Orange Tea Cooler

Yamé - the finest brand of green tea

Matcha Green Tea Cappuccino

Matcha French Toast

Matcha Chocolate Mousse

Chinese Fountain of Tea

Traditional Tibetan dance

Hi everyone! In this video you can see The Tibetan Dance and Drama Group preforming a traditional dance of the Tea offering ceremony at the Festival of Tibet and Himalayan People at the Pagode of Vincennes in Paris.

Korean tea ceremony

Olive leaf tea

Olive leaf is believed to be rich in the antioxidant oleuropein, as well as several flavonoids.
Olive leaf is commonly used to fight colds and flu, yeast infections, and viral infections such as the hard-to-treat Epstein-Barr disease, shingles and herpes. Olive leaf is also good for the heart. Olive leaf has shown to reduce low-density lipoproteins (LDL), or bad cholesterol.
Researchers have found that olive leaf lowers blood pressure and increase blood flow by relaxing the arteries.

How to prepare Olive leaf tea?
Pour 5 oz of hot water over 7-8 grams (about 2 tea spoons) of crushed Olive leaf. Steep for 30 minutes. Drink 3 to 4 cups of Olive leaf tea daily.There is no info on overdosage. No harmful effects are known.

Tereré

Tereré is an infusion made of yerba mate (erva mate). It is prepared with cold water and in a slightly large vessel. It exists in Paraguay, northeastern and southern and western Brazil.
In Paraguay people prepare it water infused herbs like mint or lemongrass. In northeastern Argentina and Brazil fruit juices are added to Tereré. Argentinians add lime and orange juices. In Brazil lime and pineapple are added.
In Argentina Tereré with juice is called "Tereré ruso" (Russian Tereré) because this practice is more common with Slavic immigrants.
Tereré was invented by the Guaraní Indians who lived in Paraguay and western Brazil (Mato Grosso do Sul).
People usually prepare one jar of natural water and a "cuia" (Portuguese) / "guampa" (Spanish) with a "bomba" (Portuguese) / "bombilla" (Spanish) which is shared among the group of people.
Look at the next photo...you see a cuia/guampa containing Tereré.

Mr. and Mrs. polar bear

Andy Titcomb, from Cornwall, England, has been making teapots since 1983 when he parted company with Paul Cardew and Sunshine Ceramics. Each teapot is designed, made and decorated by him alone...
Here you can see two of his works...:)




For those interested, more info about Andy Titcomb's works can be found at andy.titcomb@earthling.net or you can write to him to Lavender Cottage St.Mabyn Cornwall PL30 3BL England.

Aeroplane teapot

Aeroplane Teapots were made to celebrate the achievments of first pilots.
It was often presented to pilots when they got their aero licence. Such teapots were very popular so their production continued into the 1940s.
On the following photo you can see a classic James Sadler teapot "The Aeroplane" from the 1930s.

Tea cosy

A tea cosy (or as Americans would say tea cozy) is a cover for a teapot, usually made of cloth or wool. It is used to insulate the tea, keeping it warm while it brews.
Tea cosies have become popular in the world of fiction with the 1997 book The Haunted Tea-Cosy: A Dispirited and Distasteful Diversion for Christmas by Edward Gorey.
Let me finish this post with a joke by comedian Bill Connoly - "Never trust a man who, when left alone with a tea cosy, doesn't try it on!" Why? The British-style hand-knitted cosies often resemble woolen hats...

Garlic tea

It's winter. Many people cough or have cold. So, here is a recipe for Garlic tea. I read that in countries like Mexico or Spain it is quite popular to fight the mentioned health problems.

Here it goes...Prepare
a) 3 cups of water
b) 3 gloves of garlic - cut them in half
c) half cup of honey
d) half cup of fresh lemon juice

Heat 3 cups of water and 3 garlic gloves to a boil. Turn off the heat and add half cup of honey and half cup of fresh lemon juice. Strain.
Sip half cup...2-3 times a day. Put the drink in refrigerator so you can use it next day.

Gaiwan

A gaiwan or gai wan ("lidded bowl") is a Chinese covered bowl used for the infusion and drinking tea. It is also known as gaibei ("lidded cup") or juzhong ("hot-steeping vessel").
Tea experts think that the gaiwan is a great way to brew teas with delicate flavours and aromas, such as green tea and white tea. Gaiwan is also used for preparation of oolong infusions beacuase they can be infused several time. Still, you can use gaiwan for any type of tea.
The gaiwan is also important in tea tasting because of its open and glazed surfaces.
The gaiwan consists of a saucer, bowl, and lid. The gaiwan itself can be made from myriad materials, from porcelain to glass. Gaiwans made from Yixing clay or jade are especially valued by collectors.

In the folowing video you can see preparation of oolong tea with gaiwan.

Happy New Year

Well, yet another new year has started. I hope you had a lovely celebration.
I wish all my readers lot of happy moments in 2008!!! Have fun, enjoy your cup of tea...:)