Agony of the Leaves

Starbucks and tea - round 2, Apple Chai

2009-01-11T23:26:00.000-08:00

Do you like apples? And cloves? Then you will love this beverage. It tastes like what I imagine those holiday decorations taste like - at least the cloves in apple holiday decorations. Not sure if the buzz afterward was sugar or highly masked black tea. Didn't taste like tea. Maybe clove tea. Bah.

two out of a possible ten.

Starbucks and tea - round 1, London Fog

2009-01-10T18:25:00.000-08:00

If you live in the US and have a Starbucks nearby, you may have noticed their newest campaign "Welcome to Tea Time at Starbucks". The new menu items feature tea + milk, as well as tea + juice.

I'm in Vegas this weekend, rockin' a bit of jetlag and requiring a regular jolt of caffeine to function somewhat human-like. Without the caffeine, I don't make clear decisions.

So I ordered the "London Fog" at the Starbucks in my hotel.

+$3.00 for a cup of hot milk with a Earl Grey teabag in it. Granted, a teabag that contained what appeared to be a more full leaf version of Tazo's Earl Grey, but a teabag just the same. Being in a daze, I didn't even notice the bag was still in the cup until I finished the beverage about 15 minutes later.

I really want to tell you I was impressed. I want to say that Starbucks has nailed it, and now tea drinking can make sense to and impress the masses. But so far, I'm pretty underwhelmed. Tomorrow morning I'll give another tea menu item a try, and maybe ask the barista what was supposed to be so fantastic about the drink I had today.

four out of ten. flavor was expected, but this beverage was nothing special. could have made it at home.

Adagio Teacast

2009-01-09T05:32:00.000-08:00

This is a "podcast" I did for Adagio Teas a couple years back. Figured I'd share - enjoy!

Thou Shalt Not Covet...9/6/08

2008-09-06T09:35:00.000-07:00

I have a lovely collection of tea accessories that allow me, for the most part, to brew my teas based on proper temperature and timing - and in some cases based on origin of the tea. But there are some items that, well, I don't need but would love to have. Can't help it.

Sandalwood Tea Tray from Red Blossom Tea

How beautiful is that! I have a yixing pot that would be so happy on that table. Could probably use my gaiwan tasting set on it as well. Speaking of gaiwans...

Jade Blossom Gaiwan from Red Blossom Tea

What beautiful lines! It appears as though there are celedon tones to the china as well - which would make my oolongs look so lovely.

So yeah, just a simple entry about what I've been coveting lately. Will post more as I come across em'

The Tea Appreciation Society

2008-08-19T05:28:00.000-07:00

http://www.teaappreciationsociety.org

I recently found this group on Facebook. The authors of the site are a group of designers based out of the UK that seem to enjoy, well, design and tea. The group has grown to a worldwide collection of people who appear to be passionate about their art, and tied together by this and the good beverage.

No apparent affiliation with any other "formal" tea associations or societies. The blog is interesting, and collection of artists, movies clips and musicians featured are small but diverse. Overall the site succeeds in its goal - promotion of artistic endeavors and a good cup of tea.

The site also promotes membership packs (with fee) and other merchandise. Their logos – simple and clean, are available on t-shirts, mugs, teapots, pins and bags. I'd wear their stuff readily. They also appear to sell tea as well. It's a damn dirty shame that ordering and shipping their stuff stateside is a small fortune.

The Tea Appreciation Society can be found on MySpace, Facebook and Bebo, as well as on their site (duh).

This is long overdue

2008-08-19T05:19:00.000-07:00

Hello!

In my current life I am a burgeoning goddess of online advertising and marketing. But in a former life I was a professional tea expert. This blog is an effort to bridge the gap between my day to day life and my sense of sanity. To "infuse" them together, so to speak (I'm here all week, folks. Try the chicken and tip the barkeep). Thanks for visiting - I'll try to keep it real.

Aj