English Tea Store Tea Header

Tea Blog

Official Blog of the English Tea Store


Little Yellow Teapot

  • Teas of the World: “Black Oolong” Teas

    To some of us the term “black oolong” can be a bit of a puzzle. We know black teas as one thing and oolong teas as another. Time to take a closer look. First, we here in North America and much of Europe know black tea as a fully oxidized tea where the dry leaves Continue reading

  • Tea Quiz: Can You Match the Tea to the Leaves?

    In a previous article I had shown some photos of tea leaves and asked if you could identify them. Some were easy and at least a couple were difficult. One responder commented that a look at the steeped liquid helps when identifying teas from photos. I thought it would be good to see how this Continue reading

  • 5 More Surprising Things About Tea

    Tea is not just a beverage but an object of study for hundreds of people world-wide who specialize in its cultivation, processing, and enjoyment. Earlier I presented 5 Surprising Things About Tea that were rather light-hearted. Here are five more surprising things but in a more serious vein. 1 Moisture in, moisture out! While tea Continue reading

  • Tea Kettle Philosophy — The Too Handsome Actor

    Time spent waiting for that water to boil in the kettle can be a pure waste. So can that time waiting for the tea to steep in the teapot. Fill the void with another round of Tea Kettle Philosophy, this one inspired by a movie I saw recently (Those Lips, Those Eyes — a sort Continue reading

  • Starting Out on the Wrong Foot with Tea

    If you are so unfortunate as to have your first taste of a particular tea be a very bad one, you can get started out on the wrong foot with that tea or with tea in general. So, starting out right can be important. This was clearly illustrated to me a few weeks ago when Continue reading

  • Tea and the Cell Phone

    Someone talking loudly on a cell phone is an egregious behavior under any circumstances, but in a high class tearoom where everything is laid out with great attention to detail and to please the eye as well as the palate, such events are even more annoying. You, though, may not wish to be rude and Continue reading

  • Teapot Styles — True Treasures

    Awhile back I wrote about some expensive teapots. But price does not make something a true treasure. Provenance does. That is, it’s the story behind the item that makes it truly desirable. This is as true of teapots as it is of Fabergé bejeweled eggs or Chippendale furniture. With that in mind, here are some Continue reading

  • “Twilight” Tea Time (Teas Good to Have after Sundown)

    You’ve heard of Afternoon Tea, High Tea, and other special tea times. How about a nice “Twilight Tea”? Not everything about twilight is appealing. While very popular with the younger crowd, the “Twilight Saga” is of no interest to me (yeah, showing my age here), but the “Twilight Zone” TV series is of interest to Continue reading

  • Rinse, Wash, or First Steep?

    The other day I tried a highly oxidized oolong (almost a black tea, really) and saw that the vendor’s instructions said to do a quick rinse first. That usually involves letting the leaves steep for a short period (they recommended 30 seconds) and then dumping out that liquid before doing a real first steep. Thankfully, Continue reading

  • Tea and the Hiccups

    Tea is said to be a beverage rife with health benefits, but the other day it reversed that reputation and induced hiccups. That was a first. I usually get hiccups when gulping down carbonated beverages (which I don’t drink very often anymore). So, what gives? Time for a little detective work. Or I could just Continue reading