Celebrate National Iced Tea Month with Ceylon Teas From Sri Lanka

I just returned from speaking events at World Tea Expo in Las Vegas and also in Sonoma.  It was wonderful to "talk tea" with so many different folks. I am squeezing my blogs about Sri Lanka in between speaking and writing assignments so come along with me on a great summer escape!

June is National Iced Tea Month.  Did you know that Ceylon tea from Sri Lanka makes GREAT Iced Tea? I hope as you read my blog, you will know much more about Ceylon tea.

I had the opportunity to visit the Colombo Tea Auction in Sri Lanka. I was a guest of the John Keells Group which owns tea companies as well as beautiful hotels among other things.  It was a fascinating experience listening to tea being traded for distribution all over the world.   The auctioneers were hard to understand. The only way I knew they were done with one lot of tea and moving on to the next is the gavel went down.  Each transaction took usually less than a few minutes.



After the auction, our group was taken to a John Keells hotel for lunch. The hotel was stunning and modern. Sri Lanka is vying to become a tourist destination and the John Keells group is leading the way with beautiful hotels. You will see a few more of their hotels in my travel tea blogs later.

The lunch buffet was laid out beautifully! Here is just a sampling of the fruit and refreshing desserts offered!

After our "arduous" time at the tea auction and lunch, we went back to the corporate tea office of John Keells for a nice cupping session of their teas. In the photo, a man is weighing out the teas using an antique scale and coins as the counter weight on the other side. Cupping is the professional way of tasting teas. In my next book, I explain this in much more detail!  Can you guess how many times your teas are "professionally cupped" before you drink them at home?

The special cups used are called cupping sets.  Here's our cupping sets laid out to taste delicious Ceylon teas. The tea leaves are steeped in the cup with the handle and the lid is placed on top.  After steeping, the tea is poured into the bowl shaped cup and the leaves are inverted and placed on the lid for visual inspection.  Then, let the tasting begin. It is always a treat to be able to cup so many teas at one time.  If you think "tea is just tea," you wouldn't after cupping so many side-by-side.

After a great day of tea education, we headed back to the Galle Face Hotel for dinner and relaxation time.  I mentioned in my last blog about a museum in the hotel and thought I would tell you a little about one item in it. 

Yes, this is a car in the hotel, but not just any car.  Prince Phillip of Greece was in the Royal Navy and was stationed in Sri Lanka in 1940 where he bought his first personal car  It is a 1935 model Standard Nine.  Prince Phillip of Greece returned later to Sri Lanka in 1952 as the Duke of Edinburgh after marrying Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the II.  The car is in pristine condition and quite a treasure for the hotel.

It was a wonderful second day in Sri Lanka filled with tea education, interesting and delicious food, and meeting new Sri Lankan tea friends.  A nice evening stroll along the Indian Ocean was a great way to end the day.  Isn't it beautiful?

Please follow along with me, as I take you to some interesting tea plantations in my next blog that produce cinnamon and rubber too!  Have I inspired you to visit Sri Lanka yet?

Happy Sipping, Lisa

Welcome to Sri Lanka-Land of Ceylon Tea

I have been so excited to tell you about my trip to Sri Lanka to discover the land of Ceylon teas that I took in January . I am finally sneaking in a few minutes to share a little about it in between writing and deadlines for my new tea book.

Sri Lanka is a beautiful island surrounded by the Indian Ocean.  For those of you that don't know where it is, it is located off the southeastern coast of India.  I flew from London to Sri Lanka and spent New Year's day lost in time somewhere high in the sky.  I landed early in the morning and made it just in time to the hotel to watch the sunrise over the Indian Ocean with a cup of Ceylon tea in hand.

The island was occupied by the British until the 1940s, so much of the architecture and design elements reflect a British Colonial look which I love!  The first hotel I stayed at was the Galle Face Hotel.  Here are the large wooden carved doors that are original to the building!  My first day there I spent wondering about this historic hotel as I tried to get acclimated to my new time zone.  My wondering led me to the hotel's interesting royal museum which I will tell you about in my next blog! 

Sri Lanka is ten and half hours ahead of east coast time of the United States and five and half hours ahead of London. So with the plane ride and time change, some acclimating was necessary.  What could be a better way to fight jet lag than by sitting at this pool with the gorgeous ocean view. I think I could get used to any new timezone like that!!

All of our meals were served on this large veranda that faced the ocean. The cool breeze was so inviting. My first day there of course included afternoon tea which is another great way to adjust!   The choices were endless and stretched as far as the width of the veranda.  Some of the selections included things I was familiar with such as finger sandwiches and some were unique to this tropical island's Indian influences.  It was a food adventure to try the unknown.  I also loved the assortment of fruit that was available with all of our meals such as bananas, pineapple, mango, and passion fruit. Most of them tasted much better than what I was used to because of their freshness!

 Any afternoon tea that includes chocolate mousse is a hit for me! How about you?

This hotel seemed to be an oasis for weddings which was intriguing to observe.  It was an introduction to some of the cultural differences and styles of dress for their formal affairs. I was captivated by this bride and her wedding party.  The dresses were ornate and so different than that of what I see in America.  The flowers in this simple bouquet were beautiful.  Does anyone know what they were?  I wonder if I could find them in the states. (Thanks to a reader, I found out they are Nymphaea lotus that may also be called Egyptian White Water Lily or white lotus)

I took a walk alongside the ocean in the evening and happened upon the same bride and groom getting their pictures taken while the sun was setting over the Indian Ocean!  What a wonderful beginning to my trip as I observed this special occasion from afar!

This bowl of floating flowers is what greeted me as I made my way down to the spa for a massage to ease my body of the eleven plus hour flight from London.   I was told that the small white flowers are called temple flowers. I think they are just beautiful floating in the large bowl.

 

Since I started my blog with the lovely sunrise, I thought I would end it with the stunning sunset that concluded my first day in this new land full of adventures that awaited me!

Come with me as I take you to Sri Lanka.  I will show you some wonderful tea plantations, interesting foods, and beautiful scenery! 

Happy Sipping Ceylon Tea, Lisa

Side Note: Next week, I will be speaking in Sonoma wine country for a private event and then off to Las Vegas for the World Tea Expo.  I would love to meet up with you in Vegas if you are attending this trade-only event.

New York City Tea Tour and other New York City Tea Places

New York City is a great place for all different types of tea experiences.  I just returned home from the International Association of Culinary Professionals National Conference which was held there.  A colleague and tea friend of mine Judith Krall-Russo and I were chosen to lead a tea tour for the conference.  We had a great group of new tea enthusiasts that were eager to learn. 

We toured the "World of Tea" without ever leaving Manhattan!  Our first stop was Chinatown for a Gongfu Chinese Tea Ceremony.  It was wonderful to have the attendees experience tea in this way with the small Chinese teapots and many infusions of oolong.

Our next stop was to visit Soho for some more tea education.  Judith and I taught for about an hour about tea as the attendees tasted Chinese white tea, Japanese green tea, Taiwanese oolong, and Sri Lankan (Ceylon) black tea.  We of course needed to cleanse the palate in between tastings and what would be more befitting, but some yummy scones. 

As we left Soho, we waved goodbye to China, Taiwan, Japan, and Sri Lanka.  We then walked to our next stop which was France.  We organized a tea inspired lunch at Bosie Tea Parlor in Greenwich Village.  We had a three course lunch there along with a bit more education on caffeine and antioxidants.

Not only is their food amazing, but their pastries are just as good. Many of them are tea infused to add to the uniqueness.  The problem was which one to choose. 

Just down the street from Bosie is a new tea chain that has just opened up in the US.  Davids Tea is from Canada and has just opened two stores in New York City.  The vibe in the store is contemporary and the clientele was young.  It was great to see middle school kids still in their uniforms ordering tea at the counter!

Our last stop around the world was right here in the USA.  We stopped in at the oldest running tea and coffee shop.  They have been in the same location since 1895. 

We want to thank IACP for allowing us to share our love of tea with its members.  We had loads of fun planning, taste testing, and leading the tour.  I just thought I would share a few bonus tea places that we couldn't include on the tour.

Judith and I decided to do a private Japanese tea excursion the next day since we both had traveled to the tea fields of Japan together in 2010,  Our tour included Kinokuniya Books.  It is not just a bookstore, but has a lovely selection of Japanese gifts.  If you have time, go upstairs for a cup of tea. 

We also stopped off for a authentic Japanese breakfast.  Doesn't that look good?  It was....

Next on the our list was Cha An Tea House.  If you get the chance, you won't want to miss Cha An.  It only seats 12, so get there early.  We spent the afternoon with another tea friend eating, laughing, and drinking tea!  After all, isn't that what having tea is all about?

I hope you enjoyed the tour of New York City's tea places.  There are many more to share, but that is for another blog.  Follow me as I take you to Sri Lanka next-the land of Ceylon Tea which I toured in January! 

Happy Sipping from New York City, Lisa