A little further ahead…we found a sort of little ranch with cute little Shetland poneys

If you want to see some very nice, old and colorful house and you’re downtown Newark, Delaware. You should definitely have a little walk further Main Street, towards West Main Street.

Right now most of the students are either moving out or leaving for the Summer time.

I took the “Road-trip” thing quite seriously.

The other day, we decided to go find this road by the canal, under and between the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal Bridge and the St. George Bridge. It was a really nice area, you could actually walk by the water.

This is the bridge you will have to take from Newark, New Castle, (The Northern part of Delaware) if you want to go towards the Beaches (Down South)

They are many beautiful birds around the area. Partly because it’s the Chesapeake Bay.

If you wonder what this Bay is, here a map and some details:

“The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States.^[2] It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded byMaryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay’s drainage basin covers 64,299 square miles (166,534 km²) in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia.^[3] More than 150 rivers and streams drain into the Bay, and it comprises 64,000 square miles (170,000 km²) of bays, marshes and rivers” (Thank you Wikipedia)

“Marsh”… the key word. Who says marshes and rivers, says birds :)

It was the first time I saw a Vulture. I have seen many beautiful birds in Delaware. But this one was pretty nice, he didn’t want to leave, I tried to make him fly away, but he just liked to pose like a model. I got him from pretty close.

The Chesapeake and Delaware Cana Bridge (Newest) and the St. George Bridge (Older) both getting us to the Beach.

This pretty house is located near the historical Green. In the center of tiny Historic town of New Castle, Delaware. This “Green” was laid out by the Dutch in 1651. This time line is pretty old if you consider U.S History.

The town is really lovely, there is like “back in time” feeling when you walk around. People can visit The Amstel House (The First Grand Mansion of Delaware), The Dutch House (Delaware’s Early Colonial Gem), The Old Library Museum  (A Fanciful Victorian Classic by Frank Furness). There is even a New Castle Historical Society taking care of visits and more.

I don’t know if for some reason it was related to the Ocean City, MD Custom Car Show happing the same day I took this picture. But it was nice seeing this kind of car, it totally fits the atmosphere of New Castle.

A little anecdote, Ryan Phillipe, (“Gosford Park”, “Cruel Intentions”, “Crash” etc….) was born in New Castle, DE and spent his childhood there.

Shirley Temple came to visit the town as well.

“Before the Delaware Memorial Bridge was built, New Castle was a major ferry terminal for travel between Maryland and New Jersey. Many notable folks, such as Shirley Temple traveled through the town on their way to/from the ferry.” (travellerspoint.com)

From now on, my posts will be dedicated to Polaroids. I know I haven’t posted for a long time, even though I still kept collecting nice pictures of Delaware. I keep traveling the State. I planned to post some pictures back in February about the Polar Bear Plunge, but for some reason I didn’t have time. It was the first time I went to see these people jump into the cold water… it was nice, we are considering doing it next year.

I didn’t take amazing pictures, I got distracted by the new friend I made on that day. Look at the love in his eyes…I think he got a crush!

I know it’s not Delaware Related, but I had to post this amazing video!

(Smyrna, Delaware)

“Good old Fashioned”

Who doesn’t like Old Fashioned Billboards.

Especially when they are the only interesting things around. We are talking about a Road-trip here, right?

By the way, don’t get it wrong, everything Old-fashioned is not always that good, i tried their Ice Cream, it’s not that good or that old fashion :/

I will talk about the Kohr Bros Frozen Custard later, they deserve a real post with summer pictures.

Since it’s my favorite season, and probably a more constant time for updates, i also wanted to share some nice travel quotes.

The 50 Most Inspiring Travel Quotes Of All Time

1. “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” – Mark Twain

2. “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – St. Augustine

3. “There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

4. “The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are.” – Samuel Johnson

5. “All the pathos and irony of leaving one’s youth behind is thus implicit in every joyous moment of travel: one knows that the first joy can never be recovered, and the wise traveler learns not to repeat successes but tries new places all the time.” – Paul Fussell

6. “Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life.” – Jack Kerouac

7. “He who does not travel does not know the value of men.” – Moorish proverb

8. “People travel to faraway places to watch, in fascination, the kind of people they ignore at home.” – Dagobert D. Runes

9. “A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it.” – John Steinbeck

10. “No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.” – Lin Yutang

11. “Your true traveler finds boredom rather agreeable than painful. It is the symbol of his liberty-his excessive freedom. He accepts his boredom, when it comes, not merely philosophically, but almost with pleasure.” – Aldous Huxley

12. “All travel has its advantages. If the passenger visits better countries, he may learn to improve his own. And if fortune carries him to worse, he may learn to enjoy it.” – Samuel Johnson

13. “For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

14. “Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things – air, sleep, dreams, the sea, the sky – all things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of it.” – Cesare Pavese

15. “One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” – Henry Miller

16″A traveler without observation is a bird without wings.” – Moslih Eddin Saadi

17. “When we get out of the glass bottle of our ego and when we escape like the squirrels in the cage of our personality and get into the forest again, we shall shiver with cold and fright. But things will happen to us so that we don’t know ourselves. Cool, unlying life will rush in.” – D. H. Lawrence

18. “To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world.” – Freya Stark

19. “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

20. “Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.” – Miriam Beard

21. “All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” – Martin Buber

22. “We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” – Jawaharial Nehru

23. “Tourists don’t know where they’ve been, travelers don’t know where they’re going.” – Paul Theroux

24. “To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.” – Bill Bryson

25. “Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

26. “Two roads diverged in a wood and I – I took the one less traveled by.” – Robert Frost

27. “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” – Lao Tzu

28. “There is no moment of delight in any pilgrimage like the beginning of it.” – Charles Dudley Warner

29. “A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.” – Lao Tzu

30. “If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.” – James Michener

31. “The journey not the arrival matters.” – T. S. Eliot

32. “A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.” – Tim Cahill

33. “I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.” – Mark Twain

34. “Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quiestest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey.” – Pat Conroy

35. “Not all those who wander are lost.” – J. R. R. Tolkien

36. “Like all great travelers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen.” – Benjamin Disraeli

37. “Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.” – Maya Angelou

38. “Too often travel, instead of broadening the mind, merely lengthens the conversation.” – Elizabeth Drew

39. “Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe”……Anatole France

40. “Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.” – Seneca

41. “What you’ve done becomes the judge of what you’re going to do – especially in other people’s minds. When you’re traveling, you are what you are right there and then. People don’t have your past to hold against you. No yesterdays on the road.” – William Least Heat Moon

42. “I soon realized that no journey carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into the world within.” – Lillian Smith

43. “To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.” – Aldous Huxley

44. “Travel does what good novelists also do to the life of everyday, placing it like a picture in a frame or a gem in its setting, so that the intrinsic qualities are made more clear. Travel does this with the very stuff that everyday life is made of, giving to it the sharp contour and meaning of art.” – Freya Stark

45. “The first condition of understanding a foreign country is to smell it.” – Rudyard Kipling

46. “Travel is glamorous only in retrospect.” – Paul Theroux

47. “The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one’s own country as a foreign land.” – G. K. Chesterton

48. “When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable.” – Clifton Fadiman

49. “A wise traveler never despises his own country.” – Carlo Goldoni

50. “Adventure is a path. Real adventure – self-determined, self-motivated, often risky – forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it. Your body will collide with the earth and you will bear witness. In this way you will be compelled to grapple with the limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of humankind – and perhaps realize that you yourself are capable of both. This will change you. Nothing will ever again be black-and-white.” – Mark Jenkins

I found these quotes here

(Rehoboth Beach, from the Boardwalk)

I just love to walk around, and look at these houses. Maybe one of those belonged to the actress Lynda Carter (Wonder woman). Well it’s off season now, it’s probably the best time for locals like us to stop by, and have a last bath in the ocean. (Water is amazing !!!) Waves are not small though.

Some history:

“As per, the information provided by the Rehoboth Beach Historical Society, in 1872, Reverend Robert W. Todd of St. Paul’s M.E. Church in Wilmington visited a Camp meeting area on the Jersey Shore. He put up an idea of starting a camp area on the Delaware coast. In 1873, The Rehoboth Camp Meeting Association was formed and 414 acres of land was purchased from local farmers. The grounds were laid out in a fan-shaped design, with wide streets, parks and specific building lots. That design remains largely intact till date. The Camp Meeting Association was split up in 1881. In the year 1891, the place was incorporated by the Delaware General Assembly as Henlopen. Shortly after this, it was renamed to Rehoboth Beach.”

(My lovely Neighbor always providing us with the best tomatoes, Newark, Delaware)

Since last year, i only get tomatoes from across the street. No need to take the car and get to the grocery store, where i can buy tomatoes and cucumbers grown many miles away. These are Delawareans, grown by her own son, who gives her something to sell and and opportunity to meet friendly people who stop by. You basically can leave the money in the jar, and she will come and get it when she gets the chance. I find this very cute and nice… and i only want to buy from her ! And these tomatoes are so so good, real ones ! Just love the concept. Gives Delaware a soul !

(Rehoboth Beach)

Probably the best time according to me, it’s getting cooler, the lights are nice… it’s just the perfect time to put your feet in the water.

Glass is amazing…even though you might be like “oh well it’s heavy, breakable and stuff”…etc.

Well at least it forces you to be careful and pay attention. Yes, you…lazy person, too lazy to use a reusable container, listen, it takes sacrifice and effort to change bad habits. (Not saying I am perfect, far from it…but I try to improve) And yes, we’ve got to start somewhere. One of the things that really annoyed me the most when I moved to the U.S is how extreme and super fast the process of “buying-dispensing” was here. Almost every single purchase comes with something to through away in the first 10 first minutes. You buy a coffee, a snack or anything else, you get unlimited plastic bags, containers, wrappers, napkins etc and it fills up these trash-canes in no time.

Big shout-out to the garbage men in New York City, I barely see them, but I know that they work hard!!!

Everyone wants to come back to nature, right? It’s like the current trend lately… well here you go, let’s first start with a reminder.

Glass is

-100% recyclable

-reusable (yay)

-Transparent!

According to a researched, “glass has the purity of structure that makes any interaction with the stored liquid impossible. Plastic on the other hand is known to alter the properties of certain beverages because of the chemical reactions that appear in time between the artificial structure and the possible acids in the beverage.” (Even water)

That same researcher said that ”glass bottles do not affect the structure of the environment by their chemical composition, their only problem comes from the fact that they remain in the same form for millions of years, there will actually be no change in their structure”.

It is a stable material, but at least we can recycle it in many noble things.

Glass comes from nature and even if you drop your glass container in the ocean, it will transform into a nice piece of “landart”↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓

If you have mason jars at home, give this little thingy a try (The Cuppow)! I have one, and I use it everyday on my glass jar. Anyway it taste better to drink tea from a glass container when you don’t have nice tea-cups with you. (I do have a nice and super cute portable Gongfu Tea Set but…not always carrying it with me)

Anyway, let’s get back to the topic. Glass is really a great material. You can really get creative too, you choose your own container, it’s cheap, and it’s getting cool again. When I used to be in art school, I worked with this material, so I always loved it very much. My two fav were wood and glass. I am glad that I got to work with both of them. They are so esthetic, that’s how it is when it’s a classic. It never gets old.

So if you transformed your mason jar into a cup, you might need a jar sleeve to absorbe the heet. Either you make your own or you can find one on etsy.

Anyway, it doesn’t matter if you drink tea or not, consider ditching the plastic habit and drinking out of something reusable, even paper cups. I tried stainless steel but not a fan of the taste. I don’t know about you, but I am very sensitive when it comes to the taste of the water, especially from weird man-made containers, it’s even more a problem when it comes to tea. If you want to read more about water and tea, check out my previous post about how to purify water.

If you’re still not convinced, they are still great containers with Glass inside and plastic outside. So a little more practical for our modern city life. Here my post about my wonder-super-duper crush tea tumbler.

Now Germany and France produces more and more glass containers, hope that the U.S will follow in that great trend. FYI the French company Saint Gobain, is ranked 2nd in the world for glass bottles and jars hehe.

*(Found that pic here)

This eco-friendly thermos is my new “to-have” thing. And Holidays are coming up…If there is one thing I want it’s this. The problem is, I have so many tea-containers already…I just don’t know which one to use, even though I kind of function per phases. I have a phase with that one or that other one…

I found this Aquaovo Therm-O Terra on Fab.com

I haven’t purchased IT because the price of handling + shipping is too outrageous on Fab, even though they have a lot of cute things.

What do you guys think? Have you ever bought things, especially Kitchenware or things like that on Fab?

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If you ever been to a Thai restaurant in your area, you might have noticed this drink because of its flashy orange color.

I’ve never heard of it before until I went to eat Thai with friends and a friend of mine order this drink. I was very curious because I love everything tea…and I have never heard of “Thai Tea” before. When the drink arrived my friend let me have some, and it’s true the taste was pretty unique. Since it was a new thing to me, I needed to know everything about it, and its origin etc. I tried a lot of them in New York, Philadelphia etc. Bubble tea versions, restaurant version, canned version (Might have gained 4 pounds thank to this “explorational effort” :p but well…). I didn’t go to that many Thai restaurants when I used to live in Europe (I might never been to one there actually). And New York City, Philadelphia and other big cities I guess have a countless numbers of them.

Actually, the “original” Thai Iced tea is a mix of a strongly brewed black tea (Chinese black tea usually), spices (star anise, orange flowers, vanilla, clover, cinnamon…), sugar+++, condensed milk, (I got lost with the evaporated milk thing, so some versions add sugar then evaporated milk), and this red food coloring (in my opinion not necessary).

Thai Iced tea is very popular with girls for some reason. I’ve read a lot of blogs, or threads about Thai Iced Tea and how (usually girls) crave for it. Now Bubble teas are not only popular with teenage girls, but with a larger crowd. You will be able to find a « Thai Bubble Tea » version in most Bubble tea places.

Thai Tea Recipe From Scratch 

• 1 gallon water
• 8 Chinese star anise, ground
• 1 tablespoon orange flowers
• 1 tablespoon powdered vanilla
• 1 pinch of clove powder
• 1 pinch chopped cinnamon
• 3/4 quart long cut China black tea leaves
• 1 to 2 cups sugar
• 1 quart half & half
• red food coloring
• crushed ice

Boil water. Add star anise, orange flowers, vanilla, clove, cinnamon, and tea leaves to boiling water. Continue boiling for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Cover and allow to steep until luke warm. Strain, and add sugar to taste. Serve in a clear glass over plenty of crushed ice. Top with half & half.

Traditional Variation: Substitute coconut milk for half & half.
Decaffeinated Variation: Substitute decaffeinated tea leaves.
Low-fat Variation: Substitute evaporated milk or rice milk for half & half.
Natural Variation: Substitute unrefined cane sugar for refined sugar and beet powder for food coloring.

(Source One Letter Words)

In one of the community threads I found someone mentioning a canned version for anyone interest in satisfying irrational cravings. In some places they actually sell them. (At The Little Thai Market inside the Reading Terminal Market, Philadelphia). There is actually a Philipino store online selling them, if you’re thinking about ordering call them first to make sure they’re not out, it’s $1 the cane.

If you’re on Yelp and like Thai food, you can also check my Thai Places reviews.

I would like to finish my post with this very artistic video:

Making Thai Iced Tea like a boss!

When you start “collecting” different loose teas, you’ll wonder where  and how to store it.

Tea’s life, quality and flavor depends on quality storage.

Tea will absorb odors, humidity and any sort of toxins in the air. Actually, that is also why I use my infused tea leaves to absorb bad odors in my fridge. Then I through them away in my compost.

Avoid these 5 tea flavors assassins

Light

•will degrade your tea by stripping if from its natural color and of course its flavor ➞Dark place, Tea tin.

Moisture

•will degrade your tea, causing decay and naturally loss of flavor, quality ➞No fridge, Sealable container.

Heat

•will degrade your tea as well, summer is approaching ➞Cool place, Away from stove, oven.

Odor

•will absorb good and bad odors, better avoid putting it near anything with strong odors (Spices, oignons…)➞Avoid spice cabinet.

Air

•will absorb every particles in the air (air also carries moisture and odors)➞Avoid porous packaging materials

By avoiding these 5 elements, you’ll be able to preserve the freshness of your tea, as well as its flavor and quality.

Here few pictures of one of my tea canisters. You will notice the double lid, something pretty common for tea containers.

I got that one in Paris, 4 or 5 years ago at the Mariage Frères store in Place des Ternes. It’s kind of pricy for what it is, even though it’s a very nice one, in cherry wood. They sell it for 46€ on their website.

Well I took the pictures outside, and of course there is air and bright light…but it was for the sake of the photo.

Usually tea stores online are very meticulous when it comes to the storage of the tea they ship. Lately I received  some samples of Tea Vivre (I will review them soon on this blog) and their storage was great. Double wrapped and all, plus the box etc.

Actually they also have great posts about storage for Pu-erh or other teas.

Water is something we take so much for granted. We buy it in plastic bottles, we take endless showers, or just let it run for much longer than needed while we wash our dishes, or tea-ware.

Everyone heard (or saw that video on youtube) of the Japanese Dr. Masaru‘s research on water, and his theory that human consciousness has an effect on the molecular structure of water. There is also a documentary on water called “Water, The Great Mystery” pretty interesting.

Since water and tea go together, I could not skip this major element. Nowadays water is victim of pollution as much as everything else around us, and we just adapted to it, so much that we can’t tell the difference from what is “pure” and the bad things we actually absorb. If you go hiking in altitude, in the mountains, you might get a chance to taste a water somewhat purer, even though, even there the environnement is victim of our pollution from down there in the cities.

Here few tips I gather that might help enhance the quality of your tea.

How to purify your water?

1-Filter your water

They are many filters out there, and more and more people buy them because people are more and more aware of the effect of pollution on the human body. I personally use Brita filters (One on my water faucet and a pitcher), but are other brands as good I think, like PUR, or Aquasana. This summer I tried the nicely designed water Bobble bottle, now they also sell pitchers.

2-Put silver coins in your water pitcher

As far as I remember, back when I was little I always saw silver coins or silver “things” in water pitchers in several houses. My mother explained to me that it is good for the water. And it does taste different if you keep them in it all the time. The silver coins need to be entirely in silver though.

According to the Canadian drinking water website:

“Silver-based water purification units for the home have been in use in Europe for more than 50 years. Royal Doulton ceramic candles combine silver within the ceramic during manufacturing to take advantage of the outstanding bacterial disinfecting properties of silver. These units meet the National Sanitation Foundation Standards covering bacteriostatic efficacy, the reduction of lead, copper and particulates and the reduction of taste and odor. They also have the approval of the US Environmental Protection Agency as a bactericidal unit.”

Their website has actually a lot of interesting information.

3-Store your water in glass or non-plastic containers if possible.

Plastic is so common nowadays, that we don’t question anything related to this material. But if you think about it,  it’s made from petrochemicals, (“petro” and “chemicals”…I don’t know about you but it’s not really something I would want to be in contact with my water and even less my great tea leaves. I am kind of exaggerating here but well).

But the idea is, you can re-use glass, it’s more natural, even though it’s heavier and breakable, it’s 100% safe, which is not the case for plastic bottle. Who knows how much this BPA leachs into it, etc…

“According to several recent studies, polycarbonate plastic gradually leaches a chemical called bisphenol-A (BPA) into foods and liquids that are stored in containers made from this material. BPA has been identified as an endocrine disrupting chemical, or a chemical that easily mimics hormones when absorbed by the human body.” (Read more ➫ “Glass Water Storage Bottles vs. Plastic”)

A last tip I haven’t tried yet but am really eager to:

4-The bamboo charcoal water purifier

The websites selling tea, also sell them. One of them as all these miraculous explanations about this bamboo and I admit, I want to try that:

“Researchers and users alike call it a miracle filter because it can eliminate the residual chlorine and other chemicals in your water and replace it with healthy minerals like calcium, potassium, sodium and iron, transforming ordinary water into mineral water that leaves the drinker refreshed. “

Apparently it works as an air purifier as well. According to wikipedia “Bamboo charcoal has a long history in China and has been documented as early as 1486 AD during the Ming Dynasty”. I am sure they had good reasons to use this great plant for all sorts of things!

5-Demineralize/ distille your Water.

This process is pretty radical, but maybe the best one to have the purest water possible. (Plus say positive, kind and nice words to your water I am sure Dr. Masaru will approve). This method exists already in nature. I heard that the taste of distilled water is really great though. If you’re interested, I recommend reading this or buy a water distiller on amazon. They’re a little pricy, but it’s probably worth it.

If anyone has other tips, or does it some other way, please feel free to share in the comments. Thanks!

Here the video I mentioned at the beginning of this post:

Water – The Great Mystery

I’ll finish this post with this great quote, if you watched the whole documentary you might understand better why I share it here:

“The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science. Whoever does not know it and can no longer wonder, no longer marvel, is as good as dead, and his eyes are dimmed.”

- Albert Einstein

I will start the year with this post, I personally need to reflect on.  A friend of mine shared this quote on her Facebook wall. I think it reflects a lot on things I personally need to seriously consider as the New Year starts.

“If you care about others, but they still remain aloof, then you should ask yourself if you are truly kind. If you advise others unsuccessfully, you should ask yourself if you are truly wise. If you are courteous to others but they do no reciprocate, then you should ask yourself if you are truly sincere. When you do something but do not get a response, don’t complain about others. You should first look within and find where you have to change yourself.” – Mencius (Chinese philosopher)

Since it’s my first 2012 post. I might make it a little more diverse. Of course it still is all about tea here

I found the topic of tea very vast. Tea, is also pretty much connected to culture. And when you think about it, it always goes back to the old “story of the origine of tea”. This aspect has always been very interesting to me since the origine of tea takes place in China. And Chinese culture is something I have had deep interest in for many years. (If you’re curious, I found this great post about “Kangxi Emperor’s tea cups and Chinese porcelain history“.

We have to remember, that back in the past, tea was consumed as a luxury item, on special occasions. I guess like Chocolate was. And now its value is totally different. Not to say it has no real meaning to people, except the health benefits. I find the traditional aspect something very valuable, we should learn to re-appreciate.

Shen Yun and traditional Chinese culture. 

Using arts to bring something uplifting to people.

Actually there is something I would recommend to everyone interested in Arts and in Culture in general. It is a performance called Shen Yun.

This performing arts company is touring the whole world. So wherever you are you have a chance to see it. For more touring information you can visit their website (On the top left you have all the cities listed).

I have seen the performance last year. They actually just launched their 2012 Tour. Here a video of the audience feedback from last New York performance at Lincoln Center. I actually plan to see it in either in January or April in New York, or maybe Philadelphia too.

I think that anyone interested in learning how tradition can enhance today’s life, should see it. It’s really worth it on so many ways. The Chinese civilization brought us so many things we take for granted nowadays. On this show, it’s actually more about the universal message than the “chinese pride”. That’s an aspect I like. Because I can relate to that, even though I cherish my own Russian heritage and Russian culture. Well take a look and let me know what you think.

If you’re interested NPR Radio interviewed Jared Madsen the Master of Ceremonies and Ying Chen, the Orchestra director of their company. Really interesting to hear them talk about the performance.

Direct link➫ Shen Yun at Lincoln Center, NY

Here another Tea Tumbler I got after the Aladdin Travel Mug.

First of all, I love the design of this one. It’s less bulky than the Aladdin one, it’s more colorful, (Also exists in Green)

I kept the sticker for you guys

First of all, I have it for few weeks now, and tried to use it as much as I could. I have already few pros+ and cons- regarding this one.

Here the positive points:

• 1. The Removable tea filter (basket) is really nice, I keep using it for other things actually. +++
• 2. The Design is very nice, it takes no room in a bag. ++
• 3. I has not leaked or broke yet. For me it’s a ++

For the less positive ones:

• 1. The stainless steel makes my tea taste weird. So I won’t brew any nice tea I have in this. —
• 2. I have to remove the tea infuser right after I brewed the tea, otherwise it still is in contact with the hot water. –
• 3. It’s kind of hard to open. But it’s a small -

Just one last thing. I don’t know where to buy this Tea Tumbler, I got it as a gift again. But I found some “cheap looking” version here.

When I find out, I’ll let you guys know.

It has been a while since I got my Aladdin Infuser mug. I said I would give it a month and then write a review and see how it actually is.

If it’s worth your money etc…

First of all. Before I could even celebrate the “one month” use of this mug, I dropped it on the floor and the rubber band part inside (isolating the inside and outside) moved. This allowed moisture to enter in the “vacuum” space between the glass (where the tea is infused) and the plastic you actually touch. This really bothered me, because it was just impossible to keep it in place.

Few days later, my husband got me another mug, and now I use the second one.

I would give it few pros- and few cons- for your reference.

+Pros:

• 1. The feature allowing the infuser to go inside the hot water then up is a great +++
• 2. The fact it’s transparent, is really an advantage, you can really tell by the color of the tea if it’s ready of not. ++
• 3. The cap is pretty solid, nothing leaking in my bag so far. Sometimes it is even hard to open. That is a real +++

-Cons:

• 1. It still pricy for something in plastic. $20 online (Found it in Argo Tea  for something like $25 in Manhattan, NY). –
• 2. Not as solid as I thought it would be. (My first one didn’t last a month with intensive use I guess). Personally I don’t like to buy things I only use once. Also don’t let people touch the little thing sticking out to pour the tea infuser inside, up and down, one day they’ll break it –
• 3. The infuser inside is pretty weak. It opened several times by itself and drop the tea leaves inside the mug. —

Let me know if you travel a lot and need your tea with you. If so, share your recommendation in the comments.

I am always curious to discover new tools. Then I figure out if I really need them or not.

Oh yes, another thing. You might ask yourself: “Why bother buy loose tea and go through these expenses”etc..

Well, I would like to end this post by this comment regarding Brewed tea vs. Bottled tea.

“Tea brewed from leaves has the most potent effects, and contains the most anti-oxidants. For any of the health benefits listed above, you won’t get the same effect from either powdered instant teas or from bottled, ready-made teas.” (about.com)

Also, has anyone tried the Yixing Travel Tea Tumbler?

☀Meet my new toy !

I don’t need much to be happy and enjoy little things. I don’t need entertainment or action in my life. Yes I am quite boring.

I do like to have some tea on the go. I got an Aladdin Tea Infuser as a present like a week or two ago and I just can’t stop using it. It’s practical because you can re-infuse your tea as many times as you want/can and since it’s designed for tea it’s not super hot, there is a double plastic layer.

I owned so many different cups and to go mugs, many of them were disappointing, spilling the liquid after some time or just not designed for tea but rather coffee, so this is for now a great alternative for me. I don’t know how long it will “last”, usually I happen to use these things until they die completely but It looks ok for now. (I doubt it will last that long, it’s made in China after all) Of course it won’t take the rank #1  of my favorite tea ware, it’s still plastic. But for a city, on the go use, it’s alright. I also love the fact you can see the color of your tea.

You can order one in blue or green (They call it “Chai” color) on Amazon, it costs $19,99.

They also say that the cup is microwave safe but please, please, pleaaaaase don’t ever, ever, ever...microwave the water of your tea. Actually you should even consider throwing your microwave away. I am just saying…

We left ours in the old apartment after we moved to a house. Never missed that thing.

Here a couple of photos for you to have a better idea how it works ➩

Today, some friends wanted to go to that “New place” accross the street. Well it happened to be “Argo Tea“.

I went to Argo tea once, and the day….well evening, I went there, I was having such a craving for white tea…It was so odd, who would crave for White Tea??? If not a tea geek. Anyway, I was on my way for St. Marks, and I found this Argo Tea place near the FlatIron district. And they happen to have some white tea there. Anyway…all of this talking to get to the fact, today I thought about posting something about this white tea I found in the office the other day. Some “Jasmin Silver Needles”. Actually, I tried it for the first time, today. (As I write, I am having my second brew). I am truly not a fan of Jasmin anything, especially when it comes to Tea…But it was not too bad. Here how it looks like.

What’s “White Tea“? White Tea is very rare, and experts consider it to be a fourth type of tea. (Black, Green and Oolong being the 3 other ones)

White tea is produced exclusively from the buds or tips of the tea bush. White Tea is also lightly fermented…and contains a huge amount of antioxidants! I don’t know about you, but “antioxidants”…it sounds good!…FYI antioxidants are essentially the “substances that reduce, neutralize, and prevent the damage done to the body by free radicals.”(Quote Origine found here)

According to the Micronutrient Research for Optimum Health:

“White tea is made from buds and young leaves, which are steamed or fired to inactivate polyphenol oxidase, and then dried. Thus, due to minimal oxidation, white tea retains the high concentrations of catechins present in fresh tea leaves. Green tea is made from more mature tea leaves than white tea, and tea leaves may be withered prior to steaming or firing. Although they are also rich in catechins, green teas may have catechin profiles different from white teas, with slightly higher levels of oxidation products”.

Well basically, White Tea is the least processed form of tea..I don’t know about you, but to me “least processed” also sounds good! Some people describe its taste “Silky”, “Sweet” or “”flowery”.

Personally, I’d say “delicate”.

If you have never tried White Tea aka Silver Needles, just do it!

I have amazing Silver Needles “YIN ZHEN“ at home, I got this tea in France, at Mariage Frères.

Apparently there is a legend saying that a Chinese Emperor was so in Love with white tea, he made young ladies pick it up with golden scissors at dawn…when the first rays of light appeared on the horizon. I don’t know much about this legend, and who this emperor was, if you know, please comment.

Also