12/28/2022 0 Comments A storm in a teacup thermos![]() ![]() If you haven't been there, it's part of Hipster Central in Melbourne (or Malbin, in hipster-speak), which is a region defined by Smith, Brunswick, Cecil and Gertrude Streets, and Northcote. Having said this, I love the south end of Smith St. I've tried on shapeless dresses with strange openings and closings and I've seen the blunt, short fringes and I've said to myself, 'I am unwilling to be part of this.' But. ![]() Seriously? Mustard and burgundy at the same time? Anaemic young men in ankle boots? With no socks? You may be mystified like I am about why the hipster craze caught on. May your justifications or excuses for the stronger or earthier tones in your life be just as acceptable, when it comes down to it. It's tempting to want to be entirely honest about everything all of the time, but I like the approach of 'balancing the strong flavours' instead of 'hiding the crapness.' We're all guilty of the same thing in one way or another. I think it's interesting that some of our favourite teas were originally made to hide or balance imperfections or to make a cheap tea taste like a more expensive one. Genmai cha has roasted rice added similarly because in Japan, the tea part was the stems and veins and twigs of the tea bush.Īnd the English added bergamot to Earl Grey to balance out their tea, which may have been old or off after its long sea voyage. Lapsang souchong, which I've previously translated as 'crap tea for export only,' was originally smoked over pine roots because the smoke flavour was held to balance out the strong taste of the lesser bits of tea plant that made it to the bottom of the grading pile. Most tea cultures have some form of flavour balance for the stronger, earthier parts of the tea plant. But the thing is, it wasn't the first time. Like a lot of things, it was developed when someone said, 'Dear God! Add something, anything!'Īnd they added bergamot. ![]() This is Hannah's tea logic I'm about to repeat and I can't take credit for any of it, except the mistakes, which are mine.Įarl Grey tea originally had bergamot added to it because it was crap tea. Seriously, where are the interesting ones there? Where is the genmai cha and the ceylon single origin and the roasted dandelion with licorice, ginger, chili and honey?Īnd why do frou frou little tea brands insist on putting so much bergamot in their Earl Greys? Well, I found the answer. If you go into most cafes and order a cup of tea, your options are Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Green, Peppermint and Chamomile. I feel entitled to whinge about it now because Hannah, the owner of the ultimate tea shop, was similarly unhappy. The other thing I've been whingeing about, but not here, is that there are only five teas in most cafes. I've already whinged comprehensively about Earl Grey blends and how the expensive brands have waaaay too much bergamot. One thing I would like to speak out about is the ubiquity of certain types of tea and the complete absence of others. Also, too much maca = disgusting, so be wary. I'm not sure how necessary all the steps are, so if you have any insights, please let me know. I have a complicated rigmarole of toasting the powder in the saucepan, adding a little water and boiling it til it's thick, then adding milk (soy milk in my case), then boiling it up a couple of times until the whole drink is quite thick. Then give it both a shake and a stir - shaking alone leaves you with a clump of unmixed powder in the middle of the jar - make some hot chocolate and adjust the flavours to taste. So my recipe is to mostly fill a jar with the best coacoa powder you can find ( I bow to the Dutch when it comes to all things chocolate), add a couple of teaspoons of maca, and then add maybe two teaspoons of cinnamon and one each of nutmeg and cloves. A storm in a teacup thermos full#All I know is that it has an earthy taste that marries the flavours of spices and chocolate and creates a drink that's thick without being full of cream, energising without being full of caffeine (I believe chocolate contains some caffeine, but you know what I mean), full of flavour without being full of sugar. Many people make claims about maca - that it's an endocrine regulator, that it's good for what ails you. But if you put a bit of ground cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves into your hot chocolate to try and make a spiced version, you'll be disappointed. OK so this is a spiced hot chocolate I ripped off from a boutique tea manufacturer. ![]()
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