A New Tea Kettle

When we moved out here to the big desert, our first purchase was, naturally, a tea kettle. A Paul Revere tea kettle, just like my mother had, to which we got ridiculously attached, After years of hard work, the whistle broke, and we were heartbroken to learn that Paul Revere had been purchased by another company and was no longer being manufactured. So we sadly bought another tea kettle, that served us in good stead for many years and to which we got ridiculously attached. Two weeks ago, the whistle on that kettle broke completely off. And it's just not a tea kettle without a proper whistle. And it's just not tea when we have to watch for the steam rather than listen for the whistle. We were delighted to see the Paul Revere tea kettle on Amazon, and immediately ordered one. We also ordered some new tea to celebrate an inaugural cuppa; more on that in another post.

Tea time in the parlor is happy time again.

New Tea Mug

My sister gave me this beautiful tin tea mug. I love using it on the patio as I sip my tea on the patio these cool spring mornings.

Choice

Choice teas are organic, fair trade blends that are available at local grocery stores. As mentioned before, we in the parlor like the fair trade aspect and are very fond of the English Breakfast. Alas, they were out of the English Breakfast last week, so we tried the Classic Black. This unblended black tea comes from the Oothu Tea Garden in southern India. It's a strong, black tea, perfect for breakfast or afternoon, with or without a little milk. This week we've been serving it with pan de huevo, a Mexican egg bread. For those whose tastes are not adventurous, but who want to try a single tea rather than the more common blended teas drunk in America, Choice Classic Black is the perfect selection.

Revolution English Breakfast Tea

It's no secret that we are quite fond of English breakfast tea here in the parlor, and we'll sample every new brand we can find. New to our neighborhood is Revolution English Breakfast Tea , a blend of Assam and Ceylon teas. While it hasn't the full-bodied taste of Assam or the intense flavor of Ceylon, it is a smooth tea without a single sour note that non-tea drinkers may appreciate. There are no sharp notes nor tannin aftertaste. This week, we served it with a caramelized onion and broccoli casserole from a recent Better Homes and Garden magazine and the local grocery store's English muffin bread. We're delighted that autumn has finally arrived and we can breakfast on the patio.

Dilmah English Afternoon Tea

Dilmah English Afternoon Tea is a very mild, very smooth Ceylon tea. It's the perfect accompaniment to the zucchini quiche we've been serving for breakfast here in the parlor. While we prefer a bit more bracing tea for the morning, this quietly smooth tea would be a perfect tea to wind down after a hectic afternoon. With autumn's crisp afternoons finally arriving, it would be delicious served with an apple cake or pumpkin bread.

Silver Needle White Tea

Silver needle white tea, baihao yinzhen, has been called the rarest and most spectacular of teas. The leaf shoots (the buds before they open) are picked only in the early morning on a sunny day, and harvesting usually takes place within a 48-hour-period. Curious, we decided to try some bulk silver needle white tea that was for sale at our local co-op. Unfortunately, no information was available on which plantation or even region this tea originated.

The color was gorgeous, as can be seen in the poor quality photo below, although it might be slightly off since we may have overboiled the water (it should be below the boiling point, and while we grabbed the tea kettle when steam began to appear, we're afraid we may have boiled it slightly). The flavor is supposed to be light and sweet, and it certainly was that. Perhaps it was a little too delicate for our personal tastes. Or perhaps we shouldn't have had it for breakfast, when we prefer a bracing, strong cup, and instead tried it in the afternoon. But it was a very light, very delicate tea, very unlike our usual fair.

We shall serve it again, making sure we don't boil the water, and in the afternoon, to make sure our taste buds are awake and at attention.

My apologies-Blogger is reformatting this photo and changing it orientation, for some unknown reason. It wasn't taken this way. 

Archer Farms Organic Fair Trade Breakfast Blend

Breakfast blend in the afternoon? Of course! This week, we're drinking Archer Farms Organic Fair Trade Breakfast Blend in the parlor. It's a very smooth blend, but fairly nondescript with no tannin aftertaste or strong flavors. We loved the Archer Farms Organic Golden Breakfast loose leaf tea, which is no longer available, and had high hopes for this one. While it fails to live up to the Golden Breakfast taste, we love the fair trade aspect of this tea and will likely keep it in stock for those afternoons when all you want is a nice, smooth, hot cup of tea.