Saturday, April 19, 2014

Kuding Pearl Tea- Bitter Nail Tea

This tea is not your typical relaxing cup of bliss that you may be used to. However, the benefits of pearl ku ding tea are many: according to traditional Chinese medicine, it eliminates toxins,  disperses wind-heat, reduces inflammation, enhances focus, memory, and improves digestion plus more. It's not consumed for its great flavor but it is very good for you. 

Kuding Pearl Tea- leaves are plucked from the top three young and tender leaves of the Kuding bush. The leaves are then rolled into fairly large pearls. I recommend that you start with only one pearl (I started with 3... Not good) for steeping so it doesn't get too bitter. The Kuding bush is not technically a tea plant, because it comes from the Ilex Latifolia Thumb bush. This Holly bush is an evergreen that produces leaves 5-6 inches long and 2-3 inches wide. It is a relative of yerba mate (one of my favorites) from South America. Also known as bitter tea in China, its first taste is bitter, but its aftertaste is rather unexpectedly sweet. Kuding Pearl Tea is a cleansing tea that helps hypertension and is cooling in nature it's also known to aid digestion, and weight loss. It can be steeped three or four times with full flavor. Steep for one to two minutes with 180-190 degree water for a healthy and new beverage. Contains 2-4% caffeine which is about the same as a green tea. Others recommend using less leaves at first with quick steeps to introduce yourself to this different herbal tea, I agree.  Hales from Guangxi, China.

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Wabi-Sabi, Kyle Stewart at TEDxSMU 2012


Kyle Stewart is the owner of the Zagat Rated Coffee and Tea shop The Cultured Cup. Located in Dallas they are considered one of the best places to buy and learn about tea in the US. Kyle is always willing to teach you something new about tea. As the first Texan to achieve the title of Certified Tea Specialist (CTS), Kyle serves as an advisory board member for the Specialty Tea Institute (STI), a division of the US Tea Association, and teaches for the STI Tea Certification Program.

Kyle spoke at TEDxSMU 2012 in which he talks about Wabi-Sabi which means simplicity, or finding beauty in the imperfection. We can learn a great deal by applying the concepts in our life.





Take a moment and next time you are about to brew a cup of tea and stop to enjoy the Wabi-Sabi

If you are in Dallas, call Phil or Kyle at The Cultured Cup and you can schedule a tasting or come on Saturday 11-4.

Follow them on Twitter: @thecupcouch or on Facebook/TheCulturedCup