Tea

Many years ago I was invited to a friend’s house for tea. His father is Indian, his mother is French, and my friend was born in England, so their house was this great multicultural mix of traditions. As we sat down for tea, his father slid me a plate of Indian sweets called burfi, and poured me a cup of almond tea. Instead of the usual milk, the creamer contained condensed milk, which he gestured to me to try in my tea. And it was wonderful. Rich, sweet, and milky.

Q: I just bought a vintage sun tea pitcher, and I just read that iced tea prepared this way may be unsafe!Is it true that bacteria may grow during the steeping making it unsafe unless consumed right away? Please tell me this is not true.Sent by KathleenEditor: This romantic, old-fashioned way of making iced tea is very popular in the summertime. You just place a few tea bags in a big jar of water and let them slowly steep in the hot sun. And technically, yes, this method is not strictly safe.

Fact: The best way to survive winter is with a warm beverage in hand at all times. But throwing a tea bag into a mug of boiling water or filling up a thermos with coffee doesn’t always cut it on the most biting cold days. Luckily, we have the slow cooker in these cases.

If you haven’t done it before (and even if you have!), making your own kombucha can seem downright intimidating. It’s one of those things that just makes sense once you’ve actually done it a couple times. To make it a little easier, here are some of the most common missteps to avoid. The type of tea used to make kombucha is an important choice. It helps to flavor the kombucha, and more importantly provides necessary nutrients for the scoby.

I’ve spent the past couple weeks doing a fair amount of research on making kombucha. It’s a drink that I have very little experience with, and yet, I feel totally excited about the prospect of making my own. Arming myself with these helpful tips made this once-intimidating process feel totally doable. Before it’s brewed and fermented, kombucha starts with plain tea (like the kind you might sip in the morning or make for an afternoon pick-me-up).

For most of us, a jolt of energy in the morning is a necessity. While coffee tends to be the most popular choice, there are plenty of other drinks out there that give you that buzz — some via a caffeine kick, and others that give you energy in non-caffeinated ways. Here are five sips to try instead of that cup of joe. Matcha is powdered Japanese green tea.

I thought about making my own kombucha for a long time. The thing that finally threw me over the edge was seeing Kitchn’s recently published videos for making both a scoby and kombucha. I pored over the written instructions more times than I care to admit, but actually seeing someone go through the steps made it seem easy and gave me that extra bit of confidence I needed.

The most helpful tips are the ones you'll pick up from brewing kombucha again and again and again.

Mornings are about efficiency. How can you quickly get out the door while still managing a healthy breakfast and a caffeine kick? Here’s your answer: Cook your oatmeal in tea. You’re not only getting a buzz from your breakfast bowl, but it’s also creamy, spicy, and delicious! The concept is simple. While you usually cook your oats in a simmering pot of water, cook them in a simmering pot of tea instead.

If you’ve ever had the chance to enjoy afternoon tea at a fancy hotel or tea room, you may have been lucky enough to be served clotted cream. Piled high on scones along with jam, it’s so decadent that it’s practically dessert. But what exactly is it? Clotted cream originated in the counties of Devon and Cornwall in southwest England. It’s made by indirectly heating full-fat cow’s milk in shallow pans over steam or a water bath.

Drinking herbal, caffeine-free teas, also known as tisanes, is a wonderful way to wind down at the end of a long day. And while it’s convenient to pick up a box of herbal tea bags or a relaxing loose-leaf blend, it’s a whole lot more fun to create your own custom mix. It also happens to be quite easy to do. To make your own tisane, it’s as simple as mixing and matching a couple dried herbs and spices together.

Matcha’s popularity has seen a huge uptick lately. You’ve probably heard of this powdered green tea by now, but have you tried it yet? Don’t just lob matcha in the green tea bucket — it’s so much more than that! Matcha is a type of high-quality Japanese green tea that’s been steamed, dried, and ground into a fine powder. While other types of green tea can be grown in many parts of the world, matcha is unique to Japan.

Cinnamon sticks always make a lovely garnish and freshly grated cinnamon is a nice treat, but there are other uses for full sticks of this perfect-for-fall-spice, ones you may not have even considered. Here are five great reasons why we keep cinnamon sticks stocked in the kitchen, and why you should too! If you don’t keep cinnamon sticks in your spice cabinet, now is the perfect time to consider stocking up.

Iced tea is ubiquitous, but it doesn’t have to be boring. We spoke to American Tea Room’s David Barenholtz who shared six expert tips for making flavorful, vibrant, and naturally sweet iced tea. David Barenholtz is the founder and CEO of American Tea Room.

There’s black tea and there’s green tea, but within each of these categories is a vast and flavorful array of different varieties. Today we’re looking at green tea, what it is, how much caffeine it really has, and some of the most popular kinds from China and Japan. If you’ve been sipping just one or two types of green tea, you may be surprised at how many other kinds there are to explore.

What makes green tea green and black tea black? Is one better for you than the other? Learn about the differences between these two types of tea… Black and green tea come from the same shrub called Camellia sinensis. In both cases harvesters pluck the uppermost buds and leaves from the plant. So what’s the difference? It comes down to processing and oxidation, the chemical process that causes browning.

I conceived of this post as a starting point for all of you who love chai, that spicy and fragrant milky tea drunk across most of India and much of east Africa. I wanted to show you the five essential spices that, once procured, will help you make a delicious cup of spicy tea. But then I ran into difficulties. Chai comes in so many forms and flavors — I think I might start a minor tea war here if I prescribed only five spices.

I discovered Eight Treasure Tea in Chinatown a few years ago. I was wandering around and found a little tea shop/cafe where you can order any one of their hundreds of teas and enjoy a cup brewed for you. There was one tea propped up on the shelf behind the counter, and the name sounded intriguing; Eight Treasure Tea – so I ordered it. It was sweet and light all at the same time, not too strong or too deep, but a lovely, fragrant flavor. I was hooked.

It started with an innocent impulse buy several years ago in a cheese shop in San Francisco. A square cardboard box with a lady in an orange sari on the cover and the intriguing promise of unique, triangular tea bags within. Now it’s an everyday ritual almost impossible to skip: wake up, boil water, PG tips, milk, back under the covers with a steaming cuppa and 15 minutes of slow sipping and emerging into the day.