Chai House

Sweet, Spicy Chai House Captures Flavors of Georgia

Jack Herbert — Tue, 25 Apr 2023 14:37:41 +0000

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Why Loose-Leaf Tea Beats Tea Bag Tea.

Jack Herbert — Tue, 21 Mar 2023 20:04:56 +0000

There are lots of questions, lots of opinions, and lots of debate surrounding this issue. We hope to shed some light on the subject for you. While you may think loose-leaf teas and tea bag teas are the same product in different packaging, this could not be further from the truth.

SAME BEGINNING – DIFFERENT ENDING

ALL tea leaves, whether they come loose or in tea bags, have the same beginning in the Camellia Sinensis, or tea plant. Different processing steps and techniques turn them into either white, black, oolong, or green teas.

Okay, so aside from processing, what are the differences?

THE FOUR GRADES OF TEA

Tea leaves are graded into many categories with very subtle differences, but there are four major grades for all tea:

1. Whole Leaf

The highest grade. Includes whole, dried tea leaves. These have the highest, strongest flavor profile, which will last through multiple steepings.

2. Broken Leaf

Typically darker and slightly crushed. Maintains most of the flavor of full-leaf tea, even after multiple steepings.

3. Fannings

Remnant leaf fragments from the crushing process. Of lesser quality than whole or broken tea leaves. Typically, do not retain their flavor after more than one steep.

4. Dust

The lowest tea grade. Tiny particles that are also remnants from the crushing process. Also, do not retain their flavor for multiple steepings.

ANATOMY OF A TEA BAG

Tea bags are small, porous pouches made of nylon, bleached paper, food-grade plastic, or silk. They contain dried leaves, flowers, or herbs that are infused in hot or boiling water to brew tea. The bag is sealed with a staple or plastic-based glue and has a tag attached by a string. When you drop a tea bag into boiling water, not only are the chemical components of the leaves extracted, but so are some of the chemicals of the tea bag components. More on this later.

FIRST , A LITTLE HISTORY. . .

In 1901, Roberta C. Lawson and Mary Molaren filed the first patent for a “tea leaf holder”, which allowed easy steeping. There’s another story that says a New York tea merchant named Thomas Sullivan invented tea bags by accident in 1908. Sullivan wrapped his loose-leaf tea in silk pouches, but customers didn’t know to unwrap the tea before brewing and just placed the whole pouch directly into the hot water.

The major tea companies at the time saw tea bags as a quick way for convenience-sensitive consumers to prepare a cup of tea. In 1929, the German firm Teekanne was the first company to manufacture tea bags. By 1930, William Hermanson patented the heat-sealed paper tea bag. It wasn’t until 1944 that the rectangular tea bag was invented. Up to this point, all tea bags were small and shapeless sacks. In 1953, the British tea company Tetley began to mass-produce tea bags.

As tea bags became more popular, the type of tea leaves packed in tea bags changed from whole or broken tea leaves to tea fannings and dust. Over the years, tea bags became the “way“ of brewing tea. So much so that today, we find ourselves needing to re-discover loose-leaf tea. The popularity of loose-leaf tea started a resurgence only a couple of decades ago. Many tea types such as green, oolong or white tea were virtually unknown in many western countries until loose-leaf tea started to gain popularity once again.

Quality

Loose-leaf tea is generally of higher quality than the tea in tea bags because whole leaves don’t degrade like fannings and dust. Tea bags use the leftover fragments of leaves from the tea production process, which are inexpensive and readily available. Tea bags can also include leaves from later harvests which have fewer nutrients or contain older leaves, stems, or other plant material.

You can literally see the difference in quality between loose-leaf tea and tea bags. Loose-leaf tea contains just whole tea leaves and/or broken leaves. Tea bags contain such tiny particles of tea you can’t tell which part of the plant they were – buds, whole branches, or just leaves. Color and shape of the whole leaves are also important. You can’t judge that in teabags. It’s important to note that the best teas in the world are all created for loose-leaf consumption.

Taste

Your taste in tea is one of those things in life to which there is no right or wrong. Simply put, if you like it, it’s right. However, many people choose loose-leaf tea as more flavorful and nuanced over tea bag tea in side-by-side taste tests.

On a personal note, as someone who had spent most of his life drinking tea bag tea from the grocery store, since Mary introduced me to loose-leaf teas I have come to appreciate how “real tea” should taste and what I have been missing all these years.

So, given a choice, I drink loose-leaf tea. I certainly do not have what one would call a refined palette, nor have I turned into a “tea snob” by any stretch, but I do know what I like. And as with most things in life, once you’ve had the “good stuff”, why would you settle for less?

Tea flavor is dependent upon several factors:

1) The amount of tea leaves used – Tea bags have a specific amount of tea (typically 1-3 grams), whereas loose-leaf tea allows you to control the strength by adjusting the amount of leaves.

2) Temperature of the water – Different types of tea (ie– black, green, etc.) require specific temperatures for optimal steeping. If the water is too cool, the flavors won’t fully extract. If it’s too hot, the leaves can “burn” and turn the tea bitter.

3) Room to bloom – To release the most flavor, tea leaves need room to expand. The limited real estate of a tea bag restricts the water flow around the leaf particles, which inhibits the ability of the leaves to infuse their flavor into the water.

4) The size of the tea leaves – Smaller tea leaf particles deteriorate faster than larger ones. Consequently, the degraded fannings and dust in a tea bag will have less flavor and less nutrients to release into the water than loose-leaf tea.

A word about re-steeping is in order here. . .

Tea bag teas break down faster than loose-leaf teas, and thereby lose their essential oils, which are responsible for the complex flavors and aromas of a tea. Tea bag teas are good for a single-steep, releasing all its flavor and nutrients in one shot.

Loose-leaf teas on the other hand are higher-quality leaves, which have more of their essential oils intact and have more concentrated flavor and nutrients available to release. They will yield more nuanced flavors that can be discovered through successive multiple steepings.

Some whole-leaf teas can be steeped 10-15 times. The less tea leaves are processed the more essential oils they contain, and the more successive steepings they can endure.

*Chai House Tea Tip*
Successive steepings endured by tea type from most to least:

1. White
2. Green
3. Oolong
4. Black

Health Benefits

While the FDA has not verified these claims, numerous studies have concluded that tea can boost your immune system, relieve stress, help you fall asleep, increase your energy, reduce blood pressure, promote a healthy heart, and reduce inflammation, to name a few.

By the way, tea drinking cultures have known of tea’s health benefits for thousands of years.

Whole, loose-leaf teas contain more antioxidants, minerals, and nutrients than the fannings and tea dust found in tea bags.

In contrast, tea bags generally contain dust and fannings created during the CTC or crush-tear-curl method of production. Unfortunately, this process results in the degradation of the healthy compounds such as theanine and antioxidants inherent to the tea plant that help to detox the body and improve overall health.

Consequently, loose-leaf teas contain higher concentrations of these healthy nutrients. While tea bags certainly provide some of the health benefits found in tea, they are not nearly as potent as loose-leaf.

Cost

To most people, it seems obvious that loose-leaf tea is more expensive than tea bags.

However, it’s not necessarily as simple as that.

Comparing initial purchase price, loose-leaf tea does generally cost more than tea bags from the grocery store. However, when you factor in the ability to re-steep loose-leaf teas, the cost per cup becomes quite comparable, if not downright affordable. Especially, when one considers the upgrade in quality and flavor and the enhanced experience offered by loose-leaf teas.

Consider this, a 40-gram bag of loose-leaf green tea that costs $14.00 can make 40-50 cups of tea depending on how much tea you use — that works out to between 28-35 cents per cup.

Safety

Safety is the biggest concern when comparing tea bags to loose-leaf teas.

A study has found toxic levels of lead and aluminum, which can cause a variety of health issues, in a majority of the tea bags sampled.

Then there is also the lesser-known issue of microplastic levels in tea bags. Most tea bags are made from plastic — either nylon or polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Just one plastic tea bag can release 11.6 billion microplastics and 3.1 billion nanoplastics into a single cup of tea when you use a tea bag, according to research from McGill University.

Microplastics in tea bags aren’t recyclable or compostable. Whereas, loose-leaf tea is biodegradable, making it excellent compost for house plants, backyard gardens, and flower beds.

Even paper tea bags can be dangerous. Some use chlorine-bleached to make them white, which contains harmful chemicals such as dioxin and epichlorohydrin. These chemicals are commonly found in processed tea bags and have been proven to increase the risk of disease. When epichlorohydrin comes inc ontact with water, it can hydrolyze into a carcinogen.

Preparation

The only real advantage tea bags hold over loose-leaf teas is ease and convenience in preparation. All you need is hot water and a cup.

However, while the ritual of making a cup of loose-leaf tea requires a bit more equipment and bit more time, it also provides an experience that is much richer than just drinking it. It’s a process that engages the senses. This ritual can soothe the soul and calm the mind, as you make a cup of tea just the way you like it.

Variety, Varie-tea

There are more than 4,000 varieties of loose-leaf teas. For me, one of the unexpected joys of becoming a tea drinker has been discovering and trying new teas.

Truth be told, I still enjoy my occasional coffee. While I have my favorites and my “go-to teas”, I truly enjoy the experience of finding, sampling, and adding new teas to add to my shortlist. Not to mention, learning about the people who grow them and the cultures where they are found.

Loose-leaf teas are produced by thousands of small, family tea farms around the world. Their production is generally limited to small quantities, but their quality and diversity of flavor can’t be matched by tea bag tea.

THE BOTTOM LINE

For most of us, when we think tea, we think tea bags. It’s how most of us are introduced to tea drinking at an early age.

While tea bags offer convenience, once you open the door to loose-leaf teas, you will discover a whole world you never knew existed. Loose-leaf teas give you access to thousands of tea varieties from thousands of family tea farms in vastly different cultures that can be made using numerous brewing methods. Loose-leaf tea offers you the opportunity to experiment to find your perfect cup of tea.

So, yes, we are staunch proponents of loose-leaf teas, but we do encourage you to not be afraid to explore and try new teas of all kinds.

Yes. . . even if they come in a tea bag.

However, we hope you at least rip it open and brew the leaves loosely in a teapot.

Gaumarjos! (To All the Victory!)

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TEA: Made for Mindfulness

Jack Herbert — Wed, 01 Mar 2023 13:30:04 +0000

The post TEA: Made for Mindfulness first appeared on Chai House.

Love in a Cup. The Teamaster’s Tisane.

Jack Herbert — Mon, 09 Jan 2023 22:56:54 +0000

As Valentine’s Day 2023 approaches, here’s a love story from our friends in the Republic of Georgia.

In August of 2021, Mary and I traveled to Georgia to meet with our then soon-to-be tea suppliers and friends who own and operate the Georgian Tea Museum in Tbilisi. During our visit, tea master George Bitadze led us through an extensive tea tasting. It lasted several hours as we sampled every tea and tisane available.

When we were finished, George told us about some of the new teas and tisanes he had been developing. One was a tisane in which he was especially excited. With a proud gleam in his eye and gentle affection in his voice, he lovingly referred to it as “his baby”. Unfortunately, he had only made a small batch and didn’t have any available for us to sample. However, he promised to send us some, as well as several others we weren’t able to try.

George then began describing this medley of Georgian botanicals and herbs which included; natural rose buds, mountain mint leaves and flowers, lavender petals, and Mandarin peel. He said when brewed it had a unique and beautiful green colored liquor. In addition, it was particularly nice to enjoy before bedtime, as it has no caffeine and actually helped you fall asleep. In fact, george told us they called it “the sedative mix”. With a wry smile I replied, “George, if we sell this in the U.S., we are going to have to come up with a different name”.

Not only were Mary and I intrigued by George’s description of this tisane, but also by his obvious delight in his creation of it. So, we pressed him for more details. He sheepishly admitted he had developed it as a testament of his love and affection for his fiancee, Miran. They were to be married in 2020, but the COVID pandemic forced them to postpone the wedding to an, as of yet, undetermined date.

Several weeks after returning home, we received our sample package from George, as promised. Mary and I watched the steeping “sedative mix” turn the water to the most beautiful and brilliant emerald green color. The aroma was an inviting bouquet and the taste was like nothing either of us had ever experienced. It was obvious to both of us this uniquely special tisane needed a name worthy of George & Miran’s love story.

And with that. . .

Miran’s Emerald Dream was born!

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Giorgoba (St. George’s Day)

Jack Herbert — Wed, 23 Nov 2022 16:24:25 +0000

St. George the Special Protector of Georgia

Today (November 23) is a national holiday in Georgia.

It’s Giorgoba or St. George’s Day which Georgians actually celebrate twice during the year with May 6 being the other holiday.

Saint George is held in the highest regard throughout the country as its protector and the patron saint of shepherds and travelers. He is even said to have fought alongside Georgian soldiers throughout its history.

Not surprisingly, George or Giorgi is among the most common Georgian names, including our friend and tea master, George (Giorgi) Bitadze.

A statue of St. George sits in the middle of Liberty Square in Tbilisi, which is just down the street from the Tea Museum and Shop, operated by George and his father, Shota.

St. George was a soldier in the Roman army in what is now modern-day Israel. In the year 303, Emperor Diocletian issued an order that every Christian soldier be arrested and all other soldiers should offer a sacrifice to the Roman gods. George renounced the edict and publicly declared himself to be a Christian.

Diocletian tried to convince George to sacrifice to the Roman gods, but he refused. The Emperor had George tortured then ordered him to be executed for his disobedience. His torture included laceration on a wheel of swords during which he was revived three times. George was eventually beheaded.

Tradition holds this holiday was established by St. Nino, the Enlightener of Georgia (and a relative of St. George), who told Georgians of his bravely and martyrdom.

So, whether you’re traveling to visit loved ones or at home preparing for your Thanksgiving festivities, please join us at some point today to sit and relax with a cup of Georgian tea in honor of St. George, the Special Protector of Georgia.

Gaumarjos! (To All the Victory!)

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Chai House: Feature Article in Sun Prairie Neighbors Magazine

Jack Herbert — Mon, 21 Nov 2022 04:48:50 +0000

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Reading the Tea Leaves with Our Tea Master.

Jack Herbert — Thu, 28 Apr 2022 01:27:47 +0000

It's Tea Season in Georgia. . .

Spring has arrived in western Georgia and that means the tea season has begun. Tea leaves are being picked and prepared for processing.

Over the next few weeks, the plucked tea leaves will be put through the various stages of processing appropriate for the type of tea they will eventually become.

Remember all teas come from the same plant – Camellia Sinensis. So, the estate-grown tea plants pictured above may become a black tea, like Georgian Orthodox Rolled Black. They may become a green tea, like Georgian Roasted Green. Or maybe they will become some new variety that our Tea Master, George Bitadze will be creating this season.

The same is true for our Wild Harvest Teas like Georgian Forest Black, Georgian Forest Green, and Georgian Forest White, as well.

In the video below George explains what parts of the tea plant are used in various grades of tea.

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Georgian Wild Teas – Unique and Rare.

Jack Herbert — Fri, 25 Feb 2022 18:59:39 +0000

When Mary and I traveled to Georgia last August, we visited the farm of one of our tea growers to see their operation first-hand. Unfortunately, the tea season for this farm was already over, so there would be no active picking, production or processing activities to see. Living in Wisconsin for the past 20+ years and having done a fair amount of research in the tea industry (not that any of that makes me an expert), I thought I had a reasonable idea of what a Georgian tea farm would look like (refer to the picture above).

Insert game show incorrect answer buzzer here. WRONG!

The Anditri Tea Estate is located in the city of Terjola in the Imereti District of western Georgia. Once we got off the highway at the Terjola exit, we passed what appeared to be a Georgian convenience store. Within a mile or two, the paved road ended and we found ourselves on a dirt road. We continued to drive for what seemed like an eternity but what was probably 30-40 minutes. There was absolutely nothing to see along the way, except brush and trees. I’m guessing we traveled 15-18 miles on this dirt road with a few wrong turns thrown in for good measure.

Wherever we were, we were DEEP in the Georgian countryside. Arriving at the Anditri Tea Estate, the first thing I noticed was the cows roaming freely along the footpaths through the trees and bushes of the property, which was very hilly. There was also what I would describe as more of a small pavilion, rather than a building. It had no walls, but had a roof and some equipment under it. When I asked our guide, George Bitadze, where the tea was, he replied, “Everywhere”, as he pointed to the bushes in front of us (pictured below).

We started walking along a footpath further into the “woods” and there was indeed tea everywhere. We walked, and walked, and walked. Everywhere you looked there were tea bushes. Some more aptly described as “tea trees” since they were 3-6 feet tall. This was not at all what I expected a tea farm to be. Mary described it perfectly when she called it a “Tea Forest”.

Check out this video to see for yourself.

George explained how the natural biodiversity of the forest with its variety of indigenous fauna that had reclaimed this former Soviet tea plantation, provided protection for the tea plants. Unlike plantation farming, harmful insects have many plants to choose from here, rather than only tea plants. Likewise, any disease infecting tea plants does not easily spread to the other tea plants. The non-tea plants providing “cover” for the tea plants, as it were. The tall acacia trees scattered throughout the forest form a natural, protective canopy. This shading also contributes to the unique flavor, as well as other characteristics of wild teas.

Harvesting of wild teas is limited to one month in the Spring (May) under strict guidelines as part of sustainability practices implemented by GOTPA (Georgian Organic Tea Producers Association). Not only is harvesting only done one month out of the year, but a wild tea plant may only be harvested one time per year. Whereas plantation teas are harvested multiple times throughout the six month tea growing season. It should be noted that less than 5% of the tea produced by GOTPA members is from wild tea plants. So, quantities of wild teas are limited and vary from year to year depending on weather conditions.

Chai House currently offers four varieties in our Wild Harvest Collection.

Georgian Forest Black – Delicately astringent taste with a residual aroma of honey and spices.
Georgian Forest Green – Silky, fresh vegetable taste, with sweet finish.
Georgian Forest White – A floral taste with hints of almond and savory, followed by a sweet aromatic finish.
Georgian Forest Blueberry Leaf – Rich and balanced sour-sweet notes of lemon, hibiscus, blueberry and citrus.

We expect to be adding some new wild varieties in 2022. Stay tuned.

Anditri Tea Estate specializes in the production of our Georgian Forest Black, for which they only harvest the bud and the first leaf (in some cases, the first two leaves). Our Georgian Forest White and Georgian Forest Green teas, and Georgian Forest Blueberry Leaf tisane (what’s a tisane? – click here) grow in the tea forest of the Bahkvi Tea Estate in the Guria District.

As the exclusive U.S. importers for GOTPA, we were confident our American customers would enjoy our Georgian Wild Harvest Collection, but we were pleasantly surprised at how quickly they have been so well received. In fact, we have already sold out our inventory of Georgian Forest White and Georgian Forest Blueberry Leaf.

Not to worry, May is just around the corner!

Gaumarjos! (To all, the victory!)

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Ninooba (St. Nino’s Day) – Commemorating the Enlightener of Georgia.

Jack Herbert — Fri, 14 Jan 2022 14:00:00 +0000

My first trip to the Republic of Georgia in May 2019 was exciting to me for a lot of reasons. It was a long weekend visit tacked onto my first trip to London. I was there to attend a wedding. I had heard great things about Georgia, especially Georgian cuisine. However, there was something else in particular. As an Eastern Orthodox Christian, I was going to be in a place where the entire country is predominantly Eastern Orthodox and I was anxious to experience that.

One evening after dinner, I was on my own exploring the city of Tbilisi. As I was walking past an open window, I heard singing that had the familiar sounds of an Orthodox choir. It was so beautiful it stopped me in my tracks. So, I took out my phone and recorded the video on the right.

When I had finished listening to the choir, I turned around and saw a large church behind me. All of the doors were open and people were going in and out, so I decided to check it out and go inside.

At the time, I had no idea which church this was or what I would eventually find inside.

Walking into the church, I was immediately struck by the beauty of it. The exterior was beautiful, but somewhat nondescript. The interior, on the other hand, was. . . WOW!

The iconostasis, the iconography, the magnificent apse, the large cross with a boulder for its base, and even the grave markings in the floor.

It was stunning.

The next day, I met up with my friends and told them about the beautiful singing and the amazing church I had stumbled upon. I offered to take them to see it, if they were up for it. They agreed, so made our way to the church.

We arrived and after spending some time walking around and taking pictures, my friend, Ken, came over to me and said he had just been talking to a man who told him this incredible story about the cross displayed at the front of the church. It was a replica of the Cross of St. Nino (the original cross is kept in a secure location in the lower portion of the church).

I had never heard of St. Nino or her story, but as I listened, I became intrigued by, and somewhat enamored with her. It would not be my last encounter with St. Nino and I would learn the church was Sioni Cathedral, the spiritual heart of Tbilisi, which has a fascinating history of its own.

So, what does this have to do with tea?

Well, regarding Chai House. . . just about everything.

That whirlwind weekend in Georgia ignited in me an affection for everything Georgian, especially, St. Nino. When Mary and I were researching the tea trade before starting Chai House and discovered Georgia was trying to revive a once thriving tea industry, it became a strong factor in our decision to take this plunge.

As Eastern Orthodox Christians, Mary and I recognized that Georgian tea provided us with a unique and unobtrusive opportunity to incorporate our faith into our new business venture. You can’t talk about Georgia, and not talk about St. Nino. She is intrinsically woven into the fabric of Georgian culture. There are a myriad of Georgian girls named Nino in her honor. Everywhere you go, you see images of her distinctive cross or architectural features that incorporate grapevines. St. Nino is literally everywhere in Georgia, as are Georgian Orthodox churches. Which is why you see them portrayed on the labels of our Georgian teas.

Since St. Nino is the patron saint of Georgia, we thought it not only fitting, but necessary to adopt her, along with St. George, as the patron saints of Chai House. As such, while our trip to Georgia in August 2021 was primarily to meet our Georgian tea supplier and visit our tea growers, it was also a pilgrimage to visit the resting place of St. Nino.

Mary and I were blessed to visit St. Nino’s Convent in Bodbe this summer and venerate the saint’s holy relics.

January 14 (January 27 in Georgia) is Ninooba or St. Nino’s Day. Today, we join our Georgian Orthodox Christian brothers and sisters to honor St. Nino on the day she entered her eternal rest.

I’m thinking a cup of Chai House Georgian tea and some khachapuri might be just the ticket to commemorate the memory of St. Nino.

Gagimarjos! (cheers in Georgian).

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Tea Importer Makes Debut at Fort Atkinson Holiday Market.

Jack Herbert — Mon, 06 Dec 2021 21:28:00 +0000

The Fort Atkinson Holiday Market marked the public debut of Chai House on Saturday, December 4. We had a table display of our two signature spice blends (Madison Masala #17 and Green Bay Golden Milk), world-class teas from the Republic of Georgia and Nepal, a variety of tea snacks, and our teaware.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by to see us. We enjoyed seeing some old friends and making some new ones. Special thanks go out to everyone who purchased our Masala Chai Bundle to support the Fort Atkinson K9 Unit.

If you missed us at the Holiday Market, please visit our website at www.ChaiHouseLLC.com.

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