Tea Lovers Unite!
Of the past 6 Local Guides virtual meetups I have hosted since last month, the subject of tea to me is dear to me. It is a part of my heritage, being of Chinese descent. I drink at least one cup of tea per day.
I was curious to see who else in the Local Guides Connect Community drinks tea too. Last Saturday, on May 16th, I hosted the 1st ever VIRTUAL: Tea Lovers Social meetup using Google Hangouts.
The 9 Local Guides who participated came from 8 countries:
- North America – U.S.A. (@kwiksatik) & Mexico ( @ReyLey )
- South America – Argentina ( @FaridTDF )
- Europe – U.K. (@TheRealKristin)The Czech Republic ( @Stuart_C ) & Greece (@Stella2)
- Africa – Kenya ( @InnocensiaO )
- Australia – Sydney ( @PennyChristie ) & Cairns ( @JustineE )
Our meetup lasted over 2 hours!
As with my last three virtual meetups, Parent Talk, Wine Lovers, Coffee Lovers, we easily surpassed this scheduled 1-hour meetup by an extra hour and seven minutes!
Since we all have been in our homes because of the Coronavirus pandemic when you get passionate tea lovers together in one “virtual cafe,” we talked about:
- How are you making your tea?
- What is your tea brand(s) at home?
- What is your tea making/drinking tip(s)?
- Where do you go to drink or buy your tea (share your Local Guides review link)?
We started our meetup by taking virtual tours of each of our tea stashes.
Sharing our personal Tea Stories
I shared that I grew up drinking traditional Chinese tea (Oolong, Pu-erh, Jasmine, Chrysanthemum, Green tea) in loose tea form. You do not add sugar or milk to these kinds of teas, nor do you drink it cold.
When I went to college, I started to drink flavored teas in single-serving tea bags, such as mint, peppermint, raspberry, and orange pekoe.
In the last 15 years, I enjoy drinking tropical fruit-flavored teas, which are usually black tea mixed with fruit-flavored, such as mango, passion fruit, and lychee. Again, I don’t personally add milk or sugar to these flavored teas. Also, I enjoy drinking these flavored teas cold and unsweetened.
Of course, I drink tea at Chinese restaurants (Jasmine is favorite for dim sum) and order tea at Asian restaurants too (Japanese – Genmaicha (or roasted brown rice green tea) or green tea, Korean – barley tea, Vietnamese – house tea (which is Chinese black tea), and Indian – Chai tea).
At home, I drink at least one cup of tea after dinner. It could be Chinese or flavored tea, depending on my mood.
Rey shared he drinks Oolong tea or fruit-flavored tea. His Oolong is shipped to him from his relatives in Hong Kong, so he doesn’t buy the Oolong he drinks. He drinks it like me, straight, nothing added. His favorite flavored tea is Raspberry tea.
Innocensia shared anytime is tea time in Kenya, as tea is a big part of the hosting etiquette in the country. It is also an essential item in the breakfast menu in most Kenyan households.
Tea is a top foreign exchange earner for Kenya as the country is the leading exporter of Black tea in the world. The tea beverage is popularly referred to as “Chai,” which is the Swahili word for tea, which is similar but also different from the Chai made in India.
Innocensia shared that loose leaf tea leaves are preferred than tea bags by most when preparing tea, which typically involves boiling water in a Sufuria (Swahili word for pot), adding milk, and then the tea leaves. Spices like ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, and cinnamon can be added for additional flavor. Depending on preference, one can sweeten the tea with honey or sugar.
What goes with tea in Kenya? Tea always is served with buttered bread, chapati (think of naan or a tortilla), or mandazi (picture beignet or a donut without the hole).
But now that Innocencia lives in the U.S., she drinks her tea using Lipton tea bags and starting to drink more coffee than tea! When she is not feeling well, she drinks chamomile tea.
Farid shared he only drinks tea at home and usually makes it using tea bags. He enjoys both herbal teas, including Chinese tea, and fruit-flavored tea. Farid only drinks his tea hot, never cold. He drinks his tea in the afternoon or at night when he is using the computer or reading.
Farid recently wrote about his tea experiences in his country of Argentina in Connect.
Megan shared her love for tea when she was a teenager with not much money. She used to enjoy going to her local Co-op in Bozeman. It was within walking distance of her high school, and it had an extensive loose tea (and dry herb) selection. She loved walking down the row of jars, opening and closing them - smelling each one.
Megan shared she would take tiny portions of each tea she wanted to try, pay for them by weight at the register (for pennies per serving), then take them upstairs to the cafe and steep her tea to drink. It was a fantastic way to be introduced to the world of loose teas. She loved making her unique tea blends.
Megan’s passion for tea has now passed on to her son. He loves making tea for both her and him every afternoon. And will make himself a cup of green tea before he goes to bed every night.
Stella shared that tea is not as popular as coffee in Greece. She drinks her tea, either hot or cold. Stella showed us a famous ice tea brand called Tuvunu, which is made from Greek Mountain Tea (Sideritis). She enjoys drinking her hot tea while eating a pastry, or something sweet.
Stuart shared his British upbring with tea. “Drinking a cup of tea” is not fancy or posh “afternoon tea,” but it means to eat a meal, in particular, “dinner.” He shared growing up drinking English Breakfast Tea is not refined tea as blended teas like Earl Grey tea, but something much more robust, like coffee. The quality of Breakfast Tea is low grade and cheap to buy. When he goes back to visit his mum, he will bring his tea to drink because the tea his mother drinks is too strong for him.
Using loose tea was common up into the 1970s in the U.K., but now drinking tea using tea bags is more common. For Stuart, his friends have pointed out his tea-drinking quirks because of his upbringing using loose tea instead of tea bags. Even though he could be using a tea bag, Stuart has to drink tea in a cup with a white interior because he has to see the bottom of it. And he will also leave some tea in his cup because he was taught not to finish drinking it all because there would be residual tea sediment at the bottom of it.
Stuart shared that if you had a tradesman (for example, a plumber) working in your home. You offer him a “cup of tea” throughout the time he is there. It would be considered very rude or impolite not to serve the tradesman tea.
Tea culture, or British culture, is to offer your guest a cup of tea. From an American’s perspective, when Kristin started living in the U.K., she shared with us that she thought how wonderful businesses were to her. She would always be served a cup of tea or cappuccino without charge at her hair salon. But the longer she has lived in the U.K., she knows this is common, or standard, customer service practice, unlike in the U.S. to sit and have a cup of tea and chat with the owner or sales clerk.
Penny shared she enjoys making and drinking tea made with cloves, cinnamon, or aniseed. She also drinks flavored and herbal teas, the standard Lipton (Australia’s most common tea) and Twinings, and jasmine and green teas. When she travels, she enjoys drinking and buying new teas.
She shared with us her famous Koulourakia (or Greek Biscuit) recipe you can enjoy with your afternoon tea. They are like an Italian biscotti, in which you can dunk your Koulourakia into your tea.
Justine shared with us her passion for tea with her extensive Australia’s T2 collection and Sri Lanka’s Dilmah Tea. She drinks both loose teas and tea bags. Justine also enjoys fruit-flavored, Asian, herbal, and green teas.
She showed us one of her T2 Tea Holiday Advent Calendar Collections. Similar to a chocolate advent calendar, her tea advent calendar has a tea sample for each day in December, leading to Christmas.
The surprise tea master class
Kristin, originally from Southern California, now lives in England, wowed us last week during the VIRTUAL: Coffee Lovers Social At this meetup, she knocked it out of the park with her extensive, in-depth tea knowledge from her overseas travels and her occupation.
Our meetup group was fortunate to get a comprehensive, introductory session in tea (British and Asian), tea making, and what you need to serve tea.
Do you know the difference between Early Grey versus Lady Grey tea?
Kristin shared Earl Grey is a strong tea flavored with bergamot orange. It is a tea blend that has been flavored with the addition of oil of bergamot. The rind’s fragrant oil is added to black tea to give Earl Grey its unique taste. Traditionally, Earl Grey is made from black teas such as China Keemun and therefore intended to be drunk without milk. “Lady Grey” is a trademarked variation of Earl Grey tea by Twinings. Created in the early 1990s for the Nordic market, it is Earl Grey but softer in taste, with the addition of lemon and orange peel besides the bergamot oil.
Kristen owns a boba tea shop, called Bubble Boba in Coventry, U.K. She gave us a virtual tour of her kitchen, her extensive tea collection, her Royal Albert Old Country Roses China Collection, and she made a boba tea before our eyes.
Kristin created this 6-page recap of what she covered during our meetup (see above). It also includes:
- Tea shopping list
- Video watch list
- Her contact info, including YouTube Channel: Bubble Tea Kristin (You have to subscribe!)
- Her Easy Milk Tea recipe (just need to add your boba) that she made during the meetup
Her included tea educational video links are what she provides to her students and future tea shop owners.
What are our favorite tea brands we drink or use at home?
Tea (Loose/Bags) – No particular order
- T2
- Dilmah Tea
- Lipton
- Tazo
- Hawaiian Island Tea Company
- Green Hills
- Twinings
- Cruz De Malta
- PG Tips Tea
- Henny & Joe’s Chai (concentrated)
- Pure Chimp
- Exotic Teapot (Flowering Tea)
- Yorkshire Tea
- The Republic of Tea
- Harney & Sons
- Yogi Tea
- Numi Organic Tea
- Mighty Leaf Tea
- TWG Tea
- Playadito
- Sonnentor
- M&S Earl Grey
Where do you go to drink or buy your tea?
Here are our Google Maps Lists to our favorite places to drink or buy tea:
Do you have a “Tea Story?” Share your country’s tea customs or tea culture below
Cheers,
Karen
Next Virtual: Tea Lovers Social Meetup
If you are interested in attending, please comment below. I am happy to host again up to 9 Local Guides who want to share and talk about their love for tea experiences.
My Next Virtual Meetup is this Saturday, May 23rd.
The topic will be about cheese: “Show & Tell” Cheese Lovers Social. Sorry, this meetup is already full. There is a growing Waitlist. I am happy to host a future virtual meetup. Please comment and tag me in the Cheese Lovers Social link.
What are “Show & Tell” Virtual Meetups?
My meetups are small in size because I use the free version of Google Hangouts, which has a maximum of up to 10 participants, including me, as the host. The purpose of my Saturday 1-hour virtual meetups is for the Local Guide, who wants to fully interact, “Show & Tell” their favorite things, with up to 9 other Local Guides.
, Farid.
