Wanting a herbal tea sampler I headed over to David's Tea, but ended up with White Tiger instead. This is a wonderful white peony tea that is flavoured with blueberries and pomegranate to give you "a powerful blast of antioxidants," as the David's Tea List suggests. It's also one of the prettiest teas I have seen with it's mixture of green leaves and little blue flowers; there are even dried blueberries in the mixture. The taste is rich and pleasant so that you don't need to add in any sugar, unless you've scalded the tea leaves with too hot hot water (which I did do yesterday :-S)
My mother is definitely an enabler of my sweet tooth. One of her favourite places to do groceries is Adonis on Sources, and what did she come back with? A nice bag of Biscotti Thins that are quite addictive, even says so on the package. These are like biscotti chips and are made with almonds and dried cranberries and are just so yummy. Just ate a bowlful along with a cup of White Tiger and I can say that the combination is a good one! A very very very good one!
Next blog will be about Twiggs and Frogs!
Monday, June 7, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
This is dedicated to my sweet tooth
Been a while since I've posted something, so I thought I'd share my newest discovery: La Patisserie Harmony, located in the Guy-Concordia metro next to the new tunnel that leads to the LB and Hall buildings.
I have no idea if they sell tea, because I was distracted by all the goodies that lined the store, and the wonderful smell of these same goodies. They have both sweet and salty buns of all sorts, green tea cookies and other things that I don't know quite how to describe at the moment.
I tried a blueberry danish, which looked more like a giant sweetbread, stuffed with a blueberry ganache. It also had a circle of something salty on the top. I also tried a Taro ball, which I am told is a type of sweet potato. All's I know is that it was a pretty purple and white cookie-like thing that tasted really nice.
It is well worth a stop-over to Guy-Concordia, I will definitely be trying more of their goodies. Do note, however, that there is no seating in the bakery.
I have no idea if they sell tea, because I was distracted by all the goodies that lined the store, and the wonderful smell of these same goodies. They have both sweet and salty buns of all sorts, green tea cookies and other things that I don't know quite how to describe at the moment.
I tried a blueberry danish, which looked more like a giant sweetbread, stuffed with a blueberry ganache. It also had a circle of something salty on the top. I also tried a Taro ball, which I am told is a type of sweet potato. All's I know is that it was a pretty purple and white cookie-like thing that tasted really nice.
It is well worth a stop-over to Guy-Concordia, I will definitely be trying more of their goodies. Do note, however, that there is no seating in the bakery.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Sweeteners
In the last couple of weeks I have been experimenting with different types of sweeteners for my teas, and I thought I would share some of my discoveries on my blog.
The first I would like to talk about is blue agave syrup. I tried this a few months ago at Téh Bar, which is what I recommend doing if you would like to try also since the product is not so easy to find and comes in a huge quantity. An interesting fact about the agave is that it is the same plant that gives us tequila, but the syrup comes from the aloe like leaves, whereas the tequila comes from the roots which is fertilized by warms.
My first observation about blue agave syrup is that it doesn't have the same taste effect as white sugar or cane sugar crystals, which have a sweet aftertaste. The agave syrup has a slightly malty aftertaste. For my own taste, I'm not sure if I liked it or not. Perhaps I needed a little more syrup.
Following the syrup trend, the next product I tried in my English Breakfast is the divine maple syrup, which researchers are now saying is an excellent antioxidant and may potentially have anti-cancer properties.
Again, the maple syrup has more of a malty aftertaste, but this one a little more woodsy, hence maplely, than the agave. I ended up putting a small teaspoon of sugar in my tea to give me the sweetness I desired/craved.
The other night, I followed some friends for dinner at this wonderful little vegetarian restaurant called Fuchsia on Duluth. First, I want to mention their wonderful rose and cinnamon tea, which required no additional sweetener at all. If in that area of town, do check it out; they have shelves full of spice rubs and fragranced cane sugars and teas that are quite delightful. The food is also amazing, but I believe you need to make a reservation to eat there as space is limited.
At Fuchsia I purchased a small bag of lavender cane sugar. I tried it first in a cup of Twinning White Tea, and it added the right flowery taste to this somewhat bitter tea (less bitter than straight green tea). I then tried it in my English Breakfast, but it didn't please me. I do highly recommend that you try this type of fragranced cane sugar in white or green teas, but not in black teas. Perhaps rose tea or cinnamon would be an interesting option to try next.
My favourite sweetener of all time is pure cane sugar, preferably small crystals like the Organic brand they sell at Loblaws. It provides the ideal sweet and malty aftertaste that goes well with black teas, and I much prefer it over white sugar. Lately we have been out of cane sugar and I haven't had a chance to buy any cane sugar, so I've had to make due with the white processed stuff, and I can tell you that is has very much affected my energy levels.
To sum up, my recommended sweetener is cane sugar. And for your own health, please avoid the highly processed and chemical aspartame; it is thought to be a factor in auto-immune diseases and many other illnesses.
The first I would like to talk about is blue agave syrup. I tried this a few months ago at Téh Bar, which is what I recommend doing if you would like to try also since the product is not so easy to find and comes in a huge quantity. An interesting fact about the agave is that it is the same plant that gives us tequila, but the syrup comes from the aloe like leaves, whereas the tequila comes from the roots which is fertilized by warms.
My first observation about blue agave syrup is that it doesn't have the same taste effect as white sugar or cane sugar crystals, which have a sweet aftertaste. The agave syrup has a slightly malty aftertaste. For my own taste, I'm not sure if I liked it or not. Perhaps I needed a little more syrup.
Following the syrup trend, the next product I tried in my English Breakfast is the divine maple syrup, which researchers are now saying is an excellent antioxidant and may potentially have anti-cancer properties.
Again, the maple syrup has more of a malty aftertaste, but this one a little more woodsy, hence maplely, than the agave. I ended up putting a small teaspoon of sugar in my tea to give me the sweetness I desired/craved.
The other night, I followed some friends for dinner at this wonderful little vegetarian restaurant called Fuchsia on Duluth. First, I want to mention their wonderful rose and cinnamon tea, which required no additional sweetener at all. If in that area of town, do check it out; they have shelves full of spice rubs and fragranced cane sugars and teas that are quite delightful. The food is also amazing, but I believe you need to make a reservation to eat there as space is limited.
At Fuchsia I purchased a small bag of lavender cane sugar. I tried it first in a cup of Twinning White Tea, and it added the right flowery taste to this somewhat bitter tea (less bitter than straight green tea). I then tried it in my English Breakfast, but it didn't please me. I do highly recommend that you try this type of fragranced cane sugar in white or green teas, but not in black teas. Perhaps rose tea or cinnamon would be an interesting option to try next.
My favourite sweetener of all time is pure cane sugar, preferably small crystals like the Organic brand they sell at Loblaws. It provides the ideal sweet and malty aftertaste that goes well with black teas, and I much prefer it over white sugar. Lately we have been out of cane sugar and I haven't had a chance to buy any cane sugar, so I've had to make due with the white processed stuff, and I can tell you that is has very much affected my energy levels.
To sum up, my recommended sweetener is cane sugar. And for your own health, please avoid the highly processed and chemical aspartame; it is thought to be a factor in auto-immune diseases and many other illnesses.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Loose Leaf vs Tea Bag
A good quality tea bag is preferred to a cheap loose leaf - always!
Some of my favourite tea that is sold in sachets (or bags) are Twinning, Organics brand available at Pharmaprix (Shopper's Drug Mart) and Mighty Leaf. Most recently I discovered that the Marche de l'Ouest has a shop, I believe it's called Cavallero, which sells a nice selection of inexpensive to "wow that's expensive" teas. For example, they have Mighty Leaf and Numi brands.
My newest find comes from this store: Taylors of Harrogate English Breakfast tea made my little taste buds revel and ah! It's a tea bag format, full-bodied black tea.
As for loose leaf, my favourite place to get it used to be Sipps in Kingston, On, but since I've moved back to Montreal, the 3 hour trip seems a bit excessive. If ever in K-town, do stop by this lovely little shop which is right to the east side of the town hall and square (and farmers' market!) They serve you a little pot and their desserts are sinful!
But luckily for me, David's Tea (http://www.davidstea.com/) has been expanding and opened a store in Fairview mall. Hurray! Their David's Organic breakfast is really nice, as is their English Breakfast, but not as good as the Taylors. David's has a few other locations around Montreal.
Another really awesome store is Un Amour des Thes (http://www.amourdesthes.com/). The one I went to is on Monkland. It's a bit more expensive than David's, but their Enlish B is fantastic. It's also quite a beautiful store full of great tea pots.
To avoid: The Tea Store, which, luckily for Montrealers, we don't have here. Tea should never, ever, ever, ever be stored in clear glass containers exposed to light. You want weak tea, then go there. Otherwise go to the grocery store and buy a box of Twinning.
A note on Twinning loose leaf: I hate it. They use the same processed leaves as for the bags, so they end up being too small and you end up swallowing a mouthful of grainy leaves - yuck.
A nice loose leaf should 1) be a nice full leaf and 2)have a greenich tint rather than a brown or black one.
Some of my favourite tea that is sold in sachets (or bags) are Twinning, Organics brand available at Pharmaprix (Shopper's Drug Mart) and Mighty Leaf. Most recently I discovered that the Marche de l'Ouest has a shop, I believe it's called Cavallero, which sells a nice selection of inexpensive to "wow that's expensive" teas. For example, they have Mighty Leaf and Numi brands.
My newest find comes from this store: Taylors of Harrogate English Breakfast tea made my little taste buds revel and ah! It's a tea bag format, full-bodied black tea.
As for loose leaf, my favourite place to get it used to be Sipps in Kingston, On, but since I've moved back to Montreal, the 3 hour trip seems a bit excessive. If ever in K-town, do stop by this lovely little shop which is right to the east side of the town hall and square (and farmers' market!) They serve you a little pot and their desserts are sinful!
But luckily for me, David's Tea (http://www.davidstea.com/) has been expanding and opened a store in Fairview mall. Hurray! Their David's Organic breakfast is really nice, as is their English Breakfast, but not as good as the Taylors. David's has a few other locations around Montreal.
Another really awesome store is Un Amour des Thes (http://www.amourdesthes.com/). The one I went to is on Monkland. It's a bit more expensive than David's, but their Enlish B is fantastic. It's also quite a beautiful store full of great tea pots.
To avoid: The Tea Store, which, luckily for Montrealers, we don't have here. Tea should never, ever, ever, ever be stored in clear glass containers exposed to light. You want weak tea, then go there. Otherwise go to the grocery store and buy a box of Twinning.
A note on Twinning loose leaf: I hate it. They use the same processed leaves as for the bags, so they end up being too small and you end up swallowing a mouthful of grainy leaves - yuck.
A nice loose leaf should 1) be a nice full leaf and 2)have a greenich tint rather than a brown or black one.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
From East to West
East: Ming Tao Xuan Tea House is a lovely authentic Chinese tea house located in Old Montreal and is totally worth the visit. The menu they give you is all of teas, and the food menu is one page! Literally, the have a large selection of Asian teas, and 6 food items, which are all vegetarian options. The veggie buns were AWESOME! and so was the tea. My favourite part of this experience was the great service. The friendly staff brings your tea and shows you what to do with all the little teapots that come to you on a spill platter. I had a great mountain green tea that had a sweet aftertaste. Only problem is that I don't remember the name, but it was great. I didn't have to add sugar, which is good because there wasn't any.
West: Cafe London Bus, near Westmount Square offers a great, but modest and affordable English-style afternoon tea experience. For $12.50 you get a pot of tea, which they will refill with water, cucumber sandwich, scones and a variety of sweet desserts and fruit. My friends and I had a very relaxing and enjoyable time at this confortable but large cafe. The very friendly and accomodating staff sets up a table in one booths, set it with a white table clothe, flowers and china tea cups and saucers. Everything is made in house and smells wonderful. We tried the soups as well, and they were delicious.
West: Cafe London Bus, near Westmount Square offers a great, but modest and affordable English-style afternoon tea experience. For $12.50 you get a pot of tea, which they will refill with water, cucumber sandwich, scones and a variety of sweet desserts and fruit. My friends and I had a very relaxing and enjoyable time at this confortable but large cafe. The very friendly and accomodating staff sets up a table in one booths, set it with a white table clothe, flowers and china tea cups and saucers. Everything is made in house and smells wonderful. We tried the soups as well, and they were delicious.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Orwell on the subjet of tea
Here is a link to one of my favourite essays by George Orwell: http://www.booksatoz.com/witsend/tea/orwell.htm
This is the one point I disagree strongly with:
"Lastly, tea — unless one is drinking it in the Russian style — should be drunk without sugar. I know very well that I am in a minority here. But still, how can you call yourself a true tealover if you destroy the flavour of your tea by putting sugar in it? It would be equally reasonable to put in pepper or salt. Tea is meant to be bitter, just as beer is meant to be bitter. If you sweeten it, you are no longer tasting the tea, you are merely tasting the sugar; you could make a very similar drink by dissolving sugar in plain hot water.
Some people would answer that they don't like tea in itself, that they only drink it in order to be warmed and stimulated, and they need sugar to take the taste away. To those misguided people I would say: Try drinking tea without sugar for, say, a fortnight and it is very unlikely that you will ever want to ruin your tea by sweetening it again."
In the previous points, Orwell mentions adding milk to his tea. Does that not change the taste? I guess I like my tea in the Russian style - without milk.
This is the one point I disagree strongly with:
"Lastly, tea — unless one is drinking it in the Russian style — should be drunk without sugar. I know very well that I am in a minority here. But still, how can you call yourself a true tealover if you destroy the flavour of your tea by putting sugar in it? It would be equally reasonable to put in pepper or salt. Tea is meant to be bitter, just as beer is meant to be bitter. If you sweeten it, you are no longer tasting the tea, you are merely tasting the sugar; you could make a very similar drink by dissolving sugar in plain hot water.
Some people would answer that they don't like tea in itself, that they only drink it in order to be warmed and stimulated, and they need sugar to take the taste away. To those misguided people I would say: Try drinking tea without sugar for, say, a fortnight and it is very unlikely that you will ever want to ruin your tea by sweetening it again."
In the previous points, Orwell mentions adding milk to his tea. Does that not change the taste? I guess I like my tea in the Russian style - without milk.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
From the Beginning...
I actually don't know when I started drinking tea, but I do remember my first cup of coffee, which was more like a sip. After a primary school function at the local church, a friend and I decided to try out the coffee from the dispenser. Not sure if I had creamed and sugared it, but that sip was pretty much my last. I have drunk cups of moka (half hot chocolate and half coffee) but they made me so jittery.
So that's my history with coffee.
My history with tea is more foggy. It seems like I've been drinking it forever, and at some point in time, I tried English Breakfast and got addicted. Ever since I have been exploring the different kinds of teas, and mostly learning about them with my taste buds, and from whatever I read on Wikipedia.
My prefered tea is English breakfast with two lumps of sugar.
So that's my history with coffee.
My history with tea is more foggy. It seems like I've been drinking it forever, and at some point in time, I tried English Breakfast and got addicted. Ever since I have been exploring the different kinds of teas, and mostly learning about them with my taste buds, and from whatever I read on Wikipedia.
My prefered tea is English breakfast with two lumps of sugar.
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