10/30/2017 Happy Halloween! Get Out Your Tea Cauldronby Cassandra Vincent
Make your own special brew. No I’m not talking about deadly nightshade or eye of newt. I’m talking about making your own tea blend! Have you ever had just ‘a little bit of this’ and ‘a little bit of that’ but nothing that amounted to enough for one cup of tea and thought, “Hmmm, what if I just threw it all in together and see what happens!” No? Just me? Well, I have had many surprise successes and a few ‘don’t ever do that agains’, but I’ve always had fun. One of the best blends I made recently was combining the remains of a Bai Hao Oolong with some loose herbal peach thing my friend had that was getting old-ish. The combo was so good that all three of us loved it and I had to make another pot. A success! Another reason to take a hand at blending: have you ever had a tea blend and thought it would be perfect if it had ‘a little more of this’ or ‘a little less of that’ or just didn’t have that one thing in it all? I know I have. I love rose and I love lavender but I’m not fond of raspberry leaf or raspberry flavouring in tea. I only ever found the rose and lavender with the raspberry and I hated it. Solution: getting a black base tea of my choice, rose petals and lavender. Then I could tweak the amounts at will. For fall time pumpkin spice lattes are everywhere. For that matter pumpkin is everywhere. It’s gotten obnoxious. Once I see pumpkin spice toilet paper I’ll know we have hit the wall with it. But for those who prefer tea there are many such blends out there. I came across a tea shop sampling their version of the pumpkin spice latte and I thought why not try one at home. I used the same style I would with a homemade chai. If you like pumpkin spice and you like tea why not give it a go! Here is what I did:
If you want to get decadent here you can add whipped cream and a piece of candy or if you have a frothing tool you can put a layer of frothed milk on top and sprinkle with the spice of your choice or drizzle some caramel or float a ghost marshmallow in it. The choices are endless! Making your own delicious concoctions isn’t limited to holiday time of course. This is just dipping a toe in the deep pool of tea blending possibilities. So get your cauldron and start experimenting! Happy Halloween! 5/26/2017 Fast Superfoods & Fast Tea by Cassandra Vincent ‘Fast food’ has garnered negative connotation in our society. But not all things that are fast to prepare are inherently bad. I mean how long does it take to wash an apple, and ‘boom’ it’s ready for you to sink your teeth into it. I love juicing but sometimes don’t have time to [or don't want to] wash, peel and cut everything and then clean all 7 parts of the juicer afterwards! I’ve made my own chai too using a variety of spices but sometimes I appreciate a shortcut. There is a tea house called SaKu Tea that is launching a line of latte powders that use superfoods and some also include tea, Matcha specifically. They reached out to me about their online funding drive and I thought I would give their blends that include tea a try. Their Maca Cocoa Jade combines the energies of Matcha green tea and maca, a South American root that is used to balance hormones and energize the body among many other positive effects. I used to use maca regularly – it has a decent malty taste but it was far more enjoyable when mixed with the Matcha, cocoa and spices. They suggest adding maple syrup to this blend but I had it both plain and with a raw honey and thought it was tasty both ways. Their other blend incorporating Matcha is Vanilla Maple Jade. The vanilla in this is at a great level – not overpowering or candy-like, but more subtle and acts as a blending element. The maple adds a gentle sweetness and I felt no need to add more sweetener. There are spices and coconut in this blend too but they work with the other flavors to create a good taste collaboration. They have 2 blends that highlight beetroot and 2 that focus on turmeric. I really liked the Golden Chai – though it did not contain tea it has all the spicy goodness of a classic chai with a heavy dose of turmeric, which I love. I’ve been drinking turmeric milk for years as it is great for so many things including anti-inflammatory properties, easing the body after heavy workouts, good for congestion… The balance of the spices to the turmeric is good with a peppery kick. My understanding is that pepper assists the body in getting the most out of turmeric too. So if you like the convenience of pre-blended easy to use superfood and tea powders that are low in sugar but tasty you can check out SaKu Tea and their kickstarter here: www.sakutea.com Cheers to your ongoing exploration of new flavors in tea! 4/8/2017 Nitro Everything - Now Nitro Tea!by Cassandra Vincent I’m a fan of nitro – the smooth and creamy texture is a huge plus to my enjoyment. I love good tap beer on nitro. Our old friend Guinness and close mate Murphy’s are great examples of the nitro stout with a fine foamy head that gives the impression near to whipped cream which I love also. I randomly discovered a chocolate milkshake stout that broke me out in a rash of cravings that lasted for weeks. Then I discovered ice cream made fresh sans any preservatives, using liquid nitrogen to freeze the ingredients as they are being blended resulting in a deliciously fresh and velvety creamy gorgeousness. That caused another rash of cravings. Marvelous! I have tried nitro cold brew coffee as well. Though I definitely prefer cold brewed coffee to it’s hot brewed version I didn’t feel the nitro was as good a fit here for me. Strange, as in every other case I really prefer it. May be I need to try some more brands to find a better fit as it may have had more to do with the roast than the nitro. Now the nitro trend has found its way to tea with tea on tap and also canned versions for purchase at specialty food stores like Whole Foods. I tried B Sweet canned nitro matcha green tea. I thought it might have the widget that causes nitrogen to be released into the liquid upon opening, which I’ve experienced in beer cans, but it did not. The can includes the suggestions “shake well and pour hard”. I think I would have benefitted more from the suggestion “shake hard and pour fast” as I clearly did not shake hard enough and got chunks of matcha at the bottom. Ick. I found that the creamy head on top of the matcha reminded me more of the crema on an espresso shot rather than the thick head on a Guinness. This matcha is unsweetened but has a naturally sweet and mellow character. To my palate it is less grassy than some matchas I have had and is not at all bitter. Everyone has their preference as to matcha taste and there are many grades of matcha. There is no indication on the site or can of what grade is used but I have been told the company uses a blend.
I think the nitro version of matcha is a fun experience that I would repeat. I am interested in trying B Sweet nitro Thai tea and also trying their nitro teas on tap to see if there is a more intense nitro effect. Have you tried nitro tea yet? Are you up for this adventure into tea innovation? Let us know about your nitro experience on facebook, twitter, pinterest. Cheers! by Cassandra Vincent
Though it started in 2016 as part of the 40 year celebration of punk rock, The W in London is still offering their Anarch-Tea with punk inspired sweets and style. Yet another way to share what you love over a cuppa. Check out their site here: http://www.wlondon.co.uk/afternoon-tea As this is a tea blog written by an entertainer this is a great opportunity to share appreciation for some of the music and style that has inspired me to create, connect and explore. I discovered goth and punk music in two separate moments as a teenager. They were artistically and personally transformative moments that have had a lasting effect on me as an artist. Now I don’t know what the punk scene was really like for those who were at the vanguard of what has since been referred to as a ‘movement’ in music. I’m not going to romanticize a time and experience I didn't live. I can only speculate and read the stories of those who were there. But I have a visceral response to some of the music and style – I just instantly felt I could relate. After all the desire for individual expression, youth angst, economic challenge and marginalizing did not only exist in the 1970s. An artistic platform that unites people having a similar experience is a powerful thing. To me one of the greatest aspects of any art form is that it gives the opportunity to connect – ideas as well as people. And punk continues to do this decades after its genesis. My favourite band associated with the early years of punk is The Damned. I love their sense of humour and intense energy. I have enjoyed all of their albums individually and as a story of their evolution. I also admire that they always seemed to be a band of individuals. They didn’t look like clones of one another but each person had definitive style and I think that came through the music. Each incarnation of the band resulted in a shift in their sound. There is nothing wrong with signature sound, but I would expect a band that has been around for 40 years would want to continue to explore what they can do. I am so glad they have. Singer Dave Vanian has been an inspiration of classy vintage/horror style (seen by many as a goth pioneer) and unique sound to me. His instantly recognizable voice, like a sharp blade hiding in a velvet sheath, has the ability to produce a fierce shout and an ethereal lullaby. Marvelous! The other long-standing member in the current line-up, Captain Sensible, brings a child-like mischievousness and bird-flipping attitude to this day. These two along with the massively fast and aggressive drum style of Rat Scabies and song-writing brilliance of guitarist Brian James were part of the wave that slapped the music world hard enough for it to take notice. The various incarnations of the band that followed continued to make an entertaining music story on subjects from club life to politics to reflections on the art of others while incorporating musical influences that extended beyond punk without ever losing that soul. It looks like we may even have a new album from them soon! [UPDATE - new album Evil Spirits !] Punk is a part of our musical history. It deserves to be celebrated, not as a way to freeze it in time or to own it but to recognize the inspiration it gave and still gives to the generations that continue to discover it. I feel that tea, like music, is a part of the joy of culture. Tea is for all - music is for all - to be experienced and shared in whatever way brings you joy. Hats off to the W for celebrating punk and afternoon tea together. Maybe it will inspire your next tea party. Just be careful –moshing with hot beverages is dangerous business. The Go Deeper details: The Damned is touring this spring! Check out their schedule here: http://www.officialdamned.com/tour/ For more on London’s celebration of 40 years of punk: http://punk.london/gob/ |
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