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YumSugar Gift Guide: The Tea Aficionado Grandma

YumSugar — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:00:10 -0800

There are a number of high-end tea gifts that will delight the discerning tea lover in your life. The key is to know what type of drinker she is: If she enjoys hosting afternoon tea, present her with this hand-embellished Fortnum & Mason serving set. For the on-the-go sipper, try a travel tea infuser. Is grandma a stylish trendsetter? Gift her this show-stopping teapot.

For more gift ideas, browse the selection below. Check out all the gift guides on HolidaySugar.

The Incredible Edible Chocolate Box

YumSugar — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 10:41:58 -0800

Today is National Chocolates Day, and since it's not chocolate but chocolates, I can only assume that it's referring to individual confections. While it seems a bit clichéd, sometimes the best thing is a box of mixed chocolate treats. You get the gooey caramel centers, the flavor infused truffles, and everything in between. I like the places where you can pick out exactly what you want in the box, as well as how many. If you're lucky enough, you can even find a chocolate factory that sells their chocolate individually. One of those places is Charles Chocolates.

I recently had the opportunity to view their facilities and sample their new products. If you're not familiar with Charles - they purposely have a small retail presence due to handling reasons - you should really remedy that. Their Caramel Almond Sticks ($11) are fabulous and their peanut butter butterflies ($27) are simply delicious, however it's their edible chocolate boxes ($45-$60) that blow me away. The entire box, lid and all, is edible. You can eat the chocolates inside and then chomp down on the box. They have a holiday collection filled with their most popular pieces, but I personally love the tea collection. The truffles are infused with five different teas and the edible lid features a painting of Chinese tea mountains. Whichever you fancy, they'll make great gifts for the chocoholic on your list, but if I were you, I'd go ahead and treat yourself.

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Must Read: Field Guide to Candy

YumSugar — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:30:04 -0700

With tomorrow being Halloween, we've unofficially opened the Pandora's Box that is Fall sweets season. That's why the Field Guide to Candy ($16) couldn't have come at a better time. Pastry chef Anita Chu, who authored the Field Guide to Cookies, has come out with a second book, which promises to teach you "how to identify and make virtually every candy imaginable." Does it live up to its promise? To find out, keep reading.

2007 Winter Fancy Food Show - Part 6 (Tea)

YumSugar — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 15:58:41 -0800

The last trend from the Fancy Food Show that I want to talk about is tea. Ice tea, hot tea, blooming tea, organic tea, chai tea, flavored teas, tea infused chocolate. Tea. Tea. Tea. Tea.

There were at least a billion and a half tea booths (that is not a completely accurate statement, I lost count at around 22 and just rounded up) and most of them had some pretty pleasant teas on hand. The big show crowd pleaser was the new "blooming" teas. These teas are made by hand-tying edible flowers (like roses, carnations, jasmine, etc.) into a ball that "blooms" when placed into hot water. It's pretty gimmicky, but definitely elegant. The only catch is, you'll now have to invest in a clear teapot as well. The one pictured here is either the Jasmine & Chrysanthemum or Jasmine & Marigold from Tzuni (just one of several companies promoting blooming teas). A box of 12 tea "pearls" will set you back $19.20.

Even though there were many normal teas to try, one of my favorites came from Ineeka. Their award winning teas are grown and shipped directly from founder Shashank Goel's family plantations in India. They only use whole leaves with no added flavorings or oils. The teas are treated with love much like a fine wine and their packaging even shows it. It's like loose leaf tea inside of an ingenious tea bag that opens up and allows the tea to unfurl completely. Founder Shashank Goel was kind enough to talk to us about their start, and show us how to brew the perfect cup of delicious tea. Check out the video below to see:

To see more tea coverage, read more

Some more teas I really enjoyed included:

Finally, the last thing I noticed in the world of tea was the number of energy teas. Steaz had an organic energy drink made from green tea, yerba mate, açaí and guarana (it tasted a lot like red bull, but without the lingering aftertaste). Whereas the folks at TeaTech, had Jackie Chan's XGT (a green tea energy drink mix complete with Jackie's face on the packet).

Click on an image to view some of the teas we saw:

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You Say You Want a Revolution Tea

YumSugar — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 14:41:27 -0800

Last week I went to one of my favorite local eateries for lunch and noticed that they had a new brand of tea for sale. I'm a sucker for packaging and these stylish little minimal boxes wouldn't stop calling my name. Eventually (okay, it took like 3 seconds), I decided to get one and chose the Green Earl Grey Tea (although the Honeybush Caramel Tea was a close second). The tea was smooth yet hearty, like an earl grey with all the benefits of green tea.

So what makes Revolution tea so interesting? Well, according to their website:

We have spent years experimenting with teas from all over the world to develop the finest flavor combinations, which are truly designed for the American palate... This is why we offer several of our teas in the unique see through Infuser Tea Bag™, a unique point of differentiation that enables us to retain the freshness and flavor of the product by using full leaf tea versus the fannings or dust that most other tea companies use.

So no more bitter bag taste and awesome blends. Oh and did I mention the packaging? So cute, it would even make a great adornment on any gift. You can get 30 single boxes of Revolution Tea for $12.75.

The Joy of the Calm-a-Sutra Tea Contest

YumSugar — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 14:28:19 -0700

I found this relatively odd contest that I have to share with you guys. First of all, did you know that there's an organization called TeaUSA.org that is a combined effort of The Tea Association of the USA, The Tea Council of the USA and the Speciality Tea Institute? Yah, I didn't know that either. But now that we all know that such an organization exists, I can now happily tell you about their new contest. The contest - which I admit, caught my eye purely because of its name ("The Calm-a-Sutra of Tea") - is a "nationwide search for the most unique and creative way to drink tea and further educate the public on the health benefits of drinking tea."

So what does that really mean?
Well, for starters it's actually a video contest. In order to win, you need to create a 1-2 minute video of yourself drinking tea (hot or iced) in the "most unusual, unique and/or off-beat scenario." You must also include what health-benefits of tea drinking appeal to you and why. Once you've got your box-off smash hit video ready, upload it to YouTube, fill in the application by May 28 and wait for the judges to choose you!

So what do you get if you win?
A $20,000 scholarship (which makes me think you have to be a student - however I couldn't find that stipulation in the rules), afternoon tea at a "trendy NYC tea salon," and the weirdest, most random part of the prize - "a chance to appear live on the CBS Early Show on June 4, 2007 with Justin Guarini" - yep that's right Justin Guarini of American Idol. Maybe he's an avid tea drinker? or just loves tea? Also, doesn't it seem weird that it's "a chance" to be on TV? Oh well, either way I have a feeling some of the videos are going to be worth checking out.

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Does Coffee Dream of Electric Chocolate? New Starbucks Chocolate Reviewed

YumSugar — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 08:30:31 -0800

This summer a press release went out with limited fanfare. The folks at Hershey's were teaming up with Starbucks. At the time there was very little news available, other than an upcoming Starbucks-branded premium chocolate. The news piqued my interest, but there was no word on when the products would hit the shelves. Turns out it's today.

Using the expertise of Artisan Confection Company - a division of Hershey's that includes Scharffen Berger and Joseph Schmidt - Starbucks has created a line of products to sell in stores. There are three types of chocolate bars, tasting squares and filled truffles. Thanks to FabSugar - who hand-carried these samples back from New York - we were lucky enough to give them a try. If you want to learn more about each flavor, as well as what we thought of them, read more.

The box the samples arrived in was dramatic. It was a high quality brown box filled with all sorts of goodies. There were six different tasting squares, four truffles, three chocolate bars and covered coffee beans. I thought the bars were better than the squares, and that the truffles were a bit overpowering. The beans on the other hand, were absolutely delicious. Overall, the flavors that paired coffee with chocolate were highly successful, the other tea-inspired flavors, not so much.
Truffles

Dark Chocolate Vanilla Bean Truffle: A rounded chocolate-covered-cherry sized truffle with a large dollop of vanilla bean cream in the middle. It was creamy and smooth, slightly buttery. Overall very nice.

Milk Chocolate Chai Truffle: This was the least favorite truffle. It was super heavy-handed with the cardamom and tasted more like sucking on chocolate covered cardamom pod, than it did like chai.
Milk Chocolate Caffe Mocha: The chocolate is slightly waxy. I thought it seemed rather Hershey's-like. Reminded us of the Hershey's Treasures, only better.
Dark Chocolate Espresso: This was by far our favorite truffle. The dark chocolate was smooth - almost too smooth - and it had a great melt, with a hint of smokiness. The espresso really came through, but was not overpowering. We'd definitely eat this again.

Milk Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans
This was my favorite thing in the box. FabSugar - who is a bit of a chocolate snob and hates on milk chocolate - even thought they were delicious. Unlike most chocolate covered beans, these are more like ground up beans covered in chocolate. It's a big coating of chocolate on a lovely amount of crunch.

Tasting Squares

Milk Chocolate: This was sort of generic. It would hit the spot if you craved chocolate, as it was tasty, but there was nothing special about it.
Dark Chocolate: Strangely, we liked the milk chocolate better. We thought it was a bit waxy. Again, tasty, but nothing special.
Mocha Dark Chocolate: This was our favorite square, the flavor pairing was really nice. There were bits of beans in it. I almost wished they offered this in a milk chocolate version too.
Chai Milk Chocolate: Like the truffle, there was way too much cardamom going on. Some of the folks here liked it because of that, but I was disappointed by how much it didn't taste like chai.
Passion Dark Chocolate: This was the worst thing in the entire box. Some of the folks thought it was okay, but I hated it. It was highly floral in taste, and there were bits of things in it that were just too much. It sort of tasted like artificial powder stuck inside of the chocolate. I say pass this one off to your friends, so you can eat the others.
Citron Dark Chocolate: Like the passion square, this one is also infused with tea. It was nicely flavored and okay. However at the end, it started reminding me of cleaner. If you love lemon/chocolate pairings you'd probably like it, but once again I say pass this one and eat the others.

Chocolate Bars
There are three flavors of chocolate bars - milk, dark and mocha dark - the flavors are reviewed above, but it should be mentioned that they tasted much better in a thicker bar format. It was nice to have something to sink your teeth into.

So, have you seen the new Starbucks Chocolates - they'll be in large grocery and drug stores retailers soon. If so, have you tried them?

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Mighty Leaf Tea - Chocolate Truffle Teas

YumSugar — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 13:09:11 -0700

My friend Scottel doesn't care much for tea, in fact he calls it "leaf and twig water" and wonders why on earth anyone would drink it. However I've found one that even he thinks sounds "very interesting." It's the Mayan Chocolate Truffle by the folks over at Mighty Leaf. In my opinion, Mighty Leaf (a husband-and-wife founded company here in SF) has fantastic hand-crafted teas and I have yet to have a cup that wasn't nice and smooth (or big and robust, depending on the blend).

So when I heard they were now doing a line of chocolate-truffle infused teas, I was definitely excited to try them. The one I ended up with was the Mayan Chocolate Truffle. It's a caffeine free, loose-leaf herbal blend that is made from fine chocolate chips with chunks of chili and red pepper, and bits of apple and strawberry. To be honest, it looks - and smells - a lot like potpourri. The unbrewed aroma is nice and floral - it conveys the sweet, spicy and chocolate all in one whiff. So I loaded up my infuser and got to brewing. I have a kind of crappy infuser, but the amount of sediment leaking from it was far more than any other tea I've made. I think it was the fine bits of chili and chocolate.

While I waited for my tea to brew, I did what I think any other true foodie would have done. I took a pinch of the loose leaf blend and ate it. And surprisingly I really liked it. It's exactly how it's described (apples, strawberries, chocolate chunks (that almost taste like chocolate nibs) and spice - to be honest I immediately wanted to put it on vanilla ice cream. Once I was done with that, I rinsed out my mouth and tried the tea. It was very floral and fruity, with a rich chocolate undertone, smelled amazingly of chocolate, and definitely left this spicy kick in the back of my throat. I highly doubt it'll become my everyday tea, seems a bit too sweet for that, however if I'm feeling a chocolate attack come on, it's really going to hit the spot... that is if I don't eat the entire blend before brewing.

Oh and if you need another reason to seek it out, Food & Wine Magazine named it #20 on its list of 100 Tastes to Try in 2007. 4 oz of loose tea costs $7.95. and there are five other flavors of chocolate truffle teas. You can purchase the Au Chocolate gift box for $36.95.

Come Party With Me: Tea Party - Invites

partysugar — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 06:58:32 -0700

Spring has sprung! Well almost - the official first day is this Wednesday, but the weather has been so amazing here in California that it feels like it has already arrived. To celebrate, I'm hosting a tea party this weekend. This isn't going to be stuffy ladies in pastel suits at a formal table with antique china, it's going to be modern, fun, and fabulous. My fingers are crossed that the warm weather will last until Saturday so I can host the tea in my courtyard. I want everything about the party to scream spring, starting with the invitation. The invitation is an integral and essential tone setter for the party, so it should reflect the arrival of spring in the design and color scheme. To see the tea party invite I've made - that you can make too if you follow my step by step instructions - please read more

This week's invite is simple and most of the work is done on the computer, so if you are a geek diva rather than a craftista, it's your lucky day! To start, I searched the web for some interesting floral images. The ones I used to create my invite can be downloaded from floral patterns (scroll down to the bottom and hit download). There are a whole bunch of patterns to choose from and I chose 16 that were sort of in the same color tones: pale pinks, light lavenders, and buttery creams. To assemble the invite you will need:

computer and printer
floral pattern images like these:
colored cardstock (I chose cream)
scissors
glue
ribbon

To make this invite:

Create a new word document and drag the floral print images into it. Create a border or pattern with the prints. I created a border.
Add a textbox to be inside the floral border. Inside the box, write the details of your party, something along these lines:

Spring Has Sprung!

To celebrate the long awaited arrival of the sunny season, Miss PartySugar would like you to join her for tea and afternoon cravings.

Saturday, March 24, 2007
PartySugar’s cottage, San Francisco
3:30 pm

Please rsvp 415.555.5555 Floral attire welcomed

Choose a fancy text that makes you think tea party. I chose Snell Roundhand in size 16 bold. If desired change the color of the font to match your floral prints. I picked periwinkle. Print out a test sheet on a white piece of paper to see if you like the results. Once you are satisfied, print out on the cardstock.

Cut down to size leaving a small border around the flowers.

For an element of surprise, use the ribbon to make the back look like a wrapped present. When you send the invite place the card in the envelope so when the invitee opens it, the first thing she sees is the "present." Cut the ribbon to size and glue horizontally across the blank side of the card.

Glue another piece vertically crossing this piece.

With another piece of ribbon, tie a small pretty bow. Glue this to the center where the two ribbons cross each other.

Now your invitation is complete. One side looks like a spring present and the other side looks like a tea party invite.

How would you invite your friends to a tea party? Tell me your invite ideas below. I'll be planning the pieces to the tea party puzzle all week, so be sure to come party with me tomorrow!

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Mother's Day Gift Guide: 86 Recipes, Herbs & Tea

YumSugar — Tue, 08 May 2007 15:51:55 -0700

If the person you call "Mom" is a foodie at heart, here are some great gift ideas that will be sure to wow her this Mother's Day.

My favorite pick works well for moms who love to travel and eat out, or moms who like to stay in and cook. A new collection called 86 Recipes is a series of recipe boxes that contain (you got it) 86 recipes each. However these aren't just any recipes, these are recipes from some of the best restaurants in the country. Available in a New York or San Francisco edition (New Orleans is launching this summer), each box contains 86 recipes with tips on presentation, wine pairings, plus a photo, map and contact info of each restaurant. Where else can you get 86 practically-famous recipes (SF - Gary Danko, Tartine Bakery, Chez Panisse; NY - Daniel, Aquavit, Prune) in one place? Oh and why 86? That's restaurant slang to indicate that a popular item has been sold out. However each box also comes with a bunch of other origins for the name "86" - but you'll just have to get it to find out. SF edition is $19.99, NY edition is $24.99. Pick one up for mom, and pick up the other for yourself. Oh and if you're lucky, maybe you'll win a trip to NY or SF for mom too!

Two more great gift ideas for your mom, just read more

Imagine growing fresh herbs all year long. Oh and did I mention that it would be dirt and weed free? If the mom you know is into fresh herbs, but lacks a green thumb, get her an Aerogarden and watch things grow. Available for $149.99.

If mom would rather sit in the living room with a good book and a pot of tea, why don't you get her a Flowering Tea Set from Numi. This deluxe set comes packaged in a hand-made bamboo case that houses a glass teapot and a bin of Numi's hand-sewn flowering teas. The glass teapot is perfect for viewing the blooming tea, and I'm sure it will brighten mom's day. Available for $34.95.

Need more ideas? Be sure to check back tomorrow for part 2!