September 05, 2016

Brigadeiro - Brasilian Truffle

Brigadeiro is a national truffle of Brasil served at almost all major celebrations. It is made of condensed milk, cocoa powder, and butter and apparently, was invented after World War II when it was very hard to find sugar, fresh milk, dry fruit & nuts (often needed to make most  desserts). 

July 30, 2014

Loose Leaf tea..

                                                                                      Keep it fresh...

 

                                                       
                               
  
 
                                                                                                                                               ...keep it loose!
  

          
     
      The tea bag wasn't invented before 1903, so how was tea prepared before then? Tea was prepared by steeping the loose leaves, and it's a method which has retained its popularity. Why?

            1. With loose leaf tea, there is more leafy surface area compared to tea leaves in a pouch. This means that the leaf retains more of its natural oils and health giving properties. 
            2. Having whole leaves can lead to not only a more healthful cup of tea, but of more flavourful one. In the process of bagging, "tea dust" can sometimes settle on leaves in the tea bags, altering the flavour.
            3. Loose leaf tea is as close to the tea bush as you can get. The leaves undergo the routine selection and fermenting, but they don't need any further processing like bagged varieties do. 

Buy Greenfield loose leaf tea here

July 29, 2014

Going green is not for the Planet anymore...

                                   
                                             Going GREEN...
                                                      
                                                
 ...is not just on the planet anymore!
 



           It is the wee little leaf steeped in over 4,000 years of history. It has 10 times the antioxidant power of many fruits and vegetables. It has probably conquered more territory than the crown and is even gaining ground with former coffee loyalists. 
          What is it?
          It is green tea, and it is taking the world by storm!
          Green tea is not a cousin or even a sibling of other popular varieties such as black tea and oolong tea, and that is because it is much more closely related. Green tea actually comes from the same plant as black tea and oolong tea. So, what accounts for the vast differences between these varieties?
           The differences lay in the preparations.
           Black and oolong tea leaves undergo a process whereby they are crushed and then left to ferment over time, lending them their distinctive dark color.
           After selection and plucking, green tea leaves are partially withered and almost immediately heated and steamed to prevent fermentation. This process retains the leaves' natural hue and also infuses the brewed tea with a subtle, relaxing green color.
           Nutritionally, the preparation processes for black and oolong, as well as green teas, further sets these varieties apart from one another. All three varieties are high in the antioxidants called polyphenols, but green tea has a leg up on its fermented friends. 
           One polyphenol antioxidant, called EGCG, is found in its greatest concentration in green tea, and this exact polyphenol is lost during the fermenting process for black and oolong varieties. 
            What exactly do these polyphenols do for you and why should you be excited to have them swimming around in your cuppa? 
           Research conducted over the last decade has shown a strong link between polyphenols and the prevention of degenerative diseases, particularly cardiovascular diseases and cancers. This coincides with statistics such as those voiced by Michael Gregor, M.D., who cites green tea as being responsible for cutting breast cancer risk by up to 1/3, and comments on the discrepancy between cancer rates worldwide (with Asian countries having some of the lowest occurrence rates.) Perhaps this is not a coincidence, as China is the home of green tea, and has been for thousands of years.
           Further, Dr. Zuo Feng Zhang who is a cancer epidemiology researcher at UCLA and the University of Maryland Medical Center recommend two to three cups a day to improve overall health, though you don't have to stop there!
          Five cups a day have been shown to decrease the risk of stomach cancer. Seven cups per day can aid weight loss and boost metabolism. The limit is around ten cups, owing to the caffeine content.

May 05, 2014

Solving the Christmas Mystery...

Traditional Christmas tea, Greenfield Christmas Mystery is prepared on the basis of the classical Ceylon tea. Cloves and cinnamon give a spicy note to the bouquet while the refreshing citrus tones emphasize its piquant flavor and festive character. This tea will refresh and warm you up.



 

                                                                                                 What is so mysterious...

                                                      
                                                     ...about Greenfield Christmas Mystery?
          
          The mystery begins with the perfect marriage of warm holiday spices with bright, stimulating citrus, all balanced by the bold flavor of traditional Ceylon tea. The festive outcome leaves one to wonder who could have crafted such a perfect holiday tea. Well, just as Santa keeps the inner workings of his special workshop under wraps, so must we keep the secret of our seasonal delicacy, but we can tell you this - our Christmas Mystery tea is prepared, as with all of our fine teas, with the highest quality procedures. 

          This tea, actually, flows in the same line of history as the traditional holiday beverage called "wassail", which literally means "be you healthy." Wassail is a hot, mulled cider beverage originally made using sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg and topped with slices of toast. In modern times, orange and other fruit slices are used in place of toast, which we at Greenfield Tea think is quite an improvement on the original recipe.

           We also like to think our addition of tea as a base instead of sugar or wine is quite a clever (and delicious) innovation, while still retaining the elements of that ye olde beverage shared for centuries between family and friends during the holidays, toasting to one another's good health and good cheer.