The 21st Tea Party – 2013
The sun came out and gave us Vancouverites an early spring. So we took advantage of the day and held our first party in the Tea Garden. What a day it was! We were treated to some of the best teas we had tried all year.
1. Today we put three companies head to head. The two new challengers were Tea Desire from Canada, up against Bird Pick from Taiwan, while both challenged a Tea Sparrow favourite Mighty Leaf.
2. Zeta decides which teas get brewed together and then sets up the score cards.
3. The first round is the White Tea Challenge, with Tea Desire’s White Tea Champagne, Bird Pick’s Floral Awakening, and Mighty Leaf’s White Orchard Tea. What a success. Not one tea scores less than 8.7 out of 10.
4. Darcy is stunned! We usually try 12 teas to find one everyone loves.
5. Zeta is all smiles. She can’t believe they are all winners. This has never happened before in Tea Sparrow history.
6. Round 2 is the Black Tea Challenge, with Leaves of Provence and Mandarin Rose from Mighty Leaf and Tea Desire’s Matte Black.
7. Overall the teas do not hit mark like those in the first round. However, everyone agrees that I overbrewed the Mandarin Rose. We re-brewed this tea after the party and it hit the mark with a combined score of 8.6 hot and 8.8 iced.
8. Onto the Herbal Tea Challenge, with Tea Desire’s Buddha Bamboo and Bird Pick’s Tranquili-Tea and Hibiscus Tea.
9. The colour spectrum is beautiful.
10. The table erupts; Buddha Bamboo is right on the mark. After her first sip, Zeta loudly declares she is taking the rest of the tea home. Tranquili-Tea is also a hit. The way Bird Pick grounds the chamomile and adds the perfect amount of mint and lavender makes it an instant contender for one of the best camomile teas we have tasted. Look for an awesome cocktail recipe we created with this tea! You can find it at: http://bit.ly/15rp9VV