To whisk or not to whisk...

In Search of a Whisk

The traditional manner to enjoy the Matcha drink is by whisking this emerald green beverage into a froth. When searching for a suitable utensil to froth the Matcha, price, material, origin, number of prongs, and fabricator may all be of consideration. There are the traditionanl bamboo whisk vs. modern electric milk whip.


Some modern tea enthusiast do not mind going with a modern electric milk whip because it saves time. I've yet to try one.

We stayed the course of a traditional bamboo whisk. While searching for a decent whisk in Japan Town, we found ones as depicted in the picture for as low as $10 each to as high as $40 at another store. The prices online varies from $15 to $18 for this particular made in China bamboo whisk. I bought one from a wholesaler to test and it works fine.

For those that would adhere to the tradition of buying one from a master whisk artisan from Japan, the price for a non-ceremonial whisk may be as low as $26 to a ceremonial whisk as high as $100 each. Then with such an expensive investment, you may want to buy a whisk holder to help store and keep the whisk in true form.

Proper Cleaning Tips or Else

A friend has shared her experience with her whisk getting moldy after one use. We asked a couple of whisk sales person for tip in cleaning the whisk to avoid this. The suggestions were to follow the following steps:

a) Wash in hot water.
b) Shake the whisk free of most water.
c) Allow the whisk to air dry and do not store until it is dry.

We continue to enjoy our Matcha for the past week. Looking forward to trying new recipe of this healthy elixir.

All That Glitters Isn't Yunnan Gold

[article by Morgan Winer]


Though few people will remember it these days, Red Rose Tea used to be the face of tea in America, sometime when flapper hats were in style. Parents would enjoy the tea, and children would collect the little ceramic animal figures that accompanied each box. I’d know, since I used to do that too.

On any grocery store shelf there are of course endless boxes of Tetley teabags that would be more than sufficient for those who still honor the classic British “tea and crumpets” hour. Like any other gourmet luxury though, folks have branched out from stock flavors, and small tea shops are the new home for opportunities to treat the senses.

Tea has of course been brewed for some thousands of years now, a notion we are all mildly familiar with via some measure of pop culture. Perhaps this is just a page from a history lesson though, and the culture behind tea is steeped, so to speak, with long-sought experience in what makes a good cup. I like this thought, because I like the tea that yields from these earthly regions and old growers.

I’m typing this with a mug of tea called “Yunnan Gold” in my hand, and it is good. It tastes of a fine black tea, typically characterized with a strong taste of sun-dried mountain leaves, but with a slight hint of sweet chocolate after each sip. I can almost feel a good slice of toast and jam in my hand while I drink it. Or almost hear the silence of a light winter snow outside while I crouch in a warm room, a good book in one hand, and cup of tea in the other. A quaint set of associations perhaps, but its what springs to mind nonetheless.

If it were to interest you, I could tell you the details of how this tea was grown and picked. From what part of the Yunnan province of China it arrived, and how the fine hairs on the tips give the leaves an orange-like golden appearance. Like any sommelier, I could hold up a glass and demonstrate how the color stems from the way black tea leaves are meant to be wilted and fermented. Or perhaps even the shy-of-boiling temperature of the water it was made with for two minutes just now. I’m sure that all of those aspects, none excluded, have contributed to this taste.

But that’s not why I’m drinking it. I suppose that if you have read this far, then you are now assured that I like this tea. I like it because of how the flavor rolls about the tongue. I savor it because of all the other flavors that would go so well with it. A cobbler, a pastry from the bakery down the street, or maybe even a roast duck, if glazed with a deep cherry-wine sauce. Don’t take my word for it though, brew a cup of it, and see if it suits your tastes as well.

Banana Matcha (Green Tea) Smoothie... Mmmmm ;)

The last couple of days have been fun. Ngoc and I purchased a couple of lower priced Matcha (Japanese green tea powder) from Nishiri Supermarket at Japantown San Francisco, and we experimented with a couple of Matcha smoothie recipes.
The two Matcha included Maeda-en Matcha 1.0 oz ($10.50) and HB Hosoda Bros. Inc. 1.4 oz ($8.50). There were three tests.

Test one: we prepared each Matcha with 180 degree F warm drinking water and whip the Matcha drink into a froth state for consumption. Hosoda Bros. Matcha was terribly bitter. Maeda-en Matcha was bitter, but less bitter as compared with Hosoda Bros. brand.

Test two: we prepared Maeda-en Matcha by blending with ice, "Silk" brand soy milk, Matcha, and sugar. Such smoothie blend was good.

Test three: Maeda-en Matcha was blended with all items noted in "Test two" and added (1) banana. This was enough to make three cups.

Test three was definitely our family favorite. It has just the perfect level of natural sweetness. We anticipate a lifestyle that includes Matcha as these drinks include 10-15 times the nutritions found in regular steeping of green teas. For more information on Matcha, check out Tea Summit Matcha Link.

Thanks.

Guest Postings on Tea Summit Blog Welcome

If you have any posting ideas for Tea Summit Blog, please don't hesitate to send us your submission for our consideration via e-mail to eddie@teasummit.com. Topics may include tips on tea steeping, new teaware you've enjoyed, tea blend ideas, recent tea tasting experience overseas, etc.

Thank you for your support and following. We look forward to the exciting weeks and months of sharing with the readers articles on the happenings and information about tea.

Ice Tea to Cool Warm Spring Day

We made Iced Teas at the Sunnyvale Farmers Market on May 9, with Lichee Black and Summer Burst... Terrific responses! Used two Travel Buddies.

Add 4-5 teaspoons of teas or tisanes.

Fill halfway with hot water in Travel Buddies.

Let steep for 3 minutes.

Pour cold water to fill the rest of the way.

Had two separate ice bags, one opened for the cooler and one still in the bag and used for samples.

Let the iced teas sit in the ice chest.

When a customer wanted to try such cool samples, add couple of ice cubes.

Among our favorite and available iced teas are:

Summer Burst

Lichee Black Tea

Green Rooibos Desert Nectar

High Mountain (3 types)

Keep in mind that you may use any teas as iced teas.

[article by Ngoc Tai]

Tea Summit First Blog Posting

World Tea Expo
We have not attended Farmers Market during the 1st and 2nd weekends of May due to our attendance of the World Tea Expo and Mother's Day. We apologize for the disruptions that our abscenses had to your tea enjoyment. We will resume our attendance on May 16th and 17th.

We are excited with bringing to you in the future some very excellent teas and tisanes that we've come across at this year's World Tea Expo. Among my favorites is new organic flowers and herbal ingredients that serve as great blending ingredients for our collection of teas. Also, some excellent herbal tisane that I've discovered at the Expo include Hydrangea and Tartary Buckwheat. Can't wait till we bring these items to the market.

Other Cooler News!
We have started tasting of ice tea at Sunnyvale Farmers Market on May 9th. The response has been great! Warm weather calls for cold tea beverage to quench the thirst and the cravings. We'll post some suggestions for brewing ice tea during our next blog.