Good Job America!

Well it's official, now that Americans are drinking tea like it's going out of style, tea is now the hottest thing next to the sun. The good news is that tea is seeing an increase of visibility on the market shelves, and increase in standards (ideally one day dust & fannings will be a thing of the past) and the American tea companies are all seeing lots of green.

In fact, even Starbucks has to bow down to the new god in town: TEA! (ok, so chances are that's not why they are closing 600 stores, but I'm still adding one point to the scoreboard - Go Tea!!)

So Good Job America! This Brew's for You!

Give Peace a Sip....

For many people, finding 10 minutes of uninterrupted time seems like an impossibility.

But then, at first, most every good habit seemed at one time to be impossible. Whether it was the decision to wake-up early, write in a journal every day, work-out or whether it was to quit smoking...

Every new change means taking a small bit of time to arrange one's consciousness around a new activity or a new thought pattern.

I know I have more tea than I do inner peace on most days...
I go through at least a pot of tea a day. I don't always take that time of boiling the water and steeping the leaves and sipping the tea to be an active meditation.

I found this website, Take Up the Cup (while still under some construction) and it gave me pause to consider just how simple it would be to make that time for myself today. To intentionally take in the moment, my day, my breathing, to chill out my thoughts, the noise, the daily schedule of stuff...and what a better time and place to do so then when enjoying my favorite warm beverage?

So, I share this with you today.

In all the Madness, may you find Stillness...
Give Peace a Sip...

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