teaspoons & petals

tea gift guide guest post on two brunettes

I often peek at Carolynn’s whimsical and imaginative illustrations on twobrunettes as I sip one of my flowering teas. Her delicate details tend to inspire creative writing bursts on my blog. Naturally, I was thrilled to write a guest post for her and create a tea-themed gift guide from Etsy. Take a closer look...

tea today: linden blossom oolong tea from Aftelier’s perfumed teas

Whipping winds send my mind to summer memories that seem to be slipping as the temperatures quickly fall. In hopes of settling into warmer thoughts, I was inspired to take a closer look at how I could unearth the sweet scent of honeysuckle even on the coldest day.

While retreating to a printed place, I found the answer to my prayers in Whole Living magazine with the simple mention of the queen of the sensory experience, Mandy Aftel. An artist in the aromatic world, Mandy hand blends artisan perfumes using only pure and natural ingredients.

As I searched my way through her site to the hopeful honeysuckle destination, I serendipitously stumbled upon her perfumed teas. This collection “grew out of [her] love for oolong tea—its complexity and beauty is like a perfume in itself. Essential oils and absolutes are layered onto this exquisite base of first-quality leaves to create a beautiful, subtle taste and scent experience.”

Her Linden Blossom Oolong tea spoke of honeysuckle notes that sent me swooning. Immediately inspired by our shared love of oolong, I tweeted for all the world to hear about this wonderful find and was soon greeted by a response from Mandy herself asking if I would like to try a sample. The rest is history, but here are a few notes just in case you want a peek at my love affair with a perfumed tea.

Letting the water temperature rise to just under boiling (190-205), I steeped the rolled Gui Fei oolong leaves (that are layered with the essence of Linden blossom) for 3 minutes. Keep in mind that this tea can be steeped up to 4 times, so set aside a quiet afternoon to indulge in this floral treat.

The delicate flavor of this golden liquor is subtle at first. Similar to that of a flower opening in spring, the sensory experience intensifies with every passing moment. The floral, nutty notes of the Gui Fei oolong complement the sweet honeysuckle notes of the organic linden blossom with gentle hints of citrus.  

The delicate flavor slowly builds to a deeper taste that lingers long after the sip. When you find yourself halfway through the first cup, take a moment and breathe in through your nose with your mouth closed and let your senses experience the aromas and flavors on your palate. I know that this may sound a bit strange, but a few deep breaths bring out nuances of this aromatic tea that can be slowly savored before you find that your cup is dry.

With every sip, it seemed as if a honeysuckle garden was gently planting its roots in my palate and quickly growing into a summer garden as the flavor and aroma grew stronger and more complex. Mandy has crafted a truly elegant adventure for the senses.

Many thanks to Mandy Aftel for her generosity and sharing her artisan steep with me. Stay tuned for upcoming posts that highlight the rest of her collection of perfumed teas.

Note: I found that the 2^nd steeping offered the most intense aromatic adventure, as my palate had lingering flavors from the first steep. Also, the leaves and linden blossom essence may have been gently awakened with the first splash of water and needed some time to truly bloom during the second steep.

What is your favorite aromatic tea memory or moment?

{teaspoons at the table} guest post on LainieSips

Skip over to LainieSips' tea blog to take a peek at my guest post and recipe for a Masala Chai Smoothie with Cinnamon and Toasted Coconut.

Masala Chai Tea Smoothie with Cinnamon and Toasted Coconut

• 5 Masala chai ice cubes (Masala chai tea concentrate can be made by adding an extra teaspoon of tea, steeping for a minute or two longer, and adding honey)
• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon toasted coconut flakes
• 1 frozen banana
• a pinch of cinnamon and toasted coconut flakes

photo courtesy of palomaleca

teaspoons at the table: a tea-infused journey with foodspotting

 

Traditional art is normally framed on the wall, but I find true beauty in the visual delights on the plate and in the cup. Needless to say, it was love at first sight when I discovered Foodspotting, a visual guide to good food and where to find it (a website & an app).
 
I quickly started to snap and share shots of the delicious dishes that found there way under my fork. Most important, I saw this as an opportunity to document my tea obsession beyond the blog. Now I often find myself thinking of excuses to run out and grab a bite or a sip, just so can I spot away and build my very own foodspotting profile.
 
Beyond my tea over-share, I've become addicted to simply searching the keyword, "tea," and taking a peek at the incredible sips and steeps around the world. And in an effort to put the Philly tea scene on the Foodspotting map, I recently created a tea in philadelphia foodspotting guide. And if you find yourself outside the lines of the city of brotherly love, I put together a teaspoons & petals tea guide to capture tea journeys everywhere. Spot my tea sightings and share your own.
 
Many thanks to the creative team at Foodspotting (especially Amy for introducing it to me) for adding a new path to my tea journey. So when I heard that they would be celebrating their 1^st year via a World Food Spotting day on January 15^th, I jumped at the chance to organize an eat-up meetup in Philly. I reached out to the über creative and adventurous Chef Levin from Adsum restaurant, and he happily offered to create a few brunch specials just for foodspotters (treated to chicken and waffles, a fig sorbet-based cocktail and a fried egg dish).

Tea lovers who plan on heading over to the eat-up this Saturday, I plan on visiting  Cups & Chairs tea shop after the meal to spot a cup of Oolong. Care to join me?

World Foodspotting Day Philly Eat-up
Jan 15th 12pm
Adsum restaurant 700 South 5th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19147

tea talk: illustrator Hennie Haworth

What I adore most about tea, beyond the single steep, are the perfectly precious cups. My collection that has quickly grown to fill an entire bookcase truly potrtays my passion. But considering I'm one cup away from clutter, I've started looking into print.

I was thrilled to find Hennie Haworth's illustrations. A freelance illustrator based in London (currently in Kyoto), Hennie has shared her talents with clients such as Penguin, The Guardian, Habitat, Urban Outfitters, Waitrose, and Sony Ericsson.

My heart obviously skipped a beat when my eyes met her Tea Cups at Saatchi and Cups and Saucers illustrations. They capture the whimsical nature of tea that's rooted in vintage history of flavors, aromas and stories. Each cup and saucer seem to have a distinctive personality (I'm partial to the rose saucer towards the right of the illustration above).

Curious to know the details behind these penned perfections, I reached out to Hennie and posed a few questions about her creativity and love of tea. This is what she kindly had to say:

What inspired your tea illustrations?

There are so many great things to draw when it comes to tea, all the lovely patterns and colors on all the different designs of cups and pots give me lots of inspiration. Also the fact that tea is enjoyed around the world and every country has its own way of serving it makes it an interesting subject.

 

Do you have a favorite tea that you sip before, during or after a day of creating your art?

In the morning I like really strong breakfast tea with a small splash of milk to wake me up. After lunch I normally have a mint tea. Then a fruit tea, like blackberry and nettle, before I go to bed.

 

If you could illustrate any tea cup, which one would you choose?

I am currently illustrating my own tea cups! They are going to have a very pretty colourful design like a classic vintage tea cup printed on to a big white mug.

 

Any favorite tea related memories/moments in London or Kyoto?

In London I really love having a cup of tea with a slice of cake. In Japan I had fun making green tea on the top of a mountain in Hokkaido, which was well deserved after a long hike. In Kyoto I like to have sweet corn tea after a meal, maybe sushi or yakiniku - which is a Japanese BBQ and lots of fun because you get to cook it yourself at the table!

 

Many thanks to the delightful Hennie for taking the time to share her thoughts and treat us to her magical illustrations. I look forward to blogging more about her teacups when they arrive in her shop, so keep an extra pot on the stove for the upcoming post...

early steeps of 2011

With a steep of the vibrant Lu Shan Clouds & Mist green tea,  I've welcomed the new year of tea adventures with open arms, a glass teapot and a refreshed palate. The luscious sips of the subtly sweet yet rich and vegetal tea reminded me of the early stages of spring and the possibilities that can blossom before me in 2011.

While embracing the fresh start and the first steeps, I’ve also taken a few moments to retrace my steps from 2010 as I embarked on a culinary journey, explored a stylish perspective, planned an alice in wonderland tea party, was honored by a designsponge shout-out, launched a series of tea classes, and added a new haiku teacup collection to the teaspoons & petals etsy shop that was featured in DailyCandy.

Thank you for joining me on last year’s lovely adventure, whether through sharing your thoughts in a comment/tweet or attending a class. Because it’s the moments where we can connect over a steep & a sip that matter most.

As I wait for the ground to thaw, I’ve started to nurture seedlings of new tea journeys that will continue to blossom or bloom for the very first time in 2011. Consider these my teaspoons & petals resolutions and the first signs of spring:

• teach more classes that explore crafting & cooking with tea

• expand my tea consulting sessions for individuals & events (whether I'm helping guide a new tea lover on their own personal path or pairing tea infused dishes and steeps for a fabulous tea soiree)

• share my hand selected and collected vintage handkerchiefs on which I screen printed my tea haiku in a delicate gold ink (to be photographed over the next few weeks and added to my etsy shop. although sign up for my newsletter for a sneak peek)

• add {from the shelf} to my series of reoccurring posts. I have so thoroughly enjoyed grounding myself in the themes {sip & style} and {teaspoons at the table}. {from the shelf} will take a closer look at the stories behind each teacup from my collection.

• learn more about the teas that you love and joining you on your tea journeys

What are your first tea steps and steeps of the 2011 tea journey?

 

photo courtesy of mike epp