Souvia on ABC15 SmartShopper
The segment on loose tea vs. tea bags aired last evening. We talked about white tea and looked inside a teabag. Take a look at the video on the ABC15 site.
Rooibos - Did you know?
Did You Know…?
Ø Rooibos gets better with age just like a good wine. It can be stored in the fridge without clouding and re-used later.
Ø Rooibos can be used as a meat tenderizer or as a base for marinades.
Ø Rooibos can be re-steeped.
Ø Rooibos will give dark hair a nice shine when used as a rinse.
Ø Apply cold Rooibos with cotton balls to treat skin rashes and eczema.
Tea’s a Passion at Souvia - Arizona Republic
If you are a regular at Souvia, you already know this! But the Arizona Republic just published a nice article that articulates it well.
Some excerpts:
“Since its origins in China 5,000 years ago, tea has been known to build community, and at Souvia, you can get to know people on a first-name basis”
“Tea is one of Wingert’s passions and she can sit for hours and talk tea.”
The whole story is here
Reminder - Souvia on KPNX
Channel 12 in Phoenix. Monday the 23rd between 12 Noon and 1pm. Set your DVRs!
Souvia on KPNX - Channel 12
Watch for Kerstin’s smilin’ face on KPNX (Channel 12) Midday show on 23 July. She’ll be talking about iced tea! You’ll see multiple ways you can easily prepare iced tea from loose tea leaves.
Bottled Water
An astonishing story on the impact of bottled water on the environment was on NPR late last month. It covered everything from distribution, to contents to disposal.
Bottled Water: A Symbol of U.S. Commerce, Culture
The NPR piece is based on a longer article in Fast Company Magazine.
The remarkable parts are what Americans spend ($15 BILLION) and what is thrown away (38 BILLION empty bottles). In a little thought experiment that works out to a pile of bottles covering a football field and extending 5 miles high!
So, do your part use refillable containers when possible.
World Tea Expo
Kerstin, Bret and Gail will be at the World Tea Expo in Atlanta for the next 4 days. I’ll post a daily update on what is going on and cool things we see there.
Souvia in the News: Wanderlust
College Times recently had an article called Wanderlust that described interesting places on the Valley’s Bus Routes. Souvia happens to be on Bus Route 76. Here’s an excerpt:
”MOST SURPRISING/QUIRKIEST/MORE UNIQUE THING
No one respects tea anymore. With Starbucks ruling the world, Souvia Tea looks to bring back some love for the other hot drink. Basically a tea bar, Souvia provides the relaxed atmosphere for enjoying a nice cup of tea. Specializing in retail, they offer over 130 brands of loose leaf teas for drinking there, or wrapping up and taking home. Unlike the over-caffeinated coffee shops, Souvia Tea takes a simple idea and makes it enjoyable.”
The Art of Cupping Tea
Just like wine connoisseurs, tea aficionados appreciate the differences in flavor and quality which vary from season to season and from region to region. Other tea-drinkers prefer the consistency of a blend, such as and English Breakfast or Ceylon Blend. However we like our tea, the quality has to be evaluated. This is done by professional tea tasters in a very structured way by examining the dry and infused leaf, the color and aroma of the liquor and finally the taste of the infusion.
To prepare the teas, the dry leaves are laid in containers in rows on the tasting bench. The taster weighs a specific amount of each tea and places it in a special small brewing vessel. Sometimes this is a lidded mug (Gaiwan) or a small porcelain teapot. The brewing vessels are always white so that the color of the infusion is easier to assess. Boiling water for black teas, and slightly cooler water for green and white teas, is poured over the leaves which are than allowed to steep for 3-6 minutes depending on the varietal. After the steeping, the infusion is poured into tasting bowls and the infused leave is collected on the lid of the brewing mug. Like a wine taster, the tea taster slurps the tea into his mouth which is quite a noisy affair, but necessary because the tea needs to hit all taste buds to unfold its character.
Tea tasters taste hundreds of samples of different teas from different estates regions and seasons every day. In fact, it takes a long time to become a professional in this art. At least five years of training are needed before becoming a tea master, however even after many decades of tasting, these tea masters will tell you that they are still learning.
While we don’t offer tea master training, if you are interested in learning about the many nuances in aroma and flavor of orthodox teas, sign up for one of our tea classes and learn the art of cupping tea.
March “Ask Souvia”
We recommend starting with 1 measuring teaspoon for every 6 ounces of water. Aren’t sure how much water your heirloom teapot holds? Fill it with water and empty into a measuring cup. Check the ounces and divide by 6! Use heaping teaspoons for large leaf teas like White Silver Needle.
No! The Afternoon Tea Tradition started in the 1800’s when Lady Bedford had an Afternoon snack prepared to tide her over until dinner. High Tea was so-called due to the high tables it was often served on. It was a full meal and not like anything served at a typical Tearoom. Many people use these terms interchangeably but they are very different things.
Dear Souvia: What is Chai?
Chai is actually a Southern Asian word for Tea not unlike the word Cha in China and Japan. In practice, Chai is a blend of tea and spices as unique to a household as your Uncle’s secret Chili recipe. In some cultures, Chai implies tea steeped in milk with added herbs and spices. So, Chai defines a class of tea blends but each is unique!
