Classic Savory Tea Haul

Its been awhile since I did a tea post. That's because I've been occupying my tea hobby reading my Meditation with Tea book which I just finished today (Huzzah)! I've learned quite a bit as to what each tea was specifically created for, which in turn has gotten me to appreciate certain teas that I never would have before. Now that I know what notes of flavor I'm looking for, I can can venture into more traditional teas and taste the entire bouquet and appreciate it. I've started to venture into two types of teas which I wasn't really into for years until I read this book: Oolongs and Blooming Teas.

I started getting into Oolong because I learned that Oolong has such a wide variety of ways that they are prepared. Oolong is a tea that is not completely oxidized to a Black form, but what I didn't know was that percent can range from 2% to 80% depending on the desired flavor. This gives you hundreds of options with flavors, notes, and texture. I don't think that a tea lover could get tired of Oolong for this simple fact alone.

As for the Blooming variety, I used to think that it was all for show. But after reading the book I now understand that most blooming teas were created for social occasions. Because they are tied together they take longer to bloom, making them a slow steeping tea easy to wait for the water to cool over a conversation. Taking this concept I realize that I can get a good pot of tea that doesn't get bitter when I'm working, or into a good read. As the weather is cooler I thought that blooming teas would be perfect those long cozy reads and painting sessions on the couch.

All these teas are from Bird Pick:

 
Super Grade Oolong: This tea is actually the tea of the month and when we had a sample of it Eugene fell in love with it. It carries a very traditional floral bite to it thats a desired characteristic of Oolong, but it had hints of a citrus zest as the finishing note. When I brewed it it came out a very golden color brew, so I assume that it has been half way oxidized. The leaves are also fairly tough, giving for a strong but fresh brew.


Osmanthus Milky Oolong: Confession; I'm on my second bag of this stuff. Lately this has been my go to tea. It's a traditional flavor with a modern twist. Milky Oolong is a fairly new type of tea on the market in the way that it's grown and harvested. No one is sure exactly how they do it, but the Oolong is a very green Oolong with a sweet milky after taste. The Oolong alone is phenomenal, giving way to very complex intense flavor, but the delicate bits of Osmanthus flower give it a sweet finish. I love this tea! I love how you just get hit with sensory overload the minute you open the packet and smell it while the water boils. Please get some if you can, you won't be disappointed!

Royal Red Peony Organic: One of the teas recommended in the book, I gave it a shot from the description of it being a good tea for entertaining. It was recommended as a perfect tea to take out on walks as it takes time to steep. I am so happy that I gave it a chance, as it is growing to become a new daily favorite of mine. Since it's a blooming tea there is no fuss with strainers and it comes out perfect every time. Another thing I love about this tea is that there is no such thing as over or under steeping it. So far my favorite steep of it is less than a minute freshly poured. It keeps its sweet dewy, light woody taste through the entire pot. People say you shouldn't brew more than one pot, but so far I've gone as far as two pots out of this one blossom.

Sprinkled Stars Blooming Green: I have yet to try this Blossoming Tea, but I got it because it's made of fragrant Jasmine Green leaves and shoots out bits of Osmanthus giving it its name. I also thought that the Easter Lily is a wonderful pairing between the two.

If any of these sound interesting to you please check them out on the web as they have been a great part of my tea exploration.

Cheers!




P.S. I wanted to do a shout out to Rachele from Nearsighted Owl for having me as a sponsor and featuring me and other talented bloggers in a post. Please check her blog of cats, fatshion, and everyday brilliance.

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Outs & Abouts: Phoenix Bakery

I'm an advocate for cheap Asian cuisine. Here in SoCal there's just no way around it. There's absolutely no point in spending on an expensive meal when there are so many small cozy businesses to choose from. More importantly, it's much fresher than you will get and the expensive competitor and there's much less guess work as to what they put into the food. I worked on a few restaurant brands in my time as a designer and let me tell you that the food industry can be revolting! Most things are microwaved and deep fried at chain stores expensive and cheap alike. So I'm super picky as to where we eat. Thankfully there are plenty of options in the Greater Los Angeles area. It makes me feel great that I support small, local, and family owned businesses. Phoenix is a great example of this.

The Phoenix Bakery that I go to is located in South Pasadena, but I know they have a few chains further towards Arcadia/Alhambra area. They are a Chinese deli with Hong Kong/ Taiwanese cuisine which is much different from the common Mandarin Cuisine that has been franchised and popularized with places like Panda. Anyone thats never tried Taiwanese or Hong Kong food I beg you put it on your bucket list to do so! The difference is that their foods rely more on spices complimenting the main vegetable or meat and less reliant on sauces and oil. The desserts are heavenly too, but that's a whole other blog post. I'm going to talk about my love for egg noodle soup.

Top to bottom:
Yangchow Fried Rice & Egg Noodle Soup w/ BBQ Pork & Veggies

Egg noodle soup is sort of a pho/ramen hybrid thats savory. The noodles are thin made with egg and rice flower which lends a rich flavor in itself. The broth is a simple clear broth that has a few spices. What really makes this dish amazing are the toppings! I like to keep mine simple and go for the Barbeque Pork and some fresh steamed bokchoy. The meal is light with the broth but hardy with the firm texture of the vegetables, noodles, and meat. It's heavenly!

Love went for the Yang Chow Fried Rice. The rice is lightly seasoned with spices and vegetables, but it's famous for it's steamed shrimp and Chinese sausage. Chinese sausage can best be described as a small more intense version of chorizo except sweet and loaded with exotic spices. Give it a try if you have the chance, but make sure it's not used by itself because it's flavor is overpowering alone.

Mmm nothing like Dim sum Desserts

We were going to get dessert, but I really wanted to grab some tea so I'll leave that for another post as I mentioned. Phoenix may look like a little whole in a wall, but their dishes are top notch! Other dishes I recommend are their Congee (a rice porridge), Honey Walnut Shrimp, and Deep Fried Rock Salt Sole Fish. For vegetarian options they make an amazing pickled tofu that I enjoy with the Sauteed Mushroom and Greens.
-Stef

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Cocary Hot Pots: Outs & Abouts

 The beauty of living in the LA area are all of the interesting specialty shops that are around. I know that if I ever leave the state I'll miss the variety that I get here. There's always something to do if you're feeling up to it. That's why I thought it would be nice to create Outs & Abouts; a section of posts dedicated to the fun things that are around here that I enjoy. This week I'm going to write about my favorite Hot Pot place, Cocary.

Some of my family still lives in Monterey Park; famous for it's Chinese culture. When my mom first came to the United States she stayed with her older sister and family for a few years in this city. So the food and ways of Monterey Park have become a tradition and a piece of everyday life for us. Whenever family flies over, we ALWAYS eat in Monterey Park. Cocary happens to be a place only popular with my immediate family, so I make the trip myself whenever I can.

Cocary is not your stereo-typical Chinese food. It's what you might consider a variation Korean BBQ houses. The tables are equipped with a pot that has a huge bowl in the center which they fill with soup broth and the outside of the bowl has dished out areas to grill meat. (If you've ever watched the anime Ruroni Kenshin, Akabeko is a Hot Pot Restaurant.) There are refrigerators in the back where you pick out the things that you want to cook, this is for both the soup and the grill. We chose beef to grill with eggs, fish-balls, and veggies to boil in our soup. 

Another thing that I love about Cocary, especially on cold days are the unlimited porridge and steamed rice. I love topping my porridge with the grilled meats and veggies. This day I tried the Oyster Mushrooms stir fried in the satay sauce; it was so yummy! I made sure to make room for my vegetable soup. The spiced broth they use is so heavenly; alot of the locals toss noodles in their soups but I like mine veggied up to the max!

 The best part of this place is the price; we only paid about 20 bucks for the two of us and we were stuffed to the brim. This is definitely a fun place for big groups and raises plenty of good conversation. I also recommend that you come try the lunch bar, where they have a train of the dishes come by for you to cook on a mini personal hot pot in front of you.

 

Until next time,
-Stef

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