Bredemeijer Cosy® Teapot
Labels: retail therapy, tea
Friday, January 08, 2010
Bredemeijer Cosy® range of teapots and accessories. Love. Want.
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 11:19 am
At Ten Fu - Da Hong Pao Tea
Labels: tea
Thursday, March 05, 2009
I was in downtown Wangfujing to pick up an outfit I'd reserved the day before. I then remembered I had to restock my supply of oolong tea - Tie Guan Yin (Iron Buddha) to be exact - so off I went to a Ten Fu store in the same mall.
The two sales assistants were smoother than a cup of aged pu-erh. I'm a regular so they recognize me. And because I'm a regular, they know I'm not leaving the store empty-handed. So they draw me in, set me down at the tea table and began brewing a range of newly arrived teas while plying me with little snacks.
Hoover damn! These ladies are good.
To cut a long story short, I ended up buying two kinds of tea which set me back by €64. Tie Guan Yin at €30 for 150g and Da Hong Pao at €34 for a measly 80g. I was told the plantation only harvests Da Hong Pao once a year. I shall just have to take their word for it. Whatever it is, there's no denying the taste nor quality. By all definitions it is a good cup of tea but most importantly, I find it delicious. The Da Hong Pao (Big Red Robe which really should be known as Big Red Hole in My Pocket) will be my little treat of the week.
During steeping, the leaves emit a fresh and fragrant aroma; with a hint of peach even. It goes down easily and leaves a refreshing sweet aftertaste without the parched feeling one gets from certain kinds of Chinese tea.
Here's how to brew Da Hong Pao Tea. I will try the recommended method over the weekend with my special brown clay tea set. So far, I've drunk it from a clear double barrel glass cup. Very unceremonious of me!
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 8:49 pm
Lemon Grass And Ginger Tea
Labels: tea
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Consumed hot, this tea is so good on a winter's day. A real pick-me-up. You can even chill it for that extra zing. However, take note it looks alot like apple juice so if you do plan to store it in the refridgerator, let your nearest and dearest know what it is beforehand so you don't go beserk when they spit it out "Mummy, the apple juice has gone bad!" and waste cups of the precious liquid. Lemon grass is expensive and hard to come by in Beijing. I have to make a trip all the way to a special import supermarket just for them.
Lemon Grass and Ginger Tea
You Need:
6 cups of water
4-5 stalks of lemon grass, cut into thin slices
1cm knob of ginger (I used more, I love my ginger!)
rock sugar
You Do:
Thanks to Irene for the recipe.
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 8:31 pm
Of Heaters and Ginger Tea
Labels: 100% sugar, home life, tea
Monday, November 10, 2008
We scooted off to Sunning, an electrical mega chain-store on Saturday and bought three compact but powerful portable heaters. They rotate, have controllable speeds and temperatures, double up as a fan if put into cool mode and even come with a personal remote control. Best of all, they are WARM. *sigh of contentment*
And to keep morale up in this cold Beijing winter, I've taken to drinking ginger tea. It's not in the form of a tea-bag, nor do I boil the root. Rather, this made in Korean version has the consistency of jam. You take about one rounded tablespoon of the sweet, gooey concentrate (complete with slices of ginger), and mix it in boiling water and voilà, hot spicy ginger tea to warm the insides. For added flavour, I also stir in a tablespoon of honey and finish up with a sprinkle of cinnamon.
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 7:16 pm
The Cheat's Guide - Tea Eggs
Labels: asian food, she cooks, small bites, tea, the cheat's guide
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
I stewed a batch of tea eggs the other week. Not too many, only ten, as the consumer was a grand total of one person - me. These traditional eggs, typically sold by street vendors and eaten as snacks, are one of my comfort foods. And I must have needed lots of comfort for as soon as the eggs were done, I gobbled down three. It's funny how certain foods trigger off memories. In between eggs one and two, I was five again.
While I have a few 'from scratch' tea egg recipes, here I've decided instead to try one of those ready mixed spice bags from the local supermarket.
For the next hour or so, my kitchen was a heady mixture of five spice powder, aniseed, cinnamon, liquorice and a whole bunch of other aromatics, including the all important black tea leaves. Can't have tea eggs without the tea leaves. Where would we all be then.
Tea Eggs
You need:
10-20 eggs
1 bag of ready mixed spices
4-6 cups of water
3 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
splash of hua tiao wine
salt
sugar
You do:
Tea eggs can be eaten hot or cold. I personally prefer them warm, with a cup of Pu-erh tea. And just between you and me, I get a childish kick when peeling the eggs. I love discovering the patterns on the egg whites underneath their shells. Today, I had a spider web thing going. How purdy!
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 8:27 pm
Tea
Thursday, May 22, 2008
The phone rang and I answered it, bracing myself for yet another annoying sales call. But no, the voice on the other side politely informed me she was from Ten Fu's Tea and that the latest batch of summer green tea has arrived - would I like to come by the store to sample some?
*****
If you've been paying attention all this time, most of you will know my choice of poison is tea. And seeing how we're currently in the mothership where Chinese tea is concerned, I've been having a ball with all the different sorts available. It's been quite an education; I never knew there could be so many grades for just one variety. Prices differ greatly too, from a paltry RMB10 to RMB500 for 50g. And all this for dried leaves. I will never grumble about Hubs' Cohibas again.
On top of my usual staples of Pu Erh, Tie Guan Yin, Oolong, Jin Long etc and because of the warmer weather, I've been indulging in floral infusions and blossoming teas. Again, there are many grades and I've discovered where blossoming teas are concerned, buy the best available or what your budget allows you. It does make a difference in terms of how the tea leaves are fashioned and bloom in your pot. More importantly, the corelation between price and quality of taste. I tried a few of the cheaper ones and quite honestly, they tasted horrid, with lots of fine grainy bits floating about the surface. The colour of the tea was not attractive either and worse, the petals started to fall apart.
My floral flavours of the month are Golden Lotus and Osmanthus. Both flowers infuse to give a deep golden liquid but that's where the similarity ends. The Golden Lotus is a tad bitter while the Osmanthus is sweeter and smells of apricot. Both are lovely with sweets and cakes.
*****
So I tell the nice lady, yes, I will swing by some time next week and thanks for letting me know. I hang up the telephone and make a mental note to self: I must enquire if they also stock a special kind of Pu Erh tea that's been aged for eight years. I first came across it at a Yunnan restaurant and it's now become my beverage when we visit. This is not unlike wine that's been aged. It's deep, robust but not overpowering - an excellent complement to the rather heavy and spicy Yunnan cuisine.
Second mental note to self: Another visit to that Yunnan restaurant is due. I kind of miss their deep fried cactus...
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 10:10 pm
