NINE  TEA  TIDBITS

1. Tea is one of the world’s oldest beverages. The tea plant, Camellia sinensis, was first discovered by the ancient Chinese, who then spent many centuries perfecting the art of tea production, which resulted in a variety of types available today.

2. The etiquette of preparing and drinking tea was first documented by the Chinese, as well. The third volume of the book published in 780 A.D. by the author Lu Yu elaborated on different ways to brew and serve tea. The tea pot and the tea bowl are also Chinese inventions.

 3. After the Chinese, tea was first adopted by the Japanese and then, in the 17th century, by the Europeans looking for cash crops to grow in their tropical colonies. In those early days, tea in Europe was a highly prized luxury item. Today, tea is cultivated most widely in China, Japan, India, Sri Lanka, Africa, and Georgia.

 

4. Famous British “5 o’clock tea” was founded by the seventh Duchess of Bedford who was prone to light bouts of hunger in the afternoon. Once, she ordered a pot of tea with light snacks to be served in her room, and enjoyed the experience so much that made afternoon tea an everyday ritual. Soon, all London was sipping tea and nibbling on little sandwiches around 5 o’clock in the afternoon.

5. While the Chinese and Japanese always consume tea as is, and the Europeans add milk into it, the Tibetans prefer to drink tea laced with… yak butter, the Moroccans flavour their beverage with mint, basil, or sage, and the Russian add jam into their tea.

6. The European habit of drinking tea with milk is traced back to the 18th century Britain. In those days, expensive china tea bowls were so fragile that hot tea poured there might easily break them. This this why cold milk was added to delicate bowls first.

7. The most exotically flavoured tea is made in Kashmir: a blend of green and Darjeeling tea is brewed together with crushed green cardamoms, cinnamon, cloves, chopped almonds, and pine nuts.

8. Many naturopathic doctors discourage their patients from drinking tea since it can overstimulate the adrenal gland and disrupt the delicate blood-sugar-regulation mechanism, thus leading to chronic fatigue, depression, allergies, insomnia, and other disorders.

9. On the other hand, the Asians always considered tea beneficial. Ancient Chinese doctors were prescribing a tea leaves brew as a cure for headaches and even as the elixir of immortality! It was believed that tea clears the voice, improves the memory, promotes digestion, and regulates all processes within the body.

Meet Chef Darrell!

MEET  CHEF  DARRELL  MILLER

It’s not every day that you meet a chef who not only cranks out delicious meals on a daily basis, but can also install your fire sprinklers, fix your plumbing or drive a big rig.

But those are just a few of the trades that Darrell Miller has learned over the span of his professional career before landing his current position as Chef of The DICKENS Café in The CURIOSITY Shop in downtown Aiken.

In fact, the Washington, D.C. native originally went to school to become a truck driver, but soon discovered that wasn’t what he wanted to do.

“I still had money left on my grant so I went back to school and culinary arts was one of the fields that was covered,” Miller said of his transition into the culinary field in the mid-1980s. And even though he always enjoyed cooking, he never dreamt that the winding road ahead of him would ultimately lead to a successful  career as a chef. “It was just something to do.”

After graduating from National Training Systems he soon found himself back in the truck-driving business, driving a truck for a maintenance company for nearly 15 years. In fact his first official job working in a kitchen wouldn’t come until the late 90s when he worked in an outside kitchen at The Warf in D.C. And it wasn’t until he moved to South Carolina that he really embraced the joy of cooking.

With such esteemed establishments as The Green Boundary Club, The Reserve Club at Woodside and Sage Valley under his belt, Miller brings over a decade of kitchen experience and an eye for food styling.

“Seeing the finished product is my favorite thing about cooking,” said Miller, who takes great pride in the presentation of his dishes.

When preparing the plates to be photographed for The CURIOSITY Shop’s daily café posts on the various social media sites, he is meticulous in his garnishing. It is only after the pepper is perfectly cracked, the parsley is sufficiently scattered and the lemon wedge is strategically placed that he is ready for the world to see his creations. And the fact that The DICKENS Café infuses British Isle-inspired recipes and ingredients from around the world into its cuisine makes the food preparation even more of a challenge.

“This job has me constantly thinking about how to bring different cultures to the food,” said Miller, who has prepared the traditional English dish, Bangers n’ Mash, and the Scottish roast beef sandwich, Inky Pinky, just to name a few of the UK-inspired entrees . “It keeps me from getting bored, and I accept it 100 percent.”

Miller says the best part about working at The DICKENS Café and The CURIOSITY Shop is the friendly and charming atmosphere.

“It does make me feel like I am at home,” said Miller. “You walk around downstairs and you feel like you are in a grocery store, then you go upstairs and it’s like a department store. And the café makes me feel like I am back at home in the kitchen.”

The most rewarding aspect of the job, he says, is the patronage.

“I have to give it up for the customers,” said Miller. “They are so sweet and they let us know we are doing a good job. When I see that café fill up, that’s what it’s all about.”

Miller also owns a seasonal restaurant in Salley called D’s that usually opens in November.

“We have things like burgers, sandwiches and wings but we also have daily blue plate specials,” said Miller.

When he’s not cooking , he is spending time with his wife, his 17-year-old son, his 9-year-old daughter, his Rottweiler, Tech, and his two Shih-Poos, Lacey & Champ.  He also has a 22-year-old daughter and a 19-year-old son who live in D.C.

“I’m like a soccer mom,” laughs Miller. “One minute I am at a football game with my son and the next minute I am riding around in a go-cart with my daughter.”

 For more information about The DICKENS Café and the daily specials, visit The CURIOSITY Shop’s website at www.curiosityshoptea.com or the shop’s  Facebook page.  For to-go orders and downtown deliveries, or to make reservations for large parties, call 803-644-1400.

Understanding Tea: The Quick Version

• All tea comes from the camellia sinensis plant. If you are drinking something that did not come from this plant (chamomile, mint, tulsi, rooibos, etc) it is not tea.
• White, Green, Oolong, Yellow, Black and Pu-erh teas all come from the camellia sinensis plant and the type of tea is determined by the processing methods used on the plucked leaves.
• Tea contains L-theanine, an amino acid that promotes mental acuity. The combination of L-theanine and caffeine creates a sense of "mindful awareness."
• Tea can be prepared in any vessel by steeping the leaves directly in hot water as long as you strain the leaves out of the water before drinking.
• The more oxidized the tea leaves are, the hotter the water temperature should be when steeping.

WHAT  TEA  LEAVES  BEHIND

One of the most important factors defining the current popularity of tea, particularly in the West, is undoubtedly the teabag. In retrospect, the (albeit accidental) invention of pouches that can be dunked directly into hot water has strongly impacted the spread of the beverage in the industrialized world. It made tea consumption possible in an urban setting and created a format fit for existing retail environments. It must be said that convenience came at the expense of quality, with mediocre tea grades becoming standard for most of the twentieth century.
The teabag was later improved upon by adding an individual wrapper, making it even more portable and versatile, whilst at the same time preserving contents' freshness. Curiously enough, these covers have become a collectible item for a small, yet vibrant group of tea aficionados. Especially in countries like the Netherlands and the Czech Republic, collecting tea bag covers has become a popular pastime, with sporadic fairs organized amongst these scattered communities. The fact that they are sometimes swapped online between unfamiliar collectors certainly adds to the flair.
While collecting tea bag wrappers or any other forms of packaging might not qualify as a trend itself - a trend being a more profound and noticeable socioeconomic shift in attitude and behavior - it has the merit of diligently reflecting the evolution of trends in the way tea is represented in the western society. In other words, it encapsulates the filiation of different themes and designs associated with the beverage.
For example, one recurrent theme is aristocracy - tea historically being considered a luxury beverage in the West- with references to (fictional) aristocratic and royal figures being a common leitmotif. Even industrially manufactured, tea still has the power to take us back to the eighteenth century England, where dukes and duchesses enjoyed the exquisite refreshment in fabulous palaces. Who wouldn't want a piece of blue-blooded luxury?
Another theme widely used through the years is nature, thanks to various motives of plants, animals or exotic landscapes, all telling in some way or form the story of tea's exotic provenance from places untouched by man. Tea is a natural drink after all and every possible image (tea leaf, mountains, elephants, berries, etc.) has been used to reinforce tea's intimate link with nature.
So teabag covers, like other mediums of expression, can give a good idea of how tea was perceived and marketed through the years and should not be considered as mere historic artifacts. They are rich sources of "persuasive techniques" used in the past and are a fun way to look back at the evolution of this unique beverage in our society. The fact that such covers come from all over the world and are mainly suited for local audiences adds even more variety to an already diverse drink and certainly increases the "collectability" factor. It is also a great way for teabag "archaeologists" to compare the differences in the way tea is represented and drunk worldwide. And that's another way to enjoy tea!

HEALTH  BENEFITS  OF  TEA

Evidence about health benefits of tea continues to pile up in 2012. The year is barely a couple of months old, yet it has already witnessed several studies and reviews confirming long-held assumptions about the positive effects of tea drinking. The most noteworthy one is probably a Japanese study that found that green tea drinkers have a lower risk of frailty and disability as they grow older. Over 14,000 elderly citizens were followed for 3 years, which is no small feat in itself, and shows just how rigorous research around tea has become. Green tea drinkers were shown to suffer less from functional disabilities in performing everyday tasks like bathing or dressing. Interpreting these results in the context of West’s aging population shows how much potential the beverage may have as a healthy and cost-effective alternative (or supplement) to traditional medication.

But green tea was not the only variety in the spotlight. A study from Australia and a review from the UK lent further credence to the notion that black tea is just as healthy as its green cousin. According to research, black tea was found to lower blood pressure, thereby reducing the risk of heart disease. It may also cut levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol and blood sugar. Again, given that heart disease is one of the major causes of death in industrialized countries, the regular cuppa is starting to look like an increasingly promising and unobtrusive solution to keep your health in check.

Stepas Parulis is the editor of TeaTrends.

 

 

 

JUST  IN !

SOME  NEW  ADDITIONS  FOR  THE  PANTRY

 

 

Tilda  Basmati  Rice

Tilda is known worldwide for its pure and fragrant Basmati Rice. Like a fine wine, Pure Basmati Rice cannot be created artificially. It is tended and harvested by hand in an area with unique soil and climatic characteristics that give the rice its exquisitely delicate aroma, texture and taste. Its distinct taste and fluffy grains are used ideally everyday in pulaos and biryanis.   4 Pound Bag   $ 8.25

 

Organic Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce

Fresh organic basil creates an irresistible accent to this popular recipe. Use with confidence on anything Italian!    $ 9.25

Ingredients: Organic Tomato Puree (Water, Organic Tomato Paste), Organic Diced Tomatoes, Organic Sugar, Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Sea Salt, Organic Basil, Organic Dehydrated Onions, Organic Garlic, Organic Parsley Flakes.

 

Langnese  Forest  Honey

 

Langnese has reigned as Europe's premium honey since 1927. Their Forest Honey embodies the flavors of the Bavarian black forest. One taste and you'll recognize its silky, luxurious quality. This honey is skillfully harvested with typical German precision, blended and preserved to deliver consistent quality. Imported from Bargteheide, Germany, enjoy this wildflower honey as a sweetener over hot cereal or in green or black tea.   $ 10.25


KOOPS DUESSELDORF MUSTARD 
Classic German mustard with a hearty taste and creamy texture. Perfect for any sandwich brat, or hot dog. Kosher.  12 oz Bottle   $ 2.00

HENGSTENBERG  MUSTARD  FROM  GERMANY

Mixture of yellow and brown mustard seed, combined with vinegar, salt and spices.

Suitable for BBQ's, meat, fish and egg dishes, sauces and salad dressings.

Must be kept refrigerated after opening.

No preservatives added.

Product of Germany

 
Hot  Mustard   7 oz Jar   $ 1.99
Medium  Hot  Mustard   7 oz Jar   $1.99



AND  IN  ADDITION:

Zhena's Raspberry Earl Grey Tea
 The floral aroma of juicy raspberries is perhaps the perfect complement to the sweet citrus and full-bodied flavour of Earl Grey. This more exceptional version of this classic tea is artisan hand-crafted in small batches and infused with only top-grade essential oils of real fruit to brew a sweet, succulent cup.
Ingredients: Ceylon & Indian Black tea, with Italian Bergamot, Freeze-Dried Raspberries & organic Raspberry flavour.   22 Tea Bags per Carton   $ 4.15

Numi Pu-erh Mint Green Tea

16 Full Leaf Tea Bags per Carton   $ 5.85

Numi Pu-erh Magnolia Green Tea
  16 Full Leaf Tea Bags per Carton   $ 5.85


Numi Jasmine Pu-erh Bottled  Tea   $ 1.25
Numi Earl Grey Pu-erh Bottled Tea   $ 1.25

 

 

HERE'S  HOW  TO  MAKE  THE  PERFECT  CUP  OF  TEA

The perfect cup of tea is waiting for you, somewhere.
But first — you have to make it. And while making a hot cup of tea sounds relatively easy (just dump the teabag in some hot water, right?), this info-graphic has got it down to a SCIENCE.
No more guessing about how long to let your green tea, black tea, or white tea steep — this helpful chart of sorts has broken it down to the best temperatures and times for six common types of tea.
Things that we learned: Green tea only needs 1-2 minutes (since it can be so strong), and herbal tea needs boiling water (210 degrees) and a bit more time (3-6 minutes) to release that flavour. Makes sense!

 By: Jennifer Lai  FOODBEAST  06JAN13