Blessed Ramadan

Arab dates and a Taiwanese Oriental Beauty tea pairing

What I look forward to during the fasting month is pairing dates with red (aka black in Middle Eastern countries) tea. The sweetness in these dates is balanced with red tea that intensifies subtle scents and aromas in dates at the same time. Try this at home!

And to my Muslim friends and readers, may the spirit of this holy month enlighten you.

Double-boiled mandarin orange red tea

I have adapted the original recipe from Teaparker's blog entry here.

You often find mandarin oranges to be an auspicious symbol used most often during the Chinese New Year but never have I tried them double boiled and I am curious to find out how this tasty fruit pairs with delicious sun moon lake red tea from Taiwan's Nantou county.

In the original recipe, 'ponkan' aka Chinese honey oranges are the ideal. Otherwise, any mandarin orange variety is acceptable.

You will need:

- a double boiler or any improvisation that allows for the same cooking process. In my case, I used a porcelain kyusu that can be inexpensively replaced if anything goes wrong.
- 3 g of sun moon lake red tea
- 120 ml of water for brewing tea
- 1 teaspoon of cane sugar (optional)
- 2 slices of mandarin orange
- a piece of mandarin orange peel roughly the size of a coin 3 cm in diameter

Self-made double boiler - porcelain kyusu in a pot

1) Infuse 3 gm of tea in a Gaiwan for 5 minutes
2) Place fruit slices, orange peel and sugar into the double boiler
3) Pour tea into double boiler and discard spent tea leaves
4) Double-boil on medium heat for 20 minutes

Serve piping hot cup of orange infused red tea in porcelain cups and experience the fruit-tea harmony yourself.

Beauty and her scent

Gradually, I have moved away from Jasmine scented green teas to teas that emit fragrances as a result of fermentation. Why? The fragrances are longer lasting and the drop in the aromatic intensity between brews is less steep. I must say that the Oriental Beauty oolong tea is a good example. I regard this as sort of red tea because of its relatively higher oxidation level compared to other teas in the category of oolong. Check out the variations in colour. I see furry white tips, orange gold, dark green, light green and a few other undefined shades.    

The infusion is a deep and dark golden orange hue that one can easily mistake for a red tea. A sweet floral aroma travels from the root of my tongue to my nostrils. Quite similar to inhaling perfume through your mouth and very much like a muscat wine without the overwhelming sugary taste. The insect bites and saliva that these tea leaves have been exposed contribute a lot to this unique flavour that reminds me of a chemistry lab that produces esters.

Despite the strong colour of this tea, bitterness and astringency do not dominate the taste buds as much as a Darjeeling. A tea that I prefer to prepare with shorter infusion times or longer infusions but paired with a rather sweet dessert. Perhaps a sweet and mild tasting candy will be more fitting for this oriental beauty.

This is a type of cuboid Turkish candy affectionately known as the Padishah sweetie. I like it for its slightly crunchy and crumbly qualities. Made from flour, sugar and vegetable fat. I enjoyed this sweet with afternoon tea that day. Neither is overpowering the other. Just the kind of balance I was looking for.

What's for Easter?

On this religious and colourful holiday, I prepared a festive cha xi to pair with some good quality cooked ham and free-range eggs. (I did not forget wine, but that is another story.)

Earlier on, I spoke about tea cultivars from various tea regions in this article. The tea I drank today is labelled Taiwan No. 18 and comes from Yu Chi village in Nantou. Its leaves are very dark, almost black I would say. They smell good, a combination of honey flowery scents. A rather promising start.

This being a red tea, I used my zhuni pot to help the tea perform better and achieve a tastier result. The brew was a rich golden hue and smells a bit like concorde grapes and similar to gummy sweets. Interestingly, I picture dark purple orchids which come to mind because of its natural and rather floral scent as well.

In between brews, I dug into some savoury light bites that include hard boiled eggs and cooked ham. This red tea complements the richness of the meat very well, reminding me of the influence that tea can have in every facet of our lifestyle. The possibilities are infinite in the world of food and tea. 

In itself, the tea is rather smooth on the tongue and palate with an aftertaste that weakens significantly between brews. However, it is still possible to prepare this tea to a  maximum of 8 times in this case where the powerful overtones of floral and honeyed notes continue to be released during each infusion.

Tea fit for a king - Yunnan Dian Hong

Spring time is here but the temperature took a dip today. I decided to warm up with a delicious cup of red tea from Yunnan, China. Even as this is a largely oxidised and roasted tea, the leaves' aroma smells clean and fresh, slightly reminiscent of green teas. The dried leaves are like a work of art, with specks of gold amidst other greyish slender leaves.

I prepared this tea in a zhuni pot that is extremely well made with bits of high conductivity materials to keep the heat from the boiling water locked in the pot. This certainly helps to brew better tasting teas. The infusion is a mouth-watering mandarin orange-red and is a balanced cup with all elements of spring: floral, honey and woody notes all present themselves very elegantly in this tea. The astringency and slight hint of bitterness quickly fade into a long-lasting, sweet and smooth aftertaste.

Appreciating fine teas is about appealing to our five senses. The tea ware, aroma, and your environment all have their respective roles to play in enhancing every tea tasting experience.

The world of red teas - F.O.P Red Tea 银芽红茶

The last few days of warmth and sunshine are quickly diminishing. To cope with this seasonal change, I prepared a fresh brew of Sri Lankan red tea for my enjoyment. This should warm me up very nicely!

Check out the golden tips of these dried leaves. They are bound to produce a highly flavorsome cup of tea.

The brew is a dark golden orange liquor with a distinctive roasted aroma. A medium bodied tea with a very rich and rounded taste. These flavours are reminiscent of flowery honey and caramel with a hint of walnut. Given its high quality, milk and sugar are no-nos in enjoying this aromatic brew.