Chinatown Sips: Tea Edition
As we experience the eleventy-thousandth month of spring in Boston (rain, snow, hot, cold, nor’easter) we await the relaxing warmth of summer. Do I hear cackling? We are just about to have a break in this heat wave and you’re talking about the “relaxing warmth of summer?”
Okay, so it’s been a minute but stick with me...You get summer colds, too, right? Please, read on…!
In one of those “is it a cold or is it allergies” moments, I found a tea that you must try. This “Eight Treasures” tea begins with red dates, AKA Jujubes. (Not those icky candies that were always in my “to trade” pile at Halloween.) These jujubes are known more broadly as Chinese red dates are the key ingredient in this traditional brew. We see them in our favorite herbalist’s shop, Nam Bac Hong (now on Tyler St.) as well as in Jia Ho the supermarket we also visit on our tours. On my tours, this herbalist shop is always one of the high points for guests.
Eight Treasures Tea
Jujube or Chinese Red Dates
Chrysanthemum tea
Dried Cranberries (or Goji)
Ginger, one large fresh slice
Dried citrus peel
one Whole star anise
Crystalized ginger or more fresh ginger
Rock sugar or honey, to taste
Rinse the dried ingredients (including the chrysanthemum tea); snip the dates and remove the pits. Add all ingredients in a smallish pot and bring to boil on the stove. Simmer for an hour or more. Let it sit and steep.
You’ll find this so warm and comforting. And it’s loaded with Vitamin C and anti-inflammatory ingredients.
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Sipping spaces
A great place to relax or meet a friend for a quick catch up over gelato or George Howell coffee, MEM teas, Cafe Darq on Beach street is a great place to visit.
Owners Kathy Phan and husband Axel have created a beautiful spot both indoors and out, with window seats and patio tables.
If you’re looking for boba or bubble tea….
Tea-Do is my go-to for great boba (ask for reduced sugar and notice the quality of the teas!) Enjoy Japanese sunnaku, too. Spam onigiri perhaps? More on Boba soon.
shopping for flavors
Looking to try a few new flavors? Head to Jia Ho supermarket and peruse their extensive selection. On a quiet morning you can head to Hei La Moon and ask for two teapots and hot water, let them steep, then do your own tea tasting. I enjoyed sipping two different teas with a tea expert and artist Paul Angiollilo. We chose a Taiwanese “red oolong” and a less expensive ______. Both were terrific.
One of the joys of dim sum is that you get a choice of tea. You may hear heung peen (香片), which translates to "fragrant leaves". This is a light floral green tea which is dried with jasmine petals, imparting the tea with a light jasmine scent. This is a very popular choice at dim sum.
The other classic choice to accompany dim sum is “bo lei” which is a darker stronger fermented tea. In Mandarin it is known as Pu’erh. The Aunties may tell you that bo lei helps rinse away the fat you consume at dim sum. As with most old wives tales, the kernel of truth, observed over time may offer insights. Fermented things do help with digestion. Perhaps that is the origin?
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Sipping with the Pros
I did this recently with Paul Angiolillo who is an artist, sculptor and tea sommelier. We picked two different price points and styles of tea to try side by side with some dim sum.
Surprisingly, I did not prefer the more expensive tea in the fancy gift box. It was wonderful, but the much less expensive tea was also delicious. My memory was that the expensive tea (what Chinese often call a red oolong) had a smoother texture and a slight caramel-y note. The other was a bit more assertive and toasty. I thoroughly enjoyed both as well as my conversation with Paul about art, tea, food…the way that conversations unwind with a pot of tea mirrors the unfurling of the tea in the hot water.
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A bit about Paul:
Paul Angiolillo discovered the pleasure of tea-drinking as an undergraduate at Yale U. (Constant Comment teabags), and then rediscovered the joys of this world’s most-popular beverage in the 1990s, while a journalist and editor in the Greater Boston area. To learn more about teas, he took a position for a year at Upton Tea Imports in Holliston MA. Today, he gives tea-tasting classes and presentations on the history, culture, and arts associated with tea for educational programs, as well as in private homes and institutions, including the Peabody-Essex Museum (Salem MA), the Mariposa Museum (Peterborough NH), and the Golden Ball Tavern Museum (Weston).
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