Tea Trivia and other Interesting info

I'm starting at the beginning of the history of tea and will sift through the enormous amount of information that is available and bring you the highlights. 

Each day I will provide a little bit more about the fascinating world of tea! 

Tea Trivia Day 1:

Historical notes and facts about tea indicate this ever-popular beverage originated in China some 5,000 years ago. It was discovered in 2737 BC by Chinese Emperor Shen-Nun, who was considered a divine healer, when some tea leaves accidentally blew into a pot of boiling water.

Yet it took nearly 100 years for tea to reach other parts of the globe. Dutch traders were the first to bring tea to the West in the early 1600s where it later became a commonly accepted staple of trade.

There are more than three thousand varieties of tea that are grown in mountainous areas around the world. Whether you sip black, green, oolong or white tea depends on what happens after the flush, when the top two leaves and bud are harvested, processed and shipped.

Tea Trivia Day 2:

Tea bags were invented in America in the early 1800s, and were initially used to hold samples of teas brought from India. Today, 96% of all cups of tea served around the world were made using teabags.

Tea Party Recipes

I recently made these and I liked them. 

Next time I would personally like less lemon juice and I will leave out the mayonnaise. They didn't seem to need the extra taste. I used crescent rolls because that's what I had on hand. It's a yummy quick way to make crab puffs. 

Easy Crab Puffs
Makes 16-20 puffs

1 sheet of puff pastry dough, thawed (see package directions)
4 oz. cream cheese, softened (1/2 of an 8 oz. block or 1/2 of an 8 oz. container)
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 - 6 oz. cans of crabmeat, drained (pick through it for any shells)
2 green onions or scallions, chopped
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg for egg wash

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut puff pastry into 16 squares. I use a pizza cutter, it's easy that way. Depending on brand of puff pastry you buy, you might have a rectangular sheet that you could get away with cutting 20 squares. You'll have enough filling for 20 if you can get 20 squares. I used the Trader Joe's brand which comes in a square so I get 16, like this:

Combine all the rest of the ingredients in a bowl. Place a couple teaspoons of filling in the center of each puff pastry square and spread from one corner to the opposite corner diagonally. Keep the other two corners clear of filling. If you have leftover filling, you can go back and add a little more to each puff, or just use it as a dip with crackers for a little cook's treat.

Take one of the corners that doesn't have filling on it and fold it across the filling, then fold the other corner over that, tucking it tightly to the other side. As they bake, they'll spread apart more so make sure and press to seal, using a bit of water on your finger to help seal if needed. Sorry I don't have a picture of how I folded them, but you can probably see what I mean by looking at the pictures of the puffs.

Place puffs on a cookie sheet with a little space in between like you'd do with cookies. I use a silicone mat or parchment paper on the pan for easy removal and cleanup. In a small bowl, beat egg to use as an egg wash and brush egg wash over the tops of each puff.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until tops and bottoms of puffs are golden brown. Garnish with green onions if you'd like and serve.

Welcome to it's Always Tea Time:


Blogs will be coming soon!



For now, here is one of my favorite tea quotes:
Bread and water 
can so easily become 
toast and tea.