Big Island of Hawai’i – Future ‘Napa’ of Tea?

Tea Gent in Hawaii

In March, I had the pleasure of visiting the Onomea Tea Estate and do a tea tasting with owners Mike and Rob.  The tea estate is located just northwest of Hilo on a bluff above the ocean.  The views of the ocean, cliffs, and tropical forrest is breathtaking, and whales can be seen breaching in the distance.

Mike and Rob have been cultivating tea since 2002, and today they have over 2200 plants.  They do not treat their tea plants with pesticides and process everything by hand.  I was thoroughly impressed by their caliber of workmanship!

I did the tea tour and tasting, and this was a great option as Mike and Rob are incredible hosts.  They had baked fresh scones for the occasion as well as the most incredible Passion Fruit curd to accompany the delicious scones.  For hours we chatted and tasted the fruits of their labor.  In total, I tasted their green tea, oolong tea, and black tea as well as some other imported teas they shared from their collection.  I was so impressed by the freshness the tea possess, and it is an indescribable character to tea that one can only experience when on a tea farm/estate.  I am currently sipping their black tea, and I can say it takes the prize.  Fruity yet malty, sweet and endearing, the tea is truly a treasure that I will bring out for special occasions.

If ever you have a trip to the Big Island of Hawai’i, I HIGHLY encourage a visit to the Onomea Tea Estate (www.onomeatea.com).  They also offer a full afternoon tea, which I will do next time I am there.  It was one of my favorite tea experiences overall, and the quality of their teas is pretty impressive.  Be on the lookout for this gem of a tea estate!

This is the view from Onomea Tea Estate!

Tea of the Day, CTC Assam

CTC Assam Tea

Today’s morning brew is a CTC Assam.

Assam is a robust and full flavored black tea from the Assam region of India (Northeast).  The common flavors I taste when tasting different assams are usually caramels and sea salt.  The deep red color of the liquor is quite a sight, and that color is often added to an English Breakfast Blend (though not all).  I usually drink Assam in the morning as it really can kickstart my day.

CTC stands for Crush, Tear, Curl, and refers to the process for creating the black tea.  It is commonly found in teas produced in India, Africa, and South America (though other tea producing regions use the mechanized production method).  The fresh tea leaves are macerated by a machine and the left over pulp is allowed to oxidize fully for black teas before firing to stop the oxidation.  The end result are these little balls of tea that almost look like large coffee granules (even comparable to Folger’s Crystals).  These create a hearty and quick brew in your cup and are usually used in tea that is taken with milk and sugar.

In the loose-leaf tea world, there is a lot of stigma towards CTC produced teas, and many tea drinkers will upturn a nose towards the teas.  In my experience, I have actually tasted some incredibly well produced CTCs, so don’t let the folklore deter you from venturing into a new category. Go for it!!!

To Brew CTC Assam tea, boil water fully and then immediately add to the leaves (I usually use a pot with a very fine filter).  Let steep for only a minute or so, unless you want to add milk to your final cup.  Enjoy…

Does TEA Cure Everything?

When I tell people I am a Tea Specialist, I generally get the question yearning for quick fixes. “I need a tea that will help me slim down, I need a tea that will help me pass my LSAT exam, I need a tea that will cure my Hepatitus C,” all of these are valid needs in our lives but can damage the impression that is TEA.

Now I remember the times I have guzzled a cup of hot tea right before an interview thinking it will summon my creative mind and channel elloquency. Beyond a burnt tongue, I don’t know if the tea did all that it was destined to serve in that instance. What it did do was create a moment of ritual where I told myself I will become creative and elloquent, and I believe there is a lot of beauty and power in that act.

Tea cannot instantly cure and solve those instances. In regards to body and weight, tea can begin and inspire a healthy lifestyle where one replaces more harmful bevs (the sugared, the coffee, the fattening) with something that serves to hydrate and provides you with the countless flavors found in the beauty of tea.

Here is a recommendation: try an oolong tea and instead of just steeping it once, steep it throughout your day. The flavors of oolong teas are known to develop, providing you a flavor-filled experience throughout your day. Each cup will possess a lower amount of caffeine than the previous and each will serve to hydrate you more than the previous. Plus I’ve experienced an incredible amount of focus doing this through the entire day.