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This is right on time. I was just about to go looking for a place to post this and this fell in my lap.
I recently took a weekend tip down south with my brother. We took his car and he's a big coffee drinker so we only stopped at Starbucks for refreshment. I only use coffee if i have to stay awake so i was at a loss for something besides water. I asked the minon what they had and she made me a sample of white tea with sliced strawberries over ice and it was excellent. I've since tried to find some info on white tea and so far it's mostly conflicting stuff that only adds to my confusion.
My question then is this, what should i be looking for if i wanted to get some loose/bagged white tea to use as a base for this drink at home? So far my searches have yielded several blends based on white tea but no white tea by itself. Does such exist or should i be looking for a blend? If a blend is the thing, which one?
Many thanks for any and all help with this. I am so limited to what i can drink these days and this was light, refreshing, and very tasty and i would love to add it to my cupboard.
I recently took a weekend tip down south with my brother. We took his car and he's a big coffee drinker so we only stopped at Starbucks for refreshment. I only use coffee if i have to stay awake so i was at a loss for something besides water. I asked the minon what they had and she made me a sample of white tea with sliced strawberries over ice and it was excellent. I've since tried to find some info on white tea and so far it's mostly conflicting stuff that only adds to my confusion.
My question then is this, what should i be looking for if i wanted to get some loose/bagged white tea to use as a base for this drink at home? So far my searches have yielded several blends based on white tea but no white tea by itself. Does such exist or should i be looking for a blend? If a blend is the thing, which one?
Many thanks for any and all help with this. I am so limited to what i can drink these days and this was light, refreshing, and very tasty and i would love to add it to my cupboard.
It just so happens that I love tea. Tea Embassy carries a great variety. Look for the silver needles white tea for just plain leaves. Also, the Pai Mu Tan is an unadulterated leaf. Rishi Tea can also be a good resource.
Loose Leaf Tea - White Tea - Tea Embassy
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That's a nice looking cut of meat right there. As well as the dinner.
Just a heads up, a lot of things marked "White Tea" aren't white tea. White tea is very expensive, and just like everything marked cinnamon is usually Cassia, things marked white tea may not be that.
Also, Starbucks and places of similar nature can get away with creative marketing, so I'd be interested to know if there is truly white tea in the drink you like.
If you do decide to invest in some tea, also invest in a hot water kettle with adjustable temp. All teas have recommended brew temps, many below boiling. (You don't want to burn your tea, it will be bitter). White tea by my standards brews at 175F for 4 minutes or less. But that's personal preference, and others will say differing numbers. It also depends on the exact white tea you get.
If I could suggest a refreshing tea that tastes great, is refreshing, relaxing, inexpensive, and easy to brew (boiling water for 5-10 minutes). Peppermint tea. I have all types of teas, and peppermint is my main. It tastes wonderful. It's hydrating and refreshing (many teas are dehydrating). It's natural menthol is relaxing, and can sometimes cure headaches/migraines as it relaxes the blood vessels. It also can be used to reduce/cure acid reflux and other stomach sensitivities. And a huge bag is $8. (Adagio.com, no affiliation).
Buy Peppermint Tea Online | Adagio Teas
I have been very happy with adagio. They also have loose white tea, if you do decide to pursue that route.
This is very true. And as an avid green/white tea drinker I can vouch for both the Tea Embassy sources and Rishi.
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Thanks for the info. I already know more than I've been able to pick up in a week of looking on my own. Much appreciated.
Grilled some ribeyes last night. Drank some Trooper.
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While we've been in South Texas, we have become friends with a few families. One of them, the wife is from Mexico (Veracruz). She has been teaching me to make my favorite Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes.
I learned the secret to fluffy and soft homemade flour tortillas. Use milk instead of water in the recipe.
Everything on this plate, I made with her help. Chicken mole, flour tortilla, charro beans, and rice......
-Mike
I learned the secret to fluffy and soft homemade flour tortillas. Use milk instead of water in the recipe.
Everything on this plate, I made with her help. Chicken mole, flour tortilla, charro beans, and rice......
-Mike
What I made was super easy. I thought it would be way more difficult, which is why we always went out to eat for Mexican/Tex-Mex. Not no more. I'll be cooking at home now when I want those dishes.
Another tip though....get a tortilla press, preferably a cast iron one. It did get tiring rolling out all those tortillas.
-Mike
Holy moly that molé looks so freaking good. It can be hard to find a good molé but when you do, dang, there is nothing like it.
I like to make it every once in a while because I love a good, long project. Homemade molé is a unbeatable.
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Thanks bro.
It was my first time ever making it, so I was sure glad to have some help. I was told the key is to use good quality Mexican chocolate, the darker the better.
What I did find interesting was we made it, thinned it down with water, then started adding sugar to balance out the bitterness of the chocolate. I didn't question the process out loud, but I wondered how it would turn out had we used less bitter chocolate from the start.
-Mike
If my memory serves me correctly, the last time I made it (and it has been a while) I used a Valrhona bittersweet that was somewhere in the range of 80%. I know I have used El Rey before with good results.
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Even in a couple very authentic Mex eateries I was never a huge fan of molé until recently. My current girlfriend is very good at, and enjoys cooking all kinds of dishes including a chicken molé.
Her's was decent too, but it struck me how to potentially modify it more to my tastes when she sent me to the store to get 2 bags of semi-sweet chocolate chips, and I came back with only one, + one milk chocolate... then had her mix them 50/50, to which she kindly indulged, and I LOVED IT drool
I'm sure many culinary purists would be slightly repulsed by my sweetness loving taste buds... I've never been a fan of dark chocolate. In fact, I almost came home from that shopping trip with 1 milk chocolate and 1 white chocolate to be mixed, but I was afraid I'd get reamed for that and sent back to the store
She has however, agreed to attempt a small batch of it in the future for me... She's cool like that
Once every 7 years my birthday falls on Mother's Day. So we got to combine the two celebrations today. I made fresh ground burgers and made mine with bacon, Manchego cheese, grilled onions & tomatoes, potato chips (yes, on the burger), and smoked paprika mayo on a toasted brioche bun. Sides were Mac & Cheese (wife made), French Green Bean & Tomato Salad, and a Fresh Green Cabbage Slaw.
My Mom made a Guinness cake with a cream cheese frosting that was applied so that the cake resembled a pint of Guinness.
But the real showstopper came from my 16-year-old son. Over the past year he has decided he likes cooking, particularly pastry. I have made his birthday cake every year. This year he decided to make mine. The project was kept secret from me until he brought it home (he made it at my mother's house, and yes, she confirms that he made it). I was blown away and must say that I am quite proud.
Lemon Scented White Cake with White Chocolate Mousse and Blackberry Gelée covered with a Mirror Glaze:
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My Mom made a Guinness cake with a cream cheese frosting that was applied so that the cake resembled a pint of Guinness.
But the real showstopper came from my 16-year-old son. Over the past year he has decided he likes cooking, particularly pastry. I have made his birthday cake every year. This year he decided to make mine. The project was kept secret from me until he brought it home (he made it at my mother's house, and yes, she confirms that he made it). I was blown away and must say that I am quite proud.
Lemon Scented White Cake with White Chocolate Mousse and Blackberry Gelée covered with a Mirror Glaze:
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