Faking Sanity

Tea 101: Mate

Posted by mtlaise - 31/03/11 at 11:03:34 am

We’ll be getting in a new mate (pronounced mah-tay) in the next week here at Faking Sanity, and thought it was a good candidate for our next entry in Tea 101.

What is mate? Well, it’s a tea-like beverage very popular throughout South America. Traditionally, it is served in a small gourd and sipped through a thin bamboo or metal straw called a bombija, which filters out the loose leaves. We’ll be using our french presses here at the shop.

Mate is prepared by steeping the dried leaves of a holly-like plant (Yerba Mate) in hot water. As such, it is not a true “tea” (only those made from the leaves of the camellia sinensis plant are teas in the truest sense of the word). Much like Rooibos, though, here in North America at least, it is considered a tea type of beverage.

Mate contains a substance called Mateine. Experts debate whether it is a variant of caffeine or its own distinct substance. That being said, most agree that, like caffeine, mateine (and therefore mate) is a great pick me up. Whether it is a distinct substance or not, most experts agree that mate will give you the jolt that coffee does, but without the caffeine jitters that affect some people. So, if you’re typically sensitive to caffine, mate may be a great alternative that allows you to enjoy a pick me up without the negative side affects. Mate is also loaded with nutrients. The leaves of the rainforest Yerba Mate tree naturally contain 24 vitamins and minerals, 15 amino acids and are rich in antioxidants; some antioxidant levels are even higher than those in green teas. All in all, this little cup packs a good, healthy punch!

At Faking Sanity, you can currently sample some mate in our Creme Caramel tea, which is a blend of Assam and China black with roasted mate (and pieces of yummy caramel and vanilla). When our new teas come in next week, we’ll also have a Honey Mate, green yerba mate with a subtle sweet burnt honey flavour.

Six Months!

Posted by mtlaise - 28/03/11 at 03:03:01 pm

Another milestone: last week marked the end of our first 6 months in business. We wanted to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your support. It’s been a wild ride! And, we haven’t killed each other! ;)

This month, we got in our very first consignment art at the store, from local artist Terry Mooney; I love his tall ships. We also just got in a number of necklaces from local artisan Michelle Van Der Horst this past week. Both the weekly Knit/Craft night and the novelteens groups are beginning to grow now that the weather is warming up. We’ve also opened up registrations for our very first knitting class. And of course, we’re still in the business of buying and selling used books, and running a coffee shop/tea house/cafe!

Join us over the course of the next 6 months, and see what other surprises we have in store for you all!

Singer/Songwriters Coffee House… With A Twist

Posted by mtlaise - 24/03/11 at 09:03:42 pm

Come join us at Faking Sanity this Saturday evening, March 26, for the monthly Singer/Songwriters Coffee House. The event will be taking place at the same time as usual, but at 8:30 pm, in honour of Earth Hour, we will be switching to a candle lit event, with solar powered sound! The featured performer this month is Barb Munro. Come check it out. For the bookstore side of things, our staff picks display has been changed up to include a few selections about weather, the environment and ecopolitics. Browse through our Science & Nature section for even more related titles. See you soon!

Tea 101: Ceylon Teas

Posted by mtlaise - 22/03/11 at 03:03:58 pm

Ceylon tea is divided into 3 categories, depending on the elevation at which it was grown. It is grown in Sri Lanka, where the central highlands are the most important tea-growing areas. There are 3 tea districts in the area around Adam’s Peak: Uva in the east, Nuwara-Eliya, then Dimbula in the west (if that last name sounds familiar to you, it’s because it’s the brand of our french tea/coffee presses here at the shop).

Weather patterns such as monsoon and passat winds affect the periods of highest quality tea in each district. In the east, Uva district teas are best from June to September and are characterized by a full, strong, tangy flavour. The teas grown in the Dimbula district between December and March contain less tannins and have a softer, lighter cup. Good quality tea is grown year-round in the Nuwara-Eliya district; it has a similar flavour to that grown in the Dimbula district, with a lemon bouquet.

Over 90% of the tea grown in the highlands is processed as broken tea, which is why it is often more common to see quality broken tea from Ceylon, but loose leaf Ceylon tea is seen less frequently. Here at Faking Sanity, you can try some of this elusive loose leaf Ceylon in our Earl Grey Classic tea, or in our Chocolate Truffle or Vanilla Bourbon flavoured black teas. Both the Earl Grey and Vanilla Bourbon are Ceylon tea blends, while the Chocolate Truffle tea is a Ceylon/China black tea blend. Vanilla Bourbon is one of my favourite flavoured black teas. Come try one for yourself!

Tea 101: Darjeeling

Posted by mtlaise - 18/03/11 at 11:03:28 am

Darjeeling is a small city nestled on the southern slopes of the Himalayas in northeast India. Some of the world’s most sought after teas are from this area. There are several harvests per year in the area, and each one has its own distinctive flavours and nuances.

The area’s “tea gardens” are like little townships, where the employees (typically between 1000-2000) live with their families, and services such as housing, schools, and hospitals are free of charge for these families.

There are several harvests throughout the year between March and October. Once the first shoots appear in March, harvesting begins and the first flush or picking is processed within 4-6 weeks.

A good first flush is delicate in flavour, has a fine tangy flavour, and is flowery fresh. In early April another harvest of the “in-between” seasonal leaves is processed. These maintain some of the character of the first flush while also hinting at the more nutty flavours to come in the next harvest. The second flush season occurs from the end of May to the end of June. It has a stronger flavour, and is nuttier and more aromatic. After this the big monsoon season begins. This is a productive harvest time, but does not always reflect the area’s best teas. The autumn teas though are back to the area’s well-known excellence, and typically have a light aroma and very pleasant flavour.

Currently, you can sample Darjeeling in our Steeps Afternoon Blend (a mix of Assam and Darjeeling). Come see how the delicate Darjeeling adds depth to the stronger Assam.

Tea 101: Assam Teas

Posted by mtlaise - 15/03/11 at 02:03:03 pm

Assam is one of the most popular teas and tea growing areas, especially given that it is the base in many tea blends, such as Irish Breakfast tea. Assam is a black tea from the Assam province of northeast India. The area is primarily a valley with lush, sandy soil that is perfect for growing tea.

Assam is a full-bodied tea with a malty flavour and a slight sweetness. It is often served as a breakfast tea due to its strong, bold flavour (strong teas like this go well with hearty/heavy breakfast foods such as eggs and bacon). Despite being strong, it maintains a smooth flavour and finish.

Here at Faking Sanity, there are a couple of options if you’d like to try an Assam blend. Our Steeps Canadian Breakfast contains a good proportion of Assam. It was created taking into consideration the nuances of the various waters across Canada, to be able to shine in any water. Our Steeps Afternoon Blend is a fine blend of a light Darjeeling and a strong Assam. If flavoured is more your cup of tea, try our Creme Caramel – a blend of fine Assam, China black tea and roasted mate which is flavoured with pieces of caramel, vanilla and sunflower blossoms, or try our Himalaian Chai, which is a strong Assam blended with a China black tea flavoured with cinnamon bark, cardamom and dried ginger root. Experiment! It’s fun!

New Teas!

Posted by mtlaise - 15/03/11 at 01:03:00 pm

Two new teas in! One is Caramel Cup, a South African Rooibos infused with the tantalizing flavour of creamy caramel (and with little pieces of caramel that melt in your cup!) The other is Orangecicle, a fruit infusion of rosehips, apple, hibiscus, dried orange pieces, sunflower petals, and red thistle with the natural flavour of oranges.  Yummy!

Tea 101 – Did you know?

Posted by mtlaise - 09/03/11 at 03:03:47 pm

Did you know that Orange Pekoe tea refers not to the type of tea or the blend, but rather the grade of tea?

We thought it would be helpful here at the beginning of our little Tea 101 to clarify some terminology you might here in tea houses, and that can help you pick a tea that is more suited to your personal taste.

Since I mentioned Orange Pekoe at the beginning of this post, let’s start with those tea grades I mentioned.

Orange Pekoe grade tea refers to long, pointed leaves plucked as the buds open into a leaf. Flowery grade tea, such as Flowery Orange Pekoe, refers to high quality tea made from the end bud or tip of a new tea leaf. If a tea is referred to as Tippy, it has a high proportion of golden tips, from the early season pickings. On the finer end of the range, there are Fannings and Dust. Fannings are the tiny particles that are sifted out from better grade teas, and often will make a tea just as good as the whole leaf tea from which it came. Dust is the smallest grade of tea, and is often used in teabags, as it provides a quicker infusion.

Now, on to the fun part: taste! While everyone’s idea of a great tasting tea is different, understanding some of the flavour descriptions can help you determine if a tea is one you would like to try. Here are a few key terms:

Astringent: describes the dry taste left by teas high in unoxidized polyphenols, giving a tea its refreshing characteristic.

Body: describes how heavy the tea feels in your mouth (consider the difference between skim milk and cream: cream is extremely full bodied while skim milk has a thin body)

Black currant: the berry-like aroma and taste used to describe many fine Darjeelings (not necessarily containing any fruit)

Bright: a clean, crisp flavour, common in most fine teas

Complex: a pleasant mix of flavours in fine tea blends

Delicate: restrained flavors and aromas that are neither strong nor intense

Grassy: an herb-like aroma or flavor suggestive of alfalfa or grass

Malty: a subtle underlying flavour often characteristic of teas from the Assam region

Nutty: a roasty aroma or flavor suggestive of almonds, cashews, etc.

Tangy: an intensely piercing sweet and sour impression along the sides of the tongue

Weedy: This term is used to describe the fresh aromas of green tea, such as fresh herb smells. While this is a good characteristic in green teas, it is gernally not a good one in black teas.

Winey: Describes a mellow quality that fine Darjeelings gain after aging, like a fine wine.

These are just a few of the more common terms, but they’ll help us be on common ground for our next Tea 101 entry, which will cover the flavours and characteristics of the various tea growing regions such as Assam, Ceylon, Darjeeling, etc. Stay tuned!

Tea 101… What is Tea

Posted by mtlaise - 04/03/11 at 02:03:19 pm

True tea is made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. There are several classifications of tea, some of which are well known to us all, such as green tea or black tea. Others are newer on the tea scene here in North America; this is the case with Rooibos, which is often called red tea. Here at Faking Sanity, we also have herbal “teas” and fruit infusions. While these aren’t true teas, in that they are not harvested from the Camelia sinensis plant, they are brewed in a similar fashion, and we’ll be covering a bit about them in our “Tea 101″ topic here on the blog, too.

All true teas naturally contain caffeine, whether they’re black, green or white teas. Some do release more caffeine than others, though. How the tea is picked and processed affects the type of tea it will become.

In North America, black tea is the most common type. Processing methods vary from one region to another, but the basic steps remain the same. The tea is picked, dried, rolled, oxidized or fermented, then fired. The oxidization is what gives the brew it’s characteristic reddish brown colour. Just as the processes differ from region to region, the climate and soil from those regions, among other things, also affect the flavour of the tea itself.

Green tea was traditionally found in China and Japan until recently. It is made from the leaves of the same plant as black tea. It is either hand or machine picked, dried, then rolled, without any fermentation. As it is less processed than black tea, it is higher in EGCG, a catechin that helps protect the body from free radical damage.

White tea generally consists of young buds from the tea plant, which are covered with a silvery white down, giving the unopened leaf a white appearance. It is the least processed of all the tea types, contains the most anti-oxidants, and releases the least amount of caffeine.

If you’re wanting something caffeine free, there are several options. Any tea can be processed further to remove the caffeine, but there are alternatives that are naturally caffeine-free, too. Rooibos (pronounced roy-boss) is an evergreen shrub from South Africa, rather than a tea produced from the Camelia sinensis plant, and is naturally caffeine free. Most herbal “teas” and fruit infusions are naturally caffeine free as well, which is the case for all those we carry here at Faking Sanity.

Well, that’s probably enough to get our feet wet. Stay tuned for the next entry in “Tea 101″!

Introducing… Tea 101

Posted by mtlaise - 01/03/11 at 10:03:50 am

Tea is a wonderful thing. There are over over 1500 varieties grown around the world, and each region lends its own flavour to the tea. Add to that the differences climate and soil make to the flavour, the variety of harvesting, preparation and brewing methods, and you have a vast plethora of options, even without blending teas, which is where I think it really comes into its own.

We’ll be starting a little “Tea 101″ here on our blog. We’ll be posting regularly about types of tea, brewing tips to get the best flavour, terminology, little know facts, etc.

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