Golden Harvest

Loose - Flavored Green Tea 

CUP CHARACTERISTICS:Warm cinnamon toast spice comes to the fore with a delicious, juicy apple mouth-feel. 

INGREDIENTS:Green tea, Apple pieces, Cinnamon, Rose + Safflower petals, Natural flavors (Organic Compliant) 

INGREDIENTS FROM:India / China / Egypt 

REGION(S):Nilgiri + Kerala / Hunan + Shandong / Nile Delta + Fayoum 

GROWING ALTITUDE(S):1500 - 4500 feet above sea level 

GRADE(S):Sencha - Made to Japanese specifications 

MANUFACTURE TYPE(S):Non fermented, Traditional steamed, Pan dried and polished 

ANTIOXIDANT LEVEL:High 

CAFFEINE LEVEL:Low 

KOSHER:Yes 

VEGETARIAN:Yes 

VEGAN:Yes 

ARTISANAL NOTES:Small batch blended and packed in Canada. 

INFUSION:Bright, pale green to yellow, light colored cup 

INFORMATION:
Apples made of gold.who wouldn't want to get their hands on some of those? The answer, if you're talking about ancient mythology, is nobody. Why? Because of their ability to bestow eternal life. According to ancient tales from Greece, the 11th labor of Hercules saw the mythic hero search out the golden apples of the Garden of the Hesperides. Unfortunately for Hercules, these particular golden apples were guarded by the Ladon, an incredibly fierce one hundred-headed dragon that never slept.

Still, Hercules wouldn't be Hercules if he hadn't defeated the fearsome beast and made off with the apples, which he later presented to the god Zeus.

Another tale, this time from Norse mythology tells of the theft of golden apples owned by the gods Loki, Odin and Thor. In the story, the three gods go on a camping trip. During the trip, Loki is taken hostage by a giant eagle. The eagle demands that Loki hand over the goddess Idun, keeper of the apples. Like the Greeks, the Norse believed the apples bestowed eternal life and gave the gods their power. (Loki's companions were not too thrilled about the situation.) In any event, the gods got their apples back and all was well.

Yet another example comes from Irish mythology and the tale of the Wandering Aengus. In his famous poem, The Song of the Wandering Aengus, William Butler Yeats gives the magical fruit what is perhaps their most elegant description:

I will find out where she has gone,

And kiss her lips and take her hands;

And walk among the dapples grass,

And pluck till time and times are done The silver apples of the moon,

The golden apples of the sun.

Here at Blue Monkey Tea, our supplier attempted to weave a blend that they feel might well start a mythological tradition of its own. Try it and we think you'll agree. Golden Harvest Green offers notes of grass and apple peppered with hints of hot spice. Raise a cup to the g.ds!

A little about the base tea:
This tea is based on a Sencha style green tea from Hunan. Interestingly, both green and black teas can be produced from the same bushes. During manufacture, the freshly plucked leaves are immediately steamed and then bruised either by machine or hand. Next the leaf is pan-fired, a process that imparts a distinctive glossy look and feel, and dried. Unscented Senchas typically have dark green, needle shaped leaves and produce a pale green to yellow, very bright and smooth cup with a sweetish, honey like finish. 

STEEPING TIME

We recommend 4 min

We recommend 4 min. 

SERVING RECOMMENDATIONS:
MILK NO, SUGAR NO, LEMON NO, MINT NO. 

IDEAL BREWING TEMPERATURE:85C/185F. For Food Safety reasons bring water to 100C/212F and let it cool down to 85C/185F. 

HOT TEA BREWING METHOD:
Bring filtered or freshly drawn cold water to a rolling boil. Place 1 slightly heaping teaspoon of loose tea for each 7-9oz / 200-260ml of fluid volume in the teapot. Pour the boiling water into the teapot. Cover and let steep for 3-7 minutes according to taste (the longer the steeping time the stronger the tea). 

ICED TEA BREWING METHOD (Pitcher):(To Make 1 Liter/Quart):
Place 6 slightly heaping teaspoons of loose tea into a teapot or heat resistant pitcher. Using filtered or freshly drawn cold water, boil and pour 1¼ cups/315ml over the tea. Steep for 5 minutes. Quarter fill a serving pitcher with cold water. Pour the tea into your serving pitcher straining the tea. Add ice and top-up the pitcher with cold water.

A rule of thumb when preparing fresh brewed iced tea is to increase the strength of hot tea since it will be poured over ice and diluted with cold water.

(Note: Some luxury quality teas may turn cloudy when poured over ice. This is a sign of luxury quality and nothing to worry about!) 

ICED TEA BREWING METHOD (Individual Serving):
Place 1 slightly heaping teaspoon of loose tea into a teapot for each serving required. Using filtered or freshly drawn cold water, boil and pour 6-7oz/170-200ml per serving over the tea. Cover and let steep for 5 minutes. Add hot tea to a 12oz/375ml acrylic glass filled with ice, straining the tea. Not all of the tea will fit, allowing for approximately an additional ½ serving.

A rule of thumb when preparing fresh brewed iced tea is to increase the strength of hot tea since it will be poured over ice and diluted.

(Note: Some luxury quality teas may turn cloudy when poured over ice. This is a sign of luxury quality and nothing to worry about!) 

FOOD SAFETY ADVISORY:We strongly recommend using filtered or freshly drawn cold water brought to a rolling boil when brewing all types of tea. Today's water has been known to carry viruses, parasites and bacteria. Boiling the water will kill these elements and reduce the potential incidence of water-borne illnesses. 

RECOMMENDATION:We recommend the use of our '1 Cup of Perfect Tea' measuring spoon for best results. Please contact Blue Monkey Tea to place an order. 

ANTIOXIDANT BENEFIT:For a greater antioxidant benefit brew longer and use more tea.