Inspiration: Count Cisco's Earl Grey Tea

Count Cisco's Earl Grey

Do you ever come across an Earl Grey and think to yourself that it smells... stale? I have too. A good Earl Grey seems to be something that's hard to find, which is weird considering it's one of the most popular black teas.

I spent a number of months researching, tasting, blending, banging my head against walls... and then I stumbled into this.

Named after the character of one Mr. M. Gomez, this is a super fresh Earl Grey blend that I am rather happy with. Have you tried it? What do you think?

On Etsy

On our Website

Tea Information: Brewing

Tea Information: Brewing

It has been brought to my attention that some people are not as fluent in loose leaf tea as others. So I have put together a small "cheat sheet" if you will, and it will lead you on the path to great tea!


First off, you need loose leaf tea, a tea spoon (tsp or one purchased from my Etsy), a tea ball (or steeping ball. Again, you can purchase one from me on Etsy if you can't find one locally), a mug and hot water.

Now the fun tidbits:
When making any tea, be sure you begin with good water, if your water tastes really good out of the tap chances are it will make good tea. If there is any noticeable unpleasant taste in the tap water, e.g. Metallic, chlorine, earthiness etc. that taste will come through in the tea.

Different teas require different steeping temperatures. Using the wrong steeping temperature is probably the most common error people make when preparing tea.
You can buy a thermometer to gauge temperature or you can look for visual clues.

Black tea generally should be made with water at a full, rolling boil, 200 - 212 degrees. 3-5 minutes.
Green and white teas should be made with slightly cooler water, between 160 and 180 degrees. The steam should be wafting or gently swirling out of the kettle. 1-3 minutes. If your green tea goes bitter it's either steeped too long or in water that is too hot.
Herbal teas are also typically be made with boiling water, roughly 200 to 212 degrees again. 5-8 minutes or to taste.

If you receive a blend that is a mix of two tea types, I suggest doing a bit of playing around with temps and times. To err on the side of caution I would suggest starting with the lower temperature and time of the two teas as a guide.
I hope that helps! If any of you have questions feel free to ask :)

Inspiration: Blueberry Imp

Blueberry Imp

This tea is very, very blueberry. When I blended it I honestly had no idea what to call it, just that it smelled amazing and I simply had to make a tea out of it. There's a touch of vanilla in the blend as well.

When the magical Imp was brought up to me in conversation the idea just clicked. What about a line of fruit teas named after imps? Well, they are coming. This is only the first!

On Etsy

Inspiration: Keeper Tea

Keeper

This tea is inspired mainly by the song that Pandora Celtica sings called "The Keeper". The band jokes that this is the only happy song they sing, and that they often send it to festivals to prove that they aren't always singing about death and destruction.
Some of the lyrics: 
The keeper did a hunting go

And under his cloak he carried a bow

All for to shoot a merry little doe

Among the leaves so green-o.

Chorus:

Jackie boy (Master) Sing ye well (Very well)

Hey down (Ho down) Derry derry down

Among the leaves so green-o

To my hey down down (To my ho down down )

Hey down (Ho down) Derry derry down

Among the leaves so green-o

(Thanks to this site for the lyrics)

When I blended this tea I was thinking of green, and fresh and bright. Apple paired with mint just happened to be the perfect pairing, and I have to say that this is one of our best sellers! It's really great both hot and cold, with nothing added in.

Find it on Etsy. 

Inspiration: Awaken

Awaken.

This tea was created for someone that didn't want to drink as much coffee, but still loved the caffeine. The blend itself is a base of roasted mate and a mix of vanilla and honey black teas. Roasted mate has a very high caffeine content while still being an herbal. Cinnamon was added to bring out the sweet notes of the mate, vanilla and honey.
This tea is best with a touch of milk and sugar. 

Find it here on etsy.

Photos: Tea Tins

These tins were incredibly limited edition, only for Kickstarter backers of the very first Drayd Tea Kickstarter. Only, I made a few extra.... So they're on Etsy!
These are the only tins with Dryad Tea stickers like these, and they will never be available like this again.

Inspiration: Nessa Tea

Nessa; the darling, amazing, petite Nixie of Pandora Celtica...  She was quite an adventure to blend tea for. I wanted something different, something with pizzazz that was also soothing and fun to drink. 

I had to take into account her love for life, her cheer and many other great qualities about her when coming up with this blend.

I ended up with a green and black tea blend, chock full of Vitamin C and antioxidants. Orange and jasmine are the two strongest notes in the blend but there's also rosehips, heather and other yummy things.

Find it on etsy.

Photos: Tea!

Here are just a few photos of the loose leaf teas that we offer at Dryad Tea:

Maid in Bedlam

Awaken

Kelpie

Chryseis

Dischordia

Keeper

Inspiration: ShadowCat Tea

Ah ShadowCat... To say that this blend was interesting to make is rather an understatement.

It all started when we were playing one of our gigs at the Mercury Cafe, each of us came up with our own alcoholic drinks, and ShadowCat's was very much coffee and chocolate. Now, I'm as much a fan of coffee and chocolate as the next person, but I really felt that the Prince of Dreams and Thief of Sorrows deserved something... more for his tea.

I started with a chocolate base, because who doesn't like chocolate? And from there I tried many things. Nothing really stuck... Until the raspberry. A dessert tea! 

I find that though this is a dessert type tea, it really is something you can drink anytime!

So far most people prefer it with milk (or almond milk) and honey, finding that the flavors blend wonderfully.

Find it on Etsy!

(Photo thanks to Capture by Design Photography)

Inspiration: Chemical Worker's Tea

I suppose that this is sort of the tea that started it all.

When I was first dreaming up the idea of doing teas inspired by the songs that Pandora Celtica sings I had to find a few songs that strongly spoke of what they were and exactly what was going on in them. Chemical was the first.

Often called "Process Man" this song speaks of those that worked in chemical factories, not usually a very good subject, nor is it one that you might want to drink in tea.... but I was determined to make it something that people would enjoy drinking while listening to the song.

I wanted to make a tea that reminded the drinker of smokey skies, but also warm spices, things that a chemical worker would want to drink- the stronger the better.

Blending the black tea was probably the easiest part. I wanted smoke, but also pure and strong black tea. Then there was all of the spices. I can easily say that this is a blend that is more herbs and spices than it is tea leaves. Cardamom, cinnamon and ginger are the big three in this blend, likening it to chai in a way.

You can find this tea on Etsy.