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There is a tea revolution brewing Down East.
Oh, nobody is dumping crates into a harbor, but they sure are dusting off Grandma’s teapot and filling it with some exotic teas with decidedly un-Down East names: marsala, cardamom, jasmine, assam summer tips, nilgiri premium or first flush tea.
Once a Cherryfield couple began distributing gourmet and specialty teas from their historic bed and breakfast last year, as well as providing clinics to educate folks about tea, little tea parties began popping up all along the coast.
They are being held in historic homes, summer gardens and local restaurants. There have been Christmas teas, outdoor tea rooms and weekend get-aways that feature afternoon tea.
This doesn’t come as a surprise to Kathy and Peter Winham, who started the Teas of Cherryfield last year.
“Ten years ago, there were very few tearooms in this country,” he said, with a deep English accent. “Today there are thousands.”
Of course, tea cannot be grown in Maine.
But the Winhams saw no reason they couldn’t become the premiere distributors of teas from India and China, from the three Indian growing regions, Darjeeling, Assam and Nilgiri. They also are carrying a small series of organic Chinese teas. All of the Winhams’ black teas are pure, and their flavored teas contain only pure oils, rose petals or actual spices.
Already their Teas of Cherryfield are being carried in fine shops from Calais to Portland.
But the couple say they are offering much more than an exotic beverage. “We are offering relaxation,” Kathy said. “A moment or two of peace in the middle of the afternoon.”
“You have to slow down with a cup of tea,” Peter added. “You have to spend a bit of time, steeping it and drinking it. There is just something restful and relaxing about a cup of tea.”
When you have afternoon tea, he advises to make it special. “Make it nice. Use a good cup. Take the time. You will be rewarded,” he said.
Afternoon tea fits quite nicely into the Winhams’ new lifestyle. Both former archaeologists, they relocated two years ago to Maine from North Dakota and started their B&B. “We were looking for better weather,” they joked.
Selling specialty teas just seemed to mesh well with the B&B operation, Peter said.
Kathy said the tea clinics they offer show that although many people are quite interested in tea, they are really uneducated. Like standing in a fine wine shop, it can almost be like picking the best label. Which one to choose?
“Unless you experiment, you won’t find what you like. We usually steep three pots of tea to allow people to tell the difference between them,” Kathy said.
On the table at their home on the Narraguagus River in Cherryfield, the Winfields recently offered two teas: a deep, dark Autumn Flush and a surprisingly sweet green tea.
Both were served on fine china, with delicate silver spoons and nut bread on the side.
“Tea is a social drink,” Kathy said. “It’s a drink with a more relaxing quality.”
The Winhams said that tea contains one-third the caffeine of coffee or cola and is released slowly over a long period of time after consumption. “You don’t get that sometimes jarring feeling you get from a cup of coffee,” Peter said.
In addition, tea is getting high marks for its health benefits.
Peter pointed out that science is revealing more and more about the health benefits of tea – real tea, not herbal tea.
Leading scientists are reporting that regular tea consumption helps maintain mental alertness, reduces fatigue and maintains the body’s fluid levels. It is one of the few natural sources of fluoride, and the antioxidants in two cups of black tea are equal to those in one glass of red wine, seven glasses of orange juice or 20 glasses of apple juice.
“Researchers at Harvard University found that those who drank one or more cups of black tea a day had more than a 40 percent lower risk of having a heart attack compared to nontea drinkers,” Peter said. “And the flavonoids in tea help prevent heart disease by reducing blood clotting and lower blood pressure and cholesterol.”
The Winhams distribute real tea, picked from chest-high tea bushes in India and China. “The main reason Asia grows the most tea is that tea requires a lot of humidity, rain and heat,” she said. She said the tea bushes would grow to tree height if left unpruned. Gourmet teas are obtained from the bud and the two top leaves of each bush. Other teas are harvested farther down on the plant.
Tea can be picked four times a year, Kathy said, and each season produces a different-tasting and different-named tea. First flush, for example, is picked in March, while Autumn Flush is harvested in September and October.
Black teas, Peter said, go through five harvesting steps including fermentation to provide the flavor. White teas are simply picked and dried, and green teas are steamed, rolled, dried and sorted.
But of course, the Winhams said, the best tea is the tea in the pot – a steaming brew to slow down the day, if even for just a few minutes.
The Teas of Cherryfield are sold in Bangor at Rebecca’s, at The Good Table in Belfast, The Country Store in Trenton and the Grasshopper Shop and Rooster Brother in Ellsworth. They are also available at www.teasofcherryfield.com.
2 RECIPES THAT GO EXCEPTIONALLY WELL WITH TEA
Editor’s note: The following recipes ran with an incomplete list of ingredients in last Wednesday’s Cooking section.
Peach Yogurt Scones
2 1/2 cups self-raising flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup peach yogurt
1 beaten egg
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
Combine flour and sugar in medium mixing bowl. In separate bowl, mix the egg, peach yogurt and melted butter. Stir the two mixtures together until the scone dough clings together. Knead gently on a floured surface for eight to 10 strokes. Pat or roll into 6-inch circle and cut into 10 wedges. Sprinkle each wedge with sugar and place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees F. for 10 to 12 minutes. Serve warm with afternoon tea.
Grantham White Gingerbread Cookies
2 cups flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 stick (4 ounces) butter, unsalted
1 egg, separated
Cream butter and sugar. Stir in egg yolk, then add flour, baking powder and ginger. Whip egg white and fold into mixture. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 325 degrees F. for 15 to 20 minutes. These cookies should not brown and should remain pale in color. Serve with tea.
How to fix a perfect cup of tea:
Using a diffuser placed over the teacup, use 1 teaspoon of loose tea to each cup of boiling water. Steep for two to three minutes.
If using a teapot, the rule is 1 teaspoon of loose tea in a tea ball or infuser per cup with an extra spoonful for the pot.
The Winhams said the preferred method is to brew the tea loose. This allows the leaves to open fully and release their flavor.
Start with good-tasting water, the Winhams advise, such as spring water or filtered water. Don’t overboil, as this depletes the oxygen in the water and compromises flavor. Do not use boiling water when brewing white or green teas. This will cook the leaves and destroy their delicate flavor.
Feel free to experiment, they suggest. Water temperature, brewing time and proportions can all be varied according to taste.
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