Let’s do tea (right)

By Antoinette May Herndon

I crashed a party recently. It was a tea party too. How crass can you get?! Fortunately, Cheryl Tezzi is a gracious lady who didn’t seem to mind one more place at the table.

Cheryl and her friends, members of a Bible study group, had gathered at the Villa Bakery in Valley Springs. The occasion was a luncheon on what would have been the 90th birthday of Cheryl’s mother, Faye. The highlight of the afternoon, and my reason for being there, was a tea tasting presented by Tammy Escalante.

Tammy’s family, the Escalantes, own the popular Villa Bakery. A unique feature is the party room where specially prepared lunches, brunches, teas and dinners are held.

A highlight of many of these events is Tammy’s tea tasting class.

Tea is special to me, right up there with martinis. Since no one in my household drinks tea, brewing a cup just for me seems a tad self indulgent. I do it anyway. Around four every afternoon I celebrate myself with a tea toast. For this brisk pick-me-up, I prefer a black tea, something strong with plenty of caff. Think British colonial officers on a veranda in Bombay.

Then, at bedtime, I frequently baby myself with a little decaff tea. Something subtle, a little spicy but mainly sweet and soothing. The ritual is called be your own Mommy.

Maybe you’ve an idea now why the prospect of a tea tasting was irresistible to me.

While sampling various teas, Cheryl and her friends each dined on two croissants, one filled with roast turkey on a bed of lettuce, the other with Black Forest Ham and Harvati cheese.

They also had two salads, one mixed green, the other fruit. For dessert they enjoyed sconettes. The luncheon and tasting was $16 a person.

Guests learned that antioxidants and polyphenols—which protect human cells from damage are at their highest in white tea. Tammy believes that three mugs of white a day go a long way to ward of colon, pancreas, bladder, and prostate problems.

My favourite white tea was the Mangosteen, ($14.95). It’s a subtle blend of flavours but I definitely detected mango.

Green tea is another goodie. According to Tammy, the greens contain more antioxidants than Vitamin C or E. New studies also show that green tea lessons the pain of rheumatoid arthritis and may avert osteoporosis by strengthening bones.

The green favourite was 8 Treasures ($10.95). Just consider these ingredients: gunpowder, mini tuo, chung mee, pai mu tan, lung ching, snowbuds, pi lo chun, sun flower blossoms and pineapple and strawberry bits. Sounds like a waker-upper to me.

Not to be forgotten, black tea, a traditional favourite, relaxes and expands arteries that increase blood flow to the heart, thus improving heart health. Black tea is also thought to prevent tooth decay as it contains fluoride.

I particularly liked Margaret’s Hope (10.95), a traditional Darjeeling blended English style black. If you’re a true tea aficionado, this one’s a winner.

Now are ready for this? There’s yet another kind of tea: Rooibos (pronounced roybose). New studies suggest that rooilbos tea delays the aging process. As though that idea isn’t appealing enough, Rooibos is also credited with relieving tension and mild depression. It’s even supposed to be good for a hangover.

My absolute favourite (the Rooibos that I took home with me) is Colada ($10.95), a blend of hibiscus petals, rosehips, calendula petals, pineapple and coconut bits. Whether or not Colada really has all those beguiling properties remains to be seen. In the meantime, it just tastes so good!

VITALS: Villa Bakery. 1905 Vista del Lago, Valley Springs. Phone: 772-1008. Closed Sunday and Monday. Open Tuesday-Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Credit cards accepted.

amherndon@sierralodestar.com

TAMMY’S TIPS FOR PEFECT TEA

Use freshly drawn cold water (really cold). Although filtered water is best, tap water has beneficial nutrients that enhance the tea’s flavour. Use one teaspoon of tea for every cup of water (plus one for the pot).

Black/Oolong, Rooibose, and Herbal tea: Bring water to a rolling boil. Do not over boil your water. Over boiling will remove the oxygen necessary for full flavour.

Green or white tea: Heat water just up to the boiling point, but not boiling.

For strong tea of any kind, add more tea. Do not steep longer!

BREW TIMES

Black: steep 5 to 7 minutes Oolong: Steep 3-5 minutes Green: Steep 2-3 minutes White: Steep 1-2 minutes Rooibos and herbal teas: steep as long as you wish

HOW TO BREW ICED TEA

Brew 6 teaspoons of tea in 2 cups of water. Steep the desired time based on type of tea. Add 2 cups fresh, cold water or two cups of ice

PICTURES:

3 mood shots The Villa Bakery has many feminine touches.

Tammy Escalante prepares tea.

Tammy Escalante serves tea to Cheryl Tezzi