teaspoons & petals

roasted oolong tea & pear baked oatmeal

Winter weekends mean that I'm often lingering by the kettle or near the oven to keep warm and away from the chill beyond the window. And when I find myself struggling to get out from under the comfy covers, I recall flavors of this tea infused baked breakfast treat that send me searching for my slippers in seconds.

Roasted Red Robe oolong tea (also known as Red Hood or Da Hong Pao) is infused into this comforting breakfast recipe to offer just a hint of depth to the baked oatmeal layered with juicy pears and sweetened with rich maple syrup. Known for its smooth, toasty, malty, and slightly sweet (think subtle caramel) taste, this particular tea has been roasted over charcoal to create its distinct aroma and flavor. Be sure to bring out the tea flavor tucked within the dish by preparing a pot of the tea to enjoy with each oatmeal bite. Plus, baking the oatmeal in mini ramekins give the dish a personalized feel that makes my heart skip a beat.

Pop over to Khoollect to get the full recipe that I created exclusively for the lovely ladies behind the new online magazine.

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shinobi-cha ice brewed tea

Even though the air is crisp in my neighborhood, I still crave cold sips to revive my afternoon after a morning of steamy sips. Instead of seeking out a standard iced steep, I opt for a small burst of chilled complex flavors with gyokuro brewed in the shinobi-cha method.

Threaded throughout the Japanese tea ceremony are lessons in patience and mindfulness. One could apply those principles to the Japanese method of brewing tea with ice, shinobi-cha. Quite the opposite of the speed-obsessed Western iced tea preparation, shinobi-cha requires one to wait hours to savor a small amount of tea. The concept is rather simple: add green tea leaves to a vessel, place ice cubes directly on the leaves, and then allow them to melt naturally to slowly extract the essence of the tea. The final flavor is intense, pure, and sure to be something you’ve never quite tasted before.

Pop over to Fresh Cup to read my full article and learn how to practice the art of Shinobi-cha.