off
lost a plot, sodding off
Need some caffeine added and a Batternburg to top it off.

Cut them off a different block. A different lot can take their pay on
80 cups a day, I haven’t slept for 80 years!
You can say I’m mad with tea, or, or just say I’m mad.
Oh, you can’t stay any longer? Oh..
Actually, I’m I’m quite glad.
All the more Battenburg for me!
I can barely pour, my hands have got a bit shaky from caffeine.
Oh, I love it though.
I’d sell my own grandma for a cup.
Well, I’d sell your grandma for a cup…

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