Tea and Cheese - Oh my!

The cheese course seems to be the biggest trend in the culinary world. I see myself reading about it in many popular cooking magazines as of late. I myself wasn't familiar with the formal cheese course until I became a fan of the cooking reality TV show, Top Chef. All of sudden, after duck confit with roasted sunchokes, but before the lavender scented panna cotta, there appeared a plate of cheese, arranged to please the eye, with maybe a artistic dab of quince jam on the plate. The closest thing I had known to a cheese plate before hand was the heavily picked-over plastic tray of cubed Cheddar and American cheese, and if it was fancy, it had some cubed Pepper Jack as well. You would stab a cube with a tinsel-topped toothpick and place it on top of Ritz, eating it to stave off your hunger because your hosts failed to mention that there wouldn't be 'real' food at their function.

Where does tea enter the picture? Most often, we think of wine as the perfect companion to cheese; the wine and cheese party is an established theme when it comes to entertaining. I had taken an interesting workshop on tea and cheese pairing while at the World Tea Expo where this was first introduced to me. Tea, can also pair very well with cheese, as it also contains tannins. Tannins are a substance that exists in grapes and tea leaves among other things and produces that tart, astringent taste that you may experience after drinking a deep red wine or black tea. It also lends to the colour of the tea. Without tannins, both wine and tea would lack that complex taste and beautiful colour. Not all teas are tannin-rich; exceptions are White and Green teas, which contain very little tannins, while Oolongs are in the middle, and Black teas have the most. When thinking of teas to pair with your cheese plate, sticking to Black or Oolong teas are good, but including a Green tea with a grassy or vegetal note will round out your selection wonderfully.


The idea of building a cheese plate may seem intimidating, but it's a great exercise in learning about different varieties of cheeses and exposing your palate to something different. Cheese and tea have a lot in common if you think about it: both vary when it comes to the region they are grown or produced as well as yield different tastes depending on the amount of or lack of processing. There are many good guides that have come out in the last few years that can also be helpful, if you think it'll be baffling. Though there might not be a cheese shop in your town or nearby, many supermarkets are expanding their cheese sections to include a diverse selection, going beyond Cheddar and Swiss. If you are fortunate enough to have a gourmet market with an extensive department or a cheese shop nearby, your cheese monger can help you make a selection and answer your questions.


To start, you basically want to choose about 3-5 types of cheeses with different textures (hard, semi-hard, creamy, soft), milks (sheep, cow, goat), and regions (from international cheese to locally made- many possibilities here!). Have some good bread and fruits that'll complement the cheeses on hand- they can make for palate cleansers in between tasting.
For your tea, choose some flavourful teas that have distinctive notes to them. To start, try 2-3 black teas and round out with a green and an oolong; adjust to match how many cheeses you will have on hand. Some great Black teas to have as the base for your tastings: Darjeeling, Assam, Lapsang Souchong, and Yunnan; they are all full-bodied teas that can stand up to the creaminess of cheese. Prepare your tea accordingly, being sure not to over-steep. Make sure there is enough for everyone to get a good taste of, but not fill up on.
In order to create great pairings, it's important to feel and understand the relationship between the taste of the cheese and tea. Tastes can be complementary- with similar flavours or contrasting where you can taste two distinct flavours that marry well with each other. Of course, you may also come across pairings that aren't good at all. First try each tea and cheese separately to understand the flavours, and then try together to see how they meld. Experiment profusely! Remember taste is subjective; use the following pairings as guidelines.

Some favorite pairings:
• Asiago Pressata with a vegetal Green, Kukicha or Sencha (Asiago is a very mild cheese and goes well with a green tea that has a low amount of tannins).
• Irish Whiskey Cheddar with Lapsang Souchong (the smokiness of Lapsang Souchong really holds up to the bitterness of the cheese)
• Goat cheese with Assam (try with a dribble of honey on the cheese-it makes for a great flurry of flavours- the maltiness of the tea goes well with the tart of the cheese and the aftertaste of the honey).
• Brie and Darjeeling (I learned to eat the 'flurry' which is the waxy rind on the brie- it helps bring out the flavour).
• Manchego with Sencha (the tea helps mellow out the sharpness of this hard cheese)
A cheese with tea course makes a great addition for any function and the pairing will be unexpected! It's a great way to introduce unknown varieties of tea to novices. Typically the formal cheese course is served after the main course, before dessert, but can make for a great cocktail party dish. Here are more tips for a successful cheese and tea platter:
• When buying your cheeses at a specialty store or cheese shop, you can often ask to sample a piece of cheese. Take advantage of it; though you may not have tea with you, you can imagine how the cheese will taste with a smoky tasting tea, a grassy tasting tea, etc.
• Serve the cheese at room temperature, not right out of the fridge (but be sure to wrap up any leftover cheese and store it in the fridge, you don't want to leave the cheese sitting out-yuck!)
• Arrange the cheese and tea from mildest to strongest. If you were to arrange the selections above, you would start with the Asiago Pressata/Kukicha and end with the Irish Whiskey Cheddar/Lapsang Souchong pairing.
• Be creative and use fun serving pieces to display your tea and cheeses. I use thicker plastic party cups to serve my tea in so people can see the different colours of the tea's liquor. It's quite pretty.
• Cut the cheese (oooh!) from the rind to the tip (imagine a typical wedge of cheese-do not cut from the tip of the triangle for a tiny nub). Cutting this wider slice of cheese will allow you to taste the total flavour of the cheese, which can be layered.
• If you are doing a cheese and tea pairing with a group, leave out some note pads or pieces of paper so everyone can share their thoughts about each pairing. The more taste buds, the better!

Tea and cheese, anyone?
Given that China and Japan, two of the world’s three most prestigious tea-growing nations, do not have long traditions of dairy consumption in their population’s diets (although that seems to be changing as Westernization is taking hold), I set out to be deliciously subversive and pair some of the teas from those countries with cheese, leading to pleasantly surprising results. By contrast, India, the third of that tea-producing triumvirate, has a well-established tradition of using dairy products in its cuisine, marked by a generous use of clarified butter, dairy-enriched sauces dating back to the Moghul empire, delicate paneer cheese for all manner of non-vegetarian Indian specialties, milk-based desserts, and of course, in the beverage realm, the ubiquitous masala chai, which combines bold-flavoured tea with milk and spices.
Tempted by the thought that wine wasn’t the only beverage that could harmonize with cheese, I chose eight teas to pair with six cheeses: choosing five teas from mainland China (White tea, Dragonwell green, Ti Quan Yin oolong, an English Breakfast made exclusively from Keemun, and a subtly smoky Lapsang Souchong); one from Japan (Sencha); and two from India (Arya Darjeeling and Mokalbari Assam). The cheeses represented the three major categories: two based on sheep’s milk (fresh ricotta and Sardinian Pecorino), two based on cow’s milk (a Fontina called Brindisi from Oregon’s Willamette Valley Cheese Company and Fromage d’ Affinois, a 60% butterfat wonder from France), and two based on goat’s milk (one mild and soft, Pyramide from France, and the other a pungent and Spanish variety called Monte Enebro, with its flattened cylindrical shape).
I chose to taste each tea with each cheese and above and beyond the theine buzz, here are some observations from the 48 pairings:
* Drinking the white tea at 170 degrees F. provided enough heat to accentuate the sweet cream notes of the ricotta, making it yielding on the tongue and mouth filling with its fresh dairy personality.
* The floral, somewhat rose-scented warmth of the white tea, when consumed cool, harmonized beautifully with the buttery quality of the Sardinian Pecorino.
* The grapey pleasantly fermented notes in the French goat cheese played beautifully against the grassy, toasty notes of the Dragonwell green tea, imbibed at about 180 degrees F.
* Slightly cooled after brewing, the Ti Quan Yin oolong brought out the lemony notes in the Monte Enebro (Spanish goat cheese), softening some of the cheese’s aggressive barnyard aroma.
* With its sweet orchidy essence, this same tea was a fitting partner to the decadently rich Fromage d’Affinois, with its creamy mellow melting quality.
* The Assam’s malty character was a nice foil for the Brindisi Fontina, which softened the tannins in the tea, setting up the palate for just one more bite of room-temperature Pyramide.
* With its almost caramel-like sweetness, the Fontina also stood up nicely to the smokiness in the Lapsang Souchong, leaving me wishing to explore whether smoked cheeses and smoked tea would prove to be too much of a good thing.
* Proving to be unflattering to any of the cheeses, the Japanese Sencha, born from a formerly non-dairy-consuming country, did not betray its heritage and would be best consumed with noodle dishes, seafood, and sushi, if sake were off-limits.
Hardly the last word on pairings of the brewed leaf and milk’s leap into immortality, this tasting poses as many questions as it answers about how tea and cheeses can enhance each other when tasted in tandem; I hope you’re inspired to dig in and explore.

The Pairings
Here are sources’ guidelines for pairings, with examples:
• Pair opposing flavours – the salty, fruity flavour of Taleggio with the peppery, chocolaty notes of Risheehat First Flush Darjeeling (Barenholtz), or sweet Lychee Black or Pouchong and with salty Gorgonzola or Shropshire Blue (Gold).
• Play on similarities – the grassy-sweetness of Nevat with grassy-sweet Japanese greens, or the herbaceous Vento d’Estate with the honey-hay notes of Golden Needle Yunnan (Barenholtz).
• Consider texture – the fat of a rich Brie with a brisk, palette-cleansing Darjeeling First Flush (Gold).
• Bring out sub-tones and sub-textures – well-aged Comte emphasizes the cleanliness and chestnut tones of Dragonwell (Gold).
• Follow the seasons – seasonally available Irish whiskey cheddar with cold-weather teas like Lapsang Souchong (Enck).

Tea and Cheese Pairing
We are used to pairing food and wine, wine and cheese, wine and chocolate... but like with wines, tea and cheese both come in a myriad of textures, flavours and strengths and they can be matched together.
I love a good cup of tea- there is something so refreshing and healing about it that wine just can't match, but I also love a creamy, opulent cheese, so I was happy to read that the two can go together.
Here are some suggested teas to be paired with your different cheeses:
* Asiago (a very mild cheese): Goes well with a green tea that has a low amount of tannins. Try Keemun, Pai Mu Dan
* Brie: Darjeeling, Tung Ting Oolong
* Camembert: Dragonwell, Chun Mee, Gunpowder, Ha Giang, First-Flush Darjeeling, Sikkim
* Cheddar: Tung Ting Oolong, Darjeeling
* Blue tea potCream Cheese: Ceylon, Darjeeling, Cameroon
* Edam: Ceylon, Autumnal Darjeeling, Buddha’s Finger Oolong
* Gorgonzola: Chun Mee, Ha Giang, Ceylon, Pouchong
* Muenster: Tung Ting Oolong, Pouchong
* Provolone: Ceylon, Nilgiri
I would suggest using good quality cheeses and teas, as the range in quality of both cheese and tea is significant.

Tea and Toast

Tea and toast is a simple treat that is light in calories and great in taste. Of course the calories depend of what type of bread you select for your toast.

Most folks use white bread as do I, but whole wheat, pumpernickel, or rye bread makes great toast as well.


Tea with toast is my favourite all-time tea food. It is easy to make, and is perfect for an afternoon treat! All you need to do is brew some tea and toast some bread...what can be easier?

You can put jam on top, peanut butter, or just plain butter. Fruit jams such as blueberry or strawberry go great with toast too. Spiced apple cider spread with just a little butter makes a great tea food along with that morning cup of Earl Grey or Irish Breakfast tea.


If one does not have loose leaf tea available (which I always recommend you use), the sweet taste of the toast with a selected fruit spread hides some of the bitter undertones associated with tea bag tea.


However, to get the most flavour and benefits from tea you should always brew using loose leaf tea!


It makes tea with toast a much more enjoyable meal, as well as gives your body more of those powerful antioxidants present in freshly brewed tea!

Breville BKT500 Makes Tea And Toast For Two

Cup of tea and toast appreciation society

A Nice Cup of Tea + Nostalgia

by George Orwell

Evening Standard, 12 January 1946

IF YOU look up ‘tea’ in the first cookery book that comes to hand you will probably find that it is unmentioned; or at most you will find a few lines of sketchy instructions which give no ruling on several of the most important points.

This is curious, not only because tea is one of the main stays of civilization in this country, as well as in Eire, Australia and New Zealand, but because the best manner of making it is the subject of violent disputes.
When I look through my own recipe for the perfect cup of tea, I find no fewer than 11 outstanding points. On perhaps two of them there would be pretty general agreement, but at least four others are acutely controversial. Here are my own 11 rules, every one of which I regard as golden:
• First of all, one should use Indian or Ceylonese tea. China tea has virtues which are not to be despised nowadays—it is economical, and one can drink it without milk—but there is not much stimulation in it. One does not feel wiser, braver or more optimistic after drinking it. Anyone who has used that comforting phrase ‘a nice cup of tea’ invariably means Indian tea.
• Secondly, tea should be made in small quantities—that is, in a teapot. Tea out of an urn is always tasteless, while army tea, made in a cauldron, tastes of grease and whitewash. The teapot should be made of china or earthenware. Silver or Britanniaware teapots produce inferior tea and enamel pots are worse; though curiously enough a pewter teapot (a rarity nowadays) is not so bad.
• Thirdly, the pot should be warmed beforehand. This is better done by placing it on the hob than by the usual method of swilling it out with hot water.
• Fourthly, the tea should be strong. For a pot holding a quart, if you are going to fill it nearly to the brim, six heaped teaspoons would be about right. In a time of rationing, this is not an idea that can be realized on every day of the week, but I maintain that one strong cup of tea is better than twenty weak ones. All true tea lovers not only like their tea strong, but like it a little stronger with each year that passes—a fact which is recognized in the extra ration issued to old-age pensioners.
• Fifthly, the tea should be put straight into the pot. No strainers, muslin bags or other devices to imprison the tea. In some countries teapots are fitted with little dangling baskets under the spout to catch the stray leaves, which are supposed to be harmful. Actually one can swallow tea-leaves in considerable quantities without ill effect, and if the tea is not loose in the pot it never infuses properly.
• Sixthly, one should take the teapot to the kettle and not the other way about. The water should be actually boiling at the moment of impact, which means that one should keep it on the flame while one pours. Some people add that one should only use water that has been freshly brought to the boil, but I have never noticed that it makes any difference.
• Seventhly, after making the tea, one should stir it, or better, give the pot a good shake, afterwards allowing the leaves to settle.
• Eighthly, one should drink out of a good breakfast cup—that is, the cylindrical type of cup, not the flat, shallow type. The breakfast cup holds more, and with the other kind one’s tea is always half cold—before one has well started on it.
• Ninthly, one should pour the cream off the milk before using it for tea. Milk that is too creamy always gives tea a sickly taste.
• Tenthly, one should pour tea into the cup first. This is one of the most controversial points of all; indeed in every family in Britain there are probably two schools of thought on the subject. The milk-first school can bring forward some fairly strong arguments, but I maintain that my own argument is unanswerable. This is that, by putting the tea in first and stirring as one pours, one can exactly regulate the amount of milk whereas one is liable to put in too much milk if one does it the other way round.
• Lastly, tea—unless one is drinking it in the Russian style—should be drunk without sugar. I know very well that I am in a minority here. But still, how can you call yourself a true tea-lover if you destroy the flavour of your tea by putting sugar in it? It would be equally reasonable to put in pepper or salt. Tea is meant to be bitter, just as beer is meant to be bitter. If you sweeten it, you are no longer tasting the tea, you are merely tasting the sugar; you could make a very similar drink by dissolving sugar in plain hot water.
Some people would answer that they don’t like tea in itself, that they only drink it in order to be warmed and stimulated, and they need sugar to take the taste away. To those misguided people I would say: Try drinking tea without sugar for, say, a fortnight and it is very unlikely that you will ever want to ruin your tea by sweetening it again.
These are not the only controversial points to arise in connection with tea drinking, but they are sufficient to show how subtilized the whole business has become.
There is also the mysterious social etiquette surrounding the teapot (why is it considered vulgar to drink out of your saucer, for instance?) and much might be written about the subsidiary uses of tealeaves, such as telling fortunes, predicting the arrival of visitors, feeding rabbits, healing burns and sweeping the carpet.
It is worth paying attention to such details as warming the pot and using water that is really boiling, so as to make quite sure of wringing out of one’s ration the 20 good, strong cups that two ounces, properly handled, ought to represent.

Tea Sets

How many do you have? If you are over 40 I reckon most of you would have at least one 'good' teaset. You may have been given it as a graduation, engagement or wedding gift or maybe you have inherited one (or more) from an elderly relative.
I know I have many - though, over the years I have given many away to the charity shops. If you go into any second hand or charity shop I am sure you will find hundreds of tea sets. Their use has gone out of popularity in recent times.
So today's post is dedicated to the humble (or not so) tea set. See if you can pick the ones that have been 'modernised'.

I have included a photo of my eldest daughter's creation of a Teaset. It is just beautiful. Nikki is a jewellery & object designer maker you can see her other work on her website. She is a very talented person.

I have also included some pictures of miniature (and toy) teasets. How well I remember my (pretend) tea parties with my dolls when I was a kid. I watched an episode of Antique's Roadshow the other day and a woman brought on a delicate [miniature] child's teaset made of painted glass. It had been in the family's loft for over 40 years. The teaset was valued at $2,000AUS - check your lofts!

Rest and Refresh with a glass of Iced Tea

I guess the middle of a Queensland Winter is probably not the best time for sharing ICED TEA information and recipes, but I do live in the SUNSHNE STATE and so I suppose anytime is good for a refreshing cool tea beverage.

I very quickly took to the bottled iced teas when they first hit the supermarket shelves. It was an easy way to get my tea hit on a hot day while I was at work. After a while I questioned the ingredients of the teas, and although they don’t have all the goodness I would have liked, and the percentage of actual tea included, I still find them a good quick hit of tea deliciousness.

I make a lot of my own iced tea – it can be as simple or as complex as you like. You can use tea bags of almost all varieties or you can develop your own fresh brew of leaves.

What is Iced Tea?
Iced tea is tea which is served cold, classically over ice to ensure that it stays cold. Many tea and tisane-drinking cultures have some form of iced tea, especially cultures with hot climates, and there are a number of different forms of iced tea, ranging from sweet, rich Thai iced tea with coconut milk to iced tea blends which include juice.

Brewing iced tea is generally fairly easy, as all one has to do is make a pot of tea and chill it. When iced tea is brewed, it is often made especially strong, so that it can be served with ice. As the ice melts down, the tea dilutes. If the tea was of normal strength, it might turn insipid and watery as a result of the dilution, but instead the tea remains strong and flavourful.

Some variations on the process for assembling iced tea include the use of hot tea which is poured over ice to create a lukewarm beverage, or the use of sun tea, tea which is steeped for several hours in the sun to extract its flavour. In areas with limited energy resources, sun tea can be convenient, because the water does not have to be heated, and this can also be nice when the weather is extremely hot, and turning the stove on to make iced tea feels slightly silly.
Iced tea may also be mixed with juices to make it especially flavourful, or to create a specifically desired flavour. In some cases, pieces of fruit or vegetables may be added directly to the iced tea during the brewing and steeping process; in China, for example, iced tea is often made with slivers of ginger. Iced tea can also be brewed with things like lemons, strawberries, and fresh flowers, and these items may be served with the tea as well, for more visual interest.
Some well-known variations on iced tea include sweet tea, a form of iced tea served in the American South which is heavily sweetened during the brewing process, and Thai iced tea, an iced tea made with a strong blend of black tea and coconut milk, with a hint of sugar for sweetening. Iced tisanes like hibiscus tisane are also popular, especially in the tropics. It is also possible to find more exotic iced teas, like green iced tea with cocoa, in some regions of the world.
Making the Perfect Iced Tea
Iced for the hotter months to come. A Quartet of Iced Teas. As warmer weather approaches, many tea drinkers will find themselves wanting to swap their cups of steaming hot tea for tall glasses of iced tea. Though the beverage market is swamped with a wide variety of ready-to-drink teas-everything from sugary and flavoured to plain and sublime-making your own iced tea gives you the creativity to make your very own concoction with whatever tea you decide upon. It's easy to make and the options to personalize it are endless.
A quick recipe for one gallon of iced tea:
• Measure out 64oz (8 cups) of fresh, cold water. Heat to desired temperature depending on the type of tea you are using.
• Steep 3 1/2 Tbsp of tea leaves in the hot water for the same time you would do if preparing a cup of hot tea (ie, 5 minutes for black tea, 3 minutes for green, etc.)
• Remove tea leaves from water and pour the hot tea over a pitcher of ice. This will dilute the tea and cool it down quickly. You can add more ice if need be. This step also prevents the iced tea from clouding. If you still experience any clouding in your iced tea, add a touch of boiling water.
• Add any sort of additions you wish to, or enjoy plain.
Plain v. Flavoured - There is no right or wrong- it's up to you and whatever your palette is in the mood for! If you opt for plain, use the best quality whole-leaf teas you can find. You may want to stick with teas that have 'bright' notes; teas with inherent floral or fruity notes chill well. Teas with earthier, malty notes may not sound as appealing, but to each their own! Be adventurous; you might find something you enjoy hot makes a great cold, refreshing drink.
Flavoured Iced Tea - Flavoured iced tea can be both plain tea with additions or a flavoured tea as a based mixed with other ingredients to bring out their natural character. Here are some ideas for excellent add-ins:
• Sweeteners: Sugar, honey, agave nectar all make for good sweeteners. If you opt to make a Southern-Style Sweet Tea, add sugar while the tea is steeping. If using honey or agave nectar, it also helps to add them to the hot tea first and then stir until dissolved. If you prefer to add sweetener once the tea has been poured over ice, a quick recipe of Simple Syrup can make it easier- Boil one cup of water with one cup of sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. You can then add the syrup to the iced tea, or serve it in a squirt bottle so each person can sweeten at their own discretion.
• Fresh or Frozen Fruit: Fruit can definitely jazz up any iced tea. If using a flavoured fruit tea base, try a different kind of fruit to make a blend. Think of other fruits other than the usual lemon garnish. If using frozen fruit, they can also act as cooling agents for your iced tea. Chop up fruit into smaller pieces and add to tea after pouring over ice.
• Herbs and Spices: Add by the teaspoon various spices to add flavour to your teas while your tea is still hot, so it will incorporate properly. Try steeping star anise, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, or ginger along with the tea to get the full flavour affect. Fresh herbs added to the tea once over ice will also help bring a certain complexity to your brew. Clean and trim fresh herbs such as mint, sage, lemongrass, lavender, basil, verbena, and lemon balm and add to your pitcher of iced tea. They'll add flavour and make for a nice garnish.
• Other Additions: Try sweetening your iced tea with 1/2 Cup of fruit juice or fruit puree. Pomegranate juice adds healthy components (to an already healthy drink!) and it's flavour is not too strong to overpower the tea flavour. Garnishes can also make for a winning iced tea: citrus flowers and herbs like mentioned earlier, but also edible flowers can make a darling decorative touch if you float them on top. Try also freezing juice or tea in ice cube trays and adding to the tea for both flavour, colour, and to keep the tea cold. Rim your serving glasses with sugar to add a little flair!

Iced Green Tea - You should never brew Green Tea with hot water and then cool it to prepare cold or iced tea. Instead, please double the amount of the Green Tea leaves used to brew it in cold water in a sealed container. This way you keep the aroma, the natural colour and the medicinal health benefits of the Green Tea. The reason this way is better, is that you avoid oxidation that can occur if the tea is left open to the air in an attempt to cool it after hot brewing. The brewing time is actually very short. For example, 10-15 cups of tea can be brewed in a jar in the ice box in just 30-45 minutes. Please note that you can refill the jar with water to brew more tea when the level reaches one third full. You may repeat the same procedure up to 3 times using the same Xianju Green Tea leaves. It is better than drinking water for walkers, runners, cycling, mountain climbing or any athletic sport in general that demands replenishment of body fluids.

4 Tips and Ideas for Making Great Iced Tea
Good homemade iced tea starts with good ingredients: Fresh, cold water and quality tea leaves, plus a bit of patience in its preparation.
1. Use Good Water - Tea is mostly water, so that water needs to be good. Whether you are making hot tea or iced tea, your tea water should be:
• Fresh: Your water should be fresh from your tap. Don't use water that has been sitting around, even if it is in a water filter pitcher. Water and ice that are stored in a refrigerator or freezer for any length of time will begin to take on food odors, which can spoil the flavour of your iced tea.
• Cold: Don't try to speed up the tea-making process by running the water hot out of the tap. That hot water has less oxygen than cold water, and will make an inferior tea.
• Good Tasting: You don't necessarily have to use filtered or bottled water to make your iced tea, but the water should not have a funky or "off" taste or smell. I've found that if water has a slightly sweet taste, it is often very good for making tea.
2. Use Good Tea - You don't have to use ultra-premium tea to make iced tea, but good tea (either bagged or loose leaf) makes a much tastier beverage than the cheap tea that you find in so many grocery stores. Find a reputable tea merchant and select good quality teas. If you choose to use loose leaf teas, there are several different types of loose leaf tea makers, filter pitchers, and infusers on the market for making your tea.
3. Preventing Cloudy Iced Tea - Cloudy iced tea is typically caused by chilling the tea too quickly after it has been brewed. The cloudiness is an aesthetic problem: It doesn't affect the tea's flavour. Here are some tricks for preventing cloudy iced tea:
• Use Nilgiri black tea for iced tea. It resists clouding better than other black teas, goes well with lemon, and makes a smooth and tasty hot tea, too!
• Don't "rapid chill" your iced tea. Make the tea and then let it cool down at room temperature before refrigerating or pouring over ice. (Also, by not pouring the iced tea directly over ice, thus diluting it, you'll have better control over its strength.)
• Cold-brew your ice tea (also called "refrigerator brewing"). See tips below.
• If your tea is already cloudy, try adding a few slices of lemon, or a shot or two of boiling water to the tea to clear it up.
4. Refrigerator Iced Tea - First the bad news: Refrigerator brewing iced tea is not for the impatient. It takes a long time to properly brew iced tea without heat. Still, this method has several advantages:
• It doesn't heat up your home on hot days.
• Your tea brews clear.
• Your tea may contain both fewer tummy-bothering tannins as well as less caffeine.

• Cold brewing can be a good way of using up lesser quality teas: The cold-water extraction process can mute bitter and disagreeable flavours. Brewing refrigerator iced tea is simple: Just add tea or teabags to a pitcher or jar of cold water, cover, and let sit in the refrigerator for about 12 hours. The amount of tea used varies depending on your preference: I usually use 1-2 teaspoons of loose leaf tea, or 1-2 teabags per 8 ounces of water. Loose leaf tea can either be placed in an infuser, or added directly to the water. When the tea is done infusing, just pour the tea through a strainer into a pitcher. Any type of tea can be used to make refrigerator iced tea, though some work better than others.

Good Tea Varieties for Making Iced Tea
• Ceylon black tea is from Sri Lanka, and often has a natural lemon/citrus flavor. It makes a particularly delicious iced tea when cold-brewed.
• Keemun is a Chinese black tea that also can make a wonderful refrigerator iced tea. However, Keemun can be very expensive, so you may not want to use it in the quantities you need for a large pitcher of iced tea.
• Avoid making iced tea with Assam. Its malty characteristics make it taste strange as a cold-brew iced tea.
• Many green teas take well to the refrigerator brewing method. A decent gunpowder green tea or mid-grade Japanese sencha can make lovely and refreshing iced teas.
• Oolong teas can make very interesting and remarkably refreshing cold-brewed iced teas. Oolong teas are partially oxidized, and some are very "green" while others are closer to black tea in colour and flavour. Bao Zhong, also called Pouchong, is a very lightly oxidized green oolong with sweet and floral flavours that makes an amazing iced tea. Ti Guan Yin is another floral green oolong that is richer in flavour than Bao Zhong, and it makes a hearty iced tea indeed. If you like darker oolongs, try Oriental Beauty: This oolong is heavily oxidized due to little leafhopper insects that bite its leaves while still on the plant. It makes a honey-sweet and spicy iced tea. Oolong teas that are flavoured with osmanthus and ginseng also worth trying as refrigerator brews.
• White teas are often too subtle to make good refrigerator-brewed iced teas. Many herbal tisanes (herbal teas), such as rooibos, also need hot water to extract their flavour. The same goes for chai tea: While iced chai is delicious, the spice flavours in chai won't develop in cold water. That said, you might want to try adding a particularly strong herb, such as fresh or dried mint, to your batch of black or green refrigerator iced tea for a bit of extra flavour.http://tea.suite101.com/article.cfm/4-tips-and-ideas-for-making-great-iced-tea

Making Iced Tea
While the British love their hot tea, citizens in other countries – especially America – are crazy about drinking it cold. Iced tea accounts for more than 70% of the tea consumed by Americans each year. The drink was first introduced to the American public at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair and quickly became popular with the masses.

While Northerners tend to consider iced tea a summertime beverage, those who live in the American South drink it all year long, regardless of the temperature outside. They’re especially passionate about their iced tea and endeavour to make the best at all times. If you want to re-create great iced tea, it’s really not a difficult task. Just follow a few steadfast rules and you can be sure that your tea will be perfect every time.
The Process of Making Iced Tea
It’s best not to make just one glass of ice tea at a time but a whole pitcher that family and friends can share or that you can enjoy all day long. To make about 48 ounces of sweet-tasting iced tea, carefully adhere to the following recipe:
• Choose your favourite tea. These days, ice tea doesn’t have to be your garden variety orange pekoe, though most southern cooks will tell you that the traditionally flavoured tea bags make the best tea. The berry flavours make rather nice, light ice teas…perfect for hot, summer days.
• Bring one quart (4 cups) of cold water to a boil in a teapot of your stove. (Don’t microwave the water!)
• When the water has come to a complete boil, pour it over the tea bags. Most tea experts believe that 5 to 6 small tea bags are suitable for this quantity of iced tea. Tie the tea bags together so that they’re easy to remove when it’s time. If you’re using “family-sized” tea bags, which are usually 7 oz. versus 2 oz., use 2 large bags (but you may not want to let it steep as long). Glass pitchers are usually best. Metal and plastic pitches are discouraged as they sometimes give off an unusual taste or retain smells from previous beverages they held.
• Put the tea aside and allow it to steep. One hour of steeping time is usually sufficient but if you’re not available to remove the tea bags after one hour, don’t worry. The tea will still be fine. Some people even let it steep overnight and maintain that such lengthy steeping makes a better tea. Others leave it outside and make “sun tea”. Use a sealed container if you’re putting it outside as it may attract bugs if it’s not closed tightly.
• Once you remove the bags, this is the time to add the sugar. “Real” iced tea and “real” iced tea drinkers don’t worry about calories! However, if sugar is a problem for you, you can skip this step. If you are adding sugar, start by trying about 2/3 cup. After a few tries, you’ll know whether or not this is the right amount of sweetener for your tea. Don’t forget to stir until the sugar is dissolved.
• Once the sugar is totally dissolved, add 2 more cups of cold water. Stir again and place in the refrigerator to chill. It’s important not to add ice cubes at this time. It waters down the iced tea and flattens the taste. Chilling should always take place in the refrigerator and ample time should be allowed to achieve a refreshing temperature.
• Never keep iced tea in the refrigerator for more than a day or two. It loses its pleasing taste.
• Always serve your ice tea with a lemon wedge that drinkers can squeeze into their glass. (Lemon slices don’t work because you can’t squeeze them.)
• Once you’ve perfected the technique for making the world’s best iced tea, you’ll no doubt make adjustments of your own to fit your taste. Be sure to experiment a bit with flavours and sweetness until you create your favourite concoction. Before long, you’ll be drinking gallons!

C H A I TEA - A delicious beverage!

It was about 20 years ago I first tasted Chai Tea. My eldest daughter was going through a bohemian stage and had a part-time job waitressing at a dim, dark coffee shop in the city. Being the supportive parent, I of course made sure I visited the cafe and sampled some of the wares on offer. My daughter insisted I have a Chai tea... I was VERY glad I did! I have had a love affair with Chai ever since.
Even though I have had the real thing, I must admit I have never made it from scratch. I have bought tins of Chai tea mix and even had tea bags of chai tea. I have had it with full cream, lactose free, powdered and non-dairy milks. I have also had it without milk and just hot water. Delish!
I have included a couple of recipes for those of you who are adventurous. It will be well worth the effort.

Chai tea is rather a misnomer, as "chai" itself means tea in Hindi. This spicy milk tea is sometimes called masala chai. Traditionally, the Indian tea takes a long time to brew from freshly ground ingredients simmered over flames. Spices, milk, black tea, and sugar make up the key ingredients.
To make this tea using a traditional recipe, gather fresh spices from an Asian or Indian market. Take cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, whole black or white pepper corns, a cardamom pod, and grind them together into a powder. With chopped ginger root, add this mixture to a liquid of two parts half-and-half to three parts water. Use a strong, black tea from Asia such as Darjeeling, Ceylon, or Assam blends, instead of a green tea. Black tea has been oxidized, and has more tannins and a higher pungency. This mixture brews over a low, simmering heat for up to an hour, unlike steeped tea that takes mere minutes. Strain out the spices and stir in a teaspoon of sugar to bring out the spiciness without overly sweetening. Your cup of chai is ready to ease your nerves and warm your soul.
Due to the increasing popularity of this Eastern tea in the West, products now make chai more convenient to serve. Dry mixes, similar to instant hot chocolate, blend with warm milk, for a quick brew. Pre-brewed and packaged chai is also sold like a carton of milk to be enjoyed hot or iced. Connoisseurs can even prepare a concentrated mixture of spices and tea, with no milk and less water, to store in the refrigerator. When ready to mix just heat this on the stove with milk and sugar or honey to the desired strength.
New concoctions with a chai base create new tastes and varieties. As chai becomes a staple on the menus of coffee shops and tea rooms, people add vanilla, nutmeg, chocolate, coriander, soanp, or fennel seed. Experiment with different proportions of spice, or other milk products like ice cream, to create your individual blend. 

Benefits Of Chai tea
Chai, is the classical Indian beverage and has been used since centuries. In tautological sense, tea or chai is known as chai tea. People in Asia or especially India are known to have a better and stronger immune system as compared to people of other places. This can be attributed to the early morning intake of chai tea. Chai tea is made by mixing black tea with a definite amount of certain spices and herbs. According to both Chinese Traditional Medicine and Ayurveda chai tea offers numerous benefits to tit users. These benefits are due to the various kinds of spices present in it and include:


1.Benefits of cinnamon.
The presence of cinnamon helps to increase blood circulation and open up breathing. It also helps to increase vitality and awareness, and reduce fatigue. Cinnamon is also supposed to be an aphrodisiac and aids in arousing sexual drive.
2.Benefits of cardamom.
Cardamom is a popular spice in both Chinese and Indian preparations. It is said to benefit the kidneys, lungs, and the heart and also acts as a mood elevator.
3.Benefits of clove.
Clove is a native spice form the islands of Indonesia and was used by Chinese since 300 BC. They first came to Europe in fourth and fifth centuries AD. Cloves have antiseptic and pain-relieving properties attributes and just like ginger and pepper, clove is used to increase the effectiveness of other herbal blends.
4.Benefits of black pepper.
Black pepper is widely used for supporting blood circulation and body metabolism. It also helps to alleviate and ease chronic coldness and is thus used in winters.
5.Benefits of nutmeg.
Nutmeg has been in use for centuries to alleviate pain due to sciatica. It also promotes the digestion of heavy and fatty foods. It was earlier used by Arabian physicians for treating problems of kidney and lymph.
6.Chinese Star Anise
Traditional Asian herbalists recognize Chinese star anise with a numerous properties. It is quite frequently used as a remedy for cough and to freshen up bad breath.
7.Benefits of ginger.
Ginger has long been valued as a stimulant and tonic for improving the blood circulatory system and the immune system of the body. It has been used for the treatment of disparate conditions like motion sickness and impotence.
8.Benefits of fennel.
Fennel was found as a chief medicinal plant in royal herb gardens of France and Germany in the medieval period. Fennel is still extensively used for the treatment of kidney problems, ocular problems, and laryngitis.
Chai tea is a mixture of all the above ingredients and so it is the perfect drink to keep healthy and fit.

How to make chai tea
Serves 6
What you will need
• 1 tbs fennel seeds
• 6 green cardamom pods
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 12 whole cloves
• 1cm piece ginger, peeled, thinly sliced
• 6 black peppercorns
• 8 cups (2L) water
• ¼ cup Darjeeling tea leaves
• 1 cup (250ml) milk
• Brown sugar, to taste
• Sieve
• Saucepan
1. Put fennel seeds, cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaves, cloves, ginger, pepper and water in a large saucepan over high heat. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to simmer for 5 minutes to develop flavours. Stir in tea. Set aside for 2-3 minutes to brew.
2. Add the milk and sugar to taste. Strain through a fine sieve into serving glasses.

How to Make Chai Tea
A traditional drink of India and Pakistan, masala chai has become a popular beverage worldwide. While you may certainly purchase teabags at your local grocery store, you will achieve a more authentic flavour if you make it yourself, bouquet garni style, using the following recipes.
Ingredients
• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger root; grated
• 1 whole star anise; broken up
• 1 teaspoon orange peel; grated
• 4 pieces cinnamon bark (canela); 1 1/2 inch
• 1 teaspoon cardamom seeds
• 10 whole cloves
• 5 whole peppercorns
• 5 cups water
• 1/4 cup black tea leaves; (like Assam or Darjeeling)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3 cups milk
Steps
1. Bundle up the first seven ingredients in a length of cheese cloth and tie it together with a string. This is called a bouquet garni (pronounced "boo-KAY gar-NEE").
2.Place the bouquet garni in a pot of water. The string should be tied to the handle for easy removal later on.
3. Bring the water to a very low boil, then reduce the heat and simmer. Boiling water may extract too much bitterness from the tea leaves.
4. Add tea leaves and continue simmering for 15 minutes.
5. Remove the bouquet garni.
6. Strain the remaining liquid through a sieve to remove tea leaves.
7. Add honey, vanilla, and milk.
8. Serve. Pour the mixture over crushed ice if you're serving it cold. This makes eight servings.

Have a Tea App with your cuppa today

I don’t know what happens at your house but I am very lucky, my husband does all the cooking.

[well he is very lucky too, I don’t cook!]

This also means that he makes me my lovely cups of tea when he is home. There is nothing better than being SERVED tea, not having to get it for oneself.

Do you work in an environment where individuals take it in turn to get the tea?
Do you often have arguments about “Whose turn it is to make the tea?”

Is there someone who feels that it’s not fair that they have to get the tea all the time?

Well, do I have a solution for you!

It’s an iphone app. It’s called Tea Round! I think it’s brilliant! It costs - $1.19 AUS and I think the result if worth the price!

Think about it...you enter the names of everyone who could take a turn to make the tea
You then either spin or shake the wheel on your iPod (I have an iTouch)
Each time you spin the wheel a name is revealed.
This makes it totally random whose turn it is. No arguments, all happy!

Some Tea apps for you kidlets! My grandkids love to play with my iTouch. I have a selection of apps suitable for 3-5 year olds for them to interact with. There are so many fun and educational games for them on iTunes.

Miss Spiders Tea party

Watch, read, listen and play as this beloved picture book magically comes alive. With multi touch animation, painting, puzzle and games the Miss Spider’s Tea Party reinvents the reading experience for the whole family – and she has tea! $12.99 AUS

Dorothy’s Tea Party

For lovers of The Wiggles
Dorothy the Dinosaur is organising a Tea Party. She has organised all of her friends including, Wags the Dog, Henry the Octopus, Captain Feathersword and her fairy friends. She has prepared sandwiches, fairy cakes, Rose Petal juice and even organised for Dominic and the Rosy orchestra to entertain.
(I notice that they don’t actually have TEA!) $1.19 AUS

Life is mostly froth and BUBBLE TEA!

It’s all the rage at my local shopping centre. Recently they removed all the take away food stalls in the centre and replaced 4 of them with Bubble Tea cafes. I had seen hundreds of them in Taiwan and all around Hong Kong and now it seems the love of Bubble Tea has become universal and in every shopping centre.

I have indulged in Bubble tea a couple of times. I must say I am rather partial to the little bubbles of tapioca but if you’ve never had this drink before, you will need to prepare yourself for the little jelly like beads. Some people have said they are not pleasant but I say they are just unexpected!
I also rather like the Bubble teas without the tapioca. There are hundreds of flavour combinations and many of them are VERY sweet! Are they really tea based? Convince me! I am not convinced of any health benefits of this drink, for me it would seem that the bubble tea is just sheer pleasure!

Bubble tea is a sweetly flavored tea beverage invented in Taiwan. Drink recipes may vary, but most bubble teas contain a tea base mixed with fruit (or fruit syrup) and/or milk. Ice blended versions of the drink are also available, usually in fruit flavors. Bubble teas may contain small tapioca balls or pearls called "boba". Pearls made of jelly are also available in many places. These teas are shaken to mix the ingredients, creating a foam on the top of some varieties, hence the name.
Bubble tea originated in Taiwan in the 1980s, first spread to nearby East Asian countries, migrated to Canada before spreading to Chinatowns throughout the United States, and then to various trendy college towns along the West Coast.
There are many variants of the drink, depending on types of tea used and ingredients added. The most popular kinds are "bubble black tea" (traditional Chinese: 泡沫紅茶; pinyin: pào mò hóng chá; literally "froth red tea"), "bubble green tea" (traditional Chinese: 泡沫綠茶; pinyin: pào mò lǜ chá), and "pearl milk tea" (traditional Chinese: 珍珠奶茶; pinyin: zhen zhu nǎi chá).
A common misconception in its English usage, the name "bubble tea" is often associated with pearl milk tea. However, "bubble tea" simply refers to the shaken or whipped drink base. "Bubble tea with pearls" is a more accurate description of the Taiwanese shaken/stirred/whipped tea containing tapioca pearls. Pearl milk tea (of which "bubble tea with pearls" is a subset), also known as "boba milk tea", can refer to any milk tea commonly used, such as Hong Kong-style milk tea, combined with tapioca balls/pearls.

The History of Bubble Tea
If you visit Taiwan or Hong Kong you can't help but notice the unique bubble teashops on every corner. Bubble Tea to Taiwan is what coffee or soda is to the U.S. One would think Bubble Tea is the national drink by its popularity.
Just like in Taiwan, Bubble Tea shops are popping up all over the world. One Taiwan based company has over 450 locations while in the Philippines another person owns over 100 within 1.5 years.
The U.S. is also now feeling the growth. Hundreds of locations serve Bubble Tea in California alone. You may be wondering, "What is Bubble Tea and how did this all begin"?

Bubble Tea originated in Taiwan in the early 1980's at a small tea stand.
Elementary school children would look forward to buying a cup of refreshing tea after a long, hard day of work and play. Tea stands were set up in front of the schools and would compete for business with the best selling tea. One concession owner became popular with her tea when she started adding different fruit flavouring to her tea. Because of the sweet and cool taste, children loved the taste. Soon, other concessions heard about the "unique" and popular tea, so they started to add flavouring to their teas. When adding flavour, the tea and flavouring needed to be shaken well for a good all around taste. This formed bubbles in the drink, which came to be known as "Bubble Tea."
In 1983 Liu Han-Chieh introduced Taiwan to tapioca pearls. The new fad was to add tapioca pearls into a favourite drink. Most of the time tapioca pearls were served in cold infused tea. After the tea and flavour were shaken well, it topped tapioca pearls that were sitting on the bottom of a clear cup. The tapioca pearls also looked like bubbles, thus also became to known as "Bubble Tea." Bubbles floated on the top your drink and bottom of your drink.
Bubble tea is also known as boba drink, pearl tea drink, boba ice tea, boba, boba nai cha, zhen zhou nai cha, pearl milk tea, pearl ice tea, black pearl tea, tapioca ball drink, BBT, PT, pearl shake, QQ (which means chewy in Chinese) and possible many others.
Bubble drinks are usually cool, refreshing, and a sweet drink with tapioca pearls sitting on the bottom of a clear cup. Sometimes the drink is made with fresh fruits, milk, and crushed ice to create a healthy milk shake. You can also find drinks that are made of powdered flavouring, creamer, water, and crushed ice. And if you like it like the Asians do, the cool drink usually includes a healthy tea, infused by flavouring.
Tapioca pearls are black, but can sometimes be found to be white or transparent. Depending on the ingredients of the pearl, the colour varies. I've been told that the white and translucent pearls are made of caramel, starch and chamomile root extract. The black pearl includes sweet potato, cassava root and brown sugar, which add the black colour.
The consistency of tapioca pearls are somewhere between jell-o and chewing gum. They are the size of a marble. They are also known as the "boba" drink in Western China because it is described as to having the same texture as the female breasts.
A clear cup with black balls on the bottom can easily identify bubble Tea drinks. Another obvious trait is a huge fat straw. The fat straw is needed so that the tapioca pearls can be sucked up with the drink and eaten. Bubble Tea's appearance definitely makes it unique.

One thing is for certain. Bubble Tea is not a fad. It's a trend. This drink is addictive. If you've had a good one before then you know what we're talking about.
The Four Components of Bubble Tea
1. Liquid Component: The base or medium of bubble tea can be black or green tea, water, and milk and/or fruit juices.
2. Flavour Component: Can be a wide range of flavoured powders or syrups.
3. Sweetener Component: Binds all the different ingredients of bubble tea together, bringing out the drink's flavour, and can be sugar syrup, honey, and/or fructose.
4. Texture Component: Gives bubble tea its "bubble," and can be tapioca pearls, coconut jelly, and/or flavoured puddings.

How To Make Bubble Tea
Bubble tea can be a tricky drink to make at home, because you need special ingredients and tapioca pearls.
Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: 5 min
Here's How:
1. In a cocktail shaker, combine the following:
2. 1 scoop flavour powder
3. 1 scoop powdered dairy creamer
4. 1 scoop sugar syrup
5. 3/4 cup tea, cold
6. 1 cup ice
7. Shake everything up until the powders are dissolved and well blended.
8. Pour in a glass over the cooked tapioca pearls.
Tips:
1. You can adjust the amounts to suit your own tastes.
2. Can also be made hot, without the ice.

ENLIGHTENMENT - I know all about flowering Tea Balls...NOW!

OK, my hand is up – I am an ignorant person! I really thought I knew a whole lot about tea, especially of the Chinese variety but I obviously don’t!

Yesterday I went to the Southbank Lifestyle markets in Brisbane and for the first time there was a stall selling Flower Tea Balls. Well, I was pretty excited to see this sort of stall in the city market – a market where mostly crafts and fashion is displayed for sale. So I chatted with one of the chaps manning the stall and mentioned how excited I was to see the teaball and how it reminded me of my visit to China etc etc.

Well, after this lovely surprise, I picked up a flyer from the stall and read about the ‘handmade flowering tea balls’. My internal response was “WHAT? HANDMADE?”

Up until this point I had thought the flowering tea ball was just a single flower which uncurled itself to make a lovely display once placed in hot water. HOW WRONG I WAS/AM!

I will just say that I think my ignorance must have been as a result of the many Chinese people in the markets in Shanghai trying to explain to me how the teas ‘work’ and I think it has somehow been lost in translation.. Well that’s my theory and I am sticking to it!

A flowering tea, or blooming tea (Chinese: 香片, 工艺茶, or 开花茶), is a small bundle of dried tea leaves and flowers bound together with cotton thread into a ball. When steeped, the bundle expands and unfurls in a process that emulates a blooming flower. The teas are generally mild and take a few minutes to begin to impart their flavor to the glass. Typically they are sourced from the Yunnan province of China. Flowers commonly used in flowering teas include globe amaranth, chrysanthemum, jasmine, lily, hibiscus, and osmanthus.
It remains uncertain whether flowering tea is a relatively recent, or much older, invention.
Flowering teas are often prepared in a transparent vessel for easy viewing. They can be refreshed several times by adding more water as needed, from 5 to 15 times depending on the variety. Flowering teas are fragrant, aromatic teas that do not tend to get bitter with extended steeping.

Of course one of the first things I did upon returning home was in depth research about the flowering tea ball and what it is and how it is made. I went back to my previous post and realised that I hadn’t actually read my research carefully enough! OK – Mia culpa!
So, how excited am I to realise that some very clever artisans in China and probably other Asian countries, developed this amazing ability to select just the right flowers and plants to make a brilliant display inside a glass container of hot water? I am even more excited about this tea now that I know how it is made.
I have included 2 ways for you to make your own flowering ball tea. Give it a go if you wish, if not, go to your local exotic tea shoppe and buy some flowering ball tea and enjoy both the flowering display and the amazing flavours!

Artisian Flower Balls
These delicate flower balls are made from the finest green and white teas. The tea leaves are flattened and sewn with cotton thread and shaped into a ball and then dried.
Each handmade ball is individually packed to ensure optimum freshness in each cup.
When steeped in hot water the tea balls blossom into beautiful tea flowers. We recommend using a glass tea pot in order to feel the ultimate tea experience.
Each ball serves at least 10-15cups. With its unique visual effects, its an ideal after dinner drink to put on the table.
A sample of how these beautiful flower teas open up, can be viewed by: clicking here 

How to Make Your Own Flowering Tea Balls (or Blooming Tea Balls)
I really would like to make my own flowering tea ball or blooming tea bud, but finding the instructions for such as thing is much like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
The only information I’ve found that gives me any clear instructions is on www.gardenguides.com. (Please note I have no connection to that site). Everyone else just describes the brewing process. I think I may just have to go to China to find out more about this but in the meantime I will give the  instructions a try.
If you feel like doing one yourself, this is how the process is described. It takes the artisans one to ten minutes to make a single ball. I’m thinking it may just take me a bit longer and more trial and error than one to ten minutes!
Here are the steps:
1. Collect edible flowers which can include herbs or many common garden flowers, making sure you keep some of the stem on the flowers. (Or maybe you can use flowers tea and cheat a little? Not sure about this but will need to check it out.)
2. Purchase fresh green tea leaves, place them between pieces of waxed or baking paper and flatten them under a weight (like a couple of books).
3. Using a very sharp knife, slice the tea leaves into ¼ inch strips lengthwise, cutting to the stems only so the leaves remain connected to the stems. Lay out the cut leaves in a wagon wheel pattern and place the flowers or flower petals in the middle, making sure to include their stems with the stems of the tea leaves.
4. With needle and thread (which will be visible, so get a good colour), gather the bundle of leaves and flowers and se through the stems. Wind the thread around the base of the bundle to hold everything securely.
5. Shape the bundle into a ball by squeezing and rolling it. Have patience with this as it is important to the blooming effect.
6. Dry the ball in a very gentle heated oven for 20-30 minutes – nothing more than 170 degree F, or as low as you can set your oven.
7. Store in dry, warm, ventilated place for a week to make sure it is properly dried.
When you're ready, brew the tea in the usual way by immersing in hot water.
Now, if you have some doubts about this working out properly the first few times, I suggest using good quality tea so you can at least drink it!!! Maybe just a sprinkle of loose green tea leaves or jasmine green tea in the middle may make this more drinkable.
I would be really interested to know if anyone has any experience in making flowering tea balls or if you have any hints about the process. In the meantime, I’ll have to get cracking in trying this myself. The first challenge will be finding the fresh tea leaves …

How to Make a Blossom Flower Tea Ball

Overview
Take advantage of many edible flowers by creating a blossom flower tea ball. The blossom flower tea ball includes tea leaves and flowers tied into a ball that opens when you brew it, resulting in an artistic creation that looks like a flower in bloom. Appropriate flowers include jasmines, lilies, carnations, marigolds and chrysanthemums. If you have an herb garden, then use the flowers of scented basils, rosemary and other herbs. Blossom flower tea balls make good gifts and can last for as long as three years if stored in a cool, dry place.
Step 1
Collect edible flowers, which can include herbs, fuchsias, guavas and many others. Sew them together into a ball while they are fresh.
Step 2
Gather or purchase fresh green tea leaves. Flatten them by placing them underneath a book between two sheets of waxed paper. Leave them for only about one hour because you need fresh, damp leaves for your flower blossom tea ball.
Step 3
Slice the tea leaves into ¼-inch strips lengthwise by using a sharp knife. Cut only to the leaves' stems so the leaves remain connected to their stems. Lay the tea leaves on a flat surface in a wagon wheel pattern, and then place the edible flowers in the center, making sure to include their stems with the stems of the tea leaves.
Step 4
Thread your needle with the cotton thread, then gather your tea and flower bundle by the stems. Sew through all of the stems, going around the perimeter of the stem bundle. Make sure to sew through the bundle to include all of the flower stems that are inside.
Step 5
Form your bundle into a ball by squeezing and rolling it. Dry it in an oven at 170 degrees F, or as low as you can set your oven for 20 to 30 minutes. Store in a warm, dry, well-ventilated area for one week to ensure that your tea ball is thoroughly dried. Or, you can use it immediately to make tea.
Step 6
Brew blossom flower tea by placing your tea ball into a glass mug or cup. Boil filtered water and pour it over the tea ball. Allow it to steep for three to five minutes without stirring it, then enjoy it with sugar or honey if you wish.
Things You'll Need
Black or green tea leaves
• Edible flowers
• Large book
• Waxed paper
• Cotton thread
• Needle
• Glass cups or teapot

Make me a Teapot - please!

When I was looking at my little teapot today I began to think about what I would change about it. I have many teapots. All shapes, sizes and colours but basically they are similar in their function and effectiveness.

I guess I was thinking through how I can create a teapot that can give ME the perfect cup of tea.

I drink at least 2L of tea a day. It starts off very hot and then by the end of the day – after about 4 different replacements of tea and hot water, it can be quite cold. The temperature doesn’t bother me; I drink it at any temperature.

My tea day goes as follows:
• When I drink Earl Grey – this is what I usually start the day with, I also take sweeteners. One sweetener/cup.
• My next cup is usually some sort of fruit tea – because it is quite cool at the moment I am drinking either lemon and ginger or green and black tea.
• My final tea for the day is usually either a black tea – with which I take a sweetener or herbal tea like chamomile.

Now, I use my little 1L teapot for all my tea. Especially at the moment when all my other teapots are packed in boxes for when/if, we sell/move house (if that ever happens).
I am finding that the flavours are sometimes mixed and by the end of the day I am drinking something not so pleasant!
My thinking is I want a teapot that can accommodate my changing flavours but not carry the flavours to the next cup – without changing the pot.

So here are my ideas
1. I want a vey round teapot ;
2. It must have a spout like most teapots – one that doesn’t leak;
3. An inbuilt tealeaf container through which the hot water passes;
4. Made of Pyrex glass – heat and shatter proof;
5. The teapot should have an outer glass casing – like those bottles of vinegar and oil where it looks like one bottle is inside the other; so that I can keep replacing the hot water in the outer part, therefore keeping the inner pot warm.
6. The teapot should have some sort of glass (not mesh) insert – with holes – like an infuser, which can be replaced for each new type of tea;
7. There should be a compartment inside the teapot where I can add my sweeteners to the pot, not the cup;
8. Each section of the teapot should be able to be closed with separate tops;

Does such a teapot exist? I have attached pictures of what my teapot could emulate – the vinegar and oil bottle! If you know of a teapot that’s like this one, please email me. If you are a manufacturer of teapots, please make one and call it the Sekkei!