Coffee / Tea

Also known as pu'er, puerh, sheng / shou or dark tea, pu-erh tea is a unique type of tea grown in Yunnan, China. It dates back centuries and has a long history of consumption and tea culture in Tibet, Nepal, Yunnan and Guangdong. More recently, it has become a staple drink in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

There are several main ways of categorizing pu-erh teas, which can lead to much confusion amongst those new to the centuries old drink. For example, pu-erh can be classified by the many different shapes in which it can be made, including bing or cakes (which are larger discs), tuo cha (which are like little birds' nests) and uncompressed, or loose-leaf, tea. It can also be classified as aged, green or cooked, or by its mountain(s) or origin, or whether ir not is organic, or which factory it comes from. You can see how this could get confusing!

But for those looking for some basics on pu-erh tea, I've written a straightforward guide to pu-erh tea, which outlines its flavors, health benefits, origins / history, processing, shapes and brewing methods. It gets into some detail, but not so much that it's overwhelming for newbies or daunting to wade through. It s my hope that this guide will be a solid introduction to pu-erh and that you will further your exploration of this incredible drink after reading it!

Photo (c) Lindsey Goodwin

Many people think of health as the main reason to drink organic tea. And while there has been a growing body of research on the health benefits of organic tea and detriments of conventionally grown tea, there are plenty more (and, arguably, better) reasons to opt for organic tea. Here are the top five reasons to choose organic tea over conventional (or "inorganic") tea. Check them out and feel free to leave your personal reasons for buying organic tea in the comments below. Happy drinking!

Photo (c) Lindsey Goodwin
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I recently had the chance to review a few more bottled teas. One is another in a series of GT's kombucha reviews, GT's Organic Raw Multi-Green Kombucha. The other is a collection of several Honest Tea reviews. And, as always, you can read more reviews in the bottled drink reviews section of the site. Enjoy!

Photo (c) Lindsey Goodwin
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Soy milk is commonly used as a dairy alternative and a coffee and tea additive. There are many health claims and warnings surrounding soy milk, some of which are valid and some of which are questionable. Find out the truth about soy milk's health benefits and detriments with Is Soy Milk Really Healthy? before your next soy latte or soy chai.

Photo (c) Lindsey Goodwin
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Starbucks coffee prices vary around the world. A tall coffee in a Tokyo Starbucks costs nearly three times as much as a tall coffee in a London Starbucks. And yet a Starbucks Grande Latte in Bangkok will cost only about one quarter what it would in London!

Intrigued? Learn more about the peculiarities of Starbucks drink prices around the world, plus vote on your favorite Starbucks drink.

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I'm not gonna lie to you--making kombucha is a little bit nasty. It involves intentionally growing bacteria and yeast on top of an otherwise perfectly good batch of sweet tea. This bacteria and yeast (known as a SCOBY, or symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast) looks like some kind of weird organ meat. And it makes the tea smell like vinegar, which (if you're making enough of the stuff) makes your house smell like vinegar.

Ready to make kombucha anyway? Good. If you can handle all that, then making kombucha is for you! (The best kombucha I've ever had was made by someone who also loves composting. It makes sense.) Some of the pros to making kombucha: You can flavor it however you want. You can ferment it as much or as little as you want. You can control all the base ingredients, meaning that you can use, say, organic tea or a particular tea type. You don't have to pasteurize it. You can bottle it however you want. Ans it's generally way cheaper than buying it at a store.

Beyond all that, it isn't too difficult to make! Here's how to make kombucha at home. Enjoy!

Photo (c) Lindsey Goodwin
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A reader asks, "What's the difference between a wet and a dry cappuccino?" The answer has to do with a key ingredient in many espresso drinks: milk. Learn more with Wet vs. Dry Cappuccino.

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Coffee is generally considered to be safe. However, with some people (and some dosages), it can have serious side effects, such as heart problems, exacerbation of anxiety and bleeding disorders, and more. Oh, and it also makes some people poop! Learn more about the serious (and not-so-serious) side effects of drinking coffee due to a coffee habit, occasional caffeine consumption, caffeine withdrawal and more.

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Cold-brewed iced coffee. Iced hot chocolate. Blended chai. Green tea lattes. This list has all the cold drinks for summer you'll need to beat the heat in the coming months.

For more iced drink recipes, check out these collections of iced coffee recipes and iced tea recipes. Enjoy!

Photo (c) Lindsey Goodwin
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Commonly known as a "flavored butter" or, in more culinary circles, a "compound butter", herbed butter is an ingredient that is easy to prepare in advance and enjoy over the course of a week. I love to use it to flavor foods like these:

• Tomato Tea Sandwiches
• Cucumber Tea Sandwiches
• Watercress Egg Salad Tea Sandwiches
• Smoked Salmon Finger Sandwiches
• Baked potatoes
• Savory scones
• Rolls and peasant breads

This herbed butter recipe uses a mix of herbs for a bold wallop of flavor. You can pick your own ratios of herbs such as chives, cilantro, parsley and thyme for a savory butter. Alternately, you can use herbs like mint, rosemary and lavender for a sweet compound butter more suitable for sweet scones and other sweet fare. Feel free to play around with it--it's a very versatile recipe and it's hard to go wrong when mixing butter with fresh herbs!

Photo (c) Lindsey Goodwin