Teatopia

Tea Time at Teatopia . . boy oh boy! How things have changed!

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the new tea menu at one of my all time favorite places, Starbucks. This is Teatopia afterall, but these days, there isn't much tea talk around here. :-) When I started this blog, my days were filled with cooking adventures and time spent inbetween college classes in cafes curled up with a good book. I was a coffee and tea-aholic, but now, I'm mom to two and things have drastly changed around here. They are good changes I think, but I thought for old times' sake, I'd throw in a tea post.

When the lovely holiday drinks left the Starbucks menu this year, they were replaced by a fresh new line-up of tea drinks! Yippeee!

Apple chai, vanilla rooibos lattes (rooibos is doubly awesome because it's only grown in South Africa), berry tea smoothies, London fog lattes (made with Earl Grey), wowwy wow! I can't wait to try them all. Good thing I got a few Starbucks gift cards for Christmas. The holiday season left a hole in my pocket, but I'm covered with my gift cards, at least enough so I can try all the new tea drinks.

Let me know if you've tried any and which ones you liked. I personally have only had the London Fog, and it was really good. I've made them at home before, but I think there's was better. They steamed the milk and that made it really nice and smooth :-)

Z Red Tea tastes good to me!

A couple weeks back, Z Red Tea was kind enough to send me a case of their tea in various flavors to try out. Naturally, I was much obliged considering my love of tea. Before even receiving my samples, I was impressed with what I read on the webite. Rooibos is so good for you, and America is just starting to tap into the market of Rooibos and the various products containing it. South Africans have been using it for a number of ailments for years!

I was thrilled to see the case of tea sitting on my porch when I came home one afternoon. As you know, I love getting mail, and tea mail is even better! I immediately grabbed a bottle of Peach Rooibos since it's the newest offered flavor, and I live in the peach state! I loved it! And I loved all the other flavors (raspberry, lemon, and original). It's not as sweet as other bottled teas, like Snapple or Lipton, but I personally prefer it that way. It's healthier.

The rep from Z Teas informed me that Sam's Club now carries these teas, but peach is only currently available in GA (lucky me!)

Thanks Z Teas. I'll be looking to stock-up next time I'm at Sam's!

Chai and some advice

Tonight we were watching the awesome Anthony Bourdain on the travel channel. He was sipping hot chai in India, and suddenly, I had to have some. I used to make homemade chai at home (it's actually pretty easy) and I knew the stuff that comes in a packet just wouldn't do.

Here's how you make it:

combine the following ingredients:
2 cups milk (I used 2%)
3 cloves
7 cardamom pods (open them so the seeds infuse the milk)
1 cinnamon stick
3 tsps black tea (I usually use assam or sikkim)
sugar to taste

I bring it to a light boil, and then let it simmer for a bit. It smells so good when it cooks!

When it's done, pour through a strainer into a mug or teapot.

And if you could, please go here and offer some advice.

Tea Slippers

I didn't call my blog "teatopia" for nothin'! Check out my new slippers from Target! :-)

TriniTEA

I can't wait for Adagio to release this new Electric tea maker, or TriniTEA! I tend to like the traditional way of making tea-- boiling the water on the stove, pouring it over tea leaves in a cast iron tea pot or my bodum, but there is something cool and ultra-modern about this new tea machine. How do you like to make your tea?

Tea from SA

I am one happy girl! Look what Valkyrie from South Africa sent me? She even thoughtfully left them in the shopping bag so I'd know where to go when I visit. They all sound so wonderful and I'm not sure which to try first!

My joy at receiving this nice package actually gave me an idea for an international trade/swap! I sent Valkyrie some Reese's Cups, something she can't get there, and she sent me something I couldn't buy here. Wouldn't it be cool to swap things from your country and get other things in return?

That's What I Want to Be!

James's English friend Peter was talking today about the decline of the "tea lady." This is a job I had never even heard of until today. Apparently, most large corporations in Britain employ tea ladies-- lucky women whose sole mission is to provide the employees with tea. A charming article from the BBC website says that the tea lady "is adored by members of staff - she knows each of them and makes each member of staff feel they are being treated as an individual." Make tea and talk to people-- I could do that! :-)

When I went to school in England, there were people who were in charge of tea carts on trains, but this is much better! They probably know how everyone takes their tea, so it's more personal.

And tonight, I am making a tea sampler for James's friend Bill who has been kind enough to bring in different types of tea for my husband to try at work. Now how come he has more tea-loving friends than I do here???

Jumpin' Java

James had to work for a few hours today, so I decided to bring him lunch from one of my favorite spots, Jumpin' Java. It's a nice, peaceful drive from our house, only about 10 minutes, but it's all back roads and very wooded. In fact, we almost bought a house right by it. Anyway, the people who run it are Korean and they are so friendly. I got James a philly cheessteak sub, a chicken salad plate for me, some sushi to share, and most importantly some bubble tea. I had honeydew and James had strawberry. This place relly is cool. I love there sandwiches, quiche, and salads. They also have some pretty good sushi-- always fresh. And best of all, they have assorted teas and coffee, including my favorite: bubble tea!

Matcha Lattes

My friend Stef recently posted about green tea lattes on our teaswap page (you can view the post here). Yesterday, I met my mom after work for a matcha latte at Barnes and Noble. They make them from the Tazo concentrate you can buy in the carton. It was really good-- creamy, light, and fruity. My mom, who doesn't much like coffee, has found something she absolutely loves! I'm not sure if Starbucks is serving these everywhere or not, but if you can get your hands on one, do!

Christmas Friendship Tea

I made these as Christmas gifts for the women on my team at school and also for a few relatives. I tried some of the mix and the tea is really good. :-)

Click below for the recipe:

1/2 cup instant tea
2 cups Tang®
2 cups sugar
1 package instant lemonade
1-3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1-1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Mix all ingredients together and package in tightly covered containers.

To Serve: Mix 2 to 3 teaspoons of mix with a cup of boiling water. Stir well.

Sugar Shots

I usually make my own simple syrup, but I found these on adagio's website and thought maybe I'd order some sometime for iced tea. we'll still be drinking tea for another month down here in the good ol' south. It's supposed to be in the 80's this weekend!

New Teapots

can you believe that Marshalls sells cast iron teapots? I purchased the one on the left from Marshalls last week after thoroughly inspecting it. I even checked out the brand online and it's pretty decent. It holds heat well and has the strainer in it and everything. What a find!

The one on the right is the cast iron teapot James surprised me with the other day. I love my hubby. I've been wanting a smaller one for the evenings when we don't want to drink too much and he got me just that.

Wuyi Rock Tea

I just recieved a package I have been waiting for. After someone posted about Wuyi Rock tea on our teaswap website, I decided to order some peach flavor with splenda to take to work. They are so convenient-- little packets of tea liquid and all you have to do is add water! I triedit iced first since it's about 90 some degrees. It's wonderful! I suggest ordering some, and you can do that here.

An Apothecary of My Own

I am so excited! I finally have an apothecary! It's pretty much what I wanted, but not exactly what I expected. This one is not an antique, but it has the old "look." It's dark wood with characters on each drawer and it matches our living room set, which is one of the main reasons we bought it. We are not shipping it, it will be checked as cargo for the plane and I won't have to wait! :-) I'm not going to put a picture up yet because I want friends and family at home to see it in the flesh first and also because I haven't taken one yet and it's been packaged for the trip. I will, however, be posting a picture of it fully stocked with tea when we have unpacked it at home.

YIPPPEEEEEEE!

Day 4: True Teatopia

Yesterday was a wonderful day! We went to Insa-dong, a district of Seoul known for its art and tea. I had hoped to find maybe a few tea shops, but what I didn't expect was absolute Hannah heaven. There were tea shops everywhere-- down alleys, upstairs, downstairs and even on carts on the sidewalk. We found "The Old Tea House," a tea shop I found on the internet before we left. It was so quaint and beautiful. There are pictures in the slideshow. The tea was not as I had expected-- they served what seemed like herbal teas. James had iced plum, I had jujube made from honey-soaked dates, Emily had iced cinnamon punch, and James' dad had double harmony tea, made from a variety of herbs. I was expecting green tea, but these types were pleasant surprises. We mostly shopped at tea shops and looked at art. I bought two Korean tea cups, a whisk for Matcha (powdered Japanese green tea), and Jasmine tea flowers that bloom when infused.

We walked around for hours trying to find the tea museum. Most places here do not have addresses, so it's hard to find anything. We finally found the museum and after looking at all the displays, we sat down to have jasmine tea.

Next was dinner at a traditioanl Korean restaurant. I had hot and spicy noodles. After dinner we went next door to Starbucks. :-) I had a white mocha frappuccino (something we don't have in the states) and I bought a mug that says "Seoul Starbucks."

I think yesterday was especially amazing because I saw a more modern part of Seoul. Think Lost in Translation-- the highrise buildings, the lights, and the flatscreen TV's advertising everything under the sun-- that's what it looked like. I just stood there, awestruck. Thank you God for this amazing experience.

In order to view the pictures in the slideshow you need to download the latest Free flash player. You can do so by clicking on the link below (labeled "Click Here"). Once clicked, you will be taken to the Macromedia website. While there, click on the "Install Now" button. Once installed return to this site.

For the Love of Tea

Click here to find out more about it!

I have been wanting to buy some of this tea for the longest time. I've sampled it a few times in Aveda stores. We had one when I lived in Washington, D.C. and I've also been to one in Atlanta. I am thinking of ordering some. I've only tried it hot, but I bet it would be good iced too. It's so tasty it doesn't even need sugar!

Tea flowers

I have wanted some blossoming tea for a while. I started thinking about buying some again recently when I went to my friend Stef's house this past weekend. She made us some ice tea with a beautiful tea flower. When they unfold and start to spread out it's simply beautiful. Check out Adagio.com to see all the kinds you can order.