I stopped by Denong for a tasting and got a bonus sample of their 2019 black tea. One of the aspects that makes this extra interesting is that this is tea from a drought year (2017 was a drought year too). This was harsh for tea farmers in drought regions because of reduced yield. Sadly, even robust old trees died in fires in Yunnan impacting puerh and Kenyan tea growers were only operating for half the week because there was not enough tea to harvest. This is why you’ll see less product and higher prices.

It saddens me that these beautiful tea plants and the people in the industry have suffered. Nature has a way of creating beauty out of chaos though. The drought causes the plants to work harder and results in more concentrated flavor. The leaf becomes very small and flat (as opposed to in a monsoon or rainy season where it plumps up) and because of that you get deeper, richer flavor.

The Leaves

The dry leaves are dark and twig like. The wet leaves smell rich and deep like hot fresh biscuits and a little bit of walking in the forest with moss on the ground minus the damp or mildew smell. 

The Steeps

First Steep

The first steep was light, like a briefly dunked tea biscuit. It had a bit of sweet syrup taste a little bit like maple syrup. I steeped for only 30 seconds with minimal tannin bitterness.

Second Steep

The second steep smelled even sweeter, coated my tongue, and reminded me of how some books smell. I'm not talking about the extremely new ones, or the ones that have gotten old and musty, but the in-between, well-read, well-kept books. Perhaps it's where the books are stored or the type of paper they're made of, but that's what this tea reminded me of on the second steep. Tea and books - they go well together. (So do tea and cats, but if a tea smelled like a cat I'd be concerned.)

Third Steep

The third step was the thickest and most flavorful yet. 
 
Fourth Steep

As this was a black tea sample I wasn't sure if it was going to stand up to a fourth steeping, but I thought I'd give it a shot. It held up. The flavor did start to back away and say goodbye, but it was still present. The tea coated my tongue for another round adding onto the previous rounds for a satisfying mouthfeel and taste. This fourth steep was still very soft and mild from a tannin standpoint. A little less sweet and biscuit-like than previous steeps, but worth doing.
 
I’m always amazed at how much work and how many people are involved in bringing me my cup of tea. I respect all of that coordinated effort. If you are interested in trying a tea from a drought year, bear in mind the smaller yield which may be reflected in the price. If you have had one of these teas, let the tea community know on Tea Deviant Facebook or Twitter which tea you’ve had and what you thought of it. 
 
This is just touching on the impact of drought. I may go further into this subject and how it changes things for the industry and the consumer, if there is interest.

For more on making a great cup of tea check out these posts:
Does your Tea Taste Like Crap? We can Fix That
Are You Having a Tea Crisis?

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It's fall! Even in the southland the nights are getting crisper and pumpkin everything is on the shelves. Another flavor that gives cozy comfort in the cooler months is chocolate. Now I don't believe in guilt tripping. I rather sip in joy, but if one of your cool weather concerns is getting too chummy with sugary comfort food, then you need to meet Cacao Tea. 

I already did one post on cacao husk that you can read here. When The Cacao Tea Co. reached out to me it was a great opportunity to try a few more options with this fun flavor.

(NOTE: There is no camelia sinensis in this product, so it is technically not a true tea, but rather an infusion. For ease and because of the name of the company, I will be saying 'tea' in the article. If you are a purist, I hope you don't break out in a rash).

Cacao husk tea is the outer husk of the bean and separated after the roasting process.  Cacao Tea Co. sources 100% pure husk from Peru, Ecuador and Guatemala. It is also organic.

As you can see, this tea is finer than the cacao husk my friend Elexis brought back from Peru (looks less like potpourri) and doesn't have stevia. I like that this is the pure husk because then I can sweeten or not, depending on my mood. 

This is an amazingly flexible tea: hot, cold, sweetened, unsweetened, with or without milk, as a latte or as an infusing element.

As with the previous cacao tea, I really enjoy it without any additions. To me, the creamy mouthfeel and milk chocolate-like flavor alone is my second favorite way of enjoying this tea. My favorite way? One half cacao husk mixed with one half black tea, steeped in grass fed whole milk and sweetened with honey. Decadence! 

I did try cold brewing the cacao husk (8 hours in the fridge with filtered water). Maybe it is psychological, but other than cold chocolate milk, I think of chocolate beverages as a warm indulgence. 

Being a caffeine free, cold brew is not as big a deal because you aren't dealing with massive tannins in the hot brew. It has a lovely, light amber, cloudy pour. My understanding is the cloudiness is from oils as there is some cacao nib that sticks around. This also give the creaminess that is so lush.

Thanks to Cacao Tea Co. for providing the tea for this tasting adventure. Have you tried cacao husk tea yet? Let us know on social. 

It was great to re-visit the LA Tea Festival this year in a new space - The Magic Box at The Reef in Downtown Los Angeles. This was the first tea festival I ever attended and covered.  

​I was also thrilled to reconnect with some of the people who jump started my deep dive into tea. James Norwood Pratt is a tea educator, speaker, writer and sommelier. He has a palpable passion for tea and for sharing the joy of it. We got to catch up after one of his classes and you can watch the interview below to learn how the tea revolution is spreading across the US.

 Musical performances, dance and a tea bar have been added to the festival festivities. Of course the bar had tea infused cocktails. I had one with a tea infused Jameson. Yes, I wanted another one!

​There were some familiar vendors from previous years, like Waterfall and Nepal Tea, and numerous ones I had not seen before. I was introduced to some new products and will share the experience with you as I work through my tea haul. Let me know if there is a particular product you are curious about.

I covered the fest when it was at the Japanese American Museum (and had a Hello Kitty truck).  Being it is August in SoCal, I'm sure all of the vendors were thrilled to be indoors with AC this year. I was. ​ 

Time to put the kettle on. Yeah, it's August in SoCal , but my  love for tea transcends sweat. Cheers!
-Cassandra

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The Look:

This set is a glazed, textured pottery in natural brown and green colors. It has a historic look, like something you would find in a museum. Every piece nests one in the other, kind of like Russian dolls, with a simple fabric drawstring carry pouch.

There are 2 cups of different size/shape. The inside of the cups is a natural brown with a sandy texture. (If you prefer white interiors or glass to see the tea color, they have travel tea sets like that too).
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​The color: It came out a beautiful amber color. Like that prehistoric bug encased in amber in Jurassic Park, but without the bug part. 
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Steeping: There wasn’t any steeping advice on the package. In one way that’s annoying but in another way it leaves the door for experimentation wide open...and of course, internet searching. Generally, most sources said to use boiling water, as with most herbs, and to steep between 5-10 minutes. After experimenting I found I liked the 5-7 minute range best.

Taste: It resulted in a soft, aromatic cocoa taste that has just a hint of sour at the end. It even felt a bit creamy even though there is nothing creamy in it. More time brought out more of that sourness and that just isn’t my thing.

I tried adding sweetener first  and then milk but found I liked it best plain. In the 5 minute steep the sweetener was ok. I used honey once and sugar another time. I think the sugar paired better. Honey is a bit too, “Look at me!” (Yeah, honey, I love ya.)

The particular brand I had includes dried stevia leaves for natural sweetness and they perform beautifully. The chocolate scent and flavor is enhanced by the stevia. Those who are used to sugar, honey or just greater sweet taste in general will want to add their sweetener of choice.

The milk covered the lovely chocolate flavor rather than enhanced it. Extending the steep time didn’t really change this. It just made the tea more sour instead of more robust.

Is it caffeinated?: No, it doesn’t have caffeine like tea or coffee, but like tea it does have theobromine, a slower acting, weaker stimulant.

Nutrients/minerals: It is high in magnesium, antioxidants and has the “bliss chemical”  anandamide.
My internet search also revealed that cacao husk flavor is impacted by it’s origin and conditions like our beloved camelia-sinensis is:  
“Depending on where the husk is from, there's subtle variation in the taste and aroma of the brew. Each single origin husk taking on its own unique flavour profile.”
More options: I mixed the cacao husk with black tea and really liked it. They work well together. Another idea I had but haven’t yet tried is to steep the husks in simmering milk directly to see if a latte-like taste could be achieved.
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Philip said PG Tips tea reminded him of Gretsch, like the beautiful Gretsch White Falcon above, circa 1970.

By itself: He thought it was brighter, sharper and more original than the others.

With milk and sugar: The original taste comes through: round with a little sharpness at the end.

How it reminded him of Gretsch: 
Gretsch has a bouncy tone with a quick attack and pull back. Though less versatile than some,  when a classic Gretsch is put through effects it's original flavor comes through.

Philip said Typhoo reminded him of Gibson, like the juicy red Gibson 355 from 1965 above.

By itself: He said at first it tastes murky, maybe even bland, but strong. (I like to say ‘ballsy’!)

With milk and sugar:  Typhoo tea is so strong it handles them well and together they make something better.

How it reminded him of ​ Gibson: 
​Gibson has a sustained tone and is very versatile. The sound is darker and when put through effects you hear the full measure of the effect and it is awesome!

Philip said Yorkshire Tea reminded him of Fender, like this cool combination or 'parts-caster' above.

By itself: He said Yorkshire tea has a nuanced taste that he thinks is the brightest of the three. (I thought PG Tips was, but that’s individual palate for you :)

With milk and sugar: The tea handles them well but original flavor still shines through.

​How it reminded him of  Fender: 
Fender has a shorter, twangy tone. The crunchy sound with more high end rings through when put through effects. ​

Hey there! Grab a cup of your favorite tea and check out this fun hang with Markus Muller-Stach (M Stack).  I met him at a music festival last year. We got talking about the label he was launching, G4L Records. Schedules aligned and we got to meet over tea at the legendary Sunset Marquis to talk about his label and how he came to the wild world of music. Enjoy! - Cassandra (TD)

This is not a Yes that's makeup. I was inspired by a beautiful illustration of a Chinese dragon to turn myself into one for Tea Halloween style. My bandmate Philip and my friend Elexis also let me get creative with their lovely faces and you can see the results in the gallery below.

I love the creativity of Halloween time. To me every day is Halloween in that way, but it is great to have so many more people join in - the costumes (especially the creative mash ups), the decorations and the Halloween inspired tea settings! It is also the time for warming spices, the flavors of fall. 

I did a simple scones and tea for my friend Elexis and I. I had some leftover pumpkin puree from another recipe and wanted a scone that used that.  Seek and ye shall find upon the internet! I found this cool recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction. It has some great, specific baking tips in it like freezing and grating the butter which results in deliciously flaky scones (if you don't overwork the dough, easy does it). 

I was feeling my inner child and gave these scones a Halloween twist with a coffin cookie cutter and some red icing for fun. Kind of reminded me of the first short story I ever wrote when I was nine. A vampire story of course. I still remember how hilarious it was acting it out in front of the class.

​Have you enjoyed a Halloween Tea yet? Share your pictures with us on Facebook and Twitter. And show us your costumes so we can celebrate your creative spark!!!

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