Tea is the Best Medicine

I am a great believer in the healing properties of tea, but here in Germany they take that belief a whole stage further. Walk into any chemist, drug store or supermarket and you'll find a whole stand devoted to medicinal teas. I came down with a fairly terrible bought of flu over New Year a few years ago and a German friend sent me home with a selection of teas she assured me would help me feel much better. I was somewhat skeptical - this was in my pre-tea obsession days - and can't really remember if I drank them, or if I did what impact they had.

Well, New Year, new illness. This time it's Coffee Boy who has been nursing a stinking cold. Whilst purchasing herbal nasal sprays, echinacea bonbons and a variety of more heavy-duty drugs I happened upon a tea especially for colds. It contained such interesting things as Linden blossom, Elderberry leaves, Dandelion and Peony flowers. He wasn't convinced but was prepared to try anything so I prepared him a cup. And I must say, he felt much better after sipping the brew. So much so, in fact, that he has nearly finished the box. So it just goes to show, tea really is the best medicine.

The Purple Palace

I was wondering through Covent Garden, enjoying the Christmassy buzz, recently when I decided to pop into the Tea Palace shop. Before their Westbourne Grove cafe and shop closed down I had a very enjoyable afternoon tea there so was keen to see how the new place compared. I have to admit I was really shocked that the previous place had shut. It was very busy when I went there and whenever I passed it seemed to be fairly packed. The afternoon teas on offer were also pretty pricey so I assumed they were making a packet. But given their decision to close, and subsequently open a retail shop - without a cafe - in the centre of town, I suppose I was wrong.

The Best Tea Shop in London

I don't know why it's taken so long for me to write this post. I have been visiting this shop for quite a while now but something has stopped me writing it about it. Perhaps in some deep part of my soul I wanted to keep it just for myself; or maybe I was wary of sounding a bit too fawning. Either way, it can't carry on. I cannot write a blog about tea and not talk about the wonderful Postcard Teas.

Come Over to Keemun

Regular readers will know that I have never claimed to be a tea expert, just a very keen enthusiast. My tea education is a constant source of pleasure and excitement and a recent discovery is no exception. I love all sorts of tea but if it's first thing in the morning, or I'm having a slice of cake, it has to be black tea. I have a few blends that I really love but if I'm going pure I generally stick to a malty Assam or a refreshing Darjeeling. Indian black teas are where it's always been at for me. If I'm in the mood I do like a Lapsang Souchong but on the whole I've always found black teas from China to be a bit lacking in depth for my taste.

A Beautiful Boîte

I have to admit to a secret longing. It's been nine months now and I feel I have to come clean. At the beginning of the year I was visiting friends in the Czech Republic and whilst hanging out in their kitchen I spotted a gorgeous tea tin that had come from shop in Paris. It was a lovely flat oval shape and when you pulled back the sliding lid, there beneath it was another lid which you pulled off using a little handle. I didn't even try the tea inside but the tin lodged there in my psyche just waiting for a chance to assert itself.

Baltic Tea Heaven

So my amazement at the quality of tea in Germany continues. I am currently holidaying on the island of Usedom in the Baltic Sea: it's very beautiful and when the sun's out – which luckily it has been – the five mile beach of powdered sand is close to idyllic. But imagine my surprise yesterday when after a short bike ride to the town of Heringsdorf virtually the first thing I see is the speciality “Old Pomeranian Tea House”. Packed to the rafters with large caddies containing everything from fourteen types of green tea to around thirty “classic” black teas – it really was pretty astounding. They also stocked loads of flavoured and herbal teas, most of which had a few too many flavours and aromas to really take my fancy, although I was tempted by an interesting sounding Chai. As well as hundreds of teas the shop also sold loads of tins, teapots, cups and pretty much every other sort of tea accessory you could hope for. On the whole they were a little chintzy for my taste, but nonetheless there was no doubt that this was an impressive tea shop - and let's remember it's located in a tiny town on a small island in the Baltic. But here's the real shocker: a mile and a half cycle ride along the sea front is Ahlbeck, another little town with, wait for it, another tea shop! What is going on here? Have I stumbled into tea heaven? Although in truth I suspect that I would find a similar picture all over Germany – would that I could say the same for Britain. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to make the most of it while I'm here. I'll keep you posted about what other tea delights I stumble upon.

A Rare Treat?

I was recently shocked and embarrassed to discover that not only was there a mail order tea company I hadn't heard of but that it had actually won the award for best online retailer in the UK's Observer Food Monthly Magazine. Suitably ashamed I decided I needed to check out the Rare Tea Company forthwith.

China Tea from a Russian Shop in Paris

I was recently invited to dinner by a friend who is an amazing cook. Needless to say I was quick to accept the offer, not least because she is also a tea fan and I knew she'd have something interesting for me to try. Well, she didn't let me down. She had made the most amazing Asian food with dim sum, noodles, gyoza, pak choy, tofu and an absolutely delicious mango dessert. And the tea offering was pretty darn good too.

Smell Over Substance?

Why are most fruit and herbal teas so disappointing? They promise so much with their heady aromas and intense colours but when it comes to drinking them they are usually a big let down.