ALWAYS TEA TIME 24/7

BREW IT!

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090365 (by Lee-Ann D)

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[white-vanilla]

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DE NADA MOJITO MINT TEA

Another tea we had at De Nada in Chorlton was the Mojito Mint loose leaf one. If I had to define it's taste - very smooth and subtle. Quite sweetish, with absolutely no bitterness to it. Fresh in smell; strong, very minty and interesting but (what a disapointment!) a bit boring in flavour - there was a light note of mint breaking through a bit stronger tones of lime/lemon, no madness though.   I guess the tea might be more enjoyable chilled and served in a glass with ice (left me with a cool aftertaste). That one pleased me as I love mint tea in general, however to be fair I was expecting more from a mojito one. Anyway, it was still a decent cuppa.

*5 Thumbs Up*

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Very Berry!

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De Nada Chorlton Red Berry Burst Tea

De Nada is a fairly recent arrival to the M21 Bar / Restaurant Scene, specializing in South American Food and Beer, its something a little different to the usual craft beer / veggie offerings Manchester's greatest suburb is more renowned for. A really zingy tea with a slight tartness in its aftertaste, I was getting real hints akin to that of a Summer Fruit Pudding. It’s a Proper vibrant drink, which is very moreish. The fruit is really is sharp and doesn’t taste artificial in the slightest, which can always be a concern with some fruit teas and at the same time doesn't suffer from that overbrewed 'Paint Stripper' like taste! It’s quite a sweet tea and once again this is a totally natural flavour, no hint of anything being added to beef up the flavours! Its a rich red colour, which certainly doesn't feel out of place sitting amongst DeNada's pictures of Sao Paolo getaways and Latin American offerings, very summery indeed. With bags of flavour and a pleasing and fresh fruity aroma, I’d really recommend this as something to drink over the coming months now the sun is threatening to rear its head... On a side note, if you do happen to be passing through Chorlton you should take a visit to De Nada, the staff were exceptionally pleasant and their specialty Mpanadas were sublime, the only let down being the lack of any South American Tea! *8 thumbs up*

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GORILLA MANCHESTER (Pic. Courtesy of Skiddle)

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Gorilla Manchester Tea Pigs English Breakfast Tea

Once again we found ourselves at Manchester's fantastic bar / diner / gin palace / gig venue / nightclub / kitchen sink...

What more can I say, It’s a proper brew! 

Dark and Treacle like in colour, its ideal with a bacon butty and plenty of sauce (brown or red you decide!) There's a really creamy texture that really compliments the taste! Not too strong and not too weak, its just the right balance of flavour and refreshment, oh and it definitely has to be served in a mug!

I could drink this one all day, and whilst not quite my favourite everyday tea I'll certainly be buying myself a packet!

*8 thumbs up*

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GUEST REVIEW: PU ERH FIERY DRAGON

Here is a review done by our friend, Ula Orlik, a student of enviromental engineering from Wroclaw, Poland. Not only is she a big fan of tea, she also enjoys baking cakes to drink it with!

Should I ever be asked about what I like to drink on my day off, without hesitation the answer is TEA. I am a fan of Denmark, where they drink coffee every single hour. There is a before breakfast coffee, breakfast coffee, after breakfast coffee, before lunch coffee… and so on. I am definitely not very Danish this way (not to mention I am not Danish at all. Or I am – at heart). I prefer my caffeine coming from dried leaves rather than from coffee seeds. Also I feel a little bit British while I drink my earl grey with milk and sugar. And I totally remember the times of my childhood, as I used to sit in front of my grandparents’ house with my grandpa drinking mint tea, eating biscuits and enjoying every tiny bit of it.

As a fan of pu-erh tea today I want to present to you some loose leaf one: Pu-erh – Ognisty Smok (Fiery Dragon, is it?). I was thinking about making a review of my personal favourite (right after mint tea) – Pu-erh with oranges, but when I went shopping for tea, the Fiery Dragon was presented to me and when I tasted it at home, oh my… pure awesomeness. And a new #1.

It has some candied pineapples, sunflower petals and an amazing pu-erh inside. How do I begin to describe it? It smells quite funny, not at all ‘bergamotish’ (bergamot orange -  distinctive aroma of bergamot is most commonly known for its use in Earl Grey tea). And the taste, oh my. It is a little bit sour, a little bit sweet. If you strain your senses, you can smell and taste the pineapple. I love it. My first cup was brewing for about 5 minutes and it tastes perfect. I am not a fan of very strong tea, but pu-erh made from loose leafs gets even better with time. The last sip of it after a while was just teagasmic. It is perfect without any addition of sugar and milk does not go well with this one at all. It has a deep colour coming from the leaves and is in my opinion the best loose leaf tea I have tasted so far. I am now disappointed with myself, as I bought only a small package of it and it will be gone within couple of days.

As the winter season is gone, my honey is all eaten and I cannot taste my new favourite pu-erh with it, but I am sure it would be even more perfect than it is right now.

The saddest thing is that when you drink all of your Fiery Dragon, it leaves a taste for some more. And you go to the kitchen, brew another cup and then drink it all and you realise you want some more… and more and more and then you realise it is all gone… Now you just go to bed, cover yourself with a blanket and cry a lot as this perfectly sour-sweet combination is now just a memory until the next visit in your favourite teashop.

*8 Thumbs Up*

Where there's tea there's hope. - Arthur W. Pinero

Pictures taken by Ula herself.

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Earl Grey, not everyone’s cup of tea.

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Tea Talk with Danny C90 aka Earl Grey

Part three. Whilst not drinking tea, here at att247 we are big fans of going out and having a bit of a boogie, one of our favourite artists of recent times has to be Danny of the C90s and not only because of his excellent music, in fact we think he’s big a fan of tea as we are!

Not only is he one half of the aforementioned C90s and also one half of Say Yes to Another Excess (with Daniel Avery) his latest solo work as Earl Grey is certainly worth raising a cuppa to!

1. Teacup or Mug

You tryna mug me off son? i think a teacup tastes better.

2. How do you brew your tea?

One teaspoon, into a ‘Teaball infuser’ 3-4 mins brew time. FRESH WATER is key.

3. What’s your favourite type of tea?

Earl Grey quite obviously….

4. Where’s your favourite place to drink tea?

Ive enjoyed a tipple of tea in many spots over the years, but i really wanna goto one of those ‘cat cafes’ they have in japan, i reckon that’d be my favorite place. Stroke a cat have some tea. Or maybe when i get a cat i could just do the same at home.

5. What was the last tea you had and how was it?

Im having a nice tall cup of earl grey right now but a couple of days ago i had a delicious white peach blossom tea around london bridge. Was divine.

6. If you could have a cup of tea with one person alive or dead who would it be and what type of tea would you both have?

Tough one, maybe a cup of earl grey with the original man himself? we could talk about the nuances of bergamot oil and have cake in the garden.

7. Any interesting teas you’ve had in the past, good or bad?

Anyone that knows me, knows i like to try all sorts of weird drinks. Im fascinated by drink varieties, tea wise i had a lovely iced lavender tea in NYC once. I’m currently working my way through Yumchaa’s tea range, i have a nice Japanese cherry blossom green tea and also one called Regents Park (green) which has pineapple and papaya and rose and some other stuff. I love a good green tea too. I named one of my tracks off my EP after a tea.

Did you mention my EP?! why yes it came out only last week on La Belle records!

you can check it here: https://soundcloud.com/the-earl-of-grey/sets/not

https://twitter.com/Danny_c90s

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Just bought some new teas to try out. Watch this space...

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Thomas Von Party

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Tea Talk with Thomas Von Party

Part Two. Turbo Recordings. An unbeatable stable of artists. A catalogue beyond compare. Canada's Thomas Von Party is the man behind the label, Tiga's brother, a DJ and artist in his own right, we caught up with the self proclaimed 'tea obsessive' to find out more...

1. Teacup or Mug Mug. It holds more tea. Plus, I'm Canadian, not British.

2. How do you brew your tea? I use this product a friend of mine designed for David's tea:

http://www.davidstea.com/the-steeper-36-oz?&TF=384C2498270F&DEID=

3. What’s your favourite type of tea? You're asking all the hard questions. My all time favourite is proper Indian chai. Nothing like the "chai latte's" you typically get at like Starbucks... I'm talking the powdered black tea, mega boiled, Indian milk, super sweet stuff.

4. Where’s your favourite place to drink tea? At home. Is that specific enough? No? At home in my favourite chair.

5 What was the last tea you had and how was it? I had a Matcha almond milk latte this morning. I know that sounds pretty metro yuppie douche but it was delicious.

6. If you could have a cup of tea with one person alive or dead who would it be and what type of tea would you both have? I'd drink mushroom tea with Aphex Twin. I might bad trip, but it'd be worth trying.

7. Any interesting teas you’ve had in the past, good or bad? I was given a high-end brick of aged pu'erh and I love it. Got it's own vibe. Earthy. 

PS I run a record label. Turbo. We launched the current UK #1 artist Duke Dumont's career. BAM. I like regular English tea too. PG tips and all that shit. Great with flapjacks, innit.

https://www.facebook.com/thomasvonparty

http://shop-turbo.com/music/vinyl/

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Gorilla Cinnamon Spice

First of all, I’d highly recommend everyone to go and try some loose leaf tea at The Gorilla, you won’t be dissapointed. Let’s face it - their choice of teas is not too impressive but they have some basic kinds of loose leaf tea (supplied by Has Bean Coffee) - Earl Grey, Camomile, Organic Green, Peppermint (I’ve already had that before and enjoyed it a lot!) and the Cinnamon Spice one, which I totally fell in love with.



Bloody Tea!

I was really excited when the teapot arrived on the table. I didn’t know what to expect at all. What I got was something incredible I couldn’t stop drinking. There is so much richness in this blend. The first sip made me think of cherries and rum and wish it was winter already(!) so I could enjoy my cup of the Cinnamon Spice covered up with a blanket in front of a fireplace. I could tell there was a subtle tone of an almond and marzipan in this flavour. What it really was: currants, hibiscus, plum, cinnamon and liquorice root. Deep, unusual, original and very, very sweet with a bit of a tart aftertaste - so interesting it made my taste buds go crazy. Also the price (£2 for a serving!) was in my opinion too favourable for such a great thing!

I really wish to have the Cinnamon Spice blend on a shelf in my cupboard for special occasions :) Thankfully it is possible to order it online from Has Bean’s website: http://www.hasbean.co.uk/products/cinnamon-spice-50g

*9 Thumbs Up* (I’m so tempted to give it a higher note but should probably give it another try first)



Perfection

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Released for Record Store Day, we love this!

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Twinings Pure Green Tea

A Pure Green Tea from one of the UK's oldest and most well known tea merchants (The firm's logo, created in 1787, is the world's oldest still in  current use). Made from all natural ingredients and containing no added flavours this is a really solid green tea that isn't ashamed to stand out on its own.

Its got a really fresh taste that is neither too watery or too bitter and whilst it may not be as well rounded as costlier infusions or even brewing the leaves yourself it certainly isn't too far away in the flavour stakes. As I say, it wasn't bitter but I wouldn't try and brew it for longer than the instructions provided as then I think you'll be edging towards a much more tartier and hidden dark side...

This tea is quite cloudy in colour (I don't think Twinnings Pure Murky Yellowish Tea has quite the same marketing appeal) but has been pretty  consistent flavour wise with each cup I've had. Overall its a fairly decent example of Green Tea, nothing out of the ordinary but ideal as an everyday tea and if all the positive health claims are to be believed its probably doing you the world of good!

*6 Thumbs Up*