Tea Talk

This Wednesday is St. Patrick’s Day. For all of you who are Irish or anyone who secretly wants to be, this is your day to celebrate. St. Patrick’s Day recognizes the heritage and culture of the Irish people in general and commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. There is the traditional Irish-American meal of corned beef and cabbage, and of course, the beverage of choice is “green” beer. I still fondly remember my first frosted glass of the “green” beverage as a young college student. So, how do I celebrate now? By drinking lots of Green...

If you have not given rooibos tea a try, here is a primer for you. If you already are a regular rooibos tea lover, even better. I hope, though, that my article contains some new and useful information for you. But first things first. How do you pronounce rooibos? Just ignore the extra o, and you pronounce it as you see it: "ROY-boss". What is rooibos tea? Rooibos, meaning "red bush", is a plant indigenous to South Africa's mountainous region of Cederberg, around 80 miles north of Cape Town. Rooibos tea has been popular in Southern Africa for over 300...

Ever wondered what to do with your tea leaves besides throwing them out? Well, I’ll share one of my secrets. I use them all over in my garden and around my trees. When I’ve finished brewing my tea (and the flavor doesn’t matter), I simply take the used tea-leaves (no need to dry them out) and add them to my potting soil, garden soil, or compost bin. This gives me an acid-rich, nourishing compost that I use all over my garden to fertilize and grow my plants. Another great thing about using tea leaves in your garden: it keeps pests,...

To get the best flavor and health benefits from your tea, you should brew the tea leaves at their ideal water temperature - not too hot and not too cold. What do I mean? When you pour water over the tea leaves in your strainer basket and let them steep for a few minutes, the tea leaves release tannins, amino acids, and flavor compounds into your water. Brewing your tea at the ideal water temperature extracts these compounds in a balanced way and results in a tea that not only tastes amazing but also preserves all its health benefits. Water...

The other day, a customer asked me while sipping on a freshly brewed cup of her favorite tea, "Dani, why does the same tea tastes so much better when I drink it here than when I brew it at home?" Several reasons came immediately to my mind. The quality of the tea certainly plays an important role, as does the amount of tea you use, the brewing temperature, and the steeping time. Often overlooked, though, is the quality of your water. If your tea has a sharp or metallic taste, you may have hard water, which means that your water's...