Day 5: Detox (read: Cresting Cranes of Legend)

Day 5 brought excitement in the Brooke/Stacey abode, as we were ready for something to perk us up this cold morning… yet… we didn’t like what we found.

Brooke: Detox?! Nooooooo!!!

Detox is a tea that we’ve reviewed before (click here to read our thoughts on the brew). We both agreed Detox is best served when sick because of the hints of lemongrass and chamomile. Since we were both not sick today, we saved it for a time in need and, instead, reviewed a tea we own but haven’t discussed yet: Nourish Tea’s tasty Cresting Cranes of Legend. Enjoy something new from your Tea Connoisseurs!

Tea: Cresting Cranes of Legend

Description: white bai mu dan is a classic Chinese white tea grown in the Chinese province of Fujian (where the best white tea in the world is grown) high up in the misty mountains. You can’t get closer to the whole fresh leaf than with white tea. Open the tin and you’ll witness for yourself how lovely and large a whole white tea leaf can be – “cresting cranes of legend” is honestly beautiful just to look at, especially as it steeps. With the highest in anti-oxidants and the lowest in caffeine of all teas, this velvety-smooth tea will win you over the minute it hits your lips.
Ingredients: White tea. (that’s IT! :))

—

Stacey: Mmm, I love white tea. It’s always so tasty. This is delicious!
Brooke: Here, André, you try some, too.
André: Oh that’s nice! It’s very light.
Brooke: Yeah, it is very “smooth and velvet-y”, eh? So subtle and simple.
Stacey: No artificial flavours or anything, either.
Brooke: Get your morning dose of antioxidants, people!
André: Tell me, oh Brooke science-y girl, how do antioxidants work?
Brooke: WELL, exposure to oxygen can break down atoms in cells, causing un-paired electrons (“free radicals”) to form, which suck for cells because free radicals poke around at other molecules, who wanna be left alone (like DNA!). Any chemicals that can donate an electron to these radicals have “antioxidant” properties because they stop the free radical bullying going on in your cells! They’re your cell’s first line of defense.
André: Oh! So it’s super hero tea.
Brooke: Yes.

Tea Vibes:

With the voice-type feature turned on Stacey’s phone, our opinions became a bit muddled: 

Brooke: Detox tea makes me feel sick! But this newish white tea makes me feel right at home. I love it and I’m glad we have it. Elan 210!
Stacey: I have to be with Brooke reading detox tea. Am I really, like, the nearest? I had the other day with a friend of mine and I’m so excited for my walk to work. Alright, I am on Thames.

And there you have it! Nourish Tea is a great company that we LOVE and deserves some attention, too. If you’re ever interested in giving one of their teas a try, stop on over. We’ve got LOTS. : )

Until next tea,
Brooke and Stacey

Did you learn something new today?

Warming Chamomile

Hello tea enthusiasts!

After a busy weekend of boxing to raise money for CHEO and receiving my Master’s degree, I was ready for a little R&R and, of course, some tea. On Sunday evening Brooke suggested we break out nourishtea’s Warming Chamomile and bake some apple scones; I was more than happy to oblige. After a few hiccups with baking (soy milk instead of milk, not enough butter, Brooke wanting to put in apple even though she is allergic [really, Brooke?]), we were ready to eat…er, drink!

Tea Description: This wonderful chamomile originates from the land of the pyramids. Authentic Egyptian chamomile has been used for centuries to help relax the mind, relieve stress and bring tranquility. We have selected only the finest chamomile flowers for our tins for the most flavor, fragrance and beauty (all necessary for the perfect cup of chamomile). We invite you to stop what you’re doing… turn of your iphone or blackberry, settle into a good book, and enjoy a cup of warming chamomile. It’s like no other. (Just pop open this tin and experience the overpowering fragrance of these enormous flowers…).

Stacey: Ooooh I like these scones.
Brooke: Can we go for a walk after this?
Stacey: Yes, Brooke, I haven’t forgotten. (She had asked me earlier).
Brooke: The scones are kind of bland and uncooked. I liked it when we rolled them out better: 4/10 would not bake again. I think I’ll go back to my recipe. Oh sorry, I keep eating your scone.
Stacey: Why are you still eating them if you think they are bad?
Brooke: Oh. … I don’t have an answer for that.
Stacey: Well, this certainly smells like chamomile.

*Sip*

Brooke: Stacey, what are you doing?
Stacey: I was pretending to put on a blanket.
Brooke: It just looked like a dance. A Stacey dance. Were you putting on the blanket like this?
Stacey: So the tea!
Brooke: It’s niceeee. It’s beautiful. Just soft and delicate. Light airy. Ducks: flying in the wind.  Wait scratch that last bit. I love how crystal clear the tea is. It’s like you’re drinking flowers, which you essentially are. What do you think Stacey?
Stacey: It’s quite soothing.
Brooke: I really like it. I was worried because often chamomile reminds me of a “sick tea”. But it is a nice after dinner tea. Also in first year, I thought it was called Camembert tea.
Stacey: Oh, like the cheese?
Brooke: I’m a bit of a dork.
Stacey: I agree that it’s an end of the day tea. It would go really well with a thunderstorm and a good book. It’s really crisp and soothing.
Brooke: The aroma is just so delicate.
Stacey: Like you are in a field of flowers. It’s not sweet. It’s just—
Brooke: Yeah, I like that!
Stacey: …

Tea Vibes:

Brooke: Hands down my favourite chamomile tea to date. Light, airy, doesn’t weigh you down. It’s so crisp and clear. It makes a great end of your day tea. We’ll be sharing this with our tea loving pals (Lana, MK, looking at you!) very soon. 8.5/10

Stacey: Secretly I was worried about drinking this tea because I’ve had other versions of chamomile that have not agreed with my seasonal allergies. While my throat is a little scratchy, the flavour tea more than made up for it. This is a wonderful herbal that does not have any extra flavours to it. Simply yummy! 8/10

Final Thoughts

Apparently people who are allergic to ragweed shouldn’t drink chamomile tea…whoops! But hey, Brooke had apple and didn’t die either. I’d say that’s a successful tea break.

Until next tea,
Stacey and Brooke

Ducks: flying in the wind.

The Duke of Earl

Hello readers!

Stacey and Brooke here to bring you another nourishtea delight with yet another special guest. Our good friend Kyle is staying with us for a few days while he ties up loose ends (like you know, defending his Master’s thesis) and while he was here we decided to start our day with a little Duke of Earl (Grey).  Side note: we have attempted to review this tea three times now and each time we have had trouble coming up with a proper review. We think that it comes down to simplicity. There is not a lot to comment about this tea because it’s what you would expect- a simple Earl Grey that keeps you going.

Tea: nourishtea the Duke of Earl

Tea Description: nourishtea earl grey comes exclusively from Sri Lanka (of course). The leaves are grown on steep terrain and unusually high altitudes. The processing of red teas requires full oxidation, and the specific Italian bergamot oil used on our tea leaves creates an incredible citrus aroma, with no bitter after taste at all. From the moment you crack open the tin, the aroma of our earl grey over powers you… it’s an amazing product and an obvious staple for the kitchen.

Kyle: Tomorrow I start with a new blanket.
Stacey: Love that mug!
Brooke: It’s perfect considering we need to clean that couch we got from kijiji…

*Sip*

Brooke: Mmm, this is nice, I like it! It still has that bitterness to it like an Earl Grey tea would. But it may have been steeped too long…?
Stacey: Yeah, I think it steeped it for almost 10 minutes…whoops!
Kyle: It’s not as fruity as some Earl Greys I’ve had.
Stacey: I want this to be a London Fog right now.
Brooke: Well we have soy milk and vanilla extract…?
Stacey: Nope!
Brooke: I feel like this is a get your stuff done tea; not a “start you day” tea or “unwind tea”.
Kyle: Yeah, it puts hair on your chest.
Stacey: Hey, I wonder where the name of “Earl Grey” came from…
Brooke: Wait… is Duke and Earl the same thing?
Kyle: I think so.
Stacey: So the name “the Duke of Earl” doesn’t really make sense then…
Kyle: This tea kind of reminds me of a standard Orange Pekoe. It’s like Brooke said, it’s very strong.
Brooke: I don’t know this tea tastes like viscount tea to me!

*Fast forward two days when Brooke and I decide try the tea again and I steep it for the right amount of time*

Brooke: Oh this is muuuuch better.
Stacey: I agree, much lighter today.  Ahh, now that’s a good tea.

Tea Vibes

Brooke: This kind of tea should be steeped for no more than 5 minutes or else you risk getting the bitterness we got initially. I think we should try making a London Fog using this one. This tea is a good tea for experimenting because it’s a good base. I would offer it to my people but I am not going to rave about it. It’s what you ask for.  7/10

Stacey: I definitely agree—trying this as a London Fog is a must. It’s an awesome Earl Grey, and has that organic taste that we have come to expect from nourishtea. It’s a delicious cup of tea that I would recommend to avid Earl Grey tea drinkers. 8/10

Final Thoughts

Congrats to Kyle on successfully defending his Master’s thesis! Come back for a tea any time…

Until next tea,
Stacey and Brooke

“Nah, all you need is some Duke of Earl tea.”

Crimson Rooibos

Hi readers!

We’re onto another nourish tea delight as we continue through our stash.  Today we sat down with our good friend MK to ponder how nourish tea thinks a rooibos should be. Spoiler: delicious.

Tea: Nourish tea Crimson Rooibos

Tea Description: Rooibos grows within the Cedarburg Mountains of South Africa. It’s caffeine free, low in tannins and bursting with anti-oxidants. The unpolluted waters, mountain air and rich soils of the region, gives it an earthy tone – and you can even pick up a hint of vanilla. Intrigued yet? Try this beautiful treat and you’ll see why red rooibos is a fave of tea drinkers across North America.

—

We made up a quick pot and MK was very excited to get started.

MK: So… Can I drink this yet?

Brooke: Oh sure. WAIT! You’ve been drinking it!! What do you think?

MK: It… tastes like rooibos?

Stacey: Look how crimson it is!

MK: I’m not disappointed by the colour but it could be more crimson. It’s kind of orange-y. Like LB broth in the incubator a little too long.

Stacey: ?

MK: Science!

Brooke: Wait! Who has the inspirational mug?

Stacey: Oh, I do. I cried when I got it from Kat. I was having such a bad day at the time.

Brooke: A good mug makes a tea that much better : )

Stacey: Agreed. Wow, this is definitely just straight rooibos, no other flavours at all. Of course, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I’m just so used to DavidsTea that it feels like something is missing, though.

MK: Vanilla or spice?

Stacey: Yes, well it’s definitely pure. You can taste the organic. Do you think honey would go well? Cinnamon?

MK: A shot? Can I talk? I think this is the type of tea that you would basically just pour and drink. It’s good, it’s tea, you don’t really think about it. You’re sharing it with people. A good tea for what we’re doing right now- just hanging.

Stacey: I’m already two thirds done!

MK: Me too! It’s a sip-able-hanging-out-enjoying-your-time tea. Not knocking your socks off but that’s okay.

Brooke: I haven’t even tasted it yet, guys.

MK: Well??

Brooke: Ooh. Mmm!  You know, I had a love-hate relationship with rooibos because we would leave the DavidsTea loose leaf in the sink and it would make the whole kitchen smell…

Stacey: Our bad.

Brooke: …But this! Oh this! I really love it and I appreciate  how simple it is.

Stacey: It’s nice to have this simple tea. I’m really enjoying it.

MK: Man, you guys are like tea dealers. You have every kind.

Stacey: Wait, are we going to deal you tea?

MK: Yeah, you’ll come up and be like “hey, you want me to make me a cup? Huh?”

Brooke: Who wants more?

—

We’ve begun to realize that nourish tea takes pride in their teas as the purest forms. No tricks, no added flavours, just the tea straight as it should be. Though we didn’t have the chance to really produce any thoughtful tea vibes during this session, we all agreed on one thing: nourish tea is set on giving their customers a purely tea experience with no gimmicks or gags. If you’ve never tried a rooibos before, this one is a great example of the base and its unique flavours.  Give it a try!

Brooke: Mk, want some for the road?
MK: Total tea dealers, guys.

Next up- Duke of Earl!

Until next tea,

Brooke and Stacey (and MK)

❤ 

Sun-Soaked Darjeeling

Hi readers!

Welcome to another episode of tea connoisseurs. Stacey and I have been bustling away and dipping into our nourishtea supply like mad and haven’t even had the chance to tell you all about how much we love it. Here’s a mini post about darjeeling but all we can really say is that you should try it. Because Mmm.

Tea: Sun-Soaked Darjeeling

Nourish Tea’s Description: Our Darjeeling is a wonderful black tea that is grown on the sunny peaks of the Himalayas in India. The labor intensive production process of Darjeeling tea makes it a loved and well respected tea by connoisseurs the world over – as it produces an exceptionally complex brew with a bright and fruity finish. This is the tea for those who desire the finer, fuller-bodied black tea after dinner.  If you love a good cup of black tea (the kind enjoyed with milk and sugar) this sun-soaked tea needs to be in the mix. Although, we recommend that you try it alone. It’s that good.

*Sip*

Stacey: Ooh. I feel like this tea would be the kind that would go very well with milk.
Brooke: We have milk.
Stacey: Not for me, for other people. I don’t like milk in my tea.
Brooke: You’re weird.
Stacey: It’s a good full bodied black tea.
Brooke: Yeah, I think my Dad would approve of this one because he liked the DAVIDsTEA English Breakfast. I don’t want it to be a placebo effect but I can definitely taste the ‘organic’ factor here.
Stacey: Yeah, I agree, it’s like the green we tried from Nourish Tea, it’s very clean and pure.
Brooke: It totally beats the breakfast tea from DAVIDsTEA. It’s nice and smooth.
Stacey: Yeah, I really like how smooth it is, you’re right. Even drinking it black it isn’t bitter at all. It goes down very nicely. It has a nice exotic flavour to it too…not sure if I’m just saying that because it’s from India.
Brooke: It is a good, hearty, wake-you-up-in-the-morning tea that won’t bowl you over.
Stacey: Bowl?
Brooke: You know, bowl. Knock  over.
Stacey: Oh.

Stacey brought out Greek powdered almond cookies to have with the tea. 

Stacey: So… thoughts?
Brooke: It tastes like 300% sugar with the texture of a chalky cloud.
Stacey: So you don’t like it?
Brooke: I don’t dislike it, it’s just weird.
Stacey: Aw.
Brooke: This tea however is fabulous! There is more for another cup, eh?
Stacey: Yes! Me too!

—

Tea vibes:

Brooke: I wouldn’t want this mix every day because I am not necessarily a huge fan of simple black tea but it is the perfect black tea. It is so clean, nothing added, nothing modified and no extra bits in there. I do really enjoy it; I am looking forward to offering it our guests. 8/10

Stacey: How often do we have guests? In any case, this is simple and delicious. I’m happy. ‘Nuff said. 8.5/10

Sorry it’s a short one, but we honestly just drank our teas and grinned the whole time while I choked on my Greek almond cookie. Be safe with your food, people!

Until next tea,

Brooke and Stacey

A mouthful of chalk or a tasty treat?

The Emerald Path

Hello patient readers!

With the warm weather comes busy bees and Stacey and I have been working non-stop here in Ottawa. Luckily last weekend we were able to sit down with our good friend Alana and finally open one of our teas from nourishtea. Boy, were we ever in love. Enjoy!

Nourish Tea: The Emerald Path
Description: Certified Organic Maojian Green Tea

mao jian is one of china’s ten most famous teas and is a classic Chinese style of green tea with two thousand years of history.  It’s also one of nourishtea’s sixteen most famous teas. This open leaf style tea is hand-picked and pan-fired, creating an exquisite & complex hand-crafted brew, with an incredibly sweet smell. It’s a wonderful introduction to green tea, as it is light and vaguely sweet. Of course, like all green teas, rest assured that you’ll be immersed in its anti-oxidants. This is far and away a favorite in the nourishtea pantry.

—

Tea preparation: 1 tsp per cup, 80C water for 2-3 minutes! Very important that the water is warm and the steep is light on green teas such as this.

Brooke:  It’s Kosher, people.
Alana: I feel like I had a dream about Jewish people.
Stacey: I think I’m going to want sushi after this.
Alana: What does that smell remind me of?
Stacey: Sushi.

*sip*

Alana: That’s green tea alright. That’s nice. It’s just light.
Stacey: I think it’s nice to come off of the DavidsTea base.
Brooke:  I can definitely taste the difference from this and the Japanese Sencha. It’s soft and airy like a wafer.
Stacey: We need those. The strawberry kind.
Alana: A norweigan stroopwafel!
Brooke: I would drink this a lot more than the other heavier sencha. This is so nice.
Alana: I find that you have to have a light green more often than dark.
Stacey: I can definitely have this on a regular basis.
Alana: Yeah, like when you wake up in the morning.
Stacey: Yeah, it’s like “I’m gonna wake you up”. Oooh I think nourishtea is going to be fun!

/rant about blueberry pancakes, murder mystery parties, and work/

Alana: I’m getting a very pleasantly warm feeling in my sinuses.
Stacey: Oh! It’s medicinal! I do feel healthier with every sip.
Brooke: Alright, no.
Stacey: A little too far?
Alana: But it’s so fun!

Tea Vibes:

Stacey: I really like this one, it doesn’t make me want to have sushi, which is actually nice. It’s one of those teas I would enjoy on a regular basis. It’s a good fresh spring tea, too. There are no strong flavours that overpower anything, it’s very balanced. Overall, this tea is very nice and makes me content. 8.5/10

Alana: It’s a nice clean, simple tea. I don’t think it’s an everyday tea because it’s too light, but every time I take a sip I see myself sitting somewhere enjoying wherever I am. I wish I could tell you where that is, but I don’t even know. 7.5/10

Brooke: Congratulations to nourishtea for impressing us right off the bat. What a delightful, light tea that does have that hint of sweetness that the other green teas either lacked or pushed too far. I’m really excited that we have so much of this so that we can continue to enjoy it on a regular basis. 8/10

Final thoughts:

 Alana: Stroopwafels for all!

Thank you nourishtea for such a delicious treat. We’ve already offered pots of this tea to our visitors and have received rave reviews back. Look for our next post soon on their tasty Darjeeling!

Until next tea,

Brooke and Stacey (and Alana)

“Well we can’t both wear this hat to the party.”