Tea cookies, Springerle Lemon Anise Cookies

I have to say I did not think Barley was gluten when I bought these cookies.  I was thinking just flour...this avoiding gluten thing is new for me.

So, I guess no more of these delightful treats for me.

I do love the taste though.  The lemon and the anise are so warming and delicious.

But, they are great with tea!!!

I picked them up at Ohio Tea in Canton.

What are your favorite cookies with tea??  Biscotti? Milano???  Please share.

 Psalm 96:3

Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all the peoples!

Harney Tea

Having company for Sunday lunch, so I am using my Spode dishes. I bought 30 Spode pieces at a second hand shop for $16!!!  They are fall looking, so I figured it was the perfect time to use them.

I love to use the special dishes for everyday use.  Like my mom always says, use them now and don't save them for the next wife.  This does not apply to me... since I am not married, but if I have the dishes I am going to use them.  And growing up from time to time my mom and dad would use the special plates for special occasions and I always loved it.  And when we get together for tea, she does often get out the special tea sets.  My favorite tea set is the one that my dad sent my mom when he was in Germany for the Army before they were married.

I actually got rid of all my other dishes and I only use antiques.  I kept one plate that I can put in the microwave, but other than that plate, my dishes are all over 50 years old.  

I have been using FACTOR meals for awhile and they are great.  Well, on Saturday night I realized I had two extra meals left over, so I invited parents for lunch after church.

I know it is probably really bad form to use vintage Spode dishes and then serve out of the plastic microwave dishes...but it cuts down on hand washing...

I made three of the dishes and then we all shared them.  I have been so pleased with the FACTOR meals.  The sodium is high and I don't care for that aspect.  But, the ease of cooking is fantastic.

I did two Harney & Sons teas for this lunch.

We drank iced tea with our main meal.  I made the Cranberry Autumn tea iced and it was delicious.

The cranberry and orange flavors pair so well together.    Iced Tea is so easy to make- you make regular tea and then refrigerate.  Really, it is that easy!!

I will take my gallon pitcher and add 1/3 C sugar, then steep 8-9 tsp of tea in hot water ( I put the tea in a tea bag or trainers).  I will only add enough hot water to cover the tea leaves.  I let it steep for 10 minutes and then pull out the tea leaves.  I will fill the remaining pitcher with cold water and refrigerate.  

Black tea, hibiscus, cranberry, orange pieces, cranberry flavor, orange flavor. Contains natural flavors.

https://www.harney.com/products/cranberry-autumn?srsltid=AfmBOopvHhPkpDcwseA3Kokc19EDCAUbH9mPTkOk6oPilKf3Vc7ZwQwq

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For dessert, I made the Soho tea.  This is one of my favorite teas.  I think it is could be dessert in and of its self. 

I love the chocolate and coconut flavors together.  You also get the vanilla flavors that subtly come in at the end.  It is so decadent and rich.  We ate Pepperidge Farm Milano Mint Cookies with this tea.  It was an outstanding pairing.

Black tea, chocolate flavor, coconut flavor, amaranth petals, vanilla flavor. Contains natural flavors.

https://www.harney.com/products/soho-blend-chocolate-coconut?srsltid=AfmBOorPAUd-1ro2nzSvex9HuXk-THoXmN9D2fW_PzjZw85j4T5Hy10r

Psalm 96:3

Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all the peoples!

 

Learning about tea at Ohio Tea

 

I always jump at the chance to learn more about tea.  And Ohio Tea does a great job with their classes.  I have been to a Chai class, a Gawain Class, and a tea tasting tea class there. I always pick up nuggets of information at these events.

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This time was an education tea sampling class!!

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Not much gets me up before 8 on a Saturday excepts things like geocaching with my nephews...or tea!!!

We started out with the lightest tea and worked our way up the caffeine tree...and actually down the tea plant.

White tea, leaves plucked from the very top of the tree.

https://www.ohioteaco.com/Pai-Mu-Tan-White_p_300.html

Pai Mu Tan is on the bolder side when it comes to white teas, with a fresh, herby, and sweet aroma and flavor notes of fruit or jam. This tea is harvested in the early spring and is known for its hand-harvesting ratio of two leaves to one unopened bud.

 This tea is from China.  It is a light tasting tea and known for it's calming properties.

I am in my glory.

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We then move to a green tea.

We looked at two green teas- one from Japan and one from China.  We went with the Sencha from Japan when it came to taste testing.

Kurt first made it and over heated the water...you can see the tea sedimate in the water.  The second cup was made correctly.

The tastes were night and day different.  The one where the hot was too hot was just awful.  It was bitter and so astringent.  The after taste in my mouth was awful!!!  Just shows how important water temp is when brewing tea.

Japanese green teas are steamed to dry.

Chinese green teas are pan fried to dry.

Xi Hu Long Jing is the green tea from China that we just looked at and compared with the Sencha.  Sencha is what we actually drank.

https://www.ohioteaco.com/Sencha-Organic_p_742.html

Our organic Japanese Sencha is produced from a combination of first and second harvest leaves. This classic Japanese tea constitutes over 80% of tea consumption in Japan and is generally considered the best green tea in the world. The biggest factors that determine the flavor and appearance of different types of sencha are the harvest and steaming time, our Sencha is characterized by a grassy aroma and a mildly sweet vegetal flavor that is slightly savory with a clean mineral finish.

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Next is my favorite...Oolong. 

There are so many kinds of oolong...  oolong falls between the green and the black tea in the caffeine meter.  

https://www.ohioteaco.com/Strong-Fire-Oolong-_p_629.html

Grown at an altitude of 1,100 meters in central Taiwan, Strong Fire is a highly roasted oolong made from the Tie Guan Yin tea plant cultivar. In the process of making Strong Fire, only the most mature, hardy leaves are plucked. A deep roast is given to complete the processing yielding a full-bodied texture, toasty aroma, and a bittersweet chocolate flavor.

                    

We did the Strong Fire Oolong.  I have to say this one was strong.  Stronger than I may prefer, the roasted flavors did remind me almost of coffee.   As you can see Kurt is showing us the three leaves after the tea is steeped...showing this is a quality tea. 

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Then we moved to the black teas.

We first tried the Irish Breakfast and it was too bold for me.  I was not really a fan.

https://www.ohioteaco.com/Irish-Breakfast_p_58.html

Our Orange Pekoe grade Irish Breakfast is made from a classic blend of Indian and Chinese teas that produces a wonderfully brisk blend. Many fans of English Breakfast transition to Irish Breakfast due to its bolder nature and increased amount of tannins.

Then we did the Yunnan Gold and I like that one much better.

https://www.ohioteaco.com/Yunnan-Gold-_p_230.html

Yunnan Gold (also known as Dian Hong) is a high end gourmet black tea that is especially wonderful. It has notes of milk chocolate and pepper, as well as a natural apricot-toned sweetness despite being unflavored. This tea has a smooth, silky mouthfeel and brews to a bright red liquid.

The most substantial difference between this tea and other Chinese black teas is the amount of fine leaf buds, or "golden tips," present in the dried tea.

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We looked at Pue'rh tea and ended up trying a tea cake.  (Pue'rh is the region- they are also called Dark teas and then can be from anywhere)

We talked about how with most tea aging is not a good thing, but with the dark teas or Pue'rh teas, aging makes it better.

Kurt put the tea cake in the Gaiwan and added some water to it to wake it up and get it to bloom.  Then he poured the water off.  We tried, Sticky Rice Pu'erh.

I have to say I tried Sticky Rice before and I thought it was awful and very salty.  But, when Kurt made it, I thought it was great.  I am wondering if I rinsed it first???

Kurt poured a cup for each of us individually.  He used the Gaiwan to pour from.

https://www.ohioteaco.com/Sticky-Rice-Pu-erh_p_826.html

Sticky Rice Pu-erh is stored with an herb (Nuo Mi Xiang) for several months so that it soaks up the aroma and flavor of sticky rice. The ending result is like nothing you have ever tasted in tea before, smooth, earthy, and of course sticky rice.

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We lastly tried the tea with the highest caffeine level- a green with more caffeine than a black tea.  I did not even know this was possible.

https://www.ohioteaco.com/Gyokuro-Green-Tea_p_298.html

Often regarded as the finest tea in Japan, Gyokuro has a characteristic umami flavor that is freckled with sweet undertones. The leaves of the tea plant that produced Gyokuro are shaded at least three weeks prior to harvest, in the same way that matcha is developed. However, the post-harvest processing is more similar to sencha resulting in a tea with a deep green color, translucent emerald-like liquor, rich flavor, and higher caffeine level than most green teas.

We tried Gyokuro Green Tea.  Kurt served from the Japanese tea pot, Kyusu.  The handle is on the side so that when you are pouring, you can pour from the side, so you never turn your back to the guests.

The gal you see behind the counter is the artist of one of these paintings.  So much talent!!

Psalm 96:3
Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all the peoples!