Showing posts with label chai. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chai. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 01, 2018

Adagio Tea



Subject: Adagio Tea
Tea Mugged [pictured above from left to right]:
- Golden Spring
- Ooooh Darjeeling
- Thai Chai

While coffee is my favorite drink, tea is certainly a close second. Especially in the past decade, it seems like the tea options have exploded, with a larger variety of teas becoming more easily available to the tea drinking public, not to mention a higher popularity of tea-based beverages entering the menu at local cafes (think match lattes and london fogs).

Saturday, October 17, 2009

CC: Lovers and Madmen

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What's does "CC" mean?
Location visited: Philadelphia, PA
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]


T
he University City district of Philadelphia has always been a cool place to walk around, especially the U Penn area (Drexel is getting better). But despite the old charm and variety of things to do, the area has always lacked a great coffeehouse...until recently.

Word reached my ears that a coffeehouse
serving Counter Culture Coffee called Lovers and Madmen had alighted on 40th St. Such news called for a quick side trip to confirm, so the next time I had a free day, I took the wife and a few friends out for a short field trip.

Lovers and Madmen possesses quite an noticeable street presence, as the cafe is painted a very bright blue with a stripe of red across the top. On the inside, the cafe continues the blue theme with compliments of brown and a silver ceiling. Together with the color scheme, the open windows and nice array of furniture truly makes for a nice place to hang or work.

I ordered Counter Culture's Moka Java via French Press. The coffee proved surprisingly dark with hints of cherry, Riesling and lemongrass. The espresso, pulled short, had the flavor of vanilla and cinnamon, with a milky texture and a slight bit of dark bitterness. The tea is free leaf and from what my friend claims, their chai tasted marvelous.

So, the good news of good coffee west of the Schuykill is true. Give Lovers and Madmen a try if you're nearby.

Saturday, January 10, 2009

CC: TBar

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What's does "CC" mean?


Subject:
TBar
Location visited: Philadelphia, PA
Free WiFi ? : yes
Rating: 5+ [see key]


For several years, I have been searching for a rose petal tea that I sampled in my great uncle's kitchen in San Francisco. The tea had all of the aroma of a rose bush and was complimented by a sweet tartiness and a nice hint of the very flower petals laying at the bottom of my cup. But though I searched for it (even the very company that sold it to my uncle), I could not find a similar match, as all the teas I tried sampled either too much like a fruit punch or too little like a rose.

But a bit of a blessing lead me to the TBar in Philadelphia, a local tea establishment that has a great number of teas as well as a full menu. I had just finished eating a mediocre dish of bangers and mash (I was feeling Irish that night) across the street with my family at Finn McCool's Ale House when I felt the overwhelming urge for a spot of tea (I had seen T Bar coming in). Naturally, as we were about done and ready to leave, I excused myself and ran across the street.

TBar itself sits pretty on the corner of Samson and 12th with tan stone, large windows, and earth-toned awnings. The interior opens into a large space with beautiful furniture and very calm decor.

The menu of the place consisted of all kinds of tea-related drinks (bubble tea, chai, etc.) as well as numerous kinds of free leaf teas. Curious as to the quality of their chai (as most coffeehouses use a powder and it's rare to see it done right), I decided to sample it. The chai proved a beautiful marriage of tea, milk and spices, proving sweet but not at all strong.

The final moment of elation came as I was sniffing through their teas and the woman behind the counter mentioned they had a rose petal/green tea combination. Skeptical at first, as I've done the song and dance before, I asked to smell it and to my delight, it smelled like a tea rose in full bloom. Willing to take a risk, I got a few ounces to go, and later that night my delight was complete as the tea was even better then the one I remembered.

Needless to say, if you're a fan of tea in any way, I would highly recommend stopping by TBar for a cup in-house or a bag (or two) to go. Obviously, I would suggest the Rose Sencha.