In brushing up for our recent Puerh Tea Tasting in September, I came across some interesting tidbits to include in the presentation. We had our good friend, Steven join in who is our resident ‘Puerh Expert’. He modestly doesn’t agree with the title, but he is one of the most knowledgeable people I know on the subject.  He added such intriguing stories about tea to the tasting discussion! During the course of the event, each member of the Discover Teas team had a bit of information to put in to paint a rather comprehensive view of aged teas. Fascinating indeed! Here are a few things I learned:

1. Black puerhs are relatively new to the industry, coming onto the market in the early 1970’s. Traditionally only green puerhs were produced and naturally aged to a vintage. Black puerhs incorporate an ‘artificial’ aging method to speed up the process and meet the increased demand for puerhs. Black puerhs go through what’s called ‘piling’ in order to increase fermentation over a shorter period of time.
2. Tea leaves for puerhs are typically picked from tea bushes that are of the broad leaf varietal, and will include not only the bud and first two leaves, but also the third and fourth. These older leaves from further down on the plant lend to puerh’s unique flavor characteristics.
3. Along with being used for weight loss and increasing metabolism, in the Orient, puerh is believed to counteract the effects of heavy alcohol consumption and quicken recovery from intoxication.

Puerh and Dark Teas are truly a category of their own. You may be surprised that terms such as earthy, musty, briny, sweet, floral, and rich can all be delightfully used to describe tea from cup to cup. If you are looking for a different kind of adventure in your tea journey, consider trying an aged tea.

[This is an archived post and some of the information below may no longer reflect Discover Teas' current situation.] While Discover Teas is still in business, we no longer have either of our brick and mortar locations, nor do we sell tea ice cream any more. Please continue to support Discover Teas online for your tea needs shipped to your door!

Few foods say comfort like a bowl (or bucket!) of ice cream. Rich, creamy, sweet, and compliments just about anything. Add tea to that combination and all of a sudden, that cool coziness is kicked up a notch with a moment of relaxation. No need to rush the goodness; it is meant to be savored.

On July 4th of 2013, we began offering our fans something new at Discover Teas—homemade ice cream made with our teas! At Discover Teas, we are proud to provide products without preservatives, additives or synthetic chemicals. Our ice cream is no exception. We are dedicated to using only the finest ingredients in our ice cream, which is made locally in small batches with much time, love and care. We use heavy cream and whole milk for the ice cream, and coconut milk for sorbet. The sugar we use is turbinado raw sugar. The only flavoring elements are our fantastic teas, Rooibos and fruit blends. The tastes are amazing, and the texture is incredible!  

We’ve experimented now with five flavors of ice cream, plus a sorbet for a dairy free option. Tea favorites such as our Irish Mocha La’Tea, Earl Gray, Rose Black Tea, Kama Sutra Chai, Peach Rooibos, and Pina Colada have made appearances on the menu. Many more are to come as we play with different combinations. Every Wednesday we will have something new to try so come by the Port Warwick Shop in Newport News and experience ice cream made with love.

Do you have a tea you would like to try in an ice cream? Leave us your suggestions in a comment below or on Facebook!