18 April 2009

Hear Tea, Hear Tea

Attention all tea lovers: it's time for the fourth annual Coffee and Tea Festival.


So put down your cups and head to the event, going on today and tomorrow at the Metropolitan Pavilion (125 W 18th St.). This one will be my third, and I'm looking forward to the unusual teas and treats from new vendors, along with a healthy dose of seminars. It's where I first tasted an Indian green tea (who knew?), learned how to prepare matcha correctly (thanks to the founder of Matcha Source), and listened to the history of the traditional Korean tea ceremony.


There's going to be a presentation on green teas, including those from Korea, which I'm really looking forward to.

To get in the mood and keep my palate clear, this morning I made a pot of this bracing Korean-inspired herbal infusion, from the March 2009 Gourmet. Even though the tea takes an hour to brew, it requires minimal effort and perfumes the whole house as it's steeping.

Korean Ginger Tea
Makes: 8 cups.

In a large saucepan, mix together 8 cups water, 1/2 cup peeled, chopped ginger and 2 cinnamon sticks. Simmer, covered, 1 hour. Strain into teapot or pitcher, and top each serving with pine nuts and honey to taste.

Chill any leftovers- the combination of fresh ginger and cinnamon is just as refreshing ice-cold. (I've been up for a long, long time already today.)

4 comments:

anna said...

Aww, I would love to go to a tea festival (even if there's coffee, too). I was in the city a couple weeks too early, apparently. Oh well, I'll be there next year. The ginger tea sounds fabulous, too - the pine nuts seem a little unusual but I love pine nuts so no complaints.

GraceAnne LadyHawk said...

Alas, though, the beautiful little Japanese tea bar, Tafu, in the Doubletree on Lexington and 51st is closing next week. I learned about it from you, and I will miss it terribly.

Catherine said...

Hey, I was there!

Anonymous said...

Wish i'd been there!