John Smulo

(Note: Please read my post here regarding further tea reviews on this blog. This tea is one of a few that I will be reviewing before ceasing tea reviews.) Name: 1999 Vietnamese Puerh Brand: Canton... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] […]

  Greetings, Over the past three years I have greatly enjoyed reviewing teas here on Lainie Sips. I’m extremely grateful for the support of my readers, fellow bloggers and the tea industry... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] […]

Name: Li Shan Oolong Brand: Canton Tea Co Type: Oolong Form: Loose leaf Cost: $10.27 for a 10 gram sample. Quantity discounts available and this price will fluctuate according to US/UK exchange... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] […]

Hurry! Some time ago, I reviewed Skillet Bacon Jam, using it to make my beloved peanut butter and bacon sandwiches, which I paired with the Chicago Tea Garden’s incomparable Keemun Hao Ya A. I... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] […]

Name: Tezpur Blend TGBOP Brand: Peter Asher Coffee and Tea Type: Black tea Form: Loose leaf Price: $7.50 for 2 ounces (November, 2011) Review: This is one of the tastiest Assams I’ve had in a... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] […]

Adagio Teas-State Street opened today, Friday, November 25th. The store features 60 different teas and tisanes (herbal infusions) along with a whole lot of wonderful teaware. Stop by to sniff and sample Adagio's offerings or pick... […]

Many people don't know that I got into tea by way of drinking wine: After several years enjoying the grape, I decided that I needed to cut some calories. To my delight, I discovered that tea drinking could... […]

  Name: Organic English BreakfastBrand: IntelligentsiaType: Black teaForm: Loose leafCost: $7 for two ounces of dry leaf as of October 2011, quantity discounts are available. Cups of tea vary by location.Review: While Chicago-based Intelligentsia... […]

Name: The Palmer House Hilton's Lockwood RestaurantLocation: 17 E. Monroe Street, Chicago, IL, 312-937-3404Service: Traditional afternoon tea serviceCost: $35 per adult ($18 for children), a glass of champagne with afternoon tea is an... […]

  Tony Gebley, tea blogger at World of Tea and owner of Chicago Tea Garden, is teaching a "Tea 101" class on Saturday, October 8th, 2011 from 2:00-4:00 pm. His class will delve into the... […]

Name: Tangiers Lemon Flavored White Tea Brand: English Tea Store Type: White Tea, flavored Form: Loose leaf Review: I’ve long said that white peony tea and lemon are a natural pairing: While I love the fruitiness of unflavored white peony, a little kick of lemon is sometimes a welcome addition, adding a bit of tang […]

Name: Scottish Breakfast Tea Brand: English Tea Store Type: Black tea, blend Form: Loose leaf Review: This is an interesting blend of Indian teas, including Assam, as well as Keemun from China. According to a video produced by the English Tea Store, one of the goals in the blending of this tea was to suggest […]

Name: Organic Wild Blueberry Black Tea Brand: English Tea Store Type: Black tea, flavored Form: Loose leaf Review: Now this is the sort of flavored tea that I like: It doesn’t club me over the head with flavor, and I can still taste the tea. At the same time, it is unmistakably a “blueberry” tea: […]

Name: Jasmine With Flowers Green Tea Brand: English Tea Store Type: Green tea, scented Form: Loose leaf Review: This is a ridiculously inexpensive tea ($3.89 for four ounces as of November, 2011) and, for the price, brews up a respectable cup of jasmine green tea that should suit jasmine lovers well. The dry leaf itself […]

Name: Genmaicha Japanese Green Tea Brand: English Tea Store Type: Green tea Form: Loose leaf Review: Genmaicha has long been my “go-to” tea for initiating green-tea newbies.  It combines sencha with roasted rice, producing a unique flavor: The rice mellows out the sencha, while the tea itself produces a pretty, light green liquor and a […]

Outrage on Salon is nothing new. Even its most innoccuous articles attract trolls, haters, prigs, and the occasional psychotic. Clawed commenters do their best to leave their mark upon the author, particularly if she is a woman who admits to having had sex.   (The circumstances of the sex don't seem to matter.)   Knowing this, Lorraine Berry nonetheless […]

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 […]