My Tea Break

Rediscovering Tea around the world


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The Gourmet Tea in São Paulo

I know that when you’re in Brazil the first drink that comes to mind is probably a Caipirinha but there are also good places to drink Tea in Brazil.

During my last visit to São Paulo I visited the shop The Gourmet Tea in Pinheiros. 

The shop is colourful and stylish with a wide variety of Teas that you can taste. You have several blends from masala chai, moroccon mint, white rose, rooibos citrus and oolong phenix. 

I tried a Green Tea Citrus Garden, a blend of green Tea with citrus notes which had a pleasant soft and refreshing flavour. 

If you’re around make sure you stop for a Tea Break there. 

For more information please visit http://www.thegourmettea.com.br/

Happy Tea Break.

Tania 


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@ TEKOE Tea Shop, Lausanne Switzerland

As some of you may know, I am living in Lausanne. I arrived last week and while exploring this beautiful city, I discovered an amazing Tea shop – Tekoe.

I was lucky enough that Monika, one of the workers, speaks English. She, very kindly, talked to me about the shop, the Teas and about the yummy Tea food they also sell (biscuits, ice creams!!).

They have a lot of Tea – from China, Japan, India, Taiwan, Kenya, South America, South Africa and others. They have all different kinds of Teas, from the simple and pure ones (like dragon well), to the typical blends (like English breakfast),  their own blends and flavoured Teas. I was fascinated by the amount of choice you have and by the different mixtures.

I usually prefer plain Tea, but yesterday I tried `Sencha aromatise au Caramel´. I drank it cold, as I have been melting in this city, for the past week.  It was a very interesting mixture and tasted very good!

I also bought a few biscuits – all made with Tea. They are excellent! I bought one with earl grey Tea and another one with green Tea. Delicious!

I do recommend you to try Tekoe Teas! I feel I have a world to explore in this shop and I am definitely going back to try new Teas.

They have shops in: Basel, Ben, Geneva, Haute-Nendaz, St Gallen and Lausanne (centre and train station). You can always purchase their Teas online: http://www.tekoe.com/.

Happy Tea Break,

Mariana


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The Tea Centre in Mumbai

Leave crowded Mumbai and enter the Tea Centre at Churchgate. You will suddenly enter a room where tranquility is around you. The decoration is simple but elegant and you will be tempted to read all the Tea quotes on the walls.

“Tea is like kissing, you can never have enough”

“Lady Nacy…. Mr. Churchill, if you were my husband, I’d poison your Tea!
Churchill: And if you were my wife, I would drink it!”

I had the pleasure to go there with Ana, who just moved from Lisbon to Mumbai around 2 months with her family, and she was also very happy to find this relaxing spot.

Tea Centre serves tea from all over the tea gardens of India. We asked for a First Flush Vintage Green Darjeeling Tea.  It had a delicate and soft flavour and aftertaste. We both enjoyed it very much!

To complete the experience we ordered some scones, which are served with strawberry jam, butter and a special Chantilly (no… it wasn’t the British clotted cream which I also love). Delicious… Just be aware that each portion have 3 scones so don’t go too crazy on the order! :)

There is also a small shop in the corner of the Tea Centre but choice is fairly limited.

Happy Tea Break.

Tania


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Have you heard of crowdfunding?

We’ve launched My Tea Break blog in Feb 2011.

Since then we have published 97 posts about Tea, received 6620 visits and 170 comments on the blog while achieving 526 friends on facebook, 69,644 post views on facebook, 87 followers on Twitter and 117 tweets.

We are happy but we have a new dream…

ppl.com.pt challenged us to take the next step towards that dream:

You can also become part of our dream by supporting us on http://ppl.com.pt/investment/my-tea-break-1018

Happy Monday.

Mariana & Tania


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The story of Earl Grey Tea

Earl grey is a traditional British Tea blend. It is a mixture of Black Tea with natural oils of the citrus Bergamot fruit. Currently, this blend is highly consumed all over the world. But have you ever stopped to think about the story of Earl Grey Tea?

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The story tells us that during a diplomatic visit to Canton, China, Charles Grey (1764 – 1845) – the 2nd Earl Grey – experienced a blend of Chinese Tea with bitter orange peel, which he considered to be delicious.  Earl Grey brought this recipe back with him to England. After replacing the bitter orange with Bergamot, he gave this recipe to a London firm who, out of appreciation, named the blend after him.

Happy Tea Break,

Mariana!



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Sunder Nagar

Delhi markets are very popular among shopping fans. You have several markets spread across the city where you can find everything from jewellery, carpets, clothing, bags, antiques and  obviously Tea.

Sunder Nagar is a market famous for its antique and art shops but where you can also  find wonderful Tea shops.

Regalia Tea House is a nice shop with a good variety of Teas from all over India

Regalia Tea House

available and some unique blends.

Right next door, you will find Mr. Mittals’s Tea Shop where you also find a great variety of Teas from all over India, spices and crystallized fruit.

I’ve just finished a book called “Delivering Happiness” that shows the importance of customer service and Mr. Mittal’s shop is a perfect example as I left the shop feeling very happy. He explains and suggests different Teas to the customers and also offers complimentary Tea Tasting.

Mr. Mittal Tea Shop

Mr. Mittal

Mr. Mittal recommended me a Darjeeling Muscatel, which I have never tried before. Producing such a Tea is always a challenge for the planter as only the right conditions of ideal weather combinatios and careful processing in the factory results in small batches of Tea qualifying to be called Muscatel.

Always learning…

Happy Tea Break.

Tania


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Having a Tea Break on a very hot day

It is ´hot hot´ in Portugal! I am having a Tea break in a swimming pool, Wonderful!

I am drinking a Tea from  MÙI-Gourmet/ MÙI- Concept named ´Lady Godiva´. It is a mixture of Mate, Rooibos, chocolate and champagne! It is light and sweet. You should try it!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/MÙI-Concept/167578306625001?sk=wall&filter=12

Have a nice day, Mariana!

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Está muito calor hoje.. estou a beber um chá (frio) da Loja do Porto -MÙI-Gourmet/ MÙI- Concept - chamado ´Lady Godiva´. È uma mistura de Chá Mate, Rooibos, chocolate e champagne! È leve e doce! Uma maravilha!!!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/MÙI-Concept/167578306625001?sk=wall&filter=12

Tenham um óptimo dia! Mariana


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Tea Producing Regions in India

Namaste! I am now finishing a week of work in India and I tried to use my free time to research and visit Tea related places. I have a lot to share with you but first let me give you a bit of background about the world of Tea in India.

India is one of the largest Tea growers in India but Indians love a good cup of Tea being Black and Chai Tea the most popular .

In India there are 6 famous Tea production areas:

Darjeeling, located in the West Bengal State, is obviously the land of the famous Darjeeling Tea. The two main contributor’s to Darjeeling’s Economy are tourism and the Tea Industry. Around 25% of India’s total Tea output comes from Darjeeling.  If you plan to visit a Tea plantation you can head to The Happy Valley Tea Estate, at 2,750 meters above sea level, it is one of the highest Tea gardens in the world, and known for growing some of the finest Tea in Darjeeling. It is open Tuesday to Saturday from 8am to 4pm.

Assam, often called the land of the red river and blue hills, is the gateway to northeastern part of India and the largest Tea production region in India.  Jorhat, in the central part of the valley, is often referred to as the “Tea Capital of the World. A Tea festival is held in Jorhat every November. You can also visit Sangsua Tea Estate near Jorhat, that offers a Tea Estate bungalow for tourists.

Kangra, is a district of Himachal Pradesh State. Tea was introduced in Kangra Valley in 1854 but there was a devastating earthquake in 1905 that devastated the Tea plantation. However, the scene has changed with the set up of the CSIR – Council of scientific and Industrial Research which is now trying to produce Tea through scientific methods. A lot to research here… :)

Munnar, is one of the most popular hill-resort destinations in the wonderful Kerala State in Southern India and consider a heaven of peace and tranquility. You will find miles and miles of Tea plantations. Once owned by Tata, one of the largest corporations in India. Here you can visit the Tea Museum at Nallathanni Estate and stay at the Tea Sanctuary.

Nilgiri Mountains, located in the Tamil Nadu estate in South India. Nilgiri means Blue Mountains. Apart from the stunning views, Tea is the most important industry of the region and is produced throughout the whole year. You have several important Tea estates here from Glendale and Glermorgan Estate.

Wayanad, is an agricultural mountain in the Kerala Estate, where you’ll find Tea, Coffee and Spices productions. Most of the Tea plantations are located south of Kalpetta. You can visit and stay at Wayanad Tea County,a  tourist guesthouse  set in the Priyadarsini Tea Estate at Mananthavady. It is run by a co-operative of tribals who live and work on the estate. All profits earned go directly to their welfare. It’s possible to go trekking through the Tea gardens to a tribal tree house, set up at the highest point of the plantation.

Furthermore, you have several good Tea houses and Tea shops in the big cities like Delhi and Mumbai.

I only had time to visit two tea shops in Delhi, one Tea House in Mumbai and the amazing Glenmorgan Tea Estate in the Nilgiri Hills.

Stay Tuned! :)

Tania

 


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Tea and Art – Interview with Josefina Ribeiro

Durante o mês de Julho tive a oportunidade de visitar a Exposição “Ar.Co Bolseiros & Finalistas 10″ no Palácio Galveias em Lisboa. A exposição reunia uma seleccão de trabalhos de alunos bolseiros e finalistas no ano lectivo 2009/2010 nas áreas de desenho, pintura, escultura, cerâmica, fotografia, joalharia e design.

O projecto de Josefina Ribeiro não podia passar despercebido… São 2000 desenhos de pássaros pintados a tinta da china e o papel utilizado tem diferentes tonalidades. A tonalidade do papel é adquirida através da Técnica do Chá, mergulhando as folhas de papel em diferentes tipos de chá.Em entrevista ao My Tea Break, Josefina Ribeiro fala do seu percurso e de como surgiu a ideia para este projecto.

1. Qual o nome ou título deste projecto?
Decidi não dar título a este trabalho, não gosto de títulos. Prefiro deixar em aberto. O título pode ser enganador quanto ao conteúdo do trabalho exposto, cria expectativas a quem vê. Um título mal escolhido pode ser negativo (o inverso também é verdade…) mas prefiro que o trabalho valha pelo seu valor estético.

2. Quando começou o seu percurso artístico e como é que descobriu as suas competências artísticas?
Fiz o Curso de Design no IADE. Seguidamente trabalhei algum tempo na área da arquitectura de interiores. Foi à 12 anos que comecei a seguir com alguma intensidade a pintura. Por esta altura inscrevi-me na escola Arteilimitada, do pintor Felipe Rocha da Silva, onde estive 5 anos. Quando tive a certeza que era aquilo que eu queria e que fazia sentido para mim foi quando fui para o ARCO, onde completei o Curso Completo de Pintura (3 anos), o Curso Avançado de Artes Plásticas (2 anos) e Projecto Individual (2 anos).

3. Como surgiu a ideia deste projecto?
A ideia deste projecto surgiu num momento em que eu estava no atelier do Arco a mostrar trabalho ao meu tutor Manuel Caldeira e ele olha para alguns pequenos desenhos e me diz: “O que achas de encheres esta parede numa semana?”. Uma semana depois a parede estava cheia e o projecto foi crescendo.
Uma das características mais importantes deste trabalho é a velocidade com que é feito, a execução rápida de cada desenho individualmente. A repetição das formas, o não pensar, o “sai o que sai”. Não penso, não há tempo para tal. Não existem perguntas de execução, apenas executo. Deixo a intuição funcionar.

4. Qual o processo utilizado para dar diferentes tonalidades ao papel?
O processo para dar as tonalidades ao papel é a “técnica do chá”. Todos os dias faço tinas de chá onde mergulho as folhas de papel. Os chás que escolho são muito variados pois só assim consigo obter os vários tons. À custa de experimentação seleccionei alguns chás.

5. Como surgiu a ideia de usar chá?
Esta técnica surgiu de forma intuitiva. A ideia veio ter comigo quando eu estava no atelier a beber um chá e ocorreu-me mergulhar uma folha de papel no chá. Apreciei o “ar” antigo do papel e experimentei pintar com um pincel chinês e tinta-da-china. Gostei do efeito e fiz e 2000 desenhos de pássaros.

Para mais informação sobre este projecto visite http://josefinaribeiro.wordpress.com/

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Happy Tea Break.
Tania

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During the month of July I had the opportunity of visiting the Exhibition “Ar.Co Bolseiros & Finalistas 10″ at Palácio Galveias in Lisboa. The exhibition had a selection of projects from sponsored and finalist students from the 2009/2010 intake in areas such as drawing, sculpture, ceramic, photography, jewellery and design.

I couldn’t have missed the project from  Josefina Ribeiro  …  2000 drawings of birds painted with Chinese Ink on a paper with different tones.  Josefina achieved the different paper tones through The Tea Technique, which involves dipping the paper sheets in different kinds of Tea.

Interviewed by My Tea Break, Josefina told us about her career path and how she got the idea for this project.

1. What is the name or title for this project?
I decided not to give a title to this project as I don’t like titles. I prefer to leave it open. The title can be misleading to the content of the project and it creates expectations to the public. A wrong title could be negative (and the opposite also applies…) but I prefer to judge a project by its esthetic value.

2.When did you start your career as an artist and how did you find artistic skills?
I finished my Design Degree at IADE in Lisbon and started working as an interior architect. But 12 years ago I started following painting with intensity and enrolled at the Arteilimitada school, from the Portuguese Painter Filipa Rocha da Silva, where I stayed for 5 years. When I was certain this was exactly what I wanted to pursue, I enrolled at ARCO, where I completed the Painting Course (3 years) , the Advanced Plastic Arts Course (2 years) and the Individual Project (2 years).

3. How did you get the idea for this project?
The idea for the project happened in a moment when I was at the Arco Atelier showing work to my tutor Manuel Caldeira and he looked to some small drawings and said “What do you think of filling that wall with drawings in one week?”. A week later the wall was full of drawings and the project kept growing. One of the main characteristics of this project is the speed of each drawing’s execution. I don’t have time to think about the result, the outcome is always unexpected. There are no questions, I just do it and leave my intuition working.

4. What was the process used to achieve the different paper tones?
I used the Tea Technique to achieve the different paper tones. Every day I make buckets of Tea where I dip the paper sheets. I chose different kinds of Tea to achieve the different tones. I experimented several Teas and selected some for the project.

5. What inspired you to use Tea for this project?
The technic came up in a intuitive way. I was at the atelier drink a Tea and suddenly I had the idea of dipping the sheet of paper in the Tea. The paper came out with a nice antique look and I then started painting with a Chinese brush and Chinese ink. I liked the look and made 2000 drawings of birds.

For more information about this project please visit http://josefinaribeiro.wordpress.com

Happy Tea Break.
Tania

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