Tea Tasting Notes ** PRINTABLE**

Take Notes. 

I've been wanting to create some downloadable content for my readers for sometime but I wasn't sure what to make! I don't pretend to be some kind of tea expert but I do enjoy describing the smells and tastes of my tea.

There are some simple ways to describe your tea and I've created a tasting notes sheet for you to try! I've included some of the key things I take note of when I try a new tea. This is by no means a complete list or a perfect list but I hope you enjoy!

Please give it a try and make sure to comment to let me know how it turns out!

Download the Tea Thoughts Tea Tasting Guide  :) 

Chai Chai baby!

Spicy.

Really excited to try this tea from my home, Maryland! Woot Woot Baltimore! 

Thank you Instagram for helping me find yet another awesome company! I was delighted to find Wight Tea Co and their hand blended teas! 

You can never try enough Chai teas because I feel like everyone puts their own spin on it. I was really excited to try this tea!

I opened up the package and oh my gosh how beautiful! Full pods of cardamom! 

This tea smells AMAZING and Ill tell you why...

Assam, ceylon, cardamom, cinnamon chips, cloves, orange peel, lemongrass, ginger root, ginger essential oil and black peppercorns !

I really love this mixture of spices because not only is the fragrance wonderful but it has a great spicy taste. The fact that all the spices are whole make it so much better. I've had many chai teas that crush up all the ingredients and the flavors just don't come through as well! 

This was perfect with a spoonful of honey. I can't wait to try more of Wight Tea Co's teas so stay tuned! 

Check them out on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter!

Have you had a chai tea that really rocked your socks?? Let me know about it! 

Turvani Tasting Part II: Earl Grey

Citrus.

It's been a nasty week weather wise and today was no exception. The only benefit to this weather is that it's perfect for tea!

Couldn't think of a better way to enjoy a cuppa but with Part II of my Turvani sampler: Earl Grey

Before I read the card for this tea I smelled it...as I do with all teas because honestly that's my favorite part! It had the strangest smell. I had never experienced an earl grey with this aroma. My first thought was LEMONS! Then after several minutes more of smelling I decided that it is somewhat lemony but more so a general citrus smell. I finally looked at the card and saw that it's infused with bergamot oil...DUH. That's really cool though because I've encountered all sorts of fruity tea but not quite like this!

The smell on the dry leaves was quite strong. Not off putting but it made me hesitant about how it would taste. 

After brewing the tea, it kept the citrus aroma but in a more mellow way. This was the ideal scent, very welcoming. 

If you're a fan of fruity tea or lemon tea this is for you! It has a citrus taste but not a sour taste. With honey it kind of reminded me of the concoction I make when I have a sore throat. I think that the citrus taste wasn't too overpowering but it's definitely present.

Citrus and fruit tasting teas are not number one on my list but I definitely enjoyed this!

What kind of earl grey infusions have you had?  

Turvani Tasting Part 1: Organic Gunpowder Pinhead

I had the wonderful opportunity to come in contact with Samir Balwani of Turvani. I received a sampler (which you can purchase here) on Friday and decided to try the green tea first! Before I get into the tea, I wanted to share with you some information about Turvani! 

Here are some questions I asked Samir and his answers! You can tell from my commentary after some of the questions that tea drinkers think alike :)  

1) How did your love of tea start?

You can thank my dad for that. I started drinking tea with him, and it became a ritual we shared together. It’s the experience that I love. While our tea brews and while we drink our tea– we get a few moments for ourselves, where nothing else matters except for the people we’re with or the time we’re afforded to just enjoy our tea.

Cue all of the feels, he hit the nail on the head!

2) What is your favorite type of tea? 

You’re right this is a tough one. I don’t know that I have a forever favorite tea, but I can tell you what’s my favorite right now (sorry if I’m cheating!). I’ve been drinking our Assam Golden Tips a lot lately. I’m a big fan of Assam tea, especially with a light splash of milk.

3) How would you explain the difference between loose leaf and tea bags to a non-tea drinker?

I’ve found the easiest way to explain it is to talk through how tea is produced. When tea is processed, whole leaves are separated from the dust and trimmings. The whole leaves are then graded based on the quality of the leaf. What’s left behind, the dust and trimmings, are collected and used for tea bags. Since they’re smaller broken leaves, they brew extremely quickly and tend to have harsher tastes. If you enjoy drinking tea and want to really taste the subtleties that tea has to offer, you have to drink loose leaf tea.

This is so important to understand, the "left over stuff" is just not as good!

4) What is your favorite type of vessel to enjoy your tea in? (Glass, mug etc)

There are a few mugs that I love drinking my tea in. We actually are in the middle of writing a post about the differences in tea mugs and coffee mugs; and which cups you should be drinking from. I’ll share that with you once it’s done. In general your tea mug should have a flared mouth and the rim should taper. The flared mouth lets your tea cool to a drinkable temperature. The tapered rim lets the tea flow over your tongue and gives you the opportunity to experience every flavor the tea offers. I’ve been using this mug from Crate and Barrel lately for my Assam tea. I have a beautiful black teapot set with smaller teacups for my Green and Oolong teas.

5) What made you start Turvani? 

I started Turvani with the mission of making the world a better place, through tea. Everyone is so busy these days. We’re always running around, our calendars are double booked all day, and we’re stuck to our phones – trust. I’m no different than anyone else. That’s why tea became so important to me. The act of brewing tea, the 3 to 4 minutes per cup that you have to wait, the 5 to 10 minutes of drinking the tea, that you can’t help but enjoy – it slows me down and relaxes me. Every cup of tea becomes a few stress free minutes that I could have for myself, or share with a friend. It resets my mind, gives me a moment to take stock of the world around me, and simply makes me happier. That’s why I started Turvani. I want everyone to have the opportunity to enjoy exceptional tea that becomes an experience to drink – making the world a happier place.

Not sure if y'all have been soaking in my blog but THIS is why I swear by tea!

6) How did you pick the name Turvani? 

Turvani is loosely inspired by a Sanskrit word that means “victorious”. We knew it was perfect for us because the idea of finding 10 minutes in our day, while seemingly so simple was definitely one where we felt victorious when we did. The idea of Turvani embodied exactly how we felt when we drank our tea, we felt like we could take on the world.

7) What is your favorite tea pun? 

Oh tea puns are so much fun and there’s just so many! I think my favorite is the simple “Sup Brew?”

I dig this.

Now to the tea! It pains me to say this but green tea is always a hit or miss. I've only had few green teas that I loved. This has nothing to do with the quality of the tea but I'm just more a black tea person. The green teas I have enjoyed taste much bolder like black teas. 

I was a HUGE fan of this tea! 

Look: This is probably the most beautiful tea I have ever seen. 

Smell: These leaves have a very rich and earthy smell. 

Taste: I loved it! This tea was so refreshing. I'm not an expert tea taster but this tea had a much stronger flavor than most of the green teas I've had. I always try teas plain before I add honey. The strange thing was that when I added honey, it didn't make much of a difference in the flavor. Usually when I add honey to tea it not only sweetens it but alters the flavor a bit. 

Overall I really enjoyed this tea. I have had so many green teas that were too weak for my taste. I will definitely be enjoying this tea again soon! 

What is your opinion on green tea? Have you liked and disliked different kinds or are you ALL about green tea? Let me know!

The Assam Region of India and Its Tea

Assam Tea. 

My sister just got back from a work trip to India and she brought me back goodies in the form of leaves....tea leaves! Today I tried the Assam tea. I wanted to tell you a little bit about tea and India that I learned from my Tea Book I mentioned in a previous post. 

Tea trees were first discovered in Northeast India. Darjeeling and Assam are two of the most famous tea producing regions. There are many smaller regions that also produce tea to keep up with local demand. The Assam region is close to Burma and Bangladesh.

Assam has large, dark leaves and produces a full body tea. Back in 1860 the Orthodox method of processing tea was created by the British. It is a popular way to process black tea. The orthodox method consists of withering, rolling, oxidation, dehydration and sorting. Now for my impressions of this tea!

This isn't my first rodeo with Assam, but it is with this kind!

Look: The leaves look very similar to many black teas I've tried. In comparison to the tea I drink daily these leaves look a bit smaller and thinner. 

Smell: The smell of the dry and brewed leaves was underwhelming. The smell was more like green tea, subtle and mellow. It's definitely not as fragrant as my earl grey and Ceylon mix.

Taste: The package says "English breakfast" and that is exactly what it tastes like! The flavor is very bold and stays on your tongue longer. It's a very heavy tea and a bit bitter. Adding some honey to this tea is PERFECT!

I hear you can try some great Assam tea from this shop :) 

Have you ever had Assam? Do you have a specific type you like? Tell me about it in the comments!

Why Drinking Tea With Friends Is The Best

Tea Is Better Together.

Don't get me wrong, there are times where tea time is sacred. It can be a time where I savor every sip and quietly unwind. For me, drinking tea alone brings mindfulness and a time to reflect on my day or anything that is weighing heavily on my mind. 

But there's just something about sharing a cup with a fellow tea enthusiast that makes the whole experience the best. I talked about drinking more tea with your mom earlier this week and this goes the same for friends!

Meet Whitney of Brown Books Green Tea! (She's on the left :) )

Photo Credit To Whitney's Guy!

Whitney and I have know each other for many years, and we have both become bloggers! If you enjoy a good book with your tea, her blog is perfect for you! 

Whitney and I met at NaTra Tea's, which is a small tea shop in my neighborhood. You might remember the shop from a previous post I made about it. It was great to change my normal routine and meet Whitney at this cute little shop. Supporting a small business was an added benefit!  

Sharing a cuppa with a friend does some important things. 

1. Makes you adventurous: Whitney and I share a similar opinion on green tea, it can be hit or miss. We were discussing the good and bad green teas out there and it made me want to try a new one when usually I wouldn't. I took a chance on the Jasmine Pearls! I wasn't totally wowed by it but it wasn't terrible. I usually like a richer green tea and this wasn't it.

2. You get to catch up: Although Whitney lives very close, I think the last time I saw her was on my birthday back in January! It was nice to sit down and talk about what's going on in our lives and our plans for the future. Catching up is always nicer in person and with some tea.

3. Lots of Laughs: Part of catching up includes my favorite thing in the world, laughing. A good throwing back of the head in pure joy is good for the soul. Probably my favorite part was when we got into the issue of people (especially strangers) feeling the need to touch our hair? Hint: Don't touch people's hair. It's weird and we're wondering if your hands are clean!

4. You Get Inspired: Sitting down in a tea shop with Whitney and talking about what we're doing and our future plans gave me a positive outlook on the day. I've been in a rut recently and sitting down with a friend can show you that you're not alone and that it will all be ok! I think I thought of about 5 blog post ideas while we were talking. I hope I can remember them all :)

Oh yea and photo ops! 

I would love to hear from you! Comment below with your favorite tea shop, bonus if it's in the DMV (Dc, MD, VA) so I can visit it!

Photo Credit to Whitney!

Baking the night away: Black Tea Cup Cakes

Tea & Honey.

I have one older sister and two younger siblings. My "little" sister just got accepted into a competitive writing residency for teens! I decided to make a sweet treat for her as a little congratulations!

Let me tell you something about tea & honey, It's my favorite combination! I love the flavor that honey adds to pretty much any tea I've tried.

I have recently become obsessed with cookie decorators on Instagram like Tiny Kitchen Treats, Obsessive Cookie Designer and District Baking Co among others! I have been baking sugar cookies and trying to decorate them pretty for weeks. I finally broke my pattern and decided to bake something new.

Enter Pastry Affair, I found this recipe and I had to try it! I decided to make cupcakes because I had some pretty cupcake paper and toppers ! 

You can find the recipe here! I followed it exactly except I doubled the buttercream recipe because I'm a fatty who enjoys lots of frosting :) Here are some pictures of my process. 

Here are my tea leaves, post milk!

I bought these on sale...valentine's day?!

The cupcakes aren't super sweet but the honey really comes through in the frosting and it makes it a perfect combination!  

5 Reasons You Should Drink More Tea With Your Mom

My Mom. 

Ain't she a beauty ??!

Back when I still lived at my parents' house I was able to sneakily take pictures of my mom and tea. I will sprinkle some throughout the post. 

1) She Misses You: She may not always say it (or maybe she does) but she misses you. She loves you and wants to hang out! Whether you know it or not she is your best friend and confidant. I'm not sure there's a better way to surprise her or make her day than to schedule a tea date...or show up and make tea.

Here is a very old selfie that I convinced my mom to take with me :)

2) Tea Is Good For Her...And You: Tea has so many medicinal properties. I'm not sure why you aren't sharing the benefits with your mom right now!!

3) She Needs To Vent: When my mom and I have tea, we talk. We talk about happy things but we also talk about things that are bothering us or why our day was stressful. Sometimes your mom may not have another outlet that she feels comfortable venting to. Be her outlet! Even if you're just sitting there saying "uh huh," listen to her talk about all the things on her to do list and how there aren't enough hours in the day to do them all because she's your mom and she needs your support! 

A stealthy picture I took of my mom one morning.

4) She Needs Some Unwinding Time: No matter if she's a stay at home mom or a working mom, she needs some HER time. Just like when you wanna have girls night, she wants to have daughter time. I recently moved out of my mom's house so hanging out with my older sister and I takes on a new meaning. When you have tea together you can take care of her, bring her some sweets and let her relax!

5) It's Your Job As Her Tea Butler: OK, so this is technically just a joke between my mom and I but I wanted to share. When I lived at home I would make my mom and I Tea every night and I joked about being her "kolfat" which means butler in Farsi. She then adopted this to "kolfateh Chayee" which is tea butler. This has been my nickname ever since. Perhaps this is a traditional viewpoint but as the child, you should learn to brew the perfect pot and make it for your mom! It's the least you can do after all she's done for you. So go out there and be the Kolfateh Chayee! 

This photo is taken by my sister Sara and I believe this is actually coffee but I had to share because my mom is the prettiest :D

Call your mom up and make a tea date! 

Shop Local: Especially Local Honey

Local > 

As a hopeful small business owner it's no wonder I'm encouraging shopping small and local. Can you go to a department store and get yourself a journal? Sure! But why not get a hand crafted, unique one that I made in my own home?! (Esty opening soon!)

This discussion is mostly going to be centered around honey though. It's no surprise that drinking your tea plain without any sweeteners or additions will preserve it's natural herbal benefits more effectively. Additions to your tea can alter the state of the beverage and render it not as effective, especially if you are drinking tea for health purposes. 

I love honey, I drink it in my tea everyday. I grew up drinking tea with sugar cubes but slowly started drifting away as I got older. Honey is a natural sweetener so it's a bit of a better choice than sugar. Honey can add many healthy properties to the tea. For example, it has antibacterial properties. 

During spring time, honey can be a life saver. I'm sure those of you with allergies know that consuming local honey can be beneficial in curving some of your symptoms. I went out yesterday in search of local honey to support a small bee farmer and also to make sure allergies stay away. I stumbled upon Bee George Honey, made in my own town of Takoma Park! I didn't even know they existed! 

Check out the local honey options in your area. These honeys will most likely be all natural with nothing artificial added, in their purest state and able to benefit you the most. Add some honey to your tea to help with allergies, have antibacterial properties and to make it taste DELICIOUS! 

**100% honey, 0% nothing else**

WINKPENS: Write your thoughts in tea, literally

As I sit here drinking tea out of my beautiful Tea Thoughts glass created by my amazing friend Bridgett , I'm reviewing these extraordinary images of my logo from the lovely Jessica Chan. I'm always surprised by how many talented people I encounter!

What makes Jessica's images so cool? She drew them with tea. That's write she drew them with actual brewed tea! Ok, so you're probably wondering if Jessica is a magician or something. No, she's the creator of WINKPENS. 

WINKPENS are no ordinary pens, they have a glass nib that can be filled with any liquid! This is a more modern and sustainable product. I found Jessica's product while searching tea things online and she agreed to be interviewed! Check out what I found out about WINKPENS!

Q: Are you a tea lover? If so what is your favorite kind?

A: I do drink tea occasionally and when I do, I love it! Chai teas are my favorite:)  

Q: Do different types of teas produce a different result on paper?

A: Yes! This varies a lot actually and is dependent on what type of tea you're using and how concentrated/intense the color is. Herbal teas will give you more color whereas black teas will give you more neutral browns. The tea to water ratio will also make a huge difference in how vivid the color comes out to be. For example using two tea bags in only half a cup of water will be much deeper in color then if you used one bag per one cup of water. 

Q: Do you have a favorite substance to write with?

A: I don't know that I have a favorite. It is dependent on what end result I am going for. Wine dries to be a deep purple, beet juice is naturally a bright red, soy sauce a golden brown, berry teas are beautiful as ink too and stain wonderfully! 

Q: What is your vision for WINKPENS?

A: My vision with WINKPENS is to be an innovation leg in writing instruments -- by continuously creating "low-tech" products that elegantly marry history, modern aesthetics and environmental awareness with traditional function. I see WINKPENS being the special occasion pen, a perfect unique gift item,  in the hands of both pen enthusiasts and also many creatives! There is a lot of opportunity for product expansion as well as collaborations with other companies and individuals (example stationary, wineries, artists)  both domestically and internationally :) 

Q: what has been the biggest challenge for you?

A: The biggest hurdles thus far have definitely been with manufacturing, as well as keeping up with costs. With so many material breaks, custom pieces, all the tooling needed to also having hand-made glass nibs. Let's just say the process will definitely be one I won't ever forget ! But, the journey and lessons learned have been invaluable. Each time we surpass the next unforeseen hurdle, the product has only evolved for the better. I promised myself I wouldn't launch the product until it was at the quality I had envisioned from the beginning.

Q: what is your favorite media to market the pen on? 

A: Due to what finances will allow and the number of people connected to social media today, social media is definitely the most consistent source of marketing and engagement we do. WINKPENS is on facebook, instagram and twitter :) 

Q:  what is your favorite blog?

A: I can't say I have a favorite blog. I tend to seek out blogs that fulfill my current interest, example. If I am looking for thoughts on tea, you may just find me on this one !! ;)

Q: What is your favorite thing about the tea thoughts blog?

 A:I love how modern and clean all the content is presented. The layout is beautiful, photos, and how everything is organized. Short and sweet writings with perfectly highlighted thoughts! 

Not only did Jessica share some great information and sweet words about my blog but she also took the time to draw me these beautiful images with some black cherry tea.. woah. Creator, designer, boss lady and CRAZY talented! 

If you're a calligraphers wanting to branch out and make your products even more unique or just someone shopping for a cool gift, check out WINKPENS! 

Huge thank you to Jessica Chan for speaking with me about her product and recreating my logo with tea!