The history of drinking herbal infusions goes back many centuries. The word “tisane” is derived from the Greek “ptisane” which refers to a drink made from barley. Tisanes are herbal drinks that may not contain the Camellia Sinensis plant commonly known as “tea.” For instance, Hibiscus is said to contain Vitamin C. Peppermint is supposed to be good for indigestion, Elderflower is good for nerves and gout and Ginseng is said to have powers to invigorate the body and prolong life. Modern medicine has it’s foundation in herbal preparations and many physicians are realizing that some tisanes can work as well as some prescriptions. They also can interact with prescriptions. Be sure to check with your pharmacist or physician. What you drink can interfere with the medicine that is trying to make you well.
Elaine’s Tea Shoppe
Many of you know of Elaine’s Tea Shoppe in Sylvania, Ohio. Many don’t. If you are ever in the Toledo area, this is a wonderful stop. We were there today and it is still a wonderful stop, well worth the detour. She has a great selection of loose leaf tea, tea accessories and knowledge. We had a light lunch – a cream tea, actually. The scones were wonderful. Her menu is a sight to behold, not just the selections, but the information in the mini-manual is quite valuable. For those serious about tea tasting, she has developed a Tea Taster’s Journal that contains a primer and a wonderful tasting form that can be completed for each tea tasted. With this book you can jog your memory and develop your own listing of great teas. Thanks, Elaine. It was worth the drive.
Tea Reads
Are you someone who enjoys some light, refreshing reading with your light, refreshing tea? Here are a few ideas for you. Of course, there is “Tea Time” http://teatimemagazine.com/ which is a beautiful, colorful magazine from the same company that brings you “Southern Lady.” And there is “Tea-A Magazine” www.teamag.com by Pearl Dexter. These are most often found at a good news stand or the magazine section at a book store. And there is Laura Child’s tea shop series – found in the mystery books. But, the help quench your thirst between publications, try “The Country Register” found at Welcome Centers throughout the interstate highways. They can also be found at http://www.countryregister.com/. States also have their own websites for this magazine. Ohio’s is www.ohiocountryregister.com. Other sites include www.countryregisteronline.com, COUNTRYREGISTERPAWV.COM , cls-countryregister.com , www.countryregisterco.com/Colorado.html and www.countryregisterco.com . You can find articles about tea, etiquette and tearooms. Each state’s publication is different, so when traveling, be sure to stop at the welcome center in each state.
The Tea Party Girl
It is with some saddness that I read the latest post of Jenny Wells, The Tea Party Girl, as she announced that should would no longer be posting to her blog. Jenny has been an inspiration to me as I “met” her during a teleconference produced by Lady Dawnya Sasse for one of her classes. I understand how life changes. I do encourage you to visit her site at www.teapartygirl.com. She has some wonderful ideas and tips. I do hope that I can learn from her and make my business as successful. You can learn more about my venture at www.unicornwineguild.com. Yes. Wine. We are in the process of remodeling a facility to serve as a small batch winery (u-vin), tea room and coffee shop. It has been over a year that we started on the idea and this fall it will finally open. Jenny, best wishes on your new venture. Thanks for the inspiration.
Iced Tea on the Go
A lot of you have probably seen the promotions from a big fast food chain for sweet tea. All well and good, if that’s your “cup of tea.” However, what do you do if you are dining out and the tea tastes hours old? Or the tea is fine, but sugar just won’t dissolve. This could be at one of your favorite places to eat, but they just cannot make good tea. There are a few things you can do besides bringing your own.
If the tea is fine, but the sugar doesn’t dissolve and they have no idea or time to make a simple syrup, you can ask for some hot water and ice. Dissolve the sugar in the hot water, add it to the tea and add ice as needed. The traditional recipe is 2 parts sugar to 1 part water. Others prefer a 1 to 1 ratio. To make a syrup so that 1 teaspoon simple syrup equals 1 teaspoon sugar use 4 parts sugar to 3 parts water. If entertaining at home, you may want to serve a simple syrup with unsweetened iced tea and let your guests sweeten to taste.
If the tea at the restaurant is not tolerable, ask for hot tea and a glass or two of ice. Brew the tea as you normally would, sweeten to taste and then add to the glass of ice. If using loose leaf tea, it is recommended to use twice the normal amount of tea to the water, steep the usual amount of time and then dilute with either the ice or an equal part of cold water. Recommended teas are unflavored teas such as Ceylon, Darjeeling and Dragonwell.
Try these ideas and see if your tea improves.
The Tea Bag has Turned 100
Yes, it’s true. The tea bag is 100 years old. Still favored by many for their convenience, the tea bag was invented in June 1908 quite by accident. Tea merchant Thomas Sullivan of New York City sent samples of tea leaves in small silk pouch-like purses to potential customers, meaning for the bags to be opened and the leaves brewed as usual. Several Americans, not quite sure what to do with the little bags, dunked them into hot water. And liked it. So was born the tea bag.
After complaints that the mesh of the silk was too fine, Mr. Sullivan developed gauze bags which later became the paper bags we know and (some) love. However, there were complaints about being served lukewarm water for the bags and distust of the short string and attached tag. In 1930 William Hermanson of Boston’s Technical Papers Corporation patented the heat-sealed paper fiber tea bag. Shortage of materials during WWII prevented mass production. In 1953, Tetley, the British tea producer, spotted the commercial potential (and convenience) of the tea bag and worked to perfect the tea bag. Finally, in 1964, the finely perforated tea bag was developed and sales soared.
In 1989 Tetley switched from the square tea bag to a round one and a few years later it introduced the drawstring tea bag. In 1996 Lipton and PG Tips introduced the pyramid-shaped tea bag. Some criticize the pyramid-shaped bag stating the nylon will not degrade in landfills. Others praise it because it allows for better expansion of the tea leaf. Whatever your personal taste in teas Mr. Sullivan’s tea bag is here to stay.
Tea at the Unicorn Wine Guild 