Global Tea Time

Today we travel to the heart of central Asia, Tajikistan . They are bordered by Kyrgyzstan, China, Afghanistan, and Uzbekistan. Like many other countries in the region, it was part of the Soviet Union from 1929 to 1991. They share ethnic and linguistic ties to Afghanistan, as well as Iran. It is a small, mountainous country with temperatures depending somewhat on altitude. Much of the country is described as unsuitable for human habitation, but parts of the desert region are able to be irrigated to grow cotton. Most of the population is described as being rural, and about 60% of the population is under 30 years old. There were several forms of tea I found for Tajikistan. Tea with milk and an egg yolk was traditionally made for people who were sick. Green tea is served in summer, black tea in winter. I'm making this on a day with a winter storm warning for an impending blizzard, so black tea it is! Thankfully we are moving into green tea season now. That must be why I decided...

All the tea videos from Pakistan agree on using milk, water, and black tea. From there, things diverge a bit. Some people stick with the basics as listed above, and add brown sugar to the final product. Others add cardamom pods for additional flavor. One thing they all agree on is to boil longer for stronger tea. After reading a little bit about Pakistan , it makes sense that there would be so many different ways of making tea. They split off from India along religious lines, and was known as East Pakistan and West Pakistan until the 1970s when East Pakistan was renamed Bangladesh. The country is also described as a melting pot of different cultures, and has 5 main ethnic groups. It is a young country, with about 60% of the population being younger than 30. Here's my attempt at making Pakistani tea. 1/2 cup of milk, 1 cup of water, 4 cardamom pods, and 2 tea bags. Bring to a boil and simmer until it is the strenght you want. Easy, right? Today was one of those days. I st...

These days, I'm a little scared to Google Russia. They have been in the news a lot lately, and it has not been flattering. Maybe the person whose name is so frequently used in conjunction with Russia should start to refer to it as Pottsylvania. Nobody would ever catch on. Incidentally, I did watch the first episode of the "Rocky and Bullwinkle" reboot on Amazon Prime. Apparently Dream Works has taken them on. It was a little strange watching the 2 main characters fighting with each other, and the plot is a modernized version of the "Banana Formula" (H2O, NH3, C2H5, PDQU235, and a pinch of salt) episode from way back when. I guess this makes me old. Russia is about much more than spies and meddling. Technically they are one of our closest neighbors since there is only a two and a half mile gap between an Alaskan island and a Russian island where the international date line divides the days. Alaska is yesterday, and Russia is tomorrow . Actually, The Moth Radio ...

Thanks to the terrible weather we have been having lately (check out the selfie), I haven't been able to drive up to my favorite tea shop. While it's not terribly far away, it would take forever to drive up there in the crappy weather we've been getting. Now, thankfully, the bone chilling cold temperatures are gone, but they have been replaced by a thaw/freeze cycle that has turned all sidewalks and parking lots into virtual skating rinks because there is nowhere for the melted water to go. Sigh. I hate winter. On top of that, we have the time change to deal with this weekend. I still remember my Chinese friend asking why we did such a stupid thing in this country. I honestly have no answer for that. I guess that I will just have to drown my sorrows (in a nice cup of tea). While I can certainly find tea other places that are closer, I can't find my beloved Swiss chocolate tea anywhere else. Thankfully, they offer the option to order online. And, since they offer ...

By some miracle, it's not snowing or icing outside this weekend. It's just cold. Really cold, like wind chill advisory cold. So, we're sampling a hot beverage from someplace much warmer than here today. It seems people are a little surprised if not slightly taken aback when I mention gunpowder. What a strange name for tea. It is so named because the loose leaf form of this tea is rolled into little balls that reminded early British traders of gunpowder. While I usually associate this tea with China, Numi tea lists it for Taiwan. According to their blurb about this tea, it appeared in Taiwan in the 19th century, and was embraced for its smoky flavor and full-bodied smooth taste. Given the smoky flavor of Iron Goddess from Taiwan, I can believe that they like smoked teas. When I opened the package, I was greeted with the bright, grassy smell of green tea. I found it to be very reminiscent of matcha. When I brewed up a cup, the smoky scent came out of this tea. The smok...