#tea information

Peppermint is a hybrid between spearmint and watermint.

The best peppermint comes from the northwestern United States. The pure, moist mountain air of the spring and early summer growing season gives this peppermint some of the highest volatile oil counts of any member of the mint family.

It is often consumed after meals as the oils stimulate the flow of bile to the stomach and helps relieve gas pains. Additionally, it has been reported and written that peppermint sweetens the breath and calms the digestive system, plus it helps heartburn, stomach ache and nausea. An interesting and tingling way to use peppermint is to place a handful of peppermint leaves in your bath water which will lower your body temperature - perfect for cooling fevered skin or after working on a hot summer’s day.

Peppermint is a primary ingredient in remedies used in the relief of gastrointestinal disorders, headaches, and local aches and pains. Because of its bright, pungent flavor, peppermint is often used to mask the unpleasant taste of various medicines. Peppermint tea is made from both the leaves and the flowers. As a hot tea it is cool and refreshing, as an iced tea the menthol content produces a pleasantly chilling taste sensation.

Hot tea brewing method: Bring freshly drawn cold water to a rolling boil. Place 1/2 to 1 teaspoons of peppermint for each cup into the teapot. Pour the boiling water into the teapot. Cover and let steep for 3-7 minutes according to taste (the longer the steeping time the stronger the flavor). Pour into your cup. Milk or sugar is not generally added to the cup.

Have you ever wanted a very robust, bold and full-flavored cup of tea? 

If you have a stovetop Moka pot at home, try brewing tea in a Moka pot. You may be surprised by how robust and flavorful the tea is. Tea brewed in Moka pot also makes very delicious Black Tea Latte. 

What kind of tea is best for Moka pot? 

From our experience, black tea is more suitable for Moka pot. Black tea is fully oxidized which means it takes high temperature and pressure very well. Other types of tea, such as green and white teas, don't tolerate high water temperature well and can easily over brew.

How to use a Moka pot to make tea.

Fill the base of the Moka pot with hot water.

Put tea leaves in the filter container. Level and smooth the tea leaves using a spoon and don't over fill the filter.

Screw on the top part (spout) and place Moka pot on the stove.

Turn stove on to medium flame. Make sure not to burn the handle of the pot.

Take the pot off the stove as soon as tea starts dribbling out.

Pour the tea into a cup. Enjoy you robust cuppa as it is. Or you can add steam milk to make a Tea Latte.

Kukicha or 茎茶 is a green tea from Japan. Kukicha in Japanese means stem or twig tea. Like it’s name suggests, Kukicha consists of both green tea leaves and young tea stems. 

Because of the addition of delicate tea stems, ​Kukicha has a unique flavor that is nutty and slightly creamy. The Umami level is very high in this tea because of the production method. Umami is a Japanese term for natural savory taste associated with amino acids especially the L-glutamate amino acid. It is used to describe the unique flavor from meats, cheese, vegetables and tea. 

Kukicha is a low caffeine green tea. It has just half the caffeine of what regular green tea has. This makes it a popular afternoon and evening tea.

There are different grades and types of Kukicha. Our version is more sought after by tea drinkers in Japan, because it is Gyokuro and Sencha based. The addition of Gyokuro makes it more flavorful and intensifies the “Umami”. 

For brewing, we recommend using 1 heaping teaspoon of tea leaves per 8 oz. of water at 180°F (80°C). Steeping time is 2-3 minutes. The same leaves can be infused multiple times.

This thirst quenching tropical delight is an alcohol free Iced Tea Sangria. It is a perfect kids friendly summer drink. Please see recipe below for ingredients and direction.

Ingredients to made a 60 oz. pitcher:

5 teaspoons of Black Tea . We used our Assam Behora Estate for its strength and malty flavor. 

2 cups of fruits. Use fruits and berries that are fresh at your local market. We used strawberries, mandarin oranges, sweet tomatos, and apricots.

Honey or sugar to taste. Alternatively, use stevia extract to make a sugar free version. 

1 lime and 5 fresh mint leaves.   

Ice. 

Direction:

Wash, peel and cut the fruits into bite size pieces and put them into a pitcher.

Add mint leaves and honey (or sugar) in the pitcher. 

Muddle and mash the fruits, mint and sweetener for 30 seconds.

Fill pitcher with ice.

Bring 30 oz. of water to a boil. Then use a tea pot (or a heat resistant pot) and steep the tea leaves in the freshly boiled water for 5 minutes.

When tea is brewed, strain and pour tea into the ice-filled pitcher.

Stir well and top off with more ice if needed.  

Matcha latte is fairly easy to make. Below are some basic steps to a nice cafe quality Matcha latte.

Steps:

Put about 1/2 teaspoonmatcha in a mug or glass

Add sweetener to taste

Heat or steam the Milk or Soy Milk

Add milk slowly while whisking/stirring the tea at the same time.

Can also add whip cream on top and sprinkle some chocolate powder.

This is a FBOP (flowery broken orange pekoe) graded Assam tea from Hunwal estate. 

The brewed cup has the classic Assam tea characters and has a finish that is more delicate. It is full-bodied, malty and smooth. The astringency is slightly less prominent than a typical Assam tea. This is due to the tippy leave presence in the tea. The result is a well balanced tea that is good on its own or with a few drops of milk. If you are looking for a smoother Assam tea that has more depth, give this Hunwal estate tea a try. You will not be disappointed.

Hojicha is a charcoal roasted Japanese charcoal roasted green tea.  The tea base for Hojicha is a summer harvested green tea called Bancha. 

Bancha is tea that contains both tea leaves and tea twigs. After the roasting process, the leaves and twigs turn brown and gives off a nice toasty aroma. 

When brewed, Hojicha makes a nutty cup of tea that is slightly sweet with a very clean finish. It is also excellent when served as an iced tea.