Tea: |
Niagara Peach Apricot -
Flavored Green
Tea |
Cup Characteristics: |
Lush
peach notes with sweet
overtones. Superb
quality green tea dotted
with jasmine petals
comes alive with one of
the world's most
favorite flavors. |
Infusion: |
Bright,
pale green to yellow,
light colored cup. |
Information: |
When
one usually thinks of
Niagara, they think of
the Falls, bridges, and
casinos. What many
people outside of the
area don’t realize is
that the countryside in
the Niagara region is
home to some of the most
lush, and rich farmland
in North America. In
recent years the region
has earned a world-wide
reputation for its
numerous vineyards, but
the area has
traditionally been known
for its abundance of
orchards. Take a drive
along any of Niagara’s
country highways and you
will pass row after row
of apple, pear, and
peach orchards, (the
finest orchards of the
three in our biased
opinion!). The first of
these orchards were
probably planted in the
area sometime in the mid
1800’s by European
settlers. The rich soil
combined with a mild and
relatively long summer
make the Niagara Peach a
sweet citrus treat. The
peaches are generally
larger than their
Georgia cousins and are
harvested from mid to
late summer. When ripe,
they have a delicate
profile that hints of
sweet nectar.
The tea we’ve used as a
base for this blend is a
green Sencha.
Interestingly, green and
black teas can be
produced from the same
plants. Green tea is
produced by forgoing the
fermentation process
required to produce
black tea. Instead the
leaves are steamed as
soon as they are
plucked, and then
bruised either by
machine or by hand. The
leaves are then
pan-fried or basket
fired - a process that
gives the tea its
distinctive glossy look
and feel. Although
Sencha is generally
produced in Japan, we’ve
used a Chinese variety
from Hunan province. Our
master taster felt that
this Chinese variety had
a subtleness of
character perfectly
suited to blending with
peach. Like all Sencha
teas, this particular
variety has a dark
green, needle shaped
leaf and produces a pale
green to yellow, very
bright, smooth cup with
a sweetish, honey like
finish. You’ll also
notice that we’ve added
delicate white Jasmine
petals to this blend -
an addition that
enhances the citrus
character of peach. Brew
a pot today; drink it
hot or over ice and
experience summertime in
Niagaa.
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Brewing Instructions: |
Hot Tea Brewing Method:
When preparing by the
cup, this tea can be
used repeatedly-about 3
times. The secret is to
use water that is about
180’F or 80’C. Place 1
teaspoon in your cup let
the tea steep for about
3 minutes and then begin
enjoying a cup of
enchantment - do not
remove the leaves from
the cup. Once the water
level is low - add more
water, and so on and so
on - until the flavor of
the tea is exhausted.
Alternatively as with
all top quality teas,
scoop 2-4 teaspoons of
tea into the teapot,
pour in boiling water
that has been freshly
drawn (previously boiled
water has lost most of
its oxygen and therefore
tends to be flat
tasting), steep for 2-4
minutes (to taste), stir
(virtually all the
leaves will sink), pour
into your cup but do not
add milk or sugar since
green tea is enjoyed
‘straight-up’.
Iced Tea Brewing Method: (to make 1 liter/quart): Place 5 teaspoons of tea into a teapot or heat resistant pitcher. Pour 1 1/4 cups of freshly boiled water over the tea. Steep for 5 minutes. Quarter fill a serving pitcher with cold water. Pour the tea into your serving pitcher straining the leaves. Add ice and top-up the pitcher with cold water. Garnish and sweeten to taste. [A rule of thumb when preparing fresh brewed iced tea is to double the strength of hot tea since it will be poured over ice and diluted with cold water].
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