January 2020 - Teas The Season

Enjoying Together, Recipes, Uncategorized

Cream of Broccoli and Spinach Soup – a surprising treat

January 27, 2020
Looking for a healthy cream soup? With sauteed chicken and thickened with avocado, this is exactly the soup for you. I developed this recipe to fill my cravings for a thick and creamy soup but also to meet my need for healthy fats. I also had many vegetables and quickly ripening avocados that I needed to use up. Cream of broccoli and Spinach soup is the perfect answer.

This soup can be served as an entree for your meal, add a crusty baguette and it will warm you and fill you up. You can also serve this as an appetizer or part of the savory course for an afternoon tea. In a shooter style glass, this cream of broccoli and spinach soup is a flavorful and surprising addition.

This recipe is very versatile and easy to prepare, so let’s go through the steps. Once you get the basic soup down, be creative and use up those vegetables and change up the toppings. There’s no limit.

Fresh broccoli cut in small pieces

Take 2 cups of fresh spinach and 1 large bunch of fresh broccoli. Chop up the broccoli into small pieces. You will be simmering this to a soft texture that will allow you to puree it.

Fresh spinach and broccoli in cooking pot

Place the spinach and broccoli in a large pot. Add 1 – 1 1/2 quarts of chicken broth. I like to use the unsalted version. Add 1 tsp of salt to the mixture. Cover your pan and turn on the heat bringing the mixture to a low simmer. You will want both the spinach and the broccoli to be well cooked.

Avocados seeded and ready to be chopped

While the spinach and broccoli are cooking, prepare the avocados. Seed and cut into small pieces. Remember, the avocado will be used for thickening the soup. You won’t taste the avocado, its natural fattiness will thicken without flavoring the soup. You can use 3 small avocados or 2 large ones. And use up those ripened ones – they will be easier to blend. Once prepared, set them aside.

To prepare the chicken, cut it into small pieces. Using the 1 tbsp of olive oil, brown and crisp up the chicken. I like to use chicken that I already have cooked. You can use rotisserie chicken or even cook up some fresh chicken. Whatever you have available. Once done, set aside.

Chicken browning for the soup

With the vegetables done, put in the avocado and grab your immersion blender. Another one of my favorite kitchen tools, then I use my immersion blender for soups, smashed vegetables, gravies, sauces and even smoothies, just to name a few items. Blend the soup until its creamy. You can also use a blender but you may need to do this in batches and remember that the soup is hot – don’t over fill your blender with this hot liquid.
- Immersion blending the soup
- Blended soup thickened
Once the soup is blended, add the chicken and gently stir. Add the ground pepper. Taste for seasonings but I rarely have to add anything. Ladle into your serving bowls and top with fresh parsley and goat cheese. You can serve the goat cheese as a medallion or crumbled. It will melt into this amazing bright taste and pairs very well with this rich thick soup. And yes, its thickened with avocados.

Incorporating chicken into soup

You can substitute the parsley for fresh cilantro. Top with a few slices of radishes and you have another variation to this delightful soup. Change out the chicken for sausage and you have yet another delicious option. On a chilly day when the wind is blowing and you are snuggled up inside your home, this soup brings a delightful and healthy version of a creamed soup. And its thickened with avocado – have a second bowl!

Spinach and Avocado Soup with Chicken and topped with goat cheese and parsley

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5 from 1 vote

Spinach and Broccoli Cream Soup

A spinach and broccoli cream soup thickened with avocados, served with sauteed chicken and topped with goat cheese.

Course Main Course
Keyword avocado, broccoli, chicken, goat cheese, keto, spinach

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
2 cups cooked chicken Can use precooked or rotisserie chicken
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups fresh spinach
1 bunch fresh broccoli, cut into small pieces
1 ½ quarts chicken broth
3 Small ripe avocados Can use 2 large ones
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground pepper
8 tbsp goat cheese
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions
Chop fresh broccoli into small pieces – so to speed up the cooking process.
Place fresh broccoli, fresh spinach, and chicken broth in large cooking pot. Add salt. Turn on to low simmer in order to cook the vegetables.
Cut chicken up in small pieces. Put olive oil in frying pan. Brown chicken pieces. Set aside.
Cut the avocados up into small pieces. These are the thickener for the soup – so they need to be reasonable small pieces.
Add the avocados to the cooked vegetables. Using an immersion blender, puree soup. You can use a blender as well if you like.
Once completed smooth, add chicken to soup. Stir to mix.
Serve hot. Top with 1 tbsp of goat cheese, either in a medallion or crumbled.

Notes
You can serve this soup in a small shooter glass as an appetizer or for an afternoon tea.
Additional toppings – cilantro, sliced radishes.
Can change the meat for sausage.
Soup can be refrigerated for up to 5 days and frozen for 1 month.
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Beth 43 Comments
Recipes, Uncategorized

Strawberry Cream Scones – A Valentine’s Treat

January 22, 2020
Soon to be February, my thoughts have turned to the celebration of Valentine’s Day and what an afternoon tea should look like. This Strawberry Cream Scone is a delightful addition to a Valentine’s Tea or a Spring Tea. In fact, just to have on your own is a delight. It’s treating those you love with kindness….that includes yourself!

THIRD time around a success!

I had never made a traditional cream scone so was anxious to try this one. Please read on and learn from my failures and successes. My first attempt was not successful, but I was determined to add cream scones to my scone repertoire and I really wanted to serve them in some upcoming Valentine’s functions. My error in the first attempt was adding too much cream – the scones looked beautiful when prepared but spread during the baking process. The dough was too wet. Though the flavor was good, I wasn’t pleased with the outcome. They didn’t have the height I wanted. My second attempt was to streamline the process and use a mini-chopper for the strawberries. Unfortunately, this macerated the strawberries and yielded too much juice. The dough was pink and gloppy. It was all thrown out. So I tried a third time and held to the 1 1/2 cup of heavy cream the recipe calls for and manually diced the strawberries. And this worked beautifully. Taste testing of course, I smiled as I indulged myself in a fresh warm strawberry cream scone with a little lemon curd. Quickly I shared my positive results with my sisters. Since we do not live close, they would have to live vicariously through my comments and pictures. Best friends forever…..

Here are the steps you want to follow: You will preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Line your baking sheet with a silicon baking mat – my preference. You can use parchment paper if you prefer but I find that my scones brown too quickly and sugar toppings burn.

Small dice the strawberries and place in a bowl. Dust the strawberries with 2 tsp of all-purpose flour. This will help the strawberries to not juice out in the scones.
- Small Dice Strawberries
- Dust with 2 tsp flour
In a separate bowl, whisk together 3 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 tbsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, and 1/3 cup sugar. Set aside.

Dry ingredients –flour,sugar, baking powder, salt

In another bowl, measure out 1 – 1 1/2 cups of cold heavy whipping cream. Add 1 tsp of vanilla and 1 tsp of strawberry extract to the cream. I like to add the extract especially if it is off season for the strawberries. It gives that extra little taste to the scone, but will not discolor it. Mix this altogether.

Pour half of the liquid into the dry ingredients. Gently stir the mixture. Take the remaining cream mixture and pour into the batter, again being careful to not overmix but not leave pockets of flour. Fold in the strawberries. The batter will be moist but should not be wet – remember this was my major mistake in my first attempt. You can add an additional 1-2 tbsp of cream if you feel like it is too dry.

Dough and strawberries

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Shape the dough into a 7 inch round, making sure that the height is level. Gently press in the sides to ensure all the crumbs are incorporated into the dough. Take a sharp knife and cut into the classic triangular 8 scone. You can also use other shapes like circles or hearts if desired.

Dough ready for baking sheet

NOTE: I cut this into 12 scones if I am serving in an afternoon tea. These scones are large when cut into 8. I like to serve two scones per guest and so the 12 scones makes for the perfect size.

Take the scone and brush with cream and dust with granulated sugar. Place on your prepared baking sheet. I do this before placing on the baking sheet so to not have sugar burn on the baking pad. Place the scones 1-2 inches apart on the baking sheet.
- Brushing scones with cream
- Generously dusting scones with sugar
Chill the scones in the freezer for 15 minutes prior to baking. This is an important step and helps the scone to firm its shape. After 15 minutes, place the scones in your preheated oven. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until they are golden. Remove from the oven and immediately place on a cooling rack.

These scones freeze well unbaked or baked. They store well in an airtight container at room temperature for several days.

Fresh baked Strawberry Cream Scone with Lemon Curd.
Ready to enjoy with a cup of tea.

When serving, warm the scone up and serve with some lemon curd or Devonshire Cream. Its a delightful addition to your afternoon tea or just for yourself. I would serve this with a nice cup of Lady Londonderry, a tea tenderly infused with strawberry and lemon. Step back from your busy schedule, take a deep breath and enjoy this sweet morsel.

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5 from 3 votes

Strawberry Cream Scones

A delightful cream scone made with fresh strawberries

Course afternoon tea
Keyword cream scone, fresh strawberry, scones

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 8 scones

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp table salt
⅓ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp strawberry extract
1⅓-1½ cups cold heavy whipping cream
1-1¼ cups fresh strawberries diced
1-2 tbsp heavy whipping cream for brushing on scones prior to baking
2 tbsp granulated sugar for dusting on scones prior to baking

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat. Set aside.
Dice the strawberries and place into a bowl. Toss with 1-2 tsp of flour and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
Measure out 1½ cups of heavy cream. Stir in vanilla and strawberry extract.
Pour ½ of the liquid mixture over the dry ingredients, stirring gently. Continue to add the remaining liquid just enough to make a moist dough. The dough should not be extremely sticky. You can add an additional tablespoon or so of heavy cream if needed.
Gently stir / fold in the strawberries.
Remove the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Gently place the dough into a rough ball, using your hands gently press into a 7 inch round. Press in crumbs on the side.
Cut scones into 8 portions. With a spatula, transfer the scone to the prepared baking sheet, leaving 1 inch between scones. Place baking sheet in freezer for 15 minutes prior to baking.
Remove scones from the freezer. Brush top with cream and sprinkle generously with sugar.
Bake the chilled scones in the preheated over for 14-16 minutes or until lightly golden.
Remove the scones from the oven and transfer immediately to a cooling rack.

Notes
Aside from dicing the strawberries, these scones go together very well. DO NOT use a chopper for the strawberries – it macerates the strawberries and produce juice. You don’t want this for this scone – makes it too wet.
These scones free well both unbaked and baked. Warm them and they are delicious.
This recipe was adapted from the original recipe from Seasons and Suppers https://www.seasonsandsuppers.ca/strawberry-cream-scones/
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Beth 20 Comments
Uncategorized

Puff Pastry Sausage Rolls – makes these for your next party

January 15, 2020
Who wouldn’t love some meat wrapped in pastry? Wrapping meat in pastry is an age old tradition. The Sausage Roll has been around for years and is a favorite in the UK. This is a version of the popular sausage roll using Puff Pastry. These Puff Pastry Sausage rolls are a frequent in my winter teas but are also great for game day or holiday parties. Easy to make, you will want to have these on hand for all your occasions.

In an afternoon teas, these would be part of the first course, the savories. The savory portion of a tea has small items that are salty or spicy in nature, generally finger sandwiches, small appetizer-size morsels. The menu is endless of what you can prepare for the portion of your tea and the Puff Pastry Sausage Roll is one of my favorite savories. There are many recipes but this is one that I have used for years. It is a slightly spicy sausage that is encased in puff pastry. Looks impressive but is very easy to do. I like to serve these with a Honey Dijon Mustard Sauce.

Products that you will need are puff pastry, sausage, egg, spices, bread crumbs and parsley. Honey and Dijon mustard are combined together for an easy dipping sauce.

Puff pastry – found in the freezer section at your grocery

If you have not worked with puff pastry before, not to worry. This is a very forgiving product and you can have fun with it. Take your puff pastry out of the freezer or refrigerator and let it thaw a little, but not completely to room temperature. The puff pastry will come with two sheets. Unwrap and open up the sheets while you prepare the sausage mixture.
- Spices ready
- Sausage, egg and bread crumbs
Ingredients for the sausage mixture.
The spices you will need are dry mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, and parsley. Take you sausage and combine with the spices, bread crumbs, parsley and egg. Mix together and set aside.

A note about the sausage mixture. I like to have a slightly spicy sausage mixture in these rolls but it can depend on your guests tastes. I generally will use a mixture of pork sausage with Italian sausage. I have even used Sweet Italian Brats and just remove from the casing. The important thing is to have the amount of the sausage needed – 1 pound. But have fun with the variety.

Prepared sausage mixture

Now to assemble the rolls…take one sheet of puff pastry and fold open. This will create three panels of pastry. On a lightly floured surface, cut down the creases creating three panels of pastry. Roll the panels to approximately 12 inches in length. You do not need to increase the width of the pastry.
- Puff Pastry separated
- Puff Pastry rolled out
Take the sausage and divide it into 6 portions. Take one portion and create a long roll of sausage the length of the puff pastry.

Roll the puff pastry around the sausage, overlapping the edge and pressing slightly to seal the seam. Repeat with the remaining sausage and puff pastry panels. Cut the sausage rolls into 2 inch portions. You should get 6 portions out of each roll. This recipe makes 36 sausage rolls.
- Finished roll with sausage
- Cutting the roll to 2 inches
To bake the rolls, line a baking sheet with parchment paper or use a silicon pad (I prefer the parchment paper for these rolls – it creates a nice browning). Lay the rolls out . If you are baking immediately, you will want 12 rolls per sheet which allows the puff pastry to slightly expand in the cooking process. Top the rolls with an egg wash to have a nice browning. Place in a preheated 425 oven for 15-20 minutes.

If you are freezing, lay out the rolls in a single layer – you can put them close together. Once frozen, transfer to a storage container. If using them for a tea, you can take out only those that you need. If you are going to share them at a holiday function, you can bake the whole batch. In either case, these are a delicious and versatile savory that is always eaten in any setting.

Products used for this recipe. Click on the image for more information:

This post contains affiliate links and we may earn compensation when you click on the links at no additional cost to you. Look for the product and enjoy!
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Puff Pastry Sausage Rolls

A savory morsel of sausage encased in puff pastry. Similar to an English Sausage Roll.

Course Appetizer
Keyword puff pastry, roll, sausage, savory

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 17 minutes
Total Time 32 minutes

Servings 36 servings

Ingredients
1 egg
1 lb pork sausage You can use different varieties of sausage. Italian, breakfast, sage flavored. My favorite is Italian.
¼ cup bread crumbs
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dry mustard
2 tbsp chopped Italian parsley I have used dry parsley at times
1 box Puff Pastry You will need two sheets
1 egg for wash
1 tbsp water
Honey Mustard Sauce
1 tbsp Honey
3 tbsp Dijon Mustard

Instructions
Preheat your oven to 425°
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
Beat egg in a large bowl. Add sausage, breadcrumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, parsley and must. Mix well until thoroughly combined.
Unwrap first sheet of puff pastry. Place on a floured surface.
Cut along the fold lines to create three strips of dough. Using rolling pin, gently roll out a little. You will end up with 6 strips of dough.
Divide sausage mixture into 6 equal parts.
Make each section of sausage into a roll and place down the center of the puff pastry strips.
Fold pastry over and press seam to seal.
Cut each roll into 6 equal pieces, about 2 inches each
Place on the prepared baking sheet and brush with egg wash.
Repeat with each strip of pastry and sausage.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, until puffed and golden brown.
Honey Mustard Sauce
Combine honey and Dijon Mustard together in serving bowl. Serve alongside sausage rolls.

Notes
Sausage rolls can be frozen prior to baking. Prepare the roll, cut into serving sizes and freeze in a single layer. When frozen you can transfer to a container. Thaw prior to baking.
This recipe adapted from https://cookingwithcurls.com/2014/10/08/puff-pastry-sausage-rolls/
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Beth 2 Comments
Cups, Cozies and China, Enjoying Together, Uncategorized

Tea Tasting 2 – the adventure continues

January 8, 2020
So many teas, so little time……This is the second installment of my tea tasting adventures. This time I was joined by my beautiful and delightful daughter-in-law. Hope you get inspired to try some new tastes or just enjoy some tried and true.

Hadley’s Logo

I recently had the pleasure of visiting another tea shop. Hadley’s Tea Shop in Albuquerque New Mexico. Hadley’s has long been a purveyor of teas in the area. This establishment has a casual atmosphere that invites you to sit and relax with a cup of tea. There is a nice assortment of teas, pastries and accessories to browse through which is always tempting. A nice place for a Cream Tea.

I came away choosing 3 teas to bring home for our tasting – Vanilla Black Chai, Monk’s Blend Black Tea, and Lady Londonderry Black Tea. Now I have had Lady Londonderry and used it for years, but needing to refill my tea canister, went ahead and purchased but also put it in the mix of my “formal” tasting. Now as I have said before, I am by no means an expert in the whole world of tea, but I do like to explore, have fun and enjoy the moment.
- Hadley’s Tea Storefront
- Hadley’s Tea Selection
A gift from my daughter – small golden teapot from Hadley’s Tea Shop

Setting the Stage

Bringing my daughter-in-law into the mix, I wanted to not only use her palate as a second taster but also to have some time to enjoy the tasting. I set the table up for us to enjoy a moment of time away from all the busyness and focus on the tea tasting as well as any other conversation we might share (which can be substantial when we get together). So it was a blessing for sure.

The table is set for tea tasting

We were going to taste 3 teas, so I setup the table accordingly. The usual hot water pot, tea infuser,cozy, timer, milk and sugar, water to cleanse our palate in between teas, and a shortbread to munch on. I selected 3 pots that would provide 3-4 cups, knowing that we would try a 2nd cup but likely not a whole full pot.

Now the cups – I have a tradition at my house. I like to have my guests at times choose their own cup. Since I have so many and it can become a great conversation piece, I enjoy watching folks take their time in selecting their favorite. My daughter-in-law will request to do this at times and its just some of that extra pampering that comes with having tea. We will use a fresh pot and fresh cup for each tasting.

Just a few cups lined up for tasting

Tea Tasting Process

There are several sources that outline a formal process for tasting tea. My process has evolved over time and reflects a simple way for tasting and enjoying.
1. Assemble and setup brewing station and table
2. Place a small amount of the loose tea in a bowl or plate. Smell the tea and note flavors or scents of the raw tea.
3. Steep the tea according to the directions.
4. In a fresh cup, pour a portion of tea. Observe the color and the smell of the steeped tea.
5. First sip the tea with no additives.
6. Then begin with additives –
  1. Sugar alone
  2. Milk alone
  3. Sugar and milk
7. Discuss impressions – likes, dislikes, possible pairings with food.
8. Repeat process for additional tastings, getting fresh cups and pot
Here’s a guide to help you have your own tea tasting fun either by yourself or with your friends. Click here to download .

TEA-TASTING-STEPS for the Daily EnthusiastDownload

As I stated earlier, I am not a tea sommelier but I do want to follow a reasonable consistent process. And its been fun. So let’s talk about the teas….

Vanilla Black Chai
- Steeped Vanilla Black Chai
- Loose Leaf Vanilla Black Chai
Vanilla Black Chai
The Vanilla Black Chai is a black tea (usually Assam) that is flavored with vanilla and the familiar Chai spices – cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and pepper. We loved the tea by itself – it has that familiar and popular Chai taste. With sugar, the spices were accentuated. Milk added a boost to the vanilla flavor. Both sugar and milk produced a very soothing and enjoyable cup of tea. Clearly our preference, we both felt that the tea alone would be best when paired with scones or sweets. I steeped for 5 minutes. Recommended steeping time is 5-7 minutes.

Monk’s Blend – Black Tea

Monk’s Black Tea

This tea is a known favorite with its dramatic flavors of grenadine and vanilla. Both in the loose leaf state and the steeped tea you could clearly smell the grenadine. This was fun and unexpected. The steeped color is a rich brown classic for a black tea. In tasting, without any additive you were pleasantly pleased with the presence of the grenadine but not overwhelmed by it. With sugar, those flavors were enhanced as well. With milk, it created a very creamy mellow tea that once again, was very enjoyable. For both my daughter-in-law and myself, we favored this without additives but agreed that this was a new favorite tea. Steeping time for this tea is 5 minutes.

Lady Londonderry Black Tea
- Loose Leaf Lady Londonderry black tea
- Cup of steeped Lady Londonderry black tea.
Lady Londonderry Black Tea
We ended our tasting with the classic Lady Londonderry Black Tea. This tea is a black tea with overtones of strawberry and lemon and is a favorite for afternoon teas. Both the loose leaf and the steeped tea readily give off the familiar aromas of strawberry and lemon. In the steeped form, the tea preforms well alone, with sugar and with milk. One sip and I am in a tea room enjoying afternoon tea! Steeping time for this tea is 5 minutes.

Again, these three teas were a welcome addition to my tea repertoire. However, we did agree that the Chai might not be our first choice in an afternoon tea setting. We found that both the Monk’s Black Tea and the Lady Londonderry would both be excellent choices for afternoon tea and felt they were best suited for the scones and sweets course, with maybe a little sugar but even best for our tastes just plain…but of course, that was just our preference.

After the tasting is done, cups and pots to be cleaned.

After we were full of our teas, having tasted some shortbread, we had the cleanup to do. What a great way to engage people in understanding and really tasting their tea. We had a blast. So on to another tea adventure to find and share and this time….a larger group!

Tea Tasting Cleanup

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This post contains affiliate links and we may earn compensation when you click on the links at no additional cost to you. Look through the products and enjoy!
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Beth 78 Comments
Enjoying Together, Uncategorized

Tea Tastings – an adventure in teas

January 2, 2020
For me, a good cup of tea fills my soul. It warms me, refreshes me, and depending on the tea, I can reflect on memories around this tea. But its 2020 now and there are new teas to explore, so I am stepping out and finding different teas to enjoy, new memories to get started. Come along this journey with me. I will share my impressions, likes and dislikes. Hopefully, you will find this information helpful on your tea tasting adventures.

Admittedly by habit, I am a lover of English Breakfast, Lady Londonderry, and Rooibos. Two of my favorite Rooibos are Lemon Souffle and Provence. However, of late, I have wanted to try some different teas…to broaden my palate.

So let’s talk tea. I don’t claim to be an expert but a fancier of all things tea and an explorer of the many different types of tea. I want to give credit to the New Mexico Tea Company for many of the tea descriptions as well as their delightful shop but the impressions are all my own!

Front of the New Mexico Tea Company

I recently had the opportunity to visit a delightful treasure for tea lovers – the New Mexico Tea Company https://www.nmteaco.com/ located at 1131 Mountain Road, Albuqeurque, New Mexico. This shop is nestled on a small street, its reserved sign let’s you know its location. Once you enter, it is clearly a tea lovers adventure. You step into a small entry way that opens to shelves of tea accessories and then into the tea collection room where all the teas are displayed. With a small sample on each larger canister, you can go from tea to tea taking in the aroma and deciding if you want this one or that one. And of particular merit are the pictures on the front of each tea container. Some of them are absolutely beautiful, drawing you in to study the tea a bit more (I have included a picture of each tea because of this). Of course, you look for your favorites but also recently, I was there to step out of my usual tea repertoire. There was an additional room of accessories but we wandered back into the tea selection room. The associates were extremely knowledgeable and helpful when selecting. My sister and brother-in-law were in town and we had a delightful time. Almost giddy, I came away with only 5 teas – and will definitely be going back. A gem for our community for sure. Here were my purchases – Tie Guan Yin Oolong, Milk Oolong, Chocolate Earl Grey, Provence Rooibos, and Scottish Breakfast.

Tie Guan Yin Oolong

I started with the Oolong teas. I had long wanted to try them and went with Tie Guan Oolong and Milk Oolong.
- Tie Guan Oolong
- Brewing Tie Guan Oolong
In trying a basic Oolong, Tie Guan Yin was the recommendation to start with. As outlined by the New Mexico Tea Company, ‘Tie Guan Yin is sweet and thick with a hint of orchid aftertaste. The look of this brew is a subtle yellowish-green, and the first steeping unfurls the rolled tea leaf to reveal large, juicy green leaves. It tastes much like its aroma: Bright and incredibly fresh, with sweet, mellow grassy undertones.” For me, it was an acceptable tea but not one that I would immediately choose. Steeping time for this tea is two minutes – its brew will look light yellow green amber.

Brewing Milk Oolong for tasting.

Milk Oolong

Then I tried Milk Oolong. This tea is similar to Tie Guan Yin in its fresh green taste but cultivated to produce an aroma similar to milk. This tea was amazing and a bit mysterious. When you smell it – it definitely has this creamy tone to it. When you brew a pot, its amber color is deceiving and the taste is definitely Oolong but then you get this gentle flavor of milk. It is actually quite comforting. When taken without anything, its very gentle and then this unassuming creamy flavor coming in after you sip. I then sweetened it with just a bit of sugar – and that was delicious. But likely in “tea heresy” I used some leftover orange zested sugar that I had (Orange Cranberry Sugar Cookies https://teastheseason3.com/cranberry-orange-sugar-cookies/) and it was amazing. Somehow the orange flavor and the milk came together and it became absolutely delicious. I am now a fan! Steeping time for Milk Oolong is 4 minutes and it will have the color as the Tie Guan Yin but a very different flavor.

Milk Oolong steeped and ready to enjoy

Chocolate Earl Grey

Chocolate Earl Grey

The next tea was Chocolate Earl Grey. As described by the New Mexico Tea company Earl Grey was “named after the 1830’s British Prime Minister, Earl Grey. This is the western world’s most popular tea. Earl Grey has traditionally meant any type or blend of tea which is scented with oil of bergamot, a fruit resembling an orange found in the Mediterranean region.” In the past, Earl Grey has not been a favorite of mine. Earl Grey is a favorite of my daughter-in-law, so we did this tasting together. We were excited to try the Chocolate Earl Grey. An elegant twist on the British tea classic, Chocolate Earl Grey artfully combines rich, black tea with Italian bergamot (the highly aromatic citrus fruit) and a silky, sweet touch of chocolate. I have had other chocolate teas and in fact, for my Christmas Tea Party, I will generally serve a chocolate black tea. Its not overly rich and has just a hint of chocolate as you drink it. First straight out of the pot, nothing added, you get a very gentle but clearly present taste of chocolate, not overwhelming at all or in the way – just comfortably there. It is perfectly blended with the taste of Earl Grey. Then we tried it with a little sugar. Amazing! Then a little milk. Again a great addition. Then together both a little milk and sugar – and it was delightful. Though by itself, it tasted delicious, in combination with the other items it just enhanced the flavors all the more. I will definitely be using this as a final course tea along side my sweets. Now beginning to change my perspective on Earl Grey. Perfect. Steeping time for Chocolate Earl Grey is four minutes.

Provence Rooibos

Brewing Provence Rooibos

Provence Rooibos…one of my absolute favorites. I first had this on the East Coast in a small tea room and I was in love with its rooibos flavor and subtle gentle foral perfumes. If you are not familiar with rooibos teas, they are actually not teas in the purest sense. “Rooibos, (Afrikaans for red bush; scientific name Aspalathus linearis) is a member of the legume family of plants and is used to make a tisane (herbal tea). For this particular blend, there is a flavor of a floral and fruity bouquet; and a very present perfume of lavender notes.” No sugar or milk for me in this tea – just the plain fragrance of the brew is enough to satisfy. I love the colors in the loose tea – you can see the rich amber tones so familiar to rooibos but also little pieces of the floral notes, reflecting its delicate sensibilities. Steeping time for Provence Rooibos is 5 minutes.

Scottish Breakfast

Scottish Breakfast

Scottish Breakfast was the last tea that I purchased (at least this time around). As I have said, I am a regular consumer of English Breakfast and I use this at many of my teas for the scone course or the savories. So I wanted to taste another Breakfast Tea. As described by the New Mexico Tea Company, this tea is like a “proper Highlander, robust, malty (not unlike a good Scotch) and full of life and vigor. Highlanders liked their tea very strong and insisted on hints of cask oak to remind them of their clan’s own special elixir, single malt Scotch.” Which is exactly what I tasted when I tried this tea. A black tea, Scottish Breakfast for my palate, was a strong brew. Its color was rich and had that beautiful black tea depth to it. My tasting was first by itself, then sugar, then milk, then milk and sugar. However, I found its robustness a little strong for me and wondered if it would compete with items I might pair it with in an afternoon tea. However, I would take this tea with milk and sugar and enjoy it in the morning to get my day started. Scottish Breakfast is steeped for for 4 minutes.

I have shared what I tasted, which I know is only a small sampling of what the tea world has to offer. I enjoy these teas alone, together or in parties. I encourage you to do the same and share your experiences.

Let me brew us a small pot in some special china. Pass me your cup and I will offer you a shortbread. We can enjoy each other’s company and sip on some tea.

Greydawn Johnson Brothers Teapot, Blue Crown Staffordshire Cup,
Blue Paisley Cozy – Cozies by Laurie.

Again my thanks and appreciation to the New Mexico Tea Company, for their assistance, their selections and their descriptions. Visiting this establishment is a must for any tea-lover, whether in person or online.

Get a copy of our free Tea Tasting Guidelines. Have fun exploring and tasting some new teas!

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Beth 4 Comments