Metal To A Tea

Find the perfect cup of metal for your current mood

[metaltoatea]

Tea Ceremony at the Japanese Tea Gardens in SF

[metaltoatea]

Yesterday I had an amazing tea experience and I want to share it with you. I was cold from the rain and chose a delicious tea ceremony over a hot shower.

  Rou Gui is a type of Oolong from Wuyi Shan (Wuyi Mountain) in Fujian province, Eastern China. This tea has a reputation as one of the most aromatic and flavorful Wuyi Oolongs. For me the treat is on the nose: cinnamon! Rou Gui translates to 'Cassia', which is a species of genus 'Cinnamomum', otherwise known as Chinese Cinnamon, or Cinnamon to Westerners. Typically, Wuyi tea has forward caramel and roasted notes, but in this high end Wuyi the experience is more about the aftertaste, a dark deep warmth, which lingers after the cup is gone. Late notes are supposed to reveal dark chocolate, but I didn't get this in my cup. Instead, the flavor profile tailed off and I had a very delicate, soft, warm caramel. I drank this from a yixing tea pot with 3 second infusions. I would pay money for the smell of this tea. Lasts about 7 infusions.

What on earth can I pair with such a delicious tea? Myrath is an exceptional and refreshingly new band to the progressive metal scene. Hailing from Tunisia, Myrath blends traditional middle eastern folk elements, such as the hand drum and lush orchestral melodies, with distorted guitars and beautiful Middle Eastern vocal wailing. Don't get me wrong, this is no "snake charmer" imitation middle eastern music. Myrath reminds me of when I was an expat in Egypt. For new metal fans, the lyrics are about hope, optimism, and inner struggle, plus there is little to no growling. If you like this genre, there isn't a lot of other music that incorporates the middle eastern influence. I would suggest similar prog/power groups such as Darkwater – Where Stories End  or  Redemption – Snowfall On Judgment Day, which is one of my favorite prog albums and deserves its own separate review. Another Favorite Song (Great Ballad): Myrath – Memories Spotify Album:  Myrath – Desert Call

I give the tea 5 cups out of 5 - an essential tea to sample! I give the metal 5 cups out of 5 - an essential album to listen to!

Thanks for reading, and don’t forget: Drink a cup a metal!

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[metaltoatea]

I just received my Secret SanTEA gift from Korea and I am excited to write about two expertly paired items: Osulloc Samdayeon post-fermented tea and the album Karkelo by Finland's Korpiklaani! These two go well together because of one common thread: wood!

  Osulloc is a premium tea grower in Korea with stretches of land on the volcanic southern island Jeju. What is special about the Samdayeon tea is this is my first time drinking post-fermented oolong. In tea, fermentation doesn't have anything to do with alcohol, instead it means the tea undergoes further oxidation -- or breaking down -- and is aged after the harvest. This practice is popular in Yunnan region of China to create famously expensive Pu-Erh teas. In Korea, the Samdayeon is matured in a cedar barrel for one hundred days, absorbing the "robust and hearty flavor" of Jeju Island cedars trees. The flavor of cedar comes through in the first warm cup and makes me think of sitting in a warm wood sauna. I like this tea a lot but I think it is not meant for every day consumption. The back of the box says "a distinctive tea to be served to a special guest for an exceptional dining experience". I followed the brewing instructions and placed one pyramid tea bag in 90 C (~195 F) water for 2 minutes. I resteeped the following day and enjoyed the same flavor. In my box of tea there are 10 individually wrapped bags, which is nice to see because the wrapper keeps the tea fresh.

Korpiklaani has been around for several years, starting as a restaurant band in the traditional Finnish Folk style called Sami. Korpiklaani literally translates to "Forest Clan", which is why I pair them with the cedar wood aged tea. I love this band because they make party music - - Karkelo means 'party' - - which is hard to do in the Metal genre. The band uses real folk instruments and writes songs based on traditional Finnish stories, the forest, and alcohol. Damn there are a lot of songs about drinking! Most of the songs have Finnish lyrics, which is not a big hurdle for a new listener because the melodies are catchy. First song Vodka defines their party style, Mettänpeiton Valtiaalle is representative of the folk metal style, and Bring Us Pints Of Beer shows off their boozy side.Their live shows are incredible. The sound board has an entire slider for 'tequila', which you can't argue with.

I give the tea 4 cups out of 5, missing a cup due to lack of versatility. I give the album 5 cups out of 5! An essential disc to listen to!

Thanks for reading, and don’t forget: Drink a cup a metal!

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[metaltoatea]

In this inaugural post for Metal To A Tea I explore two classics: Twinings English Breakfast Tea and New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) Iron Maiden. These two are a perfect pair for a cold, rainy week day in London when you need to pep up for work.

                                      NWOBHM originated in Britain in the '70s as a response to the fading punk scene. Thank god, because that gave us Iron Maiden. Everybody has heard of Number of The Beast and the heart pumping Run To The Hills. What makes this album so good is the energy is non-stop through the entire disc. This is classic Maiden and with Bruce Dickenson on vocals you are sure to sing along. The Number Of The Beast is an important album in the history of the genre so take a listen!

If the music isn't enough to wake you for work, the caffeine surge of Twinings English Breakfast will open your eyes. I chose the k-cup Keurig instant coffee/tea machine to brew my cup today. Although I can't control the water temperature or brewing time, I am pleasantly surprised with the flavor and quality of a cup made by a robot. Since 1706, Twinings has been blending and selling tea from the same store front in London - - now that adds an element to classic! Just like Maiden, this tea is a standard of its genre: rich, full bodied, and great with sweetener and milk. Not bitter at all.

Thanks for reading, and don't forget: Drink a cup a metal!

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[metaltoatea]

Heavy metal and tea - - what a strange pair! Or is it? Both have an unusual cult like following, wildly diverse styles, and more in common than you think. I have two goals with this blog: (1) Educate about Heavy Metal and Tea, and (2) Inspire you to find the meditative qualities in a cup of metal

I have been surprising people for years by showing off my air guitar and love for metal and tea. I hope you find something fun here in the music and tea reviews.

If you are a new listener or taster you can find information about genres of metal and styles of tea on the page links to the right. It is hard to know where to begin, which is why I posted the Periodic Table of Heavy Metal and the Flow Diagram of Tea. Follow along with me and drink up!

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