Live and In Person

First I broke my silence with a radio interview with SIREN FM out of England (see April 2008). The mad recluse of tea, that few have ever met, was asked to give a talk on "Herbs, Teas and Wellness" last week at a Health & Wellness Center in Atlantic Highlands, NJ - and what delicious fun it was!!!

It was a real treat to open up the world of tea to people who were intent on learning more. We covered the basics of what is tea and the comparisons of white, green and black. We talked about steeping and relative health benefits (please: drink tea for its taste first and for its benefits second). I then introduced 3 different herbs, all of which are commonly used for relaxing the mind & body: lemongrass, oatstraw and lavender. I then brewed a blend of the 3 herbs together. Everyone sat relaxing, sharing and talking - the class also included a tasting!

I had the wonderful opportunity to share my philosophy that tea is fun.

and a fun time was had by all....

I look forward to teaching more tea classes in the future!

Keepin it Mad....

Spotlight: Golden Moon Tea

Recently, I was sent a sampler of oolongs from the Golden Moon Tea Company. I love my oolong teas and I had yet to try this company. I received 3 types of tea to sample. And here's where the review gets difficult to write...

You see, this "sampler" I received had literally 1 teaspoon's worth of tea per packet. So, as a reviewer, I could not try brewing the leaves in a variety of ways. I could not go back and compare my own tasting notes. Not to say I couldn't taste the tea and have an opinion...it just isn't a well-formed and tested opinion.

So while the 'one and done' cup's worth isn't ideal to use for reviewing purposes, it IS great for variety! To that, the Golden Moon sells a 31-Flavor Vareity pack, which could be a lot of fun if you want a new tea every day for a month!...Do check it out!

I did however want to share my Golden Moon Tea experience, such as it was. I invite my readers who have tried this tea to ring in with their personal opinions and experiences, so do feel free to comment away. So without any further ado, such was my short-lived tasting of GMTeas:

Imperial Formosa Oolong - The colorful amber liquor had woodsy nuances and subtle orange blossoms. I would have loved a second cup to really solidify my tasting experience.

Orchid Temple Oolong - this pale green tea was my favorite of the 3 I tried. The light floral notes were distinctly pleasant. I felt a sanctity in sipping this slowly. I might just have to buy this one. Well done, Golden Moon.

Coconut Pouchong - a unique tea no doubt, and a very delicate pale tea, it is. It smells good enough to eat. Personally, I felt it was best represented if infused for only 2 minutes. At 4 minutes, I felt the soft coconut taste was lost to a slight bitter endnote. I don't know if I brewed this correctly or not...

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What is Pouchong (you asked)?
Pouchong is a very lightly oxidized tea somewhere between green tea and what is usually considered oolong tea, though often classified with the latter due to its lack of the sharper green tea flavours. It is produced mainly in Fujian, China, and in Pinglin Township nearTaipei, Taiwan.
Reference: Pouchong: Wikipedia

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So, that being said, I encourage my readers who purchase loose tea regularly and to really get to KNOW the teas they have. Drink it a few times. Change up your brewing method to find the one that works best. Sip it during different times of the day. Sip it in different moods. Explore and experiment with your steeping times. Fall madly in love with your teas if you can. and above all, Keep Sipping!

Sipping like Mad,

theMadam

Drink to your Health!

{Everyone Sing!}

33 Mad Pots of Tea on the wall...
33 Mad Pots of TEA!....
You take one down, pass it around...

32 Mad Pots of Tea on the wall...

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and here are

33 Reasons

to take it down and it pass it around....

The $500 Iced Tea

Celestial Seasonings is holding a contest for the Best-Ever Iced Tea Contest.

The rules are simple:

#1: Create an iced tea concoction using
Celestial Seasonings Teas

#2: Submit it by July 31st

Not a bad bargain....buy some teas (hey bags are more convenient anyway for the summer which can be a lot of "on-the-go").... Have fun creating something fun. Hope to win 500 smackaroos.

For more info about the (literary) inspiration for this contest and details about What You Win, visit: THE BIG ICED TEA CONTEST

Winners will be notified in August.

I may have a crack at it for the fun of it and keep a running account of my Iced Tea Adventures! I certainly encourage my readers to join the fun and not only to submit their concoctions to the good people @ Celestial Seasonings, but to also send your receipes my way and I will create a list of Reader's Iced Concoctions. There you are....

Let the Summer Iced Madness Begin!

Blog-vertisment!!!

Just to make sure I keep you all reading I thought I would entice you with a blog-vertisement -- that is to say a little advertisment of what's "Coming Soon to a Blog Near You!"

Why would I do that? Because it's midnight on Saturday and I know I haven't written. I've been traveling as of late and next week I start a new job, so be patient because here's what's up...

* Mad Pots Around the World: Tea - the global friend maker

* Tea & Health: sure it tastes good, but can tea help you overcome obesity?

* a review from Golden Moon Tea (I am especially looking forward to writing this one!)

* Madam Potts Goes Home: Who woulda thunk my cow-town would warm up to tea....

So, as you can see, there is a lot to be said...just not at midnight on Saturday.

Keep it Mad!
M.Potts

No Tea For YOU!

Sure, it looks innocent enough....a traditional Victorian style English Tea Room in Brighton, UK -- but make no mistake...the Tea Cozy is adamant about good tea etiquette. In fact, if you can't have good table manners, you will be shown the door!

NO TEA FOR YOU!!!

Among the offensive behaviors that will get you thrown out:
- Using your cell phone (hooray for that one...)
- Blaspheming the Queen and..
- the uncouth practice of Dunking your Biscuit! (heavens, No!)

It's nice to know in these changing times, that SOMEONE cares about good manners.

No, really, I'm not making this up. Should you be less then congenial or show bad manners, including the aforementioned actions of utter incivility, you will be promptly shown the exit.

Read more: Dunking Biscuits Banned!!!

I do hope one of my readers can stop by and share a review of what I am sure is a lovely and very proper tea room. It will be my pleasure to stop by when I visit the UK next Fall.

Tea Madness: The Cult of the Tea Pot

Now, I have met a lot of tea enthusiasts, tea fanatics and tea freaks in my day. People everywhere, myself included, indeed mad about tea. The religious like devotion to the Camellia Sinensis is no surprise to anyone reading this blog. But what about a revering a Tea Pot?

and not just any Tea Pot - a 2-story cream colored teapot from which the devoted followers come to drink its "holy water".

A religious sect in Malaysia, Ayah Pin, uses the tea pot as as a symbol of the "Healing Purity of Water" and "Love Pouring From Heaven". While the sect claims to promote harmony among the religions of the world, it has the victim of attacks from fervent Muslims which feel the sect is luring believers away from Islam.

Hmmmm....I wonder if I could be a High Prophetess of the Tea Pot?

I had best not let my teapots read this entry, lest they let the sacred ideology go to their heads...not that I don't already revere the sweet and holy waters of tea...not that I am not a devout imbiber seeking to quench my thrist and start my day off with a sacred ritual all my own...

But I wouldn't go to jail for it....