Global Tea Time

Mongolia is an oval shape country, nestled between China and Russia. It is a landlocked country known for long, cold winters. The terrain sounds rough with mountains and plateaus. The area is noted for having a lot of seismic activity, but the low population density limits damage. Most of the country is used for grazing, and little land is used for crops. It makes sense that this land known for its nomadic herder population. That said, about 70% of the population is reported to live in urban areas. One video I saw about tea showed nomads melting snow in a big pot to make tea. Another resource talked about using lamb tail fat to coat the pot before bringing water to a boil. As luck has it, when I made this tea, it hadn't started snowing yet. Granted, it was a cool, wet fall, so snow is probably going to be early and plentiful this year (groan!). Even so, I would not go out and scoop up pans of snow to melt down and drink. There are way too many chemicals used on lawns and fields f

I didn't get a post up at my normal time this week because I was out exploring Italy. It wasn't tea, instead it was an Italian tape lace (Milanese to be specific). Tape laces use a small number of bobbins to make a long, winding pattern. You can put different designs in the tape depending on how you weave the threads together. I've been intending to get a book, and learn this style of lace for the last few years, but taking a class is way easier. The teacher was great, and the instructions and feedback were very helpful. So, enjoy a little piece of Italy, and I'll be back with more tea next week. Sssssee you next week.

Do you ever have one of those moments where you think, "I didn't just hear (see, read, etc) that"? I'll admit that I had one of those moments while perusing videos for Kazakhstan. Apparently they like an interesting combination of flavors in their tea. Perhaps I should learn a little more about the  country . I didn't realize that it was the 9th largest country in the world. It is listed as the largest country in central Asia, and is sandwiched between Russia and China (along with several smaller countries and a couple of seas). That geographical description does make it seem quite large. It was previously part of the U.S.S.R. Consequently, it makes me feel old to remember when the U.S.S.R. was still around. They declared their independence in 1991 (I'm now guessing that I will have the same feeling when talking about the Berlin wall in Germany...) Anyway, back to the subject at hand. The land is described as hilly, with many waterways. They don't get a

I was introduced to roasted green tea thanks to the local Asian grocery. From what I have learned so far, roasting tea is a common practice. Like smoked tea, however, it is not a feature of most teas sold in the states. Of course I had to try a box when I saw it. As you can see, this is a pretty simple preparation. Put the bag in a cup, add hot water, and let steep for a few minutes.  Sure, simple. Unless you forget that you had it brewing. This is several times stronger than it should be. I decided to tidy up a bit while it was brewing, then I realized that my pantry really needed some attention. Next thing I knew, I had a REALLY strong cup of tea. This had to be cut with additional hot water to be palatable. Roasted green tea has a warm, nutty flavor compared to regular green teas. Roasting certainly adds a new flavor dimension to the tea.