Author: The Tea Stylist

Tea Cuisine, Tea Culture

My very own Matcha Grinder

I first heard of this little wonder when I attended Cynthia Gold’s workshop “Making a Final Statement – Tea and Dessert Pairing” at World Tea Expo. While discussing methods for infusing foods with tea, she showed us a small Matcha Grinder. Her suggestion was that it could be used to grind other teas besides Tencha (the dark green leaf used to make Matcha)  and the powder mixed into batters, sauces, etc. The thought of grinding other teas fascinated me and […]

Social History of Tea

Pillars of Smoke: Churchill, Cigars and Lapsang Souchong Tea

 Smoking out a Winner The origin of Lapsang Souchong,  正山小種 is also associated with war. There are several versions of the story, but each involves a prematurely halted processing of black tea, bohea class. In China, sometime during the Qing dynasty (1644 – 1912) invading troops marched into the tea producing area of the Wuyi Mountains of Fujian province. One version suggests the area itself was under attack, another that the troops required accommodation and for this purpose took over […]

Tea Science

The Boiling Point

Those of us who seek out specialty teas from the prime tea growing regions of the world, may obsess about the pH of water, its mineral content, chlorine levels, purity, etc.  We want to give our precious leaves the optimum conditions for the release of their hidden taste treasures. With all this focus on the condition of our water we may be missing a very key factor, particularly in the preparation of black teas; ~ The water may have boiled, […]

Globe-trotting, Tea and Travel

New York City Tea Ramble

Tea in the City: The perfect guide Two years ago, at the World Tea Expo in Las Vegas I purchased a series of three books by Benjamin Press, called “Tea in the City”. Jane Pettigrew and Bruce Richardson collaborated on guides to Paris and London. They are currently out of print, but usually available on Amazon through sellers.  A New York City guide (also, currently out of print) was written by Elizabeth Knight with photos by Bruce. It was from […]

Style and Design

Marie Saint Pierre infuses Spring designs with Tea’s Glitter & Gold

Marie Saint Pierre at LG Fashion Week Toronto Marie Saint Pierre is a Montreal, Canada womenswear designer known for free-flowing, artistically inspired garments. Her clothing is a favourite of many of Canada’s cultural luminaries. Her clothes drape, wrap and layer in ways that we don’t expect. I own a few of her pieces; my favourite from many seasons ago – a crisp white taffeta shirt with exaggerated collar and cuffs. They are designed with the urban woman in mind, but […]

Tea Cuisine, Tea Culture

Recipe: Matcha Popcorn Topper

I’m always on the lookout for new ways to experiment with culinary tea. I think I’ve hit upon a popcorn topper that is quite good. You have to like the taste of Matcha powder to appreciate this recipe, but for those of you who do, you’ll be surprised at how tasty this is. Matcha is the fine powder of Japanese green tea. The tea leaf is de-veined and de-stemmed. This leaf, known as Tencha is put in a Matcha grinder […]

Social History of Tea

Tea Al fresco Part 2

Tea in the Castle Gardens Always on the look out for an esthetic setting for ‘picnicing’ my tea, we hiked the short uphill trek to Casa Loma, Toronto’s famous castle. It was built between 1911 and 1914 when Sir Henry Pellatt was at the top of his game. He was successful owner of The Toronto Electric Light Company, had investments in the railway and was Major General, The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada.  To celebrate his achievements, he hired architect, […]

Tea Culture, Tea Knowledge

The Top Ten: #8 Junshan Yin Zhen, Silver Needle Yellow

Junshan Yin Zhen (君山銀針) or Silver Needle Yellow tea, holds a place of honour in the realm of the Chinese tea world. The most famous Yellow tea in China, it grows exclusively on Junshan island, located in Dongting Lake, northern Hunan province. It is very rare, which reinforces the notion that the list was compiled for the most famous teas, not necessarily the most popular teas. I have listed it as #8 according to my distilled version of many lists, […]

Globe-trotting, Tea and Travel

Tea Al fresco, Part 1

Escape from the city Last month we spent a week in Canada’s Laurentian Shield, about 275 Km north of Toronto. Also known as the Canadian or Precambrian Shield, it is comprised of the hard crystalline remains of a heavily eroded mountain system, between 300 and 600 million years old. Most of the exposed rock is igneous granite which at a certain angle sparkles in the sun. Every afternoon we packed up our gear, left the cabin and canoed to a […]

Tea and Travel, World Tea Expo

World Tea Expo 2011: Day 3

Reflecting on Sunday June 26 My badge is hanging by my desk, a reminder of an extraordinary weekend. I’m back home and looking over the many fine teas I will be sampling, business cards I collected and photos of people and product. World Tea Expo may be over for another year, but the friendships and contacts will keep building.  Sunday was all too short and I spent a good deal of it exploring the exhibit’s booths. Even though the vendors […]