There’s something about the cooler months that seem to make spices smell more fragrant. At least to me. Here in Seattle the winter air is crisp and clean. While standing at a street corner waiting for the light to change I catch a whiff of the chai tea I cup in my cold hands. Cardamom, cinnamon, cloves all find their way up to tickle my nose with their sweet aroma. Mmmmm…

I was fortunate to recently be the recipient of a little baggie of chai tea spices made by the Indian mother of a friend of a friend. I wanted the recipe but because this woman was too many degrees away from me I didn’t want to be a bother by asking. So I asked my friend Kailash, who also kindly told me how they brew it in India. Whether I can do it properly is another thing, but I certainly will try as I’m sure it’s loads better than my mass-produced teabag version.

Chai Tea

7 cups water
1 tbsp fennel seeds
6 green cardamom pods
12 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
2 tbsp loose leaf Orange Pekoe tea
6 plus tsp sugar
1 cup of milk (you may substitute soymilk)

With a mortar and pestle, slightly grind spices; just enough to pop them open to release their flavor and fragrance.

Add six teaspoons of sugar to the spices, combine with water and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer, then bring to a boil again. Reduce heat once more, then simmer until the mixture becomes saffron colored.

Add tea leaves to the water and bring to a boil again. Lower and reduce twice as you did in the first step. Add milk and bring to a boil again.

Strain into cups and serve. Add more sugar to taste if necessary.

Makes about 8 cups.

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Categories:	Beverages	7 Comments
Tags:	Beverages • cardamom • chai • chai tea • cinnamon • cloves • fennel seed • foodista • India • Indian tea • spices • Tea

I love tea. Actually, I think I prefer it to coffee, but don’t tell my fellow Seattleites that or I’ll be hung from the nearest Starbuck’s. I used to be able to find my favorite teas from Murchie’s at The Crumpet Shop in Pike Place Market, but last time I checked they no longer carried it.

Murchie’s Tea & Coffee has been in operation in British Columbia since 1894. Their goal is “focused on procuring only the highest grades of Fairly Traded teas and coffees obtained from the finest tea gardens and coffee farms.” Their coffees are roasted on site at their plant in Richmond, BC, where their teas and spices are also blended and packaged. According to Murchie’s, their “philosophy is grounded in purchasing their products only from growers that contribute to requisite wages, schools and medical facilities for their workers.” To me, that alone makes the tea sweet.

Barnaby likes their fruit blended teas; my two favorites are Earl Grey and their famous Empress Afternoon Blend, their exclusive blend served at Afternoon Tea (until 2001) at the Empress Hotel, a stone’s throw from their Victoria store.

You can purchase their products online, but it’s much more fun to go to their store in Victoria where you can buy 12-bag sample boxes of tea for about $5 Canadian.

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Categories:	Beverages • Travel	1 Comment
Tags:	afternoon tea • Beverages • Canada • Coffee • earl grey • Empress Hotel • foodista • Murchi's • Tea

I love Mighty Leaf Tea, which is why I was excited to get a message earlier today that they are “following” us on Twitter! If you aren’t familiar with Twitter, it is a service that continues to grow and grow, despite the fact that so many people I know say “I don’t get it.” TechCrunch, recently had an interesting article on why they think Twitter has been so successful: http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/08/10/why-twitter-hasnt-failed-the-power-of-audience/

It’s also been interesting to see how many people in the food world have taken to “tweeting” about what they are cooking, eating, drinking, etc. One inventive person is even writing recipes via Twitter, which limits posts to 140 characters: http://twitter.com/cookbook

Check us out there, http://twitter.com/foodista, who’s following us and who we are following, you will find some really interesting folks. Oh..and don’t be shy, go ahead and follow us!

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Categories:	Beverages	11 Comments
Tags:	Tea • Technology

Centuries ago, along the trade route known as the Silk Road, merchants from remote and mysterious ports such as Turkey, India, and China, traded exotic silks and priceless spices for jewels and gold. One of the most coveted items was tea.

Like wine, tea reflects the region where it was grown. It can be mild and delicate or strong and pervasive. Blending tea is an art that ensures the integrity and harmony of the plant is enhanced by the ingredients with which it is paired. In some cases, botanicals from around the world are carefully selected and cured, then blended with tea to create a superior tea experience.

One of my favorite teas is a small globe of green tea leaves hand-tied around an amaranth flower. When steeped in water you watch as the flower opens and blooms, revealing a beautiful pink blossom. The blossom symbolizes happiness and everlasting love.

I imagine that long ago this tea would have fetched a pretty penny along the Silk Road.

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Categories:	Asian • Beverages	1 Comment
Tags:	beverage • Food • foodista • green tea • silk road • Tea

It’s spring and I woke up with a sore throat. You shouldn’t be able to get sick in warm months. That’s what winter is for. We suffer the cold weather and the spreading of germs, then the sun comes out and we get a reprieve from carrying tissues and sucking on lozenges. Wouldn’t it be nice if nature worked that way?

But alas, it doesn’t, because the sun is out and I am in. With a sore throat. Sipping tea like it’s the dead of winter.

If you happen to get the same little bug here’s what will fix you right up: citron honey tea.

Also called yuja-cha in Korean, citron honey tea is a marmalade-like tea, made from the citron fruit. Citron, also called yuzu, is a lemon-like fruit that is wonderfully fragrant and packed full of vitamin C.

Stir in a heaping spoonful or two into a mug of hot water and serve with a spoon. You’ll want to scoop up the bits of sweet rind that remain in your cup.

Even if you’re not under the weather it makes a delicious treat. Try mixing it with ice water for a refreshing drink, stir into plain yogurt or spread on toast as you would marmalade.

You can find citron honey tea in asian markets or even order it online from Stash Tea.

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Categories:	Asian • Beverages • Fruit • Uncategorized	1 Comment
Tags:	Asian • Beverages • citron • drinks • foodista • korean tea • Tea • yuzu

No, that’s not vinegar you’re drinking, it’s kombucha. If you’ve never heard of kombucha it’s a tea that has been fermented from what’s known as a “kombucha colony.” Now, here’s the not-so-appealing part: a kombucha colony is a solid mass of microorganisms, primarily acidic bacteria and yeast cultures. It looks not unlike what you might skim off the top of a skanky pond. Mmm, tasty. Basically it’s fungus tea.

But I have to say, I love it. It’s effervescent, a bit on the sour side, and quite tasty. It’s often mixed with other flavors such as fruit juices (like mango and raspberry), is low in calories, and gives you a nice energy boost from the bit of caffeine. It’s also reportedly good for your digestive system and aids in liver detoxification. Great for when you’ve had a bit too much the night before.

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Categories:	Beverages	1 Comment
Tags:	Beverages • drinks • Food • foodista • kombucha • Tea

Prior to my move from Japan back to the U.S. there were a few necessities that I felt I could just not leave without. Quintessential Japanese items:

A string of pearls (every girl needs a good set of pearls, right?)
A kimono (a casual summer one, but beautiful nonetheless, complete with obi and geta)
A few nice sets of hashi (chopsticks) to go with the rest of my Japanese tableware
My antique kotatsu
and finally,
A good tetsubin

Tetsubin are traditional cast iron teapots. The craft of cast iron, known as nambu-tekki, has been in practice in the northern prefecture of Iwate for over 400 years. There are 64 to 68 steps in the traditional production process of cast iron. Many of these steps are still done by hand and are strictly monitored by a master craftsman known as a kamashi. A minimum of 15 years is required to become a nambu-tekki craftsman, and 30-40 years to become a kamashi. That’s some serious cast iron skill!

I wanted an authentic artisan-crafted teapot, one that had passed the discerning gaze of a kamashi, so I hopped on the next shinkansen (bullet train) and headed north. I walked from factory to factory; it was the search for my Holy Grail of teapots. Amongst the various sizes, shapes and designs I found my beauty. My Zen-like simple, unadorned teapot.

I rode the slow train home, enjoying the mountainous views, with my little cast iron teapot resting heavily on my lap.

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Categories:	Japanese • kitchen equipment	3 Comments
Tags:	cast iron • foodista • Iwate • Japan • nambu-tekki • Tea • teapot • tetsubin

Every now and then Barnaby and I pop up to Victoria, British Columbia. One summer we sailed our boat, Miss Eulie, across the Straight of Juan de Fuca (hello, Dramamine) and moored in front of the Fairmont Empress Hotel (formerly The Empress Hotel). The Parliament building, which is located catty-corner from the hotel, is beautifully lit up at night with tiny white lights.

One of our favorite things to do while we’re in Victoria is to enjoy a leisurely Afternoon Tea at the Hotel. I must digress for a moment and give praise to our waiter who gave us unparalleled service. Barnaby is left-handed, and we hadn’t been sitting for more than two minutes before our exceptionally observant waiter silently switched all his glassware and teacup to the left side. Never have we experienced that. Brilliant.

You feel like English royalty as you sip the Hotel’s secret blend of tea while sitting in their elegant Tea Lobby. Although the foods are diminutive, they are served in glorious abundance, so make sure you are plenty hungry before you go.

Unfortunately, it’s not every day that we get to enjoy such pleasures as the Empress’s Afternoon Tea, so I like to create my own mini-version at home and serve with a hot pot of Earl Grey Tea. There are a plethora of tea sandwich recipes, but I like the traditional, egg, cucumber and salmon ones.

I use either white or a soft whole bread with the crusts cut off. I cut the sandwiches in squares, triangles or rounds. I never follow a particular recipe, but instead just whip up simple sammies of whatever I happen to have in my fridge. I also like to keep it fairly light so I don’t use butter for all sandwiches. I do, however, butter the bread for the cucumber ones to prevent the sandwiches from becoming soggy.

Smoked Salmon & Dill Mascarpone

Chop fresh dill and mix a healthy amount with the mascarpone. If you don’t have mascarpone, sour cream will work. It just won’t be as creamy.
Spread the mixture onto one side of two pieces of crust-less bread, add a layer of smoked salmon, place the other piece of bread on top and cut either at an angle or in quarters.

Cucumber Mint Tea Sandwiches. Instead of mint basil or watercress is also delicious.

Traditional Egg Salad really is a no-brainer, which is why I love to make it. This recipe calls for dill, but I often use red or green onion instead for color.

Enjoy your tea!

Here’s a wonderful recipe from 101 Cookbooks for Egg Salad.

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Categories:	Uncategorized	3 Comments
Tags:	afternoon tea • British Columbia • Canada • cucumber • egg • egg salad • Empress Hotel • Food • foodista • recipe • recipes • salmon • sammies • sandwich • sandwiches • sannies • smoked salmon • Tea • tea sandwich • Victoria

I love tea. A nice cup is a fine way to start the day. Or end it.

It’s perfect when you…

have just come in from the cold and need to shake off the shivers,
are far from home and don’t want to be,
want to enjoy a long chat with your dearest friends,
feel under the weather,
snuggle under a blanket with your love and pop in a movie,
need a hug from your mom and she’s not around

Right now I’m fighting some feisty little virus so I made a cup of vitamin-C rich Red Zinger, swaddled myself in a warm blanket and am comfortably snuggled with my cat, Sofie, in the crook of my arm. That’s penicillin right there.

For some very interesting reading on all things tea (and written by someone who isn’t sick in bed) check out the Tea Blog by Gary Gause, founder of Dragonwater Tea.

I’d love to know what you think. Click the Comments link below and share your thoughts.

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Categories:	Beverages	2 Comments
Tags:	Tea