Don Frew

Name: Yunnan Gold Black Tea | Yunnan Dian Hong Brand: Jing Tea Type: Black tea Form: Loose leaf Review: I have an incredible passion for Yunnan Golds: Each is so different, this one spicy, the... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] […]

Tonight I will be interviewing Margaret Studer, National Tea Examiner on Examiner.com. Margaret is a wonderful tea writer who has done a lot to support the online tea blogging community. We will... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] […]

The travel mug comes in three parts: The base, the lid, and the strainer. All you need to do is place the dry tea leaf of your choice into the mug, add hot water, and then screw both the strainer and... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] […]

Actually, I think that there are few more inspired pairings than bao zhong and coconut. Golden Moon's Coconut Pouchong, for example, is practically desert in a cup. Rishi's version, on the other... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] […]

My loyal readers know that I am a serious oolong girl, and while I have a decided preference for Ti Kuan Yin, I also very much enjoy the occasional cup of bao zhong. Bao zhong, sometimes called... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] […]

The Chicago Tea Garden announced today that it is first company in the United States to offer Zealong, the only tea currently grown in New Zealand. These fresh oolongs are prepared in accordance with ISO20000 food safety management standards, making them not only delicious, but also incredibly pure. From The Chicago Tea Garden's press release: "Zea […]

Woot! Local tea company, Ineeka, recently unveiled its Organic Green Tea Bier, which won Most Innovative/Best New Product, Natural Products Expo-Anaheim 2009. Some local business are sponsoring, along with Ineeka a celebratory party at Lush West Town Friday, June 4th, between 5 and 8 pm. Ineeka, along with Swim Cafe, Nice Cream, Koval Distillery and Star Lou […]

Heads-up, tea lovers! Some nifty tea news from some nifty tea companies: 1. Chicago Tea Garden is offering free samples of their delicious and unique teas to all US residents. My personal favorites include the Golden Bi Luo and Competition Grade Ti Kuan Yin. All you need to do is sign up for their e-newsletter and pick out your sample! 2. Our own National Te […]

TeaLula is a lovely tea shop in Park Ridge, IL (an easy trip from Chicago) that offers a great selection of quality teas and teaware along with knowledgeable service (TeaLula's owner, Sheila Duda, holds Level 3 Professional Series certification through the Specialty Tea Institute). TeaLula has some exciting news that I wanted to share with you: TeaLula […]

Some great news from Chicago-based TeaGschwendner: First of all, TG has a newly designed website! Quite nice and easy to navigate. Go have a look.     Secondly, TeaGschwendner is opening a new store in New York City!  The store will open this June at Rockefeller Center Plaza, 620 Fifth Avenue (right by the ice skating rink). Check out this story in Crain […]

Name: White Ginger Brand: Golden Moon Type: White tea, flavored Form: Loose leaf Review: Golden Moon’s White Ginger combines a very nice white tea (white peony) with ginger root. The result is a sweet, slightly fruity tea with a subtle, but definite, ginger kick. It’s light bodied liquor is a pretty, pale yellow, with a […]

Wondering why your tea is tasting strange all of a sudden? Here are some common tea taste-killers along with suggestions for their elimination: 1. Your Palate: If your tea is suddenly tasting funny or “off,” it may be that something is affecting your palate. Oftentimes this can be something as simple as toothpaste residue, mouthwash, […]

Name: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragonfruit Brand: Tiger Wing Type: White tea and mate blend, flavored Form: Paper tea bags Review: Tiger Wing is a new tea brand that offers fun blends in convenient, paper tea bag form. Tiger Wing is a sister company to established tea retailer, Golden Moon, and takes a decidedly irreverent approach […]

Name: Japanese Sencha Brand: Harney & Sons Type: Green tea Form: Silken pyramid bags Review: I’ve always found Japanese tea to be a tricky brew: I love the mouth-filling qualities of a good Japanese green, but often manage to produce a bitter, disagreeable brew when I try to make it for myself. Fortunately, our friends […]

Name: Organic Green Tea with Citrus and Ginkgo Brand: Harney & Sons Type: Green tea, Chinese Form: Silken pyramid tea bags, also available in paper tea bags, as a loose leaf tea, and in large “brew bags” for iced tea. Review: Organic tea lovers unite! Harney & Sons is working hard, it seems, to source […]

Ann Bauer's recent story about her covert escape from a marriage encounter weekend has inspired some pretty pointed comments. While some are predictably cruel and trollish, others ask this reasonable (and paraphrased) question: "Nobody was holding you against your will. So why did you feel the need to sneak out of the hotel in which the program was […]

I've lived in Oregon for two weeks now, and things have gone better than I expected. I am getting to know people in the community, finding my way around town, becoming involved with civic projects, and developing a good work routine here at home. (I am also not the least bit homesick.) One of the most intriguing things about my sojourn thus far is that […]

Culture shock is often caused by little things. For example: When I visited Hawaii, I expected palm trees, sand, and coconuts.  I did not expect roosters strutting around strip-mall parking lots, flattened frogs along the side of the road, or a Dairy Queen with oxtail soup on the menu. (Even the local McDonalds offered Portuguese sausages and guava juice at […]

I moved to Oregon today. I arrived with three suitcases. The rest of my stuff is either in storage or on its way via UPS. (It is good to be here.) There are no direct flights to Medford, so I had a short layover in San Francisco.  It took me a few minutes of wandering about the terminal to remember the last time I had been there. (It had been two years, almo […]