Recently I had the pleasure of trying my first Genmaicha tea. It was a bit unusual when I first opened up the package as it contains green tea leaves along with roasted brown rice. I wasn't too sure of it at first. And then I noticed the white pieces in it and thought 'why is there popcorn in my genmaicha tea?'

To find out the answer you have to know a bit of the history of this tea. It was originally a tea that was popular amongst peasants in Japan. They added the brown rice as a filler to reduce the amount of green tea leaves needed. In the process of roasting the brown rice, some of it pops like popcorn. It all gets added to the green tea leaves so that is why there is popcorn in genmaicha tea.

The result is a nutty and sweet green tea. Now it is enjoyed by everyone in society. I really enjoy it and highly recommend everyone who loves loose green tea to give it a try. Here a a few varieties to try:

Genmaicha $12.00 Store: American Tea Room Genmai Cha $8.00 Store: Adagio Teas

If you are a tea drinker and living in a dorm away at college, then I know how difficult it can be to have some of the comforts of home. Making loose tea in your dorm room though is pretty simple with a few basic things. Here is what you will need:

1. An electric tea kettle. Plug in, add water, and turn on. You can have hot water in just a few minutes.
2. Loose Tea Travel Mug. The best way to brew tea is in a travel mug that you can take with you. Let's face it, most of college happens outside of your dorm room so you won't be sitting around sipping a cup there. Instead you need something that you can add loose tea to, pour in hot water, and go.
3. Loose Tea of course. I recommend stocking up on some green tea to help keep your immune system in tip top shape. The caffeine won't hurt either for those late night study sessions.

Here are some items that will be perfect. Remember, living in a dorm does not mean you must give up your loose tea.

Bodum 5500-04us Ibis Cordless Electric Water Kettle - Red Pacific Market International 10-00753-003 Aladdin 12 oz Essential Infuser Mug Blue Immortal Green Genmaicha

Recently I wrote about making a fast glass of loose iced tea. It is such a great method to cool off, during this record heat summer we are having. I'm going through iced tea so very quickly, that a pitcher doesn't last very long in my home.

Anyway I found a video that shows how to make a quick glass of iced tea. This Brewing Loose Iced Tea video is just over a minute long, so won't take long to watch. He uses what appears to be the Teavana Perfect Tea Maker, which is a great option for steeping both hot and iced tea.

You can find some great loose teas from Teavana along with tea making accessories. They are also offering free shipping with a $50 order right now, a great savings to your order.

What is your favorite tea from Teavana? I am a big fan of their herbal and rooibos blends.

Summer has been very hot so far and it has made my morning cup of hot tea very unappealing. I'm also not always the best at remembering to make up a pitcher of iced tea the night before, so I've been working on a system for making fast iced tea. This is what is working for me.

Step 1: Brew a cup of loose leaf tea in my usual way, perhaps adding more tea leaves than usual.

Step 2: Add 1 cup of ice to a 2 cup pyrex glass measuring cup. I use the pyrex measuring cup because it is made to hold both hot and cold liquids and I figure most people already have one in their kitchen.

Step 3: Pouring the hot tea over the ice. Once it has cooled (and this usually happens fairly quickly) I pour it into the drinking glass of my choice.

Simple and fast! Plus I still get to enjoy my morning ritual of picking out a tea, using my tea kettle, and inhaling the nice aroma of a freshly steeped cup of loose tea.

Today's iced tea was made with American Tea Room's Immortal Green, a pyrex measuring cup, and my Kati loose tea brewing system.

Immortal Green Pyrex Accents Covered 2-Cup Measuring Cup

How do you make iced tea? Any tips you would love to share, feel free to do so in the comments.  Thanks!

Art of Tea is running a great summertime promotion right now. You can receive 20% off any order of $50 or more now through August 31, 2010. The Art of Tea coupon can be used by entering the code SUMMERTEA during the checkout process.

Here are a number of items that I recommend that you try to make some really great iced tea this summer.

Cold-Brew Iced Tea Pitcher Green Pomegranate Iced Tea Liquid Jade Classic Black - Winner Best Black Tea

Recently the American Tea Room tweeted about making iced tea with fresh fruit slices in it. It sounded intriguing and I had all the ingredients handy, so I decided to give it a try. I choose to brew some Immortal Green loose tea.

After steeping, I poured the hot tea over some ice to cool it more quickly. I then added some cut up peach slices and poured a glass. It was good, but like sangria I figured a few hours of letting the flavors mesh would be better. So I popped it in the fridge, also adding some orange slices as well.

That evening I had a really great pitcher of iced tea. The addition of the peach and orange slices really enhanced the flavor of the green tea. Plus I rarely sweeten my tea, so it added a nice natural sweetness which was very refreshing.

I got the Immortal Green tea from the American Tea Room and the peaches and oranges from my local grocery store.

Do you ever add fresh fruit to your iced tea? I would love to hear about your favorite combinations in the comments below.

There has been a bit of a hold up to my blogging, but I am back now with a brand new computer and a whole host of teas and accessories to talk about. Today is my daughter's last day of school and with that summer is officially here.

Which means it is time for some iced tea. Iced Tea every day, all day long. Okay maybe not quite that extreme, but you get the idea. Here are some loose teas that make for a fabulous pitcher of iced tea.

Immortal Green Passion Fruit Martinique -Green Rooibos Tropical Blend Bodum Ceylon Iced Tea Pitcher

Over the weekend my husband and I went to a local farmer's market and were delighted to see a local tea company there.  They are called Deckan Tea and they are based in Southfield, Michigan. They had a number of loose teas for sale as well some pyramid tea bags in canisters.

I love getting the chance to sample new teas, especially blends. They had a number of their teas in glass jars in order to sniff them. It was a nice warm morning and they had their Mango Beach Organic black tea available as an iced tea. It was very refreshing.

My husband is a huge fan of black tea, so we picked up a package of their Organic Ginger Peach Clove black tea to bring home. We brewed some right away as an iced tea and is was very good. This tea also has a touch of cinnamon in it, rounding off the flavors nicely.

Next time I want to get a package of their Green Apple Organic and Rooibos Chocolate Organic to try and review. If you are looking for a Michigan based tea company, then definitely check out Deckan Tea. They also offer coffee as well. They have a store location at Great Lakes Crossing Mall in Auburn Hills and ship all over the world.

There are a number of different teas: white, green, black, rooibos and herbal. It can seem very overwhelming at times to keep them all straight and what their differences are. Today I'd like to talk about the difference between green tea, black tea and white tea. One of the most surprising things of all is that they come from the same tea bush, Camellia sinensis. Especially when you look at them:

White Tea Leaves

Green Tea Leaves

Black Tea Leaves

It is all in the picking and processing of the leaves that make the difference. White tea is harvested from the very top of the tea bush early in the year. They only pick the top leaf and a bud. These tea leaves are then dried in the sun and that is it.

Green tea are tea leaves from the whole bush and they also undergo a step of being steamed or pan fired. Before being dried it is often rolled into different shapes depending on the type of green tea. For instance Jasmine tea is sometimes rolled into a pearl shape.

Black tea undergoes the most processing. Tea leaves from all over the bush are picked and then left in the sun to wilt. The tea leaves are then rolled allowing the tea leaves to ferment as they react with the air. The fermenting process turns the tea leaves black. They are then dried.

So that is the basics. Look for another post coming soon discussing the various types of teas within each class and why they taste so different. Hope you enjoyed reading about the differences between green tea, black tea, and white tea. Check out our Tea Shop and order some to try today.

The weather has been so nice in Michigan for the last few days and iced tea has been a great way to get in my daily tea fix. I prefer to make mine with loose leaf tea, which means an extra step from using tea bags. It is definitely worth it and so very easy. I made a little video to show you how to make iced loose tea:

Basically I steep the tea in my tea pot first without an infuser basket and then I pour the tea over a strainer into a pitcher. Today I made a blend of Teavana's Sweet Amore and Plum Harvest. Unfortunately they are no longer making Plum Harvest, so I am going to have to substitute with something else when I use the last of mine. Sweet Fruit Garden Herbal Tea may work.

How do you make iced loose tea? Do you have a favorite type of iced tea? Please share in the comments below.

	Rösle 95158 Tea Strainer, Fine Mesh List Price: $19.00 Sale Price: $15.50 Average Rating:
	One of Rösle's superb kitchen utensils, this 3-1/4-inch fine-mesh strainer is ideal for filtering leaves out of tea and grounds out of coffee. It's 8-1/4 inches long overall and has a 1/3-cup capacity...