Monday, December 29, 2014

What I'm Drinking

I've done what I must - become a tea-nut (given that all the fun drinks are largely off limits and that part of my health-regimen is firmly centred on being hydrated at all times).

Don't worry - there are some seriously enjoyable tisanes out there: teas to encourage calmness (that have nothing to do with chamomile aka nature's grossest taste), teas to bring energy (that have nothing to do with peppermint aka nature's other grossest taste), teas to encourage or to reduce all the things you want to encourage and/or reduce. Teas that simply taste delicious for no reason. I'm focused on the ones with minimal caffeine - I really don't need anymore buzz than my daily coffee provides. Not only that, but I like to drink tea in the evenings. While I'm not particularly caffeine-sensitive, it sometimes keeps me awake if I drink it after 4 pm.

The world of leaves is rather rich, more so than ever. So if you're looking for a way to introduce novelty into 2015, consider my current faves:

From Tealish

Toasty Almond: I believe this might be the most ripped-off blend on the planet. But don't go for the imitations. From what I understand, this is the blend that made Tealish (a Toronto local). It's entirely herbal so you can drink it till you're blue in the face but it is full of almond slivers, so if you have an allergy, walk away. It's slightly tart, perfectly balanced as apple and beet pieces offset the caramel subnotes of the nuts. It's naturally sweet, perfectly so. For those who eschew cinnamon (as do I), no worries. It's not a dominant taste. Little story: This was sold-out EVERYWHERE in TO before Xmas - including online. Only the Queen Street store carried it and they were running out! I bought an absurd amount, as if the tea-markets were crashing and, somehow, 2 weeks later, it's almost done!

Stress Buster: Everyone I know hates this - but they're stupid! OK, no one's stupid, they just don't get the glow of calm from this tea as much as they get a taste that doesn't work for them. Tulsi is polarizing but it's also very relaxing. Kind of the inverse of the way in which coffee fills you with its inspiration as the drug kicks in. I drink this one medicinally.

From David's Tea

A Currant Affair:  Egad! I just tried to link to this from the David's site but it's not there! Is it gone? OK, this smells like gin to lots of people. It's vaguely (and I mean extremely vaguely) amplified with extra flavouring - in the best possible way. It's rather strong - well, if you use the amount of leaves and steeping time that I do. I do not like wussy tea. It's not sweet, but it is rich and tart. I really hope it comes back...

Also recommended is Pu'erh Ginger, a blend with caffeine but loaded with ginger to warm yourself in the winter months. I find this a bit grassy, in truth, but it has a place in my faves because you can feel it working. This one is medicinal. Disclaimer: I generally loathe "green" tastes.

From Teavana

Youthberry Tea: OK, call me a lemming, but I'm into this tea. It smells FANTASTIC - like peaches. It also tastes a bit peachy to me, and very astringent. It's in a white tea base which is code for "super high in caffeine" so I don't recommend you drink it like a herbal tea, but it's a great mid-morning blend. Note: Don't steep for longer than 3 minutes and don't make the water too hot. White tea gets bitter under those circumstances. There is some artificial flavouring in this blend but it doesn't bother me; it's very subtle and designed to slightly amplify the natural flavour.

Opus Rouge Rooibos: I bought this on a lark and I really like it! It's as much like wine as tea is ever going to be. Very dry, red-fruit undertones, made with dried grapes. It goes a gorgeous ruby colour and, if you steep it long, it is almost like a juice (there are stevia leaves within it to produce just a subtle sweetness). This tastes luxe and it goes really well with chocolate. Note: It does smell a bit like grape gum, which bothers a lot of people. But I don't find it upsetting, weirdly enough. The astringency of the blend works for me, artificial smell and flavourings notwithstanding.

I've just recently discovered Teavana - I believe it's new to Toronto. Let me say a few things about it: the blends are very artful and exuberant. They tend towards strong - this tea has a really American quality to it; it's big. Some of the teas come pre-sweetened with rock sugar (WTF?!) or stevia, so pay attention. It's also super fucking expensive. Seriously. So buy online, on sale (like now) or be prepared to spend.

From Pukka

The nice thing about this brand is that it's of high-quality, well-priced and available in health food stores.

Licorice and Cinnamon: Don't panic! This tastes neither like licorice nor cinnamon. It's bizarre. It actually owes its flavour most to a cocoa pod and chicory basenote. (It also tastes nothing like chocolate - mercifully, as I've decided that chocolate in tea is just wrong.) This blend is beautifully balanced and it works very well if you're looking for a way to satisfy the need for sweet. It does have a herbal tea-thing going on, so if you're not into earthy, it might not be your first choice.

I do recommend that you get one of these, to make the most of things. There's something about looking at your tea leaves steeping that enriches the experience. Also, some of my recommendations come in teabag format as well as loose. So check out the sites for more info.

Now it's your turn. Please enlighten me about the best teas you've tried. I need to maximize my collection on all accounts!

23 comments:

  1. The herbal tea I drink most is chamomile (my cat's favourite - if I leave half a cup anywhere he's sure to find it!) and mint... so I've got no tea advice for you! You describe everything very well though, and it does make me want to branch out! (I'm trying to make myself drink more tea, because I'm constantly dehydrated. Drinking is just so boring...)

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  2. OK - you are seriously no help to me :-) Do they have Teavana near you? I know there isn't a Tealish (sadly). I suggest you go online and order a bunch of new teas. They're all on mega-sale and they'll be a fun treat when the real misery of winter kicks in.

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  3. What a fabulous post! I myself am getting on the tea wagon, and happen to be heading to a suburb with a Teavana tomorrow :) I remember the store from when I was in Alberta - I just adored their version of Monks Blend, although it seems to be discontinued.
    While I do adore peppermint (with Tarragon a la Tazo, and especially with green tea - as green tea on its own is blah) - I do have a favourite you might like: Fireside Chai Spice from Teas &Weaves in Penticton, BC! It's completely herbal, but you'd never know the black tea was missing it's so rich. Their website (teasandweaves.com) lists all of their tea selections by category, and the contact page indicates they're happy to deliver by mail!
    And as an aside, the westcoast equivalent to your Tealish is Silk Road Tea in Victoria - exceedingly expensive, but seriously high quality blends.
    Happy Holidays!!

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    1. Thanks S! I want to know what tea you get today :-) And why do they always discontinue the great teas? I've noticed this in all the tea boutiques. Happily, the grocery brands don't do this. I'm totally going to look up the Fireside Chai. I like chai - but I find that they are frequently strangely unbalanced. I'm always looking for a new one... My friend is in BC over Xmas - on the island. I think she will be visiting Silk Road while there...

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    2. I'm placing today's triple digit purchase of tea squarely on your shoulders!! They only had the large (read 500gr) tin of Raspberry Balasmico, which I fell in love with - very similar to Opus, but herbal. So of course I then had to buy an equal amount of Opus - natch. Then, to round out my purchases (and get all three seasonal tins), I decided on the Apple Cider ... rather than the Sangria, which is a discontinued black tea - partly because it's caffeinated, but mostly because I don't want to fall in love with a discontinued tea!
      Hope your friend has a lovely time on the island! I highly recommend the Casablanca blend at Silk Road :)
      Best wishes for the New Year - Here's to health and happiness!!

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    3. I accept the blame! I got a 50 g of the rasp balsamico online (I'd never smelled it so I thought I'd go minimal. Then I went to the store and smelled it, and wish I'd got more!) And I know what you mean about not falling in love with the discontinued tea. I know there's more where that came from, but it's sad to love something you can't get anymore. And happy new year to you too. I am really hopeful for health in 2015!

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  4. My first time commenting - I was directed to one of your posts on yoga by materfamilias and I love your blog! There is a Teavana near here and I've tried quite a few of their teas. My favorite is Wild Orange Blossom, and I also love Youthberry. They sell these two teas mixed together, as well. The samples in their stores are often sweetened, and some of the teas have sweeteners (as you said). I can't' stand sugar in tea. Another favorite is Jasmine Green Tea from mountainroseherbs.com, a great site where I buy spices in bulk.

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    1. Hi Marie! Thanks so much for commenting. How lovely to find a new reader via Frances. I tried a blend of the Wild Orange/Youthberry recently and, gotta say, I don't love it as much as when either of the teas stand alone. Weird! And they really do like to sweeten the samples, I agree. I personally hate sugar in tea or coffee so it's a bit of a shock when I come upon sugar I wasn't expecting. Stevia's ok for sweetening, as long as it's used subtly. I LOVE jasmine tea so I'm going to check out your link. Thanks so much.

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  5. I buy the loose tea from Frontier in 1 lb packages. They have an excellent variety and the quality is consistent. You can find lovely flavors for about $22 - $45 for 16 oz packages. I currently like the Lemon Ginger, Jasmine, Earl grey, Sencha and White tangerine. My brother goes thru about 10 or more lbs of the Sencha per year and is very selective. I recommend this company for the herbs and spices too. http://www.frontiercoop.com/

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    1. Wow, your brother is hardcore! I'm totally checking this out - thanks so much Angelique. And your name is so gorgeous...

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  6. I'm very fond of Stash's 'White Christmas'...though given your feelings on peppermint it might not be up your alley :) (white tea, peppermint, and ginger - the peppermint is fairly light, and if you brew it longer the ginger becomes quite prominent. It's very warming with the ginger, but lovely and light, and just a touch of good honey makes it even better. Says it's caffeinated but I've honestly never noticed)

    from David's Tea I quite like Cold 911 (again with the peppermint, I know, but again not that strong of it) I'm currently swearing by this for cold season.

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    1. I tried to get the Cold 911 but it was sold out! I'll try again next week. I'm ok with a bit of peppermint as long as it's for the good of my health :-) Chamomile, that I can never get with!

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  7. Have we already talked about this? I feel as if I might be repeating myself, but here goes. We generally drink blend of Russian Caravan fortified with Lapsang Souchong (5-1, roughly) for a smoky, black tea.I try to limit myself, these days, to 3 or 4 cups a day, but my cups are huge, fine bone china mugs, probably 10+ ounces. I've recently started drinking David's Cinnamon Rooibos Chai, thanks to a gift from my sister, and then discovered Murchie's Coconut Rooibos Chai -- I don't like chai with too much cardamom or too sweet, but these two are great. My son-in-law just gave us the sampler pack, Sweet Indulgence, from David's -- what a great way to discover teas. There's a Mandarin Green Tea I like as well as a Chocolate Chili. I already know I love the Creme Brulee in that pack 'cause they serve it at a favourite spa. Not goopy-sweet as it might sound.

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    1. We've talked about it. I'm a bit obsessed - kind of like how I was about corrugated rib. But you've really put it together well here, Frances. Thank you. I can't believe you have so many black teas per day! I think of you west coasters as herbal sorts :-) Have you tried the David's coconut chai? Not sure if it has too much cardamom for you, but I like it because it's hot (like spicy). I'm having a moment where I'm really off black tea - why, I have no idea. I guess it's not fun and crazy like these blends I've been discovering. But I'll never go off my morning espresso (macchiato or cortado) so no worries that there isn't enough caffeine in my life.

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  8. So many great tips! I'm low on tea and I appreciate all the ideas for stocking up. On the subject of chai, my favorite food blog (I rely on it now that my son is vegetarian bordering on vegan) has a recipe for the chai mixture to be steeped with black tea leaves:

    http://www.mynewroots.org/site/2009/11/masala-chai-tea-time-2/

    Maybe too much cardamom for you, Frances.

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  9. Someone who loathes chamomile and peppermint teas as much as I do! I no longer feel quite so alone. Coming from that starting point, your advice is invaluable to me. I am drinking more tea because ever increasing amounts of regular coffee and espresso are not helping my winter blues. Thank you for taking the time to analyze these teas as thoughtfully as though you were writing about wine!

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    1. Oh, don't feel alone! There are others like us out there, they just don't share their real feelings :-) And glad you enjoyed the post. I think about teas as if they were wines. It's making my wine reduction strategy that much more palatable.

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    2. Chiming in to say that I can't stand chamomile, either, although I love mint tea. I've reduced my wine consumption to near-zero (1/4 glass on rare occasions) because the sugar content bothers me and I find it a depressant. So I also appreciate the tea reviews!

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    3. So sad about the wine! But don't worry - there's endless interest in tea these days :-)

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  10. Okay, this was a reminder that I do hate one kind of tea, chamomile. But I do like mint teas.

    So my complaint with David's Tea is less about the tea and more about the way they serve. I don't always need help. If I want to pop in and buy some bear trap tea, I don't want to smell 18 teas along the way or wait for the staff to waft tea at someone else. And their ingredients aren't always easy to spot which is how I ended up with some monkey banana tea that actually was half chamomile. Ugh.

    I haven't shopped at Teaopia in a long time just because I haven't been in a mall in a long time, but I liked being able to open little samples and smell and read the ingredients and then talk to staff when I had a short list in mind of what I wanted.

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    1. I hate when blogger eats my own comments! I don't find David's to be in my face, but that's prob cuz I'm in theirs! And I'm off to look up Bear Trap.

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    2. Bear Trap is rather tasty, lots of fruits that bears like.

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