Choosing Water For Tea: A Simple Guide

There are a great deal of people in the world drinking tea. They may be Chinese, Japanese, English, American, Friesian, Tibetan, Russian, French, Korean, Thai, Indian, or just about anyone from any of the world’s 193 different countries. They may drink their tea hot, iced, or lukewarm. They may add sugar and milk, yak’s butter and salt, red potash, cloves and cardamom, or nothing at all. But there is one common thread to tea drinking around the world: water. Without water, there is no tea.

And no matter how great your tea is, no matter how magnificent the pot that will hold it, or the cups into which it will be poured, if the water is of low quality then then the tea will be too. So how does one insure that the water going into the tea kettle is worthy of the tea it will be making? In order to help our customers have a better grasp of this important relationship, Kasora has prepared this simple guide.

Antioxidants: Sorting Out the Nonsense

When reading articles or books on tea, particularly green tea, one encounters a dizzying array of terminology when it comes to the subject of antioxidants. The confusion is compounded by mistakes that are printed as “fact” and then referenced as such again and again. In order to clear up this confusion, we offer the following guide:

Matcha Kats?

Proving that there is no end to Japanese snackfood innovation, we are proud to present Matcha Kit Kats.  We have no idea what these taste like, but given the outstanding harmonium that is chocolate and matcha, as well as their uncanny ability to stand in for each other in a wide range of recipes, we imagine they taste fantastic.

The question now, is do we eat them with tea or hot chocolate?

Kasora’s Guide to Properly Storing Rare and Delicate Teas.

So, there you are. You’ve just received an airtight package of some exquisite tea like Gyokuro, Keemun Hao-Ya A, Ceylon SFTGFOP1 or Yin Hao from some far away place like Japan, China, Taiwan, India, or Sri Lanka. You can’t wait to open the package, to see the tea, to smell it. Most of all, you can’t wait to make a cup and try it for yourself. And who could blame you? There are few things on earth as satisfying, relaxing, and refreshing as a perfect infusion made from the world’s finest teas. But once you’ve broken the seal on whatever container held your tea, you may find yourself wondering how to properly store it. And if you don’t properly store it, you may find yourself wondering why your formerly incredible tea has transformed into one that is dull, lifeless, and boring.

Of Monkeys and Tea…

Monkey-picked tea?  Tea that was picked by monkeys instead of humans?  Though the idea sounds crazy, most tea lovers have seen it for sale and wondered if it was for real.   

(Incidentally, before we go any further, if you’re one of the few that haven’t yet seen “Monkey-picked Tea” for sale, click HERE. )

So is monkey-picked tea for real?  Are there actually specially trained monkeys picking tea somewhere in some remote part of China?  Did a monkey (as the legends tell us) witness a human picking tea and then imitate the action?  Were monkeys used in order to get to tea on the side of treacherous cliffs that humans couldn’t reach?  Are all the monkeys currently picking tea the descendents of a long line of tea-picking monkeys stretching back to antiquity?  Are there still monkeys picking tea in China?  Were there ever?

Tea Beer?

 

These days, green tea seems to be turning up everywhere.  Now, thanks to the BluCreek Brewing Company of Black River Falls, Wisconsin, it’s also in beer.  Specifically, their “Zen” India Pale Ale, whose lovely label is pictured above.  Also here is a link to the company’s website: www.blucreek.com.  We now anxiously await our free case of beer, and will review it as soon as we are done drinking it.

Oh Tea, is there anything you can’t do?

If you’re one of the estimated 7.5 million Americans with Psoraisis, then you just got a really great reason to drink more green tea. 

Research published in the Aug. 18 issue of the journal Experimental Dermatology, shows that green tea (already known to supress inflamation) may hold promise as a potential new treatment for psoriasis and other inflammatory skin conditions, including dandruff and lupus-related skin lesions.

Zero G tea.

Apparently, if you’re a Russian cosmonaut, you eat your tea with chopsticks.  Ok, we take back what we said about the solar powered Chinese tea kettle.  Now we’ve seen everything.

Interestingly enough, this is an American astronaut aboard a Russian space station, and the tea he’s consuming appears to be a green tea.  Did anyone else expect it to be black?

Also, check out the honey…

Solar Powered Tea!

We thought we’d seen it all.   We were wrong.  Here, in a remote Chinese village, someone has fashioned the ultimate environmentally friendly tea kettle.  No word on how long the water takes to boil though…

P.S.  If anyone knows where we can get one of these, please tell us! 

Cheap Tea of the Month: Rabea Tea

Each month, World of Tea will highlight a selection from the world of low cost tea that we think is worthy of consideration.  We’ll tell you where you’re likely to find it, and exactly what we think of it. 

Name: Rabea Tea

Where to find: The tea aisle of your local middle-eastern grocery.

Price: About $9.99 for a two pound box.

Pick up a box of Rabea tea, and you’ll find this written on the side:

“The story of Rabea Tea began decades ago when brothers Ahmed and Abdul Qader Mohamed Saleh Baeshen  prepared a special blend of Ceylon teas that they shared only with family and friends.  This special blend gained popularity due to its distinctive mix of fine long leaves and the pure gold colour of its liquor.  The blend eventually became widely sold under the name “Rabea Tea”, initially in wooden chests.  This unique blend formula remains a closely guarded secret to this day.

Ever since it began, Rabea Tea has always maintained the quality and heritage that the Baeshen brothers envisioned for past and future generations to enjoy.”

We picked up a box of this tea (intrigued by its colorful package and the claims of excellence on its labeling), took it back to the Kasora office, and opened up the box.