The Tea Atelier - NBlog

Wild Tea Trees

3/9/2018

Wild Tea Tree is different from Old Tea Tree. Wild Tea plants are a variety of tea plants growing naturally in the forest. The harvest of this tea plants is done by farmers/ minority ethnic groups leaving in the mountains. Wild tea was traditionally consumed by farmers, recently 10 - 15 years ago was introduced to the tea market and since then it has become a real income for remote villages located in the mountains and a specialty tea for the world of tea. These leaves can be processed into Wild black tea, Pu-erh and more recently into Wild white tea.I like to talk about a "Wild white tea". This tea is made with 1 bud and 3-4 leaves in order to get a stronger taste and sapidity which is the complexity of the tea.
Wild white tea is very rare and the management of the making process is crucial particularly the withering of the leaves. This step will bring floral and clean flavor to the tea. This tea is particularly sweet and fresh.

Artistic Movements and the Representation of Tea

26/3/2018

The relevance of tea in Western painting compositions is a palpable pleasure, a link between culture and art. Pictorial representations or tea and its elements in Western Art (Baroque, Victorian, Impressionist and Post-Impressionist) movements, capture moments of reflection, loneliness, entertainment and sensual pleasure, and elements of socialization, congregation and discussion. After the re-opening of trade between Europe and Japan (the 1860s) the art of Japanese influences French painting, especially to impressionists through its daily compositions, both in gardens or cities and their social rituals. The Japanese artists with great influence on the impressionists are Hokusai-Katsushika (1760-1849) Suzuki Harunobu (1724-1770) and Kitagawa Utamaro 91754-1806). The influence of K. Utamaro is reflected in the paintings of Mary Cassatt. The works of the impressionists and post-impressionists capture domestic, family and social daily activities of the artists and their surroundings. The compositions show imagines of people related to the artists, representing environments where people socialized, whether gardens, parks, interior houses, lounges, bedrooms with fine and elegant porcelain or silver tea games. In the paintings we look at the composition of the tea and its elements, especially involving women with their rituals of the everyday life and its social status.

EEUU –French – Impresionista – Mary Cassatt
Lady at The Tea Table - 1885

Henri Matisse – French-Post-Impresionista
Tea -1919

Lady at The Tea Table - 1885
Mrs Moore Riddle (aunt of Mary Cassatt). This painting covers the daily activities of women, their environments and their social life and surroundings in the 19th century. Without any doubt, the ritual of the tea is reflected in this painting

Tea -1919
This painting shows two women sitting at a table in the shade of some trees, in a quiet garden, in the afternoon. In this work the colour of the dress combines with the colour of the chair and its shoes, the colour of the contrasting table contrasts with the green and blue colours of the garden, creating an optical reality of freshness and tranquillity.

Liliana Algorry certified Tea Sommelier and Tea Blender

Earl Grey a Classic Perfumed Blend

13/3/2018

Earl Grey is one of the most popular perfumed blends, black tea and essential oil of bergamot. Earl Grey is a 19th-century blend recipe and the stories associated with its origen are several and no one knows which one is the true story. I like the story of the British Secretary at the time of Earl Grey premiership, is said to save the life of a mandarin and as a symbol of gratitude it was given the blend recipe to take home to the prime minister. Chinese have been flavouring teas for centuries with many different ingredients, but bergamot was never mentioned. The bergamot orange is a hybrid citrus fruit, from the Rutaceae family trees. The origin of this tree is not well known, it seems imported from the Americas by Christopher Columbus but it has also been found also in West Africa and Calabria (south of Italy), the look of the fruit is a pear shape, tangerine kind of look, bitter to eat and mainly used in the production of essential oil. The best essential oils are from fruit harvested from November to March, where fruits are picked, sorted and then by a mechanical process the essential oil is extracted from the bergamot skin. To produce 1 litre of essential oil, 200 kg of bergamots are required. Earl Grey is a fantastic tea to pair with a variety of baked tarts, dairy eggs, spices and chocolate.

Liliana Algorry - Certified Tea Sommelier and Blender.

www.theteaatelier.com.au

Tea and Food - What is pairing tea with food?

15/2/2018

It is the art of finding the best food for a particular tea or finding the best tea for a particular food, a true adventure in flavours. Tea is flexible, forgiving and complementary but why tea and food? because is the must pairing experience, as some of my students tell me, and because history tells that tea was used more as food than a beverage. In China they stew tea with spring onion, ginger, and orange peel. Some of the Chinese classic dishes are Smoked Duck, Tun Ting Shrimp and fish were stuffed with tea leaves before steaming. In 1191 tea was introduced to Japan from China by a Buddhist priest Eisai, the tea brought was a powdered "Matcha", the finest grade of Matcha Tea is used in Chanoyu, the Japanese tea ceremony. Japanese people used tea in broths and when making rice, a culinary-grade matcha is used in many Japanese sweets. When pairing tea and food, we need to consider the flavour profiles, aromatics and textures of tea and the dish. Tea is a palate cleanser and can be used for enhancing and complementing the food experience. Some teas due to the delicate flavour are best enjoyed as a beverage, rather than used in cooking. Culinary green teas generally pair well, with seafood and fish, and white chocolate. White teas due to the delicate flours and subtle sweetness can go well with butter cakes, shortbread and white chocolate and strawberries. A Black tea like Keemun from northern China can be rich and artsy, softer rounded pairs nicely with cheeses, vanilla chocolates, spicy food and fast food and if you like Smoky teas, an intense Lapsang Souchong from China combines fantastically well with sweet chocolate, chocolate cake, this tea creates an interesting dynamic of flavours. I do invite you to my workshop, to experience this naturally farmed ancient beverage and the best nutritious food.

Liliana Algorry - Tea Sommelier and Blender - The Tea Atelier. - Sydney - Australia

www.TheTeaAtelier.com.au

GAIWAN - Chinese way of steeping tea

11/2/2018

This is one of the best ways to infuse delicate teas, such as white, green and pu-erh, it is a ritual and no noise should be made while adding or removing the porcelain lid. A gaiwan set consists of a bowl, saucer, and lid that fits in the hand, having said that you'll find several sizes. Traditionally the liquid is drunk directly from the gaiwan and the lid is used to hold back the leaves. This is a cup was placed on my hand upon entering a Chinese home in the south of China. I noticed how the warm saucer in my hands warmed my fingers while the aroma of this gorgeous Oolong tea. As anything, practice is needed to be able to handle this cup properly. The saucer is held in place with the right thumb while the first two fingers of the right hand secure the knobbed lid. The lid is pushed back when stepping the tea so the leaves are kept in.This method of infusion is known in China since Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and it is used in China and by people who love this way of drinking tea.

Liliana Algorry - Tea Sommelier and Blender - The Tea Atelier - Sydney - Australia
www.TheTea.Atelier.comn.au

Sencha Tea not an elixir of immortality however a punch of health

25/10/2017

This Asamoni Sencha comes from naturally farmed gardens, no nitrogen fertiliser, no pesticide, inJapanese, Asamoni means light rolling. These leaves can be brewed more than any other needle shape Sencha tea. To produce this great tea and retain the fresh floral notes of the green tea leaf, the rolling and steaming process were minimised and the leaves withering process was carefully timed. This release it is very limited, do not miss on this great tea, order now.

http://www.theteaatelier.com.au/store/p58/Tsukigase_Asamoni_-__Sencha_Green_Tea__.html

Liliana Algorry - Tea Sommelier and Blender - The Tea Atelier - Sydney - Australia
www.TheTeaAtelier.com.au

Amstel Tea

29/3/2017

Amsterdam is one of the most romantic cities in the world, with more than a million bikes, great street food and the best afternoon tea served at The Amstel Hotel Lounge. The Amstel Hotel was the best hotel in 1867 and interesting enough, still a great hotel in town. The Lounge is where afternoon tea is served, an elegant traditional place. The rock starts of the Afternoon Tea are the teas: Darjeeling (Golden flowery Orange Pekoe), Long Jing, Oolong, Bali and Carcadet, each tea was paired very well with different food courses. The Service was elegant; the waitress was well trained and gave a brief but good description of the tea. The Sandwiches were served in a giant round bread loaf (a show stopper) filed with delicious salmon and egg sandwiches. The pastries were also delicious with a selection of macaroons, mandarin and chocolate tart; walnut cake and moka cream and the scones were just amazing.

Liliana Algorry - Tea Sommelier and Blender - The Tea Atelier - Sydney - Australia
www.TheTeaAtelier.com.au

Natural farming - Tea grown slowly produces safer and greater taste.

7/12/2016

Tea, herbs, fruit, grains and vegetables that grow slowly without fertiliser, are not only safer for us to eat but also produce tastier products than those using fertilisers. In Yunnan Province, China there are several farmers growing tea "the natural way" and those villages are located high in the mountains (altitude 1800-2000m). Some other farmers are producing tea “the organic way”. A tea produced at altitude and under natural farming produces products with great after taste like those of great wines. The difference between "organic farming" and "natural farming" is that natural farming do NOT use any kind of fertiliser/pesticides. Tea trees grown under harsh environment without fertilisers or pesticide produces smaller, ticker, elastic and yellowish leaves containing huge number of tiny cells. These cells will not crack during rolling process, will unroll briskly to its original shape, producing great taste and no broken leaves (this important when evaluating tea quality). The cells of poor tea is cracked during the rolling process and those leaves will takes a long time to unroll when brewing, consequently, the infusion will be tasteless. Organic farmer do apply "organic fertilisers" and also "organic pesticides” in most cases those fertiliser and pesticides have a high content of nitrogen, altering the tea taste and producing low quality products. I do strongly support "natural farming".

Liliana Algorry. - Tea Sommelier and Blender - The Tea Atelier - Sydney - Australia
www.TheTeaAtelier.com.au

Yerba Mate - Exotic taste

26/10/2015

Guarani people learned to enjoy Yerba mate and Spanish adopted this habit and remained unchanged through five centuries of history. In Argentina, mate is the most consumed drink second to tap water. A very invigorating herbal, great hot and cold. My mother used to prepare it cold excellent drink for summer days. This is a great pick me up drink; if you like caffeine this is your herb.
Dry leaf: Uniform, with no excess stems
Aroma: Aged Yerba mate is grassy and earthy
Color: Light green algae
Liquor texture and aroma: good presence in the mouth, earthy, grassy and slightly citrusy.

Liliana Algorry - Tea Sommelier and Blender - The Tea Atelier - Sydney - Australia