Bangkok Lemongrass

My Tea Thoughts:

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Bangkok Lemongrass smells great and tastes even better! I got two more delicious-looking teas along with this one for Christmas, so expect posts on them soon. Back to the tea at hand, this tea has all the joyous flavor of peaceful summer sunshine. It's not a smooth tea, but this only adds to the appreciation of its lemony base, with notes of honey and just a hint of sage. An all-around great tea, recommended for a noon or afternoon cup. Thanks for this tea -- you know who you are!

Happy Sipping,
CoolCat

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At-a-Glance:

Name: Bangkok Lemongrass.
Type: Herbal.
Package: Loose tea.
Source: TeaVana (www.teavana.com).
Group: Light.
Key Word: Lemon!

Haiku Friday ~ No. 8

Trees are shedding lights,
But we still can celebrate
The birth of our Lord!

To get you through the post-holiday letdown, sip a steaming cup of Earl Grey (a classic staple) and unwind before you go make those returns!

Happy Sipping,
CoolCat

Haiku... um... Sunday? ~ No. 7

So sorry I am posting this soooo late!

Will summer arrive
Before we all freeze to death?
Never fear, it will!

If you, like me, are shivering through this Christmastime, try a cup of "Candy Cane Lane" (a decaf green tea with peppermint; I promise to review it soon!) to add some holiday cheer and hold off Jack Frost!

Haiku Friday ~ No. 6

Flour falling down:
Can it be? The clouds can bake!
Children play in snow.

Brrr! Let's warm up with a wintry cup of white tea -- pure as the driven snow.

Haiku "Friday" ~ No. 5

Sorry about the delay... I just totally forgot! Well, here's the haiku for this week:

Mistletoe and gifts
Are not all that's Christmas-time.
Celebrate Christ's birth!

Try some Peppermint Herbal or a similar minty delight for a traditional wintry flavor with this haiku.

Happy Sipping,
CoolCat

Haiku Friday ~ No. 4

Earth is giving thanks:
Birdsong blends with laughing streams.
We are thankful, too!

A cup of delicious Autumn Harvest should give you one more thing to be thankful for!

Happy Sipping,
CoolCat

Haiku Friday ~ No. 3

Wild geese in the sky
Strung on a windy necklace
Made of clouds, not gold.

To warm you up after the autumnal wind in this haiku, why not make a steaming cup of Earl Grey?

Happy Sipping,
CoolCat.

MateVana Rooibos Chai

My Tea Thoughts:
November 19, 2008

MateVana Rooibos Chai is a delicious tea! I'm sure you're wondering about the long name: Mate is one kind of tea; Vana is from Teavana, the great store this comes from; and Rooibos Chai is another kind of tea, like my beloved Ruby Chai. With that cleared up, we can move on to the tea itself! It's a smooth and sumptuous tea, with plenty of its Rooibos heritage detectable, lending a strong base to the tea. Chai spices (see my sidebar "What is Chai?) provide an exotic flavor, and the warm, sweet overtones are, I assume, from Mate. (Can anyone tell me what Mate is? I've never heard of it anywhere but TeaVana.) This tea also takes sweetener excellently, particularly the really neat "Rock Sugar" that I recieved with it. It's a 5 out of 5 for this sumptuous tea! MateVana Rooibos Chai was a gift from a dear friend of mine; thank you!

Happy Sipping,
CoolCat

P.S. Wanna post a comment? See my "How to Post a Comment" sidebar.

At-a-Glance:

Name: MateVana Rooibos Chai.
Type: blend of Mate and Rooibos.
Package: Looseleaf.
Source: TeaVana.
Group: Dark.
Key Word: Full.

Haiku Friday ~ No. 2

Stars wink one by one
Sparkle in the clear night sky
"Goodnight, earth!" they smile.

In honor of the night mentioned in this poem, I would suggest "Night, Night," recently renamed to "Tranquil Dream." A dear friend of mine gave me some recently; thanks!

Happy Sipping,

CoolCat.

P.S: Wanna post a comment? See my "How to Post a Comment" sidebar.

Autumn Harvest

My Tea Thoughts:

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Autumn Harvest is a wonderful tea! Pleasantly fruity, it reminds me of Scarlet Tea, the very first tea on this blog. It's delicious and not too strong, though it definitely doesn't need sweetener. Autumn Harvest is well-named, since it's perfect for autumn, but a smooth fruit tea any time of the year. Thanks to my good friends for introducing this to me -- you know who you are!

Happy sipping,
CoolCat

P.S.: Want to post a comment? Check my "How to post a comment" sidebar for instructions.

At-a-Glance:

Name: Autumn Harvest.
Type: Fruit Tea.
Package: Looseleaf.
Source: Sandy's Produce Market.
Group: Light.
Key Word: Fruity.

Haiku Friday

Hi! CoolCat here, wanting to share with you a new weekly feature on my blog... Haiku Friday! Haiku are short Japanese poems that are always about nature in some way. They are in three lines of 5 syllables, then 7, then 5 again. Since haiku are Japanese and tea is very popular in Japan, I thought haiku would be an appropriate poem for this blog (thanks, jim.texas, for the idea). Each Friday, I'll post a haiku with a suggestion for a tea or tea type suitable for the nature of the poem. Here's today's:



Leaves are red and gold
Echoing the setting sun
Lovely, lovely fall!

Try some Ruby Chai or another rooibos tea with this haiku, matching in color and mood the beauties of fall!

~CoolCat

YAO Restaurant/Rose Black Tea

My Tea Thoughts:

October 1, 2008

I went to YAO Restaurant in Houston with my family yesterday. It was amazing! I chose a pot of Rose Black Tea for all of us, and was thoroughly rewarded! It was served in a gorgeous pot, with tiny cups which enhanced the pleasure of the tea, and solid sugar crystals for the sweetener! But why am I telling you...

...when I can show you? The Rose Black was excellent, looseleaf tea, and I could and would have drunk gallons! I would definitely recommend the restaurant and the tea to anyone who is, like me, passionate about the fine points of tea.

Maple Tea

My Tea Thoughts:

September 20, 2008



September! Can you believe it's practically fall? Whether this means refreshing temperatures or homework overload to you, this is a perfect tea for the colder months. It has strong maple flavor in the steam, but when you sip, the maple is only an ever-present undertone... but what a lovely one! The rest is a fine black tea, which provides a strong, warm-toned base for the maple syrup flavor. It's two thumbs up for Maple Tea! Thanks, butterflyg-m, for giving me this great gift!



At-a-Glance:

Name: Maple Tea.

Type: Black tea with flavorings.

Package: Paper Teabag.

Source: Quebec, Canada.

Group: Dark.

Key Word: Maple (obviously.)

Blossom & Boba Teas

My Tea Thoughts:
July 23, 2008
Guess what? Lately, I've tried "Blossom" and "Boba" teas! I mentioned them in my Summer post, but had not tried them.

First, let me tell you about the Boba Tea. It was a bit of a disappointment, with more fruit juice than tea, but the tapioca pearls did give an interesting texture. All in all, maybe a 2 1/2 out of 5.

The Blossom Tea was much more exciting. It had a fine flavor, but the unfolding action was a bit slow; perhaps I didn't put enough water in the pitcher, or maybe I had it upside down. A 4 1/2 out of 5 for Blossom Tea; a 5 out of 5 if I made a mistake in the amount of water or the orientation of the teabud.

Happy Sipping,
CoolCat

P. S: Wanna post a comment? See my sidebar "How to Post a Comment" for instructions.

Summer

It's summer, and we all probably have some extra time on our hands. So, you might be searching for some new tea thrills! If so, I could have the perfect summer fun for you in the list below.

1. Go tea shopping. If you have a local tea store, well, lucky you! If not, you could check at a health-food store like Whole Foods for a new brew, or jump in to the virtual world and head to TeaTrader or adagio teas. Note: I am not guaranteeing the validity or appropriateness of these sites, or that you will enjoy them. I just enjoy them myself and have not found them inappropriate. Sorry about the legalese!
2. Research tea. Although "research" may remind you of a dusty library or your fifth-grade science teacher, you can actually find lots of really cool info on the World Wide Web! Just google "tea", "tea history", or anything else that interests you! Or you could look up "tea" in Wikipedia -- that site is full of factoids. If you find any particularly neat factoids, feel free to post it as a comment, along with the site you found it on. Note to kids: Be sure your parents have given you permission to go on the sites.
3. Try your favorite tea iced. You could find a tasty summer treat! Try adding chunks of chilled fruit for a possible vernal delight to offset the dusty heat.
4. Try a specialty tea. You might want to sample boba tea, which puts bubbles of tapioca in your glass, or blossom (flower) tea, which, when you drop in a "bud", opens out into a really neat flower! Or so they say.

Enjoy your summer!

Happy sipping,

CoolCat

P. S: Wanna post a comment? See my sidebar "How to Post a Comment" for instructions.

Dressed-up Golden Chai!

My Tea Thoughts:
March 26, 2008

This is the most amazing brew! It is Golden Chai (black tea with chai spices added, see my "What is Chai?" sidebar) with milk or cream and a squirt of agave nectar. Sounds pretty ordinary, but it tastes like something from a restaurant! In this fabulous blend, the Chai contributes a sweet yet strong base, the milk or cream adds a sumptuous texture, and the agave nectar gives it an added touch of appealing sweetness. If you can't find Golden, don't worry-just use another Chai.



Rating: 5 out of 5.

At-a-Glance:


Name: Dressed-Up Golden Chai.

Type: Black Chai.
Package: Paper Teabag.
Source: Numi.
Group: Dark.
Key Word: Cozy.



Happy Sipping,
CoolCat

P. S: Wanna post a comment? See my sidebar "How to Post a Comment" for instructions.

Herb Garden update!

Hi! CoolCat's herb garden is coming along nicely. I planted some wildflower seeds, and they have come up but not yet gotten big enough to bloom. My herb seeds in the seed starter tray have almost all sprouted, and when they are big enough, I will put them in the garden itself!
Happy Sipping,
CoolCat.

P. S: Wanna post a comment? See my sidebar "How to Post a Comment" for instructions.

Blackberry Sage

My Tea Thoughts:

March 9, 2008

Blackberry Sage is actually, surprisingly, black tea, not an herbal sage tea as the name implies. It's an all-right tea, but not super, as the sage note is nearly nonexistent. This might be good iced or perhaps with sweetener (see sidebar Agave Nectar).

At-a-Glance:

Name: Blackberry Sage.
Type: Black Tea.
Package: Paper Teabag.
Source: The Republic of Tea.
Group: Dark.
Key Word: Simple.

Happy Sipping,

CoolCat

P. S: Wanna post a comment? See my sidebar "How to Post a Comment" for instructions.

My Herb Garden

Hi! This is CoolCat again, here to tell you about something BRAND NEW in my tea life. I have planted an HERB GARDEN!!! I am so excited -- I have planted some herbs known to be tea-lovers' staples, like chamomile and lavender, and others that I'll brew, just to find out, like thyme and marjoram. Right now my young plants are settling into their new home, and my seeds are cozily down in the seed starter tray. Check back for more updates on CoolCat's terrific HERB GARDEN!

P. S: Wanna post a comment? See my sidebar "How to Post a Comment" for instructions.

Guan Yin Tea

My Tea Thoughts:
March 5, 2008
At first glance, it doesn't look like much tea. But add hot water, and this thing EXPANDS!!! As for the flavor of the tea, it is a bit bitter to be my favorite, but it might be excellent as a "tea-party tea" with sugar, cream, and lemon. I'll tell you, when I try this, how it works. Note: After you have had your tea, you can use the leaves again for a second cup! All-in-all, a fairly good tea.

At-a-Glance:

Name: Guan Yin.
Type: Green Tea.
Package: Looseleaf.
Source: China (sorry, that's all I know -- this was a gift.)
Group: Dark.
Key Word: Powerful.

Happy Sipping,
CoolCat

P. S: Wanna post a comment? See my sidebar "How to Post a Comment" for instructions.