My Experience

     So far this has been a pretty fun experience. I never knew about what blogging was until I started this class. I had heard about it but didn't know what it was. And I'm impressed! My classmates and I have come up with some really cool blog ideas! Lot's of them are really interesting! And aside from that it has been a great learning experience for me! 
     I learned things about tea that I never knew before! From exactly how long you are supposed to let tea steep for to learning that the most expensive tea is made using panda poop! Needless to say this has been pretty cool and I think I just might attempt to keep posting things! 

Cooking with Tea

      If you think tea is only for drinking, think again! You’d be surprised at how cooking with tea can enhance the flavor of foods, making a meal truly memorable. The many varieties of tea, whether green, white or black, and flowery, earthy or spicy, contribute subtle aromas and delicate flavors to many wonderful but not necessarily complicated dishes. You can use brewed tea in place of water in many recipes and you can also use tea leaves directly in your dishes. I personally have not tried cooking with tea but I discovered it is totally doable and quite a fun culinary adventure! Being in culinary school this makes me think about all the different ways I could use tea leaves in my food. Next time I'm playing around in the kitchen I'm gonna give it a try! 

Here's a picture of silver needle tea leaves crusted onto pan seared scallops in this fresh summer salad! 

Gift Ideas for Tea

      Got anyone you know that really likes tea? There are lots of great gifts for tea drinkers! One of my favorites is the double glass tea mug! Teavana has a really cool one that I really like using. It has a strainer at the top so that when you are drinking tea you aren't consuming tea leaves. Another great gift idea is a tea set! People love entertaining! And tea is a great outlet! So why not give someone a set that they can use to share their favorite teas? These are just a few ideas! Many more tea products available. 

Tea Bagging

    Tea bagging.. What is that you might ask. Well one definition is the gamer"s term of tea bagging. That's a little inappropriate and I won't share that. However, the way that I am using it is to describe a type of tea. Bagged tea. Many of you may have seen the little boxes with tea packets in them next to coffee stands or even gotten tea from Starbucks and other coffee shops. The process of making a tea bag is really quite simple. All you do it take you selected tea leaves, and place them on a cheese cloth like paper and tie a string around it keeping the leaved contained. It is a very simple and easy method for preparing tea. Sometimes when I'm on the go I will use tea bags instead of loose leaf tea. 

Tea VS Coffee

     As much as I love tea, I also love coffee. Sometimes I feel bad for cheating on tea by drinking coffee. You just can't help it if you need a coffee fix. Now when I say that I drink coffee, I'm not one of those Starbucks coffee drinkers. I admit, I have had it and it's decent coffee. However, to me, coffee is like wine or any other kind of alcohol. There are some kinds that are good and others that aren't very good. And there are some kinds that pair well with different foods and other kinds that don't pair well. My all time favorite coffee shop recently closed down. It's pretty sad. It was called Dripster, located in Vancouver, WA. Pretty small coffee shop. Was a branch of River Maiden  which is another one of my favorite coffee places. The cool thing about Dripster is that they often offered certain blends that you can't find anywhere else and they would make them fresh for you. It was pretty cool. I still cannot say if I like tea or coffee more. They are on two different levels. 

Most Expensive Tea in the World

         So I did some research on what the most expensive tea in the world is and where it comes from. I was kinda shocked! The most expensive tea in the world comes from panda poop! And no, I'm not kidding! A man in Sichuan Province decided to grow tea, but from panda poop! Panda's only eat bamboo. Apparently their bodies only ingest about 30% of the nutrients found in bamboo. So what happens to the other 70%? It's found in their poop! So the tea leaves that are fertilized with it are extremely valuable and healthy! One cup of tea using the leaves produced in this manor costs $200. It really is a great idea when you think about it! The man who came up with the idea wanted to find a use for all the waste. So in a way it's the ultimate way of recycling! Pretty cool if you ask me! And profitable! I don't know that I will ever be able to afford that tea. I would try it though if given the chance! 

Medicinal Tea

       For a long time, tea has been used for it's medicinal properties. Tea has proven to be very helpful in remedying various afflictions and forms of sickness. That's part of why I think tea is so wonderful! One of my favorite teas that I drink when I am sick or have a soar throat is called "Herbal Throat Coat." It is very sweet. Also very refreshing! It combines fresh herbs and tea to make a substance that can help cure/prevent soar throats and coughing. I drink it every time I catch a cold and want to get rid of it quickly. You can buy it at almost any store like Freddie's or Safeway. Perfect for when you're sick! Full of natural vitamins that help kick sickness in the butt. Best consumed when hot. If it is cold, it doesn't work as well and sometimes tastes gross. I boil water, pour it in a glass with the tea packet, then place a plate over it to keep it covered form 10 minutes and then drink it. Often, I will feel better even before the tea is all gone! It's wonderful.