http://www.leavesofjade.com/index.php/tea_blog/index/ en alnedra.mofi@gmail.com Copyright 2010 2010-03-20T09:09:13+00:00 http://www.leavesofjade.com/index.php/tea_blog/warm_milk/ http://www.leavesofjade.com/index.php/tea_blog/warm_milk/#When:09:09:13Z There is a particular hawker stall near my office which uses very good tea dust and a good brand of evaporated milk, and so their Teh-C (tea with evaporated milk) is very popular with my colleagues. I have tried and often failed to make a similarly good tasting Teh-C with Red Dust here in the office. Somehow, the fragrance of the milk either was not present or did not gel well with the tea. Today, I took out the last bit of evaporated milk from the office fridge and sniffed it. I could not tell if it was still ok, so I decided to put it in the microwave to warm it up. If it had soured, I would be able to smell it then. Fortunately it was still good, and I poured it into my tea. Amazingly this time the tea tasted very close to what the hawker stall made. I then recalled that the hawker stall (like most tea and coffee making stalls in Singapore) had a huge metal sink, almost a cabinet, constantly full of hot water, so that the stall owner can easily scoop up the required amount of water to make his orders. The evaporated milk tins were kept just above this sink, which meant that the evaporated milk was always kept warm. So a good idea for making fragrant Teh-C: warm your evaporated milk! Tea, Black 2010-03-20T09:09:13+00:00 http://www.leavesofjade.com/index.php/tea_blog/stocking_tea/ http://www.leavesofjade.com/index.php/tea_blog/stocking_tea/#When:10:42:26Z In the West, there is the custom of drinking champagne out of ladies’ shoes (although it may be common on TV and in movies than real life); in Hong Kong, people drink tea that has been sieved through “silk stockings” (sī wà 丝袜). Unlike the Western custom though, the “stockings” aren’t real stockings; rather, they are long cloth (usually cotton) sieves which vaguely resemble silk stockings. And not just in shape; the infusion of tea through the sieves would render them a strong shade of brown, darkening with prolonged usage. Tea dust (such as Red Dust) is very fine and cannot be effectively filtered using normal metal or bamboo sieves. So the tea dust is packed into cotton sieves, and water poured into the sieve to infuse the tea dust. Tea dust has the advantage of infusing very rapidly, so the water does not need to steep to become very rich tea. Tea dust is also fairly easy to dispose of, as one can just invert the cloth sieve to dump most of it out, and what remains can be washed off the sieve in a sink. I’ve tried using the Aeropress to make tea from tea dust and it works quite fine, although I have to remember to use less tea dust since the water is pressed out more aggressively than a normal sieve. Normally the Aeropress is used for coffee, and does it well. I hate sourness in coffee and the coffee that is made with an Aeropress is famously low in acidity. It probably won’t work for tea leaves, but tea dust, being of a similar consistency and density to ground coffee beans, benefits from the pressure. Tea, Black 2009-02-20T10:42:26+00:00 http://www.leavesofjade.com/index.php/tea_blog/late_night_tea/ http://www.leavesofjade.com/index.php/tea_blog/late_night_tea/#When:12:49:31Z After attending a concert the other night at the Esplanade, my friend and I tried to avoid the post-concert rush by sitting down for tea somewhere. We came across the Cookie Museum, but were told that there were no more tables available at the rather small shop. Disappointed, we queued at a shop opposite, but a few minutes later, the waitress who had turned us away came rushing over to tell us a table had just been cleared, and were we still interested? We were, and took a nice window seat in the corner. The decor of the place was very roccoco, full of gilt, mirrors and heavily patterned fabric. The tea menu was quite impressive, with at least 2 or 3 dozen types of tea, including green and white tea. My friend ordered a Lady Grey, which she had not been able to obtain for quite a while. I ordered an infusion named Bed of Roses, which were pale rosbuds with marigold petals. The Lady Grey was impressive, the black tea a soft background to the lavender and bergamot. In successive infusions, though, the bergamot began to get stronger, and the lavender weaker, so by about the third pot, it became rather like a lowgrade Earl Grey. But kudos for the tea lasting even 2 steepings, which is fairly good for black tea. The Bed of Roses was a bit more disappointing, but I was not expecting much from a flower infusion. The rose was fairly strong in the first infusion, subsequent steepings became very weak. We also sampled a white tea named Peony Garden and a green tea named Lotus Garden. We were very taken with the Peony Garden, although they scalded the white tea with water that was too hot. The fragrance of the Peony was noticeable but still delicate enough to allow the innate fragrance of the white tea to come through. The Lotus Garden was less impressive, as the flower scent (definitely not lotus) was too strong, almost artificial. Still, I could tell that the green tea base was good, although overpowered by other fragrances. I am definitely going back to try some of the other teas, and perhaps even the cookies, of which they had a mindboggling variety. Tea, Black, Green, White 2008-12-15T12:49:31+00:00 http://www.leavesofjade.com/index.php/tea_blog/red_dust/ http://www.leavesofjade.com/index.php/tea_blog/red_dust/#When:04:13:39Z The teahouse I frequent brings in red tea* dust for making bubble tea. Usually it is quite fragrant, smelling faintly of vanilla and honey. But this particular batch is superbly fragrant, so much so that the scent permeated the entire store-room and then half the shop before the manager sealed the dust into individual bags. The tea it makes is also strongly fragrant, and very rich. I brought a few 1/2 kilogram (a bit more than a pound) bags to my office and they were eagerly snapped up. I brought more and they too disappeared, until I put my foot down on the very last pack, which was to be left for office functions. Being tea dust, the red tea can only be used once before it loses almost all of its fragrance and taste. Price-wise, it costs twice as much as the usual red tea dust I see in supermarkets. But in terms of taste, fragrance and strength, it is far better. I need less than half of the tea dust to make the same amount of tea, so it is very economical too. I am definitely buying another tin when next the teahouse re-stocks. Being humble tea dust, there is no name attached to it. If packaged nicely though, I think it would be fairly popular, although not appropriate for the teahouse, which prides itself on offering only high-grade tea leaves. 红尘 (hóng chén Red Dust) is a metaphorical term for the physical or corporeal world. For something that is 俗 (sú which can mean corporeal but also low-class or tacky), and yet yields such lovely fragrance, I think that would be a most appropriate name. *In English parlance, what we in Chinese call “red tea” should be “black tea” and I usually defer to that term. However, in this situation, the tea dust is really a deep maroon; moreoever, calling it black tea dust would ruin the significance of the name I picked Tea, Black 2008-11-11T04:13:39+00:00 http://www.leavesofjade.com/index.php/tea_blog/tea_good_or_bad/ http://www.leavesofjade.com/index.php/tea_blog/tea_good_or_bad/#When:15:24:00Z I realise that I sometimes sound like an elitist, talking about good and lousy tea. But to be honest, I drink almost any kind of tea in a pinch. I’m not adverse to dunking a Lipton teabag on occasion and I buy bottled ready-made tea (preferably unsweetened though) when on the run. Given that Singapore is such a hot and humid country, I don’t turn up my nose at cold teas, such as honey sweetened iced green tea or iced lemon tea. I think the most important thing about tea is that you have to enjoy it. It doesn’t have to cost a bomb, or come from an organic plantation high up in the mountains that harvests only 4 times a year. It’s nice to be able to get my hands on a really excellent batch of tea leaves and I don’t begrudge the expense of buying rare and great leaves from small plantations. But at the end of the day, it’s all about a love for tea. I will drink almost any kind of tea at least once. I’ve bought wulong and green tea at 2 dollars per pack and they were definitely very drinkable. However, no matter what kind of tea leaves are used, I do demand that the tea is made properly. I abhor tea that has been steeped for much too long, or if the leaves are still used well after all flavour has been wrung out of them. Even for something as humble as coffeeshop (or kopitiam in Singapore parlance) tea, made from red tea powder, there is a way to make a great cup. My favourite is Teh-C (explained in an earlier entry), and to make it well, you have to start with a fresh batch of tea powder packed into a long cotton sieve. The water has to be hot, and the generous portion of evaporated milk to be poured in smoothly while vigorously stirring the tea, until a little froth builds up. One of the small stalls near my home does it very well and I don’t hesitate to pay the extra 10 cents she charges over the other stalls for her Teh-C. In fact, I usually buy at least 6 to 10 cups to bring to the office, where my colleagues eagerly dole out the creamy, chocolate-brown liquid into their mugs. Tea, Black, Tea Related 2008-07-15T15:24:00+00:00 http://www.leavesofjade.com/index.php/tea_blog/a_gift/ http://www.leavesofjade.com/index.php/tea_blog/a_gift/#When:14:17:01Z [Miss Neddy says: es el queso has taken time from his blog What I Had For Dinner Tonight to do another entry for me, which I requested after seeing pictures of his lovely pu’er cake and heard of how he came by it.] I am fortunate to live where there is a skilled acupuncturist and knowledgeable Chinese herbalist just around the corner from my home. I have been under his care for almost two years now, and one of the topics that invariably comes up during my visits is tea. He introduced me to pu’ erh almost immediately, for its health benefits, and provided me with a good source here in the US to get some. We have discussed all kinds of teas, and have even shared some of the lovely Wulong Miss Neddy has been kind enough to send me. I have also shared this blog with him, and I hope he enjoys it as much as I do. Recently, I received a call from a member of his staff, asking me to stop by his office when I had a chance, as they had a gift for my birthday. When I arrived, I was given a bag which contained a wrapped object about the size and shape of a book. I gave my sincere thanks and brought it home to investigate further. Tea, Black 2008-05-20T14:17:01+00:00 http://www.leavesofjade.com/index.php/tea_blog/too_much_of_a_good_thing/ http://www.leavesofjade.com/index.php/tea_blog/too_much_of_a_good_thing/#When:08:56:00Z While talking to some friends yesterday, they divulged that they had friends who relied on “slimming teas” to retain their figure, drinking it every day. Slimming teas, if they are not dark black teas, such as Pu’er, are usually laxatives. Continual use of laxatives are not healthy at all; after a while, your bowels become somewhat atrophied, and relies on the laxatives to work properly. Laxatives per se are fairly useful, for specific problems. Just as you wouldn’t take antihistamines continually for months, you don’t consume laxative teas continually in order to slim down. Many “slimming teas” are not teas at all. They are laxative herbs, such as senna leaves or cascara. In the past few years, though, I have noticed that some black teas are marketed as slimming teas as well. Teas such as Tuo Cha 沱茶 and Pu’er are good for aiding digestion, and some studies have tentatively shown that drinking such teas help lower blood cholesterol. How effective they are as slimming beverages, though, I have my doubts.  Tea, Black, Other uses, Tea Related 2008-05-10T08:56:00+00:00 http://www.leavesofjade.com/index.php/tea_blog/more_on_puer/ http://www.leavesofjade.com/index.php/tea_blog/more_on_puer/#When:14:27:00Z Pu’er 暜洱 doesn’t always come in cakes. Loose Pu’er has become more popular, after reports have come out about the many health benefits of drinking the thick black tea, which include the lowering of blood cholesterol and aiding digestion. There are notable variations even among the loose leaf Pu’ers; some are large leafed and clumped together, others are small and curled, and look like charcoal black wulong. Pu’er is not a popular tea with me, as I find the flavour too strong and Pu’er that is not up to par frequently comes out bitter, musty and even muddy in taste. A good Pu’er should taste robust, earthy and just slightly like Chinese medicine, and quite a bit like a good coffee. But it should never taste or smell like an abandoned wardrobe. I have managed to convert a few friends, inveterate coffee drinkers all, to drinking tea by introducing them to good Pu’er first. The dark colour of the tea assures them of the strength of the brew, and the strong taste appeals to their coffee-conditioned tastebuds. A few have moved on to lighter teas, but most stick to Pu’er. Pu’er leaves work very well with equipment meant for coffee, such as push-down percolators, and are able to withstand boiling hot water. Indeed, in order to unlock all the subtlety of a good Pu’er, the water must be suitably hot. A Pu’er cake Pu’er as loose leaves Tea, Black 2008-05-02T14:27:00+00:00