All tagged tea blog

A side-by-side tea tasting in wine glasses

A side-by-side tea tasting in wine glasses

Anna Mariani
Tastings

My tea journey is about the journey itself, not the destination. I don’t know where I’m going exactly but I know that every cup of tea, whether shared with someone or enjoyed alone, every encounter and conversation over tea, each and every tasting note and photograph I take are worth my undivided attention. So here I am, amplifying my sensory experience of tea by drinking tea, two teas, side by side, in wine glasses. Pure bliss. My senses are alert, my mind is not scattered, I’m here now and I don’t wish to be anywhere else at any other point in time.

Tea-infused chocolate bars you have to try

Tea-infused chocolate bars you have to try

Anna Mariani
Tastings

If you’ve seen my previous posts about tea chocolate, you know that I am obsessed with bean-to-bar chocolate maker Fossa from Singapore and their single-origin tea chocolate bars made in collaboration with tea curator Pekoe & Imp. I was able to find two bars I had not tried yet, Duck Shit Dancong tea chocolate and Himalayan Royale Tips Hongcha tea chocolate.

Experimenting with tea mocktails. A recipe with black tea

Experimenting with tea mocktails. A recipe with black tea

Anna Mariani
Recipes

I came across the recipe for a mocktail called A little bit Russian by Julia Bainbridge. I had heard of Julia Bainbridge before, she’s a writer and the author of Good Drinks, a recipe book on non alcoholic drinks. A black tea concentrate is shaken with coconut milk, simple syrup, bitters and ice, then strained and garnished with orange peel. I tested out this recipe to see if it would meet my tea-centric expectations and slightly adapted it to make the tea flavor shine.

Ice brewing different types of tea

Ice brewing different types of tea

Anna Mariani
Tastings

You might be familiar with cold brewing tea but have you tried ice brewing it? I’ve only ever seen ice brewing applied to Japanese green teas and I was curious to experiment with it, which is why I decided to test this method for different tea types from different origins.

Caffeine-free infusions: the iced pink drink

Caffeine-free infusions: the iced pink drink

Anna Mariani
Recipes

After drinking caffeinated teas for most of the day, I find myself craving something refreshing later in the afternoon or to enjoy at sunset. I invented this thirst-quenching, insanely flavorful iced herbal infusion/mocktail by total chance. Picture yourself on a tropical vacation and that is exactly what the pink drink à la Tea Squirrel tastes like.

Caffeine-free infusions: Soba cha aka Japanese buckwheat tea

Caffeine-free infusions: Soba cha aka Japanese buckwheat tea

Anna Mariani
Tastings

Today I want to talk to you about one of my favorite caffeine free tisanes (infusions not from the camellia sinensis plant). In the afternoon and evening, I usually switch from caffeinated beverages to caffeine-free ones. There is as much variety in the herbal tea realm as in the camellia sinensis world and I love discovering new flavor profiles. Soba cha, also known as roasted buckwheat tea, comes from a type of buckwheat that is related to the one that is commonly used in the kitchen.

Tea and Global Leadership

Tea and Global Leadership

Anna Mariani

A few weeks ago, I was interviewed by doctoral students Ashley Miller, Joslyn Williams and Hannington Masereka Kule who are taking a global leadership course within an educational and organizational learning and leadership program at Seattle University. I had never thought of myself as a global leader and I am honored to have been interviewed for their project. Their questions made me reflect on many interesting topics that often get overlooked when thinking about tea.

Can you age green tea?

Can you age green tea?

Anna Mariani
Tastings

That is the question that I asked myself while holding a nondescript pouch I had just retrieved from the back of my tea cabinet. It was still sealed, unlabeled and had a long code handwritten on one side. I knew exactly what it was. A micro-lot Korean green tea I had purchased at a tea tasting two years ago. Unintentionally, I had been putting off opening it, waiting for the perfect occasion. Honestly, my first response to the question “can you age green tea?” would be a resounding “no”, but I was about to find out firsthand anyway.

The best tea experiences I’ve ever had

The best tea experiences I’ve ever had

Anna Mariani

Because I haven’t been able to travel in over a year now (thank you, pandemic) and I miss traveling more than anything right now, I thought it would be fun to round up all the best tea experiences I’ve had around the world. Honestly, I’ve had more than 7 (at least 12) and I could write chapters about them but I’ll keep those for my memoirs. What are the best tea experiences you’ve ever had? Please let me know in the comments below, I’m curious!

Are tea people cat people?

Are tea people cat people?

Anna Mariani

As a tea lover and cat mom of two (but also an animal lover in general), I’ve always wondered whether there is a connection between being a tea drinker and being a cat lover. There seems to be a recurring pattern but is it true or is it a misconception or a stereotype? I asked my newsletter subscribers and here are the results of that survey.

Tea and Mindfulness. Drinking a 2018 wild black tea and finding focus

Tea and Mindfulness. Drinking a 2018 wild black tea and finding focus

Anna Mariani
Tastings

Hello, tea lovers and welcome back to The Tea Squirrel! This is episode number three of my series on tea and mindfulness. Being present in the moment, enjoying the beauty of little things, being intentional with one’s thoughts and actions are all things that tea lovers can easily teach themselves by cultivating a tea ritual, however simple or elaborate. My goal for this series is to practice mindfulness more consistently and explore it in a creative way.

Tea and Mindfulness. Drinking pu erh and making a collage

Tea and Mindfulness. Drinking pu erh and making a collage

Anna Mariani
Tastings

Hello, tea lovers and welcome back to The Tea Squirrel! This is episode number two of my series on tea and mindfulness. Being present in the moment, enjoying the beauty of little things, being intentional with one’s thoughts and actions are all things that tea lovers can easily teach themselves by cultivating a tea ritual, however simple or elaborate. My goal for this series is to practice mindfulness more consistently and explore it in a creative way.

Tea and Mindfulness. Drinking matcha and writing a haiku

Tea and Mindfulness. Drinking matcha and writing a haiku

Anna Mariani

What is mindfulness? Being present in the moment, enjoying the beauty of little things, being intentional with one’s thoughts and actions are all things tea lovers can easily teach themselves by cultivating a tea ritual. Over the next 10 weeks join me for a “Tea and Mindfulness Series” for tea lovers on the blog. My goal is to inspire you and get inspired for my future tea endeavors.

A tea tasting in Kyoto, Japan

A tea tasting in Kyoto, Japan

Anna Mariani
Tastings

When Elisa Da Rin Puppel, the Italian tea blogger at Il Bollitore, asked me about working together on a blog post for The Tea Squirrel about her recent experience at The Tea Crane in Kyoto, I was already familiar with Tyas Sōsen and his natural teas. Here’s Elisa’s tea tasting experience at The Tea Crane. Enjoy!

The secret life of an Italian tea expert in London

The secret life of an Italian tea expert in London

Anna Mariani

Italian tea expert in London Alessandra Rovetta is going to give us a behind-the-scenes look at a one-of-a-kind custom tea blending service and tell us all about her tea journey and tea dream job in London! She’s going to share her top afternoon tea recommendations in London along the way too!

Decluttering my tea collection, part 2

Decluttering my tea collection, part 2

Anna Mariani
Tastings

Decluttering means making room for new teas and restocking old favorites. Therefore, in order to find my favorite teas and understand what other teas I might want to try, I had to adopt a structured approach to the content of my tea cabinet. It’s called a “showdown” and it’s a type of contest. You take your teas and taste them side by side to determine your favorite. Keep reading to find out the winner of this round.

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