According to the weatherman, this weekend was supposed to be a blizzard suitable for the apocalypse for all us fine folks in NYC.  Trying to think ahead and not disappoint anyone, this Sommelier made sure to cancel all his plans and ride out the storm in the comfort home.

When fated morning came and not a single flake had fallen and a virtually empty cabinet, I was left with two quandries: what do I do - and what do I eat?

As you may suspect, my mind drifted to tea - and, being that lunch needed to be made, a new recipe was created.

With a few Oolong tea leaves, plain old white rice was transformed into a sweet, complex, subtly nutty treat of a side.  Great with poultry, fish and most Asian-inspired dishes, I present: Too Long Rice.

Bon ApeTEA!

Too Long Rice

4 cups water
2 teaspoons Too Long Oolong
2 cups rice
4 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add tea leaves, allowing to steep for 5 minutes. Strain.

Add rice to oolong tea. Cover and simmer for an additional 20 minutes or until water is absorbed and rice is fully cooked.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, over low heat, stir the sugar, vinegar, and salt until dissolved.  Fold into the cooked rice and serve.

Today is National “Wear Red” Day to spread awareness about the #1 killer of women - heart disease.

Not only is your favorite Sommelier sporting his favorite red sweater to commemorate the day, but I’m also drinking some delicious red tea to show my support.

Rooibos, in fact, has many health benefits to keep women (and men, for that matter) strong and healthy.  Most important to this topic is that it, like most herbal teas, doesn’t contain any caffeine.

This is especially beneficial to those with pre-existing conditions of hypertension and other heart problems.  Numerous studies have found that drinking the equivalent of four cups of coffee does, in fact, raise blood pressure. Although the increase is fairly modest, it is definitely large enough to raise the risk to those more susceptible to heart attack and stroke.

So when you are honoring the day by wearing something red, do yourself a favor - drink some too!

We’ve spoken many times about tea’s ability to, with the aid of a good diet and exercise, help burn calories quicker.  This is based on numerous studies supporting this health benefit, but most of these studies are rather general about who and how this works.

However, a new study out of Canada gets much more specific.

According to the research, when scientists compared beverage drinking habits among adult men, those who enjoyed a cup of tea at least twice a day had a significantly lower occurrence of abdominal obesity (excess fat around the midsection) than those who drank coffee or neither.

This is good news, guys, as abdominal obesity has been linked to a number of health risks prevalent in men, including heart disease and diabetes.

The findings did not reveal the same results for women (sorry ladies!), though: in terms of abdominal obesity, all beverages produced virtually the same results.   It seems tea only gives men a trimmer waistline!

However, it is important to point out that this study only measured abdominal obesity, so does not, by any means, conclude that women cannot lose weight by drinking tea - the previous studies have already proven the opposite.

You may remember that, a few weeks ago, I mentioned the Mexican tradition of El Dia de Reyes (The Day of the Kings) and how the traditional bread, the rosca, had a baby figurine baked inside.  According to the custom, the person who finds the figurine is supposed to bring something for everyone on Candlemas, which takes place on February 2nd (today).

As luck would have it, when your friendly neighborhood Tea Sommelier took his first bite of the office rosca, he bit the baby.  This didn’t turn out too bad, though, since it gave me inspiration to create my newest hot tea cocktail, modeled after the Mexican cocktail Ponche.

I call it Crimson Ponche.  Salud!

Crimson Ponche

2 Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, and cut
3/4 cup raisins
1 pound guava, quartered
1/2 cup prunes
2 cups diced pineapple
1 1/2 cups demerera sugar (the “in the raw” kind)
4 (2-inch) pieces Mexican cinnamon
3 tablespoons Crimson Punch, dry
8 cups water
Tequila (recommended: Partida Reposado)

In a large pot, place the fruit, sugar, cinnamon, and 8 cups of water. Bring to a boil and lower heat and simmer for 1 hour. About 15 minutes before time is up, stir in tea leaves.

Strain and serve hot in mugs that have a healthy shot of tequila in them.

Last night was a night full of great music, beautiful celebrities (some in not-so-beautiful outfits), lots of nervousness and, at least for one participant, lots of tea.

That’s right, according to a recent report, at the 52nd annual Grammy Awards Brooklyn’s own Lady Gaga shrugged off her nerves over her nomination for album of the year with a calming cup of tea.

Unfortunately, as you can see by the photo, it appears that she was hit by a piece of the Fortress of Solitude, which seemed to somehow have cost her the award.

However, she did put on one of the best performances of the evening, undoubtedly due (at least in part) to the mellifluous effects of tea!

One of my favorite tea-related songs is an oldie that dear ol’ Mom used to sing for me as a pre-Sommelier.  During a recent YouTube hunt, I unearthed it once more.

This short, sweet little gem is called Tea for the Tillerman, written by the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens (now it’s Yusuf Islam).

Enjoy!

Here is a ridiculously addictive recipe for a melt-in-your-mouth cookie with a great hint of lemongrass and green tea, perfect for showing off your favorite teas to all your friends and family.  I call ‘em Lemongreen Shortbread Cookies, or “yummy” for short.

I like them a little thinner than your traditional shortbread cookie, but you can adjust to your preference.  Enjoy!

Lemongreen Shortbread Cookies

2 sticks unsalted butter
2 tbsp Lemongreen, dry
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
2 Tbsp lemon juice

Melt the butter in a saucepan, heating to a simmer (be careful not to burn!). Remove from heat, stir in tea leaves. Steep for 4-5 minutes, then strain and put in fridge to allow to cool to room temperature.

Next, combine flour, salt, green tea butter, and sugar in a bowl. Mix with your fingers until it forms flaky crumbs and lumps. Mix in the egg, almond extract, and lemon juice. Continue to mix until it clumps; at first it may seem very dry. Shape into two balls, flatten into disks, wrap in plastic, refrigerate at least an hour, preferably overnight.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Let the dough sit at temperature for at least 10-15 minutes before attempting to work with it. The dough may be crumbly; if it falls apart, press it back together. Allow to relax enough to become somewhat pliable before rolling out. Roll out a disk, one at a time, between two sheets of parchment paper (or wax paper), to a 1/8 to 1/4-inch thickness, depending on how thick or thin you would like your cookies to be.

Dip the edges of one side of your favorite cookie cutter into flour and cut out your cookie shapes. If the rolled-out dough becomes too soft to work with, place it in the freezer for a few minutes to firm up. Place on parchment paper on a cookie sheet, with at least 1/2-inch distance between the cookie shapes.

Bake at 350°F for 8-12 minutes, depending on the thickness of the cookies, until the edges are just slightly golden brown. Remove from oven. Let cool on a rack for 10 minutes.

Bon ApeTEA!

It is estimated that about 80% percent of the American population has been exposed to the Herpes simplex virus, the virus that causes cold sores (also known as fever blisters).  While not all that have been exposed ever show any signs of having the virus, there are myriad reasons why those that do experience “flair ups” may get them.

Common reasons why folks get flair ups include high levels of stress (such as dealing with an unstable economy), extreme temperature changes (going from chilly weather outside to dry, heated air inside) and even exposure to another illness (everyone got the H1N1 vaccine, I hope!).  These being noted, it is no surprise that this time of the year is when many cold sores rear their ugly heads.

“Traditional treatments” mentioned in many home remedy guides run the gamut from slathering the sore with aloe to rubbing with yogurt.  However, one of the most prevalent “cures” found in almost every anthology is the 30-minute application of a simple teabag.

While I appreciate the fact that those crusty, old commercial dustbags will finally get some use, there is a general lack of “why” these would possibly be of some service.  A quick google search will lead you to believe that these curative properties are due to the tannic acid in black tea burning the cold sores into submission.  However, as we’ve mentioned before, this theory is seriously flawed (in that tea doesn’t contain tannic acid).

What may be the cause of the speedy recovery are the polyphenols found abundantly in tea, which provide the majority of the countless health benefits of the beverage, including some possible anti-viral aid.

All of this being said, without any serious scientific documentation, this Tea Sommelier is not altogether sold on the treatment.  However, several friends who suffer from cold sores swear by it, and using teabags as treatment would unlikely do any real harm.  So if it works for you, go for it!