Tag Archives: Matcha

Summer at the Tea Shop

July 4, 2024 Admin (kateri) Leave a comment

If you’ve been visiting us regularly you know we’ve added quite a few teas and new tea wares in the past year or so. Being able to open the shop floor up has improved cash flow and provided the funds to bring in more of what I hope you want to see and Share. Several new teas this year are a result of Customer Requests – Peaches and Cream, Buckingham Palace Garden Party, a Green tea Chai (custom blend), Earl Grey Crème (hitting the racks next week), to mention a few.

The celebration of our country’s birth seems a fitting time to announce that we NOW Have USA Grown Tea IN The Shop, and on the website, from Great Mississippi Tea Company. We are Very excited to finally be able to Share This with You.

Great Mississippi Tea Company (GMTC) planted their first tea bushes about the time we were opening in Maplewood and Kateri has been following their progress.

It takes at least 5 years to be able to harvest enough leaf to be commercially viable, and they have been adding tea bushes and learning and growing their farm, and garnering awards at tea competitions over all this time. The teas are sustainably grown without the use of pesticides or fungicides. GMTC is at the forefront of encouraging and helping to educate other farms and individuals who want to grow tea in the U.S.

I missed out on wholesale purchasing last year – because they have only what they can harvest and process in a given year. The 4 options of teas you can purchase from us right now is new 2024 harvest, made into a black, green, oolong, AND a yellow tea.

Good Yellow tea is hard to find outside of China – and truthfully, I have not yet tasted it and I am still learning about how it is made and what makes it different. The teas just arrived Wednesday. We will brew some up for sampling this Saturday, and are looking forward to learning more about it along with you!

I brought in only 1oz packages to start, as an introduction. Pricing is comparable to other of our farm direct, hand-crafted teas. Give us a week or so and we will be breaking down 1 or 2 packages into our usual Trial Size offerings for those of you on a budget, because Everyone should have an opportuni-tea to enjoy Good, Real tea.

Visit the Comings & Goings page for more New tea info

We’ve also come up with two more specialty matcha flavors – Chocolate Mint, or Ginger. We originated these as a latte, and they take a few minutes to prepare (like our Butter Beer, if you remember that one). For the freshest, tastiest experience we brew everything to order.

Thank you for Being Wonderful and Supportive of your Local Tea Shop. It means the World to Us.

Kateri + Lori and PJ

General, News

Welcome 2024 – 15th year – OPEN! again

January 6, 2024 Admin (kateri) Leave a comment

After much thought and discussion, we figured out how to make more room and open up our space for you again!

This is also your reminder about our YEAR15 coupon that resets first day of every month all this year. Use it at online checkout; or tell us “Happy Anniversary” when shopping In store. Available to everyone! Thank YOU!!

We are so Grateful for your continued patronage and support that has kept us growing for 15 YEARS!! [10 years in Maplewood]

Tea Recipes

Recipe for a quick and easy gift

December 6, 2022 Admin (kateri) Leave a comment

using matcha and/or hojicha powder

Matcha/Hojicha Chocolate Covered Caramelized Almonds

image and recipe courtesy of Sugimoto Tea Company

Ingredients

3/4 cup (100g) whole almonds (raw or roasted) or nuts or seeds of choice*
1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons (10g) water
1 teaspoon (5g) butter
2 oz white chocolate
1-1/2 teaspoons (8g) matcha or hojicha powder

Instructions

Step 1: If using raw almonds, roast them at 325°F for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned. [If using hulled green pumpkin seeds, definitely want to toast them – only about 5-6 minutes needed. Stir halfway through.]

Step 2: Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir, or Shake the pan every once in a while to dissolve the sugar evenly.

Step 3: Once the sugar melts completely, add almonds and stir continuously. The sugar will start crystalizing and look grainy and white. Keep stirring and the sugar will melt again and turn brownish in color.

Step 4: Remove from heat when the color turns deep amber. Don’t burn the sugar too much! Add butter and stir well. (I forgot to add the butter when making the pumpkin seed batch and they seem fine – pumpkin seeds maybe a bit more fat content than almonds ?)

Step 5: Spread out the almonds on a piece of parchment paper and separate them from one another. Allow to cool.

Step 6: In a small bowl, break the white chocolate into small pieces and melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Add 1/2tsp matcha (or hojicha) powder and stir gently until well combined.

Step 7: Once the almonds cool, put them in a medium bowl then pour about ¼ of the white chocolate over the almonds. Stir carefully until the almonds are covered with the chocolate. Repeat until all the chocolate is gone.

Step 8: Once the chocolate is solid, toss the almonds in the 1 tsp of matcha (or hojicha) powder to coat. [My Note: it took a good half hour in a cool kitchen for the chocolate to solidify enough to coat with the powder so they would look “dusted” rather than it being absorbed into the chocolate.]

*I think hulled pumpkin seeds would be a great substitute, especially with hojicha. Also I have somewhat edited the recipe for clarity based on my experience making my first batch. Comments are turned on so you can share from your experience as well.

My humble first attempt making hojicha almonds – Taste amazing – though not so pretty.

Pro tip: After coating fully if there is a dusting of matcha or hojicha powder left in your bowl – make yourself a mini drink using standard preparation instructions (reducing water or milk proportionate to the amount of powder you have). Mmmm! OR, if you are gifting these, add it to the jar with the nuts and let your giftee get the extra benefit.

Traveling Tea