TeaButter.

I had the opportunity to try some delicious teas from Zhi Tea. It's super bowl Sunday and I knew we needed a dessert. I decided that this was a great opportunity for me to make tea cookies!

Infusing tea into your sweets is quite simple. Find a recipe that calls for milk or butter first. Here I'll show you how to incorporate tea with a recipe that calls for butter. Many cookie recipes call for butter and all you need to do is heat it and melt is.

Once your tea is in the butter and brewing you need to mix it around a bit. Once brewed make sure you strain your butter. I use the insert from my tea pot to strain the tea. Make sure that your strainer holes are small enough to not let much of the tea through. This particular blend had some very small pieces so some came through into the butter but it's not a big deal.

Once you've strained the butter you should let it set so that it is at room temperature and solidified. When the butter is solidified you can use it regularly in your cookies or cake or whatever butter filled recipe! A recipe that calls for softened butter is perfect because once solidified (unless your home is freezing) the butter takes on a softened state which makes it much easier to use in your recipe!The tea pictured here is a rooibos mix from Zhi tea called sweet desert delight.

I had to chance to ask a little more about Zhi tea! Read about them below!

From Jeffrey (Owner of Zhi Tea)

1) How was Zhi started and how did you choose the name?

We were (are) tea geeks and wanted to bring really high quality, organic tea to the marketplace as we felt there was a gap. ZHI means "wisdom". We wanted to honor the deep tradition of tea, the wisdom of nature, and the tea masters.

2) Does Zhi specialize in a certain type of tea?

Yes! High end, organic, self-blended teas.

3) What is the process like for coming up with your blends?

We take flavor combinations we like, or our customers like, that appear in the food and beverage world. For example, I love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches which was my inspiration behind the raspberry pecan rooibos.

4) What is your favorite tea and why?

My favorite tea is oolong tea. Possibly because the varieties of oolongs are almost endless. Oolong provides, to me at least, a calming and flavorful and aromatic tea experience that is unequaled in the world of tea. Even more specifically, da yu ling oolong, which is the highest grown oolong on a small farm in Taiwan.

5) If you could go to any place to have tea, where would it be?

The top of Mt. Kilimanjaro.

6) How would you convince someone new to tea to drink loose leaf over tea bags?

Gentle persuasion. But really, to each her own! The quality of loose leaf is just so superior. The extra minute it takes is really, really worth it.

7) What is your cup right now?!

I just drank a lovely, foamy bowl of organic ceremonial matcha prepared by one of our staff for my afternoon pick me up and centering drink.

8) What is your favorite tea pun?

You can't spell team without tea. :-)

9) Do you have a ritual surrounding your tea time? If so, paint us a picture!

Totally. I do Chinese style tea ceremony not every day, but close to it. Silence, focus, appreciation, stillness, and joy permeate a tea ceremony, even if the ceremony is very simple.

Get to know Melanie! (Wholesale Brand Manager)

4) What is your favorite tea and why?

It’s so hard to choose one favorite tea! I have favorites within each tea category, and a lot of factors determine which tea I am in the mood for, such as the time of day, what I am doing, how I want to feel, or if there is a certain health benefit I am looking for. I appreciate different teas for different reasons, so it’s hard to pick just one.

I would say my two favorite tea categories are oolong and puerh. There is so much complexity behind the processing and tradition behind them. I have always loved lightly oxidized high-altitude Taiwanese oolongs, such as Li Shan and Da Yu Ling. They are very uplifting, with natural floral notes and creaminess. But I am also fascinated by puerh (both ripe and raw, but especially a nicely aged raw puerh)– it is such a unique category because of its extensive history and meticulous processing through fermentation, and it has health benefits that may be more potent than any other tea, such as the detoxification and cholesterol-lowering properties. It’s my go-to if I want to aid digestion after eating a heavy meal or something sugary or oily. Oh, and then there’s matcha! I put matcha in everything for its brain-boosting capabilities – smoothies, oatmeal, baked goods, anything!

5) If you could go to any place to have tea, where would it be and why?

Right now I’m really interested in going to Japan and experiencing a traditional tea ceremony! I have recently been learning a lot about different types of Japanese green teas (Matcha, Gyokuro, Sencha, etc) and I’m intrigued by their unique and beautiful tea culture.

6) How would you convince someone new to tea to drink loose leaf over tea bags?

I would let them taste some high quality loose-leaf tea that’s steeped correctly side-by-side with tea from a tea bag. That should convince them right away. Sadly, many Americans have a stereotype that tea is bitter and gross (although they might try to drink it anyway because they know it’s good for them)… but they may have only experienced tea made from low quality teabag dust that’s been burned and over-steeped (green tea gets pretty bitter if you steep it incorrectly or if it’s low quality). The real stuff – loose leaf tea – can usually be re-steeped 3-4 times if it’s good quality, without losing the taste or health benefits, so you get more bang for your buck. It’s definitely important to steep it correctly (green tea should be steeped in water that’s 165 degrees or less, and for a short period of time). While loose-leaf tea might be slightly less convenient to make, I think it’s worth it. Even while traveling, I take empty tea bags and fill them with loose leaf tea!

7) What is your cup right now?

I’m drinking GABA oolong! I was really interested to try it because it is processed unlike any other oolong – oxidized in nitrogen instead of oxygen, which allows it to naturally accumulate more GABA (a neurotransmitter that has many benefits including improved mood, reduced anxiety). People take GABA in supplement form, but this tea is a great natural source :D

8) What is your favorite tea pun?

Why can’t we all just get oolong?

9) Do you have a ritual surrounding your tea time? If so, paint us a picture!

I really enjoy the traditional way of making Chinese tea, “gongfu cha,” which literally means “making tea with great skill”. I prefer to use a clay pot when making puerh or oolong. I have one that was handmade in Taiwan for making oolong, and one that comes from Yunnan, China, for making puerh (you’re supposed to stick with only one tea type as long as you have your clay pot, because the clay is so porous that it actually develops the flavor of the tea over time!). I put the clay pot, along with a little glass pitcher and small teacups, on a bamboo tray, which has an area underneath it to catch water from spills. Spillage of the water is actually done intentionally, because you have to warm up the pot and cups first and then throw the water out, and the first steep of puerh is usually discarded onto the tray.

I first witnessed this way of making tea when I was living in Shanghai and would explore teashops in my free time. I was intrigued by the Chinese tea masters’ grace and skill when making tea – it seemed like every hand motion was perfectly calculated. Now that I have learned to do a version of it myself, I really appreciate the ritual and it helps me to take a step back from the fast pace and stress of daily life and work. At night, I like to turn on my salt lamp and light some candles to surround myself with good vibes while making tea