New Years Tea

As readers of this blog know. I get a lot of questions, and I really don't focus my blog on my thoughts so much as anwering people's questions. Recently I had someone ask me about what would go well with a new year's meal. Well, since there is no traditional new year's meal, it's very hard to answer this, though I will do my best.
My recommendation is almost always drink a strong black tea in the winter time. The strong teas give you some kick and have pronounced flavours. no one wants a subtle flavour in the cold, you want to be able to taste what you're eating and drinking.
If you are, however, going with something like lobster for New Years (which is what I always do), then, despite what I just said, I would recommend a tea with a little more subtle flavours such as an Oolong or a white tea such as Pai Mu Tan. Both will have distinctive flavours, but not overpowering, so as to offer a suitable parallel to the subtle but distinctive tastes.
As with any food or drink nuance, tea has basic principles that should be followed, but as expected, there are many exceptions to every rule, as seen by my example above.



- I only write for as long as it takes to steep my tea, so that's all for now.

Cheers

Rooibos Hype

I always get people asking what Rooibos tea is and why it's more pricey. I think the problem is that there is not enough teaching on where tea comes from and what qualifies for tea. Rooibos is actually a south african term meaning 'red bush'. This tea isn't like conventional tea at all except that the preparation process is the same. Basically, from a very lay point of view, Rooibos is ground up leaves of the 'red bush'. The tea itself is actually caffeine free and is often used as a base for flavored teas. Many teas that have subtle flavors are placed with Rooibos as the flavor of the tea is weak so the subtle flavored spices/additions won't be masked. An example that we sell is Bora Bora Mango Rooibos, where the mango is not very strong in flavor and would be masked in a black or green tea, but in the rooibos it works beautifully.

- I only write for as long as it takes to steep my tea in the morning, so that's all for now.

Cheers