Breaching The Web

It seems that I’m on a roll.

As the last couple of entries make clear, I have a strong preference for loose leaf teas. They are, cup-for-cup, cheaper than tea bag teas and make better tea to boot. However, it is not until I found that right gear that I started drinking loose leaf teas regularly.

My first really useful teapot was the IngenuiTEA teapot from Adagio. I’ve seen this sold at other stores under other brand names, but they all work the same way. This is a plastic teapot with a valve on the bottom that is covered by a screen. You put the leaves in the pot, cover with boiling water, steep for however long you need, then put the pot on top of your cup. The edge of the cup presses the valve, and the tea drains into your cup, and the leaves stay in the pot. It’s extremely convenient to use, especially at work, although the plastic does stain over time.

I like it so much that I have both sizes — I use the larger size at home when I’m making tea for more than 2 people. Some tea conneseurs object to the plastic, saying it gives an off taste to the tea. My palate is not that sensitive — I think it tastes just fine. After a lot of use (1-2 mugs of tea every workday for nearly a year), a bit of tea dust has built-up between the valve and the screen, and I’ve not found a way to clean it out. I suspect this is affecting the taste of my tea, which is why I no longer use an IngenuiTEA at home regularly.

At home, I use a Chatsford Earthenware 4 cup Teapot, which I purchased from Upton Tea Imports. Mine is brown and is cute as hell. It has an extra wide opening at the top, into which fits a wide basket. The basket is held in place by a tab (the red bit you can see in the picture). You put your leaves in the basket, pour the boiling water over them, and when the steeping is complete, you remove the basket and leaves from the pot entirely.

It’s easy, and you don’t have to fuss with one of those little tea balls, which don’t really let the leaves brew properly. The lid fits tightly both with and without the basket. This is now my preferred teapot — the IngenuiTEA is more convenient to use at work (where I must microwave water for my tea), but the Chatsford is my tool of choice at home.

After the previous post about herbal teas, I thought I should write about black teas.

I’m relatively new to tea drinking. When I gave up soda in December 2003, I needed to find another source of caffiene, and I’ve never been a coffee drinker, so i turned to tea. Since then, I’ve purchased tea from only three sources: Adagio, Upton Tea Imports, and Teaism. I’ve also been lucky enough to have a few friends who go to India occassionally — and who bring me tea. Thus, my preferences may be biased by my sources and my limited experience as a tea drinker — there may be a wonderful tea out there that these places don’t sell, or that I haven’t tried.

But, disclaimers aside, here are my very favorite black teas right now:

1. Doomni Estate Assam SFTGFOP CL purchased from Upton’s. Unfortunately, it appears that they are sold out of this tea right now, (although it is available in one of their samplers) but if you ever see it, think about trying it. I am a big fan of teas from Assam. The Doomni is a hearty, breakfast-style tea, which means it’s dark, black and strong — this is a tea that will wake you up. It has a sweet aftertaste and is just a bit spicy. You could put milk in it, if you were into that sort of thing (which I am not), and it wouldn’t get watery. This tea is a bit spendy, but at least for me it’s worth every penny.

2. Chai from Teaism. This Chai mix is fantastic — the balance of the spices is just right (too many Chais taste only of cinnamon), and the tea base is not overwhelmed. This isn’t a sophistocated tea, but it’s warm and satisfying.

3. Dellawa Estate FBOPF EX-SP Wilson Select purchased from Upton’s. This is a Ceylon (for reasons unknown to me, tea is referred to by colonial appelations). It’s light, fresh and complex, and brews up a lovely golden color. My other favorite Ceylon is Kenilworth Estate OP Wilson Select — it’s not as deep as the Dellawa, but it’s a good everyday cup of tea, at a very nice price. I’m not as willing to spend money on a Ceylon as I am on an Assam.

4. Finest Russian Caravan purchased from Upton’s. This is a smooth blend of fine teas from India, China and Formosa. It’s hearty, but without the edge of my beloved Assams. It’s a nice everyday tea, one that I like to make for people who don’t drink tea regularly.

That’s the list for now. The Assam and Ceylons are estate teas — this means they are from a single garden and are not blended with other teas. As with wine, terroir makes a difference in the taste of a tea, so my prefered teas may change, as weather, soil and processing change.

Some prisons in England are using herbal teas to help prisoners relax and get a good night’s sleep. In some prisons, they are almost completely replacing sedatives.

Herbal teas (infusions really — true teas are made only from the Camellia sinensis plant) are widely used in Europe for their medicinal purposes — they are more thoroughly studied there, making their use more precise and less “quacky” than in the U.S, so it’s really not surprising that they would be used in prisons.

And, in case you were wondering, my two favorite herbal teas are:

1. Chamillo Blend from Upton Tea Imports. I don’t generally like chamomile teas. I think they taste like grass. But this beautiful blend is no ordinary chamomile — it has a lot of minty, citrus-like flavor. Just opening the tin is soothing — the blend is gorgeous and smells delightful. I don’t know if it helps me sleep, but it sure is good.

2. Orange Ginger Mint tea from Republic of Tea. I generally stay away from Republic of Tea products because their packaging irritates me — it’s way too cutesy, and is too obviously attempting to sell me a lifestyle. And I haven’t really liked the few black RoTs I’ve tried — they are too heavily flavored. However, I tried the Orange Ginger Mint at a coffee shop and really love it. It’s spicy and sweet without being cloying, and the aroma alone is enough to warm me on a cold evening. I would particularly recommend this to chai-lovers. RoT markets this as an “after meal” tea and says it is soothing to the digestive system — I find that when my tummy is a bit off, this tea does make me feel better.

I don’t drink a lot of herbal tea. I don’t, as a rule, like it. What the two teas above share are strong, assertive flavors and heavenly aromas.

UPDATE: I was just reminded by L that when I make the Orange Ginger Mint tea referenced above, I always use two teabags per mug (10-12 ounces) — otherwise, the tea is very bland. Some teas you can skimp and use one teabag per mug, but not this one.