Category Archives: Loose leaf tea

Would You Drink Anti-Aging Tomato Tea?

I rarely review teas on this blog (would you like to see more of this? Send me a comment.)

When I picked up this tea, I had to share my thoughts with you as it was truly a unique experience. Say hello to TOMATINO from the Gryphon Tea Company!

My first reaction was similar to yours – WHAT?

A Tomato tea? Who would ever drink this? The sommelier in me however became curious. If they are selling it, it must be drinkable. At least I can warn people to stay away from this brew. And I have a lot of respect for Gryphon for developing excellent teas. Gryphon is known for excellent high quality teas and was founded in Singapore in 2006 linked to a family tea importer almost 100 years ago.

So I gave it a try and boy was I surprised. Let me first tell you a bit about the composition of this tea. It is actually not a tea but an infusion, a tisane. In the tea industry normally only if the plant camellia sinensis is included, it can be called a tea, otherwise it is an infusion or tisane. The tea industry is relaxed about this and you will find many “teas’ which do not really have any tea plant inside.

Tomatino

The base for this infusion is Organic South African bush tea, rooibos (Afrikaans for red bush). I love this plant, often used similar to traditional tea and has a hibiscus sweet like taste. The rooibos is then blended with organic honey bush, apple, tomato, carrot, beetroot, cinnamon and orange peel, creating its blend no. 268. Quite a complex blend with many different flavors and textures. The mastery of a good blend is to find the right mix of ingredients based on how their taste will diffuse into the water, creating the final drink. Some ingredients only need very little to explode with taste into the water and some might need a little more. All have to work together at a given time to reach the brewing finish line at the same time. The tea company recommends to use 200 ml of  a less then boiling water for one sachet for about 5-6 minutes.

Based on its ingredients the blend is naturally caffeine free.

Different tastes can create a unique experience to our taste palette. The thought of putting a tomato into hot water and digesting the stew, no matter how healthy it would be is an appalling thought. We are primed to believe that tea blends will come with fruits and herbs to create a good taste. But vegetables? Not so much.

The tea comes in a sachet, already a plus for me. A sachet is a more liberating loose tea bag, allowing the tea to fully unfold when brewed. It is intended for high-quality loose-leaf teas to extract their full flavor as intended during the brewing process.

Tea water

A note on water to be used: a good water would have:

  • a low TDS – Total Solids Dissolved (preferably less than 50 – you will find the number on the water label, sometimes called – total minerals diffused); and
  • a ph level of about 7, sometimes a little higher is fine.

Sometimes you will find waters different to the criteria but they seem to be working well with tea. It there is interest, I can put together a list of good tea waters from my experience.

The Tomato Taste

Once you overcome your initial reservation about trying a vegetable tea and you made the tea according to instructions, a wonderful sweet smell will greet you. The first sip is amazing as you are crossing the line between your perception and the feedback from your taste buds that something amazing is happening. You can taste tomato and carrot but you will find a gentle balance from the sweetness of the rooibos. The beetroot, the apple, cinnamon and orange peel add a herbal and fruity layer to bring the composition together. In addition to the vegetable taste, you will get a crisp citrus counterbalance to make it a pleasant overall experience. While the tomato taste will be noticeable at the beginning, the finish will bring a burst of additional fruit and spice flavors. Quite a treat for your taste buds. It brings together savory and sweet taste dimensions. In addition to the taste and smell experience, I love the color in the cup. It is a perfect blend of tomato meets carrot, rooibos and orange.

Tomatino is a great tisane to enjoy with food. It would go best with baked or grilled fish with a tomato and red pepper puree. I would also recommend a water with a medium TDS (250 – 800) to compliment your food and tea.

Tomatino, besides a great taste, will come with a huge amount of wellness benefits. The tomato is also labeled the elixir of youth for its anti-aging effects. It is filled with antioxidants and super fruits, so you will get additional mineral and vitamin benefits.

Taste thoughts

Tomatino is a great example of blending teas to achieve new taste experiences. We all are unique individuals and we all have our different perspectives on what tastes good and what does not. We experience our life journey and make little mental notes on what fruits and vegetables we like and what we better stay away from. As a sommelier it is my privilege to find teas and waters which match your taste and give you the best experience on what matches best your taste experience. Sometimes it is also my pleasure to recommend something new to you, something that might change your mind or that makes you experience a drink that might surprise you. In the case of Tomatino I can promise you that you will experience something which based on the title and the ingredients you might have not expected.

And this is the beauty of life. We never know what to experience next and it might be a wonderful surprise that expands our horizon. You might be able to find a new favorite. The best is yet to come.

Stay thirsty!

How to Easily Brew the Perfect Cup of Tea

Everybody has their own preference. Some like tea bags, some like high quality loose leaf tea, some are just somewhere in between. It is not up to me to convert you or decide for you what you find the best. My goal is to make you a little bit more curious and provide you with options for your tea journey.

The perfect cup of tea is the one you like the most. It is the one that hits the spot and has the right taste. The perfect cup will bring joy and a sense of gratification to your day. What could be better than to find an oasis of happiness in the middle of a stressful day. I talked a lot about taste in recent posts and tasting right takes a lot of practice. Bringing a little bit of mindfulness in the way you are making decisions when making your cup of tea can go a long way and ultimately lead to better tea enjoyment in the process.

The key components for the right cup of tea are:

1. The right water

2. A high quality loose leaf tea

3. The right brewing temperature

4. The right brewing time.

You can take this further to the top by selecting special brewing vehicles and a wonderful cup to enjoy the tea in, but I am trying to focus on the essentials. The key is that you create an experience that suits you best and connects with what you like. There is no perfect one-size-fits-all solution.

1. The right water

The quality of water is often overlooked. As a water sommelier this is one of my most important areas of education and also one of the most fascinating. You do not have to be a water sommelier to make a good cup of tea, but if you want to expand on your essential knowledge, I can highly recommend a Fine Water 101 course with The Fine Water Academy to learn the basics.

The best tea water has a ph level (check the label on the bottle) of around 7, and a super low TDS (Total Dissolved Solids), best below 50. (As long it is in the neighborhood of these numbers, you can select a water you like the best. I believe that selecting a wonderful water will only further add to the tea experience by adding a little piece of affordable luxury and will complement the high-quality tea. Remember, 95% of tea is water and a fine water will make such a big difference.

2. A high quality loose leaf tea

I often get the comment: “But this kind of tea is more expensive. Is it worth it?” Totally. The beauty of loose leaf tea is that you can re-steep the same leaves, while with a standard tea bag, you can normally only use once. If convenience is a priority, buy some empty loose leaf tea bags or pyramid teas. Try to research where the tea is coming from, which country, even which state or province. Try to learn more about the characteristics, what is the best way of brewing it, what are the intended flavors or aromas. Most high quality loose leaf tea is produced by experienced tea masters and they turn a leaf into a piece of art and into a wonderful taste.

Certainly there are limits and it’s the same with water or wine. There is the terroir and the conditions that will influence the characteristics of the tea leaf. The soil and the water running trough the ground will have an impact on the growth of the tea plant. A tea plant in the soil of China will be completely different than a tea in the soil of India. The beauty is that you have six types of tea to choose from and thousands of different kinds of tea. Even if you would drink a different tea every day for the rest of your life, you would not be able to experience them all. So pick something you like. If you give me a preferred taste you like, I can guide you in the right direction to fast track your search.

3. The right brewing temperature

Most teas are pretty forgiving. You can boil the water and pour it over the tea leaf and you get a decent cup of tea. Some high quality loose leaf teas are not so forgiving. Use the wrong temperature and the tea will turn bitter or weak. So using the right temperature is essential and the below picture can guide you in the right direction. You do not need a thermometer. Just use the fisheye method to ‘eye ball’ the right temperature. When you see bubbles on the bottom of the pot, it will tell you about the temperature of the water. Tiny bubbles (the size of shrimp eyes) will be a water temperature of about 160F, while the size of fish eyes will be about 180F).

4. The right brewing time

If you brew some teas too long, they become too bitter. Brew it for too short an amount of time and they become too weak. In the picture below you can see the right combination for a tea type. You might have to experiment a little bit to find just the right spot for your tastes.

Conclusion

Being mindful of these components will result in a better cup of tea, one that you never imagined. It is like flying business class for the first time and never wanting to go back to economy. Life is full of obstacles and challenges. Treat yourself to a nice cup of tea and great a little piece of happiness to brighten your day. Choose a favorite cup or mug to drink the tea to further elevate your experience.

If you know the background of the water you are brewing the tea in, the culture and terroir of the tea leaf, brew it at the right temperature and at the right time, I guarantee you that you will create something magical, something special to be remembered. And you can use this knowledge to bring joy to your friends and family. Nothing creates happiness more than a wonderfully brewed cup of tea, at least for me.

Stay Thirsty!

How to Let Go of Your Tea Bag

(and explore a new dimension…)

Many people around the world who love tea every day engage in the same ritual.

Grab a tea bag from a box, drop it into a cup and pour hot water over it. Wait until there is some uniform color appearing in the cup and pour some more ingredients into it like sugar, milk or a slice of lemon. Then take a sip and hope that this mixture will not be terrible.

Or sit in a plane and after the meal service the flight attendant will come around announcing the arrival of the tea (or coffee) to be poured into your little plastic cup.

And many of us who are attending a conference or workshop, grab a teabag from a ‘selection’ box and hope for the best.

This is the daily reality, mostly in the western world, and there is nothing wrong with that. It is a beverage you made for yourself, you like it, it comforts you, and so of course that’s good for you.

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