Mighty Leaf Tea

Mighty Leaf Tea

Having lunch with SteveZ at Red Light a few weeks ago, we had a mint tea that I enjoyed quite a bit. It was a bagged tea from Mighty Leaf, so back home I checked out the Mighty Leaf website, and ordered 4 ounces of loose Keemun and Yunnan Top Grade.

I’m a big fan of Todd & Holland, but their teas are pretty expensive, and when my monthly tea tab starts to exceed my liquor tab, I get to thinking that maybe I need an alterative source for everyday teas. T&H continues to be my favorite place for tea, but as a two-to-three-pot a day guy, I need alternatives…thus, Mighty Leaf.

Both Mighty Leaf teas were about $40 a pound, and they are very good (each 4 ounce bag comes with its own measuring spoon, which expedites the tea-making process for those, like me, with unruly kitchens).

• Keemun is a good solid black, with a hint of malt; it’s the basis for some English (and I believe Irish) Breakfast teas.
• Yunnan Top Grade is my favorite of the two. It looks beautiful; though technically a black, it’s full of blonde hairs and light brown twists, almost like a tobacco, with a fresh, sweet nose.

Caffeine level is high in both leaves, so they're very suitable for a wake-up cup.

Mighty Leaf is served at a number of local high-end joints, such as Trotter’s To Go (Keemun would pair well with foie gras, I'd think), and I’d recommend it. The two I’ve tried are vastly better than 99% of the other brews on the market (if just a notch or two below those of T&H). The Mighty Leaf site is full of good tea info, and they have some interesting products (like the Horse Pu-Erh, pressed into a brick, below)



Hammond

David Hammond wrote: and when my monthly tea tab starts to exceed my liquor tab, I get to thinking that maybe I need an alterative source for everyday teas.

Hammond,

I would think so!!

I just poked around Mighty Leaf Tea's web site, in addition to having a number of outlets in the general area they sell Tea Pouches, which I assume is a gussied up name for tea bags, 100 for $35. .35c for a really nice cup of tea seems reasonable. (Unless of course you compare it to buying Lipton 100 bags for $3.99 at Costco. )

Thanks for posting the info, you'll make civilized tea drinkers out of us heathens yet.

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:Tea Pouches, which I assume is a gussied up name for tea bags, 100 for $35. .35c for a really nice cup of tea seems reasonable. (Unless of course you compare it to buying Lipton 100 bags for $3.99 at Costco.

GWiv,

Tea bags are convenient, no doubt, but I don't prefer them. You may pay extra for the convenience, of course, but the real basis of my dislike is that the dust and fannings that are used in bags have greater surface area (because they're small scraps of larger leaves), which means flavor-bearing oils in the leaf will dry out sooner.

Hammond

David Hammond wrote:dust and fannings that are used in bags have greater surface area (because they're small scraps of larger leaves), which means flavor-bearing oils in the leaf will dry out sooner.

David,

Mighty Leaf offers tea pouches individually wrapped in foil. I imagine this would help with the problem, but it also adds .12c to each pouch.

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:Tea Pouches, which I assume is a gussied up name for tea bags, 100 for $35. .35c for a really nice cup of tea seems reasonable.

David Hammond wrote:Tea bags are convenient, no doubt, but I don't prefer them. You may pay extra for the convenience, of course, but the real basis of my dislike is that the dust and fannings that are used in bags have greater surface area (because they're small scraps of larger leaves), which means flavor-bearing oils in the leaf will dry out sooner.

Mighty Leaf's Tea Pouches are actually whole-leaf teas in mesh (not paper) bags. They're quite nice, and they don't seem to dry out any faster than other whole-leaf teas.

LAZ,

I'm a newcomer to Mighty Leaf, and all I've purchased are their whole leaf teas, so it's good to know that even their bags contain the whole (i.e., un-pulverized) leaf (though I must admit, looking at the site, the leaves in the bags "look" smaller than regular leaves, and at the site I couldn't find mention of their actually using whole leaves in the bags).

I usually buy the mesh bags (T-Sac, #3 filter -- about 8 bucks for 100) separately and pack my own bags as needed. The advantage of the bags I use are that they are over-sized to enable more "flow" around each leaf, but the Mighty Leaf bags look plenty big. Unfortunately, the selection of teas offered by Mighty Leaf in bags is extremely limited (there's a handful varieties available in bags but maybe 80 to 100 loose tea varieties -- yet another reason to go loose).

Hammond

Rather hyped-up description of the pouches here; it mentions "whole leaf" several times. I wasn't urging you to buy them in lieu of loose tea, just commenting that they're much nicer than regular teabags. I was given a sampler.

I do wish someone would create a tea revolution that would upgrade restaurant tea the way restaurant coffee has improved in most places. Actually, I don't even care so much about the tea itself if only restaurants would make it properly. Even Lipton's from a bag can be palatable if it's freshly made with boiling water instead of the ubiquitous practice of bringing out a little pot of faintly steaming water with the teabag on the side. I've pretty much given up ordering tea in ordinary restaurants.

Of late, even iced tea is deteriorating. I expect it's better in the South, but so many places up north now serve only bottled tea.

LAZ,

Thanks for pointing me to the right place on the site -- "over hyped" is right (you'd think they'd invented sliced hot dog buns).*

At Red Light, where I first encountered Mighty Leaf, the water was very hot, and I asked the server if they used boiling water, and he said that they tapped it off the big silver urn, just like everybody else. For tea, water should be hot, of course, but for green tea, it's my understanding that water should be cooled down from the boil to about 185 degrees. For the mint tea we had that day, the very hot (though not boiling) water was fine.

I'd like to see better tea in restaurants, too, but asking a food service place to boil water is, strangely, asking a lot.

Hammond

* It's odd. Although they claim on that page that they're using whole leaf teas in the pouches, the pix on the page are not of actual teas but of herbal blends or tisanes (some of which are not "leaves"). You've sampled it, though, so I'm sure you're right.

Hi all--

My wife and I order quite regularly from Upton Tea which is at

http://www.uptontea.com

They seem to offer a wider range of products than Mighty Leaf and at a wider range of prices. For instance, our everyday morning tea, the Bond St. English Breakfast blend, is $28.10 per kilo, versus 7.95 for 4 oz of the organic english breakfast at Mighty Leaf (that comes out to about $70 per kilo). I'm sure there is a quality difference between these two teas, and there is, of course, plenty of high end tea at Upton as well, but I just wanted to point out the range of offerings they have.

One thing I appreciate about Upton is that the tea comes in foil-lined bags (the smaller ones are ziploc-resealable) with a label affixed that specifies optimal amount of leaf per cup, water temperature (either 180 or 212), and steeping time. When you end up with a cupboard full of 6-10 different teas (white, green, black, pu-erh, etc) it is very nice to have this info literally at your fingertips when you are trying to brew something.

This just in: Fancy Man Enjoys Tea

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/fa ... enjoys_tea

Have you ever heard this?

A pinch of baking soda in a gallon of freshly-brewed iced tea takes out bad-tasting tannins and prevents cloudiness.

If someone gives it a try, then please report back. There might be enough acidity in tea the baking soda gets completely used up and disapeers. It may not work on herbal teas.

Regards,

For expedience, there's a number of ways to brew one cup of fine looseleaf tea without having to break out the teapot or wash out an infuser: paper baggies excellent for the compost heap here, here and here or cotton baggies (frighteningly described as reuseable)

Though, David, tea-drinker that I am, I will admit to reticence about drinking infusions of a hard brown brick labeled Horse Pu.

David Hammond wrote:T&H continues to be my favorite place for tea, but as a two-to-three-pot a day guy...

David, between your 2-3 pots of tea and the 3-4 liters of water you drink a day, that's a LOT of fluid! I thought I was well hydrated with my 10 glasses of water a day and single pot of tea, but you've got me beat by far.

Do you like Mariage Freres tea? This is probably the finest tea I've had at home. Because of cost, it's not an everyday drink, but it's worth it for an occasional indulgence. My goal is to meet someone who's actually tasted the Esprit de Noel variety, which has eluded me for three years now--I can't seem to get it before it sells out.

happy_stomach wrote:

David Hammond wrote:T&H continues to be my favorite place for tea, but as a two-to-three-pot a day guy...

David, between your 2-3 pots of tea and the 3-4 liters of water you drink a day, that's a LOT of fluid! I thought I was well hydrated with my 10 glasses of water a day and single pot of tea, but you've got me beat by far.

Do you like Mariage Freres tea?

Thanks for keeping score at home! Yes, fully hydrated, thank you.

Don't think I've ever had Mariage Freres. Did you buy it locally?

I read a lot here, but obviously don't post much...but for tea discussion, I can jump in with my most favored tea-brewing gadget, the ingenuiteaby Adagio. Perfect for one giant mug, or two small, mortal sized cups.

I don't care for their teas all that much, but I have many of their teaware pots and gadgets, and enjoy them all, but the ingenuitea is definitely my favorite.

I mainly consume herbals (allergic to caffeine), and I order often from Culinary Teas - great service, and I really like their mint - bright and strong. They also have licorice root, which can be hard to find, which you can brew in tea to add a hint of sweetness without sugar. Mint and licorice together is divine (2:1 ratio).

David Hammond wrote:Don't think I've ever had Mariage Freres. Did you buy it locally?

Yes. I get it at Porte Rouge on Division. I've tried a few times to get it online from sources overseas but have had trouble with the online transactions (just technical difficulties, not getting cheated or anything like that). I think I've now tried all of the Mariage varieties that Porte Rouge carries except, again, for the elusive Esprit de Noel, which always sells out. Most often, I've purchased the Nil Rouge, Chandernagor and Pleine Lune. It's all very exquisite tea.

Another recommendation for an everyday tea: I am enjoying this morning my favorite Earl Grey, the loose variety by Taylors of Harrogate. The bergamot in this is very fine. I most often buy ToH on my trips to Montreal since it's so cheap there--I think about $8 C for 125g. However, I also know Dean & Deluca carries it--if I remember on trips to NY, I pick it up there. Locally, Fox & Obel might have it, but I don't know for sure.

Jenn_in_RoPa wrote:They also have licorice root, which can be hard to find

Just FYI: I get licorice root tea regularly at Whole Foods. I think it's getting a lot easier to find.

If you like mint teas...I usually don't care too much for mint, but I was feeling kind of queasy one day and picked up a cup of a variety they carry at...shoot...I can't remember the name. It's a coffee shop in downtown Evanston that I had only visited this once, on Orrington, on the same block as Ben & Jerry's, just south. Anyway, it was a mint-persimmon or maybe a mint-papaya. It was very satisfying--the fruit was very, very subtle. I don't know how consistent the quality of tea would be at this shop since they don't store their teas properly, but if you like mint, it's worth a stop.

This reminds of a recent dinner I had at Niche in Geneva. The chef served a fruit sorbet that had an unusual flavor. When I inquired about it, he not only gave me the recipe but also two bags of chamomile citrus tea from Mighy Leaf. He had infused the simple syrup with the tea and that was what I was tasting. Really good.

Jean,

Thanks for the tip. I'm bound to Niche next week and I am always on the lookout for a good tea. This is one I will have to try.

happy_stomach wrote:

David Hammond wrote:Don't think I've ever had Mariage Freres. Did you buy it locally?

Yes. I get it at Porte Rouge on Division. I've tried a few times to get it online from sources overseas but have had trouble with the online transactions (just technical difficulties, not getting cheated or anything like that). I think I've now tried all of the Mariage varieties that Porte Rouge carries except, again, for the elusive Esprit de Noel, which always sells out. Most often, I've purchased the Nil Rouge, Chandernagor and Pleine Lune. It's all very exquisite tea.

Mariage Frères is my favorite tea as well. The "Thé sur le Nil" variety cannot be beat. I am hoping to get to Porte Rouge soon. Anyone happen to know if MF Tea is sold elsewhere in Chicagoland?

EatingTheWorld wrote:Mariage Frères is my favorite tea as well. The "Thé sur le Nil" variety cannot be beat. I am hoping to get to Porte Rouge soon. Anyone happen to know if MF Tea is sold elsewhere in Chicagoland?

I have looked and looked and looked. I've checked at all of the high-end and Euro-centric grocers and cafes I've visited. I've also asked at pâtisseries around the city. No luck except at Porte Rouge. I just have friends send it from France now, though I do like visiting the friendly folks at Porte Rouge. I don't know why this tea hasn't made more in-roads into Chicago given everything else we can get here so easily.

Mighty Leaf is having a 25% off sale on all bagged tea right now. If you drink a lot of this it's worth stocking up. I have been hooked on the camomile citrus for a couple of years now so I usually order the box of 100. The sale ends April 23.

happy_stomach wrote:I don't know why this tea hasn't made more in-roads into Chicago given everything else we can get here so easily.

Supposedly, Mariage Freres limits distribution, and they won't allow their product to be sold anywhere that carries other teas.

LAZ wrote:

happy_stomach wrote:I don't know why this tea hasn't made more in-roads into Chicago given everything else we can get here so easily.

Supposedly, Mariage Freres limits distribution, and they won't allow their product to be sold anywhere that carries other teas.

I most recently saw Mariage Freres outside of Chicago in Melbourne and Sydney. The Food Hall in the David Jones department stores in both of these cities stocks dozens of very fine brands of tea, including Mariage Freres. I'm pretty sure I've also seen MF in NYC in the past two years at places selling mulitple brands of tea, including, I think, the Dean & Deluca at Broadway & Prince.