Tea Chart

Look at this! "Why tea is so very magical"

Chai Dreams

I've been in need of a good Chai tea... one creamy enough without milk and spicy enough with my palate pleaser cinnamon.  Instead of purchasing one, maybe I should go the D.I.Y. route and make my own. If I decide to do that, I'll take cues from this Cardamom Chai recipe from food52.  I love the photo too.  Where can I get that awesome tea strainer???

Ajiri Tea - Product Review

Ajiri Tea was brought to us en route from Virginia as a gift.  The packaging was cute and apparently hand made.

Inside of the box was a clear plastic bag with the tea in the foil bag. The plastic bag was sealed and loosely tied with the Ajiri Tea tag.  On the twine holding the tag were glass beads that were apparently also hand made.

 

As you can see, instead of whole or partial leaves, this was very fine or "dust" grade tea, so the little specks were a little messy to handle.  We used 1 teaspoon for an 8 oz brew.

Our cloth tea bags seemed appropriate as the fine tea particles would fall through our tea strainer. This particular tea bag also folds down and over in order to contain the tea leaves within.

The tea brewed quickly and the aroma of vanilla filled the air.  We steeped the tea for about 3 minutes.

The brewed liquid was a rich auburn color.  This was a typical black tea flavor much reminiscent of Lipton, but slightly more full-bodied.  The directions on the box called for steeping the tea in warm milk, so this would make a great milk tea.  

A bottle of Bulleit Rye Whisky was nearby.  Notice a similarity? :-D

Tea Cafe Review - Samovar (San Francisco - Yerba Buena location)

We were excited to try Samovar when visiting San Francisco in April.  The Yerba Buena Gardens location was convenient for us as we were shopping in downtown.

Photo: Interior

Photo: Menu with engraved metal cover

Photo: Menu on tea descriptions page. I got the Bai Hao (Taiwan) Oolong Tea

Photo: Ice water in metal tumblers, tea tasting set with my Oolong tea in the covered server, and hot water in the cast iron teapot. The iced tea is the Schizandra Berry "chilled" tea, which was very tart and indeed tasted like an "elixir" as mentioned in the menu descriptions

Photo: first brew of Bai Hao (Taiwan) Oolong Tea & brewed tea leaves. I enjoyed at least 5 brews of these tea leaves.  The tea tasting set was a nice touch, but would splatter and spill on the tray and table.

Photo: Platter of Tea Sweets.  $17 was steep (unintentional pun worked in to the post, yay!), but we enjoyed the sampler of the sweets.  

When we first arrived we were confused as we were not greeted promptly.  Our server was attentive during the first half of the visit and refilled my teapot with water several times.  It seemed as if we visited during a staff shift change as there was lots of exchange between staff.  Also, an employee lingered at the tea bar on a lunch break when we first arrived (see photo 1).  

This location seemed popular, but not too packed and had a sunny & tranquil patio seating.  However, we opted for indoors as it was very windy this Spring day. Otherwise, patio seating would be ideal.

Overall, we were pleased with our experience as we were out-of-towners looking for an indulgent afternoon tea.  However, the pricey food and drink would deter from frequent visits.  The service and atmosphere were comparable to Chado Tea in Los Angeles, which is where we're based.  

Product Review - The Earl Grey chocolate (Meiji)

We purchased these chocolates in a Japanese Outlet store in San Francisco.

We love the packaging in aesthetics and functionality of the cigarette-inspired flip-top box.  Each of the 6 chocolate sticks is individually wrapped in a protective foil package.

Like most Japanese made chocolates, the consistency was smooth and creamy, but did not have much of a cacao flavor.  In fact, this chocolate tastes more like a white chocolate, especially since the predominant taste is Lavender, which was soothing, but a little too floral.  Tea was an afterthought on the palate.

The beverage pairing would be best with something strong like coffee as there is a lack of body behind the chocolates.  Overall, the Earl Grey chocolates did not make a lasting impression, so we'll save our calorie & fat intake for a better tasting snack.

Tea Tasting - Darjeeling Green (from Chado Tea)

First of all, thanks for finding us and reading.  We're looking forward to sharing our experiences with this virtual Tea Cafe blog.

The first time we came across Chado Tea, we were enjoying a day off by taking the Metro Gold Line from South Pasadena to Little Tokyo.  Chado is right across the street from the Japantown stop in the same building that houses The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA.


We were intrigued by the look and feel of the space.  The employees seemed very customer service oriented and knowledgeable about the product.  We didn't purchase anything at the time, but the first impression intrigued us.  Our opportunity to patronize this establishment came when we redeemed a Groupon offer for an Afternoon Tea for two earlier this year. Included in the offer was bulk tea to take home. One of the varieties I decided to try at home was the Special Darjeeling Green Tea exclusively available at Chado Tea.

According to the website, the tea is described as: "A superb Darjeeling green and also rare to find in this quality. Specially manufactured for us this tea is a very refreshing green tea with a subtle and sweet taste. A rare find."

We found that this description was true to the tea (pun intended) and found the flavor profile pleasing and mild. It is versatile to pair with foods, especially with slightly sweet snacks or desserts. However, the gentle Darjeeling was great to enjoy on its own. It tasted akin to a lightly oxidized Oolong Tea.

We enjoyed multiple brews of steeping the tea leaves. The flavor of the tea maintained its stamina as high quality teas should. Highly recommended if you feel the need to indulge every once in a while.

 -Vivian808