Green Tea from Taiwan (Baguashan 八卦山): a pleasant and mild green tea

After the first infusion

For Christmas I received a really nice set of tea canisters containing a variety of tea from Taiwan.  (Would have loved to show pics of the canisters but my photos weren't very good.) I was super excited as there was green tea as part of the mix!  Taiwan is not known for green tea and they don't produce very much of it, but they do produce it.  Oolong teas are really their forte but this one was a nice change.  I remember after drinking the first cup, it sort of gave me a "Spring" like feeling...but, then again I also drank this on New Years Day when the sun was shining and it was much warmer than you'd think for January weather!  (Whatever it was, it was a nice feeling!)

This tea was from Taiwan Tea Crafts, which ships tea directly from Taiwan.  I've recently come across a number of websites (in English) offering Taiwan tea that are based in Taiwan and ship worldwide.  Five years ago there weren't that many but now there are so many options.  You can get Taiwanese oolong teas on almost any online tea shop but, most of these new ones mention that they work directly with the tea farmers indicating product authenticity.

Made from the Qing Xin Gan Zi  (青心柑仔) tea varietal, this tea was also hand-picked from the southern most tip of the Baguashan (八卦山) mountain ridge in Nantou County. Usually, Qing Xin (青心) is the only term referenced on a lot of sites, but I like how they were even more specific.  I only thought there was one Qing Xin varietal, but since I've been reading some text I bought from Taiwan, I've learned that they are further divided.  Qing Xin Gan Zi is mainly used to make green tea while Qing Xin Oolong  (青心烏龍) and Qing Xin Da Pan* (青心大冇) are normally made into various oolong teas.


Baguashan Qing Xin Green Tea

Dry Leaves...3 grams
Vessel...Ceramic Gaiwan 175ml
Temp...80°C boiled water

First cup

Infusion time...1 minute.

Colour - lovely light green/yellow, clear
Body - medium thick, nice mouth feel.
Taste - vegetal and grassy but not as sharp as other green teas...there was a bit of creaminess to it.


Second cup

Infusion time...1.5 minutes

Body - lighter than the first
Taste - vegetal but lighter.  I may have to adjust timing or temperature of this second cup as I thought it could have been better given the leaves were still quite rolled after the first infusion.


Overall, I really like this green tea.  It's more subtle than other green teas and the hint of creaminess is perfect for a light roasted oolong tea lover, but it does have a distinct vegetal grassy taste.  From the website, the tea was picked in Oct 2015, so a winter tea.  This is also unusual because most green teas I know of are picked in the spring.  I wonder what kind of difference there would be if picked in the spring vs winter?  Anyway, I'll definitely be keeping my eye out for more news on green tea in Taiwan.

*Not sure if this is the right English translation because the Chinese character is usually known as "mao3" when it is written elsewhere.

Soma Chocolate Maker - Exceptionally Good Chocolates!

This post is long overdue, but I really wanted to post about them.  Soma Chocolates had recently won several International Chocolate awards (in late 2015) so I was curious as to how the they tasted.

Taken directly from their facebook page, here are their winning chocolates:

PORCELANA BAR
Gold world- dark chocolate...
Gold world- directly traded
Gold world- chocolate maker

CSB CHAMA BAR
Silver world- dark chocolate
Gold Americas- best in show chocolate maker
Gold Americas- dark chocolate

STRATUS BAR- made with lees from our friends at Stratus Vineyards
Silver world- flavoured bar
Silver Americas- flavoured bar

PEACH MAGNOLIA TRUFFLE
Silver world- dark truffle
Gold Canada- dark truffle

THAI COCONUT TRUFFLE
Silver world- dark truffle
Silver Canada- dark/milk truffle


I picked up the CSB Chama Bar as I didn't see the Porcelana Bar.

I also picked up their 12 layer jawbreaker which was nice because it was symbolic of their 12 years in business.

And, some bars for gifting to my friends.

And, some truffles to try with my family.

So, not a huge haul but this definitely put a dent in my wallet!  I started with the truffles - got the Stratus (seasonal), fig (seasonal), Papua New Guinea, Venezuela, hazelnut, and jasmine.

I loved the Papua New Guinea truffle!!  It was quite unique, loved the notes of berry and light smokiness.  Would definitely get this one over and over again.  One of the bars I purchased for my friends was the Papua New Guinea Black Science collection and she also really liked it.

我很喜歡他們的巴布亞新幾内亞巧克力!  非常棒!  味道很特別.

As for the other truffles, the fig and balsamic was quite good.  The stratus was interesting but not really my thing. Hazelnut and jasmine were nice but I think I definitely prefer the straight single origin chocolate truffles over the flavoured ones.

Upon first tasting the CSB Chama Bar, I was a little disappointed.  The taste was really subtle and was not the 70% cocoa I was expecting.  It was a lot milder.  But, the second time I broke off a few pieces, the flavours started to come out more.  Maybe the day I first tried it, I was getting over a cold and that really affected my tasting ability.  It's still subtle but a lot more interesting.  I'm not much of a connoisseur on chocolate so I can't comment on the finer details, but I did like it after my second try.  Just not as good as the Papua New Guinea one.

Soma Chocolate Makers have won me over!  They are on the pricier side but not unlike other specialty chocolate makers in Toronto. They do have quite a bit of information about their chocolates available to the consumer which I think is good as more and more people are looking for that extra something.  If I need a quality gift for someone who enjoys food and chocolate as much as I, this would definitely be one of my choices.

I visited the King St. W. location (the Distillery location was packed due to the Christmas market).  Service was nice and helpful.  

Next on my list is to try the gelato and the hot chocolate or Bicerin (a Turin, Italy speciality), but it'll likely be one of the hot drinks first!  (It's been quite cold these days!)

Soma Chocolatemaker

443 King St. W. 

Toronto, ON M5V 1K4

416-599-7662

http://www.somachocolate.com/

Hello 2016



Some reading material I purchased last year

Happy New Year!

I hope everyones start to the new year has been good.  A new year almost always calls for new goals. Some of the things I've been thinking about are really about making life a little more simple and I want to continue with some of the goals I made last year, but I have one new one that is going to be a bit challenging (and possibly make things more complicated) ...

Start making this blog bilingual:  English/Chinese.

我在 2016 年希望能開始寫雙語的部落文章.

I don't intend for this blog to be 100% bilingual and I think some posts will just be too time consuming to write in both languages, but if one day down the road it is, it would be amazing!  I can definitely read more Chinese characters than I can write, my reading capability is probably that of a grade 1 student though, but I'd like to try.  The start might be popping in the Chinese character here and there, or writing a sentence or two. Like any language, if you don't use it, you lose it so by trying to post in English and Chinese, it'll definitely force me to use it.  I'd like to practice speaking more too but for now, the written language will have to do.


Why did I set this goal? 

Here are just a few reasons...

• In 2009 I spent one year in Taiwan studying Mandarin and feel it slowly slipping away...last year it was disheartening when at times I found myself not as competent as I should have been at various Mandarin speaking opportunities.
• I also would like my child to learn either Cantonese or Mandarin or both so I'm trying to get a head start....Sometimes I think there are are things I strive to improve in myself so my child could benefit or can take on those same good habits - does anyone feel the same way?
• Going back to Asia - travelling back to Taiwan or China with better language skills definitely will help with connecting with locals and make travelling just a wee bit easier. Tea is my drink of choice and a vacation to Taiwan most surely includes a visit to tea houses and gardens where English is not very common.

I'll be posting in traditional characters as that is what I'm most familiar with. For those of you that can read and write Chinese, please do comment if I'm using a term incorrectly or if I've totally made a mess!!...It'll definitely help my learning :) Thanks!

Wishing everyone a joyful and healthy 2016!

Looking back at 2015

A few picutres from December 2015

2015
It's been a good year. 
Not everything was great, there were ups and downs but overall, I'm thankful for a good year and for all the people in my life. 

Wrote more on this blog

 (115 posts compared to 41 in 2014!  Eating lots of good meals!)

Baked more

(cookies, cakes, and other interesting treats like the sesame pear muffin in Dec)

Read some interesting books

(about Ramen, French country-side living, and Chinese food in America)

Drank more tea

(at home and at the numerous tea shops that have popped up in Toronto)

Cooked more

(like Jamaican style oxtail...which I have yet to post a recipe for...)

Ate wonderful sweets

(at Petit Nuage and Soma to name a few)

And most importantly, enjoyed more precious memories that my toddler and partner have bestowed upon me.

Thank you to those that have taken the time to read my little space in the blogging world!

Richmond Court Restaurant

Richmond Court is an old standby Cantonese restaurant for me.  They serve HK Style Cafe meals, all day dim sum, and family style Chinese dishes which include a selection of seafood.  For night owls, this place is also open late!
 

I like this place because it's quite large so getting a seat is not too difficult, the food is decent, and the price is on par with the portion and taste.  The servers are also quite friendly.  The restaurant includes a bbq meats section and bakery so it really does offer something for everyone.  Only thing that was a little bit of a sad face on our last visit - lots of ice in the iced tea we got.
 

Wonton noodles and almond milk

On a separate visit... 

Black Pepper Beef

Soy sauce chicken (half portion)

 We ordered veggies as well that was part of a set meal and it comes with soup.  Sometimes all you want is some standard Cantonese dishes that are fast and affortable.

 

 

Richmond Court Restaurant

http://www.richmondcourtrestaurant.com/contactmap.html

550 Hwy 7 East Building A Unit 7-8, 28-30

Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3Z4

T: 905-709-1628 

Hours: Sun - Thurs 8am -2:30am, Fri-Sat open till 3am. 

 

Lunch AND dinner at ZenQ

ZenQ near my place had started offering food and I've been meaning to give them a try for some time now.  The brand started out trying to establish itself as a dessert and tea place, but the expansion into Taiwanese meals is welcome.  From 12-9 pm they offer a selection of their dishes + drink (a select few) for $9.50.  (I think the Markham location is a little cheaper for their combo?)  ZenQ is actually owned by the same parent company as Chatime, La Kaffa International which I found interesting because I'm sure they must be sourcing the same tea.

For a late (and actually quite rushed) lunch, I ordered the crispy chicken rice combo and I wasn't disappointed, actually quite happy.  The meal comes with a side dish of vegetables, a good portion of chicken and rice with some minced pork on top.  Taste was good and it wasn't greasy.  I would have liked a little bit of basil on the crispy chicken to add to the flavour but it was still ok.  The regular milk bubble tea was good as usual.  I've gotten takeout drinks from them often and it's always been pretty good. 

So...usually I'd try out a place and then move on to try another place but...



Come dinner time...I decided to try their takeout.  Yes, I do things in bunches!  The other entree I was thinking of trying at lunch was the three cup chicken so for dinner, this is what I got for takeout.  The takeout container is not a bento box style but still comes with your main and sides.  There is actually more rice in the takeout container.  Flavour was good and is very typical, could use more garlic but I was happy there was basil.  This time I had a honey jasmine green tea with my meal and it was a nice refreshing drink!

For bubble tea places, this place offers quite a decent meal combo and the hours they offer it is really great as you can have it for lunch and dinner!

  

 

ZenQ (North York)

http://www.zenq.ca/

5437A Yonge St.
North York, ON M2N 5S1
T: (647) 350-ZENQ (9367)



Dayali - Spinach and Peanuts, Stir fried Tea Tree Mushrooms, and Yes, Peking Duck

Dayali Beijing Roast Duck
20 Gibson Dr.
Markham, ON L3R 0M7
T: 905-604-8680

About a month ago I was craving Peking duck, so I invited some friends to come try it out with me. We have ordered Peking duck for just 2 of us but I thought it would be good to try some other dishes and looking at the menu, I wanted to try a lot of other dishes!

We ordered the signature duck which was pricier, but unfortunately it wasn't the star of the show that afternoon. It was good but not "you have to eat this HERE!" type reaction.

The signature duck I believe comes with the extra slices of skin that I are around the chest area, fattier than other parts. It also comes with a warmer for the wrappers and extra sides which actually weren't that interesting after all. Overall, this was an average tasting bird. The special pieces were crisp but also because of the fattieness, the fat was somewhat "spongy" as my partner put it.

We ordered a number of sides to go with our duck...

From top L (counter clockwise): meat jelly, glutinous rice stuffed lotus root, spinach and peanuts, jelly fish, marinated duck wings

The best was the spinach and peanuts but it is a spicy dish.

Here are the other items we ordered...

 

Beef noodle soup

Fried rice

Tea tree mushroom stirfry (You can buy these at Chinese supermarkets...they don't taste like tea though, or at least I don't think so since it was stir fried with soy sauce and chilis)

Braised pork with glutinous rice

Spicy clams

 

Dishes that I'd order again based on taste:

Spinach and peanut salad
Spicy clams
Stir-fried tea tree mushrooms (although the picture in the menu was quite different, showing a mix of different types of mushrooms which would have been more ideal): these mushrooms are chewy and the dish is spicy so if might not be everyone's cup of tea.

Average:

Beef noodle soup
Lotus root stuffed with glutinous rice (sweet tasting)
Braised pork with glutinous rice (very little glutinous rice)
Fried rice (can't remember the exact name but I believe it was seafood)

Lacking flavour and wouldn't order again:

Meat jelly
Marinated duck wings

A number of the dishes seemed quite oily but I know that this is often the case.


Service was sub-par...there weren't many servers to attend to the tables, a friend had to get up and get little things like extra napkins himself!