Like a Proud Mother...

The Earl is gaining some serious fan power! And like a proud mother, every time I hear gushing compliments I beam. About a year ago, I tweaked the recipe for our Earl of Grey.

It honestly all started with a downturn of the US economy. We were really hurting to maintain the price of our Earl while the prices of a few of its components were going through the roof, due to the strength of the US dollar falling through the floor. So in efforts to not raise the price or discontinue this tea, I attempted to match the precise flavor profile of our original blend by substituting a few components of our original European components with new teas that we could get custom blended. After obtaining multiple test versions of each new component, we chose the closest matches. Then came the task of finding the perfect blended proportion of each of the new components. After trying blend versions A1-Z900 (only a slight exaggeration), I kept getting close, but something was still missing. It was a creamy sweetness that was missing. Something was needed to round out the rough edges of citrus and black tea. The naturally sweet throat-coat of Licorice Root came to mind, so I tried adding some to the blend. The results were interesting, and it seemed like we were onto something. So there were another round of test blends A1-Z99 to find the perfect proportion of licorice root to add, and when we did.... mmmmmm.... our current blend was born.

Since then, we've received nearly all positive feedback from fans of our original blend, and from new people that discover this tea one way or another. Just this week, we received 2 unsolicited emails from people that took the time to write us and tell us how much they love this blend. Honestly, I was so flattered, since I consider the blend my baby, that it made my week! At risk of ego-boosting shameless boasting, here is one of this week's emails:

Thanks for your note. You are a sweet genius!

My wife brought the Earl of Grey home from Pier 1 as a small gift since I have fallen in love with black tea and the many possibilities. To be honest, I thought, "oh, a nice tin—I hope the tea is worth drinking". At that point I could no longer find the Russian blend I'd come to know and love in the local Russian food shop or on the internet. You know how having the box in front of you is really no help when you're searching in a different country and language.

To make a long and happy story a bit shorter; I was completely knocked out with your blend. It is so much like that licorice you had as a kid ... it just calls to you even though your mouth, mind and the licorice recipes have changed over the years ... you want it as you remember and you never want it to change or ever end. Recently, I finally found the licorice that tastes like what I remember AND I've found the perfect tea as a companion while I'm playing my guitar, writing songs and happy internet messages, sitting in the chilly mountain air on the deck, or just anytime I want to feel special. Honestly, I do feel a bit too pampered when I spoon out the tea. You have done a remarkable job. I bow to you.

Also, I share this with every tea drinker I know and try to recruit others into the ranks of mellow, satisfied folk by word of mouth, uh, keyboard. Half of my purchase will go to a new client and friend who will appreciate it. I was counting on Pier 1 to fulfill my pledge to him to bring him a tea he would enjoy and love. Unfortunately, they were totally out. Surprise? I should have anticipated that.

Anyway, I know I can point directly to you and say, "This is the nice lady who did it. She's my personal tea blender. She made my life better". Thanks again.

My very best regards and Cheers,

Michael

So if I've done nothing more for this world, at least I've done something positive for this one tea drinker. And who doesn't like to be called a sweet genius from time to time. I think I can die satisfied now.

Tea and Honey

It’s noticeable, that particularly in Europe, people tend to think about sweetening their tea with honey. I can’t remember the last time someone brought me some honey with my coffee, and this got me wondering why… does sweetening tea with honey really work better than sugar? I think the answer lies in that the subtlety of tea actually allows the flavor of the honey to come through, and actually work with the honey to create a completely new sweet flavor (all kidding and nastiness aside – a dollop of honey in a cup of coffee would simply get lost!). The floral aspects present in both tea and honey work beautifully together. With all the amazing honeys available at farmer’s markets, I tried a few.

Not being a habitual sweet tea drinker, this was a fun excursion into sweet flavors – each like a candy defined by a tasty tea base, then prolonged or sometimes lifted by the honey flavors.

I’ve now tried creamy honeys, various floral honeys,

including orange blossom, and am anxious to try some lavender honey with my Earl of Grey. I recommend it, and in a future post plan to talk through some tea and honey pairings…Sweet Dreams!

Thank you abeilles.apiculture.free.fr for the photos!

EARL OF GREY Risotto with Shrimp & English Truffled Peas

Last week in culinary school I learned how to make a basic Risotto alla Parmigiana. A classic dish with a specific cooking technique that is not hard to perfect but important to master. Once mastered you can incorporate different ingredients and various flavor profiles. Needless to say, I added tea to the recipe, incorporated the English peas I got from the Farmer's Market (Pastures of Plenty) and mixed in shrimp I found in my freezer. I stirred in some Parmesan cheese and finished it with a touch of white truffle oil. 

The recipe is very similar to the one I illustrated last week except I placed EARL OF GREY tea in a cheese cloth and steeped it in the chicken stock. Once the risotto was 3/4's of the way finished, I took it off the stove and separately sauted the blanched peas and shrimp. Then finished cooking the risotto and folded in the peas, shrimp and finishing ingredients (cheese and truffle oil). The result...a creamy, earthy, tender yet firm risotto with hints of bergamont and citrus from the tea.

EARL OF GREY Risotto with Shrimp & English Truffled Peas

Portions: 10

Portion Size: 6-7 oz

Ingredients:

• 1 oz butter 
• 1 fl oz Vegetable oil
• 1 oz onion, finely diced 
• 1 lb Arborio rice (short grain)
• 2 qt Chicken Stock, hot
• 2 TBS EARL OF GREY, wrapped in cheese cloth

Finishing Ingredients:

• 3 oz butter, separated by oz (1 oz for peas, 1 oz for shrimp, 1 oz for finishing)
• 3 oz onion, finely diced & separated evenly
• 1.5 lb shrimp, deveined & peeled (option: tails on or off)
• 12 oz English peas, shelled & washed
• 2 TBS white truffle oil
• 4 oz Parmesan cheese, grated
• SPTT (Salt and Pepper to taste)

Preparation:

1. Blanch peas: Bring salted water to boil. Add peas and cook 4-6 minutes, should be tender yet firm. Remove peas from boiling water and shock them in ice cold water to stop cooking. Reserve.
2. In a medium pot, bring chicken stock with EARL OF GREY tea wrapped in cheese cloth to boil. 
3. Over medium-high heat, melt butter and oil in a large, straight-sided saute pan. Add the onion, sweat until soft and translucent. Do not brown.
4. Add the rice and saute until well coated with butter, oil and onion.
5. Using a 6-oz ladle, add one ladle of stock to rice at a time and gently stir over medium heat until the rice absorbs all the liquid. Repeat procedure until 3/4 of stock is absorbed, reserving the last 1/4 stock until ready to serve. Do not add more then one ladle of stock at a time and do not sir too much. Remove pan from heat and reserve until peas and shrimp are cooked.
6. Melt 1 oz butter in large saute pan over medium-high heat. Sweat 1.5 oz onions, add peas and coat with butter.  Cook until tender but still firm, about 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from pan and reserve
7. Melt 1 oz butter in the same large saute pan over medium-high heat. Sweat 1.5 oz onions, add shrimp and coat with butter. Cook until pink yet translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Turn off heat and let stand. 
8. Place risotto mixture back over heat and add the remaining chicken stock one ladle at time, stirring gently. Stop adding stock when the rice is tender but still a little firm in the center. It should look moist and creamy, but not runny. Remove from heat.
9. Place shrimp back over medium heat combine reserved peas. Cook for another 1-2 minutes. Turn off stove and drizzle with tuffle oil. Gently stir to combine.
10. Fold the shrimp mixture into the risotto, add butter and Parmesan cheese. Salt & pepper to taste. Serve immediately on a heated platter.
    

I left the shrimp tails on because I think they add another level of texture and a slightly salty flavor to the dish. My husband on the other hand thought they should have been discarded because they were messy and ruined the presentation...what would you do & why? 

Simply Enigmatic- What Earl Grey tea, Keira Knightly and men's cologne have in common...just wait, you'll see!

The title lends itself to confusion...but take a deep breath and you'll see how it all fits!

The other day when I was writing my last blog, I was thinking about Earl Grey and it led me to want to know more about how it got its name and unique flavoring. I vaguely knew that it was named after an Earl of Grey from "way back when", but being a history major that information didn't satisfy me.

Doing a little bit of research led me to a simple answer. History states that the 2nd Earl of Grey was given a gift of black tea flavored with bergamot oil. Ok great. Nice and easy answer....um, but who was the 2nd Earl Grey? and what the heck is bergamot!? Maybe tea fans should automatically know what bergamot is, and maybe I should not be admitting that I don't know, but I don't, and still the history major in me wanted to know more, so I delved deeper.

The 2nd Earl Grey was actually Charles Grey, second son of General Sir Charles Grey. A well educated man having attended Trinity College and an active part of the Whig party, Charles was elected to Parliament at the young age of 22. His liberal views of Parliamentary reform and other political campaigns put him in close proximity with the Duchess of Devonshire another political activist. Grey and the Duchess ended up having an affair which more recently has been portrayed in the 2008 movie "The Duchess" staring Kira Knightly (ta da!) and the Earl of Grey being played by Dominic Cooper. Eventually after some time in Parliament, Grey was elected Prime Minister and served from November of 1830- July of 1834. It was during this time that he was supposedly given the present of black tea with bergamot, forever idolizing his name to the drink, Earl Grey.

Ok, now onto what bergamot is. Bergamot oil actually comes from the rind of a fragrant citrus fruit a Bergamot orange. The Bergamot orange was historically found and grown in Southeast Asia, but has more recently been mass produced in the coastal region of Calabria, Italy. The bergamot oil is the prominent fragrance not only in Earl Grey, but is found in 75% of men's cologne and in about 50% of women's cologne. (ta da!)


Well I believe that should satisfy my appetite for knowledge, although my appetite for a cup of Earl Grey tea has yet to be filled. I am excited that I know how it is flavored, the history behind it and I even found out a few more fun facts from the search. Now if only those questions came up in a trivia game....

Anywho, have some Earl of Grey today and enjoy a cup with some history behind it!

For more information go to these links.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Grey,_2nd_Earl_Grey
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl_Grey_tea
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bergamot_orange

Haute Couture of Tea (part deux)

The previous post reminds me of some serious tea couture - the Red Dress created a few years ago by designer Brett Cooper. After being commissioned by Celestial Seasonings to make a red gown from their tea packaging, Cooper transformed nearly 700 packets of tea into this red gown and matching hat, purse, and heels. Celestial Seasonings donated a portion of sales of this brilliant Red Dress to WomenHeart, the National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease. Kudos to our Boulder neighbors for fundraising in such a fun & whimsical way! Their goal was to also help raise awareness that black tea may actually help lower cholesterol, a major factor of heart disease. The link between black tea and heart health has been supported by numerous scientific studies. You can find our current list of black teas here: Organic Blue Mountain Nilgiri (the one I'm happily sipping currently), Organic New Moon Darjeeling, Bolder Breakfast, Earl of Grey, Creme Caramel, and Mango Tango.