bringing style to the art of tea appreciation
Guest post by Gerald Robinson It’s a very tiny hotel, just 3 inches high, and could hold about 4 oz. of loose tea; – a reproduction of London’s Berkeley Hotel. In 1972 the Berkeley Hotel moved from Piccadilly to its present five-star location in Knightsbridge. To celebrate the twenty-first anniversary of the move, in 1993, the hotel commissioned… A Tea Caddy! It’s a rectangular tin container with detachable lid, and is decorated with an accurate reproduction of the hotel façade. […]
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 […]
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, […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
Saturday June 25th I got off to a late start, but managed to catch most of Chuck Underwood’s session on Marketing to Generation X. His speech last night was a highlight of the Conference. He has done deep research on the subject and everything he says makes the glass clearer and the picture come into focus. There were many Aha! moments. Here’s a distillation of his message. Marketing to Generation X: The “Island Generation” Generation X is the most elusive […]
Friday June 24th I started my day in the “Tea Break” room. Located near the educational sessions and generously sponsored by Teas Etc. there were several tables of teas to choose from, including the Meyer Lemon that I tasted. They were all carefully pre-measured in unbleached paper tea bags ready to take the water that had also been carefully calculated for temperature. Amazing accuracy considering there were easily over 80 people to refresh! The day ahead was to be filled […]
Thursday June 23rd I arrived in Las Vegas today to 110° F of blasting heat. When I ventured on site at World Tea Expo to pick up my badge I saw a hive of busy workers and exhibitors who were no doubt oblivious to the outside inferno as they constructed their booths in preparation for Friday’s 11am opening of the 2011 Expo. Although my schedule prevented me from participating in the World Origin Tasting Tour, I had the pleasure of […]
When I attended World Tea Expo in 2010, it opened a world of possibilities. I was completing my studies at Toronto’s George Brown College Tea Sommelier program and a relative newbie to the commercial universe of tea. It was exciting and exhilarating to be near the greatest “tea minds” in the world! I had a chance to hear and ask questions of author and educator Jane Pettigrew, tea guru James Norwood Pratt and tea industry professionals. It was a heady […]