NEWSLETTERS
NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER 2003
Welcome to the 'world of tea', the Nothing But Tea quarterly newsletter, in which we hope to keep you up to date with news from Nothing But Tea and the tea world.
NEW PRODUCTS
We are really pleased to have secured a quantity of Old Lady tea from Georgia. We are the only company to obtain this tea outside of Georgia. It really is something special with only about 50Kg made each year picked and processed by hand (by an old Georgian Lady hence the name). Our roving teaman has persuaded her to part with a small amount, which we now bring to you. Though it can be made with boiling water for a slightly different taste we have put it in with the white teas, as production wise it is closest to the white teas. It really is a delight to drink and well worth trying. We only have a limited stock, and might not be able to get any more!COMING SOON
South American beverages Green Maté and Lapacho. An Oolong from the Indian region of Darjeeling, a Sencha and some Silvertips. An Indian Panorama set taking you on a brief tour of Indian tea. We also hope to get our accessories section underway with a few choice items, and are looking at new packaging of our starter sets to make them more attractive as gifts, and lastly a special Christmas tea.OUR CURRENT BESTSELLERS
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Pai Mu Tan
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Nothing But Tea Starter
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Ti Kuan Yin
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Formosa Oolong
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Large Leaf Green
Mysterious Pu Erh
There was a famous Guinness advertising campaign that ran “I don’t like it, I know because I have never tasted it”. Some people’s reaction to Pu Erh tea is much the same. Tell them that it is composted with micro-organisms and then aged and they are put off for life – but happily eat cheese and drink wine – both of which go through a similar process. Well folks are strange!
Those who have tasted and love the flavour of Pu Erh may like to know a little more about this mysterious tea.
All true Pu Erh comes from a district of China named – Pu Erh. It has been made there for centuries from lightly oxidised green tea that is slightly dampened after drying and is compressed into cakes. These are aged in special areas, each of which add a distinctive and unique taste to the Pu Erh depending on the natural yeast flora and the ambient conditions. Much like the difference develops between Roquefort, Gorgonzola and Stilton depending on the temperature and the moulds in the air.
Green tea Pu Erh aged in dry environments has a fragrant, woody, floral taste – while those aged in conditions that are more humid have an earthy, ginseng taste and scent. Aged Pu Erh can be 30 or 50 years old, but these like vintage wines are rare and expensive.
Black Pu Erh however was only invented in China in around 1970. It is an accelerated process using a controlled fermentation over several days rather than a long natural aging (much of the cheese industry has gone the same way). The resulting black Pu Erh has a fine woody, earthy taste, and is smoother than all but the longest aged green Pu Erhs.
In China, the Pu Erh process, both green and black, is believed to enhance tea’s already impressive health benefits. While we in the West wait for incontrovertible clinical evidence, the Chinese just recognise that drinking a range of teas - green, black, white and Pu Erh – is good for you. Which brings us back to Guinness!
DID YOU KNOW?
1. In 1998 the total global figure of tea production was 3,074,000 tonnes of tea. That is a staggering 1.53712 cups of tea!
2. Ever wondered why some black teas have silver tips and others have gold tips? Well its all down to how hard the tea was withered. Heavily withered teas release more tea juice which colours the naturally silver tips gold!
TEA RECIPES
We have had several enquires for a Chai blend. Unfortunately ours is now at the development stage so until we launch it, here is a recipe for a milky version, which are increasingly popular in the US.
Chai
In a pan place
- 1 pint (600ml) of water
- 3 - 4 whole cloves
- 1 stick of cinnamon (about 8cm)
- 3 - 4 cardamon pods (cracked open)
Method
- Bring to the boil and stand for as long as possible.
- Add to this 4 tablespoons of an Indian black tea.
- Heat mixture and leave to steep for a few minutes depending on how strong you like your chai.
- Add 1 pint (600ml) of milk and heat mixture, being careful not to let it boil.
- Strain mixture and add 4 tablespoons of sugar or to taste.
- Stir and serve.
Chai can also be enjoyed as a cold drink over ice.
