tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77679836366514326392024-03-14T07:40:35.702+11:00The Tea DiariesUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767983636651432639.post-32959016607424042762013-04-02T22:43:00.000+11:002013-04-02T22:43:02.722+11:00Second round save - Depot de Pain review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Well dear readers, I realise it has been a while since my last post (again), but something about the sudden cold snap inspires me to leave my usual tea haunt in search of new delights.<br />
I regret to say I have a number of reviews languishing on my desk, miserably waiting for a touch up and a type out to you, my dear readers, including a review of my most favourite tea locale at the moment, but I fear the brief summer we enjoyed consumed my normal tea writing time with other pursuits.<br />
Nevertheless, I have returned with a new post, and no less than 4 hours old! Read on friends, read on.<br />
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Cafe review: Depot de Pain<br />
Where: 693 Rathdowne St, Carlton North<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWS1Irk6Yc2mnKBlk0oUf-bVlcw3K1G6kC-ON5_EbfHKQXLWl6gr-Eb1AfVimWIfa0mQKsDMecK-mtZq6GLe6jXzvbW8x1UdOQB__Ucx3wriH2k3pria5P0L3lBVDdHJDX3hk865L-1cc/s1600/depotdepain2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWS1Irk6Yc2mnKBlk0oUf-bVlcw3K1G6kC-ON5_EbfHKQXLWl6gr-Eb1AfVimWIfa0mQKsDMecK-mtZq6GLe6jXzvbW8x1UdOQB__Ucx3wriH2k3pria5P0L3lBVDdHJDX3hk865L-1cc/s1600/depotdepain2.jpg" /></a>My colleagues, Madame P, Miss B and I found ourselves wandering the streets of Carlton North this afternoon, having concluded a business meeting in the area. "It is time for tea!" we cried, not yet prepared to return home. Being on the western side of the street, we approached Depot de Pain, a luxurious looking French patisserie. I immediately dismissed any ideas of obtaining tea there, as I'd had a rather unpleasant experience there with Miss B several years before.<br />
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As we passed by, a side window by the coffee machine popped open and a rather charming young barista stuck his head out, inviting us in to tea. Now, I would not like to compare our group to a giggling gaggle of school girls, but such was the barista's charm that this is essentially what we were reduced to. This may be why we found ourselves sat within the bakery several minutes later.<br />
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The inside was reminiscent of the bakeries of France, with beautiful cakes (or what was left of them by 5pm) and breads on display. Several nookish rooms were hidden around a display of produce, and there was a very relaxed atmosphere.<br />
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We asked our waitress for a menu, and were presented with only a food menu. A disappointment to be sure, but there were several tasty snacks, and Madame P ordered some spinach "sausage" rolls to be brought with our tea. Alas, these were waylaid and never appeared!<br />
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The tea itself was a brand we were unfamiliar with, a Ceylon Tea Bush, which Miss B thought she might have seen in small country town stores before. Certainly not a brand of fame in Melbourne. Our teas came with a small printed note about the product, a nice touch I thought. Miss B and I both went for Passionberry, while Madame P sipped Ginger and Peach. We were disappointed to find the teas flavoured with oils as well as natural fruit pieces, but they were enjoyable none the less. The Passionberry took a few sips to get used to, and the first mouthful was very tart with plum undertones. The tartness stayed through the whole drink, but became more berry like in flavour.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ZYkF76ClTQ8lc4Kg97NOnz3xP7NZdHO1Rj6_twgpBZUKJpToitUQN9FGS4oIVie2WFoJgzsQ24QH2_ht2To7KZQ6So_MAhXWjLJY7Mv46yWUjtvBICSNzbA67pyCNmRLLxDhAKiB6sA/s1600/depotdepain1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ZYkF76ClTQ8lc4Kg97NOnz3xP7NZdHO1Rj6_twgpBZUKJpToitUQN9FGS4oIVie2WFoJgzsQ24QH2_ht2To7KZQ6So_MAhXWjLJY7Mv46yWUjtvBICSNzbA67pyCNmRLLxDhAKiB6sA/s320/depotdepain1.jpg" width="291" /></a></div>
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Overall the experience was very enjoyable, buoyed by banter with the charming barista, and we accidentally ended up staying past their closing time. I do enjoy a place where you are not made to feel like a villain for staying too long. I think it just goes to show that some places are worth giving a second shot.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px;">The Rating</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11px; line-height: 18px;">Atmosphere: 3/5<br />
Available food: 1/5 (really excellent range, but lose points for forgetting our order)<br />
Tea range: 4/5<br />
Tea had: 3/5</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11px; font-style: italic;">Overall: 11/20</span></span> </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767983636651432639.post-27594308696566492142012-11-14T12:37:00.000+11:002012-11-14T12:37:50.970+11:00Tea with a dash of sarcasm - Minimo review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
For some reason, I am not at all sure why, going out for breakfast has become relegated to "special occasion" dining for my little swag of friends. Luckily it was Master M's birthday over the weekend - the perfect excuse to make the trek up Sydney Road to one of our favourite haunts, Minimo. I haven't been to Minimo in a good 6 months, and, having been a bit lax on the reviews of late, I was interested in rediscovering their tea selection.<br />
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Cafe review: Minimo<br />
Where: 822 Sydney Rd, Brunswick<br />
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We were greeted by a very enthusiastic waiter, who I think I can safely say made my day. He informed us that they were trying a new blend of rudeness and sarcasm in their service, as that was the "new black" in cafes these days. This could have backfired horribly, but his service that day was just the right mix of hilarity and charm that he pulled it off.<br />
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As it was not the best of weather and we were sat outside, I decided I wanted something milky and asked if there was chai available. "Do we have chai," the waiter scoffed, then proceeded to outline in great detail the option of a chai latte, or traditional chai in a pot. The waiter's skill in describing was so great that he managed to convince Lady J to swap from a croissant to the daily special of rhubarb hotcakes. I opted for a pot of chai made on soy and a ham and cheese croissant. (I know there are chai purists who will scoff at me getting soy milk with my chai, but my reasoning is thus: in Australia most chais are blended to go with soy milk, and really one finds it hard to go past the bonsoy option when it's available).<br />
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The drinks took a while to arrive, but the company was good enough that it was just on the tail end of acceptable. My only qualm was that the tea leaves in my chai clogged up the spout of the teapot when I first went to pour, and then rushed out in a great tea-y mess that covered my menu. The waiter gave me a dry look and a dig about making a mess, but quickly cleared it up. The chai itself was not the best I've had, but it was good overall, though I would have liked the option of honey instead of only sugar being available. It was sweet and spicy without being overly peppery, but it could have done with a bit more depth of flavour I feel, perhaps some more nutmeg or cinnamon.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUIMg-p8Ze8W1oC66FAktTg2UQpuMxPjlduiUp-awgo-SFhI5NX1vwn896Y0Bh2HCPDWfVfXYRzPDZYdsNqSngJpEIIaVOHJkY1VQMasQDBdCrgGxADRf7-hCYRMlNpFGVYUVCZ2qXtSw/s1600/minimo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUIMg-p8Ze8W1oC66FAktTg2UQpuMxPjlduiUp-awgo-SFhI5NX1vwn896Y0Bh2HCPDWfVfXYRzPDZYdsNqSngJpEIIaVOHJkY1VQMasQDBdCrgGxADRf7-hCYRMlNpFGVYUVCZ2qXtSw/s400/minimo.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of the unfortunate spillage</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The food lived up to the waiter's amazing descriptive powers. My croissant was buttery and delicious, and I will admit to stealing several bites of Master M's eggs with anchovy sauce, while Lady J's hot cakes were simply divine. While I was unable to decipher what brand of tea Minimo uses, I was assured there was a good, high quality range, and I have absolutely no problem with returning to sample more of their teas.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px;">The Rating</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11px; line-height: 18px;">Atmosphere: 4.5/5<br />
Available food: 5/5<br />
Tea range: 3.5/5<br />
Tea had: 4/5</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11px; font-style: italic;"> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11px; font-style: italic;">Overall: 17/20</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767983636651432639.post-58400926438389573282012-10-16T19:47:00.002+11:002012-10-16T19:59:05.041+11:00Oh Carolina, what have you done - cafe review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAprGkxKRNpRm_L_o7EG7S76JFnuvTAnFibLsWKPBj0Pz79ZvX04TYe3zc7J-Miw9HqRlaOGX8ksF8zEnzZNTcP16buRrkTLx6Sg7dEZXqmFcCT9rzmh863l0c7Fn8Yg-T6dC_0maUs8w/s1600/carolina1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAprGkxKRNpRm_L_o7EG7S76JFnuvTAnFibLsWKPBj0Pz79ZvX04TYe3zc7J-Miw9HqRlaOGX8ksF8zEnzZNTcP16buRrkTLx6Sg7dEZXqmFcCT9rzmh863l0c7Fn8Yg-T6dC_0maUs8w/s200/carolina1.jpg" width="149" /></a>Carolina café has always been on the elusive side since it’s
opened for me. My friend Miss B and I have been trawling up Nicholson St for
months trying to find it. Oddly enough it was on an outing with Master M that I
stumbled across this inconspicuous café – it is one of those “so cool” places
that rely on word of mouth rather than signage to draw people in.</div>
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Well, now that it’s location had been discovered, fellow tea
lover, Miss B and I organised to have a business meeting there Sunday morning.
Naturally we were both keen to try the tea, and the coolish start to the day
made it an ideal temperature to enjoy a pot.</div>
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We arrived around 10.30, and the lovely outside area was
packed so we sat in the booth inside. A blackboard proclaimed the tea to be
provided by Vee Tea, a brand Miss B and I were both unfamiliar with, but we do
love trying new things. A white tea with jasmine and liquorice caught our eye.
I will admit to being quite a fan of T2’s liquorice leg, so I was curious to
see how this would translate to a white tea.</div>
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Now, I don’t like to complain about slow service in
hospitality, having spent a good deal of years working in the industry myself.
But Miss B and I waited <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">half an hour</i>
for our tea. And we witnessed the barista using boiling water right out of the
coffee machine onto our white tea. I am yet to figure out how pressing one button
on a coffee machine equates to us waiting half an hour. It didn't add to our mood when Miss B ordered some raisin toast, only to be later told they had run out.</div>
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Sadly, things did not improve from there. Inspection of the
tea revealed rose and jasmine petals, and a lovely golden liquor poured from
the pot. The taste was…interesting. The liquorice overpowered everything,
starting on a sweet note and then completely covering the mouth a few seconds
after swallowing the tea. It was much stronger than I was accustomed to when
mixed with a black tea, and I don’t think white tea has enough body to pull off
such an overpowering flavour. Miss B was not a fan at all, and I ended up
drinking most of the pot while she got a piccolo latte to clear away the taste.</div>
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Perhaps we made a poor decision on tea choice, but the whole
experience was a bit of a let down. I have had decent tea there before, but
that was one of Carolina’s own herbal tea blends. This may have to be one tea
review I give a second chance further down the track.</div>
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<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px;">The Rating</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11px; line-height: 18px;">Atmosphere: 3/5<br />
Available food: 2/5 (good available range, loss of points for running out of what we ordered)<br />
Tea range: 3/5<br />
Tea had: 2/5</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11px; line-height: 18px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11px; font-style: italic;">Overall: 9/20</span></span> <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi655b08WEqt3te6GVYD5awidOJyCOpGe_VSmoUzl6Z8Cu-_M_3dhIuZPAm8whPoxE0DgaHZ4O_3kNHJAxKe4kLgvW68xSwe2szl7aifLOo16dIiDNz_BHmqhhkkVTLfg-pykoyOtpYUy8/s1600/carolina2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi655b08WEqt3te6GVYD5awidOJyCOpGe_VSmoUzl6Z8Cu-_M_3dhIuZPAm8whPoxE0DgaHZ4O_3kNHJAxKe4kLgvW68xSwe2szl7aifLOo16dIiDNz_BHmqhhkkVTLfg-pykoyOtpYUy8/s320/carolina2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767983636651432639.post-18167550893829131802012-10-15T21:19:00.000+11:002012-10-15T21:22:55.964+11:00Solo trip - John Gorilla review<div class="MsoNormal">
Hello fellow tea-lovers! I would like to apologise in advance for the short review on John Gorilla. I normally write the reviews within a day of visiting a cafe, and due to an unusually busy this review has had to wait until today - so my memory is a bit sketchy. But I know good tea when I have it!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkFepr4ejWKLGwL80Ko36fX2VJPl3W_ofS7AVSuEi6fDJ67Jh3N7TlCvPlyQG4b3XPU6dBsXPXxD4be1QxiPQvUbt0vf5bhqYW_oxLqAY1UVVvZ0jb0Z5L5UoOboROt7Q3xRSWYwUk6pE/s1600/johngorilla3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkFepr4ejWKLGwL80Ko36fX2VJPl3W_ofS7AVSuEi6fDJ67Jh3N7TlCvPlyQG4b3XPU6dBsXPXxD4be1QxiPQvUbt0vf5bhqYW_oxLqAY1UVVvZ0jb0Z5L5UoOboROt7Q3xRSWYwUk6pE/s320/johngorilla3.jpg" width="239" /></a>Cafe review: John Gorilla</div>
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Where: 49 Pearson St, West Brunswick </div>
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Being fortunate enough to be faced with a Friday afternoon
off and lacking internet in the house (disastrous!) I once again made the trek
over to West Brunswick for a second attempt at John Gorilla. It was a fairly
miserable, grey afternoon, typical of Melbourne so I expected the café to be
fairly busy.</div>
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This visit met with success however! I found a plethora of
available tables and a very friendly, attentive team of staff. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was just around lunch time so I ordered a
toasted pumpkin dahl sandwich to go with my English breakfast tea and set up
with my laptop to access the free wifi. I knew from sniffing around the tea
scene that John Gorilla stocked Larson & Thompson tea, so I was fairly
confident in a decent cup of tea.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz_afx3r11w3Uq3gPWSRWLFvIvTwOYzlkloKuatf6U56yVjEaIiXjPuGDMA1XVoiTfwu_-ltcrUreS_M364Rhlh4A789DN9yDg__0m2hxYVeNLl9VjJLQn9Uff1i0TkRKDUpBjyEMerLg/s1600/johngorilla1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz_afx3r11w3Uq3gPWSRWLFvIvTwOYzlkloKuatf6U56yVjEaIiXjPuGDMA1XVoiTfwu_-ltcrUreS_M364Rhlh4A789DN9yDg__0m2hxYVeNLl9VjJLQn9Uff1i0TkRKDUpBjyEMerLg/s320/johngorilla1.jpg" width="320" /></a>I was not disappointed. What a cute set up for tea! I
particularly liked the tiny milk bottles and the bright colours of the tea pot.
The tea itself went superbly with the pumpkin dahl (which was delicious). It
was a lovely, well rounded tea suited for milk and sugar, and just right for
overcast weather. I have to say my only qualm was that the wifi kept dropping
out, which is very frustrating when trying to do work. I also wasn’t really sold
on the available sweet offerings, but it’s early days yet for John Gorilla and
they seem to be doing a cracking job. Just be prepared to wait for a table if you visit on a weekend.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px;">The Rating</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11px; line-height: 18px;">Atmosphere: 3.5/5<br />
Available food: 4/5<br />
Tea range: 4/5<br />
Tea had: 4/5</span>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11px; font-style: italic;">Overall: 17.5/20</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767983636651432639.post-34342152377293191022012-10-07T20:17:00.000+11:002012-10-07T20:24:36.241+11:00Not quite John Gorilla - Factory Cafe Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Yesterday, being a perfectly miserable day, a friend from
West Brunswick and I decided it was high time to check out all the fuss about
the newest café in the area, John Gorilla. Unfortunately we didn’t count on
nearly everyone in the vicinity having the exact same idea as us. Faced with
hungry stomachs and a wait over half an hour for a table, my friend suggested
we venture around the corner to a lesser known café by the name of Factory.
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Cafe review: Factory Café Bar</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcuQex0C_Qx2m27HfeZDczv3Uy8ngNtxFZ8NYBKSD5jkfzdO-j8MYBY4z-tx_O0EPvVbbh75L-GW4Y9vJ-OpMYfK53qFjwNIk9nL40yJ2eYRKKr5RJWP7PJIyLqmq-IOIHxPEgj9zhT78/s1600/factory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcuQex0C_Qx2m27HfeZDczv3Uy8ngNtxFZ8NYBKSD5jkfzdO-j8MYBY4z-tx_O0EPvVbbh75L-GW4Y9vJ-OpMYfK53qFjwNIk9nL40yJ2eYRKKr5RJWP7PJIyLqmq-IOIHxPEgj9zhT78/s320/factory.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Where: 453 Victoria St, Brunswick West</div>
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Well, it was certainly a different vibe to John Gorilla,
more of your trendy warehouse I suppose. I was suspicious at first of the tea
selection – initial surveying of the bar area showed only T2 canisters, but on
closer inspection 5 large brown bottles of the medical variety containing tea
were discovered. Mystery tea then! I do love a mystery so I promptly ordered an
Earl Grey. We settled in vibrant green couches by the window to wait for drinks
and a spot of breakfast. It felt like it would be a lovely atmosphere to enjoy
tea, with the rain running down the window and the dim lighting.</div>
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The tea was brought quickly with very pretty and lightweight
cups, loose leaf in a metal teapot. My friend asked the waiter if he knew what
brand this mystery tea was, to which he replied 5 Senses.</div>
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5 Senses the coffee company? My friend and I were quite
puzzled by this – she works in the tea industry and as far as both of us knew,
5 Senses didn’t have much to do with tea. Now I was apprehensive. I won’t go so
far to say the coffee and tea are incompatible in a company (McIvers are an
excellent example of getting it right) but I would not typically expect a
dedicated coffee roasting company to put a lot of care in to their tea.</div>
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It was…definitely an interesting interpretation of an Earl
Grey tea. In our opinions it had an overpowering English Breakfast flavour that
didn’t match the bergamot. Perhaps I ordered the wrong tea to taste in this
case, being unfamiliar with 5 Senses other brands, but I really couldn’t drink
even one entire cup. I was sadly envious of my friend’s cup of Lemon Verbena
blend, grown and dried by the workers at Factory. The food was excellent, and I
will highly recommend the baked eggs (with haloumi and coriander relish) and
Factory itself, but I will definitely be steering clear of 5 Senses’ Earl Grey
after this experience.</div>
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px;">The Rating</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11px; line-height: 18px;">Atmosphere: 4/5<br />
Available food: 4/5<br />
Tea range: 2/5<br />
Tea had: 1/5 (3 for the lemon verbana!)</span>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11px; font-style: italic;">Overall: 11/20</span><br />
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<i>On a side note: if anyone knows who supplies 5 Senses with
their tea or if they import it themselves, would be very interested to know!</i></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767983636651432639.post-13276025551572004962012-10-01T22:05:00.004+10:002012-10-01T22:05:31.818+10:00Cooking with Tea<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Now I will be the first to admit that I'm not altogether behind the idea of cooking with tea. Oh, I find it all fascinating and get very excited every time I stumble across a recipe, but I've really never had much success with it all. I would love to tea smoke a fish or tea poach a chicken, but the flavours never seem to come out properly.<br />
<br />
Baking, on the other hand, is a hobby I spend far too much time indulging in. Tea and sweets seem made to go together. I've had varying degrees of success when trying to incorporate tea right into my baking, and I will share some of these with you at a later date. However, I thought today I would share with you a little something is a little easier, a lot more foolproof, and tastes enough like tea that you won't mind it's really tea free!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgPuMTV-C16OTCWuzbPvQXg9GND5ivbZfKnsV4AyECF1KoV0AYP3osMjDfxvdLUe4OVdKpe_dZOl8JMw50a9mk8DpfApTuW-K9zibxl6q4obiWB0yPpbDITycRD4d8huKtZusItPGouec/s1600/chaicupcakes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgPuMTV-C16OTCWuzbPvQXg9GND5ivbZfKnsV4AyECF1KoV0AYP3osMjDfxvdLUe4OVdKpe_dZOl8JMw50a9mk8DpfApTuW-K9zibxl6q4obiWB0yPpbDITycRD4d8huKtZusItPGouec/s200/chaicupcakes.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<h3 style="color: #399c69; text-align: left;">
Chai Cupcakes</h3>
<br />
<b>Ingredients</b><br />
1 cup self-raising flour<br />
2-3 tsp ground cinnamon<br />
1 tsp ground ginger<br />
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg<br />
1 tsp all spice<br />
1/2 tsp ground cardamon<br />
125g butter (at room temperature)<br />
2/3 cup brown sugar (firmly packed)<br />
2 eggs<br />
1/2 cup buttermilk<br />
<br />
Preheat your oven to 180. Prepare some muffin tins by lining with pattipans (or if you are very lucky, someone will have given you a delightful set of tea cupcake moulds).<br />
Beat the butter and brown sugar until pale and creamy. Add in eggs, one at a time, while beating.<br />
Add the spices and 1/2 a cup of flour. Mix this all together, then add 1/3 cup of buttermilk and mix again. Add the rest of the flour, mix, and then the rest of the buttermilk to finish the batter off.<br />
Fill the muffin tins with the batter, about 3/4 full.<br />
Bake in the pre-heated oven until a skewer comes out clean. This should take between 15-18 minutes, depending on your oven. Don't forget to rotate the tins half way through!<br />
<br />
Eat them while still warm, or if you can resist the temptation, let them cool and dust with cinnamon. I like to ice them with a light honey buttercream, but they are especially decadent topped with a chocolate ganache.<br />
<br />
<i>Side note: For those simply desperate to incorporate tea into this recipe, may I suggest infusing the buttermilk with an Assam. I would say 3-4 teaspoons for this recipe, in about 3/4 a cup of buttermilk to yield the correct amount. Heat gently and infuse for around 5 minutes.</i></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767983636651432639.post-38934259539749869202012-05-23T14:46:00.000+10:002012-10-01T20:44:14.049+10:00Faux Pas and A Nice Cup of Tea<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Oh dear. Dear readers, just yesterday I made the most unforgivable of tea-related faux pas. Let me relate the tale...<br />
<br />
My fellow tea lover and great friend, we shall call him Master M, called by my house yesterday. I have been a bit lax with my shopping this week, so all I could offer food wise was half a chai tea cupcake before we journeyed off to Prahran to support a friend's band.<br />
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Imagine my horror when Master M pointed out, as we were lining up for the gig, that I had failed to offer him tea! Without fail, when I have visited his house I have always had tea (granted this is mostly at my own insistence). I am a terrible host!<br />
<br />
To soothe my anquish, Lady J sent me through this piece this morning which I thought I would share with you all. It is from Mr George Orwell...<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px; font-weight: bold;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #399c69;">A Nice Cup of Tea</span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px; font-weight: bold;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #399c69;"></span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px; font-weight: bold;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #399c69;"></span></b></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="color: #399c69;">If you look up ‘tea’ in the first cookery book that comes to hand you will probably find that it is unmentioned; or at most you will find a few lines of sketchy instructions which give no ruling on several of the most important points.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="color: #399c69;"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="color: #399c69;"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="color: #399c69;"><br />
This is curious, not only because tea is one of the mainstays of civilisation in this country, as well as in Eire, Australia and New Zealand, but because the best manner of making it is the subject of violent disputes.<br /><br />
When I look through my own recipe for the perfect cup of tea, I find no fewer than eleven outstanding points. On perhaps two of them there would be pretty general agreement, but at least four others are acutely controversial. Here are my own eleven rules, every one of which I regard as golden:<br /><br />
- First of all, one should use Indian or Ceylonese tea. China tea has virtues which are not to be despised nowadays — it is economical, and one can drink it without milk — but there is not much stimulation in it. One does not feel wiser, braver or more optimistic after drinking it. Anyone who has used that comforting phrase ‘a nice cup of tea’ invariably means Indian tea.<br /><br />- Secondly, tea should be made in small quantities — that is, in a teapot. Tea out of an urn is always tasteless, while army tea, made in a cauldron, tastes of grease and whitewash. The teapot should be made of china or earthenware. Silver or Britanniaware teapots produce inferior tea and enamel pots are worse; though curiously enough a pewter teapot (a rarity nowadays) is not so bad.<br /><br />- Thirdly, the pot should be warmed beforehand. This is better done by placing it on the hob than by the usual method of swilling it out with hot water.<br /><br />- Fourthly, the tea should be strong. For a pot holding a quart, if you are going to fill it nearly to the brim, six heaped teaspoons would be about right. In a time of rationing, this is not an idea that can be realized on every day of the week, but I maintain that one strong cup of tea is better than twenty weak ones. All true tea lovers not only like their tea strong, but like it a little stronger with each year that passes — a fact which is recognized in the extra ration issued to old-age pensioners.<br /><br />- Fifthly, the tea should be put straight into the pot. No strainers, muslin bags or other devices to imprison the tea. In some countries teapots are fitted with little dangling baskets under the spout to catch the stray leaves, which are supposed to be harmful. Actually one can swallow tea-leaves in considerable quantities without ill effect, and if the tea is not loose in the pot it never infuses properly.<br /><br />- Sixthly, one should take the teapot to the kettle and not the other way about. The water should be actually boiling at the moment of impact, which means that one should keep it on the flame while one pours. Some people add that one should only use water that has been freshly brought to the boil, but I have never noticed that it makes any difference.<br /><br />- Seventhly, after making the tea, one should stir it, or better, give the pot a good shake, afterwards allowing the leaves to settle.<br /><br />- Eighthly, one should drink out of a good breakfast cup — that is, the cylindrical type of cup, not the flat, shallow type. The breakfast cup holds more, and with the other kind one’s tea is always half cold before one has well started on it.<br /><br />- Ninthly, one should pour the cream off the milk before using it for tea. Milk that is too creamy always gives tea a sickly taste.<br /><br />- Tenthly, one should pour tea into the cup first. This is one of the most controversial points of all; indeed in every family in Britain there are probably two schools of thought on the subject. The milk-first school can bring forward some fairly strong arguments, but I maintain that my own argument is unanswerable. This is that, by putting the tea in first and stirring as one pours, one can exactly regulate the amount of milk whereas one is liable to put in too much milk if one does it the other way round.<br /><br />- Lastly, tea — unless one is drinking it in the Russian style — should be drunk without sugar. I know very well that I am in a minority here. But still, how can you call yourself a true tea-lover if you destroy the flavour of your tea by putting sugar in it? It would be equally reasonable to put in pepper or salt. Tea is meant to be bitter, just as beer is meant to be bitter. If you sweeten it, you are no longer tasting the tea, you are merely tasting the sugar; you could make a very similar drink by dissolving sugar in plain hot water.<br /><br />
Some people would answer that they don’t like tea in itself, that they only drink it in order to be warmed and stimulated, and they need sugar to take the taste away. To those misguided people I would say: Try drinking tea without sugar for, say, a fortnight and it is very unlikely that you will ever want to ruin your tea by sweetening it again. <br /><br />
These are not the only controversial points to arise in connection with tea drinking, but they are sufficient to show how subtilised the whole business has become. There is also the mysterious social etiquette surrounding the teapot (why is it considered vulgar to drink out of your saucer, for instance?) and much might be written about the subsidiary uses of tealeaves, such as telling fortunes, predicting the arrival of visitors, feeding rabbits, healing burns and sweeping the carpet. It is worth paying attention to such details as warming the pot and using water that is really boiling, so as to make quite sure of wringing out of one’s ration the twenty good, strong cups of that two ounces, properly handled, ought to represent.
</span><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #399c69;">
First published in The Evening Standard, January 12th, 1946</span></i></span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767983636651432639.post-55561042501560617252012-05-21T16:09:00.000+10:002012-05-23T14:53:14.896+10:00A Quest for Scones - Winchelsea Tea RoomsI have a dear friend, let's call her Lady J, who is a knitter. A voracious knitter, you could say. You will rarely find her without a half-knitted something in her bag. I will admit I've taken advantage of this over the short time I've known her, having acquired a pair of socks, gloves and two hats (all very cosy).<br />
<br />
As it would happen, Lady J's birthday is coming up and there was a particular wool shop she wanted to visit near Colac, so as a bit of a pre-birthday expedition we set off on the weekend on a quest for wool and scones. Because every good road trip should include scones and tea at some stages, no?<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
We did a bit of "pre-research" and decided the Winchelsea Shire Tea Rooms looked like the perfect place for our mid-morning stop, being set in a lovely stone building that was the old shire offices.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKaO-FCGwuPee1tYCe7R80bfUY2y3A49hlDYqjyOGgY8F25TYSsK4t3tGi3vruFytyKy2aU5Ba1EXeDyHhf-EP8tsdFmuPukPJpYkq0V8qRMWJ3ImtkSVimoMO9ldzCTPiDLCCD6fuzMs/s1600/winch_tea1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKaO-FCGwuPee1tYCe7R80bfUY2y3A49hlDYqjyOGgY8F25TYSsK4t3tGi3vruFytyKy2aU5Ba1EXeDyHhf-EP8tsdFmuPukPJpYkq0V8qRMWJ3ImtkSVimoMO9ldzCTPiDLCCD6fuzMs/s200/winch_tea1.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looks promising...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Cafe Review: Winchelsea Shire Hall Tea Rooms<br />
Where: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;">28 Hesse St, Winchelsea</span><br />
<br />
We arrived around 10.30, and there was only one other table occupied in the spacious room. It was beautifully fitted out, reminiscent of a proper old English tea room with luscious red carpet and crisp white table cloths. Lady J and I order a pair of scones to share, and a pot of English Breakfast, all full of anticipation.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd6jvB1_V0SI60SxsNhMq0K7x93zm-hXUmcNO5Dn87nCabZh8uQ4AvaXW0h9GyrHraVEAhpTfW_6yipilkzD-IUfZsXjz_WJW4gJbAFmy_WDU97ZB0dMAbZa00QqzaNx3fOytCEHECySA/s1600/winch_tea4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd6jvB1_V0SI60SxsNhMq0K7x93zm-hXUmcNO5Dn87nCabZh8uQ4AvaXW0h9GyrHraVEAhpTfW_6yipilkzD-IUfZsXjz_WJW4gJbAFmy_WDU97ZB0dMAbZa00QqzaNx3fOytCEHECySA/s400/winch_tea4.jpg" width="212" /></a>For anyone who's already skipped past all this to check out the final score, you'll know already know this anticipation was.... misplaced.<br />
<br />
Ok, I realise I can be picky about my tea, but I do think if you are a "Tea Room" there are two things you should be able to do well - tea and scones.<br />
<br />
The tea was...odd tasting. I can't put my finger on it, but it was not at all enjoyable. It probably didn't help that the small zero Japan tea pot was absolutely stuffed with tea leaves. I did appreciate having a small pot of hot water provided if we wanted a second cup, but I would have preferred a bigger pot with that amount of leaves.<br />
<br />
Sadly, the scones were also uninspiring. They were lovely and warm, but mine was overcooked on the bottom and Lady J and I both agreed the texture was on the overworked side.<br />
<br />
I won't pick on the poor serving girls because in my opinion they probably hadn't been trained well enough, but Lady J would like me to add that the collection of items for sale in the side room was as disappointing as the tea, and the thick, cheap china didn't add to the tea drinking experience.<br />
<br />
All in all, I would advise travellers in the area to give it a miss. There are enough tea rooms littering the high way without trying this one. I really think, given it's an iconic building and the elegance they are clearly trying to aim for, it could have been so much more. The luke-warm, random tea from flasks Lady J and I had for afternoon tea, with a home made chai tea cupcake (recipe coming soon!) was infinitely more satisfying, though that could have been due to the turn of weather in the afternoon? Tea is all about company and atmosphere after all.<br />
(Incidentally, if you are a wool enthusiast, I can't say enough good things about Tarndwarncoort. Even if you just go to walk around the garden.)<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0khEtEBoEo5kaLP27qtcC5oAhOZraHzXePTZLgGwlKccwRUs0x0QlGDMdLdct61kS85Lkh1Ld4XrmFOH-73Yr3DgSvzcKLnYNW6qiYG0nb8p4j8ueLWSZ6jnkPPMaFDrk8EyESZ8Ne6w/s1600/winch_endtea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0khEtEBoEo5kaLP27qtcC5oAhOZraHzXePTZLgGwlKccwRUs0x0QlGDMdLdct61kS85Lkh1Ld4XrmFOH-73Yr3DgSvzcKLnYNW6qiYG0nb8p4j8ueLWSZ6jnkPPMaFDrk8EyESZ8Ne6w/s200/winch_endtea.jpg" title="infinitely better" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can't beat tea and a cupcake <br />
on top of a car</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px;">The Rating</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11px; line-height: 18px;">Atmosphere: 4/5<br />
Available food: 2/5<br />
Tea range: 2/5<br />
Tea had: 1/5</span>
<br />
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11px; font-style: italic;">Overall: 9/20</span></div>
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<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767983636651432639.post-29263603019551071162012-05-15T15:00:00.001+10:002012-05-15T15:00:35.420+10:00Return and CovetAlright, I will be the first to admit - after the amazingly heavenly experience of Monk Bodhi Dharma, which I really didn't think I could top, I put the blog on hold. In the year I've been away I've moved, travelled to China and drunk a whole lot of tea.<br />
<br />
The Melbourne tea scene surely seems to be heating up in my absence, with a new tea cafe in Fitzroy and plans for ones in Northcote and West Brunswick. It is to these ends that I am back, navigating the oft times disastrous path of the tea connieseur in the hopes of easing the way for those that follow.<br />
<br />
So! Where will we start today?<br />
<br />
The problem with so many cafes in Melbourne is that they go to the effort of sourcing a nice tea, and then pour scorching water from the espresso machine over it. I have to say, I'm guilty of a similar crime at work where the only hot water comes out of a dual boiling/chilled filter. So when I was reading a magazine and stumbled across this all I could think was "WANT". What am I coveting this week?<br />
<br />
<i><b>The TeaTotal</b></i><br />
<br />
<a href="http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h152/elphin-art/tea_diaries/Cambridge_Consultants_TeaTotal_prototype_610x863.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h152/elphin-art/tea_diaries/Cambridge_Consultants_TeaTotal_prototype_610x863.jpg" width="226" /></a>Ok, not actually finished development yet, and more for the cafe scene, but can you imagine how this little baby will change the tea drinking experience?<br />
<br />
Cambridge Consultants, the brains behind this device, say: <i>Users, in the form of cafe patrons, home consumers, or those at a vending machine, select the preferred loose-leaf tea variety, temperature, and strength level. Instead of walking away with a tea bag attached to a string dangling out of a to-go cup, the tea drinker becomes witness to the process itself: the tea is introduced to the water, where a stirring mechanism facilitates consistency and steeping efficiency. When ready, the finished tea is funneled into a waiting cup</i><br />
<br />
What a completely brilliant idea. Never again would a tea drinker be served a burnt, over brewed tea bag. Fantastic!<br />
Check out more on the TeaTotal <a href="http://www.cnet.com/8301-13553_1-57370740-32/teatotal-brings-tea-into-barista-territory/">here</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767983636651432639.post-38499381913256913552011-01-29T20:25:00.004+11:002011-01-29T21:15:02.970+11:00Just died and went to tea heaven - Monk Bodhi DharmaCafe Review: Monk <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Bodhi</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Dharma</span><br />Where: 202 <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Carlisle</span> St, Balaclava<br /><br />Wow. Just...wow. I think I've actually found a really good tea house (slash cafe) in Melbourne. Seriously THE best cup of tea I've had in a long time.<br /><br />It started with a 1 and a half hour drive to Balaclava (damn you <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">Hoddle</span> St, are you ever not crowded?) and then a good ten minutes of searching. Monk <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">Bodhi</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">Dharma</span>. It's like a little converted two room house down an alley way off <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">Carlisle</span> St - I don't think you'd know it was there if you weren't looking for it.<br /><br />The first thing I'd like to say about Monk <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">Bodhi</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">Dharma</span> is: it rocks. I don't know about you, but there are some places I walk into and I think "wow I am SO not cool enough to be here" (mostly because it's full of hipsters) but this place isn't like that. It's got an <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">eclectic</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">clientele - we were sat between some hipsters and and two lovely old ladies. There is a great atmosphere, everyone seems really happy and there are fantastic solid wood tables and orchids everywhere.</span><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected"></span><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Secondly, I recommend turning straight to the last page of the menu. Oh sure, they have your regular english breakfast, earl grey etc selection on the second page, but the last page is where the amazing teas are. I've been to tea houses that have 200+ teas, and I had more trouble choosing tea today than I've had anywhere else.</span><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected"></span><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Each tea is accompanied by its estate of origin, an almost wine review of its flavour characteristics (think along the lines of "melon flavours with a crisp after taste") and an approximate brewing time. This turns out to be very helpful because there appears to be only one kettle boiling. My friend's tea comes out a good 5 minutes before mine. But you know, I don't mind because both pots have been brewed perfectly. Brewed to the right temperature for the right time. I am almost left speechless by the care taken with this.</span><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected"></span><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected">My friend orders the long well, while I get the jin xuan. Oh. My. God. This tea comes with subtelties. It takes me a few minutes, but finally identify plum flavours under the earthiness of my tea. My friend's comes with a sort of rosemary, almost roast lamb, scent and refreshing floral flavour. I am in absolute heaven. </span><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected"></span><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected">We also notice that Monk Bodhi Dharma has an amazing breakfast menu, and a coffee list to rival their tea selection. I highly recommend checking out this little hide out.</span> I'm only sorry I didn't get any photos, but hey, that's just a reason to go back again.<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected"></span><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected"><strong>The Rating</strong></span><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Atmosphere: 5/5</span><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Available food: 4/5</span><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Tea range: 5/5</span><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Tea had: 5/5</span><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected"><em>Overall: 19/20</em></span><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected"></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767983636651432639.post-14788237133534029142011-01-24T09:28:00.007+11:002011-01-24T19:54:37.625+11:00Questing over the river - Le Bon<a href="http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h152/elphin-art/tea_diaries/le_bon.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h152/elphin-art/tea_diaries/le_bon.jpg" /></a> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Cafe Review: Le Bon Continental Cake Shop</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Where: 93 Acland St, St Kilda</span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Living on the north side of Melbourne, I don't tend to venture "over the river" very often. Well, ok, to the National Gallery and casino and southbank, but that's about as far as I go. But in honour of my mum coming all the way down from Canberra for a visit, we did a special quest down to St Kilda in search of fabled cake shops.</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">After a very, very long tram ride and a very confusing wander around the streets (tip of the day: no matter how confidently she says she does assuming your mother knows where the cake shops in a city she's only been to once is folly) we found Acland Street. There's a strip with about 4 or 5 european style cake shops with the most amazing window displays. It is seriously drool worthy.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I will admit we chose the cake shop entirely based on what we wanted to eat, not the tea available. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the one we chose, Le Bon, served a brand of tea I've been reading about lately called "</span><a href="http://www.stashtea.com/default.aspx"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Stash Tea</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">". It all looked very promising, with about 12 different types of tea ranging from green or earl grey to raspberry or orange spice. We ordered a vanilla slice, a macadamia tart, and two pots of orange spice and it was all going quite well.</span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Ah, alas. Tea bags. I wasn't actually expecting loose leaf tea at this place so I wasn't too disappointed. Until I opened opened it. I think I've been spoiled with those lovely silk tea bags with the high quality tea (when I dare to drink them) - what we had here was the old fashioned paper filter filled with fannings. To make matters worse, while they did put bits of orange peel in to flavour the tea, they used</span><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic" class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> clove flavouring</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> instead of actual cloves. I seriously do not understand this. Stash looks like a pretty upmarket tea company, why are they using flavouring instead of actual cloves? The tea itself was weak and not very tasty, despite the delicious aroma wafting off it.</span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">So the tea was a disappointment, especially at $4 per pot. Luckily the cakes saved the day (though the vanilla slice wasn't amazing, the macadamia tart made up for it). I suppose I was expecting more because I'd built Stash up in my head as a really good tea brand. I am prepared to give them another go because hey, maybe I just chose a dud tea? </span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I guess in the end this has been me judging Stash Tea and not Le Bon for providing the tea, and I think it's great they were branching out from the usual T2. But in my opinion, cakes are just supposed to with tea. I think it just makes sense, when the cakes are so beautiful, to make sure you have a tea that compliments them.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold" class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The Rating</span></span><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 18px;font-size:13;" class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 18px;font-size:13;" class="Apple-style-span" ><div><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Atmosphere: 2/5 </span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Available food: 4/5</span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Tea range: 3/5</span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Tea had: 1/5</span></div><div><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic;font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" class="Apple-style-span" >Overall: 10/20</span></span></div><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><br /></span><img src="http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h152/elphin-art/tea_diaries/le_bon2.jpg" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767983636651432639.post-82387009651446707172011-01-17T08:56:00.004+11:002011-01-17T09:12:48.365+11:00Bad Tea makes KD Sad :( - Brunetti<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">Cafe Review: Brunetti</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">Where: 194-204 Faraday St, Carlton</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">Maybe I'm being to harsh but what a terrible tea experience. Yes, I'm well aware that Brunetti is known for its tasty tasty cakes and biscuits, but seriously. I'm of the opinion that a decent (even semi-decent) cup of tea is not that hard to make.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">It starts when I order. Brunetti only stocks about 6 types of tea - this isn't a problem, I don't expect a big range in cafes (though honestly, are they're any cafes in Melbourne that</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">don't <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">T2? I almost feel like changing the blog name to 'T2 Review'). I order the China Jasmine. Yes, I definitely,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> </span>clearly <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">said China Jasmine. The serving girl gives me a quizzical look and puts it through.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">So imagine my surprise then when I end up with a chamomile tea. And to make matters worse - it's a tea bag. I've got nothing against tea bags when there are no other options, but Brunetti is trying to pass itself off as refined and taking food seriously (am I wrong?) so why do they have tea bags?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">The next lovely surprise comes when I try to pour the hot water from a very pretty metal tea pot into my cup. Disaster. It's a dripper. I end up with a small lake on my table, and my companion has to pilfer napkins from the next table to stop it flowing onto our chairs. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">Add to this a dirty teaspoon, and Brunetti has lost some major points with me. I'm so disappointed I'm not even going to put up a photo of the experience. Go for the tea and cakes, but don't stay for the drinks.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">The Rating</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; ">Atmosphere: 2/5</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">Available food: 4/5 (Brunetti's only saving grace)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">Tea range: 1/5</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">Tea had: 1/5</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Overall: 8/20</span></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767983636651432639.post-19004233838372027642011-01-12T22:09:00.004+11:002011-01-17T09:16:11.537+11:00Cookie timeOk, I've been looking a lot at <em>cooking</em> with tea recently (combining my two passions, food and tea omg). I listened to a really excellent podcast the other day interviewing Robert Wemischner (the author of Cooking with tea) and he really inspired me.<br /><br />So here we go, a little cooking experiment.<br /><br />I made two batches of cookies. One with earl grey tea, and the other with a toffee tea I just bought (which smells DIVINE - can't wait to drink it). Still working on the recipe, but bear with me, they taste pretty good.<br /><br />First off, you want to infuse the butter with tea. A lot of recipes for tea cookies suggest you crush tea and put it in to the cookies - but seriously, who wants to eat bits of tea leaf?<br /><br /><strong>Infusing butter with tea</strong><br /><br /><ol><li>You will need two grams of tea per tablespoon of butter. </li><li>Melt the butter in a small saucepan until just melted</li><li>Add the tea leaves and simmer for about 5 minutes</li><li>Turn the heat off and leave the tea to steap. The longer the better I think</li><li>Now you have delicious smelling, tasty butter. I'm not sure if you can put it in the fridge and reuse it. I think it is best to use straight away.</li></ol><p>Note that is it is best to use a really strong tea for this. Delicate flavours get lost in the butter.</p><p>Ok, now you have amazing butter infused with whatever flavour you want. You'll need about 250 g for the following recipe, so I'd say you'd need about 20g of tea.</p><br /><strong>Earl Grey Cookies with Orange, Toffee Tea Cookies </strong><br /><br />The basic cookie recipe is thus. You can use whatever flavour of tea you want, just remember they won't come out super strong.<br /><br /><em>Ingredients</em><br />150g icing sugar<br />250g tea infused butter<br />1 teaspoon vanilla essence<br />1 egg, lightly whisked<br />375g plain flour<br />1/2 teaspoon baking powder<br /><br /><br /><em>Method</em><br /><ol><li>Cream icing sugar and tea infused butter in a bowl until light and creamy</li><li>add vanilla essence (if making earl grey cookies, add the zest of an orange here) and keep beating</li><li>add the egg and mix until everything is combined and glossy</li><li>sift flour and baking powder into the bowl, and gently combine with wet ingredients</li><li>turn dough onto a lightly floured surface, and roll in to a tube. Cover with cling wrap and set in the fridge for about an hour</li><li>cut into rounds about 2cm thick and place on a baking tray. Sprinkle with raw sugar if desired (it adds a nice crunch)</li><li>Bake at 180 degrees celcius for 10 minutes, or until golden brown.</li></ol><p>Alright, there we go! I slightly overcooked mine so they were on the crunchy side, but still damn tasty (especially the toffee tea ones).</p><br /><br /><a href="http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h152/elphin-art/tea_diaries/cookies_take1.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 283px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h152/elphin-art/tea_diaries/cookies_take1.jpg" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767983636651432639.post-29905313856246388982011-01-09T21:58:00.003+11:002011-01-11T09:10:42.939+11:00TheineDear Theine,<br /><br />I do not accept you as a real word. <div><br /></div><div>Your close cousin, Theanine, I have no problem with. He actually appears to have a place in the world of tea.</div><div><br /></div><div>Please stop appearing in otherwise well-written and interesting books on tea, trying to pass yourself off as your cousin. It's embarrassing for us all.</div><div><br /></div><div>KD</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">For anyone who might not know, Theanine is an amino acid especially found in green tea that gives it that kind of sweet taste (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theanine">check it out </a>), while Theine is a "tea specific" word for caffeine (What am I a talking about, of course you all know this).</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767983636651432639.post-71843221953676494882011-01-08T12:16:00.007+11:002011-01-17T09:16:45.074+11:00Let's go for a ride - Ici<a href="http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h152/elphin-art/tea_diaries/ici2.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 161px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h152/elphin-art/tea_diaries/ici2.jpg" /></a>Cafe Review: Ici<br /><div>Where: 359 Napier St, Fitzroy<br /><p>My housemate and I decided to go on an epic bike ride for the recent public holiday - all the way from Coburg to Lake Albert and back again (alright, maybe not <em>that </em>epic to seasoned riders, but pretty huge for us).</p></div><div></div><p></p><div></div><div>Along the back alleys and sidestreets of Melbourne we came across a little corner cafe with people literally spilling on to the street. Well, that was enough to make us want to see what the fuss was about, and in we went.</div><div></div><div><p></p></div><div>Ici in Fitzroy is a popular place, and there were no free tables. After chatting to a very helpful (though very busy) waitress, we were allowed to pull up a couple of stools on the pathway outside. Getting a seat though turned out to be the easy part.<br /></div><p></p><div>Ici stocks T2 teas, a range of about a 20 - my mind was not equipped to handle such an unexpected range of choices, and the poor waitress had to stand there for about 5 minutes while I pondered my decision. I eventually settled on a French Earl Grey (though I was tempted by a Turkish Apple based iced tea).</div><p></p><div></div><div>Service was quick and the tea was delicious - I had mine without milk (naturally). I will complain that they use Zero Japan teapots (this is a personal gripe because I think they always drip everywhere, but don't let that put you off if you have a fondness of these teapots). The first cup was a rich, clear brown like translucent chocolate, the taste just lightly tanine-y with a hint of bergamont and roses. The second cup (poured about 15 minutes later, I know waaaay too long) was too overbrewed for me, but my housemate happily drank it.</div><div></div><p></p><div></div><div>I have since been told that Ici has an excellent breakfast range to go with your morning cup of tea. I thought it was a really good little cafe, with a great vibe (though maybe this was more due to unexpectedly getting a decent cup of tea?)<br /></div><p></p><div></div><div><strong>The Rating</strong></div><div>Atmosphere: 4/5</div><div>Available food: 3/5</div><div>Tea range: 4/5</div><div>Tea had: 4/5</div><div><em>Overall: 15/20</em><br /></div><p><em>NB: Just in case someone gripes about me rating food I didn't have, let me just say the food LOOKED really good and I've heard good things about it. If we hadn't just had breakfast I would have happily tucked in to any one of the plates coming out.</em></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767983636651432639.post-61405423768792504462011-01-01T09:34:00.003+11:002011-01-08T12:37:40.302+11:00My Water Tastes Like Cucumber- A Minor Place<a href="http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h152/elphin-art/tea_diaries/a_minor_place.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h152/elphin-art/tea_diaries/a_minor_place.jpg" /></a> <div></div><div><div><div>Cafe review: A Minor Place</div><div>Where: 103 Albion St, Brunswick</div><br /><div></div><div>I've been meaning to go to A Minor Place for a while, and finally got there the other day after picking my housemate up from the airport at crazy o'clock.</div><div></div><br /><div>Alright, first things first, the positives. I love the atmosphere there. It's like a converted terrace house, very relaxed and friendly. The breakfast menu is pretty extensive and full of interesting dishes (my housemate had a bagel with avocado and dahl).</div><br /><div>The tea range is big for a place that is better known for coffee - there are your standards like English Breakfast and Earl Grey, and a few more interesting ones like peppermint, liquorice and ginger, and a red rooibos. </div><br /><div></div><div>I go for the gen mai cha and a piece of organic fruit toast. We also get some water which, sorry I'm going to get hung up on this, has cucumber in it. I can get behind lemon or whatever in my water, but cucumber? I don't want my water tasting like cucumber.</div><div></div><br /><div>The drinks come out. Bonus - they use tea leaves. Hoorah! And the tea pot is very cute in a bubble kind of way. But the tea pot is dirty with tanine staining all up the spout. Mmm, nice.</div><div></div><br /><div>The tea is a lovely pale honey colour when I pour it and has that good roasted rice smell. Alright, all going well. Then I drink it. You know when you cook rice on the stove and it goes crusty and brown around the edges? Yeah, that's what it tastes like. Over cooked, crusty rice. </div><div></div><br /><div>At least the fruit toast was nice. But overall, not the best tea experience, and I just couldn't get over my weird tasting water. I'd recommend going for coffee and breakfast, but stick to the plain teas and lemon water. <p></p></div><div></div><div><strong>The Rating</strong></div><div>Atmosphere: 4/5</div><div>Available food: 3/5</div><div>Tea range: 3/5</div><div>Tea had: 2/5</div><div><em>Overall: 12/20</em></div><div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767983636651432639.post-73552662191185407722011-01-01T09:07:00.003+11:002012-05-15T15:10:34.092+10:00First post!Hello, and welcome to the New Year, and a new start for The Tea Diaries. I moved to Melbourne a few months ago and was astounded to discover that despite an incredibly coffee culture, it is really difficult to get a decent cup of tea here. So! I have decided to start this blog/review to document all things tea in Melbourne.<br />
<br />
If you've stumbled across this site then I can only hope you are a fellow lover of tea, or at least enjoy the odd cup, and I hope you will find it a helpful and interesting insight into Melbourne's tea world.<br />
<br />
There will be a couple of different reviews on this blog.<br />
<ul>
<li>Cafe review - a review of one of Melbourne's many fine establishments, taking in tea range and quality, and types of food available.</li>
<li>Tea review - a review of a bought tea prepared at home.</li>
<li>Tea accessories review</li>
<li>Tea recipes</li>
</ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com