Monthly Archives: February 2011

The tea party’s reach extends all the way to Holland

Posted on February 27, 2011 by Don Seiffert

A test done in Holland of people under 40 found that people are better able to concentrate and stay alert 20 to 70 minutes after drinking tea, according to a report in The Daily Mail. A combination of an amino … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

How to drink Blue Earl Grey tea

Posted on February 24, 2011 by Don Seiffert

Go to Mr. Crepe in Davis Square. Order a big huge cup of Blue Earl Grey for $2 even though you don’t know what it is. You get a small, spherical teapot and a mug. Inside the teapot is a … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Was your tea picked by monkeys?

Posted on February 23, 2011 by Don Seiffert

The problem with a lot of books about tea is that they are written by people who kind of miss the point of tea. They obsess about minor differences and miss the really important things, like whether or not a … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Queen of the Sea

Posted on February 22, 2011 by Don Seiffert

She hauled her human load slowly up the coast of eastern Sri Lanka, leaving Columbo at dawn laden with gifts for a new year. The final vision of its one thousand passengers was waving palms, endless sand, undying sun. When … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Supermarket green tea ratings say supermarket green teas suck

Posted on February 18, 2011 by Don Seiffert

I don’t usually get plain green tea, whether loose or supermarket brands. I’ve had a few which were really good (Big Green Hojicha Green Tea by Republic of Tea was one, kind of nutty, a little like a Glenmaicha, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Giving away the ending first

Posted on February 17, 2011 by Don Seiffert

I started read Jon Krakauer late, just about four or five months ago, and I’m on a total mania with his books now. I’ve known for years he was the author of Into Thin Air, that he was a big-time … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

If you can’t stand the heat, who cares?

Posted on February 15, 2011 by Don Seiffert

Books and blogs written by tea snobs have spent a great deal of real or virtual space discussing the proper temperature for tea water. They say that water for black tea should be heated to boiling, then allowed to sit … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Experiment No. 1: Why does iced tea get cloudy?

Posted on February 13, 2011 by Don Seiffert

Two weekends ago I went to Mr. Crepe in Davis Square. Food was good, but when I ordered a large glass of unsweetened iced tea with lemon (my usual), the woman behind the counter took a plastic jug out of … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

These are a few of my favorite teas

Posted on February 12, 2011 by Don Seiffert

Anyone who has worked with me knows I drink a whole lot of tea. I used to have a teapot on my desk at the Newton TAB newsroom and at the Enterprise which I would use to make tea, usually … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

NYT uses the word, ‘Tiggywinkles’ in story about flea leaping

Posted on February 11, 2011 by Don Seiffert

Scientists in Cambridge, England have solved a riddle which the Mind of Mankind has been itching to know for three centuries, which is, how do fleas jump up to 38 times their body length. According to a really excellent New … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment