Franchia, NYC

Franchia is the tea house I visit the most in NYC, simply because it is very near to Grand Central, my usual arrival point. Franchia also serves a range of Korean vegetarian fare that is prepared very well. The tea selection is not large, but the tea it does have is excellent. The highlight of the tea menu is the selection of Korean tea, particularly the wild green tea--of which they have a first, second and third picking. The tea is from Mt. Jilee, Korea and each picking is very unique. The first picking has the subtlest and purest taste, while the third picking is stronger and not as pure (because it was picked later). Each picking is visibly different: the first picking has more buds and is downy (maybe fuzzy would be a better descriptor) while the third is darker and not downy. This is also the only tea shop that I know sells Korean tea. The interior of the tea house is also very calming and interesting (see photos).

Tea in New York City

Yesterday I traveled from Richmond to Poughkeepsie, via New York City. And I visited two tea shops while in NY. The first tea shop I visited was The Tea Gallery, but it was closed. This saddened me because it was the tea shop I really wanted to go to. I am now relegated to staring at their website until the next time I visit NYC; http://www.theteagallery.com/.

Carytown Teas

A view of the interior of Carytown Teas, located across from the CVS and Ukrops at the western edge of Carytown. (I will hopefully have more photos to share later).


This tea house review is going to look at my everyday tea shop, Carytown Teas. I live six or so blocks away and as far as I can tell, Carytown Teas has the biggest selection of tea in Richmond.

Carytown Teas claims to carry over 100 varieties of tea as well as teaware and limited baked goods. I like this store because it is all about tea and Patricia (the owner) and Misty (the tea mixologist) are friendly and always trying to please whoever walks in the door--spreading their interest in tea. They are also the most knowledgeable tea shop purveyors in Richmond, at least out of the tea shops I have been to (TeaCo, Cuppa Tea, Torman's).

The strength of Carytown Teas is their different tea blends and selection of pu-erhs. Their weakness is in the variety of green and oolong tea (ofcourse, almost every tea shop in the US has this problem, as far as I am concerned).

So go to Carytown Teas to get some loose leaf tea or a cup to go if you are in Richmond or passing through looking for good tea without frills (at least almost without frills).

Tea on the James River

Today, I went to the James River and brought some Pi Lo Chun and a portable tea set with me. It was a little windy and chilly, but otherwise beautiful.

Olde World Tea Company

On Saturday October, 25 2008 I visited Olde World Tea Company in Smithfield, VA. I had a pot of Lapsang Souchong and lunch--a chicken, artichoke and feta quiche with a cup of soup. The food was good and almost all of the menu items used some local ingredients or local taste--all the items were also made from scratch. I did enjoy the Lapsang. I enjoyed it even more because I had not had that type of tea in months. It was brought out already brewed to a good strength. And I got all of this at a very reasonable price ($9 with taxes for a pot of tea, quiche, and cup of soup).

Olde Worlde also sells tea wares and loose leaf teas (about 50 varieties). Below I do have some photographs of some of the teas offered. I thought that the range of selection was very good and appealed to a variety of tastes. My favorite items in the tea shop are the pu erh cakes and discs because no other shop that I have been to in Virginia carries them (at least none that I have been to). The discs are also a good conversation piece because most people have no idea what they are.

website:

www.oldeworldtea.com

above (L to R and bottom to top): White tea Pu Erh disc, jasmine pearls (my first favorite tea), rolled oolong, pu-erh tuo cha, and two varietes of artisanal flowering teas that open into the shape of a pineapple or a flower. (sorry, I did not write down the details--I will next time)
A close up of the white tea pu-erh disc. This demonstrates Olde World's commitment to the tea-fanatic/connoisseur. (Although if you buy this I would start drinking it right away. I wouldnt recommend buying this specifically to age it and drink it 5 or 20 years from now as your house or basement probably does not have the right microbes to make the taste any good) 
Another photograph of the same teas above. (L to R) Jasmine Pearls, some variety of rolled Oolong, Pu-Erh tuo cha, and two varietes of flowering tea

portable tea drinking

I do a lot of traveling and when I travel I still like to have tea, but usually have a hard time finding good water or a microwave or stove to heat the water. Now while I usually can use the tap water at hand to brew some sort of tea, heating up the water is more problematic.

The solution:

Jetboil. It is a portable camp stove that boils water in two minutes or less.

Morning Tea, Tuesday, October 21, 2008

For my morning tea I had a high-mountain style oolong from taiwan--"Our Good Life Tea". This tea was also acquired from Holsome Teas, www.holsome.com. It was a winter picking. I was told that I had to listen for the flavor and smell of this tea when i procured  it. I like this image. Above are some photographs of the brewed leaves and the first and second steeping. The second steeping is the darker color.

I have decided that this is my favorite tea out of my current stock. You do have to listen to the flavor, which has floral overtones, but perhaps why I like it the most is because it has excellent qi--it doesnt impart too much nor too little energy. 

Now an aside on qi:

Qi is the energy the tea gives you. On a basic level, you could interpret qi as the level of caffeine and other stimulants present in the particular tea, but the qi is affected by other qualities. Other factors that can affect a tea's qi are the water quality (water can ofcourse also affect the taste of the tea), the conditions of the tea growing region, cultivation methods, place where the tea is tasted and numerous other factors.

Thus the soil, water, stimulant content, cultivation methods and location of tea drinking all affect how one feels after a cup of tea.

A tea with good qi leaves you alert and energized

A tea with bad qi can leave you feeling sick or give you a headache

A tea with good qi is probably grown in an area that has very little pollution, using little to no pesticides or other chemicals. It is probably picked by hand (at least in China and Taiwan) by skilled pickers and then dried and processed by skilled tea artisans. A tea with bad qi may be quite the opposite of this, although I am sure there are exceptions.