Shortbread Petticoat Tails - Masters by Adagio Teas Giveaway

Classic Shortbread Petticoat Tails pair soooo beautifully with tea that I chose to include the recipe in this post along with my Masters by Adagio Teas review and giveaway. 

With just four always-on-hand ingredients, it is an easy recipe to make, elegant in its simplicity. It follows the traditional formula: 1 part sugar, 2 parts butter, 3 parts flour (by weight). The measures given, for those who prefer to measure, are just tidier approximations of the weights.

It was such a pleasure to kick off the month of September trying five new single-origin black teas from Masters by Adagio Teas. Such teas, with the focus on quality and terroir, are very popular with those who do Gongfu-style brewing (multiple short infusions), but I'm a dyed-in-the-wool British-style tea drinker and that's how I brewed these teas.

I brewed each of the teas in the lidded infuser mug that is part of this giveaway. I found that 1 tablespoon (3 to 4 grams) of tea leaves worked well in each case.

Though my personal preference in Darjeelings is the later harvests, the Balasun First Flush tea is quite special and so delicate as to be perhaps the perfect introduction to black tea for green tea drinkers. 

The third Masters tea I tried, Tongmu Jim Jun Mei, was my clear favorite until I tried the Jin Kong Que (Golden Peacock). My first whiff of the large, golden leaves and buds, revealed hints of cocoa along with a certain roasted toastiness, for lack of a better descriptor. The beautiful honey-colored brew was very smooth and flavorful.

I hope you'll try both the tea and the shortbread and, if you are in the US or Canada, enter the giveaway below. One very happy tea drinker (or tea gifter!) is going to win a Kawa Mug and Infuser and $75 gift certificate redeemable in the Masters by Adagio Teas online tea shop.

If you win the drawing, what kind of teas will you order? What color mug?

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Classic Shortbread Petticoat Tails

Whatever flavorings one might add, the predominant flavor of good shortbread must be butter. And I do mean butter; margarine will not do. This barely sweet treat has less than 3/4 teaspoon of sugar per biscuit (that's British English for "cookie").

(Makes 16 plus 1 round)

1 1/8 dip-and-sweep cup (5.625 ounces/159 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour

1 stick (4 ounces/113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup (1.75 ounces/50 grams) sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

1 Put a round of baking parchment paper in the bottom of a 9-inch/23 cm removable bottom tart tin set on a baking sheet. In smallish bowl, whisk flour vigorously for a minute to "sift" it.

2 In medium mixing bowl, with hand mixer or wooden spoon, cream softened butter. Add sugar and salt. Cream together thoroughly.

3 Add flour to creamed mixture. If using electric hand mixer, mix in flour just until combined. When thoroughly combined (it will be a bit crumbly, so knead it in the bowl with one hand), scrape into parchment-lined removable bottom tart tin, press into an even layer, cover and chill for about 30 minutes.

Note: You can use the smooth bottom of a cake tin to make the dough very even, then use your fingers to push the dough into the scallops of the tart tin. 

4 With a 2- to 2.25-inch round cookie cutter, cut a circle in the very center of the dough; then cut into 16 slices. Prick all over with a skewer. Pop the dough back in the fridge for another 15 minutes while you preheat oven to 300F/150C/Gas2.

5 Bake for about 45 minutes until firm and lightly golden (not browned). Recut the slices. Leave in tin and cool completely on wire rack. Store for up to 2 weeks in airtight tin.

Masters by Adagio Teas Giveaway

Adagio Teas will send winner: a Kawa mug and infuser (choice of 4 colors) and a $75 gift certificate redeemable in the Masters by Adagio Teas online tea shop.

This giveaway is open to Canadian and US residents (Sorry, international friends!) 18 years of age or older. Leave a comment below (one entry per person). Please include your email address in the body of your comment. Must enter by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday September 11.

Winner will be chosen by random drawing and be announced here in the comments before noon Eastern time on Thursday September 12. If I don't hear back from the winner of the random drawing by noon Eastern time Sunday September 15, another drawing will be held and a new winner selected from the original entrants (those who commented before the giveaway deadline). 

Disclosure: Adagio Teas provided product for review purposes and for the giveaway. The views expressed here are entirely my own. I always tell my readers what I really think!

Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon .com and affiliated sites. We are a ThermoWorks affiliate, earning a small commission at no cost to you on purchases made through our links. This helps cover some of the costs of running the blog. Thank you for your support. 

Jean

Arbor Teas Giveaway - Organic Tea and Stainless Steel Infuser

I recently had a chance to try Arbor Teas for the first time, and I was impressed. Arbor Teas offers one of the internet's largest selections of loose leaf organic teas and tisanes. Their entire catalogue is certified organic and two-thirds are Fair Trade Certified.

This is a small, family-owned company in Ann Arbor, Michigan (Go Blue!) with Carbonfree® business practices. Their facility is powered by Michigan sunshine (solar panels). I always compost my tea leaves, and even Arbor Teas packaging and labels are backyard compostable.

They offer all varieties of tea (black, green, white, oolong and pu-erh), as well as lots of herbal tisanes. I, of course, tried black teas only. The first one I tried, Nilgiri, I made as cold-brew iced tea. It was fabulous. I wish I had taken a photo of it for you so you could see the color and clarity.

Call me obsessive, but those two qualities, along with flavor, are especially important to me in iced teas. In case you want to try it, I used a 0.25-ounce/7-gram sample in 3 cups of room temperature water in a small pitcher in the refrigerator for 9 hours.

I tried the other teas my favorite way--hot--and enjoyed them all. As you can see from the photos, the tea leaves expand a lot while brewing, so you need a roomy infuser to allow them to unfurl properly.

Arbor Teas Tea and Infuser Giveaway

The winner of the Arbor Teas giveaway will be sent his/her choice of tea (English Breakfast, Earl Grey or Nilgiri) and the stainless steel tea infuser in his/her choice of trim color (black, blue or green). It works in some teapots as well as in mugs.

This giveaway is open to US* residents 18 years of age or older. Leave a comment below (one entry per person); tell me which of the three teas you'd like to try and which infuser trim color you prefer. Please include your email address in the body of your comment. Must enter by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday October 25.

* If you are outside the US but would like to have this sent to someone in the US (you would have to send them a gift card separately on your own), go ahead and enter! 

Winner will be chosen by random drawing and be announced here in the comments before noon Eastern time on Thursday October 26. If I don't hear back from the winner of the random drawing by noon Eastern time Sunday October 29, another drawing will be held and a new winner selected from the original entrants (those who commented before the giveaway deadline).

Disclosure: Arbor Teas provided product for review purposes and for the giveaway. The views expressed here are entirely my own. I always tell my readers what I really think! 
 

Coronation Chicken Tea Sandwiches

Tea Travel Kit - Bonavita Giveaway - Dual-Voltage Travel Kettle

I guess there's no use denying that I'm a tea snob. And, when traveling, no self-respecting tea snob would ever drink tea made in a coffee maker in the room. And I don't want to wait till breakfast to have my first cup of the day. And who knows if that's going to be up to standard!

The answer I came up with on my last trip was: a tea travel kit. The question: which kettle? It seems most are made of plastic, and that just won't do. A few hours of research led me to the Bonavita Dual Voltage 0.5L Electric Travel Kettle and convinced me that it's the kettle for me. 

Perfect for the person who is the lone tea-drinker in the office, it could also be used in a college dorm room, RV or boat. And for pour-over coffee as well as tea. Hmm ... I do happen to have a 0.5L French press.

The Bonavita Dual Voltage 0.5L Electric Travel Kettle is stainless steel, no plastic in contact with the water. It is compact, lightweight, easy to use and has auto shutoff after boiling. Dual voltage means it works anywhere; just take along an adapter plug and a coin for turning the button on the bottom of the kettle to the voltage required.

At 0.5 liters, it's just big enough to make 2 cups of tea, but my husband isn't quite as desperate for his morning cuppa as I am, so I put together my kit just for me. A mug setup is much simpler for travel purposes than a teapot, cup and saucer; so here's what I put together.

Update 03/18/19: These Amazon links are to the non-dual voltage version as the dual voltage version is not currently on Amazon. Here is a link to Bonavita Dual Voltage Kettle at the Bonavita site.

Tea Travel Kit

1 The Bonavita Dual Voltage 0.5L Electric Travel Kettle

2 A mug and infuser for loose leaf tea. Like this ForLife Curve Tall Tea Mug with Infuser and Lid. Or whatever mug and strainer you are already using at home.

3 A small tray that is big enough to hold the kettle, mug and whatever else you might want to put on it AND small enough to fit into your bag. My tray is 11x7 inches/28x18cm.

4 A leftover tea tin into which you've measured the amount of tea you think you'll need for the length of trip you're taking; and don't forget the measuring spoon. Or just take a tin of teabags.

5 Paper towels for easy cleanup. (And maybe a few shortbread or digestive biscuits!)

6 A bag to hold everything. Like the squishy and easily packable Thermos Raya Duffle Lunch Bag, which was available at my local Target in only a riotous multi-colored pattern, so I ordered this tamer one from Amazon. A soft cooler is not needed for this purpose, but it happened to be the right size and shape. Between trips, I can use it for lunch.

Having along one of my major comforts of home makes travel much more enjoyable. How about you? Do you take along tea or coffee kits or any other comforts from home when you travel?

Since January is National Hot Tea Month, I thought I'd celebrate by giving away a Bonavita Travel Kettle!

Update 01/11/17: The giveaway is now closed.

Bonavita Dual Voltage 0.5L Electric 

Travel Kettle Giveaway

This giveaway is open to US residents* 18 years of age or older. Leave a comment below (one entry per person) that includes where you want to take your Bonavita Travel Kettle. Please include your email address in the body of your comment. Must enter by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday January 11.

* If you are outside the US but would like to have this sent to someone in the US (you would have to send them a gift card separately on your own), go ahead and enter! 

Winner will be chosen by random drawing and be announced here in the comments before noon Eastern time on Thursday January 12. If I don't hear back from the winner of the random drawing by noon Eastern time Sunday January 15, another drawing will be held and a new winner selected from the original entrants (those who commented before the giveaway deadline).

Disclosure: Bonavita provided a kettle for review purposes and one for the giveaway. I received no compensation. The views expressed here are entirely my own. I always tell my readers what I really think!

Jean

How to Make a Proper Cup of Tea

Delightful Repast is subtitled "A Tradition of Comfort Food with Flair." In my family, that tradition includes what my maternal grandmother called "a proper cup of tea." It is nearly impossible to get such a thing in the U.S. without doing it yourself. Most restaurants give you a tiny stainless steel pot of water that has been warmed, not boiled, on one of the burners of their coffee maker, along with a teabag of uncertain quality for you to dunk into the tepid water. The result is so insipid that people who have never had properly made tea think they don't like tea.

Though I enjoy many types of herbal infusions, they are not tea; they are tisanes. I sometimes enjoy a green tea or oolong or some of the specialty teas that have recently come to the fore. But when I say "a proper cup of tea," that means a good black tea, such as Darjeeling, Earl Grey or English breakfast--organic, if possible.

I usually prefer loose teas, but occasionally use teabags, such as the "sachets" from Harney & Sons. Not only can you see the quality of the tea through the fabric, there is room enough for the tea leaves to unfurl properly. I had the pleasure of having afternoon tea with the charming John Harney (the Harney of Harney & Sons) last September when he gave a presentation on my favorite subject to a small group of tea aficionados. His knowledge of tea is amazing!

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You will need a tea kettle and a ceramic teapot, both of a capacity to make the quantity you desire. I have a 4-quart kettle and a 3-quart teapot for large crowds, but I mostly use my nearly 30-year-old 1.8-quart white enamel-on-steel Chantal Classic tea kettle and one of my average-size teapots. Everyone loves the Chantal's two-tone Hohner harmonica whistle!

To make a proper pot of black tea, just before a kettle of freshly drawn water comes to the boil, warm the teapot with hot water, empty it, add one teaspoon* of tea leaves for each 8 ounces of water. Immediately (that's why the teapot is on the stove in the photo above) pour in the freshly boiling water, let it stand for 5 minutes, stir, and then strain into cups. If you prefer to use a tea ball, be sure it is large enough to allow the tea leaves to unfurl. Serve with sugar or sugar cubes, thin slices (not wedges) of lemon and a small pitcher of milk (never cream).

* That amount will vary according to the size of the tea leaves. Just experiment with each new tea and when you get it the way you like it, use the same amount of that tea each time.

A proper cup of tea and a warm scone (scone recipe) make a delightful repast!

Update 12/07/16: For how to throw an afternoon tea party and a roundup of afternoon tea recipes, see Afternoon Tea Party Tips.

Jean