Contest Winner!

The winter contest is closed and we have picked a winner! Tiffany Ellis from Fredericton, NB (originally from PEI) won! We had a total of 8 entrants (which is better than I expected).

I will be packing up the tea and sending it out your way Tiffany so be looking out for it!

Thanks to everyone who entered, it was a lot of fun and I hope to do this again in the future (maybe an iced tea contest for summer!?).

Apple Spice Black Tea – Lady Baker’s Tea Trolley

There is nothing that cures a cold night like a hot steaming cup of tea. While shopping around the Charlottetown Farmers Market, I smelled this Apple Spice black tea and I knew it was going to be a perfect accompaniment to the cold snap PEI has gone through recently.

Gluwien - Mulled Wine

I brewed a cup when I got home from the market and the first thing that came to my mind was that it would be perfect for a hot toddy (or more accurately, a Tea Toddy). While I am not a big fan of hot mixed drinks, I knew my parents were so I brought this tea home with me for a surprise tasting. They both agreed that it would be perfect for a hot toddy!

To make a tea toddy using Lady Baker’s Tea Trolley Apple Spice Black Tea use 1 tsp of tea per cup, sweeten to taste, and add a shot of whiskey! So easy!

You could also make your own Gluwien (mulled wine) this tea as well by adding cinnamon and red wine. I decided to give it a try. The result was pretty tasty and I suspect would be an excellent night cap.

For those who like their tea pure, this tea is also great on its own!

Brewing Method

I prepared this tea initially using some of the t-sacs I had bought recently. T-sacs are very convenient for working people looking to take loose tea to work.  I used 1 tsp per cup of water and used boiling water to steep. I steeped the tea for about 4 minutes. For the pictures I used my tasting set, as you can see.

Apple Spice

Smell

This tea smells great. Even before steeping, it warms you up just with the smell. It reminds me of hot apple cider, or apple pie.

Taste

Apple spice black tea has a great, natural apple flavor complimented by the brisk coppery flavors of the Ceylon tea.

I love all types of tea, and I believe every tea has its place in your cupboard. This tea is perfect for those cold frosty days where the gusting winds are whistling through the cracks of your front door. While it does warm you up, this tea does more than that for me. It reminds of why I tolerate winter – because snuggling up with a warm blanket with a big mug of tea just isn’t as satisfying in the summer, is it?

Winter Contest

PaintedLeaves is having a contest for all its readers!

I was looking in my tea cupboard when I realized I have a lot of teas that are especially enjoyable around winter. So,  I decided to share the (tea)love and throw a contest. If you are new to loose tea, I have included t-sacs to help brew the tea!

The winner of this contest gets:

8 tsp of Sencha ‘Gran’s Spicy Cake’ from Tea Desire

8 tsp of Fireplace Dreams Rooibos from Tea Desire

4 tsp of Apple Spice Black Tea from Lady Baker’s Tea Trolley

4 tsp of  Masala Chai from Adagio

16 T-sacs for brewing!

That’s 16 free cups of tea!

How to Enter:

Email me through my contact form or direct message me on Facebook or Twitter with:

Name:

Address (full):

Phone number:

Names will be put in a hat and drawn the old-fashioned way!

I don’t expect a lot of entrants, so contest closes Feb. 20th or when 20 people enter! Whatever comes first (so get your friends to enter)!

Roasted Mate – Lady Baker’s Tea Trolley

There is a lot of buzz in the tea world about Yerba Mate. While technically not a tea, it is prepared like tea and has a bunch of energy properties which has made it a popular choice for those looking for an extra charge during the day. This roasted mate is a Brazilian product and one of South America’s most widely consumed and revered hot beverages. Tim Ferris, author of 4-hour work week is an unofficial advocate of yerba mate, claiming he drank a lot of mate while writing his book.

This mate is roasted, so the flavor is a bit different from a regular yerba mate. I purchased it at Lady Baker’s Tea Trolley, a tea bar in Charlottetown, PEI.

Price

I don’t remember the exact price of the tea because I bought it with a cup of prepared tea. I  do remember it was $6 for a cup of the mate and a 50g bag.

Brewing Method

Because mate is very fine, I recommend a very fine strainer. I brewed it for about 5 minutes, using 1 tsp per cup.

Smell

This mate has a very earthy, slightly smokey smell. The smell of the yerba mate reminds me a lot of a cooked pu-erh actually.

Taste

The taste of this mate is very distinct, earthy, full-bodied and smokey.

Actually reminds me of winters up home when mom and dad would have “cook-outs” (basically cooking hotdogs in the woods). The smell of the camp fire and the damp woods is exactly what this tea tastes and smells like. For me, its like drinking a memory

I don’t usually talk about color, but the roasted mate gives  a very interesting brown/blue/green. Looks very pretty in my glass serving pot.

This is a really good choice of  drink for university students. I like to drink this tea while studying or writing a paper cause it gives me super concentration. Think of it as a healthy alternative to the energy drink.

I plan on blending this tea with rooibos, as Samovar Tea Lounge does. I will be doing a review on that blend very soon, so check back!

Lime Bang – DAVIDsTEA

Today I met with Katherine from Lady Baker’s Tea Trolley and she was kind enough to let me use her cupping set. So, big shout out to Katherine for coming to the rescue!

P.S If you live in the great province of PEI, stop by the Charlottetown Farmers Market and check out Katherine’s tea bar. She has a great selection of teas and a wealth of knowledge.

So after class I decided to give the cupping set a try and review some of DAVIDsTEA Lime Bang. Lime bang is a flavored green tea blend with lime rind, apples and pineapple.

Lime Bang

Price

This tea is reasonably priced at $7.00 for 50g.

Brewing Method

I used my cupping set and steeped with filtered water 80°. I used a little bit more than a tsp for my set and steeped for three minutes.

Smell

The dry leaves of this blend is incredibly strong. The lime flavor is the most predominate smell and really attacks you nose. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but I would beware if you are sensitive to strong smells. There is definitely some tropical fruit smells most likely from the pineapple.

Taste

Citrus and green tea compliment each other nicely and this tea is a great take on the classic lemon green tea. The lime flavor is more intense than the lemon green teas that I have tried, but its a welcomed change. This tea is incredibly unique tasting, one sip and you will never forget this blend.  This blend is aptly named lime bang, as it tastes as bold as it sounds. A tasty, fun blend of tea that would taste great iced.

Rating :★★★★★★★★☆☆

Bedtime tea – Poll

So, its nearing bedtime and I am contemplating what to drink for my last cup for the day.

Some people are sensitive to caffeine, so herbals are the way to go. Others either want to stay up late into the night or are not affected by the caffeine. Which are you?

I am somewhat sensitive to caffeine, so I usually choose a yummy herbal. My favorite before bed drink is a “Love Child” made by Hippy Glen (not his real name) and has rooibos, fruit medley and camomile. It’s delicious and puts me in the mood to sleep!

What do you drink before bed? Vote in the poll and comment and let the world know what your bedtime drink of choice is!

My experience making Kimchi

I am very interested in foreign food and culture and when I discovered kimchi, I became obsessed with the thought of making it. I watched countless youtube videos of how to make Kimchi, tracked down all the ingredients and decided I needed to make my own!

I love how in Korea they would have annual event (called Gimjang or Kimjang) where people would get together for 2 or 3 days to make kimchi. Making kimchi involves time and a considerable amount of nappa cabbages. I was only making kimchi for myself, so I only used 1 cabbage.

For my recipe, I went to youtube and used this recipe. I didn’t have the radish, so I omitted it from the recipe. I did cut the cabbage in bite sized pieces although many videos show the red pepper paste being applied to the whole leaf.

Also, I didn’t ferment it either. I am kind of scared to, but I think the next time I will. It still tastes delicious and is so addicting! It makes awesome Kimchi Fried Rice! If anyone has tips on fermenting my Kimchi, comment below.

While making Kimchi, I realized what I loved about making tea is the same thing I love about making Kimchi. It’s not always the end product, but the feeling of experiencing others cultures. With tea, I love steeping it as much as I love drinking it and it was the same with making the kimchi.

I like to pair my kimchi with some Bancha and eat it either on its own or with some rice. YUM!

Tips:

• You will need a big bowl for soaking and mixing your kimchi
• Learn from my mistakes and wear gloves when mixing to avoid orange hands
• Do not use regular chili powder because it is not the same. Go to your local korean/asian food store and tell them you are making Kimchi and they will hook you up!
• If you are vegetarian or vegan you can omit the fish/anchovy/oyster sauce

I dare you to make it! It’s so much fun and the end product is totally worth it. Made it before? Share your stories with me!