Rens Lavendar Milk Bubble Tea

 
I was at the Portland, Oregon food carts with my sister and her family.  This was my first trip to the food carts.  It was a lot of fun, there were at least 20 carts there.  There are several bubble tea carts there, http://www.foodcartsportland.com/?s=bubble+tea, the one I picked might be new... because it was not on the list.  I picked Rens Bubble Tea, because they had Lavender Milk Bubble Tea.

 
my favorite niece, Katie

Southwest 10th and Alder
 
 


 
check out all the fun flavors....

 
Katie enjoyed a fruit bubble smoothie



So excited to have another bubble tea, it makes me happy


Yummy Lavender Milk Bubble Tea


Caffe Piccolo Paradiso

 
I love Camas.  This is the seventh year I have come out to Washington to see my sister and her family.  I always love to shop in Camas.


 

Caffé Piccolo Paradiso

Coffee Shop and Wine Bar
309 NE Birch St. (btwn NE 3rd & NE 4th St.), Camas, WA 98607
360-834-7044
 

 


 
This is the second time I have been to this delightful café. 


 
this café has lots of fun yummy treats too!!!!!

 
I had a wonderful cup of chai and lemon curd scone.


 
It was a great Chai!!!

Petra House- tea

 
 
 
 
 
 
girls night out... we went out for Mediterranean tonight. It was so delicious.
 
 
my sister and niece

 
Arabic tea, $2.50
I asked if they sold the tea there, she said no.  she said it comes right from Jordan.




 (Side note: The teapot is held high in the air by the head of the household, and poured into the small glasses that have fresh mint inside of them. The height serves to make the tea bubble a bit on top)
 
Such a fun night sitting on floor and hanging out with my sister and niece.  I may try to hunt down some Jordan Arabic Tea now...
 
tea with baklava


BOBA Smoothie- bubble tea with Katie- 400th post!!!!

 
 
 
TODAY IS THE 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF MY BLOG!!! And this is my 400th  post!!!!

While in Seattle Washington this past weekend I had some of my favorite tea... Bubble Tea!!!  I discovered in back 2012 at the Portland Saturday Market.  I love love love it.  I know when I have a tea shop some day, we will sell Bubble Tea.

 
Boba Smoothie
Every day, the staff at Boba Smoothie blend fresh fruits and other ingredients to create smoothies, teas, and non-dairy milk teas. But the sweet flavors of fruit and tea aren't the drinks' only feature—the cups fill with chewy boba pearls, which add a burst of texture to every taste...

 
I got the coconut milk bubble tea with pineapple jellies. It was really good.  I think I may prefer the boba pearls  (or tapioca balls) in the tea better, but this was a fun change.  It was funny in this mall there were 3 bubble tea kiosks, in another mall we went to there was one bubble tea kiosks, and at home you can not find theses anywhere!!!!!

My niece Katie and I enjoying our bubble teas
 
Tukwila South Center Mall 2800 Southcenter Mall
Unit K1223
Tukwila, Washington 98188
206-244-2153
 



Mount of Olives Jerusalem Mint



 
I found this tea makes GREAT ice tea.  I put 4 bags in a gallon container and let it sit for at least 8 hours before I have any to drink.  Then I let the tea bags diet in the tea until I am finished with it.  Since it is an herbal tea the tea bags can sit in the water as long as you want and never get bitter.  I have been mixing more and more herbal mint teas together and finding some really delightful iced tea blends.  Remember to "PLAY WITH YOUR TEA!!"

new electric kettle and the importance of water temperatures.



I got this new great kettle for the office.  The water just would not get hot enough from the coffee dispenser.  And I prefer not to microwave my water.  At the Massillon Discount Store I got this tea kettle for under $20.00.

It is great, and the fun thing is that it turns colors as the water heats up. 

I am not putting a link to this Tea Kettle Company, because this particular tea kettle is no longer made, probably why I got such a great deal on it.  I added to the kettle a little note for people so they know what temperature they will want their water at for certain types of tea that they may be making.  IT IS SO IMPORTANT TO HAVE YOUR WATER AT THE RIGHT TEMPERATURE!!!   It does effect the way your tea will taste.









General Notes on How to Brew Tea First, try following the instructions your supplier gave you. If you're not fully satisfied, try using a lower temperature, brewing for more/less time or using more tealeaves.

When in doubt, use cooler water. Whereas teas can be ruined by water that's too hot, they are rarely hurt much by water a few degrees too cold. (Many British tea drinkers will likely disagree with me on that point. For the record, I'm referring to loose-leaf specialty tea that is to be consumed without milk or sugar.)

Boiling water and then letting it cool removes oxygen from the water and decreases the flavor of the tea. It's better to bring water up to (rather than down to) the appropriate temperature.

How to Brew White Tea
Most people agree that white tea should be brewed with water that is well below boiling and that higher temperatures will scald the tea. I generally use water that is around 160 degrees Fahrenheit (about 75 degrees Celsius), which is when tiny bubbles (about 3 mm each) form on the bottom of a pot of water on the stove.

How to Brew Green Tea
It's better to err on the side of lower temperatures with green teas. If your green tea tastes bitter or overly grassy, try brewing it at a lower temperature. Most green teas are best when brewed well below boiling temp (212 degrees Fahrenheit), at somewhere between 150 and 180 degrees Fahrenheit (about 65 to 80 degrees Celsius). If you're warming water in a pot, this means it will have either tiny bubbles forming in the bottom of the pot or tiny bubbles (about 3 mm) rapidly rising to the surface of the pot.

Steamed Japanese green teas tend to require lower temperatures than other green teas. Some scented or shaped green teas (like Jasmine Pearls) may be brewed at slightly higher temperatures. Yellow tea should be brewed much like green tea.

How to Brew Oolong Tea
The best temperature for brewing oolong tea depends on how you're preparing it. Gong fu brewing usually requires higher brew temperatures (as well as more leaves and very short brew times) compared to Western-style brewing.

For Western-style brewing, oolong tea is generally best when brewed between 190 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit (88 to 93 degrees Celsius). If you're looking at a pot of water in this temperature range, it will have bubbles that are about 5 mm in size and a moderate amount of steam.

How to Brew Black Tea
Some delicate black teas (like First Flush Darjeelings) require lower brewing temperatures of around 180 to 190 degree Fahrenheit (80 to 93 degrees Celsius). However, most black teas can be brewed between 200 and 212 degrees Fahrenheit (88 to 100 degrees Celsius). I usually use around 205 degrees Fahrenheit (which is just below boiling), whereas in the U.K. they tend to use 100 degrees Celsius (which is a full boil, as well as a small science joke).

When warming water in a pot, it will have small bubbles (between 4 mm and 8 mm) and a moderate to large amount of steam when it is between 190 and 200 degrees Fahrenheit. By the time it has reached 212 degrees Fahrenheit, it will have very large bubbles, with no small bubbles remaining.

How to Brew Pu-erh Tea
Some say that pu-erh tea should be brewed with fully boiling water (which is, as you may remember, 212 degrees Fahrenheit, 100 degrees Celsius, and a presence of very large bubbles and no small bubbles in the pot). I find that brewing most pu-erhs with temperatures around 205 degrees Fahrenheit (96 degrees Celsius) is optimal.

Whereas fully boiling water has no small bubbles, water at 205 degrees Fahrenheit has a mix of smaller and larger bubbles.

How to Brew Herbal Teas / Tisanes
Tisanes (a.k.a. 'herbal teas') come from many different plants, so their brewing instructions vary widely. A few (like catnip and yerba mate) should not be steeped in water that is fully boiling. Others (like fennel seed) should be boiled to release their full flavor. (Actually boiling teas or tisanes creates a decoction rather than an infusion.) However, generally speaking, water at a full boil (212 degrees Fahrenheit or 100 degrees Celsius) will work


http://coffeetea.about.com/od/teaandtisanebasics/a/TeaBrewingTemperatures.htm

Zhenas Raspberry Earl



 


Black Tea Stackable

Black tea tin stackable sampler. Each sampler contains four embossed recyclable air tight tins containing four sachets of 100% certified fair trade and organic tea for 16 total sachets. Flavors include: Peach Ginger, Coconut Chai, Raspberry Earl and Gypsy Rose.
 



Peach Ginger: Biodynamic, Ceylon & Indian Black tea made with organic ginger root and organic peach flavor.
Coconut Chai: Indian black tea, organic cinnamon, ginger, cardamom pods, whole cloves, orange peels, nutmeg, org. black pepper, organic cinnamon essential oil and organic coconut flavor
Raspberry Earl: Biodynamic, Ceylon & Indian Black tea, with Italian Bergamot, Freeze-Dried Raspberries and organic raspberry flavor.
Gypsy Rose: Chinese Black Tea, Red and Pink Rose Petals and organic natural flavors

 
While visiting my sister in Vancouver she had this fun tea to try. 
I had the Raspberry Earl, it was very tasty. 

Lipton Bavarian Wild Berry Black tea

 
I love it when companies come out with the sachet bag!  It really does help give the tea more flavor.  The tea leaves can move around better.
 
I liked this tea warm or cold.  It has a nice fruity flavor.  I did not get a overwhelming sense of one particular fruit, but it was just a nice fruity flavor. 
 

Bavarian Wild Berry Black Tea

Brew a cup of pure, black Lipton® Tea infused with the vibrant flavor and robust aroma of sweet, wild berries in this delicious blend that contains tea flavonoids.

 



ARGO Ginger Peach



Ginger Peach Loose Leaf Tea - 4.4oz

Dawn picked up this tea when she was in Chicago and she let me try some.  I rather enjoyed it.  I still refer the Argo White Peach to this, but it still was good.

Product Details

Black tea blended with spicy ginger and sweet peaches
  • Net Wt 4.4oz - Packed in recyclable glass bottle
  • Makes about 52 servings
  • All natural black tea
  • Premium loose leaf tea
Price: $12.95
http://www.argoteastore.com/Ginger-Peach-Loose-Leaf-Tea/dp/B001JTES40